In the Mind of a Child Chapter 3
Into the Looking Glass
Isolation inspires creativity, it also fosters callousness.
-Ayanami, Rei
"Ikari, are you aware that you might have a mild to moderate case of dissociative identity disorder?" Rei asked trying to hide her excitement. Shinji would be her first real case study.
"Dissoca…what?" Ikari asked with perplexity written all over his face.
"I'm saying you have split personalities."
"If I had multiple personalities then I wouldn't be aware of it. So why did you even ask?" Shinji stated with a victorious grin on his face.
Smart kid, Rei thought. She had come to the conclusion that Shinji had a disorder not from the absurd way he acted at work, but from the absolutely normal way he had acted afterward. As soon as he stepped foot outside the threshold of Capsule Corp. his persona completely switched back to the Ikari she knew from school. The determined, serious gaze he once had was now gone, in its place was a look only a lost puppy should have. No longer resilient and assertive his voice had dissolved into something more whimpering and bland. His shoulders and head slumped. He had even changed out of his businessman-like clothing. I blushed, I was actually blushing, Rei thought as she watched Shinji stumble over his own feet.
"You're crazy Ayanami. I'm just shy I guess." He said regaining his balance.
"No Ikari, I'm introverted, analytical, and cold. You're crazy."
He laughed to himself and shook his head but said nothing further.
"Do you honestly not remember the way you treated your coworker? How about when you complemented me?" Rei probed further, unable to drop the subject.
"You're kidding. I wouldn't say something like that to you."
Rei ignored the somewhat backhanded insult and tried to push the memory of her initial reaction at being complemented further out of her mind. "Ikari, I wouldn't make something like this up."
"I'm sixteen years old. I would be in an institution by now if I had dissacio….split personalities. Do you have any other proof?" Shinji asked, a slight hint of anger in his voice.
Nodding in response she took out the little green notebook she always carried with her. She began scribbling notes but was interrupted.
"What's that?" Shinji asked trying to peek at what she was writing.
"It's my proof. You're going to be my first case study. When I'm finished I'll provide you with the evidence." She explained while playfully fighting off Shinji's halfhearted attempts to steal her book.
They had been walking for only a couple of blocks when they arrived at his house. Shinji had needed to stop by and ask for permission to go to the game. He had stated before that it shouldn't be a problem. Apparently his parents were very tolerant with the way he used his off time.
"I'm gonna get the mail Ayanami. Just go and knock on the front door, my parents are expecting us." Shinji explained as he left her side and ran to his mailbox.
Ikari's was the biggest house she had ever seen. Her tiny studio sized apartment could fit under their front porch. Even though they lived in a more modern district of town the house was designed like it belonged in Feudal Japan. The magnitude of Ikari's house wasn't that large of a surprise to her. While they were walking home he explained that his parents were at the head of some very lucrative endeavors. His father Gendo had spearheaded the Crystalline Instrumentality Project. From Ikari's explaining, this was the development of technology that made it possible to store digital information on crystals. His mother was also a renowned computer scientist. She had designed banking software called Economic Variant Architecture. The details of this program were too sophisticated for her to understand anything beyond the basic idea so Rei just nodded along pretending to comprehend what Ikari was saying.
The front door itself was intimidating. The house was obviously too high class to have a buzzer but the large metal knocker looked as if it were more for decoration rather than utility. She took to lightly rapping on the large window panel that was encased in the door. To her relief she heard a familiar-sounding female voice.
"You must be…" The woman who answered the door stopped in mid-sentence as soon as she opened up far enough to see Rei. She just stood there with saucer sized eyes and stared at Rei.
Rei stared right back, equally astonished.
"Do you two know each other?" Ikari asked as he walked up on the two gawking at each other.
"Ik…Ikari, your mother, she looks just like me." Rei whispered. She heard Ikari's mother whisper the same thing to her husband as he arrived at the entrance.
"What are you talking about Ayanami, you guys look nothing alike." Shinji said laughing to himself.
"I'm going to agree with Shinji sweetheart you and young Ms. Rei here look completely dissimilar." Mr. Ikari said to his wife with a grin on his bearded face.
"Honey, you have got to be kidding. The only difference between us is hair color and twent…eh…fifteen years." Misses Ikari retorted still not taking her eyes away from Rei's.
"Well since my son and apparently my wife are too uncouth to welcome you, please come in." Gendo offered lightly moving his stunned wife out of the way.
The outside of the house may have been imposing but the interior was even more daunting. It was also remarkably westernized. High ceilings complemented by what looked to be ridiculously expensive chandeliers. Wall painting and sculptures decorated what Mr. Ikari dubbed the artificial dining room. They passed a metallic conference/dining table that could seat at least twelve people.
"I'll get some refreshments." Misses Ikari walked toward the kitchen shaking her head still in disbelief.
"We'll sit in the family room, this place is too formal." Mr. Ikari said nodding toward the conference room they had just proceeded through.
As they entered the "family room" Rei watched as Ikari's father took a seat in a leather recliner. The only other seating available was a chair that obviously belonged to Misses Ikari and a couch. Rei made a point to sit down before Shinji so he would involuntarily be put in the position to choose how close to sit to her. To her surprise he sat almost shoulder to shoulder with her. He's definitely still in subdued Shinji persona. Perhaps he just feels more relaxed here. Rei almost whipped out her little book again but decided against it.
"You know Shinji, I told you I never wanted you to use your computer knowledge for malicious intent. However if there was one person I'd want you to umm…hack, it would have to be this Zero character." Ikari's father said with disdain.
"Yeah I've heard of him. What's the problem?" Shinji apparently perked up at the possible permission to crack into someone's system.
"Have you seen his latest essay? It's entitled Phallic Flaws of the Modern World. This report is the most one-sided piece of man-bashing trash I've ever read." Ikari's father answered with a growl.
Rei sat there making as little noise as possible. She regretted posting that essay, her credibility no doubt suffered for it. She was relieved when Misses Ikari returned with four porcelain cups of tea.
"What's got you so upset Gendo?" Ikari's mother asked, making light of the angry expression his father wore.
"The latest essay that Zero character posted." He said shifting his tinted eyeglasses.
"The one about the penis?" She said obviously playing dumb in an effort to evoke her husband's anger. "I think she had some rather valid points."
Rei noticed that Ikari shifted uncomfortably at his mother's use of the word penis. She made a mental note to look up what Freud had to say about this odd behavior.
"Yes dear the one about the penis." Mr. Ikari replied trying the best he could to not succumb to his wife's manipulation.
"So can I hack that guy or what Dad?" Ikari interrupted, his face beat red.
"No son, I was only kidding. You're lucky they even let you around computers anymore with some of the stuff you've pulled. Why are you blushing so badly? Is your mother embarrassing you in front of your little girlfriend? Look what you've done Yui."
That was the second time she had been referred to as Ikari's girlfriend. She was rather tired of it. She wondered why adults always assumed that if two teenagers were spending time together they had to be in a relationship.
"All I said was penis Gendo. It's not like she doesn't know what that word means. As a matter of fact she could probably teach you and me a few things."
Did she just call me a whore, Rei thought but showed no outward clues that she had even heard the comment.
As if reading her mind Misses Ikari replied, "I wasn't calling you a whore Rei, I was simply referring to the fact the kids of today are more sexually educated than children of mine and Gendo's time."
Rei didn't even hear what she had said, she was too busy noticing that she and Shinji's mother sat in the exact same position. She even drank tea the same way as Rei did, wiping at her lips with her pinky after each sip.
Ikari had resorted to burying his face in his hands. Rei figured that he was embarrassed on her behalf for his parent's behavior. Out of self observation Rei noticed that she tended to stereotype teenage boys. Ikari was definitely not the average boy though. She knew she had walls put up to keep away even completely plutonic friendship. She also remembered she had decided to become his friend. She nudged him with her shoulder and flashed him a little grin and whispered "You're crazy but your parents are psychotic."
Shinji's smile was enough to let her know that he was in a better mood. He does have a nice smile, Rei thought to herself and blushed openly without trying to hide it.
Done with their silent game of who can anger who. Shinji's parents turned their attention to the children.
"So what do your parents do Rei?" Misses Ikari asked.
"I wouldn't know. I'm an orphan." Rei responded in monotone. She hated when people asked about her parents. Not because she harbored any ill will toward them, but because adults always found it so hard to understand that she didn't care about being abandoned. Rei prepared herself to answer with the almost conditioned responses she gave whenever people questioned her about the way her parents left her.
"Interesting" Shinji's mother said, showing no interest in their reasoning.
Shinji on the other hand wore the sappiest look of sympathy she had ever seen.
"Who do you live with if I might ask?" Misses Ikari asked continuing her questioning.
"I live alone." Rei replied convinced that she would get some kind of emotional response from Shinji's mother this time.
"Impressive. So Shinji, where are you two going tonight?"
This is peculiar. She doesn't seem to care at all. Rei actually found herself growing fond of Shinji's parents.
"To a baseball game." Shinji replied still holding that sickening empathic look on his face.
"Well you two have fun. Oh and Rei my husband apologizes for all this talk of genitalia. He promises he won't be this rude the next time you come over." She said slapping Mr. Ikari playfully on the leg.
"Yes, yes, and my wife apologizes for being delusional." Mr. Ikari responded without looking away from the newspaper he had started reading. "Shinji be sure to bring a jacket for your friend incase it gets windy."
"Who said chivalry was dead?" Misses Ikari kissed her husband on the cheek as she got up and took the empty cups away.
The sun was setting by the time they left the house casting the city in amber luminescence. The multicolored leaves whipped across the sidewalk in the fall wind. Rei was wearing Shinji's jacket before they got two blocks away from the house.
"Thanks" Rei said as she accepted the wind breaker feeling an odd range of emotions. On one hand she felt as if she were in a bad teen movie wearing her boyfriend's jacket. She also couldn't help but feel…she couldn't explain what it was but it was rather pleasant having someone care about her comfort enough that they would put their own well being aside. "You know Shinji; you don't have to worry so much. I actually like your parents. Their honesty is commendable."
"Yeah." Shinji replied. It was amazing to see his personality change so rapidly and dramatically depending on what environment he was in. His hands were in his pockets and he was kicking small pebbles on the sidewalk as he walked. He was obviously in what Rei had named Shinji A persona. The personality he wore whenever he was in unfamiliar situations and around unfamiliar people. So far she had noted three strikingly different personalities. Shinji B surfaced when he was at home. He was relaxed and almost normal. Shinji C had only appeared when he was at work and was the most contrasting.
If I were in college I could get my doctorate off this kid.
The spotlight had been activated by the time they entered the fence surrounding the school's baseball field. Tiny particles of dust and living organisms were visible in the rays cast by the giant light. The game had already started. There were still people walking around gathered in their respective groups. Some of them were buying things from the concession stand, others were horse playing in the grass. Asuka's group, the one surrounded by all the males was the most loud and obnoxious. Well let's get this over with, Rei thought as she walked over to the crowd of people surrounding the cheerleaders.
"Hello Asuka, I see you're dressed for the weather."
Asuka looked down at her bare legs and scowled. "Whatever Ayanami, your not one to talk about fashion, I mean look at you. You're wearing a black skirt, a black turtleneck, and a bright red wind breaker."
Her friends all thought her comeback was hilarious.
"You know Asuka you're right, I do look silly. Here I don't need this anymore, but thank you Shinji that was sweet of you." Rei said with a grin as she handed his jacket back to him.
Asuka stood there stunned. That shut her up.
Pushing herself between Shinji and Rei she took his hand. "Hi Shinji! I'm really glad you came, I was worried you had forgotten about me." Asuka said making a pouting face.
Oh brother. Rei crossed her arms and had to take a step back because Asuka had completely invaded her space to get next to Shinji.
"No, I didn't forget, it's A…Asuka right?" Shinji said looking at his entrapped hand.
Asuka flashed Rei a cold stare. "You remembered my name! Come on Shinji we have seats right over here." Asuka said leading him away. Rei obviously wasn't meant to follow because an anal looking red headed girl from Asuka's gang stood in her way as they walked away.
"Hi, I'm Rei Ayanami, and you must be Asuka's doormat. Let's be great friends." Rei said offering her hand.
Returning a solitary middle finger, the red head said nothing.
"You could at least give me your name so in a few years when you're robbing liquor stores I can tell people I once knew "that" girl."
"My name is Lavi, and another comment like that and I'll beat you senseless."
Grinning Rei walked to the concession stand to buy something to wash away the animosity.
End Chapter 3