Otaku de futsūjanai

I

The Stare

Kensuke Aida was an interesting boy. An interesting boy indeed. He didn't need an explanation, at least he didn't think so. If he could be anywhere right now, it'd likely be in the fields outside of Tokyo 3, roleplaying a dying commander in battle. But, alas, he was stuck doing regular people's things, despite him being somewhat strange, although, considering his friends, he seemed mostly level headed. Known as one of the "Three Stooges" by a certain red-haired devil, he was what some would call a weirdo. He didn't mean any harm, it was just who he was. You can't blame him for that.

He sat, fiddling in his desk his pencil, scribbling down random things about wars and combat and such. Such was the case for him, as he often zoned out during class thinking about The Great Wars and such, and how he could be a top general for any side he wanted, not that he'd choose the bad guys or anything. Then, something else caught his attention. Ah yes, the Evas! He thought about them at least once a day. Oh what it would take for him to become a pilot of one of those! He can already imagine himself in the entry plug, controlling it's every move. He began to get even more lost in his head as he delved deeper into his many abstract ideas.

Being lost in his mind, he didn't notice two red orbs staring at him from the desk by the window. He had never paid much attention to her, at least not usually, unless it was to ogle her with Toji. He did think she was beautiful, though. He quickly resumed his Eva fantasies, although a thought clawed at the back of his mind. Who was she really?

As for Rei, after briefly staring at Kensuke (and Shinji for that matter), turned to look back at nothing, facing forward, like she usually did. Not that she paid much attention to most people, unless it was the commander of course. It felt unnatural to talk to most other school kids, as she found it hard to relate to their struggles and hobbies and such. In all honesty, she couldn't really understand the reason why people do the things they do. It's like nearly everything was in a different language, as if that even made sense. Regardless, her being the way she was was adequate for her needs as a pilot. Not that she needed much for that. It takes number one priority however. This she knew for sure, without any doubt. She turned back to look at him again. This time, their eyes met.

Kensuke's mind stopped all noise and feedback, solely focusing in on their locked gaze. Her eyes were so pretty.. He felt like he was lost in her gaze, a man floating through a sea of foam and bliss. Hell, he was feeling borderline euphoric.

Rei became perplexed. Why is he staring at me? She felt like her brain was turned off briefly, if that was even possible. Although she had another question nagging at the back of her mind. Why am I staring at him? She gulped internally, deciding not to break eye contact. Why don't I want to stop?

Kensuke blushed and looked away. Oh wow, that wasn't embarrassing at all, he thought to himself. It could've surely gone worse, but still, that would not fly with Toji. And it surely wouldn't fly with Shinji. He sighed, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. This is a core memory for sure.

Rei turned away as well, having a weird feeling in her stomach. That was odd. And this feeling is odd as well. She became even more perplexed, this time at herself. I've never felt something like that before. For the first time, she felt that she was not in total control of her emotions, as primitive as hers were. Likewise, she was not used to talking to boys her age, or really any boys for that matter, with a few exceptions of course. She decided to bury her thoughts and feelings in the back of her mind, as she began paying attention again to the lecture in class.

Ah fuck, what was that? Kensuke thought to himself. A great way to embarrass yourself! He deliberated in his mind momentarily. I wonder if she's thinking about me.. At that thought, a slight tinge began to creep onto his face. Pretty, he thought.

Later that day . . .

"I'm home!" Kensuke called out as he stepped into his house. Nothing. He sighed and took his shoes off, leaving them by the door as he made his way through the house and towards his room. He reaches it, shutting the door behind him and setting his bag by his desk. He sits down and begins doodling.

He draws an intricate model of an Evangelion Unit he imagined. Unit 03 was the name he gave it. He gave it a yellow tint for most of the Armor Plates on its body, with grey being the main color of most of the other uncovered parts of the Unit. After about an hour of work, it was complete. "It's beautiful!" He proclaimed with a near-dangerous level of pride. A work of art.

Laying down on his bed, he gazed up at his ceiling. His mind wandered back to her. Her eyes… He shook his head a bunch, trying to get himself to snap out of it. I only noticed her recently, why am I thinking about her? A frown began to announce it's presence on his face. And why am I blushing?! He groaned with embarrassment and a tinge of annoyance, rolling over onto his stomach, burying his reddening face into his pillow.

. . .

Rei didn't really spend much time at her apartment. Not like there was no reason to, she just had other duties and requirements expected of her. Consequently, she spent most of her time either at the GeoFront, or at school, where she kept entirely to herself, unless Shinji approached her of course. This was not one of those times. She sat on her bed, gazing aimlessly at the floor. She didn't usually have thoughts about people. This was the first time she'd have this type of thought about someone. She didn't know how to process it completely. Why do I feel so warm?

She abruptly stood and strode over to her shower, removing her clothing and stepping in in quick succession. Turning the knob, needing not to brace as the scorching heat of the water did little to calm her heart. Am I sick? She briefly deliberated in her head. No, something else. She replayed the events of the day in her head a couple of times over. Everything seemed normal, so she went back again. Replaying everything once more, it seemed like nothing out of the usual. She wasn't the greatest at remembering unusual things. Nonetheless, she went back once again. Aha. She remembered it. The stare.

In any normal circumstance, staring at someone would range from somewhat normal to unusual for her, much like anyone else. She had a bad habit of doing it too much, particularly during school hours. In any event, she'd pay no mind to it, however something small would, change the game, in a sense. A tiny event in her eyes, that wouldn't be a big deal, if it weren't for the consistent day to day activities she did. That boy. A slight reddening in her cheeks began to be pronounced, barely noticeable on her already reddening skin from the heat of the shower water. She questioned herself in her own mind. Why was I looking at him? She remained puzzled with the questions in her head, as she did not know the answers to them.

…

Kensuke woke up earlier than usual, strangely at that. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, reaching over to the nightstand by his bed, and putting his glasses on before then getting out of bed, stretching before starting his daily routine. He removed his clothing before stepping into his shower. In the shower now, his mind drifted back to yesterday. Her eyes. He furrowed his brow as he massaged shampoo gently into his dirty blonde locks. What about her is so special? He washed himself, hoping it would help him stop fantasizing about those moments. He ultimately lost that battle, his mind drifting back to the events of yesterday yet again, replaying in his head over and over. Why does this always happen? He continued to think about her even as he finished his shower and continued his routine. Drying off, before putting on his school uniform for the day. After brushing his teeth, he gave himself a toothy smile in the mirror. Looking good, Kenken! He let out a small laugh as he quickly flossed. That nickname is so dumb. He finished flossing before exiting his bathroom, moving at a steady pace down the stairs of his home to the first floor. He grabbed his bag and headed for the door. Looking around his empty house, as his father was already at work, a pang of sadness rang through him. He pressed onwards though, slipping his shoes on before exiting his house, making sure to lock the door behind him, as he strode down the sidewalk, following the path religiously towards the school.

He lived near a busy street, a street that he had to cross daily to get to school. Most students would just run across when no cars were incoming, but not Kensuke. Yea, I think jaywalking is stupid, sue me. Egging himself on in his head was one of his favorite pastimes when travelling from one place to the next. Anyhow, it was never an issue for him, at least, not until today. Coming up to the crosswalk, he noticed a certain girl, standing alone. Rei.

His brain suddenly exploded with activity. Do I talk to her? No, she'd think I'm a weirdo! I mean, to be fair, she doesn't seem that normal herself. I mean that's not rude to say, right? Right? He deliberated in his head for a few more seconds before making up his mind. He jogged up to her. Might as well say something, he thought. He cleared his throat, drawing her attention, then he spoke. "Hey, uh, your name's Rei, right?" Please let this be not weird. Rei perked up, turning to look at Kensuke. "Yes, it is. My name is Rei Ayanami." She paused, then spoke again. "What's yours?"

He stumbled over his words as he spoke. "K-Kensuke. Kensuke Aida!" he said a little too loudly, stammering particularly badly on the back half of his response. Fuck. She looked at him with a neutral expression, scanning him briefly, then turned to face the road again. "What is it that you want?" He looked at her confused. "Uhm, sorry what? What do you mean?"

She looked at him like he was an idiot, but only for a fraction of a second, before her neutral, stoic expression returned once more. "Usually when people introduce themselves to each other, they want something from one another." Kensuke raised his eyebrow before smiling a little. "I mean, I guess you could say that. I just wanted to get to know you, that's all! I mean, if that's okay, it's not like I'm like, demanding you to or anything, I mean I think you're cool and I was just like you know wondering if like…" He began to trail off as he began to list off things he loved and such, totally lost in his head again.

Rei remained staring straight ahead, a headache beginning to come on. "I will get to know you if I am ordered to." She looked back at him briefly before again, facing straight towards the opposing side of the street. Kensuke was even more confused now. "Uh, I don't know what to say.." He looked down briefly, before looking back at her.

She turned to look at him, her gaze piercing him with a feeling of abnormality, synchronicity and the like. She spoke one final time. "Then don't say anything at all." And with that, she continued walking to school, as by now the crosswalk had long been safe to cross. Kensuke frowned, feeling confused, but he continued on walking behind her nonetheless.

Aw Man.

…

Yoo so this is my first solid attempt at writing an NGE Fanfic. This pairing doesn't make much sense, as they don't really interact, but I thought it was a cute ship regardless. Feedback is more than welcome and I'll do my best to keep a semi - consistent stream of updates. Also I hope that the Title translated correctly. In English it's "The Obsessed and the Abnormal" I Shortened the meaning here tho

Kenny, On my mastermind arc