"Alright, pilots, we're almost done. Concentrate for few more minutes and then you can leave" Ritsuko indicated. The three teenagers nodded and closed their eyes.
It was a quiet afternoon at NERV. Ritsuko was currently monitoring a harmonics test for the three Evangelion pilots. Misato was there too, sitting nonchalantly in a chair, waiting to hear the results. More than a week had passed since the seventh angel was defeated, time that was particularly valuable for NERV, since that meant they could finish repairing Eva Unit 00 without issues. Since the city's defense systems were also fully repaired too, next time an angel decided to attack them they would have all their assets available.
"Synchronization rates follow expected patterns" the blonde said upon inspection of the data on screen "Asuka still has the highest rate, around 72%. Shinji has improved a little more from last time, he is approaching 65% and Rei remains slightly above 50%"
Asuka smiled proudly upon hearing the results, Shinji didn't seem to care much about it, and Rei kept her usual serious face.
"Good job, guys" Misato congratulated them "By the way, Shinji, Asuka, don't wait for me to go back to the apartment once you finish showering. I'm going to stay here for a few more hours"
"Are you going to stay until very late?" Asuka asked, raising an eyebrow "You haven't forgotten about tomorrow, have you?"
"Don't worry, I didn't forget" Misato responded, raising her hands in a reassuring gesture. The next day a class trip was planned for the students of class 2-A with Okinawa as its destination. Asuka had been quite disappointed when Misato had informed her that she would not be able to go, since the possibility that an angel could attack was always something they had to be weary about, so they couldn't afford the risk that the pilots were away from Tokio-3 under any circumstance. Misato, to make up for it a little, had promised to take the German girl shopping the next morning.
"You better not. It's the least you can do if I can't go on the class trip" replied the redhead, her arms crossed. Seconds later she closed the intercom and exited her Entry-Plug. Outside, Shinji and Rei where doing the same. Asuka glanced at the Third Child for a second, her lips shifting into a smirk.
"So, Shinji, what do you have planned for tomorrow?" asked the girl in a playful tone.
"For tomorrow?" replied Shinji, slightly confused "Nothing in particular, why do you ask?"
"Well, considering that you didn't complain at all about missing the trip to Okinawa I assumed you had something very interesting already planned…" the red-haired girl said smugly "Was I perhaps wrong and you simply didn't complain because of that chronic lack of spine you have?"
Shinji frowned while looking at the Second Child "Oh, excuse me for understanding that being here in case an angel attacks is more important than going to the beach" replied the boy, clearly annoyed.
"Excuses. A real man wouldn't simply accept that without at least trying to argue" replied the redhead "Speaking of which, I wish Kaji was in town, then he could be the one that takes me shopping tomorrow..." the girl added a little disappointed.
"Yeah, unlucky Kaji..." murmured Shinji with sarcasm in his voice. He didn't know what was worse, Asuka's attitude towards Kaji or the fact that she wasn't ashamed to display that attitude in public.
"What are you supposed to mean by that?" asked the Second Child, giving him a threatening look.
"Never mind..." the boy replied, shaking his head "It's not like he's twice your age... Or that he seems interested in Misato..."
"Tch, I don't have time to waste on your nonsense" Asuka replied, entering the female locker room. Shinji sighed with resignation and got into the male locker room afterwards. Rei, who had not considered it relevant to say a word during the whole conversation, followed Asuka.
Shinji finished dressing and left the men's locker room. He sighed. He thought about his options for spending time for the rest of that afternoon and didn't find them particularly interesting. Asuka had arranged to meet Hikari, taking the opportunity to spend time together since they wouldn't be able to do so the next day. Any other day the Third Child would have done something similar and would probably would meet with his friends Touji and Kensuke, but unfortunately for him that afternoon they were both busy. That wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that they wouldn't be available the next day either, since like the vast majority of his classmates they were going on the class trip.
Shinji sighed again as he walked towards the elevator that would lead him to the upper floors of the Geo-Front. It seemed that he had quite a few hours of boredom ahead of him. He could stay in his room listening to his SDAT like he often did at Misato's apartment, but doing that for a day and a half seemed excessive even to him. He was starting to lament not having his cello at the woman's apartment, that seemed like a perfect occasion for him to practice a little.
Just before passing in front of the entrance to the women's locker room, the door opened, and a freshly showered and dressed Rei Ayanami came out, or so the boy assumed when he saw her blue hair being still slightly damp. The First Child noticed Shinji's presence and directed her attention to him.
"Hello, Ikari" the girl greeted him.
"Hello, Ayanami" responded the pilot of Unit 01 "Are you heading towards the elevator?" she nodded in response "I'll accompany you, then"
Both teenagers walked for a few moments in silence, until they reached the elevator that would allow them to rise to the surface. Shinji smiled slightly as they entered the elevator. Since the conversation they had had at Misato's apartment a little over a week ago, meeting Ayanami had gone from being a somewhat awkward situation to a very pleasant moment. The Third Child was relieved that he didn't have to try to force a conversation with the girl if it didn't come up naturally, which considering how reserved the blue-haired girl was, was the most usual outcome.
Shinji gave the First Child a discreet look. He found himself thinking about her quite often lately. Considering the circumstances, though, it wasn't surprising that that were the case. Ayanami was a mysterious girl, but it was clear to him that she was without emotions like most of their classmates thought. And what boy his age wouldn't find himself thinking about a girl if said girl told him she liked to be around him? Especially if the girl was as pretty as Ayanami was, Shinji rationalized while blushing slightly.
Be as it may, the fact was that Shinji now enjoyed very much spending time together with the scarlet-eyed girl, particularly when they were both alone. To his disappointment, however, that wasn't happening as often as he would have liked. While they shared quite a bit of time at school and at NERV, they were hardly ever alone at those times.
It was then that an idea crossed the mind of the pilot of Unit 01. He was going to have quite a lot of free time the next day, and he knew well that Ayanami would not go on the class trip for the same reason as him "Maybe… we could both spend some time together tomorrow..." the boy thought. The idea was very tempting… but what if she refused?
After a few moments of hesitation, Shinji finally decided to speak "Um... Ayanami..." said the boy, drawing the bluenette's attention "Do you... have plans for tomorrow?"
"I have tests with Dr. Akagi" the girl responded, without going into too much detail about said tests.
"Oh... I see..." Shinji said, disappointment clear in his voice.
"Why did you ask?" the girl questioned curiously when she saw the boy's reaction. She wasn't good at reading emotions, but it was apparent to her that Shinji hadn't liked her response.
"Um... well, you see..." the Third Child muttered embarrassed. He wasn't looking forward to explaining himself now that he knew his idea wasn't going to work out "I thought maybe you and I could... spend some time together tomorrow" Shinji said, noticed how Rei's eyes widened in surprise. He became more nervous "Since w-we talked a few days ago that… we enjoyed to be around eachother, well... I thought it could be fun... B-but if you have other things to do, I understand"
Rei thought for a couple of seconds about what Shinji had just said. The girl wasn't expecting that, except for the few times that Commander Ikari had eaten a meal with her at the Geo-Front no one had previously asked her to spend time with her for no other purpose than spending time together. However, she saw no problem in doing so, and as the Third Child had said, she enjoyed the time they spent around eachother. She felt her chest being filled with a warmth that was already becoming very familiar for her.
"I accept" the bluenette said briefly.
"Huh?" Shinji murmured, surprised.
"I agree to spend some time with you tomorrow, Ikari" she repeated as her lips shifted into a small smile.
Shinji, as was usual when he saw the girl's smile, was stunned for a few moments, but this time he reacted quickly "Really...? But, didn't you said you have tests with Dr. Akagi?"
"My tests tomorrow start at ten o'clock and will last for three hours" the girl explained "I should be available at half past one, after I take a shower"
"Oh, good... in that case we could..." Shinji then realized that although he wanted to spend time with Ayanami, he had no idea what they could do together. A cold shiver ran down his back for a moment "Dammit, what now?... Wait, half past one, at that time..." "...We could have lunch together" the boy finally said.
Rei thought about it for a few moments and nodded "Seems acceptable"
Shinji mentally thanked all the gods he knew that the girl liked the idea "Where do you usually eat lunch?"
"At my apartment" the bluenette replied.
"I see…" Shinji whispered, while a new idea crossed his mind. He looked at the girl hesitantly "Do you mind if... I do the cooking?" he asked timidly. Plenty of times before Misato had praised his skill as a cook, it was one of the few things Shinji genuinely believed he was good at. The girl nodded again, much to his joy "Great… is there any particular food you don't like?"
Rei thought for a moment before answering "I don't like meat"
Shinji nodded while making sure to remember that "Understood, no meat then" at that moment the elevator's doors opened, leaving them a few steps from the main exit of the NERV facilities. "What time would be good for you?"
"Half past one would be adequate" answered the girl.
"I'll see you at your apartment at that time, then" the boy agreed with a smile.
Both pilots said their goodbyes and began the journey back to their respective homes. Shinji was overjoyed. He still couldn't believe that Ayanami had agreed to have lunch with him the next day. It was then that the boy realized something important: he had asked a girl to hang out with him and she had agreed... which meant that that was, by definition...
"A date" she whispered the boy, wide-eyed. He had a date with Rei Ayanami.
Shinji Ikari was climbing the stairs that connected the ground floor with the floor where Rei's apartment was located. He checked his watch and sighed in relief, he was still ten minutes early. When he left Misato's apartment he didn't know how long it would take him to get here, so he was glad that the time had been enough to be punctual.
Finally he reached the indicated floor, and after taking a few steps he was again in front of the main door of apartment 402. He swallowed the lump on his throat, trying to calm down. During that morning he hadn't stopped mulling over the fact that technically, this was a date. But thinking about it, what did that imply? Did it imply anything? Technically speaking, a boy and a girl could eat lunch together without it implying anything, after all. Furthermore, he had already seen firsthand that Ayanami did not seem to be aware about many social aspects that might seem obvious to everyone else. It was entirely possible that the girl didn't even know what a date was. The boy sighed. He really wasn't particularly sure about what a date was either, he had never been on one before.
The boy shook his head. What he was sure of was that he liked Ayanami, there was no point on denying it to himself at that point. And he was also sure that he wanted to spend time with her that day, and that's what he was going to do. He wasn't going to run away. The boy pressed the doorbell, but no sound was heard "Oh... it's still broken..." the boy thought a little surprised. The doorbell was broken the last time he was there, more than two weeks ago. He then knocked several times on the door "Ayanami?" It's me, Shinji. Are you home yet?"
Silence was all the reply Shinji got. It seemed that the First Child had not arrived yet. It wasn't surprising, after all it was still not half past one. Shinji put his hand on the door handle and turned it. The door opened, just like the other time he had been here "Did she leave the door unlocked again?" for a moment the boy considered entering inside, but he quickly remembered what had happened the last time he did that. He blushed furiously "No, I better wait for her first..." he concluded while trying to get those images out of his mind.
It was then that he heard footsteps coming from the stairs he had climbed a few minutes ago. He looked in that direction and could see the face of the First Child emerge from them. Rei soon became aware of his presence "Hello, Ikari. You arrived early" the girl greeted.
"Hello, Ayanami" replied the boy "Yes, I didn't know how long the journey here would take, so I decided to get out from Misato's apartment early..."
The girl nodded. She turned the door handle, opening it "Welcome" she said, gesturing for the Third Child to enter. Shinji entered the house and Rei did the same afterwards, closing the door behind them.
"The door wasn't locked" the boy remarked as he took off his shoes.
"Yes. The lock is broken" the girl mentioned without giving it much importance while she did the same. After that, she headed to the bedroom, passing her small kitchen. Shinji followed her.
The boy looked around curiously. The place was in a very similar state to how he remembered it. A large amount of unopened mail was piled on the floor in front of the entrance. The curtains of the bedroom were closed, letting in only a dim light pass. The only belongings in sight were the girl's bed, a piece of furniture with several drawers, a small refrigerator, and a desk chair. Shinji felt a little sad while observing the gloomy place "It's hard to believe that a girl my age lives here..." he thought.
Rei sat on the bed and noticed Shinji's grim expression "Is something wrong?"
"¿Huh...? Um, no, nothing is wrong" the Third Child hurried to reply once he realized that he had remained standing in the middle of the bedroom without saying anything "I guess you must be hungry, right?" the girl nodded in response "Let's have lunch, then"
The boy sat in the desk chair in front of the bed and took the food out of his backpack. He had prepared miso soup and fried rice. The Third Child poured a serving of the soup into a bowl and gave it to Rei. She observed the soup with curiosity. It smelled good. Shinji stared at the girl as she brought the bowl to her lips and took a sip. The bluenette's eyes widened.
"Do you... like it?" the boy asked hopefully.
"It's delicious..." Rei whispered, before taking another sip.
Shinji smiled widely, very happy to hear those words. He also helped himself to a serving of soup and began to eat. For a few moments the only thing that could be heard were the sounds of the pilots enjoying the food. The soup was consumed within a few minutes, after which Shinji gave Rei a lunch packet with her fried rice. The girl opened it, again curious about its contents. She took some in a spoon and brought it to her mouth.
"How's the rice?" the Third Child asked, this time a little less nervous than the previous time.
"Also delicious" said the girl, savoring the rice.
"Thank goodness" the boy sighed happily "The original recipe had meat, so I had to change it a little. I wasn't sure you would like it"
Rei looked at the boy as he swallowed the rice she had been chewing. Once again, Shinji's show of concern for her made her feel good. The girl still didn't understand exactly why this fact made her feel that way, nor why the boy continued to worry so much about her, but she was happy. Her lips curled upward, a soft smile adorning her face once again. The Third Child relished on the sight before him. Seeing a smiling Ayanami enjoying his food delighted him "All of this was worth it just to see her smile again" He mentally thanked himself for not giving in to his cowardice the day before and pulling through with proposing the bluenette that lunch the day before.
The two pilots continued eating in silence until they finished their respective meals "That was delicious. You cook well" Rei stated while locking eyes with Shinji, once again smiling. Shinji almost melted.
"T-Thank you" the boy mumbled, blushing. He still had a hard time reacting naturally when he saw the girl smile "I always cook at Misato's, I guess practice makes perfect."
"I see" said the girl, thoughtful. She was not particularly good at cooking, almost everything she ate was very basic to cook "Thank you for the food"
"Oh, you don't have to thank me, it was my pleasure" the boy replied, somewhat embarrassed "I like to cook for my friends"
Rei looked again into his eyes, with a mix between curiosity and surprise. Shinji raised an eyebrow upon noticing this "Is something wrong?"
"Are we friends?" the girl asked, slightly surprised.
"Um... well, I think so" Shinji replied nervously "That's what I would like, at least"
"I see..." whispered the bluenette, lost in thought "I've never had friends before"
"Oh... well, don't worry about that. Actually, I hadn't had friends either until after coming to live here in Tokyo-3" indicated the Third Child with a slight smile "Speaking of which, Ayanami... there is something I have been wanting to ask you for some time..." Shinji added with a slight blush "Since we're friends and all... would you mind if I address you by your first name?"
Rei was brought out of her musings on friendship by these words. Calling a person by their first name and not their last name was a sign of trust and closeness, or so she concluded in the past. Some people addressed the First Child by her first name, Commander Ikari, Captain Katsuragi, Doctor Akagi... but she didn't really have close relationship with those people, not even with the commander, despite being the person who the girl respected the most.
Her relationship with Shinji, however, was different from those she had had with anyone else in the past, perhaps because the Third Child seemed to treat her as an equal. Could that be why she felt so good when she was around him? She looked into the boy's eyes once more, who looked back at her waiting for her answer. The warmth of her chest spread to his face.
"You may call me by my first name...Shinji" answered the girl.
Shinji was taken aback when he heard her directly call him by his own first name, but he smiled quickly afterwards "T-thank you... Rei"
They both gazed upon the eyes of the other for a few moments. Shinji felt a closeness and connection in that moment with the scarlet-eyed girl like he had not felt before with anyone. The boy was by no means an expert in matters of romance, but he came to a fairly obvious conclusion: he liked Rei, a lot.
Unfortunately for the Third Child, who would have liked that moment to last longer, his phone started ringing. "How convenient... I hope it's somethingimportant" the boy thought as he took the device out of his pocket with resignation. Upon seeing the origin of the call, however, he quickly dismissed those thoughts. It was Misato.
"Hello, Misato," answered the Third Child.
"Hello, Shinji. We have to go to NERV" the woman said in a serious voice. At that moment Rei's cellphone started ringing too. Shinji quickly deduced that it was indeed important.
The three pilots looked closely at the image displayed on the screen. On it they could see a slightly humanoid shape, in a fetal position. It was quite reminiscent of a human embryo.
"And that's inside the volcano?" asked the Third Child. It was hard for him to believe that anything could survive in a place like that.
"That's correct. It is in a state of development, as if it were a larva, it has not yet reached maturity. explained Dr. Ritsuko "Our main goal is to capture it alive and preserve his original form as much as possible. For that we will use an electromagnetic cage"
"They want to capture the angel alive? I thought our job was to destroy them" Shinji thought, raising an eyebrow.
"What if we can't capture it?" Asuka asked. She wasn't looking forward to show mercy to any angel.
"Then the priority will be to destroy it, as usual," Misato intervened, shrugging her shoulders "The designated pilot for the mission will be you, Asuka"
"Alright! It will be a piece of cake!" the redhead exclaimed, very pleased.
"We have an exosuit resistant to heat and pressure, but since Eva 00 is not compatible with you will stay as backup, Rei. Shinji, you will go with Asuka as support" the captain explained.
"Understood" both of them agreed.
"Okay, we'll leave as soon as possible. Go to the locker rooms and get ready" stated Misato.
Half an hour later, Units 01 and 02 were already around the volcano. NERV operators were making the final adjustments to ready the gigantic crane that would submerge Eva 02 into the burning lava. Misato, Ritsuko and some of the command center operators were also there, ready to monitor the situation.
Shinji was waiting for the mission to begin when he saw something in the sky out of the corner of his eye. He looked in that direction, enlarging the image with the controls of Unit 01. Several military-looking planes appeared before him "What are those planes doing there?" the boy asked over the intercom.
"The United Nations air force is watching over us" Ritsuko responded with an annoyed tone.
"Are you going to help us?" Asuka asked curiously.
"No, they will be in charge of cleaning the place if we fail" the doctor explained "They will destroy the angel with an N2 mine, along with us"
"Who ordered such an atrocity?" asked a displeased Shinji.
"It is a direct order from Commander Ikari" replied the blonde.
Shinji's face contorted into an expression of anger and disappointment upon discovering a new ruthless decision by his father "The saddest thing is that I'm starting to get used to this kind of revelations regarding my father…" he thought bitterly. Well, it was at least one more reason to not fail.
The crane was soon ready, and with it Eva 02 began to plunge into the lava. Asuka carefully observed the interior of the volcano through the eyes of the Evangelion as she sank slowly into the lava. The girl could feel the temperature of the Entry-Plug rising. She was nervous, although she refused to let it show.
"Depth of 1300. This is the set point for the target" Maya Ibuki informed.
"Asuka, do you see anything?" Misato asked.
"Nothing yet" the girl said, carefully observing her surroundings in all directions. It was then that she distinguished a strange shape to her left "Wait, I see it"
"Alright, get the cage ready, then" Misato indicated, crossing her arms.
Eva 02 extended its arms, which carried the bars that made up the electromagnetic cage designed for the operation. As soon as the bars surrounded the angel, an electromagnetic field formed between them, capturing the angel inside.
"Electromagnetic cage expanded, target captured" said the redhead, internally very relieved. It seemed like there weren't going to be any setbacks.
"Good job, Asuka" Misato congratulated her "Bring her to the surface now"
The crane began to pull Unit 02 upward, causing it to slowly ascend along with its capture. Asuka smiled "It seems there wasn't anything worth worrying about in the end" she thought satisfied. Barely a second after that thought crossed her mind, she noticed how the cage was moving, much to her concern "Shit. I spoke too soon" "This thing is moving!" she exclaimed.
On the screens of the improvised command center an image of the interior of the cage was shown, in which the angel was rapidly changing shape "This can't be, is it developing precisely now?" Ritsuko couldn't believe it.
"Can the cage keep it contained?" asked a worried Misato.
"Negative, target is forcing electromagnetic fields, will be released shortly" replied a nervous Makoto.
"Asuka, release the cage!" Misato ordered "Capture aborted, the priority becomes eliminating the angel"
Eva 02 released the bars and the electromagnetic field subsided shortly after. The angel was free "Well, actually I prefer it that way" The German said taking the progressive knife from her Eva and preparing for battle.
The angel turned towards Unit 02 and launched itself at it in a rush. Asuka barely managed to dodge it, but her opponent left her field of vision "Shit, it's quick" the redhead cursed. The angel didn't take long until launching a new attack, managing to close the distance with Eva 02 as Asuka was turning in order to face it. The alien opened its jaws and surrounded Eva 02's head with them. Asuka tried to stick the knife on the angel's head, but its thick skin proved to be too much for the knife.
"High temperature and pressure. If the angel can withstand conditions like that, the progressive knife won't work" deduced Ritsuko, a worrying look on her face.
"What should we do?!" an equally worried Makoto exclaimed.
"Pressure…that's it!" Asuka thought as an idea crossed her mind. With one swift movement she used the progressive knife to cut one of the hoses that provided coolant to the heat resistance exosuit that Unit 02 was using. She took the hose and put it in the mouth of the angel, which was still surrounding the head of her EVA.
"Direct all the coolant pressure into the hose I just cut, quickly!" the redhead exclaimed.
"I see, thermal expansion!" the doctor exclaimed.
In an instant, the hose began to expel the coolant with all the force it could into the interior of the angel. Although it was very well adapted to high pressures from outside its body, it was not so well adapted to those coming from inside of it. Within seconds it burst into pieces.
"Target eliminated" Maya confirmed.
"Victory! Excellent idea, Asuka!" Misato congratulated her.
"Ha, a piece of cake" the girl boasted, although even it was clear to even herself that the battle had been more dire than she would have liked. Suddenly, she felt a jolt shake Unit 02. Asuka looked up and saw with horror that moments ago she had not only cut one of the coolant hoses, but also a good part of the crane cable that was pulling Eva 02 to the surface "Oh no!" she exclaimed.
"What's wrong, Asuka?" Misato asked worried.
"The crane cable is breaking!" The Second Child explained, watching in terror as the aforementioned cable was giving way more and more.
"What?!" horror also took hold of Misato "Hold on to the cable, quickly!"
Eva 02 tried to put his hand around the cable, but unfortunately, the exosuit in which it was clad did not allow for a very strong grip "I can't get a good grip on it, it's going to come loose!"
"Shinji!" Misato exclaimed over the intercom to Eva 01.
"Coming!" the boy responded without wasting a moment.
Asuka was clinging to the cable with all the strength she was capable of, but she felt how it was giving way "Is this the end...?" she asked herself with a mixture of horror and sorrow as she closed her eyes. The cable was about to escape from her hands when she felt something grab onto it. The girl opened her eyes again, surprised, to find Eva 01, clinging to her hand and the cable "Shinji!"
The boy pulled Unit 02 up to hold it more comfortably "Got you... Misato, hurry up and get us out of here, please, it's starting to get hot in here" the boy said, noticing how the temperature rose. Luckily they were pretty close to the surface, so it shouldn't be a problem.
"Idiot…what a showoff" the redhead thought, smiling as they ascended.
To be continued...