Since her arrival in Japan, Asuka had spent a lot of nights tossing and turning. She was not used to sleeping on the floor. She did not like the fact that she couldn't even lock her own door. The whole apartment was so small that she felt like she was going to suffocate. Because of this, pacing around did little to calm Asuka's restlessness.

But the worst thing had to be the silence. Even at night, the city where Asuka had lived in Germany was always filled with lights and sounds. It was totally different in Tokyo-3, where in the late evening everything became desolate and quiet. She wanted desperately to be able to hear cars or people or anything to get her mind off of the silence of Misato's apartment. It was unnerving.

Of course if it had not been so quiet, there was a good chance that Asuka would not have heard the knock on the door.

Asuka's eyes snapped opened from under her covers, where she had been attempting sleep. She threw off her blanket and looked at the clock, the red letters blinking 12:15. She wondered who would be ludicrous enough to show up at this hour. Probably a thief, she thought darkly. Or a rapist. Maybe she could have a little fun beating them up and breaking the monotony of her night. It was curiosity that drove Asuka tiptoeing out of her room and to the front door.

There was a knock again, but it was not a very forceful sound. Asuka sighed a little dejectedly, doubting that the presence on the other side of the door was a malicious one. Nevertheless, she gently opened the door a crack to peak outside. The air outside was icy. A small, dark form stood in front of the door, and Asuka opened it wider to get a better look.

"Oh, it's just you," Asuka said with a bored tone, looking her visitor up and down. "Wait...what the hell are you doing out here? It's freezing!"

Rei Ayanami stood shaking in front of Asuka, her breath coming out in visible puffs. "I..lost my key."

"Lost your key? How long ago was that?!" Asuka had last seen Rei at NERV with Shinji. They had been dismissed around eight, so that had to mean Rei had been out in this weather for a couple hours.

Rei didn't answer, merely shivering and looking at Asuka. "I c-came to see if Maj-jor Katsuragi has a spare. Then I'll leave you...a-alone."

Asuka sniffed, thinking. She really did look pathetic, standing there in clothes barely suitable for the weather. Normally this would have disgusted her, but she strangely felt...compassion? That couldn't be it. Not for the doll girl. A strong gust of wind buffeted the girl outside, and Asuka sighed. "Get in here already," she said, grabbing Rei's arm and pulling her out of the cold and closing the door gently behind her.

Once inside, Rei's shaking calmed down a little. "Shall I ask...?"

"It's too late for you to go home now. You might as well just...stay here," Asuka said in hushed voice. It would be easier to wait til morning anyway, since Misato was probably still a little drunk from the alcohol she had consumed earlier and would be hard to wake up. Asuka led Rei into her room and closed the door soundlessly behind them.

"Just get in and go to sleep," she said muttered, gesturing to her mat on the floor. Rei didn't make a move forward, standing in place and shivering still. Asuka groaned and got in bed herself, patting the space beside her before turning over on her side. Rei must have gotten the hint, wordlessly slipping under the blankets a few moments later. Asuka sighed softly. As much as she loathed to admit it, it was nice having someone in the room with her. It was the only thing that really calmed her down enough to consider sleep. She had even stayed in Shinji's room a few nights prior. It was a strange new feeling, not to want to be alone.

The blankets were twitching with Rei's shaking and Asuka turned over to face her. Rei's eyes snapped opened when she did, as if intimidated. Asuka moved closer to her and took one of her hands gently. It was still cold to the touch. "Gott, you better hope you're not sick. C'mere," she said gruffly, pulling Rei closer to her with little resistance. Maybe body heat would help.

The contact seemed to calm Rei's body instantly, but she was still hesitant."I don't want to be a bother-"

"Shut up, alright? You're fine," Asuka said, closing her eyes. Rei relented, and in a few minutes she found that she was quite warm and comfortable beside Asuka. The feeling of another heartbeat beside her lulled Asuka into a calm drowsiness. Even when Rei's head moved into the crook of her neck, Asuka could not bring herself to care too much. In fact she even moved so that her chin could rest on Rei's head, making their positions fit better.

As she was shifting, she roused Rei a little. She whispered "Thank you," in a drowsy voice.

"Whatever," Asuka said with a yawn. She smiled in the darkness.