Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Draw Me Close ❯ Chapter 1

Disclaimers:

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all related characters, concepts, etc., are property of ADVision and Gainax. I only wish they were mine.

**Special thanks to Datexan and A-Amishi for their help if fixin all the flubs.

Draw Me Close

Prologue: Aftermath

Set after the 16th Angel, Rei destruction of Unit-00, and after Asuka is found in the tub and Shinji & Misato had their tour of Terminal Dogma and find out about Rei Ayanami's origins.

As the remnants of Unit-00 are examined; Ritsuko Akagi, head of Project-E, reaches into her coat pocket and presses a button. That simple action starts the process by which the next Rei will be awakened.

Later that day after Commander Ikari lifts one of several hundred Rei clones out of the LCL tank they were in Ritsuko downloads the useful memories from the previous Rei into it A disenchanted Ritsuko finally understands what Gendo had done to her ...and her mother. Being taken in by the Commander and later becoming his lover was the first form of caring that she had gotten other than her friendships with Kaji and Misato. She and her mother were never close.

But Ritsuko she was a much a pawn as Rei and Nerv itself, so she came up with a simple scheme to get back at one Gendo Ikari.

With the third Rei, she came up with the perfect way to get back at her now ex-lover and user Gendo Ikari.

He had instructed her to dump into the third Rei only useful information.

`Well, why not dump ALL the memories of both Rei's. So that the third would not only start to question her role in the events to come, but would hopefully see Gendo for what he truly was.' Ritsuko smiled and went to work.

She hated Rei and her clones because of the doll like obedience Gendo had put in them. But this would be a great form of revenge and hopefully will coincide with her plans as well.

The Third Rei finally awoke and instantly relived her memories, those of the first and Second Rei's.

She grew to understand her purpose, and her treatment at the hands of Gendo Ikari. Rei also understood Dr. Akagi's motives as well. She'll have to keep her guard up with her. Finally she remembered all of the personnel she worked with and was indifferent to most except one, … Shinji Ikari.

So it was a different Rei who woke up and was put in the hospital with her fake bandages it was unfortunate that her memories hadn't taken hold yet when Shinji had come to visit her. Only later on did Rei realize what had happened, and an urge to see Shinji had begun to well within her.

Then later on in the week, Asuka was found in a tub of a semi-destroyed home which was later determined to be her friend Hikari Horaki's home. Asuka attempted to commit suicide but was now lying in a coma at Nerv's hospital. Through all this the "New" Rei has resumed her duties but now with all her memories and a new personal purpose.

After the disastrous meeting at the hospital Shinji is avoiding Rei due to the facts he had learned in Ritsuko's tour of Terminal Dogma. He still grieved for the Rei who died, but now believed that the Rei walking around now wasn't the same one. This Rei didn't kill herself to save Shinji from being invaded by the sixteenth angel. His guilt and fear keeps him away from Rei now. Yet he still glances at her when they are together.

Rei on the other hand, does have the memories, which she now is cherishing. All the times Shinji had shown her his caring, and also the memories and realization of the manipulation of the Commander not only of herself, but of the others, Dr. Akagi, Mr. Ryouji Kaji, Major Katsuragi, and the others just to complete his scenario. She makes up her mind about the Commander, as well as his son.

Rei resolves to find Shinji as she begins her journey to find the now elusive pilot.

Chapter 1: Awakenings

Ayanami happens to pass a Christian church, one of the few religious centers still open, and hears the small congregation within sings a song. 'What is that? What are they singing?" Rei wondered.

She quietly entered the church and stood behind the congregation. Seeing that they all had hymnbooks, she proceeded to pick one up and eventually found the page. Rei, silently observed them singing as she followed along, memorizing the lyrics as they went along. Then, as quietly as she entered she left. The song, she found out was, "Draw Me Close" by Kelly Carpenter, which was written before Second Impact. 'I'll memorize the lyrics and find the song itself.' She decided. Rei kept repeating the song's words in her head and understood it to be a song of friendship and caring. 'Like I care for…' she smiled, then decided to act on an idea.

Rei understood that it was a religious song that doesn't say anything about a God, but emphasizes the idea of just wanting to be close to someone. Now Rei listens to the song slowly understanding what the words really say to her, and for whom. Then, an idea is formed. Something she wouldn't have cared or wanted to do had those old memories not been present.

Rei then uses her Cell phone and locates one of the last music stories still open nearby.

She asks, "Where are the religious songs?" After a few minutes she finds the lyrics and the song she wants. She then heads to Nerv. There she transfer's the song from the CD to an SDAT tape, then takes a portable radio with an SDAT player built in and heads to her room within Nerv as her old apartment complex was destroyed with the Unit-00 explosion.

The next day she uses her Nerv clearance to find, through Section-2, Shinji's location.

She finds him at the overlook they both had sat on after the tenth angel's attack.

After a few minutes of observation Rei proceeds to where Shinji was and sits next to him, he is startled, jumping a few feet up and back in surprise. A nervous look in his eyes as to whom had scared him.

Then after holding his chest with his hand, calming down he asks

"Ayanami, why are you here?" He asks her in a nervous way.

"I had to find you Ikari-Kun ... to apologize." Rei said this in almost a whisper and with her head down so as not to look into his eyes.

"For what?" Shinji said in a confused manner. He did however welcome the contact though he was still convinced she wasn't his friend Rei.

"For the way I acted ... at the hospital." Rei said in her usual monotone voice, but she was a little flushed on her cheeks and even with her head down, Shinji noticed.

Rei Ayanami then does something uncharacteristic. She puts the items she was carrying down and slowly moves her left had to his right. Rei takes his hand in hers and leans in to the side of his head to say almost in a whisper.

"I'm also apologizing for how I have acted towards you since I have met you."

"Since ...you met me?" He says in a confused manner. Did she mean since the incident at the hospital, or … before that? Shinji was nervous, `maybe just maybe…'

The First child draws back to face him and nods silently.

Then he thinks of how she had acted at first and not allowed him to be close, to be friends and he blamed his father and how she was brought up forgetting the facts of her origin. "My father brought you up to be so detached and cold, but I saw that you needed a friend. Damn him!" He slammed his open hand to the ground. Rei simply stares at him at first.

She could tell he was about to say something else, but Rei's finger to his lips stops him "I have all my memories from before," The implication was clear to Shinji. "And so I will not be following what the Commander wants me to do anymore."

"But, But ...what if he makes you do something you don't want to do, or there's a danger to the city, to us?" Shinji says really without thinking. His mind was confused and a bit scrambled at her actions.

Rei sighs then shakes her head. "As you know of my origins, I also know of some of the plans the Commander wants to initiate with myself being integral in those plans." She looked sternly at him, "I will not be his doll, nor follow his plans from now on." She squeezed his hand to emphasize this.

Shinji looks stupefied, `Rei was making her own decisions, and these decisions would conflict with what his father wanted.' He thought. `Does this mean that…'

Then Rei waiting for Shinji to look at her again she said, "But, I will help and protect those who I consider my friends." Rei looks intently at Shinji.

"Really?" A surprised Shinji said. Rei nods and a small smile is now present on her face. The same smile Shinji saw after he fifth angel. Rei then takes the portable SDAT player and hits the play button and the song; "Draw Me Close" starts to play. She then whispers the lyrics to the song into Shinji's ear as it plays while she leaned her head on his shoulder.

[Actions of the pilots during the song]

(Draw Me close; by Kelly Carpenter)

Draw me close to you

Never let me go

I lay it all down again

To hear You say that I'm Your friend [Shinji slowly puts his arm around Rei's shoulder]

You are my desire

No one else will do

`Cause nothing else could take your place [Shinji lays his head on hers]

To feel the warmth of your embrace

You helped me find the way

Bringing me back to you

CHORUS:

You're all I want

You're all I've ever needed

You're all I want

Help me know you are near [Shinji squeezes her, she kneads her head into his shoulder]

Draw me close to you

Never let me go

I lay it all down again

To hear You say that I'm Your friend [They both smile snuggling some more]

You are my desire

No one else will do

`Cause nothing else could take your place

To feel the warmth of your embrace

You helped me find the way

Bringing me back to you [They entwine their hands as the suns starts to set and the lights of the city turn on.]

CHORUS:

You're all I want

You're all I've ever needed

You're all I want

Help me know you are near [They squeeze each other one more time.]

After the song ends...

Silence

After a good two minutes, both teens had locked their eyes on each other. Then ... hesitantly, Shinji draws Rei to him, into a warm full embrace. As the songs' lyrics say. Shinji says with a smile, "Don't worry Rei, I'll never let you go." She simply sinks into him. Both now hold each other tightly reveling in the comfort they give each other.

They sit, now awaiting the sunset's end and stay that way intertwined for close to an hour afterwards. No words are exchanged, as both seem to communicate with out them.

Finally, after the sunset, Shinji lets Rei go. But immediately takes her hand to help her up. They brush off the grass from their clothes and head back quietly down to the broken city holding hands with small but clear smiles evident on their faces.

Then another figure comes out of the foliage the figure says in a soft voice. "It seems that the plan has changed." the figure then give a warm smile. Then the figure steps under a street light. One Kowaru Nagisa then stuffs his hands in his pockets with that smile still on his face and starts to walk towards the city and heads to the Geo-front. He speaks to no one in particular. "Maybe I should talk to The Commander, then Chairman Kiel, and they'll have to have a change of heart?"

Then Kowaru chuckled at what that type of persuasion he may have use on them. As he whistle, Beethoven's "Air in D-Major" he heads to the Commander's office, then makes plans to go to the home of the Chairman of SEELE for a little talk. While is happening, a couple of teen's head to Shinji's home with a new sense of love and hope not just for each other but for the future they hope to influence.

All is right with the world, at least with these two children.

This is a little one shot to all the Shinji/Rei fans to keep you guys content as I'm still working on my other stories as they're Shinji/Asuka stories. But don't fret another Shinji/Rei saga will come in the fall. So be patient and have a great summer,

dennisud

[Author ID0: at ]