Haibane Renmei Fan Fiction / Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Rei-Bane ❯ Chapter 3: Routine / Winter / Ambush ( Chapter 3 )

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Rei got up from her desk and stretched her arms above her head.  Feeling her vertebrae slide back into place with a series of soft cracks, she brought her arms back down with a small tension-releasing sigh. 

She had been working at the town library for three months now.  Most of her time was spent just as she was doing now – sitting at a large table on the usually-deserted third floor, going through the new books that had just come in.

Of course, calling the books ‘new,’ as the librarians did, was a misnomer.  They were all old, musty and used.  This meant that they had to be carefully examined for damage that the library’s bookbinder could then repair.

For Rei it meant she essentially had to read every one of them and carefully note where repairs were needed.

It was repetitive, tedious work.

Which meant Rei was perfect for it.

She picked up the two short books she had gone through that morning and headed down the stairs to the library’s circulation desk to drop them off with her notations.  She arrived to find her primary supervisor, Sumika, there attending to a couple of patrons.

"Two more already?" the shorthaired brunette asked, as she took the books.  "You’re so fast.  Sometimes I wonder how we ever did without you."

Rei started back to her desk without saying a word.

"Oh, Rei!" Sumika called out, causing her to turn back around.  "I’ve learned the Toga are coming later today.  No one else can come with me, so I need your help to pick out books, if there are any."

Rei considered this.  She had never been to a Market Day before.  "The market is held in the Great Gate Square at the base of the Wall, correct?"

"Yes."

"I therefore should decline.  I have been told not to go near the Wall."

"You’ll be there working with me, so you won’t get into trouble.  We won’t be there that long.  You’ll be fine."

Rei was still unsure.  "Is this something Sister Nemu did?"

"Yes, when we needed her to."

"Then, as her replacement, I will accompany you.  What time will we be going?"

"Let’s leave at two o’clock, okay?"

"Understood," said Rei who then went back to her duties.

Sumika glanced at Rei as the two walked towards the market, with Sumika pushing an empty library cart before her.  The other librarians all thought Rei was practically emotionless, but she had learned otherwise.  You just had to look very closely.

Just now Rei's expression was more neutral than Sumika had expected it to be. 

"Does the Wall scare you?" she asked.

"I would not say that.  However, Sister Rakka was very clear in her warnings about it.  Therefore, since I have never ventured to go this close to the Wall before, I believe it was appropriate for me to be cautious about your request."

"So going to the market with me doesn’t make you nervous?"

"No.  I recognize that you would not knowingly let me do anything that would put me at risk.  Therefore, when you told me that Sister Nemu had also done this I knew there were no grounds for concern."

Sumika smiled at Rei’s trust.  "Is there anything you do feel right now?"

Rei considered the question for a moment.  "I feel a vague sense of unease… perhaps a slight amount of nausea."

"That’s the effect of the Wall on Haibane.  Nemu sometimes complained about the same things.  I’m sorry about it.  I wouldn’t have asked you if someone else could have come with me today."

"I know.  But does the Wall not affect you as well?"

"No.  I’ve never heard a human complain about the Wall making them feel bad."

"Human," Rei whispered to herself.  ‘I was human once, right?’  Something in her mind told her that this was the same sort of question she had been asking herself for a long time, but she didn’t understand why she ever would do such a thing.  ‘Of course I was.  What else could I possibly have been?  But then why would I have asked myself if I was human or not before I got here?’  She glanced at her reflection in a passing window and wondered.

No one else here had naturally blue hair.  No one else was this pallid.  No one else had deep red eyes.

"Human," she repeated softly.

"Did you say something?" Sumika asked, bringing Rei out of her reverie.

"I was just thinking about what I was before I came to Glie…  About being human."

"It must be hard for you Haibane, coming here as you do."

"You seem particularly fond of us.  I have not observed another human behave towards us as you do."

"Well, I do think the world of you Haibane," Sumika admitted.  "You’re far purer and more selfless than we are.  You’re like real angels to me."

Rei stopped.  "I am not an angel."

"Rei?"

"I am not an angel."

"I know."  Sumika thought Rei looked like she might burst into tears… or strike her.  "I’m sorry if I upset you."  She reached out to hug the young Haibane, only to have her step back out of her reach.

"Rei, please…  I’m sorry."

The girl’s countenance suddenly went back to its passive norm.  "It is alright.  You said nothing wrong." She started back down the street.  "Let us continue on to the market."

Sumika moved to catch up, feeling very confused.

She was not alone.  ‘Why did that upset me so?’  Rei then thought back to her first reaction to the Haibane of Old Home.  'What is it about angels that makes me feel this way?'

As they neared the square Rei directed her thoughts to what she had been told about the Toga.  They were the only people who could come into or leave Glie.  Like so many other things, where they came from and how they lived were mysteries.  They entered the town through the Great Gate and left the same way, never going beyond the market.

"Well, here we are," Sumika said.

The sight was indeed a curious one, Rei decided.  On one side of the square were some of the townspeople with their wares.  On the other side, clad in brown hooded robes and bells much like those the members of the Renmei wore, were the Toga and their carts.  It was very quiet as no one was talking.

"I had been told the Toga did not speak, but I did not know that they could not speak," Rei said when she saw that the Toga had white bindings wrapped around their faces below their noses.

"How does this market work?" she then asked.

"That’s where the Communicator comes in."

"The Communicator?"

"Yes.  He’s over there.  See?"

Rei looked where Sumika was pointing and there, indeed, was the Communicator standing between a townswoman and one of  the Toga.  She could see that he was gesturing with his hands and that the Toga was responding in the same fashion.

"The Communicator talks to the Toga with some sort of sign language and then speaks to the townspeople involved.  He’s our intermediary."

"This is not an efficient way of conducting commerce," Rei concluded.

"No, but it’s what we’re allowed and it works."

"That was a very productive trip!" Sumika exclaimed as she wheeled the cart full of ‘new’ books back to the library.  "We were lucky.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Toga bring so many books before.  You’ll be busy for weeks, Rei."

"I will endeavor to evaluate them as quickly as possible."

Sumika laughed but then noticed Rei stiffen ever so slightly.

"What is it, Rei?"

Rei just kept walking.

They were approaching a small courtyard off to the side of the street they were heading down.  Sumika could hear children playing there.

"Hey!  There she is again!" one of the children, a boy of about eight or nine, called out to his half dozen or so friends when he saw them coming.

A series of jeers and catcalls followed.  Sumika was shocked.  They were directed at Rei, who simply kept walking as if she did not notice.

"What is the matter with you boys?" Sumika said to them sternly.  "Leave her alone!"

Most of them were chastened, but a couple continued with their taunts.

"Didn’t your parents teach you to treat Haibane better than this?" Sumika now shouted at them.

"She’s not a Haibane!" one of group yelled as they started to run off.  "Look at her!  She’s a freak!"

"I can’t believe that, Rei," Sumika said softly once the children were gone.  "I’ve never seen kids behave like that before."

"It is of no consequence," Rei lied.

"This isn’t the first time it’s happened is it?"

"No, but it is only in this place and with those children that it happens.  I often come this way to and from the library when I go to get something to eat.  Lately whenever they are here I have been verbally abused."

"I'm so sorry, Rei.  Children can be so cruel sometimes."

Sumika sighed.  "This has been quite a trip."

"Ah, back at last!" Sumika said as Rei and she pushed and pulled their heavy cart through the library door. 

Once inside Rei started wheeling the cart towards the stairs.  "I will take these up to my desk and add them to the books I need to go through."

"You’re going to take all those up by yourself?  I don’t think so!"

"I was going to do it in two trips."

"We can still do it that way."

"No, with the two of us we can do it all in one trip."

As they struggled with the cart on the steep stairway ramps Sumika decided that perhaps she should have just kept her mouth shut.

"Rei, why do you let those children taunt you?" she asked as they rested with the cart on the second floor.  "I’m sure that if you stood up to them just once they would stop."

"As I said before, it is of no consequence."

"Oh, come on.  I could tell it bothers you."

"My feelings are of no consequence."

"What?  Whatever makes you say that?"

"Because I am of no consequence."

Sumika couldn’t believe her ears.  "Rei, how can you say something like that?"

"I am not important."

"Of course you’re important!  Why just this morning I told you how much we rely on you here."

"Just as I replaced Nemu, I can be replaced."

Sumika looked at Rei’s impassive face.  "Your voice is even flatter than usual.  It almost sounds like you’re reciting some sort of horrible litany."

"Yes, I suppose it does.  I believe these are things I have been saying to others and myself for a long time…  Even my name is ‘naught.’"

"That’s just because of your cocoon dream!"

"Is the dream not a reflection of what I am?"

Sumika shook her head.  "That I don’t know.  I’m not a Haibane.  You should talk to Nemu about it."

"There is no need for that," Rei said as she began to push the cart forward once again.  "It is not important."

Rei felt bone tired.  ‘Work was taxing today.’

The walk back to Old Home was not helping.

As she trudged along she heard something with a small motor coming up behind her.  She knew the sound well.

"Hey Rei!" said Kana as she pulled alongside riding Reki’s old scooter.  "Want a lift?"

Rei had ridden with Kana before so she normally would have been hesitant to do so again.  This time, however, fatigue simply won out.

‘Perhaps keeping my eyes closed will help.’

Rei found it did not.

"Thank you for the ride, Sister," she said as they finally came to a stop outside the gate of Old Home.

Kana shook her head.  Rei was always so formal.  "You know, I could give you rides more often.  It’s a long way to the library and back every day."

Rei thought quickly.  "I do not think that would be advantageous.  My job is more sedentary than yours.  Perhaps I should procure a bicycle like Sister Hikari's.  The exercise would be beneficial."

"You eat like a bird as it is!  There’s no way you’ll ever get fat."

Rei was pleased that Kana had taken the bait and gone off on the desired tangent.  ‘Perhaps a bicycle would be a good idea, though,’ she thought as she again felt her fatigue as she walked into the courtyard.

"Hi Rei!" called Hikari with a wave from the guest room balcony.

Hikari was delighted when Rei actually waved back.  She had been pestering the New Feather for weeks about her lack of social graces.

"You’re just in time," she added.  "Dinner’s almost ready."

"I will be up presently."

Rei stopped briefly in her room and then headed across to the guest room in the West Wing.  She arrived in her former quarters to find Rakka and Nemu setting the evening meal on the table.

"Perfect timing!" said Rakka.

"I was fortunate to get a ride from Sister Kana," Rei replied.  "She should be here momentarily."

"How was your day?" Nemu asked as Rei sat down.

"Routine."

A few days later, Nemu entered Glie’s main used clothing shop to the usual half-hearted "Welcome!" of the young shopkeeper.

"I’m looking for a sweater," she told him.

"Yeah…  Going to be that time of year soon, isn’t it?  Try over in that corner," he answered, pointing.

Nemu went over and started going through the indicated piles of random items.  Soon she heard the shop door open again.

"Ah, another Haibane!  Welcome."

Nemu turned around to see who it was.  She saw that, as usual, the dark haired Haibane had his wings hidden by a jacket and his halo under a cap.

"Hyouko."

"Oh, hey, Nemu!" Reki’s erstwhile boyfriend responded.  "How ya doin’?"

"I’m well.  How are you?"

"Fine," he answered as he started examining one of the clothes racks.  "Haven’t seen you ‘round lately."

"I help look after the Little Feathers at Old Home now, so I rarely come into town anymore.  Rei’s taken my place at the library."

Several minutes of silence followed as the two went about their business.

"Say, Nemu," Hyouko eventually said.  "Speakin’ o’ Rei, how’re things with your blue newborn?"

"Fine, I suppose.  Why do you ask?"

"Just curious.  Our new boy Ikari told us about how she thought she knew him."

"Yes, Rakka told us about that as well.  Rei was fresh out of her cocoon at the time, so who knows what was going on in her head.  I wouldn't read anything into it if I were you."

"It would be kinda cool if there was something to it, though."

"I’m not sure ‘cool’ is the word I’d use."

"You chicks at Old Home always get the interesting newcomers."

Nemu narrowed her eyes at his use of ‘chicks.’  "How do you mean?"

"Ikari just keeps to himself.  He’s really boring.  He’s a good cook though."

"Rei keeps to herself as well.  If we didn’t all have breakfast and dinner together I doubt any of us would ever see her.  And even then she hardly ever says anything."

"Heh, same with Ikari.  I guess they really are sorta twins."

Rei stepped out of the small café she often went to for lunch and felt a cold stiff wind blow into her open coat.

‘I am still not used to this weather,’ she concluded with a shiver.  The others at Old Home had warned her that the change from a summer to a winter climate was abrupt in Glie, but she was still surprised at how quickly it had actually turned.

A mere few weeks after going to her first Market Day it had begun to rain heavily every day.  "The storms mean winter is coming," Nemu had told her.  "You’ll need to get a good coat soon."

Thinking she had plenty of time, Rei had not immediately heeded this advice and had suffered for it.  A couple of days after the rains abated Rei had had to walk to work on a bitterly cold morning.  Her appearance when she arrived at the library had alarmed Sumika.

"My God, Rei!" she had exclaimed.  "Look at you!  Your skin is blue from the cold."

"I-I-I do n-n-not think-k I have ev-ver experienced-d weather like th-th-this before," she had managed through her chattering teeth.

Sumika then had made her drink a lot of hot tea and had bundled her up for an immediate trip to the used clothing shop for a coat, hat, scarf, boots and gloves.  Sumika even had paid for it all.

Rei now found herself wishing she had worn the hat as she buttoned her coat and began walking back to the library.

She had walked only a single block before she again came to a halt.

‘They will probably be there in that courtyard again today.’

For once Rei decided she did not feel like being teased or taunted by those children, so she chose to take a roundabout route back to work, even though she was already cold.

‘I am sure that Sumika will have some tea on hand when I arrive.’

She soon found herself passing by the music store she had gone into months earlier with Ikari and Rakka.  She looked in the window and saw something that made her stop.

‘Was that a halo?  Could it be?’

She had not seen Ikari since that day.  She wondered if she would still find him familiar and decided to go in to see if he was indeed there.

"Welcome!" a young male voice called out as the door opened.

"Brother Ikari."

"Rei!  It’s good to see you again."

"Do you work here now?"

"Yes.  This is my job."

Rei reopened the door.  "It was good to see you again as well."

Ikari was at something of a loss.  "Um…  You’re leaving already?"

"Yes.  When I saw your halo through the window, I merely wished to see if I still found you familiar."

"A-And do you?"

"Yes.  It is still as before.  Sister Rakka was mistaken.  It is not just my imagination.  I am certain that I knew you before we came to Glie."

Ikari looked down at his feet, embarrassed.  "I’m sorry," he started to reply, "but I still don’t remem…"

He heard the door shut.

She was already gone.

Outside Rei readjusted her coat and once more started back to the library.  She had only gone a few steps when she heard the door of the music shop swing open again.

"Rei!  Wait!"

She turned around to regard Ikari.

"Don’t just leave like that!"

"But I must get back to my own job."

"Oh…  Sorry…  Where do you work?"

"At the library."

"Um…  Let me get my coat and I’ll walk you back.  I really want to talk to you."

"But you must work as well."

"I’m sure they won’t miss me for a little while.  You just stay right there for a second!"

As she waited Rei wondered why anyone would be at all eager to speak to her.

"Thanks for waiting," Ikari said as he emerged moments later wearing a heavy coat and hat.  "The couple who own the shop said I could take as much time as I wanted to walk you back."

"Let us go, then," Rei answered and started off at such a pace that Ikari had to hurry to catch up to her.

They walked several blocks in silence until Rei looked over at Ikari and said, "You appear to be anxious."

"Well…  Um…  It’s just that…"

"Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"No!  It’s just that this is the first time since I went to the Temple that I’ve talked to a Haibane who wasn’t from the Factory.  And it’s just the two of us and I don’t really know you and…"

"You do not need to speak so rapidly."

"Sorry.  I guess I am a little nervous."

"So what did you wish to talk to me about?"

"Um…  Nothing in particular, really.  I just wanted to hear how you were doing."

"My life is no different from yours or any other Haibane's.  It is just that in my case I live at Old Home and work at the library."

"But are you happy?"

Rei was perplexed.  "Happy?"

"Yeah, happy."

"I have not given it any thought before now." 

Rei considered the idea.  "I do not know."

"You can’t tell if you’re happy or not?"

"Are you happy, Brother Ikari?"

"Um…  Sort of."

"I do not understand."

"I really like my job a lot.  The people I work for are very nice to me."

"Then you are not happy with living at the Abandoned Factory?"

"No, not really."

"I see."

"Do you like Old Home?"

Again Rei was puzzled.  "It is where I live.  I have not judged it beyond that."

"But you get along with the others there?"

Rei gave him a blank look.

"I mean you feel like you fit in, right?"

"I have a room.  I do my chores.  I help the others when necessary and they help me."

Ikari sighed in frustration.

"Do you not ‘fit in’ at the Factory?" Rei then asked as they turned the last corner before the library.

"Well...  I don’t feel like I do.  It’s not like I fight with the others there or anything like that.  I guess I just don’t feel like I’m a part of the group."

"Oh."

Ikari looked up at the library’s façade.  "Here we are...  I suppose I should be getting back now."

"Are you cold?"

"Huh?  Oh…  Yeah, I am a little."

"Then would you like to come inside for a while?  I am sure that my supervisor will have some hot tea if you would like some."

"That would be nice," Ikari replied as he followed Rei inside.

"Welcome back!" Sumika said from behind the circulation desk as Rei came through the door.  Her attention was then drawn to the boy coming in behind her, and the halo floating above his hat covered head.  "I see you’ve brought a friend with you."

"Yes," replied Rei.  "This is Brother Ikari.  I thought he might like some of your tea to warm himself."

"I’m pleased to meet you, Ikari."

"Likewise, ma’am."

"Oh, please!  You can call me Sumika."

Ikari blushed a little at her informality.  "Is that what Rei calls you?"

"No, unfortunately.  No matter how often I tell her not to, she always calls me ‘Supervisor.’  Perhaps you can talk some sense into her."  Sumika stood up and started into a back room.  "Now you two wait right there and I’ll get us all some tea."

"See seems nice," Ikari observed.

"Yes, she is very kind to me.  She likes Haibane very much.  Sister Nemu was quite pleased for me when I took over for her here."

Rei then looked thoughtful for a moment.

"What is it?" Ikari asked.

"Before, you asked me if I was happy.  I still do not know how to express what I feel, but I can tell you that I am well treated, both here and at Old Home."  Rei smiled a little.  "I think that this is a new experience for me."

"You don’t think you were treated well in your life before coming here?"

"No, because at first the kindness I experience now seemed very foreign to me."

"I sort of feel the same way, at least with my job."

"I am not surprised."

"Why not?"

"Because we are linked, you and I."

"Um..."

"Here’s your tea!" Sumika announced as she returned and set two large steaming mugs down on the circulation desk.  "So, tell me about yourself, Ikari," she said as she picked up her own mug.

Ikari blushed some more at the sudden attention.  "Well…  I live at the Abandoned Factory."

"Of course you do," Sumika replied.

"Yeah…  Um…  And I work in a music store," Ikari added and then fell silent.

"Ikari and I were ‘born’ on the same day," Rei chipped in.  "We met on our way to meet the Communicator for the first time."

"Oh, really?  And what did you think of the Temple, Ikari?  We humans generally aren’t allowed to go near it.  I’ve only ever seen it from a distance."

For the next few minutes Sumika’s prodding actually managed to force Ikari and Rei to engage in some small talk until they had finished their drinks.

"Thank you for the tea," Ikari said as he put his hat back on and headed for the door.

"You’re very welcome," Sumika replied.  "Come back again soon."

"I will."  He waved as he opened the door.  "See you, Rei."

"Goodbye, Brother Ikari."

As the door swung closed Rei started towards the stairs to return to her desk.

"I never figured you’d be the sort to get yourself a boyfriend," Sumika said with a sly smile.

Rei blushed faintly.  "It is not like that.  This is only the second occasion I have ever been in his company."

"Well, just give it time.  I think he likes you."

Several days later Rei was sitting at her desk just before noon when one of the librarians came up the stairs to tell her that she had a visitor.  Puzzled, she headed down to the circulation desk to see who it was.

When she arrived at the bottom of the stairs she concluded she should have been able to guess whom it would be.

"Brother Ikari."

"Hi, Rei."

Out of the corner of her eye Rei caught Sumika smiling at her again. 

"What brings you here?"

"I came to see if you’d like to go get some lunch with me."

She could think of no reason to decline.  "Very well."

"Where would you like to go?" Ikari asked as they stepped out onto the street.

"I have no preference.  Take me wherever you wish."

"Okay…  Well…  There’s this place just around the corner that the guys from the Factory like to go to."

"That will be adequate."

A couple of minutes later Rei was not quite so sure.  "Pizza?" she asked as she read the shop’s sign.

"Um-hmm.  Don’t tell me you’ve never had pizza before."

"I do not believe that I have.  Pizza is generally covered in cheese, correct?"

"Yeah."

"I do not eat animal products."

"Oh.  Well, I think they have some cheese-less kinds."

Soon Rei found herself seated across a small table from Ikari, examining the two slices she had ordered.  ‘These are certainly different from my usual diet.’

"So why did you invite me to have lunch with you?" she asked bluntly.

"I just wanted to talk to you some more."

"Is there any particular reason why you feel you can talk to me, but not with the Haibane at the Factory?"

"Um…  I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day about us being connected."

"Oh?"

"And I do think that I feel connected to you as well."

"How so?"

"I’m not sure.  It’s just something I felt when you came through the music shop door to see me.  I was really glad to see you for some reason."

"Could it be because you have a romantic interest in me?"

Ikari almost choked on his pizza slice.  "W-What?"

"My supervisor said the other day that she thought you were displaying such an interest."

"That's not it at all!"

"Oh.  I see."

Ikari stared down at his food, crestfallen.  "I was just really glad to see you," he mumbled.

"So tell me about this feeling you had when you saw me."

"It was sort of like how it felt to pick up and play the cello that first time in the shop...  familiar in a good way."

"But you do not feel as I do?  That you knew me before?"

"No, sorry.  It's more vague than that.  I just get a good feeling when I see you."

"That you and I do not feel the same way could be taken as an indication that we are both imagining things.  Since we are both Haibane, we should react to each other in the same way if we were indeed connected before we arrived."

"But sometimes people remember the same things in different ways.  Maybe that's just true of us in this case."

"Perhaps."

A comfortable silence descended.

"There is one other thing I’d like to ask you about," Ikari said as they finished their lunch.

"What is it?"

"What do you think it means to be a Haibane?"

"We live at Old Home or the Abandoned Factory...    We work six days a week and rest on the seventh."

"Yes, that's what our lives are like, but what does it all mean?  Why are we here?"

"Why do you think it means anything to be an Haibane?"

"Well, it must...  otherwise why would we be here like this?  Born almost fully grown out of cocoons with wings and halos in this weird little town.  There must be a reason."

"I do not know what to say to you.  To me it seems our lives are not very different from the humans around us."

"But they're very different, Rei!"

"How so, besides the way we are born and the way we look?"

"I've been thinking a lot about stuff like that and something occurred to me recently.  Um...  Let me put it this way:  If they were humans, how old would you say the other Haibane at Old Home would be?"

"Sister Nemu is by far the oldest of us.  She has been an Haibane for over ten years.  I suppose if she were human she would be just over twenty."

"And the others?"

"Aside from the Little Feathers, Sisters Rakka, Hikari and Kana are all about our ‘age’."

"It’s pretty much the same at the Factory.  Do you ever wonder why we’re all so young?  Where are the older Haibane?  We don't just live a few years and then die, do we?  What's the point of that?"

"I have never thought about it...  Have you asked the others at the Factory about this?"

"Yes.  I asked the two oldest, Midori and Hyouko."

"And what did they say?"

"Hyouko just laughed at me and told me not to worry about it…  Midori asked if I was already eager to leave the ‘nest’ and then she said something about me understanding when the next ‘Day of Flight’ happened.  She didn't tell me anything more after that."

"Day of Flight?"

"I don’t get it, either.  We Haibane can’t fly…  Has anyone said anything about it to you?"

"No one has ever said anything to me about a Day of Flight.  However, my Sisters have made a number of somewhat cryptic references to a Sister Reki and how she left a few months before I arrived.  There are even paintings she did up on the walls at Old Home, including one of a Sister named Kuramori, that Sister Nemu also knew.  She looked to be about the same age Nemu is now." 

Rei thought some more.  "I also recall overhearing Sister Rakka and Sister Kana talking about a Sister Kuu as well...  In my experience, the others do not talk about these sisters as if they were dead, only elsewhere."

"So where are they now?"

"I do not know.  I only know that Sister Reki left Old Home and, apparently, somehow left Glie as well.  I would imagine the other two did as well."

"So at some point we all just get up and somehow leave here one by one?" Ikari asked incredulously.

"That would be the logical inference, yes.  Perhaps..."

Rei noticed that, instead of listening to her, Ikari's attention now suddenly seemed to be fixed, wide-eyed, on something outside.  She turned her head to see what it was.

"Is that snow?" she asked, mesmerized, as she watched the white flakes gently fall to the ground.

"I think so."

"Does the snow seem strange to you?" Ikari asked a week later as they walked back to the library after again having had lunch together.

"Strange?" Rei asked as the accumulated snow crunched underfoot as they walked.

"Um…  Like it’s something you’ve never seen before?"

"Yes, it does seem that way."

"It does for me, too."

"I am not surprised.  After all..."

"We are linked," Ikari finished for her.

Just then, Rei was hit in the back of the head by a large, well-compacted snowball.

"Ha ha!  Got her!" a boy yelled as a couple more snowballs flew towards them from a cross alley they had just passed.

"Hey!  Cut it out!" Ikari shouted as he ducked out of the way of another missile.  "Leave her alone!"  He grabbed Rei’s hand.  "Come on!" he said and started to pull her down the street.

However, their exit route was quickly cut off when another pair of boys stepped out from an alley in front of them and blocked their way.

"Where do you think you’re going?" one of them said with a laugh.

Rei noted with concern that these two were much older and larger than the children who usually troubled her.  They were even significantly larger than either Ikari or her.

‘This appears to be a deliberate ambush.  Why?’

"Let us through!" Ikari said as they came up to the older boys.

"Awwww, how cute," one of them sneered.  "Sticking up for your little girlie."

"You better stay out of the way," the other warned Ikari.  "Our little brother got into a lot of trouble the other day when our old man caught him yelling at that blue freak.  He got a good whipping and she’s gonna pay for it."

Rei and Ikari couldn’t help but notice they were now surrounded as the other boys came out of the alley behind them.

"We got no quarrel with you, buddy, so get out of here now."

"I’m not leaving without her," Ikari said with a calmness that surprised Rei.  "And we’re both leaving now!" he added as he tried to push past the two larger teens.

They threw him to the ground.  "Okay, if that’s the way you want it, we can beat the crap out of you too."

"That’s enough," Rei said.  The tone of her voice, while still quiet, now seemed to carry a steely edge that stopped everyone cold.

One of the older boys quickly recovered his composure, though.  "You think so?" he growled and threw a punch straight at Rei’s face.

She did not even flinch.

To everyone’s astonishment the teen’s fist was stopped in mid-flight just inches from Rei’s nose.  Ikari thought that for an instant he saw a faint series of concentric orange octagons flash in front of it like an ethereal shield.

The boy yanked his hand back, clutching it and screaming in pain like he’d actually punched the Wall.  Rei flicked an arm out towards him and, without touching him, sent him flying several feet through the air to land on his back with an unceremonious thud.

Two of the younger boys behind Rei then threw snowballs at her again, only to have them appear to hit something invisible and slide to the ground before reaching her.

She turned and glared at them.  Her eyes seemed to glow like smoldering coals and the right corner of her upper lip was curled into a menacing snarl.

All of the assailants slowly backed away and then turned and ran.

Rei’s face immediately became expressionless again.  She then extended a hand to help Ikari back to his feet.

"Are you injured?" she asked.

"No, I don’t think so," he answered as he brushed himself off.

Rei started back down the street as if nothing had happened.

"How did you do that?" Ikari asked.

"I do not know.  Like your being able to play the cello, it was just something I could do."

"I didn’t think Haibane had any special abilities."

"We do not.  What I did had nothing to do with being an Haibane."

"Then how?"

"I do not know."

‘But it does answer one question,’ Rei concluded.  ‘I was not human before either.  So what was I?  What am I?’

Author’s Notes:

How did the used clothing shop owner know Hyouko was a Haibane? As the anime shows he recognizes all the Haibane on sight.  They must be good customers after all.

Remember that the Japan of NGE was a place of perpetual summer.

Rei snarl? Go back and watch the anime again.  She most certainly does.

About Rei and emotions: Most fanfic writers take the position that Rei has little experience with emotions.  This is, in part, why she has such trouble expressing them.  I think that, while this is true for certain emotions such as happiness, it is clearly not true for some others.  In particular, Rei seems to have no problem feeling or expressing anger towards the Angels when she is alone in her Eva.  Indeed, considering the behavior of the dummy plug system it would seem likely that Rei is actually filled with such rage.

All told, it seems that Rei has trouble expressing some emotions but is very good at suppressing or hiding others.  Given who raised her this is not at all surprising.  Where the line between those two behaviors is I don’t know.

But I do know that bottling up that much anger is not a good long-term strategy.

I also wonder how having so much anger towards the Angels would make a human-Angel hybrid feel about herself.  Rei is usually portrayed as being indifferent about herself.  However, I think that, like Shinji and Asuka, she probably carries around a lot of self-loathing and her indifference is, in part, how this feeling manifests itself.

I've made Rei and, more particularly, Shinji more outgoing in this story than they were in NGE.  I think that living for a few months in a more positive, nurturing environment would probably have that effect.  Rei, of course, is much harder to coax out of her shell.

Finally, you may be wondering how the hell this story fits into NGE.  Well, there’s a little bit of a hint in this chapter.  It has to do with Rei being able to use her AT field.  And that’s all I’m going to say about it for now.

Version 1.1:  Fixed some grammatical errors and made some very minor changes. 
Version 1.2:  Fixed a couple more things and reworked some dialogue.