Chapter 4
Back and forth again
The sun was setting as the pilots came up to surface once more. After exiting the subway station, Shinji noticed that they were in the theatrical section of Tokyo-3. Neon lights that fought with the dying rays of the sun illuminated doorways to cafes, bars, and playhouses. The smooth melody of jazz and the smell of java wafted through the air, and sleepy corner bookstores rang to life as a customer stepped in through the doors. Posters of long gone musicians and theatrical pieces clung on to chain-link fences like dying leaves on a tree, and a street performer played a violin in the background, giving the place an unreal feel.
"Ikari..." Rei said, bringing Shinji back to Earth. She was standing next to the Third Child, and Shinji knew, even if he couldn't tell by her face, that Rei wanted to get moving again. "Oh, sorry, Ayanami. I just got caught up in the scenery." he said, smiling weakly. As Shinji smiled, Rei felt something thump in her chest, and Shinji looked exactly as in her dreams. "Yes..." she said. "...the scenery is quite beautiful, isn't it, Shinji." Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just called the *real* Shinji, but he only nodded his head. "Yeah..." Shinji nodded faintly, turning to face the other side of the street. "...it's pretty nice."
If Shinji had been paying attention to Rei, for a split second he might have noticed that her lips, ever so slightly, were curved up, and her eyes seemed to flicker faintly as she looked at his captivated expression. Shinji of course, began to notice the interest that Rei had been giving him, and snapped out of his reverie. "Eh, of course! I've never been to this part of the city, but it sure is more lively than the Geofront." Shinji hastily added, trying not to sound too far-off.
"I agree. It is much more entertaining." Rei said, nodding her head. "Where do we go now?" Shinji asked, finally agreeing with himself that as long as this strange trip with an equally out-of-character Ayanami, he might as well enjoy himself. And so far, the trip had been interesting. Plus, this place had mysterious a charm, like the First Child herself. The only difference was, while most of the time Rei was cold and isolated, this quarter of town seemed warm and friendly. Maybe it was just the atmosphere, but Rei and Shinji actually were more at ease.
"We are going to a reading." Rei stated simply, and she turned her heels and started towards the end of the street. "Follow me, Ikari." she said, turning back to urge on the pilot. "Ok." Shinji said, walking a bit faster to catch up to her.
Feeling the need to essentially talk to this new Rei, Shinji decided that he would be just as forward as this facet of the ever growing enigma that was the First Child. "Sooo, do you come here often?" Shinji said. 'Oh my God?! How cheesy was that?!' Shinji mentally cursed when he found out how lamely he worded his question. But since Rei hasn't seen any movies with Uber-macho leads, she just answered it as she usually would have.
"This part of the city has a very deep-rooted history in music and arts. In the past, I often attended lessons for the viola, violin and saxophone here." Rei said as they walked down the neon lit avenue, the sun only a shimmer of light in the distance. "I didn't know you played sax, Ayanami." said Shinji, a little surprised. "Yes. I have had lessons for the soprano and alto saxophones. Do you consider this fact of any relevance?" Rei replied. To anyone else, this might have been interpreted as a curious statement. But to Shinji, the carefully worded response meant that the First Child was actually seeking approval for her skill. And it wouldn't be very nice of Shinji to begrudge this small request.
"Yeah, I think it's cool that you know how to play three different instruments. All I can play is the cello." Shinji replied. If Rei would have been any other girl, she would have blushed at the praise. However, she had her own way of reacting to situations. "In my opinion, Ikari, the proficiency of any musical instrument is a great achievement." Rei stated with a firm voice. Shinji was taken aback by the sureness of Rei's declaration. "Why is that, Ayanami?" Shinji asked. "Music is a part of the human being, as much a part as your soul. It is the product of one of the purest emotions an individual can share. It is the product of passion, a product of devotion, but foremost, a product of love." Rei said, and she placed her hand over her heart as she spoke these words. "Perhaps I shall experience what it means to feel this one day."
It took a lot for Rei to open herself in that way to anyone, especially one she cared about the most. She felt drained, but also as if she had taken a breath of fresh air after a 14-year swim. She wanted something now, something she couldn't describe, but she knew it was there, like a weight lifted from her heart. And her heart was beating. Not in the sense that a heart you can pierce, the heart you can stab and prick. This heart was different. It had a pulse, a weak pulse, but a rhythm that proved to the world it was there.
And Shinji felt it. With those words that the First Child expressed, it was like a hammer to his skull. The Ayanami he had seen, the Ayanami he knew, the Ayanami he understood was gone. In it's place was this new, glorious being. And Shinji could only describe her with one word. "Beautiful." Shinji whispered. "Pardon, Ikari..." Rei asked, wondering what Shinji was muttering about. "Oh...ah, nothing, Ayanami..." Shinji said, hanging his head a little low, trying to hide the small blush creeping across his face.
Rei, however, suddenly felt a chill up her spine. She didn't like Shinji ignoring her. It almost felt like being...abandoned. "Did I say something to upset you, Ikari?" Rei said, her voice actually laced with distress. 'Please stop this feeling, Shinji. Please stop it.' She silently pleaded, her instinct telling her that the pain would only stop when Shinji would start talking again. "Wha? You didn't do anything wrong, Ayanami." Shinji said, his brow furrowed. 'What is up with Rei today?' he thought, really getting worried about his co-pilot. One second, she is totally cold, the next she's poetic and elegant, and the next she was kinda' acting like... himself.
And of course, since Shinji knew what this felt like, he immediately tried to avoid the subject, diverting the stream of apologies he knew would come out of the First Child's mouth if given the chance. "Are we almost there, Ayanami?" Shinji said hurriedly, just as Rei opened her mouth to make amends for a non-existent crime. Thankfully, she was still more Rei Ayanami than anything else, and answered immediately. "Yes. We are here, Ikari." Rei said, gesturing to a majestic theatre that almost leapt out of nowhere. Shinji could only say one word to what the structure looked like. "Whoa..."
Back at the apartments:
"Hey Misato. Know where Shinji is? I'm getting hungry." Asuka said as she came out of the bathroom, toweling off her hair as the steam from the shower evanesced at her feet. "Oh, Shinji? He's out somewhere." Misato said, looking up from a magazine she was reading. Clad only in boxers and a sleeveless undershirt, Misato was a sight to behold, and with the Second Child's glistening body wrapped only in a *very* tight towel, it was a scene that half the high-school population of Tokyo-3 would gladly have paid for. The other half were smart enough to download it off the internet. (Heh, just a little fan service for the hormone engulfed teens out there.)
"Out? That loser?" Asuka said incredulously, finding it hard to believe that the Invincible Shinji had better things to do than cook for her royal majesty Souryu. "Feh, he's probably with the other two stooges at the arcade, no doubt frying their eyeballs." Asuka scoffed. However, Misato actually cared about her charges, so she decided to defend one of them from the assault of the other. At least, in a way that gave a few kicks for her. "Well it just might surprise you, Asuka, but the so called loser is out on a date." Misato said. 'Heh, that'll boil her blood.' "WHAT?! What kind of weirdo would go out with a doofus like him?" Asuka said, slamming her hands on the table. "That would be Rei." Misato said, getting back to her magazine. 'Time to watch the fireworks.' she snickered, waiting for Asuka's overreaction.
"THOSE TWO?!? HOW DARE SHINJI GO OUT ON A DATE WITH THAT LITTLE PUPPET THAN MAKE ME DINNER?!" And there goes the Fourth of July. "WELL YOU KNOW WHAT?! THEY DESERVE EACH OTHER! THE INVINCIBLE SHINJI WITH HIS LITTLE WÜNDERDOLL! GO ON ,SHINJI! BEND HER, BREAK HER, GIVE HER SOMETHING TO REMEMBER! IT'S NOT ANY OF MY CONCERN! HE'LL JUST HAVE TO MAKE ME A SEVEN- COURSE DINNER WHEN HE GETS HOME!" Asuka stormed, stomping off to her room, leaving a highly amused Misato in her wake.
"Heh. That never gets old." She sniggered, going back to her magazine.
In the theatre:
The old opera house was magnificent. Gold chandeliers, velvet rope, red plush carpeting and so many other classic accents abounded the playhouse. Shinji couldn't believe that there were still places like this intact after Second Impact. It was something straight out of a tacky romance novel. "This is incredible, Ayanami." Shinji said, his eyes traveling from one bill of a past performance to the next. Tens of old movies, plays and musicals hung on the wall of the golden hallway. "How did you know it was here?" Shinji said, marveling at the painted ceiling, the scene one of a great battle between Caesar and some barbarian country.
"The Commander often comes to theatres such as this to view religious operas. He occasionally asks me to accompany him." She said calmly as they walked the grand hallway and into a rotunda. "So this is where we're gonna be watching that... thing?" Shinji said. "Yes, we shall be viewing it in the black box." Rei replied, as she turned a corner, almost with the fluidity that she navigated the labyrinth-like Central Dogma.
Later in the Black Box:
Even though it was smaller than the regular stages, the black box was no less elegant than its full sized relative. Inside, the lights were dimmed, and a single speaker cried to the crowd.
"DOOM! YOU ARE DOOMED, I AM DOOMED, FOR WE ALL ARE DOOMED!" The speaker bellowed at the top of his voice.
So this was what "The Meaning of One's Self" was. It was a new-age type monologue, the speaker more in tune with death than with the mysteries of the human being.
"AND YOUR CHILDREN ARE DOOMED, AND YOUR DOG IS DOOMED!"
There few people in the theatre, and Shinji and Rei were at the back, sparing their ears from the grim tidings brought by the player.
"AND THE FISHES ARE DOOMED. AND THE BIRDS ARE DOOMED!"
The music was that of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" making the production more comical than it meant to be. And the couple in the back were making out. Rather heavily.
"ALL YOU LOVERS ARE DOOMED. ALL YOU HATERS ARE DOOMED. AND ALL THE SO- CALLED PLAYAS ARE DOOMED!"
Of course, this couple was not Shinji and Rei. Yeah, right, like they would make out in a darkened theatre with almost no people and little supervision. Yep, Shinji just sat there, suffering through the entire 'doomed'-ness of the whole damn play. Rei however, seemed engrossed by the depressing banter of the actor. 'Why did I go here...' Shinji asked himself mentally. Taking a look at the almost smiling Rei, Shinji smiled too. 'Yeah. That's why I'm here.' he thought. Even though he was bored to tears, he knew that the First Child was enjoying herself, morbid as it seemed, and he loved being around her when she was happy. In fact, he was one of the only couple of people that could actually tell the First Child was happy.
"Hey, Ayanami..." Shinji whispered, ducking his head down so that the actor wouldn't see him breach audience etiquette. "Yes, Ikari." Rei said silently, still not taking her eyes away from the monologue. "Is this almost over?" Shinji said. Even though he was here for the First Child, he still wanted to know how much more he had top suffer. "This reading shall continue for approximately two more hours, Ikari." she told him, now lacing her fingers in the "Gendo" pose. "Oh, ok then." Shinji replied, nodding. Two more hours of torture.
"But..."
Okay, maybe not that long.
"... my interest of this play is waning. Have you any suggestions, Ikari..." Rei said, leaning back in her chair and turning to face Shinji. "...for they would be much appreciated."
Author's notes: Dammit, I'm making Rei too OOC. Not really a big thing, but I didn't expect people to notice so soon. Oh well, what can you do? I don't really have much to say for now, but I apologize for the delay in updates. Also, I apologize to Hououza. Sorry, but I can't seem to send any attachments to you. Also, the number of reviews are getting a little big, so don't be angry if I can't reply to some as quickly as i used to. But don't fret. Along the way, I'll thank everyone who shared their ideas, and at the end of the fic, I'll write down pesonal replied to everyone, no matter how insignificant or hurting it is.Well, that's about it. -FPotM
The sun was setting as the pilots came up to surface once more. After exiting the subway station, Shinji noticed that they were in the theatrical section of Tokyo-3. Neon lights that fought with the dying rays of the sun illuminated doorways to cafes, bars, and playhouses. The smooth melody of jazz and the smell of java wafted through the air, and sleepy corner bookstores rang to life as a customer stepped in through the doors. Posters of long gone musicians and theatrical pieces clung on to chain-link fences like dying leaves on a tree, and a street performer played a violin in the background, giving the place an unreal feel.
"Ikari..." Rei said, bringing Shinji back to Earth. She was standing next to the Third Child, and Shinji knew, even if he couldn't tell by her face, that Rei wanted to get moving again. "Oh, sorry, Ayanami. I just got caught up in the scenery." he said, smiling weakly. As Shinji smiled, Rei felt something thump in her chest, and Shinji looked exactly as in her dreams. "Yes..." she said. "...the scenery is quite beautiful, isn't it, Shinji." Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just called the *real* Shinji, but he only nodded his head. "Yeah..." Shinji nodded faintly, turning to face the other side of the street. "...it's pretty nice."
If Shinji had been paying attention to Rei, for a split second he might have noticed that her lips, ever so slightly, were curved up, and her eyes seemed to flicker faintly as she looked at his captivated expression. Shinji of course, began to notice the interest that Rei had been giving him, and snapped out of his reverie. "Eh, of course! I've never been to this part of the city, but it sure is more lively than the Geofront." Shinji hastily added, trying not to sound too far-off.
"I agree. It is much more entertaining." Rei said, nodding her head. "Where do we go now?" Shinji asked, finally agreeing with himself that as long as this strange trip with an equally out-of-character Ayanami, he might as well enjoy himself. And so far, the trip had been interesting. Plus, this place had mysterious a charm, like the First Child herself. The only difference was, while most of the time Rei was cold and isolated, this quarter of town seemed warm and friendly. Maybe it was just the atmosphere, but Rei and Shinji actually were more at ease.
"We are going to a reading." Rei stated simply, and she turned her heels and started towards the end of the street. "Follow me, Ikari." she said, turning back to urge on the pilot. "Ok." Shinji said, walking a bit faster to catch up to her.
Feeling the need to essentially talk to this new Rei, Shinji decided that he would be just as forward as this facet of the ever growing enigma that was the First Child. "Sooo, do you come here often?" Shinji said. 'Oh my God?! How cheesy was that?!' Shinji mentally cursed when he found out how lamely he worded his question. But since Rei hasn't seen any movies with Uber-macho leads, she just answered it as she usually would have.
"This part of the city has a very deep-rooted history in music and arts. In the past, I often attended lessons for the viola, violin and saxophone here." Rei said as they walked down the neon lit avenue, the sun only a shimmer of light in the distance. "I didn't know you played sax, Ayanami." said Shinji, a little surprised. "Yes. I have had lessons for the soprano and alto saxophones. Do you consider this fact of any relevance?" Rei replied. To anyone else, this might have been interpreted as a curious statement. But to Shinji, the carefully worded response meant that the First Child was actually seeking approval for her skill. And it wouldn't be very nice of Shinji to begrudge this small request.
"Yeah, I think it's cool that you know how to play three different instruments. All I can play is the cello." Shinji replied. If Rei would have been any other girl, she would have blushed at the praise. However, she had her own way of reacting to situations. "In my opinion, Ikari, the proficiency of any musical instrument is a great achievement." Rei stated with a firm voice. Shinji was taken aback by the sureness of Rei's declaration. "Why is that, Ayanami?" Shinji asked. "Music is a part of the human being, as much a part as your soul. It is the product of one of the purest emotions an individual can share. It is the product of passion, a product of devotion, but foremost, a product of love." Rei said, and she placed her hand over her heart as she spoke these words. "Perhaps I shall experience what it means to feel this one day."
It took a lot for Rei to open herself in that way to anyone, especially one she cared about the most. She felt drained, but also as if she had taken a breath of fresh air after a 14-year swim. She wanted something now, something she couldn't describe, but she knew it was there, like a weight lifted from her heart. And her heart was beating. Not in the sense that a heart you can pierce, the heart you can stab and prick. This heart was different. It had a pulse, a weak pulse, but a rhythm that proved to the world it was there.
And Shinji felt it. With those words that the First Child expressed, it was like a hammer to his skull. The Ayanami he had seen, the Ayanami he knew, the Ayanami he understood was gone. In it's place was this new, glorious being. And Shinji could only describe her with one word. "Beautiful." Shinji whispered. "Pardon, Ikari..." Rei asked, wondering what Shinji was muttering about. "Oh...ah, nothing, Ayanami..." Shinji said, hanging his head a little low, trying to hide the small blush creeping across his face.
Rei, however, suddenly felt a chill up her spine. She didn't like Shinji ignoring her. It almost felt like being...abandoned. "Did I say something to upset you, Ikari?" Rei said, her voice actually laced with distress. 'Please stop this feeling, Shinji. Please stop it.' She silently pleaded, her instinct telling her that the pain would only stop when Shinji would start talking again. "Wha? You didn't do anything wrong, Ayanami." Shinji said, his brow furrowed. 'What is up with Rei today?' he thought, really getting worried about his co-pilot. One second, she is totally cold, the next she's poetic and elegant, and the next she was kinda' acting like... himself.
And of course, since Shinji knew what this felt like, he immediately tried to avoid the subject, diverting the stream of apologies he knew would come out of the First Child's mouth if given the chance. "Are we almost there, Ayanami?" Shinji said hurriedly, just as Rei opened her mouth to make amends for a non-existent crime. Thankfully, she was still more Rei Ayanami than anything else, and answered immediately. "Yes. We are here, Ikari." Rei said, gesturing to a majestic theatre that almost leapt out of nowhere. Shinji could only say one word to what the structure looked like. "Whoa..."
Back at the apartments:
"Hey Misato. Know where Shinji is? I'm getting hungry." Asuka said as she came out of the bathroom, toweling off her hair as the steam from the shower evanesced at her feet. "Oh, Shinji? He's out somewhere." Misato said, looking up from a magazine she was reading. Clad only in boxers and a sleeveless undershirt, Misato was a sight to behold, and with the Second Child's glistening body wrapped only in a *very* tight towel, it was a scene that half the high-school population of Tokyo-3 would gladly have paid for. The other half were smart enough to download it off the internet. (Heh, just a little fan service for the hormone engulfed teens out there.)
"Out? That loser?" Asuka said incredulously, finding it hard to believe that the Invincible Shinji had better things to do than cook for her royal majesty Souryu. "Feh, he's probably with the other two stooges at the arcade, no doubt frying their eyeballs." Asuka scoffed. However, Misato actually cared about her charges, so she decided to defend one of them from the assault of the other. At least, in a way that gave a few kicks for her. "Well it just might surprise you, Asuka, but the so called loser is out on a date." Misato said. 'Heh, that'll boil her blood.' "WHAT?! What kind of weirdo would go out with a doofus like him?" Asuka said, slamming her hands on the table. "That would be Rei." Misato said, getting back to her magazine. 'Time to watch the fireworks.' she snickered, waiting for Asuka's overreaction.
"THOSE TWO?!? HOW DARE SHINJI GO OUT ON A DATE WITH THAT LITTLE PUPPET THAN MAKE ME DINNER?!" And there goes the Fourth of July. "WELL YOU KNOW WHAT?! THEY DESERVE EACH OTHER! THE INVINCIBLE SHINJI WITH HIS LITTLE WÜNDERDOLL! GO ON ,SHINJI! BEND HER, BREAK HER, GIVE HER SOMETHING TO REMEMBER! IT'S NOT ANY OF MY CONCERN! HE'LL JUST HAVE TO MAKE ME A SEVEN- COURSE DINNER WHEN HE GETS HOME!" Asuka stormed, stomping off to her room, leaving a highly amused Misato in her wake.
"Heh. That never gets old." She sniggered, going back to her magazine.
In the theatre:
The old opera house was magnificent. Gold chandeliers, velvet rope, red plush carpeting and so many other classic accents abounded the playhouse. Shinji couldn't believe that there were still places like this intact after Second Impact. It was something straight out of a tacky romance novel. "This is incredible, Ayanami." Shinji said, his eyes traveling from one bill of a past performance to the next. Tens of old movies, plays and musicals hung on the wall of the golden hallway. "How did you know it was here?" Shinji said, marveling at the painted ceiling, the scene one of a great battle between Caesar and some barbarian country.
"The Commander often comes to theatres such as this to view religious operas. He occasionally asks me to accompany him." She said calmly as they walked the grand hallway and into a rotunda. "So this is where we're gonna be watching that... thing?" Shinji said. "Yes, we shall be viewing it in the black box." Rei replied, as she turned a corner, almost with the fluidity that she navigated the labyrinth-like Central Dogma.
Later in the Black Box:
Even though it was smaller than the regular stages, the black box was no less elegant than its full sized relative. Inside, the lights were dimmed, and a single speaker cried to the crowd.
"DOOM! YOU ARE DOOMED, I AM DOOMED, FOR WE ALL ARE DOOMED!" The speaker bellowed at the top of his voice.
So this was what "The Meaning of One's Self" was. It was a new-age type monologue, the speaker more in tune with death than with the mysteries of the human being.
"AND YOUR CHILDREN ARE DOOMED, AND YOUR DOG IS DOOMED!"
There few people in the theatre, and Shinji and Rei were at the back, sparing their ears from the grim tidings brought by the player.
"AND THE FISHES ARE DOOMED. AND THE BIRDS ARE DOOMED!"
The music was that of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" making the production more comical than it meant to be. And the couple in the back were making out. Rather heavily.
"ALL YOU LOVERS ARE DOOMED. ALL YOU HATERS ARE DOOMED. AND ALL THE SO- CALLED PLAYAS ARE DOOMED!"
Of course, this couple was not Shinji and Rei. Yeah, right, like they would make out in a darkened theatre with almost no people and little supervision. Yep, Shinji just sat there, suffering through the entire 'doomed'-ness of the whole damn play. Rei however, seemed engrossed by the depressing banter of the actor. 'Why did I go here...' Shinji asked himself mentally. Taking a look at the almost smiling Rei, Shinji smiled too. 'Yeah. That's why I'm here.' he thought. Even though he was bored to tears, he knew that the First Child was enjoying herself, morbid as it seemed, and he loved being around her when she was happy. In fact, he was one of the only couple of people that could actually tell the First Child was happy.
"Hey, Ayanami..." Shinji whispered, ducking his head down so that the actor wouldn't see him breach audience etiquette. "Yes, Ikari." Rei said silently, still not taking her eyes away from the monologue. "Is this almost over?" Shinji said. Even though he was here for the First Child, he still wanted to know how much more he had top suffer. "This reading shall continue for approximately two more hours, Ikari." she told him, now lacing her fingers in the "Gendo" pose. "Oh, ok then." Shinji replied, nodding. Two more hours of torture.
"But..."
Okay, maybe not that long.
"... my interest of this play is waning. Have you any suggestions, Ikari..." Rei said, leaning back in her chair and turning to face Shinji. "...for they would be much appreciated."
Author's notes: Dammit, I'm making Rei too OOC. Not really a big thing, but I didn't expect people to notice so soon. Oh well, what can you do? I don't really have much to say for now, but I apologize for the delay in updates. Also, I apologize to Hououza. Sorry, but I can't seem to send any attachments to you. Also, the number of reviews are getting a little big, so don't be angry if I can't reply to some as quickly as i used to. But don't fret. Along the way, I'll thank everyone who shared their ideas, and at the end of the fic, I'll write down pesonal replied to everyone, no matter how insignificant or hurting it is.Well, that's about it. -FPotM