Disclaimer: See initial chapter

Gibbons

Song - I Want to Know what Love is by Foreigner

-()-

She smiled…

For her, this was different, for her to awaken this way. Normally her day would start pretty early. She would awaken an hour or so before she needed to and simply stare up at the ceiling until it was time for her to get ready for whatever the day's activity would be. During the time of the Angels War, she would mentally prepare herself for synch testing and coming battles. During this, she only felt a sense of purpose and a focus to complete her objectives. No emotion; simply a task that had to be accomplished.

But that…seemed like so long ago now…

She sat up from her bed and moved into the living room. Daylight was well on the horizon, but there was no school today so she wasn't in a rush to go anywhere. But she did feel the need to see him. The rising sun made that all the more clear.

Her light…Shinji Ikari…

She stood there, staring at the sun in thought of her newfound love. It has been nearly four months since the day she was with Shinji on that day and yet to her, it felt as if were yesterday. She began to fondly remember the days afterward, when it would be just him and her. Sometimes they went to parks together or they would simply walk throughout the day, letting their feet take them wherever they went. But she always enjoyed the time with him. His smile, his personality…

…His kiss…

She soon found herself touching her lips in sweet remembrance. It was like she was awake for the first time in her life. And she wanted to feel it again…to feel more. She knew there was more. Rei wasn't ignorant. She knew well about the hormonal desires that live with youths of her age and had considered that that was probably what she was experiencing now. But still, that didn't stop her from feeling it, nor did it shake away the thought of the young man that brought it about.

She wanted to see him again. She would, later the day. She had asked to have a picnic meal with him and that she would make it herself. That in itself would be a feat for the girl, since she didn't cook at all. That doesn't necessarily mean she couldn't or didn't know how. She had learned many techniques from books she read as well as television programs, but the problem was that she never put any of them into practice. Commander Ikari decided it wasn't a necessary function and she obeyed him. But times had changed. Besides, Shinji was the one to do the cooking when they had dinner and she felt the need to return the favor. But that wasn't the main problem. She just had this feeling of anxiousness that she couldn't wait.

But she would wait.

She would wait until tonight.

But not easily...

"So, you have a date with Ayanami tonight?"

Shinji sighed lightly as Touji asked that question, with Kensuke on the opposite side. As the trio of friends walked down the street, Kensuke had asked for a gathering between them for the afternoon, but Shinji declined, bringing up Touji's earlier question. Despite their best efforts to keep it secret from the school, their relationship was well known. This unfortunately was due to Asuka's chatter about it to the entire class. Shinji had remained silent about it, hoping that it would die down like all the other times. But when she questioned Rei on it, Rei simply stood up from her seat, walked over to Shinji and kissed him on the cheek.

"Does that suffice, Sohryu?"

Silence... The entire class had utterly shut up, Asuka included. Even the crickets were quiet as Rei returned to her seat. The teacher had entered in at that time and class began, but he was puzzled as to why Hikari didn't do her usual routine, or why the entire class was silent before he arrived, or why Ikari had the most bugged out expression on his face. At any rate, the entire class now knew. Shinji still wasn't sure as to why Rei made such a bold move and asked her about it later on. She simply gave him that serene look and answered.

"So that there are no more questions."

Shinji was a little perplexed by this. Before, Rei had seemed to go out of her way to make it appear that there wasn't a relationship, at least not romantically, so that others wouldn't know about it until she was ready. 'I guess she was ready' he had realized, although she could have given him a bit of a heads-up. 'Oh, well…' Truthfully, although he had been a bit anxious about it, he really didn't mind, despite the headaches that would more than likely ensue from it (Largely from Asuka and Misato, who had a now-framed picture of him and Rei sleeping together on the shelf).

"Hello? Earth to Ikari?"

Shinji snapped out of his revere, to which the other two chuckled lightly. It has been like this ever since that day. Shinji would drift off sometimes and they would have to bring him back from whatever daydream he was in. They were starting to worry that if he did this too often, he would get hit by a truck while walking in the middle of the street. That didn't stop the teasing from coming though, especially after class when he would be caught sneaking glances at her during class.

"Man, are you hooked."

Shinji simply lowered his head, out of habit mostly, and answered. "Yes. I'm having dinner with her tonight."

Touji grinned. "Too bad; I just convinced 'suke to show off his Sailor Moon collection."

"Hey!" Kensuke exclaimed. "That's privileged information."

"Oh please. Just about everybody knows about it."

"Well…" Looking over at Shinji, he quickly shifted the attention back to him. "Shinji doesn't need to see it. He's got one of his own."

"Hey…" Almost immediately, an image of Rei in a sailor fuku snapped in his mind (which wasn't too much of a stretch from what she normally wore) and Shinji struggled within to dispel the image, his face becoming red in the process of it all. "Don't…say things like that."

"So Shinji, how far have you gotten with her?"

The red on his face deepened. "Hey!"

But the truth was that Shinji hadn't attempted anything else with Rei. Since that kiss, he had thought it best not to rush into it and hadn't tried anything else. He held her a couple of times, something he enjoyed immensely and even exchanged a few short kisses. But just being that close to her brought his thoughts into a…more heated direction in his mind. And those pecks they gave each other were not helping it any. He didn't want to push her or force it. He cared very much about her well being and would pull out his own eyes before he even thought of harming or violating her.

But the feelings of desire were still there…

Perhaps he should ask her how she felt. After all, she was more honest than he was and wouldn't hesitate. He will ask, tonight. Rei had said she was making dinner, something Shinji had mixed feelings about. Living with two women that couldn't cook, Shinji wasn't sure how much Rei could do, knowing that she didn't either. But she had suggested it. Perhaps she knew more about cooking than she let on. 'I guess I'll find out the answer.'

Both of them…

With a deep breath, Shinji strode up the lonely hill leading to the overlook of Tokyo-3. After being dropped off by Misato (who both teased and lectured him), Shinji made his way toward the place where many of best memories were made. It seemed that Rei knew this, for she suggested having a small picnic, saying it was something she had wanted to try.

And far be it for Shinji to deny her that pleasure.

He finally reached the site where he suddenly froze. Dusk was settling, with the pearly presence of the moon in the foreground above the glorious city. But that's not what halted the former Third Child in his tracks. It was the visage of Rei standing before him, clad in a blue sleeveless gown with silver markings on one side, with the air lightly breezing through her blue locks. She was always angelic to him, but this was…breathtaking. And true enough, Shinji forgot to breathe for a moment, even more so when she turned to him and smiled.

"Hello, Shinji-kun."

"H-Hello, Rei-chan." was the best he could stammer out. Forcing his legs to continue on and his gaze to redirect, he saw the picnic basket by her legs and the blanket on the grass. 'She has gone through a great deal of work to set this up', he mused as he took in the scene. In all honesty, he had wished that he had though up something like this, but he was still a bit insecure about such things (One of the things Misato ragged on him about). Vowing to do better next time, he settled down on the blanket along with her.

Exchanging pleasantries, Shinji's nose perked slightly as Rei opened the basket and pulled out the meal to see if he could smell what it was. It had appeared to be a vegetarian meal (The exact name escapes him at the moment) to which she set one before him and then one for herself. Smiling a thank you, he noticed that her gaze seemed a bit pensive and quickly realized that she was waiting for him to eat. Since this was her first meal, she wanted to see what he thought about it. Shinji looked down at his plate, grabbed the fork and slowly brought the meal to his mouth, all the time aware that Rei's eyes were on him. He didn't want to be rude, but if his face showed it, then she would catch it right away. 'Please don't...'

"!"

'This is pretty good.' He took another piece to eat and found it quite flavorful. It was a bit dry for his taste, but it was really good.

"This is pretty good."

Rei's face didn't change, but he could sense released tension in her voice.

"Do you…really think so?"

To show it, Shinji took another mouthful and smiled. "Really. It's hard to believe this is the first time you've cooked."

Rei lowered her face slightly, with a slight flush on her cheeks. "I've tried it before, but I was never able to get it right." She lifted her head again. "I'm glad that I was able to now."

Shinji smiled at her and continued eating and Rei began to eat as well, with the two exchanging brief words along the way. In truth, they could (and a few times, have) have had the meal in silence and it was still be welcome. Shinji was halfway finished when he started looking over at her…repeatedly. He couldn't help it, especially now. The way she looked, the way she sat, even the way she ate, was so smooth and graceful. And her body seemed the glow within the now brightening moonlight like some ethereal creature. Shinji didn't even notice that he had stopped eating altogether and was blatantly staring at her. She was an angel, not the monstrous creatures they fought in the past.

A true angel…

The beating of Rei's heart seemed to be in a quickened rush under Shinji's gaze. She knew he was staring. Even with her eyes diverted, she could see him quite clearly. It wasn't too different than from when he was looking at her at class today. Only difference now was that she couldn't hide behind a reflection. Yet, she found that she enjoyed the attention very much. And there was no Second Child to interfere and attempt to embarrass them. Rei finally decided to look over at and the reaction was instant. Shinji's eyes widened and he shyly went back to eating, a deep red shading his face. It…amused her that he could be embarrassed easily like this, even after all this time.

She found it…attractive.

Now she was the one to stare at him, seeing and taking in all that he was. Despite what Shinji thought of himself, he was quite a handsome young man. He had fine features, not unlike his father. The only difference, aside from the lack of beard and age, was the coldness the Commander always presented from himself. Shinji never presented such coldness to her. He may have been a recluse like her, but like her, it simply took some time for him to show his true self; caring, self-sacrificing, brave, many things that he wouldn't see in himself, which added humility to his appeal.

As she looked on, her focus soon was centered mostly on his lips. She remembered the softness, the warmth… Up until this point, they had never really kissed like they had that second time on that day. Just seeing him there across from her made her want to lick her lips. She closed her eyes, trying to reign in on her now-raging emotions. But at the same time, she didn't want to dismiss them totally. She just wanted…

Just wanted…

"Shinji… I would like to kiss you."

Her eyes opened and were immediately locked with his, taking in the surprised, yet mirroring gaze from the set of brown eyes before her. He was so close, and she felt like she was diving into the deep eyes of his, seeing into his soul and wanting to know what treasures that lay beneath.

And so she dove in…

It was everything she remembered it to be. Last time, they were experimenting, just then learning about their feelings about each other. But now she let herself enjoy it for all it was worth. Shinji didn't protest, if anything his lips were moving in synch with hers.

She felt his hands on her sides pulling her closer and she allowed it, navigating around the basket and food in order to be closer to him and ending up settled upon him. Yet the kiss didn't break and Rei was enthralled by the closeness and raptured with desire. The fact that Shinji, who normally avoided contact with people, did this made it all the more special. As her arms snaked around his neck, she felt a shiver of pleasure and the closer she held him, the more it grew. Shinji's kiss began to grow bolder and his lips parted. Rei followed suit, wanting more and more. She began to feel selfish for wanting this from Shinji, but it couldn't be helped. And just then, something new happened.

Their tongues touched…

'Wow…'

That was what Shinji felt when Rei's lips touched his. 'I guess there's no need to ask how she feels.' Shinji simply lost himself in her soft, yet heated kiss and joined her. And to hold her in his arms…was nothing short of euphoria. Shinji had begun to lose all sense of self and merely kissed her. And then, for some odd reason, an old mantra flashed in his head.

'Position target in the center, pull the switch…'

That elicited his tongue to jerk forward just a bit, but enough to get Rei's attention. At first, Shinji thought about breaking away, believing that he may have pushed it. But he was in for a pleasant surprise; for Rei had done the same thing and she didn't take it back. So he delved further, letting his tongue flitter around with hers, almost playfully. But soon, they became bolder and more open, letting their mouths be invaded by the other.

"Mmm…"

Shinji nearly jumped at her light moan, realizing that it was a pleasing one. Up to this point, he was only aware of own pleasure. But in knowing for certain that she was getting equal pleasure out of this, it made him…happy. They finally broke away, but only for a moment (to breathe) and only by a centimeter. Their eyes opened slowly to each other and the full extent of hidden desire was seen in that gaze.

"More…"

Shinji wasn't sure it that was his voice or hers. Maybe it was both… Whoever it was, it was outspoken and they both heard it. And that was the catalyst for them. All emotions exposed, they joined together again in a now desperate embrace. Where it had come from, they didn't know. All the years of loneliness and sadness had fallen away and within this, there were only them and the love that they had for each other.

So they rejoined, wanting to end the pain, wanting to feel the pleasure, just wanting of each other… So their kiss wasn't just a kiss. It was…more like a bonding… Shinji lost himself. Rei lost herself. They simply dove into each other, feeling each other, letting their bodies do as they wished and joining their hearts together.

But everyone had a limit…

Shinji felt this coming, reason returning to him. Breaking away, he struggled bring himself under control (although her soft, but heavy panting wasn't helping). As he did, he noticed a few things had changed. For one, his shirt had been opened, exposing his bare chest to her. And two, her gown was slipped down her waist, with his hands entwined with it. He should have just been glad she was wearing a bra for once. He would not have been able to handle an upper-bare Rei in this situation. In either case, Shinji was grateful that he managed to stop, not because he wanted to (not in the least), but because he knew what would happen if this kept up. And he wasn't sure either of them was ready for that now. So with great reluctance, Shinji began sit upright, moving Rei off of him.

"Please…"

Rei... She didn't want to stop. He didn't want to stop. Yet he knew they had to. He had to be sure. And if he wasn't now, then they had to.

"I'm…not ready yet, Rei."

Rei's eyes opened as his did and they locked once again. Shinji was almost afraid that they would start up again and this time they wouldn't stop. And there was a part of him that…hoped for that. But the unbridled emotions that he had seen in the crimson eyes were submerged within once again, just barely. Instead, there was understanding and slight disappointment in its place.

"I understand."

Shinji gave a sigh of relief, even though his body felt like it was on fire and heart felt as though it would explode. Everything had moved so fast. But even though it was stopped, the effects were evident by their current state. And what they experienced was beyond words, with a simple and yet complicated truth.

He loved her…

She loved him…

And that made him smile…

He smiled…

She smiled at seeing him smile. Whatever happened between them a minute ago may have passed, but the emotions were still there. She knew that. She truly understood why Shinji stopped. He simply wasn't ready for sex yet. Did that mean she was? Perhaps… She wasn't sure. All she knew was that if they had kept going, she would have done so willingly, with him.

Only him…

"Are you sure?" Concern laced his words. "I don't want you to…"

Rei cut him off. "Shinji-kun. I understand that you are not ready to have intercourse with me. But we do not need it now." She paused and then added what she thought earlier. "And…I would have not stopped if you were."

"Oh." His eyes suddenly drifted lower and she noticed his eyes expand and the sight of her scantily body. Forcing his eyes upward to her, he began to shift in order to separate from her. But Rei wasn't ready for him to leave. Instead, she pressed onto him, leaning her head onto his chest. She didn't want his warmth to go so soon. She was beginning to come to grips with quite possibly another realization.

She needed him…

"Could we just…stay like this?"

"Okay."

Shinji drew her in, loosely putting his arms around her waist and simply held her as he lay back on the blanket. Rei closed her eyes, taking in the comfort of his body, the scent of his skin, the very moment itself, locking it away in her mind, knowing that this will not be the last.

"Rei-chan." Shinji whispered. "One day…"

"I know. I will wait."