The next day, Shinji was with his friends Touji and Kensuke inside of one of the city's arcades, playing videogames. The three of them had gone to the place after leaving school, where they had spent a good part of the afternoon having fun. Shinji was grateful to be able to take the day calmly, especially after the eleventh angel's attack the day before. The Third Child was still somewhat uneasy about that whole situation. It was the first time that NERV had defeated an angel without the direct intervention of the Eva Units, which considering how much he disliked piloting, could even be something to be glad about, but the thought that something so dangerous had infiltrated the Geo-Front facilities so easily was definitely not.

"Hey, you guys want to get some ice cream?" Kensuke suggested, taking the boy our of his musings.

"Sounds like a plan. Shinji, why don't you treat us today, huh?" Touji asked, nudging the boy.

"Huh? Why?" the pilot of Unit 01 asked, raising an eyebrow.

Touji put his arm over his shoulder before answering "Now that you're dating Ayanami, I thought it would be nice if you treated us to celebrate" the boy replied smiling mischievously.

"Yeah! Besides, with the salary you earn you are the one who can afford it the most" Kensuke added.

"Well, maybe I'll treat you next time, but today I have to get going already" said the Third Child looking at his watch.

"You do? It's not that late" Kensuke asked, also checking his own watch.

"I have to buy some groceries" answered the boy.

"Oh, I see... you have to do the shopping for Misato's today, huh?" Touji deduced.

"Actually, no… Rei asked me this morning to teach her how to cook, I'm going to go to her apartment afterwards for that" Shinji explained.

"Oh… so you're going to Ayanami's place, then, huh?" Touji said with a playful voice.

"My, my, Shinji... are you two only going to cook while you're there?" Kensuke asked later, joining his friend on the teasing.

"Here we go again..." Shinji thought with resignation. Since his friends found out about his relationship with Rei, the jokes and humorous remarks at his expense had been plenty. Partially, Shinji knew it well, was precisely because of how insistent the boy had been on that he had no feelings for the bluenette in the weeks before they started dating. Considering how his friend were, though… he probably wouldn't have avoided the teasing even if he were honest about his feelings from the start "At least they have the decency to not make these kind of jokes when Rei is present. I don't want to think what I could even say if that were the case..."

"Yes, we're just going to cook" Shinji finally replied, gathering all of his patience "Really, guys, you're such pervs"

"At least we're honest" Touji replied, crossing his arms "You act all chivalrous, but I bet your mind is as full of dirty thoughts as ours"

Shinji looked away, blushing deeply. He didn't have the strength to deny it, he wasn't capable of lying so blatantly.

"I think you hit the nail on the head, Touji" Kensuke said chuckling.

"W-well whatever, see you tomorrow at school" Shinji muttered, wanting to end that conversation as soon as possible. His friends said their goodbyes and stared at him as he left the arcade.

"He's a lucky one, that Shinji" Touji murmured "Well, I'm happy things turned out well for him"

"Yeah, so am I" Kensuke agreed. After that, he directed his friend an amused look before speaking again "One of these days you could follow his example and talk to Hikari about how you feel about her..."

"SHUT UP!"

After a visit to the grocery store, a contemplative Shinji made his way once again to the now familiar apartment 402. Unlike the last time that the Third Child was walking towards that place, however, he wasn't feeling completely happy with himself at that moment.

Shinji couldn't help but think about what his friends had said about him earlier that afternoon, and even though it ashamed him... he had to admit that they had a point. As much as he wanted to pretend that it wasn't the case, Shinji often had dirty thoughts about Rei. Since the day he saw her almost completely naked in her apartment by accident, that image had been replayed in his mind many times. But how could that not be the case? Shinji was a teenager, his hormones were running rampart, it was normal for him to start getting interested in the opposite sex, and Rei... was very attractive. It wasn't until they got to know each other better that the boy discovered that she was a sweet and kind girl, but he would be lying if he said that what first made him interested in the bluenette had not been her looks. Shinji loved Rei for how she was on the inside, but he was attracted to her for how she was on the outside.

The boy sighed as he climbed the stairs of the apartment building where Rei lived. From a logical point of view, he technically shouldn't be feeling bad for lusting after the girl, even more so now that she was his girlfriend, but a part of him couldn't help but feel like scum for thinking about her that way, especially considering her social ineptitude. Shinji was almost certain that Rei didn't know anything about sex or what it entailed to desire another person "Well, it's not like I'm an expert on the subject either..." the boy thought. Still, he felt like, in a way, he was taking advantage of her when he remembered her almost naked form, or he imagined her in other similar scenarios.

Shinji reached the front door of Rei's apartment, mentally pushing those thoughts away. It wasn't the time to think about that. He knocked a few times on the door before announcing his presence "Rei, it's me, Shinji"

The blue-haired girl did not take long to open the door, greeting Shinji with one of her small smiles "Hello, Shinji" she said before surrounding him with her arms and merging into a hug with the boy, who reciprocated very happily her gesture. Shinji had started noticing that Rei seemed to particularly like hugs, as it was becoming usual for the girl to initiate them by herself, especially when they greeted each other. Not that he minded, of course, embracing the bluenette in his arms filled him with happiness like few other things. The two pilots shared a quick kiss and then entered the girl's apartment.

Shinji looked at the place, and smiled with satisfaction. The last time he had been there he had cleaned up a bit, despite Rei's insistence that it wasn't necessary. It wasn't a big deal, but between that, and the fact that the girl had opened the curtains to let in more light, the place seemed much cozier now.

"Well, I've bought the ingredients, ready to learn?" Shinji said, leaving the plastic grocery bag on the small kitchen counter. Rei nodded, a small grin still on her face "Let's get to it, then"

The next few minutes passed between chopping vegetables, cutting tofu, and boiling water. Miso soup was a very simple dish, Shinji was sure that Rei would have no problem at learning how to make it, but that was precisely why he had wanted to start with that one. Sometimes starting small is the best approach, there would be time to teach the bluenette some more elaborate dishes in the future.

"And now we put the miso in this water so that it dissolves..." the Third Child explained as he grabbed a container of hot water "And while it does, we let the soup boil for a little more... five more minutes should be enough. After that, we'll mix everything, and we'll be done" Shinji explained, grinning at Rei "What did you think? Is there anything you want me to explain again?"

"No, I think I understood everything just fine" replied the scarlet-eyed girl "Thank you, Shinji" she added later, smiling warmly at the Third Child.

"You're welcome, Rei. Whatever it takes for you" Shinji said sincerely.

"This took us less time than I expected to..." Rei then stated, glancing at the watch on Shinji's wrist "The soup will be ready in a few minutes without us doing anything else, correct?" she asked.

"Yes, that's right" Shinji replied.

"If that's the case then, I'll take a shower before we have dinner, if you don't mind" Rei said while glancing back at the boy.

"Um... y-yeah, sure I don't mind…" Shinji muttered, unable to prevent a certain memory from flashing on his mind "Shinji, stop thinking about that. Now is not the time"

Rei went to her bathroom without saying anything else, and after closing the door Shinji could hear the water from the shower starting to run. The boy focused his gaze on the soup, which was boiling moderately, and spent the next few minutes trying with all his might not to think again of the image of Rei, fresh out of the shower, with only a towel covering her shoulders. He failed miserably at that task.

The Third Child turned off the stove and mixed the miso with the soup, after which he put a lid over the pot to make sure it would remain hot for the next minutes. After that, Shinji walked to the bedroom and sat in the desk chair that was there, as he usually did when he visited Rei's apartment. After a few minutes, the boy crossed his arms and frowned "That's enough. You're going to stop thinking about that for the rest of the night. You're going to have dinner with Rei, you're going to help her wash the dishes, you're going to give her a hug and kiss her goodbye and you're going to go back to Misato's" he thought while gathering his willpower once more.

It was then that the boy heard how the bathroom door was opened. Shinji glanced in that direction, and he could see how Rei emerged out of her bathroom... covered only by a towel over her shoulders. The Third Child's eyes widened, and his jaw almost touched the floor "This can't be happening again"

Rei took a couple of steps forward, oblivious to the boy's surprise, and stared at the miso soup curiously "Is the soup ready?" she asked while taking the lid off to inspect the food better.

Shinji was finally snapped out of the trance he had been caught in "R-Rei! You're naked!" he said while looking away, his face completely red.

"Of course I am, I was taking a shower" the girl stated, as if it she had just explained the most obvious thing in the world. The First Child gazed at Shinji, confused "Is there something wrong?" she asked as she walked into the bedroom.

Shinji turned his back on Rei when he realized that she was closing the distance between them "O-Of course there's something wrong! You should get dressed!" Shinji muttered, clearly embarrassed.

"That's what I'm about to do, but I don't understand what's wrong" said the girl, approaching the furniture next to her bed and opening one of the drawers, from which she took out a fresh piece of underwear "This is not the first time you've seen me naked... does it bother you to see me in this state?"

Shinji almost choked on air. How could she even consider to ask him that questionat that exact moment? "I... It's n-not that... that's not the point!" the boy stammered.

Rei stared at her boyfriend, who was still with his back turned to her. The bluenette's confusion kept increasing "I don't understand... we're a couple now, are we not? Aren't couples supposed to see each other naked often?" the girl asked as she was getting dressed.

"W-W-What?" was the only thing Shinji could say, still with his back turned to the girl.

"Couples engage in sexual intercourse. If I'm not mistaken, such acts are usually performed in a state of undress" the girl explained as she put on a shirt, completely unfazed.

Shinji felt as if he had just been hit in the head with a hammer. For several seconds, he remained in complete silence, eyes wide open, processing what he had just heard "She does... understand that?"

"Rei... you... how do you know about that?" was the only thing the boy could say after several seconds.

"They explained this to us in health class, a few months ago" the girl explained flatly, finishing dressing.

"O-Oh" the boy muttered "...and despite that... y-you don't mind?" he was unable to finish his question.

"...You seeing me naked or we engaging in sexual intercourse?" Rei asked, without the slightest bit of embarrassment, making Shinji almost choke again. After several seconds of silence from Shinji, the bluenette decided to answer her own question "I wouldn't mind either"

Shinji began to breathe rapidly, his heartbeat accelerating substantially. This was a dream. He hadto be dreaming. Did Rei really wanted that they…? Not even a week had passed since they had become a couple! Besides, Shinji was just as inexperienced in the subject as her, he didn't even have a clear idea of what to do if the two of them decided to… do that. Shinji started to break out in a cold sweat.

After more seconds of silence from Shinji, Rei finally decided to approach him "You're nervous" she stated. It was obvious even to her.

"O-Of course I'm n-nervous!" stammered Shinji "You suddenly tell me that it's okay if I see you naked or... if we... did that. T-This is all very sudden"

Rei walked over the other side of the chair Shinji was sitting on, facing him. She leaned down and took his hands, only to pull him up gently, inviting him to get up. Once they were both standing, her eyes locked onto his.

"We're never going to do anything that you don't want us to do" said the bluenette, gazing lovingly at him while smiling tenderly "I don't want you to be nervous when you are with me, I want you to be happy. If at some point you want us to try that, I'm willing. If you don't want to, that's also fine with me too. I just want you to love me and be with me, that's what makes me happy" Rei said before wrapping her arms around around Shinji's back and resting her head on his shoulder.

Shinji shuddered upon hearing those words, both because of their meaning and because of the sincerity with which Rei had said them. No one had ever expressed such genuine, unconditional love for him. He had never felt so accepted, so close to anyone. His worries vanished instantly, and the boy wrapped his arms around the bluenette, gently holding her close to him "I love you, Rei..." he whispered softly.

"I love you too..." she whispered back.

The two stayed like that for a few moments, until the girl broke the hug "Are you feeling better?" she asked warmly.

"Yeah… thanks for… saying that" Shinji murmured, still moved.

"You're welcome. I meant every word" the bluenette said. They both stared into the other's eyes for a moment, until Rei decided to speak again "Shall we have dinner?" she asked with a small smile.

"Yeah... let's have dinner" Shinji replied before kissing her gently.

The next day, at afternoon, Shinji, Rei and Asuka were at NERV's facilities, inside the Entry-Plug of the Evas. This wouldn't be uncommon, if it weren't for the fact that Shinji was inside the Entry-Plug of Unit 00 and Rei inside the Entry-Plug of Unit 01. Dr. Ritsuko wanted to test how well they were able to synchronize with an Eva other than the one they usually piloted, in case it was necessary to resort to that at some point in the future.

"Alright, Rei, let's get started" said Dr. Akagi over the intercom "How do you feel being inside Unit 01?"

Rei thought about it for a few moments. There were no differences at first glance between the interior of the Entry-Plug of Eva 01 and that of Eva 00, but she… somehow could feel Shinji's presence in that place. Specifically... "Smells like Shinji" noticed the girl.

"I feel fine" Rei replied.

"Very well, starting now, then" Ritsuko stated.

The First Child closed her eyes and focused, trying to synchronize with Eva 01 in the same way she did with her own. After a few seconds, several images began to flash in her mind. Some were completely unknown to her, others were very familiar. Major Katsuragi's apartment, Asuka practicing the choreography used to defeat the seventh angel next to her. Suzuhara and Aida, her classmates, leaving school next to her. Getting out Unit 01's Entry-Plug, after defeating an angel. She saw herself, face to face, smiling inside the Entry-Plug of unit 00, after defeating the fifth angel.

"Are these... Shinji's memories?" thought the girl. It seemed the only logical conclusion. Several images of her, seen from Shinji's perspective, began to follow one after another. Her eating one of the lunchboxes he cooked for her in front of him. Her walking under the moonlight, her hand linked with Shinji's. Her melting into a hug with him, and then joining his lips in a kiss "He thinks about me a lot..." Rei thought while smiling softly, her chest filling with warmth.

Several more images of her followed the first ones. Rei having her back to the boy, clad in her tight white Plug-Suit, before bending over in order to pick up something from the floor. Rei hugging Shinji closely, his body completely pressed against his. Rei getting out of the shower, with only a towel covering her shoulders. Rei lying on the ground, seconds later, with Shinji on top of her, the boy's left hand on her right breast.

Many other images flashed over her mind, and Rei felt the warmth in her chest spreading to... other parts of her body. She suddenly remembered the conversation she had had the previous afternoon with Shinji, and her soft smile turned mischievous.

"Her sync rate is almost the same as with Unit 00. It seems there are no compatibility errors between Unit 01 and Rei" Ritsuko remarked while looking at the data on a screen.

"That's good news" Misato said, next to her.

"Indeed. Very well, Rei, the test is over, you can get out now" the blonde informed.

"Understood" the girl's voice was heard over the intercom.

The scientist directed then her attention to another screen, where the data from Unit 02 was displayed "Everything seems in order here, Asuka has a similar sync rate as the one from two days ago" noted the woman.

"Of course, what did you expect from the best pilot?" Asuka interjected over intercom "Speaking of which, how come I'm not participating in this compatibility test with the other Evas?" asked the overweening girl curiously.

"Well, you have no intention of piloting another Eva other than unit 02, right?" Misato asked her back.

"Hmm... that's true" Asuka conceded.

"Well, let's proceed with you then, Shinji" said Misato "How does it feel to be inside Rei's Eva?"

"It feels... familiar, somehow" replied the boy while basking in the sensations "It's like I can feel her presence here... it smells like her"

"It smells like her?! Shinji, you're a pervert!" Asuka snapped at him over the intercom.

"Asuka, don't distract him, we need him to focus for the test" Ritsuko said.

"Fine, fine…" Asuka replied grumpily, disconnecting her intercom with the Entry-Plug Eva 00 "Geez, how much you enjoy spoiling the idiot..."

Shinji closed his eyes and focused. After a few seconds, several images began to cross his mind. He saw himself several times, but as if watching from another person's point of view. After seeing an image of himself, walking under the moonlight holding the hand of whoever was watching, he deduced what was happening "These are... Rei's memories..." the boy smiled happily when he realized how large was the number of memories that the bluenette had of their moments together. However, eventually other memories began to appear as well.

Rei, alone in her apartment. Rei, in the infirmary with Dr. Ritsuko. Rei immersed in LCL in a large tube, in a NERV room that the boy had never seen before. This last memory was repeated several times, in some of them, Dr. Ritsuko was there. In others, both she and Shinji's father were there. In the distance, on the other side of what must have been the walls of the room, there was an orange liquid, which the Third Child deduced was LCL, in which several naked bodies were floating. In another of the memories, Rei was closer to one of the walls, and the boy could better distinguish what they were. They were exact copies of Rei, staring at nothing with blank expressions. Shinji opened his eyes, horrified.

"As we expected, it does not have a sync rate as high as with Unit 01. Still, these are acceptable results" Ritsuko observed. Not a second had passed since she remarked this when a warning popped up on the screen "Pilot's pulse increasing?" the blonde did not have much time to think about it, because the Eva 00 began to move, trying to free itself from the anchors that contained it.

"What's going on?!" exclaimed a worried Misato.

"Is the Eva rejecting him?" Ritsuko wondered aloud.

"Negative. The Eva is entering Berserk mode" said a tense Maya Ibuki.

"Disconnect the energy source, quickly!" Ritsuko ordered.

Unit 00's power cable fell to the ground, but by that point the robot had already freed itself from its anchors. The Eva brought his hands to his head, as if it hurt.

"Eject the Entry-Plug!" Misato exclaimed.

"I can't, the Eva is not responding!" Makoto replied.

Unit 00 released its head, and then began to hit the wall of the laboratory where the workers were located with its humongous hands. The blows followed one after another, until…

"Unit 00 is immobilized" Maya stated with a sigh of relief "Its battery is empty"

"How is Shinji?" asked an anxious Misato.

Shinji opened his eyes and stared at a ceiling that, unfortunately, was no longer unfamiliar to him. He was in NERV's medical facilities, lying on a bed. The boy sat up, feeling a little disoriented, when Dr. Ritsuko entered the room.

"Oh, you're awake, Shinji" the woman said when she saw the boy "How are you feeling?"

"Um... a little disoriented, I guess, but other than that I feel fine..." replied the boy "What happened?"

"You don't remember? We were performing compatibility tests with unit 00 and it got out of control" the scientist explained.

As Shinji pondered the blonde's words, memories of the event started coming back to his mind "Yes... I thing I remember now... is everyone okay?"

"Yes, the Eva is under control and no one has been harmed" Dr. Akagi replied, approaching the bed "Let me take a look at you, if everything is in order you can go"

Shinji nodded. For the next few minutes, while the doctor examined his vitals, the boy reflected on the events of that afternoon. All of that had been... very strange. For starters, had he actually seen the Rei's memories, or had his own brain somehow played tricks on him? That didn't seem very likely, the memories seemed too elaborate to be a product of his own mind. But if that was the case, how the hell had Rei's memories been transmitted to him through the Eva? Did the Evangelions somehow saved the memories of their user? More importantly, what the hell were those Rei-looking bodies floating in LCL? Shinji had plenty of questions, but few answers.

"You seem to be fine, you can leave whenever you want" Ritsuko stated once she finished the checkup, taking Shinji out of his musings. After that the woman turned around and headed for the exit "Goodbye, Shinji" the woman said flatly.

"Goodbye" the boy said, raising an eyebrow. Was it his imagination or was the doctor more serious than usual? Well, even if it was like that he had more important things to think about. The boy quickly got dressed on his regular clothes again and headed for the exit of the room. He opened the door and considered where he should go next, when he spotted his girlfriend in the hallway, walking towards him. He smiled at her.

"Shinji, you're awake" said the girl, closing the distance that separated them before embracing him in a hug "I'm so glad"

"Hi, Rei. Thank you" the boy said, leaving his thoughts about that afternoon aside for a moment "Were you coming to see me?"

"Yes, are you alright?" the girl whispered in her ear.

"Yes, everything seems to be alright" answered the Third Child "Do you know where Misato is? I should probably let her know about that"

"I heard Major Katsuragi tell Pilot Sohryu that she would be working at NERV until late today" the bluenette informed.

"Oh... in that case I better call her" Shinji said taking out his cellphone from his pocket.

Both pilots began walking towards the elevator that would take them to the upper floor of the facilities while Shinji brought his cellphone to his ear. After a couple of seconds, Misato's voice was heard over the line "Hello, Shinji? Are you okay?"

"Hi, Misato. Yes, Dr. Akagi has just discharged me" replied the boy "Rei also told me that you're going to stay here until late, right?"

"Yes, this whole thing about Unit 00 getting out of control has given us a lot of extra work" the woman regretfully informed "You can get going home if you want, I'll probably be here until late, so I guess we won't see each other again until tomorrow"

"Understood. See you tomorrow, then" Shinji said.

"See you tomorrow, Shinji" Misato said before hanging up.

Shinji put the cellphone back in his pocket while Rei pressed the button to call the elevator. They both remained silent while waiting for it, a time that the Third Child used to reflect again on the events that happened that afternoon. He still didn't knew what to make out of all that experience.

Rei glanced at her boyfriend, quickly noticing his somber expression "Is something wrong? You seem worried" she asked.

"Oh, um... no, Rei, I was just thinking…" Shinji replied, taken out of his thoughts "It's just that… this whole thing with the Eva compatibility test was… very strange for me" he murmured, trying to find the right words to explain what he meant "You might think this sounds crazy, but… while I was inside your Eva it was as if... I could see your memories"

"Oh… it happened for you too?" the bluenette asked.

"Huh?" was all a confused Shinji was able to say.

"I was also able to see what I concluded were your memories while I was inside Unit 01" the girl explained.

Shinji felt his stomach turn "So… is it true? Are those her actual memories?" the boy thought, concern displaying on his face.

Rei didn't took long to notice this "Shinji...what's wrong?"

The boy opened his mouth to answer, when he noticed one of the security cameras that were installed in the hallway where they were. He suddenly realized that talking about that subject at NERV probably wasn't the most clever idea.

"Rei, can we go to your apartment? We need to talk"

Shinji and Rei walked inside the girl's apartment, and she closed the door behind them right afterwards. Both teenagers took a few steps until they reached the bedroom, where they stopped. Rei stood in front of the boy and stared at his eyes.

"I'm listening..." she said, her voice letting out at a hint of concern. They had walked the short distance from NERV's closest entrance to her apartment in complete silence. At any other moment, it wouldn't have been strange at all, that had long ceased to be a problem between them. That day, however, considering Shinji's worried expression, Rei couldn't help but have a bad feeling about whatever he wanted to speak with her.

Shinji looked away from the blue-haired girl for a few seconds "Rei, I... I don't really know how to approach this..." he began to say, trying again to find the right words. He eventually decided to just say it directly "Among some other of your memories... I saw you inside a tube full of LCL, in what I suppose is a room somewhere inside the Geo-Front, considering Dr. Akagi and my father were there..."

Upon hearing that description, Rei quickly deduced what room Shinji was talking about "According to that description it must be a room inside Terminal Dogma. It is where Dr. Akagi is developing the Dummy Plug System with my assistance" the girl stated.

"I see... but that's not what worries me..." added Shinji "What worries me is what is... inside the walls surrounding that room" Rei's eyes widened slightly. She began to guess what had gotten Shinji so worried "Rei... there were a lot of... copies of you floating around in LCL there... was that real?" the boy asked, his voice letting his distress be known.

The girl looked away. She hadn't really thought about it in the past, but she quickly come to the conclusion that from the point of view of anyone other than herself, that didn't seem very normal "Yes... that is real" she replied, looking back into Shinji's eyes.

"Is it...? What…what does that mean? Why are there copies of you there? What are they?" Shinji asked, the words tumbling from his lips.

"They are my replacements" the girl said, gathering the strength needed to explain herself "They are... clones without mind or soul. If at some point something were to happen to me and I couldn't pilot the Eva... they would put my memories in one of those clones and it would take my place. It's happened before... as far as I remember, I'm the second"

"So you... are one of those clones?" the boy asked, incredulous.

"…Yes" the girl muttered. She again averted her eyes from Shinji's, she was not able to take directly the look the boy was directing at her "Is that... a problem?"

"I… I..." stammered the Third Child "I don't know... I need... I need a moment alone... I'll be back in a moment" Shinji said before turning around and heading out the apartment. Rei's gaze followed him as he walked away, feeling a stung in her chest. All the warmth that Shinji's presence awakened inside her was replaced by harsh, cold anxiety.

"Rei is a clone…Rei is a clone and there are dozens like her stuck inside the Geo-Front" the mind of the Third Child repeated over and over. He was having a hard time trying to process the information he had just received. She began to walk the hallway in circles, suddenly feeling very anxious. What should he do now? The boy didn't know what to think about that whole situation. What should he think about that whole situation? Did that meant that things between him and Rei should change?

After a couple of minutes, Shinji stopped walking and started breathing slowly, trying to calm himself down "Calm down... let's think about this calmly..."

On one hand, it was pretty clear to him that whatever NERV was doing with that... clone situation, for lack of a better term, was, at the very least, morally questionable. The boy understood the logic behind the idea of having replacements for the Evangelion pilots, but the end did not justify the means. On the other hand, there was the fact that Rei herself was one of those clones, she said so herself. That was strange, without a doubt, but… thinking about it more calmly, was that something intrinsically wrong? Did the girl's origins have any influence on who she was now? She was the same person he had met and fallen in love with, regardless of whether she had been gestated in a woman's womb or in a laboratory. Shinji's frown narrowed as he came to a realization "Be that as it may... what is clear is that it this is not her fault. She didn't choose any of this" he concluded.

The boy clenched his fists tightly and quickly headed back to Rei's apartment. He already knew what he had to do.

Every second that passed seemed like an eternity for Rei. He felt her very being being swollen with fear, worry and anxiety. She had never seen Shinji looking at her like the way he had just before leaving her apartment. Rei wasn't good at reading emotions in others, but she understood the boy's body language better than anybody else's. Something was definitely wrong.

It was then that she heard how the front door of her apartment was opened, after which Shinji walked inside again. She stared nervously at him, while he stared back, just before quickly crossing the entrance and approaching her. Rei's anxiety increased again, until... Shinji's arms embraced her tightly around him.

"I'm sorry, Rei, I didn't mean to make you worry" the boy whispered in her ear, holding her tenderly in his arms "I don't know if this whole clone thing is right or wrong, but I do know that it's not your fault, and that I love you. You are the most wonderful person I have ever met, and I want you to always be by my side"

Rei felt her anxiety evaporate with each of Shinji's words, being replaced by intense relief and great joy. She clung to the boy with her own arms "…Thank you, Shinji" she murmured as she felt her eyes watering.

Both teenagers remained embraced for several minutes in silence, calming their emotions and enjoying each other's closeness. Rei finally loosened her grip on Shinji a little, separating herself from the boy enough to be able to look him in the eyes "Now I know what it feels like to cry of happiness..." she murmured, remembering their conversation after the fifth angel's defeat. Shinji smiled warmly, running his fingers gently over the girl's cheeks, wiping away the few tears that hadn't landed on her shirt.

"Again, I'm sorry for worrying you" Shinji apologized, feeling a sting of guilt "It's just... it's a very strange situation"

"Don't worry about that. As long as you're still with me everything is fine" she stated while looking at him lovingly.

"Always" Shinji whispered, locking eyes with her "But from now on Rei, no more secrets, please. If something strange happens at NERV I want to know about it. Not just because I want us to be honest with each other, but because I want to support you if you need it"

"Alright" the girl agreed, smiling softly. Shinji, as usual, stared at her smile with delight, until it... changed slightly. If he didn't knew Rei as well as he did, he'd swear Rei's smile had become… mischievous? "But in that case, I think you also have something to tell me, don't you?" the bluenette said, her cheeks blushing.

"Huh? Like what?" the boy asked curiously.

"I saw many interesting things in your memories while I was inside Unit 01" Rei said, keeping her strangely mischievous smile "You want to have sexual intercourse with me, Shinji" she stated.

Shinji felt a cold shiver run down his back. He blushed a deep crimson "I...I..." he stammered. He couldn't say anything else, because Rei joined her lips with his, merging with him in a deep kiss. Shinji was taken by surprise, but when he felt the passion with which the blue-haired girl was kissing him, he surrendered himself to the kiss completely, enjoying the sensations and kissing her back with the same eagerness.

After several seconds, the pilots' faces parted slightly, the need for oxygen making them break their kiss. Shinji gazed at Rei, who gazed back at him with love and something else, like she was encouraging him to continue. A realization finally came to Shinji.

"Are… are you sure about this, Rei?" Shinji whispered "We don't have to do it just because I want to..."

"I'm sure" was the girl's quick reply "I want to be one with you, Shinji. In body, mind and soul"

The boy shuddered at those words. It was probably the most beautiful way he had ever heard to describe… that act. He smiled "...So do I" he finally said before melting into a new kiss with her.

To be continued...