Chapter 13

"Have a good day you two!"

Shinji turned behind to look at the smiling lady waving at him from the kitchen table.

"A good day indeed, Major! Just let me go ahead, so Third can make me actually have it!", was the sarcastic retort from the teenage redhead, who gave the boy a scowl before exiting from the apartment's door.

Shinji frowned slightly at her, before turning back to look at the lady with purple hair and at her smiling farewell one last time ...

His eyes darted opened forcefully, as he found himself again in the darkened space of Kensuke's residence, laying on the bed.

'No, not anymore! Not anymore ...'

His look turned sadder, before he stiffened it once more.

'Not anymore! I don't have it, and that's all! ...'

He rested his calmer gaze on the redhead sleeping right next to him, her light breathing reaching for his face's skin, leaving a soft touch on it.

He used that view to fully make himself relaxed, also thanks to the image of another smile coming right to him, one he knew he could still receive, everytime she wanted to do it ...

But the other image of that lost one was still there, he could sense it, despite keeping to remind himself of how hollow it was now.

He knew they had to be fast, so that he too could finally give all the smiles he still had, for every remaining day of his life ... just for them.

To make sure nobody got too much suspicious, they had agreed to walk slightly afar from one another.

Shinji had thought that that would've meant she would've taken the lead, but to his surprise, she was still letting him guide her through the area.

He had tried to slightly protest, since he was of course as ignorant about that territory as she was, but she had promptly countered that with the notion that he had already spent enough time to at least get a clearer idea of the zone than she did.

Turns out she really did anything to not stay among people, all those times she came at the village, so she had really never bothered to explore much of the area.

And right now, they were in a spot filled with so much trees, the sunlight itself found it hard to enlight it fully.

"You think this ground would be good for growing things?", she asked, taking a look around.

"Perhaps ... I'm not sure", he replied doubtfully.

Sensing his familiar insecurity almost made her scoff, but she managed to suppress it on time.

"How about we go more up? Where there could be more sunlight?", he proposed, taking his look towards where the path they were on could effectively lead them more upwards.

"We could always just cut the branches that prevent it from arriving", she commented, studying the trees above their heads.

He thought about contesting that, but instead decided to just agree with her, finding her security making way inside of him.

They just kept on walking in silence, reaching for the path Shinji had pointed at, and right there he suddenly felt the top of his shoe hitting something solid half-hidden in the ground.

"Careful for the roots, Asuka. There might be a lot here", he called for her, while putting more attention on where to put his feet.

"Well, this should make easier to put more distance bewtween us and them!", she commented with a tiny smirk, as she observed him slightly slow his steps to avoid tripping.

He rose his head more up, despite still not turning to look at her.

"... It has to"

She almost stopped in her tracks, as she took in how somberly he had let that out, and her own stare turned into a small frown, as she took in also the rigidity his body was transmitting to her, making her feel the mix of pride and worry she had by now grown used to feel about him.

"We can find a spot, Shinji. This area already hosts a good amount of people ... And they keep on growing, despite everything ..."

"... Then we should check at the exact borders, perhaps? ... You wanna try near the AT-FIELD barrier?", he asked, sounding a bit more unsure again.

"That would be too much tiring, don't you think? You'll already have to make all the way to the ruins every morning, that way you'll just double the distance ... And me too, to go and do all those tasks ..."

They kept on walking without saying anything more, also to avoid losing all their breaths due to the talking.

Finally, they reached the part where the path returned plain, and they took in how it was even more filled with trees than the part down.

"Even if we cut some of these down, there's still a very few possibility to actually grow something here", the boy commented, putting his hands on his hips.

The redhead didn't comment, as she walked ahead to give a better look around.

All the while, Shinji looked at her sensing a newfound feeling of remorse, for having found nothing but a waste of time.

"Totally. And it would be just too complicated, bringing all the water we need here everytime"

He could just nod at it with a more somber look.

"Then why don't you follow the river's course?"

Despite the placidness of that tone, both of the two gasped as if they had heard a loud threat.

Turning behind, their stares grew even more baffled, as both petrified on their spots at the sight of the girl from the Ayanami series, who just stared back at her with her usual calmness.

Actually, she herself gave them back a reaction of her own, as her mouth stood slightly agape, and her irises trembled slightly in apparent confusion at their gestures.

Once again, the sensation of time freezing around them made way inside of Shinji and Asuka's spirits, making them avert all of their bodies being invaded by glacial ice.

"... What are you doing here, Ayanami?!", was the response Asuka finally let out, her tone of voice trapped between a more composed one and a screaming one.

The other girl looked at her with her lips still parted, but without answering immediately, which sent more confusion inside of the redhead, as she would've expected a proper response immediately.

"... I ... I'm here to finish my task with you, Shikinami-san"

"... What?!", Asuka let out, still trying not to raise her level of voice too much, "... What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to fulfill what you asked me to do, Shikinami-san", the blue haired girl replied again, sounding more sure this time.

"... But I told you we were done!", the redhead replied back, this time putting more severity in her voice, and also frowning at the other female, "I told you I didn't need your help anymore!"

"... I don't think so, Major", was the quiet response that made Asuka almost shake on the spot.

Her good eye widened more, also starting to slightly tremble, sending a more distressing feeling of

nervousness inside of Shinji too, as he looked back and forth from one girl to the other.

"I can see you still have something to solve ... Something for which you may still need some help, perhaps ..."

Asuka's trembling stare didn't seem to bother her at all, and neither did the following, harsher response.

"This is not something you should take care of! And besides, I already have someone doing it with me!"

And with that, she pointed at the only boy present, who in turn let a nervous blush colour his cheeks.

Rei turned her look to him, and that seemed to make her slightly flinch, as a faint shade of pink coloured her cheeks too, but neither of the other two noticed it.

"I see ... But I still thought I didn't do my job properly ..."

The redhead gave her a look that seemed to say "Are you freaking serious!?", but only Shinji took notice of it, as he started to feel himself even more unable to actually just stay there.

Asuka also took in how the typical posture of the clone now appeared to be even more ... rigid, as if she was planting herself on the spot, signaling her intention of staying there in spite of any counterorder she could've given her.

... How could she just do that?

"... This is part of my duties for WILLE! You're no related to it, so there's nothing you can do!", the Pilot finally let out, resuming her severity, but still not making the other girl flinch any bit.

"You asked me to help you with your duties for WILLE before, Major ... But I don't think it went good"

'... You've already done all I wanted! What do you WANT MORE?!', was the exclamation Asuka wanted to yell out, and that instead kept inside of her mind, unexpectedly unable to really speak it ...

And actually, she started to look at the bluehead with a wider sensation of loss trapped inside of her, as she realized what she was meaning, with that absurd attitude.

Was it really a matter of "Wanting" to do it ... for the Doll?! She wanted to do it?!

The red clothed girl felt a tiny buzz inside of her chest, that stopped any attempt she still wanted to make to reject any other offer Ayanami was ready to make.

And that only made her attention turn more towards the other one who could be marked by such an absurdity, possibly even more than herself.

Said other one was on the verge of shaking on his spot too, just as his girlfriend.

Last thing he needed was to deal with one of the most problematic residues of his actions on the World, one for which he just knew there could be NO solution at all.

He felt completely useless, as he kept on observing the two, and a buzzing realization hit his nerves, wishing he could just say something to convince the pale one to lose her intentions, as his lost brain tried to decipher the right way to let her know it ...

"I ... I just know it is so, Major", Rei spoke again, still looking at the redhead, who now felt really like she was becoming an unnmoving ice statue.

'... YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING!', she let out, again just in her mind.

And as she finished that, she gave a brief glance at her boyfriend, who was still keeping to look at the other girl with the apparent same rigidness.

And she couldn't let her make him feel so ...

Just as he couldn't let her make Asuka feel like that too, just as he kept trying to intervene as soon as possible, looking at the clone and at her expectant stare, which only made him feel his chest being invaded by a warming sensation of ... of quietness.

He found his arms losing all the stiffness he had invoked before, and his eyes widening a bit more, as he took in how Mrs. LookALike was effectively expressing nothing for which he had to ... defend himself.

"What ... What was that you said?"

Now both girls shared the same look of surprise, although Asuka's one was way more startled, as they both registered what the boy had just asked ... and also the fact that he had just talked.

"Well ... Since I understood you were searching for a spot with more water ... Why don't you try to just follow the river course?", the clone replied, her tone sounding sure of her answer, but also with a slight note of uncertainty he couldn't figure quite figure out.

Again, silence reigned among them, but this time Asuka could sense a different shade of it, as she saw how Shinji was looking at Ayanami with ... actual interest.

And before she could even shake her good iris, she found him turning to look at her with a still slightly unsure expression, but with his features way more more relaxed than before.

She knew he was communicating something to her, just like that ... but not what she expected him to ...

And he didn't seem understand it, because he just nodded at her, signaling something else she just couldn't believe he had just "told" her.

Maybe he hadn't even realized it, before doing it, but still he went on like it was the most natural thing to do.

And again, Asuka felt incoming outbursts wanting to come out from her open mouth, but she still kept her frozen posture, her attention fully on the now also absurd attitude of her Baka.

"... M-Maybe we could do that, Asuka", he said quietly, not breaking his stare with hers.

He didn't flinch, nor appeared more nervous; and it just made her shake slightly more.

He seemed to finally shake himself with concern, at this sight ... but his look still showed her that he actually wanted her to aknowledge the security of his words ...

... and of Ayanami's.

She wanted to shake her head, to make him see the idiocy of that ... but somehow, the less she tried to reject the bluehead's words, the more they fixed in her mind, just as the image of Shinji's expectant stare ... almost as if he had let them out.

And that actually made her feel actually a bit calmer, but still nervous nevertheless.

How was that possible, she couldn't tell ... Maybe because it was coming from both of them, at the same time.

Almost like a synchronization, an unwilling one, but still working ... and Aynami herself was starting it.

Again, he raised his look a bit more, still looking intently at her ... and finally allowing an unexpected warmness making her know they could still go on.

"Yeah ... Seems right", she admitted, allowing him to relax a bit more ... and for her to do the same.

"So ... Let's go, then", the Officer replied, turning one last time towards the other girl, giving her a reluctant nod, before gesturing to her boy to follow her.

He gave the clone a nervous nod too, before following his girl with all his attention just on her.

"So, we go to the ruins, and follow from the lake?", the redhead asked, as they descended.

"Err ... there are no paths that lead to the river, there", he answered, while being careful for the roots.

"You could start from the spots where we work, Shikinami-san", was the quiet reply both heard from behind them, which made them stop and turn again with a baffled look towards the other girl, who was right behind them.

"... That's not where the river starts, Ayanami, I'm sure", Asuka replied quickly, trying to contain her newly raising concern, this time aggravated also by the thought of going too soon among other people.

"But it's where you're already familiar with ... I thought that maybe it could be easier to orient yourself, from there"

Again, the urge to yell something died into Asuka's thoath, as she found herself risking to freeze on the spot once more ... before a new realization made way its way inside of her now more relieved mind.

"That would be good too, actually. Alright, let's go to the rice fields, then", the redhead replied, reprising to walk with more assurance down the path.

Shinji stood where he was for a brief time, blinking in confusion, before hurrying to reach his girl, following her silently, just as Ayanami kept on doing behind them ...

As the sun kept on shining above them with more intensity, they stopped right where they could properly see the spot near the rice fields, and the ones working in the water.

"So, from here we go ... there, I'll say", the Major pointed to her left, where the river course was proceeding, going straight towards totally isolated spots, clearly untouched by man's hand.

"Yes, I think it's ok", Shinji concurred, after giving a proper look.

"Well, then let's go, Ikari! See ya around, Ayanami, we'll leave you to your work!", the redhead replied, her tone sounding a bit more excited than usual, as she reprised to walk while giving a small wave at the silent girl next to them.

Shinji gave her one last glance too, before starting to walk behind his girl again, but soon both of them had to stop again, due to a new quiet call.

"But I still have to help you, Major"

A part of her brain hoped to have heard wrong, but Asuka knew it was a vain one.

"... And I said you can't do it, right now. You better go do what you're supposed to do, just as we are doing", the German girl replied with a slightly colder tone.

But the other girl ... the Doll just stood immovable on his spot. But somehow, a slight shiver made Asuka perceive the concrete possibility of her reprising to walk, or talk ... or even both, and counter her words once more.

There was no way Asuka could still feel barred by her actions ... even though now she knew it could absolutely happen.

"Err, but you see, Ayanami ... This is something you can't do, because ... I don't think you have the appropriate knowledge, I fear"

The sudden intervention made the redhead turn towards the boy who had spoken it with renovated surprise, which after a few moments allowed for a grateful sense of relief to start surfacing deep inside of her.

And Ayanami too stood totally taken aback from it, although in the exact opposite way, as her mouth stood agape, and her red eyes seemed to vibrate a bit.

"Oh ... Is it something very difficult to do?"

The boy stared silently at her with a slight gulp, before allowing her to hear the proper answer.

"... Yes, it is. And it's something only us can do. There's no need to involve others in it, believe me"

The crimson shade in her irises shined trembly once more, as the last words he had let out sunk inside of her with an unexplainable force that she couldn't figure out.

Her eyes shined more, as if she wanted to say something, but then an heavier weight made itself more concretely evident, this time right in her mind, putting almost forcefully the real thing she could truly understand about that situation: she could still believe him.

"Okay. I understand, Ikari-kun ... I hope you'll manage to do it, then"

Now Shinji found himself opening his mouth slightly, without letting any word out, as he averted a new feeling that made him look at her face, looking for something he was strangely sure to have noticed ... and that didn't sound good, to him.

He kept that look even when, she just turned on herself, without even bowing to salute them like she usually did, and started to walk in the opposite direction, keepin her head high and her posture as rigid as she could.

As she kept on putting more distance between them, the boy and the girl's stares reflected incoming sentiments of major relief, but also of confused consideration they couldn't really imagine they were letting out ... especially him.

"Ehy!"

His sudden call made the blue haired clone stop her retreat immediately, and turn once again towards them, her mouth still agape under a more confused stare.

"I'm sorry, Ayanami ... Don't take it personally, really", was the slightly trembling response he gave her.

It caused her crimson irises to briefly shine once more, alongside the redhead's blue one, as she stared dumbfounded at him.

"... It's okay, Ikari-kun. I understand"

And this time, she did bow at them, before proceeding to leave them alone for good.

"... Was it really necessary?", was the quiet answer he heard from his lover, which didn't mask her still dumbfounded stare on him.

He looked at her with more confusion too, but didn't feel like he could really say something more, or rather he did feel like what he wanted to say was stuck in the middle of his throat.

In the end, he just let her know he was ready to reprise their search once again, and so they just did that.

And at the same time, the other former Pilot kept her own walk, focusing only on doing that.

She felt strangely heavy, like she was suddenly carrying a weight that had just been thrown on her back ... by him.

She found her steps becoming even slower than usual, and the feeling of her back stiffening more concrete.

A little urge of fighting back that sensation raised up inside of her, as she tried to counter it with the equally concrete knowledge that had made her do what she was doing: she believed him.

By now, she was more than sure that everything she now knew had started because of him, which had resulted in her understanding how all that he had told her made a sense she could've never thought of, before ...

Which meant, what he had just told her also must have made sense.

But then, another echo of his words made her actually stop for real, right where she was, with her irises sparkling once more.

Those had not been his exact, final words to her ... He hadn't just told her to let him do what he had to do, with Shikinami-san ...

He felt something else ... like she did, now.

Her stare turned back, towards where he couldn't see them anymore, but her irises still trembled like she was still seeing them right in front of her ...

Like she could still reach them ... and so she did.

"We're pretty far, aren't we, Asuka?"

"... Pretty much, yes. And it's pretty spacious, too"

They stopped, with the redhead putting her hands on her hips while turning her head to have a complete look of the empty green fields around them, where there was no trace of any other presence, aside from theirs.

Shinji too took a careful look, sensing the slight relief of all that necessary emptiness; it also brought him to look at Asuka, still giving her back to him while scrutinizing the area, and to an instant imagine to surface in his mind.

"Do you really picture ourselves staying here, Asuka?"

It made her turn her head to look at him with a brief, small inch of surprise.

"Do you?", she asked.

"... Honestly ... Yes, I do", he replied, allowing a small, goofy smile on his face.

Which in turn allowed her to shake her head while showing one of her own, more composed and amused at the same time.

"Then let's see if the ground is fine, too", she replied.

He shook his expression away with a quick nod, before walking more on the field, always followed closely from her.

Finding what he considered a proper spot, he crouched himself on it, bringing his hand towards the ground to examine it.

He did not notice at first her doing the same, silently observing him do it with a precision he knew he didn't really have.

"You really think there won't be someone who'll say something? ... What if they have already set eyes on this spot, too?", he suddenly asked, while still studying the earth.

"Nobody owns anything here. Everything is shared by everyone", she replied calmly.

"... Then won't it be too much for them, seeing a lonely house here? Like we're trying to take the spot away from them?"

"... We'll soon show them we're still doing what we're already doing, so they'll really have nothing to say, at all"

His lips twisted uncomfortably, as he gave her a brief glance she didn't seem to notice.

"And we'll still share what we get with them, so ...", she continued, earning a more surprised blink from him.

"You mean ... How much will we have to give them, of what we'll grow?"

She looked at him like she hadn't considered that question, or rather the tone with which he said that.

"... The necessary, Shinji. But I'm sure they'll still let us keep what we need, too"

"Which includes our house too, right?", he said, frowning worriedly a bit more, "Speaking of which, what are we going to put on? ... I fear it'll be too much, actually, to put four walls here"

She looked at him with a more baffled expression.

"We also have to consider that, to do that, us two won't be enough ... I mean, it'll take way too long, and we'll have to keep staying with Kensuke more than we may expect ..."

"... Right", she replied weakly, bringing her stare at the ground, where her right hand's fingers scratched the ground.

"So, what could we do, Shinji? ... Maybe just a little campsite?"

"... For the time being, maybe ...", he replied somberly, "I still want to have a proper shelter ..."

As he thought about how to continue that sentence, he suddenly felt to let out a somber chuckle, which elicited a more confused blink from her.

"Sorry, I just thought ... Technically, when you'll be back, you could stop by where the Lances were ... And take the Entry Plug of UNIT 13 ... I think it's still there ..."

He kept on talking and looking at the ground, and so didn't notice at all the now absolutely shocked expression she was giving him.

"I mean, it's what we've always been, isn't it? It's where we were always kept in, so ... One last time, why not?"

She shook her head like she was trying to stop herself from falling on the ground.

He kept his stare down, before giving her a slight glance ... resulting in his eyes to widen shockingly at the look she was giving.

And that made him feel like the sting of everlasting guilt was actually making his heart fully bleed.

"I'm sorry! ... I didn't mean it like that, Asuka! ... I didn't mean ..."

Now he raised both of his hands towards her in a "reassuring" way, but he also felt his legs on the verge of losing all their strength, and to make him directly sink in the ground to disappear for good from her sight ...

Probably he deserved that, but he knew he couldn't happen.

But he wanted to prevent her from seeing his Idiot face, so he just slapped one hand over it, lowering it more down, while murmuring another set of muffled apologies.

"... It won't change anything, Shinji. Wherever we'll be, it'll still be us ... So, we just have to make sure they don't have anything to worry about us still being here ..."

He removed his hands from his eyes, finding her giving him a stare of somber seriousness, while her plugsuited hand touched the top of his knee, fully confirming her state.

And he knew he just had to accept that with no further complications on his part.

"... Then we better double our expectations ... I'll better ask Kensuke if I could just think about growing things, instead of fishing"

"You're the only one who does it constantly now, Schatz ... You keep doing it, and I'll take care of this"

He looked at her with more shock, but she still maintained all of her seriousness.

"Yes, why not? ... I'll still do something for them, and ... I'll also reduce more any direct contact with them. I could actually even avoid going to work with Ayanami and Co."

And as she finished that sentence, her teeth gritted nervously, as she mentally gave herself a harsher scold, for having basically wasted time in trying to look for something to do in the village.

"... But a whole field, for an entire village ... It'll take much more space to find, and still, you won't be able to do it on your own ... It's true, really"

She gave him a look like she was about to answer him, but soon she just felt that the only reasonable option was to just agree with that.

"... We'll still be able to do it, though ... You and me", she finally released, sounding more sure, and thus making him feel a bit calmer, though none of them dropped the still relatively concerned stares.

"... I could really help you, then"

Again, the sudden shock that invaded their bodies made them look up, replicating what they had already done that morning, towards the same one who had caused that.

There Ayanami stood again, this time a few good feet away from them, still as rigid as ever, but also with a stare that released more curiosity and expectance.

Instead of replying immediately how they could've, both of the two crouched figures kept a silence that only increased their absolute sense of loss, as vivid as the expression the clone was still giving them.

Which actually made Shinji himself feel more intrigued by it, a slow sense of wonder crawling inside of his skin, while staring at Ayanami like at a total stranger.

"... I apologize for it, but ... I know that look, Shikinami-san"

Said look grew more terrified on the face of the girl with the red plugsuit, as the other girl with the black one kept on talking, apparently not concerned at all by it.

"It's like I told you, yesterday ... It's about feeling what you have to do ... Even if you don't fully understand it. I know how it is, since I didn't know anything about the tasks I now constantly do ..."

Asuka's good iris shook slightly, as she felt a new feeling of understanding imposing itself above her worries.

"And I ... I still feel I have to finish giving you a hand ... And what Ikari said confirms it, to me"

As she said that, her gaze rested upon the boy's one, softening warmly.

"I didn't manage to do what I can do now without others helping me ... So, I think I can now do it the same ... so you'll manage to feel good at doing it too ... Both of you"

Said pair looked at her with more density blocking their reactions ... but that also made the unexpected warm feelings growing more and more inside of them ... alongside another unexpected one that Shinji felt so hot, he knew he couldn't push it aside ... nor he wanted to.

He turned his head towards his girlfriend once more, but she still kept her lost look on the silent bluehead.

"Asuka ... She may have a good point"

And finally that made her turn her look towards his.

"I mean, you already asked her to show you what to do, because she managed to do it ... So why can't we both?"

She blinked at him, again not managing to let out anything from her mouth.

"... But she doesn't know a thing about this, like us!", she finally countered.

"But she learned to do other things she didn't know about, for them ... and she managed flawlessly, like you said. So why couldn't she do it for us?"

Her eye widened again, but this time the warmness of the new realization made her feel much more content than she could've ever expected to be.

Ayanami had done those things, it was true, because she was used to listen and learn from who asked her to do it ... and so she managed to always be of good use for others.

Like a Doll, after all ... so why couldn't she be like that for them, too?

Finally, the Major showed nothing but resoluted assurance ... and stood up, firmly looking at her "colleague".

"Alright Ayanami ... But be sure to do it at your best, as always!"

"... I promise I'll do my best, Major Shikinami"

And so, the First, Second and Third Child are battling together again!

Next time we'll see how the "quest" will go on, and if Rei will manage to be the Help they really need, before WUNDER comes ...

Stay tuned, 'til next time!

And thanks to you all for the interest and support, you're truly Great!