So, this is a thing.

Shinji still couldn't quite wrap his head around how, but it apparently was a thing: Walking to school together with Asuka and Ayanami. The fiery redhead, full of life, who maybe could understand him, and the serene bluenette, full of grace, who would listen. Shinji was a bit worried at times what he was thinking about the girls, but there was no denying that their company, of one of them or of both, simply elevated him.

He knew they'd now follow the same route to school, of course. That was why he had planned to leave Misato's apartment ten minutes early; he didn't want to impose himself on them. Misato would have nothing of that, though, and when he had encountered Ayanami and Asuka, both seemed to be content enough to walk with him – to his continuing amazement. After all, what was he? Not even a pilot anymore right now. Just a boring school boy.

Still, as long as he was with them, he could manage not to look the gift horse in the mouth. The doubts would return later.

"I'm sure glad to have my own room again," Asuka exclaimed, who was walking in the middle between the other two. "Now all that's missing is an actual, proper bed for it. Humans aren't made for sleeping on the ground."

Shinji didn't mind sleeping on futons. In fact, he barely knew anything else. He stayed quiet on the topic, though. Instead he asked, "So Ayanami has moved to the other room?"

"Yes," the blue-haired girl replied. "It seemed important to Soryu indeed."

"She's basically in the equivalent of your room in Misato's apartment now," Asuka explained.

"So... uh..." Shinji hardly dared to say it out loud, to openly hope for it. "You two will be staying permanently over there then?"

"We talked with Misato about that yesterday," Asuka told him. "She's trying to arrange matters now. According to her, it shouldn't be difficult; it's not like there's currently a great demand for the apartments here, so the house owner will probably even be glad if NERV rents one from him. So you are blessed to stay in my awe-inspiring presence."

Shinji certainly did not argue against that, neither the fact nor Asuka's formulation. A small, awkward smile appeared on his face. Maybe he could talk to Asuka about what had happened in their lives, and he certainly could talk to Ayanami now without her always having to wait in that spot near the park. And even if not, just being in their presence, just looking at them... They both were... Uh... yeah.

Secretly, the images from his visit to Ayanami's apartment – Ayanami's old apartment – were still a pleasurable if awkward memory to him.

"You've nothing to say about that, idiot?" Asuka chided him.

"Ah... uh... sorry," Shinji mumbled.

"Stop apologizing and tell me what you think!" Asuka demanded.

"Well, I'm glad, of course!" Shinji insisted. "I... uh... I..."

"You uh you what?" Asuka asked.

Shinji gulped. "Well, it's just... I'm kinda..." He closed his eyes. "Glad that you're around."

"Oh," Asuka answered. "Well, you should be. We are great to have around, aren't we, Rei?"

"Hm," Ayanami agreed. "It will be good to be closer to you and Ikari."

Shinji and Asuka both mumbled indistinctly in response, looking down on the pavement. All three walked in a silence that was somewhat awkward but, or so Shinji thought, also somewhat content.

After a while, Asuka spoke up again, "Misato also mentioned something about assuming guardianship over me again. Since I'll be living next to her, and so she'll be the one who will de facto be looking after me anyway." She shrugged. "Kaji is great as a guardian, but Misato wasn't bad, either. The only problem was having to live with her." She grinned. "Besides, it'll make matters between me and Kaji... less complicated now."

"Oh," Shinji voiced. He was vaguely sad about Asuka talking about Mr Kaji like that. Trying to overplay that, he asked, "What about Ayanami?"

"Commander Ikari is my guardian," the blue-haired girl answered. "That is not up for discussion."

Asuka scoffed at that. "Not that he really takes care of you."

"Commander Ikari's guardianship has so far always been sufficient," Ayanami insisted. "He and NERV have provided for me. I know he is doing the right thing."

"The right thing?" Asuka echoed in disbelief.

"Yes," Ayanami confirmed. "Commander Ikari's work is all-important. I have the utmost faith in him."

That killed the mood for a while. Ayanami's comment bugged Shinji. His father never had time for him, never had done anything good for him. Yet now he was supposed to swallow that Gendo was a good person doing the right thing? Worse yet, swallow that coming from Ayanami. He had made his peace with how his father had treated him, but having seen Ayanami's old apartment... That comment really didn't sit well with him.

This though festered enough in him that he finally asked, "...why?"

Asuka and Ayanami turned their heads towards him. "What do you mean?" Asuka asked.

"Why do you have faith in my father, Ayanami?" Shinji specified.

Ayanami remained silent for a while. Shinji had already accepted that he would get no answer and was brooding when she replied, "His work is important."

Shinji had regularly talked with Ayanami for months now. Most of the time, the girl was pretty monotone. Nonetheless, there were certain subtleties. She had sounded even quieter than usual now. Shinji was sure she was holding something back. Asuka seemed to notice it too, looking at Ayanami with a furrowed brow. Still, the blue-haired girl might be right. After all, if the angels truly threatened all of humanity, then being the Commander of the organization whose purpose it was to fight them was pretty damn important indeed. But even so...

"Maybe so," Shinji admitted glumly. "But he still should take better care of you."

"Why?" Ayanami asked.

"What do you mean 'why'?" Asuka interjected. "You deserve better treatment, simple as that."

Shinji nodded, secretly glad Asuka had taken the initiative. "You really do, Ayanami."

"Why?" Ayanami asked again.

Again, the answers of both Asuka and Shinji amounted to little more than unintelligible muttering. Now that it had happened the second time, Shinji became aware of it. Him shying away from clear answers was one thing, but what was it with Asuka?

"Well," Asuka spoke up, maybe a bit too hastily. "Now she's in a new apartment. We can... I mean, things can go better, right? I mean, the food alone..."

"Oh, right. With you two staying over there, I can continue cooking for you," Shinji realized. That was good. It was something he could do. Some way for him to contribute.

He noticed how Asuka's eyes widened for a short moment, before she replied, "Hm. You're one of the few boys who could be entrusted with that task. It could be acceptable."

Shinji didn't think his cooking was all that special. That it could have such an effect – the real, hidden effect, not what she was saying – on Asuka regularly bewildered him. It also made him feel both a little proud and very awkward. He wasn't used to positive feedback.

"It would put a disproportionate workload on Ikari," Ayanami protested.

Asuka scoffed. "He offered in case you haven't noticed."

"It's really no big deal," Shinji assured them. "I like to be able to do something."

"And think of the food we'll be getting!" Asuka hissed at Ayanami.

Now Shinji could smile at that. Ayanami remained silent, so he continued, "It's not like I can do much else at the moment. Not until I can get to synchronize with EVA-01 again, anyway. And hey, it's not like you won't still have other household chores to do."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Asuka complained. "That is such bullshit. We're EVA pilots. The elite of the elite. The world depends on our sorties. You would think NERV would at least take care of our apartments. But nooo... damn Japanese cheapskates."

"Was it different in Germany?" Shinji asked.

"Well... not really," Asuka grumbled. "But I wasn't fighting angels yet in Germany! Here, I am supposed to do that, do synch-tests, go to school, and clean the apartment as well. That's bullshit!"

Shinji shrugged. He had never thought of that. It didn't really seem that outrageous to him. Of course he was supposed to take care of his (well, his and Misato's) apartment. How else should things be?

"I am sure you eventually will again, Ikari," Ayanami spoke up.

Shinji looked over to her. "What do you mean, Ayanami?"

"Synchronize with EVA-01," she explained.

Shinji sighed. "I'm not so sure. It's... I mean, how do you manage it, Ayanami? You know what happened there, and yet you... simply get into the entry-plug like it's nothing. Like nothing could happen."

Asuka's eyes widened in surprise at that, but she remained silent.

"It would be useless for me to worry about something I cannot affect," Ayanami answered. "Especially something with such a small risk."

Shinji considered that. "I guess... I mean, yeah, purely rationally, I can see that. But... I don't think I could ever stay as calm as you do. How do you manage that?"

"I just am," Ayanami replied. "I cannot tell you why or how." Both of them trotted on silently, while Asuka watched them with some suspicion. After a while, Ayanami continued, "I wish I could somehow show you. But I cannot tell you."

"Well, that would be a neat trick," Shinji commented with a humourless smile.

A while later, the three entered the school grounds. Shinji became uncomfortably aware of how many heads the group turned. The students had gotten used to Ayanami, despite her unusualness, and he himself didn't stand out in any way, but Asuka always was the centre of attention. And now she had arrived together with Ayanami and him. Maybe Shinji imagined it, but he felt like people began whispering.

On their way to the building, they came across Touji and Kensuke, who stood leaned against its wall. They both grinned as the trio approached.

Touji jumped up straight and walked over to Shinji. "Shinji, you dog! How do you do it?"

"How do I do... what?" Shinji asked, feeling a bit intimidated by his friend's behaviour.

"First you get to live with Misato, and now you're dragging two fine pieces of ass with you to school!" Touji explained. Or 'explained'.

"You'll get a kick in a piece of your ass if you keep this up," Asuka hissed. "What the fuck are you thinking?"

Touji looked at her glumly, then turned his head back to Shinji. "Well, I suppose you can't aim for both good looks and good character. That'd be too much to hope foooo... ah!"

Asuka had gripped the collar of Touji's sport jacket and dragged him down to her level. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "Next time, my leg will go... higher."

Shinji was still wondering what Asuka had meant by that when Touji was suddenly on the ground. A clean leg sweep courtesy of Asuka had brought him down. The German girl grinned viciously.

"You should not hurt classmates," Ayanami chided her. Delivered in her usual monotone voice, it did not sound very convincing.

"He had it coming!" Asuka defended herself as Touji got to his feet again. "Talking about me like I'm just a slab of meat."

"That's what you get for trying to make compliments to girls," Touji muttered petulantly. "Just saying you're kinda hot..."

"You are correct, Suzuhara," Ayanami observed in her usual neutral voice. Four stunned pairs of eyes turned towards her. She merely kept looking ahead.

"Uh, right," Asuka said. She caught herself quickly and added smugly, "Of course I'm attractive. I know that already. But he said that with all the social graces of a," she turned her head towards Touji and hissed aggressively, "Rampaging elephant!"

Touji grinned dismissively and then turned to Ayanami. "Aww c'mon, Ayanami, you're making poor Shin-man all jealous here!"

"What do you mean?" Ayanami asked.

"Wellll..." His grin turned provocative. "What do you think about Shinji's looks?"

"Ikari's looks are also pleasing," Ayanami stated with her usual absolute certainty.

Shinji's eyes widened, while blood shot into his head. For a second he considered saying something. Instead he stormed into the building.

Normally, by now, Rei would be standing at her spot near the park and waiting. But now there was not even a need for that anymore. She was walking by Ikari's side, and would be for the entire way back to her new apartment. That was... pleasant.

There had been some hesitation after class. Both Soryu and Ikari had walked up to her, so that they could go to the apartment bloc they shared, but had acted weirdly. Awkwardly, as Rei now realized. But this had settled down after the first few metres. Rei did not know what this meant, but that was the norm for her. Most of the time she did not understand people.

There were many things she did not understand or knew little of. So far, this had never been a problem. She knew what she had to know, and the rest was irrelevant. There had never been a reason to worry about other things. Now she did though. She knew almost nothing about living with other people. She did not know how she would have to act in her new surroundings. She had lived in the new apartment for a week already, but that had been part of a mission, considered a temporary measure. Now that 'temporary measure' would turn over her entire life.

It was not that this was all bad. She was hopeful for her cohabitation with Soryu. Rei did not see her as merely 'loud' anymore; 'lively' would probably be a better description, with all the advantages and disadvantages that came with that. Hanging on to that liveliness, maybe Rei could feel like she were part of it, part of humanity... but still, she also was anxious. Her whole life had so far been full of certainties. Now, near the very end, things began to become more ambiguous.

"So, Ayanami..." Ikari spoke up. "How do you like our classes? I mean, you seem to look outside the window the whole day, and yet you always do so well on tests..."

"Seriously," Soryu grumbled "How do you do that? You're cheating, aren't you?"

"Class attendance and tests are required of me," Rei simply answered.

"Well... yeah," Ikari admitted. "I just thought you'd have an opinion on that."

Normally, Rei would not deem that worthy of an answer. Her opinions simply did not figure into anything. She would do as she was told. However, it was Ikari who had asked, so she honestly considered the question.

Finally she answered, "Those tasks are required, but I do not comprehend why."

Soryu snorted. "You and me both," she told her. Ikari chuckled.

It was a warm, sympathetic chuckle. Rei supposed things would be alright. She would have Ikari nearby, who did not understand her nature and yet was always supportive of her even so. And she would have Soryu, full of relentless energy but curiously enough also caring about what Rei wanted.

Two people who showed some care towards her. That was... completely unprecedented.

Given that, the outlook for the future did not look so bad, despite all of the changes in Rei's life. Those could be mastered. Besides, it would soon all be over. Ikari's and Soryu's friendship could maybe aid her, carry her until it was her time. It would only be a few months until everything was over. Maybe they would be good months. Rei had never thought in terms of good time or bad time; she had always simply done what was needed, until her purpose would be fulfilled. But as long as she did fulfil her purpose, maybe she could enjoy some good months.

As she entered her new apartment again, she considered what she had told Ikari some weeks ago. If home is the place where one is glad to return to, then she had had no home. Did she now? She was unsure. She did like come to here, to be near Ikari and to have Soryu around. But she knew where she would ultimately end up. Somewhere she belonged. Maybe that was her home.

But she began to entertain the thought that this, the new apartment, could at least be a genuine improvement... at least for the final few months.

Once Soryu and she had stored away their school bags and settled down a bit, there was a certain awkward uncertainty about what to do now. Even Rei, who had always had her days meticulously ordered so far was a bit unsure. Normally she would have simply done her homework and then, seeing as she had no appointments at NERV, would have idled the rest of the day. But she understood that simply lying on the bed for hours would be no option here.

For now, she simply sat down at the kitchen table, still the only form of table or desk in the apartment, and began doing her homework.

Not having to live and sleep in a tiny hotel room was nice. But beyond the lack of a bed in the new apartment, there was also another problem as Asuka now realized: The lack of everything else as well. In Germany, upon coming home, she would've plugged one of her consoles into the TV and played games for at least an hour before looking at homework. That was a routine she had continued all through college as well. Reading material could wait until she had played her games. And it had worked, too: She was, after all, a genius. Once immersed in the work, she could stay concentrated for hours on end. It was just that she always prioritized her own needs and amusement.

But here, her consoles were still in some boxes stored... somewhere, and there was no TV anywhere in sight. No computer of any kind, either. Not even a radio, for that matter. What use was it to be in the homeland of Nintendo, Sega and Sony and have no access to consoles? Such bullshit. Okay, step 1: I brought Rei home. Now step 2: I'll bring my consoles home. Except that she had no idea where NERV had stored her belongings. She'd have to ask Misato about it. Great. I doubt this'll still happen today. So what do I do now?

While she had paced up and down the apartment several times already – quite unnecessarily so, as it was after all nearly completely empty – she noticed that Rei had already sat down and began homework. Of course. Fucking Wondergirl. She walked over to the table stiffly and let herself fall down on one of the chairs.

Rei didn't even look at her, and simply continued reading and writing. Asuka angrily glanced over to her. Still Rei didn't pay attention. Finally, Asuka decided it would be beneath her to beg for it, so instead she walked into her room, opened her school bag, got her materials out and returned to the kitchen to start her own homework.

It didn't go well. She began with maths, and had predictably few problems there. But everything else was the usual battle with kanji. She saw how Rei slowly, but steadily and surely wrote on her sheets of paper, while she herself couldn't even properly decipher what was asked of her. It was... infuriating. At least Rei was probably someone who would keep her mouth shut about it and not make it a public spectacle, but still, losing in an academic contest like that, even to just one person... and not really due it being her own fault, but simply because the Japanese stupidly insisted on their scrawly signs...

And even while Asuka began grumbling loudly, Rei didn't look up. Finally, the German girl had it to here. "How can you stand that?"

Now Rei looked at her, but still didn't say anything.

Asuka gestured at the books and papers sprawled out between the two girls. "How can you write this arcane nonsense as if it's the most natural thing in the world? Why haven't you people changed this crap already?"

"I do not know," Rei replied calmly. "It was not up to me to decide."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Asuka exploded. "It's still stupid."

Rei just turned her attention to her own work again.

"Stupid kanji..." Asuka muttered, feeling rejected.

Quietly, Rei stood up from her chair and walked over behind Asuka's, looking at the redhead's work. "Do you require assistance?"

"Certainly not!" Asuka insisted forcefully. And when Rei was about to simply return to her place, she added, "What makes you so sure you could help me, anyway? Why do you think you could explain this entire nonsense to me while our teachers can't."

Rei stopped on her way and tilted her head. She seemed to consider it. She turned around and answered, "Ich könnte es Ihnen auf Deutsch erklären." [1]

Asuka blinked. The accent was terrible and the formal address inappropriate, so it took a while until she had processed what the blue-haired girl had just said. "Du... du kannst Deutsch?" Rei simply nodded. When she didn't say more, Asuka muttered, "Schön für dich..." [2]

Finally, Rei, who had just stood there the entire time, spoke up again, "Würden Sie meine Hilfe annehmen?" [3]

" 'Du'!" Asuka exploded " 'Du'! Wir sind doch hier nich aufm Amt!" [4]

"...Würden du meine Hilfe annehmen?" Rei tried again. [5]

It sounded so sincere in all of its complete grammatical wrongness, that Asuka just had to laugh. It was a short, aggressive, somewhat bitter laugh, but at least it was a laugh. Then she grinned somewhat viciously. "That's... not how you say it."

Rei remained quiet for a while, until she answered, "You can teach me then. And I can help you."

That proposal caught Asuka by surprise. It sounded like it could be a fair exchange. So what if Rei would help her; apparently she required help with German. There was still something Asuka was superior in. It... was worth a try.

The attempt ended poorly.

It wasn't that Asuka didn't honestly try her best. She did. But there was only so much she could tell Rei about German grammar without having any materials at hand. At the same time, the blue-haired girl could tell her the meaning of every single kanji, and in some cases even where those meanings came from. There was no fair giving and taking; rather Asuka could do nothing and Rei was carrying her all the way.

Finally, Asuka angrily swiped several sheets of paper away. "I don't need your help. This all is just stupid." She jumped up from her chair. Rei, who had stood directly behind it, gracefully evaded her. "I mean, what are they gonna do? Fail me? I already have a college degree!"

"I understand," Rei simply commented. "What will you do now?"

"Something a bit more fun!" Asuka declared. "Not that you'd know anything about that."

Asuka immediately regretted her words. But she could not back down from them. She just couldn't. She was Asuka Langley Soryu. She never backed down. Instead, she looked right at Rei, daring her to challenge her statement. Of course, the blue-haired girl did not, and instead simply sat down on her chair again.

"Shouldn't you have, like, finished your homework two times over by now?" Asuka asked, annoyed.

"I was interrupted during it," Rei simply stated.

"Nobody asked you to help me!" Asuka reminded her. "And it's not like much good came out of it."

Rei just nodded and tried to concentrate on the book in front of her.

Well, fuck. There had to be a way to not talk like that to Rei. "Look, I'm sure you can go through that all easily enough!" she told her. "We should go over to Misato's apartment."

Rei looked up. "Why?"

"Because at least they have a TV there!" Asuka exclaimed. "And maybe we can hang out with Shinji. He wants to prepare dinner for us anyway. Might as well go over to him until then."

"That seems acceptable," Rei answered. Rather quickly, for her.

It was plain to see there was... something between Rei and Shinji. Asuka didn't know what to make of it. She kinda disliked the thought that she would lose out to Shinji... or would lose out to Rei... but should she be jealous of both of them? Besides, it wasn't that she really was interested in either of them or anything. For her the ideal partner would be... well, more somebody like Kaji.

Shinji was surprised to see them both at his apartment door, but let them in quickly. The two apartments were identical in structure, but at least this one wasn't completely empty. And it was kinda nice to have Shinji... well, fawning over her. There really was no better word for it. And that was of course the only correct attitude to be displayed towards her.

As for Misato, not only was she not there, she had informed Shinji she'd be working late and not come home for dinner. So Asuka still wouldn't get a chance to ask her about her belongings. To add insult to injury, there was only crap on television. Cheap soap opera series running into their 2000th episodes. And neither Rei nor Shinji really reacted to what Asuka considered biting avant-garde sarcasm aimed at the cliches displayed there, except for some awkward chuckles from the boy.

"My best friend! How could you do that to me? How could she do that to me!"

"But... but I love you!"

"And what about her?"

"I... you have to understand... I love her as well!"

SLAP!

"I do not understand." Asuka looked around to find, to her surprise, that Rei had spoken up. As the only one of the trio, she knelt upright on her pillow. Next to her, between the two girls Shinji sat on the ground, leaning half backwards. Asuka was on his other side, lying on her belly, her arms on a pillow, supporting her head.

"What don't you understand?" Shinji asked amicably.

"He seemed to have answered truthfully," Rei explained her confusion. "Why did she slap him then?"

"Are you stupid?" Asuka complained. "He cheated on her. With her best friend. It's a betrayal of trust."

Rei nodded, apparently trying to process this. "He should not have kept this a secret to her."

"Well, yeah, but..." Asuka looked over to Shinji, confused. The boy however, didn't pay attention at her, but furrowed his brows at Rei. "He shouldn't have slept with her friend."

"They are her lover and her best friend," Rei argued. "People she cares about."

"That's exactly the problem!" Asuka insisted.

"Should she not be happy for them?" Rei asked. "If he had told the truth from the beginning."

Asuka just scoffed, to dismiss Rei's opinion that way. In truth she just didn't know what to reply to that. The way Rei framed it, it did appear a bit silly... but that was just the way things were done. Rei's opinion on it was just... weird.

Asuka continued watching TV even as Shinji began preparing the dinner. Rei kept glancing at the kitchen, at one point even getting up and watching from the entrance to it, but she didn't offer to help, either. Doesn't know how to, Asuka suspected. As for her... yeah, she supposed she could help. But Shinji had offered to do it, hadn't he? And she liked people doing things for her. And she also... if she was honest with herself, she didn't quite know how to ask if she could help, either. It would just feel too demeaning to do that.

In fact, part of Asuka thought this work was kinda demeaning for Shinji as well. He was a boy, an EVA pilot, somebody who had literally wrestled with monsters. Shouldn't those mundane tasks be beneath him? It was slightly grating to Asuka how easily he accepted them. Even after all these weeks, it still didn't fit her image of how an EVA pilot should act like. It was weak. And yet, she kinda found that weakness endearing. That annoyed her.

When the first delicious smells came out from the kitchen, she had a bit of a guilty conscience, which she tried to silence by indulging in those smells. When Shinji finally called them over, not only was the dinner ready, the table had already been set as well. Even more, as soon as the two girls had sat down, he began to serve them the food.

When it was Rei's turn, Asuka noted, "Again separate dishes for us both. You've done that the entire last week as well."

"Well, yeah," Shinji answered. "Ayanami doesn't like meat. And it would be impolite if I left her to fish the meat pieces out of her meals." He sat down and began serving himself.

"But what about all that work?" Asuka demanded to know. "You're already cooking every day. Isn't that quite an effort? Even without special wishes?"

"It... it's no bother," Shinji murmured.

"You are making quite an effort for us," Rei stated.

"Well, I suppose, but..." Shinji fumbled. "It's... I kinda like to see you both happy, you know?" His face had become quite red.

Oh.

The three began eating in what what Asuka deemed to be content awkwardness. Once again. Those moments seemed to be occurring quite frequently recently. As she ate, Asuka looked over to Shinji. He was a nice guy... but that was half the problem. He was nice and caring and non-threatening... rarely taking offence but without the goofiness of some of their classmates, quite serious actually... Asuka realized that she liked that in him, that this made it fun to be around him, but at the same time, didn't it also mean he was a bit of a bore? Compared to a charming rogue like Kaji...

Just the way he smiled awkwardly at Rei right now, for example. There just was no confidence in it! And yet... it was kinda cute. She wished he'd turn it on her. Which was odd, because she also kinda would like the same from Rei.

Shinji stood up and got something from the kitchen counter. He was built nicely, Asuka had to admit. Just the right proportions, neither fat nor excessively muscled. She became uncomfortably aware how just the last days she had been thinking the same about Rei. And she had no idea how to make any sense out of that.

So, if I find them both kinda attractive... does that even mean anything?

It probably didn't. It just showed there really was nothing behind it. Okay, so both were easy on the eyes, but that was about it. None of them caught her eye the same way Kaji did. Now that was a proper man. It really just went to show that, yes, there were some nice and nicely built people out there... but there could only be one person for Asuka, and that was Kaji.

"I can't believe Misato is still at NERV!" Soryu fumed as she opened the door to her and Rei's apartment. "Does she sleep there?"

"She has before on occasions," Rei informed her, following her in.

"Figures," Soryu grumbled. "It wasn't enough for her to be just one type of -oholic."

Rei did not reply to that. There would have been no point. Instead she entered the kitchen. Her school materials were still on the table, and she simply sat down to continue her homework. It had been nice over at the Katsuragi residence, and now it was time to finish her tasks.

"Always so meticulous, eh?" Soryu muttered when she saw that.

Rei did not react, but the comment did perturb her thoughts. Soryu was puzzling. She was not as friendly as Ikari, but she had never seen a person with such determination and drive to help her – except, of course, for the Commander, who had even burned his hands to save her that one time. But he was a special case. Yet at the same time, Soryu could also be brusque and demeaning to her. She was used to cold and brusque from the Commander, so she should have been used to that dichotomy, but it seemed starker in Soryu.

It was easier with Ikari. Less complicated. Ikari was quiet, passive... he could muster determination to help her, he had shown that amply at Mt Asama, but normally, 'determination' seemed to be the furthest thing from his mind. Yet, he would always listen, would always show he cared, would... smile. Rei did not think she had ever seen Soryu smile. Grin and smirk, sure. But never an honest smile. She wondered what that would look like. Combining Soryu's usual fire with a smile...

She doubted Soryu would ever smile at her, though. The German girl had maybe taken some pity on her, but the two pilots were just too different. And in the short time still left for the world, there was no way their so divergent personalities could become closer. Not that Rei had any intentions of changing. She could not; she had to remain as she was: A tool.

So maybe she was being unfair to Soryu. If her presence annoyed the German girl so much, without any real possibility of her changing, then maybe she should not be around Soryu anymore.

"You're still busy with that?"

Soryu had just strolled into the kitchen again, wearing one of those overly large shirts that served as her bed clothing.

"I've just finished," Rei reported.

"Good," Soryu grumbled and began to fill up a glass of water. "Go to bed. You'll need the rest."

Rei stood up from the table and faced Soryu. "Maybe I should leave the apartment again."

The redhead whirled around so quickly, glass in hands, that some drops of waters splashed on the floor. "What? Why are you saying that?"

"My presence seems to cause you distress," Rei stated.

"Well... you can be... hrm... but..." It seemed Soryu was unable to find the right words. "We just agreed you should stay here yesterday. You're sure quick to change your mind! We haven't even begun to bring your furniture over!"

"Which is why I could return to my old apartment," Rei argued.

"But why?" Asuka exclaimed. "Do you want to leave? Am I so..." she muttered darkly before catching herself. "Surely you can't want to return to that slum!"

"I do not," Rei agreed. "But the whole day you have sounded displeased in my presence."

"So?" Soryu simply asked.

"I do not wish to cause you displeasure," Rei stated.

Soryu scoffed. "Displeasure?" She shook her head. "You're worrying too much. Too much fretting over small things."

"So my presence here is alright?" Rei asked.

Soryu shrugged. "Yeah, of course, I said so, didn't I?"

"Your earlier comments..." Rei began.

Soryu waved her free hand dismissively. "As said, you fret too much, Rei."

Seeing that attitude from Soryu was good. Rei was satisfied with the answer. Still, Soryu's behaviour did not make sense to her. She could almost guess what the answer would be, but...

"Does that mean I should not take what you say very seriously?" she asked in her normal, monotone voice.

"I didn't say that!" Soryu protested loudly.

"You did imply I should not take your comments today seriously," Rei pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but... I mean..." Soryu failed to defend herself. "Grrrr!"

That was about the reaction Rei had anticipated. It was somewhat nice, in a strange way, that she could provoke it. That she had that influence over Soryu.

She walked past the redhead. "Good night, Soryu." Then she went to her room.

Urrgh...

Even though there was light, Asuka felt her way to the bathroom more than that she saw it. She was still half asleep when she reached it. Even when she left it, she was still more in the fading remains of her dream than reality. Somehow, her entire hand had been full of band-aids. It didn't make much sense to her, but she didn't question it. She just wanted to get back to her warm futon.

She held her eyes tightly shut as she passed the light again...

...why was there light?

Groggily, Asuka raised her head. The light was coming out of the kitchen. Asuka stood there for a full five seconds, her mind still too bedraggled by sleep to properly process the incoming information. Then she walked over.

Rei sat calmly at the table and stared into nothingess.

"Byuh?" Asuka just voiced.

Slowly, Rei turned her head to her. It looked as sluggish as Asuka felt. Both looked at each other for a few seconds.

Finally, Asuka's brain managed to form complete words. "Trouble sleeping?"

Rei nodded. She just sat there. Asuka just stood there.

It took another half minute until Rei spoke. "There are loud noises from the neighbouring apartment."

"Ah," Asuka answered dumbly. Then she shook her head. "So... the neighbours are loud? And prevent you from sleeping?" Rei nodded again. Grr... Adrenaline was kicking Asuka's mind into gear hard. Stupid-ass Japanese cardboard apartment walls... "Shouldn't you... go complain or something?"

Rei shook her head. "It's okay."

"No, it isn't!" Asuka insisted. She walked out of the kitchen and turned right, towards Rei's room. And indeed, as she approached it, she could hear thumping noises which got increasingly louder. They came from directly behind the wall separating their apartment from the neighbouring one.

"Also so was..." Asuka fumed. "What kind of jerk is this loud at this time of the night!" She kicked against the wall hard a few times. "Hey!" she shouted. "Quiet over there!"

There was quiet for some seconds. Then the thumping resumed. Asuka once again began kicking against the wall, but this time there was no response. Her face turned red as she imagined smashing that apartment with a well placed fist strike of EVA-02. To simply ignore her like that and continue being so inconsiderate...

She turned around to do... something, when she spotted Rei just outside the kitchen door, from where she had watched the scene.

"Let's go over and tell'em what's what!" Asuka demanded.

"It is alright," Rei disagreed. "They will not be that loud every evening."

"One evening is bad enough!" Asuka insisted. "Can't be that those Hornochsen get to have their fun at the expense of your sleep!"

She stormed into her room, passing by Rei, who looked somewhat lost. There, she quickly put on jeans and a jacket and grabbed her wallet. Then she stormed out of the apartment just as energetically. Rei followed her, more slowly but also without hesitation. Asuka was about to protest when she stepped out of the door, as she was wearing nothing more than her night gown... but then reconsidered. Remembering what she had been 'wearing' in her old apartment, the night gown seemed perfectly fine now. Certainly, Rei wouldn't get embarrassed by it.

Rei, wearing a night gown in the moonlight, unfazed by the night wind...

...ehem.

Asuka rang the door bell to the neighbouring apartment. Not one time, but at least three times. There was no response.

"How come that noise can disturb you, anyway?" she asked Rei. "What these folks do here is outrageous, but not half as loud as the constant noise at your old apartment."

"Those are demolition works," Rei reminded her. "They do not last into the night."

Ah... Asuka was unsure how to react to that, so she returned her attention to the door. There still was no reaction. Grr... So she began a minute long concerted action of constantly ringing the bell and pounding at the door. Finally, a slender young man in his twenties opened. Another man his age stood behind him. Both grinned when they saw her.

But before they could even so much as say 'Yes?', Asuka already began ranting, "You may not have noticed, but it is the middle of the goddamn night. How dare you make so much noise? This is completely out of bounds! People need to sleep! Some of us have to go to school tomorrow, or to work! Pay a bit of attention to that, will you! You two may want to have your fun, but it's totally inappropriate to do it at the expense of others!"

The man in front furrowed his eyes. The outburst had obviously surprised him. Finally he answered, "Quite impertinent for some young girl like you to make be making a spectacle of yourself like this, don't you think?"

"Impert..." But before Asuka could even finish, the man had closed the door again. Releasing a shout of frustration, the German girl began pounding against it again.

The door opened again. "Haven't your parents ever told you to not bother adults? If you don't leave I'll call the police."

Asuka got something out of her purse. That was the reason she had taken it along, besides also carrying her key inside it: Her NERV ID card.

She scoffed. "You think the police will risk a confrontation with NERV?" The man looked at the card and took a step forward. "Touch me and Section 2 will process you into ground meat! See this? I'm Asuka Langley Soryu. I pilot one of those big-ass robots you see every time before cowering in your filthy bunkers because the big bad angel has arrived. I'm here to protect your asses, you cowards! And I'm telling you... if you aren't quiet now, I'll find out where you and your friends work. And next time there's a sortie, I'll personally make sure that place is utterly destroyed. Is that understood?"

The man ground his teeth. "Who do you think you are that you can make such..."

"She is in fact Asuka Langley Soryu," a voice behind Asuka spoke up now. Rei. "We are EVA pilots. Her threat is credible."

"Why should I believe..." the man started, but stopped when another person appeared on the scene: Misato. The Captain was in full uniform, but looked slightly bedraggled. She moved slowly, and the uniform looked crinkly.

"What is this all about?" she asked. "Asuka? Rei?"

The man managed to speak first. "Just two teenage girls who think they're mecha pilots or something making trouble."

Misato furrowed her brows and looked at Asuka. Her status as a pilot wasn't classified, but NERV frowned on spreading the word. That wouldn't stop Asuka from using this leverage, though.

"You saw my ID card," Asuka insisted. "Tell him, Misato. Or I'll stay here and make trouble until Section 2 arrives."

Now it was Misato's turn to grind her teeth. But she did admit, "She is a designated EVA pilot. She is NERV. And this whole apartment bloc is watched by our security service."

"You're kidding me!" the man hissed.

"And we need our sleep to further protect your sorry asses!" Asuka added. "Since apparently you can't do that yourself."

The other man, who so far had just stayed in the background, laughed. The man with whom they had talked jerked his head around and glared angrily at him. Then he growled. "We'll... tone it down, okay? No need to make a scene here. Geez..."

"Not like you have a choice," Asuka rubbed it in.

The man scowled and closed the door.

For a moment, Asuka, Rei and Misato just stood there. Then the Captain spoke, "There would've been better ways to solve this."

Asuka shrugged. "None as effective and quick. The fucker kept Rei awake. We had to remedy that."

Misato smirked. "Rei, hm? I see. But this is a security leak."

"Our status isn't classified," Asuka insisted. "Hell, you were the one who said I should go to school. Operational security is only on your mind when it suits you, it seems."

Misato sighed. "I see you're still in combat mode. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

As the two girls entered their apartment again, Rei remarked, "Captain Katsuragi is correct. This could have been solved differently."

Asuka growled. "You, too? At least you can get back to sleep now."

"So you did that for me?" Rei asked.

Asuka shrugged. Play it cool. "Of course. Can't have such louts screwing up things for everyone."

"...thank you."

Asuka jerked her head around. Then grinned. It felt good being thanked.

Rei did not return to her room, but again sat down at the kitchen table.

"What are you doing?" Asuka asked.

"It will probably take a while until I can go to sleep again," Rei informed her. "I am used to fixed sleeping rhythms. I have trouble adjusting to deviances from them."

"Oh," Asuka voiced, feeling slightly helpless.

Rei resumed staring into nothingness. "But it is okay. I am grateful for your action. You can resume sleeping."

Gottverdammt nocheinmal... Apparently this burst of activity and confrontation hadn't been enough. Asuka wanted to do something. She couldn't simply leave Rei here alone in the night with nothing to do. She stomped into her room.

She returned with her trusty set of cards. She and Kaji had often played, up until and including their trip on the U.N. Pacific Fleet. Afterwards, she had taken it to her hotel room and from there to here. It was pretty much the standard German set: French-suited cards, one time 7 to ace in every suit. She sat down at the table opposite of Rei. The girl continued her fixed view ahead.

Asuka knew she would be tired as hell tomorrow, but it didn't matter. Better to be tired together with Rei than leaving Rei to be tired on her own. "Wanna play?"

Rei looked at the cards. Blinked. Looked at Asuka. Looked at the cards again.

Asuka smiled tiredly. Officer's Skat it is then. For now.

[1]"I could explain it to you [formal address, incorrect for use between classmates and minors in general] in German."

[2]"You... you can [speak] German? Good on you." - Note: Most likely Rei can canonically at least read German; the text she reads when she first meets Asuka is in German.

[3]"Would you [formal address] accept my help?"

[4]" 'You'! 'You'! [informal address] We aren't in an office/government department here."

[5] "Would you [informal address] accept my help?" [grammatically incorrect as the verb now doesn't match the pronoun anymore]