Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Escape From my Darkness ❯ A Chance to Live Again ( Chapter 1 )

Escape From my Darkness

Chapter I A Chance to Live Again

 

In Depth Summary: Rei Ayanami and Reika Ayanami are twin sisters, both at the age of 16. The two of them have the same blue hair colour, one has crimson red and the other has cobalt blue. One is considered a nerd and a weirdo, the other popular and well known. Yet at one point, both were popular and well known, but one has fallen deep into depression, and no one knows why. Shinji Ikari, an extremely popular boy in school has his eyes set on one of the twins, but is unsure how to go about this. He seeks help from the other sibling, and will try to accomplish what other boys have failed. Enter the heart of one of the Ayanami twins.

 

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN EVANGELION!! GAINAX AND HOWEVER DOES!!! SO LEAVE ME ALONE!!

 

“Hey Rei!” Reiki shouted from outside of her two floor house. Inside, an azure blue haired girl, with near unkempt hair just down to the base of her head, crimson red eyes and albino white skin, lets out a heavy sigh. Rei Ayanami appeared on the front left balcony of her house, clad in her school uniform which consisted of a white dress shirt with the school crest on the left breast pocket and black ruffled skirt and a black tie.

 

In a neutral monotonous tone, she replied, “Nani?”

 

“Do you have to be so, neutral?” Reika Ayanami pouted as she tied her shoulder length hair. “Pass me my karate belt! I'm late as it is.” Rei disappeared into her room, and instantly took a left and goes into her walk in closet, and looked to the left side as she searched through her sisters clothing. Finding what she needed, she pulled it out and walks back to the balcony and unceremoniously dropped it, and started to head back in.

 

Reika let out a sigh of exasperation and picked up her brown belt, “You could've been nicer and at least thrown it to me.”

 

“Do you not have a practice to go to Reika nee-san?” Rei deadpanned before she went back inside as Reika stuffed her belt into her backpack.

 

Reika looked at her watch, shrieked, and then quickly mounts her bike as she yelled, “Oh god, I'm going to be late I'm going to be late! See you later tonight Rei!” Rei however shook her head as she walked back inside and quietly thought about her sister and observed her room.

 

Her twin sister, Reika Ayanami was the older of the two. They both had the same hair colour and skin; however, that was where their similarities ended. Reika was more of an athlete, so she had a more defined and toned body. Her bust was also larger than Rei. She was a full size b-cup, whereas her sister was in the middle of a b-cup and a-cup bust. Also, their hair style differed greatly. Reika was more extravagant and liked to style her hair in buns, beehives, and such, thus she grew it to reach down to around her shoulder, while Rei had a tomboyish hairstyle, as to easily maintain her hair. And also their eye colours different. Rei had crimson red eyes, while her sister had cobalt blue eyes. That was the major difference between the two and neither sisters complained. It actually served to reduce the amount of people asking who was which. Rei sighed and looked around.

 

Directly to her left was their walk in closet. It was only really used by her sister, Reika Ayanami, as she had no use for it. She found those kinds of closet unnecessary, and very much unneeded, if it weren't for her sister's enormous wardrobe. Next to it was the door to their bathroom. To her right were two desks, each with computers, however one was festooned with various ornaments, and trinkets, such as key chains, pictures of friends and what not. The other was strewn with paper, books, pens, pencils, some returned worksheets, other such. She never really kept her desk tidy these days, as it was only going to get messy again. In the left corner, a mirror and a counter top of various make-up and accessories was setup. Rei never touched it, or had not in a long while. Make-up to her, especially now was nothing more than something superfluous, strictly used to hide your true fact from the world. Lastly, to the right against the walls were two beds. One a simple blue, with blue and white striped pillow, the other was a vibrant red.

 

Rei frowned when she saw her sister's bed, as she hated the colour red, as much as she hated the colour of her natural eyes. However she usually ignored that fact and always moved on. She walked to the desk on the wall opposite the walk in closet when she hears Reika's messenger system go off. She looked to her right to see that someone had indeed sent her a message. Not wishing to be disturbed by such incessant sounds, should the person continue to message Reika's computer, she typed in that Reika had gone off, and then set her messenger system to away, before turning back to her desk and start her homework.

 

Later that night their mother, Naoko Akagi and her 21 year old sister Ritsuko came back late from work, to find Rei and Reika already in bed.

 

Naoko was the adoptive mother of the Ayanami twins. She was tall, sleek, and had short brown curly hair, and emerald eyes. Her daughter, Ritsuko, also had brown hair that reached down to the base of her head, however she had dyed it blond, and she had two emerald eyes. Both of them had matching moles, underneath their left eye. The two of them stared at the twins, before directing their attention towards the one in the corner, who was sleeping a dreamless sleep.

 

Naoko looks sadly at Rei and quietly says, “It's been what, 2 years since the incident?”

 

Ritsuko hums in agreement, “Yeah it has. She won't change; not for a while. It affected her beyond what I could believe.”

 

“It's so sad, to think they were both happy at the time, but now…” a tear slides down her face. “Now Rei is just suffering over what happened. She won't let go.”

 

“It can't be helped,” she said, placing a hand on her mother's shoulder. “She has to do this on her own. If she can't move on, and needs help, then we help. Until then, we wait. Dad said something similar to me once.”

 

Naoko nodded as she silently closes the door, “Your father was always a wise man.”

 

“That he was mom. That he was.” The two then retired into their rooms for the night.

 

That morning, both girls groaned at the sound of their alarm clocks going off. However Reika stayed in bed, hiding her head underneath her pillow while Rei sat up and hit the snooze button. She stretched before getting out of bed, eyeing her sister's laziness for a moment. Despite the neutral face she bore, her eyes burned with extreme malice for her sister. She walked around her sister's bed, to her desk where her school uniform rested on the back of her chair. She took the white dress shirt and black skirt, and grabbed a tie from a draw in her desk before going into the bathroom for her cold morning shower.

 

Meanwhile downstairs, Naoko was cooking breakfast while Ritsuko set up the table. Reika on the other hand remained in bed as she thinks about what she will do next for the day. Rei simply stood in the shower as she let the cold water run down her body, waking her up. As she showers, she lets hidden tears drip down her face as the water intermixes with her hair. No one knows of this teary session, not even her cobalt blue eyed sister. For two years, she held tears back daily, and every morning she lets out her tears, that she swore she would never let the rest of the world see. Two years ago, she would usually do something, such as try new fragrances and the like but lately she's stopped caring and only did the bare minimum. She quickly shampooed her hair and step out, and dried herself off, making sure all tears were wiped off her face. She then brushed her teeth, put on fresh undergarments and then her school uniform. She walked out to see her sister, still groggy waiting in front of the bathroom, for Rei to come out. Rei moved out of the way to give her sister access into the washroom before walking out.

 

Rei goes to her desk, and quickly grabbed her schoolbag, packed in the needed books and then headed downstairs with her bag in hand. When she reached the kitchen she saw that her mother and older sister had already sat down eating.

 

Naoko sees her adoptive daughter and said to her, “Breakfast is on the oven. Help yourself.”

 

“Hai,” she quietly responded, placing her bag next to her chairs and grabbed some toast, and a glass of soy milk. “I will walk this morning.”

 

Both women look at her worriedly, but it was Ritsuko who voiced her concern, “You sure imoutou-chan?”

 

“Hai.” She calmly ate her food, while the two women look at Rei worriedly. They knew she's had problem in school lately and to go to school alone, let alone walking made them feel very comfortable. In fact it's been nagging them for the past two years. She usually came home every other day bruised or injured in some manner, and then would have to force her to let them treat her injuries.

 

Reika soon walked down with a spring in her step, her hair done up in a neat bun, “Ohaiyo,” she greeted in a cheerily manner.

 

“Reika,” Naoko greeted back. “You need a ride? Or are you biking?”

 

“I'm biking, why?” she asked, as she helps herself to eggs and bacon.

 

“Rei's walking, and apparently she wants to be alone,” Ritsuko explained.

 

Reika simply shrugged, “Sure thing sis.” Naoko and Ritsuko could only stare in disbelief at the nonchalant manner Reika had just displayed about her sister.

 

Rei quickly got up, took her plate and glass, and placed them in the sink before grabbing her bag, put on her shoes and walked out.

 

She walked down the stairs, made a right, and started to walk uphill, deep in thought. `I am not surprised that was her answer. She as of late has become careless.' Rei looked up to see the familiar clock tower of her school barely peeking over the trees of the park she was walking past. She slightly frowned at the sight, seeing as she hated the school. She often wondered why she continued to go to school. She had nothing to gain these days, nor any real goals set out for her to achieve. She really had nothing at the school. It all belonged to her sister Reika. She was the popular one, the one that was considered `hip'. Rei was just a sound in the wind.

 

She wasn't hated by the school, but she wasn't known in the school either. Not by name. For the last two years, she had been known as the quiet, cold, untouchable ice queen. She never showed any emotions, or the least bit of interest in school. In her classes she was often seen sitting at her desk, staring out of the window with her chin in her hand. Whenever she was spoken to, she would look at them with a face of indifference and if questioned, kept them short and simple, or downright ignore them. School was a place that had no real value to her. However there were some aspects of school that she greatly disliked…more like hated to be exact.

 

Rei walked into the school, and went straight for her locker on the first floor, opened it, and started putting in and pulling out books. She had Math as her first class, and she greatly despised it. She packed her Math book in, and placed all other books and her bentou inside her locker. She closed the door to reveal a redhead standing behind the door.

 

Asuka Langley Soryu, the most popular girl in school. She was at the top of the entire hierarchy in the popular kid's world. Even popular kids themselves bow before her. Her fiery waist length auburn red hair, sapphire blue eyes, her German appearance, everything about her simply draws people to her. If one wanted favours, and had good connections, even the lowest of kids can have favours granted from her, providing their connections do the talking. One thing she was well known for, since she came in three years ago, was that she wouldn't dare talk to people too far below her. She would instead either laugh at them if they tried to talk to her, kick them and walk away, or insult the hell out of them, and then walk away laughing her head off. Some considered her cold, but those who did had no real say in the school.

 

When Asuka first came to school, she already had an aura of attraction that drew people's attention. But it was a year later that she achieved her position of being number one popular girl in the school. Since her ascension to power, Rei has been the target of Asuka. Everyday, Asuka would find an excuse to be near the girl, and then would commit various acts, such as pulling pranks on her, tripping her, rigging her locker, or even stealing books and such. Time and time again, Asuka has berated her, teased her, insulted her, and yet has never managed to break through her shell, as Rei simply shrugged off any insults thrown at her. But this only served to fuel Asuka as she continued her ways. It has been like this for the past two years, and nothing was going to change for this poor girl.

 

Asuka sneered at Rei as she spoke, “Well, well, guten morgen Wonder Girl.”

 

Rei merely looked a head, “Nani, student Soryu?”

 

“Oh nothing,” she casually replied as she twirled a lock of hair, “Just to say hello, for now.” Rei simply started to walk past the redhead, when she suddenly tripped. She looked behind her to see the redhead laughing her head off as she walked away.

 

She met up with a few girls, hearing one of them say, “Nice going Asuka.” Rei looked around to see a few of the other boys and girls snicker at her, but she brushed it off as she got up, brushed herself off, and walked to her Math class.

 

She hated Asuka Soryu, hated her with a passion. Despite her depressed state, that was the only real time she would feel anything. For two years she has put up with Asuka's incessant presence. Rei would put a stop to her, but she knew better. No one of her level could mess with the `Great Asuka Soryu'. She couldn't even count on her sister to help her. She also knew that if she took Asuka down it would be her downfall as the majority of school adored her and they would turn their anger upon Rei if she did something that drastic.

 

She entered her math class and sat herself in the far back corner, and faced outside as she usually did in all of her classes, yet maintained an A+ average. She often wondered why she even bothered to try in school. She always did just what was needed, which was the bare minimum, and yet always gets her assignments and tests back with high marks. She often wondered what allowed her to even try, but often found no answer to that question. It was a true oddity, even for her, but she has never really put too much thought into it as she saw no reason to do such a thing. To her, her life was pointless, and it was simply meant to be lived. She lived, but had no real purpose, nor drive in life. It was more like she was a body that continued to life while the soul had left long ago. Rei let out a small sigh as she continued to stare into the sky, observing the outside world.

 

As students begin to fill up the seats, Rei maintained her view outside, observing the flowers, the garden, the birds and whatever else was out there, until she heard snickering around her, informing her that Asuka and her posse were present. She despised math greatly because this was where most of her enemies were during the first class. She let out a very quietly discontented sigh as she maintained her focus outside. However that proved to be unnecessary as several girls squealing at the door momentarily drew her attention towards it.

 

There in the doorway stood one of most popular boy in school, Shinji Ikari. He had a clean cut chestnut brown hair, a soft boyish appearance despite being 16, and had the same shade of cobalt blue as her sister. How he was popular greatly eluded Rei though. He was a secluded boy, shy, and introverted, much like her. He hated to be surrounded by people and only hung with the class jock Toji Suzuhara and military otaku Kensuke Aida. From what Rei knew, he was abandoned by his father after his mother died, and lived with his godmother. But she never really bothered to get to know the boy as he never talked to anyone at first, since he kept to himself. However, she had a crush on the boy. Another oddity, she found, despite her depression. She often figured one going through such a depression would feel nothing but sadness, but here she was, feeling an attraction and hatred.

 

She knew she could never talk to him because of their different social status, plus he never talked with anyone unless he really needed something, or he had to. He had attempted once with her when her first came a year ago, but Rei had simply disregarded him and he never talked to her again. She didn't mind, as she knew that popular people would never dare to talk to people like her, or in Shinji's case, he wouldn't dare talk to anyone if he could.

 

She often pondered on her feelings towards the boy. She never really opened up to anyone after an incident two years back, and she never really felt any emotions but sadness and anger. But when he came at the start of the year, he sparked a new emotion within her. She was somewhat infatuated, but she didn't have the will or the courage to act. She remembered once seeing him in a tree at the edge of the school, sitting on one of the branches as he listened to his music. She also remembered how she wanted to be in his arms, and listen to whatever music, or just observe the sky. But she knew that would never happen, and had banished the idea from her mind. How could a reclusive boy and the school ice queen ever be together? It was only a dream. That was what it would ever be.

 

Later that afternoon, Rei sat in the living room on a royal blue love seat and read her book. Her living room was a modest room, with a hearth in the middle of the wall on the left side, from the door's point of view, a hallway leaning to the other rooms across, and a TV in the left corner on the left side of the hearth. The walls were nicely decorated with pictures of the family, in every last one of them, Rei was not present sadly. In front of the hearth was the love seat Rei was currently sitting on. In front of the T.V. were a coffee table, a couch, and an arm chair.

 

Rei was enjoying her book when the doorbell rang. She didn't even look up to see who could've possibly been at the door, for she did not care. She mostly did things that she was told to do, otherwise she would just sit somewhere, and read. It was the only time she didn't feel the pain of the incident without hurting herself. So to insured that she did not do anything rash, her mother had forced her to take up reading. She initially read whenever her mother was home, but soon she found that reading was something she could enjoy. Her mother thought it was a first step, but truly, it only served as a hiding place for her.

 

The doorbell continued to ring, which only served to disturb her reading. Resigning, Rei quietly closed her book, and got up and made her way to leave the room.

 

However before she got very far from her seat, she heard Reika call out, “Rei, can you get the door? I have practice soon!”

 

“Hai,” she deadpanned. Turned around, headed towards the door, and opened it, mentally gasping at the sight before her. Before her stood Shinji Ikari, the high school pretty boy as some called him. Rei's mind pondered the reason Shinji could be here. He couldn't have been here to see her, as he had never bothered to talk to her since she ignored him the first time. That only left that he was here to see Reika, but to what purpose, she was yet to find out.

 

“Good afternoon, Ayanami-san,” Shinji quietly greeted, as he shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

 

“Ikari-san,” she replied in her neutral voice, while in her mind, `What is he doing here? He must be here to see Reika. Does he not know that she has martial arts on Wednesdays as well?' She turned around and faced the stairs, next to the hallway entrance, when she heard her sister coming down. When she saw Shinji, her face lit up in mocked surprise. Rei slightly narrowed her eyes, but it remained unnoticed to the untrained eye.

 

“Oh Shinji-san, I forgot to tell you that I have martial arts class. Tell you what, you stay here, keep my sis company since no one else is home, and when I get back, we can start our biology project, okay?”

 

“Sure, Reika-san,” Shinji quietly replied, giving her a polite nod as she ran out the door. Rei then motioned for Shinji to enter, and then closed the door. Following this, she returned to her spot on the seat, sat down, and continued to read her book.

 

Shinji set his bag down and took off his shoes, and approached the seat, “May I sit down?”

 

“If you wish,” she simply replied as she read.

 

He sat down on the seat, while attempting to keep his distance from Rei. Despite the fact she was reading, some parts in her mind began to work again for the first time since 2 years. She started to mentally note and file away all of Shinji's various actions. From what she could tell, Shinji was feeling extremely nervous. He was constantly fidgeting, always shifting in his seat, as if the seat was some how uncomfortable to him. He also had his hands on his thighs which were clenching and unclenching themselves, as he started to bounce his left leg up and down. His breathing was slightly irregular, but was nothing to be concerned of, and his eyes seemed to be displaying some form of nervousness. In fact his whole body language was indicating some state of anxiety or nervousness, but the reason as to why eluded her. Seeing that there was nothing left worth gathering or noting, she resumed her reading.

 

Shinji took a few deep breaths and suddenly asked, “What you reading?”

 

“A novel I acquired at the library.”

 

“Is it any good?”

 

“It is agreeable.”

 

Silence once again filled the room. Rei preferred the silence. As far back as she could remember she always enjoyed the silence. Whenever she wasn't doing anything, she was either alone somewhere, like a rooftop or in her room, or was with someone who also enjoyed the silence. She would sit for hours, listening to nothing, or the natural silence of the outside. She would sometime sit on her roof, late at night, and watched the stars, as she listened to the natural peace of the outside. A car or two would interrupt the silence, but nothing more. The silence would bring peace to her soul.

 

Now the silence was more like a torturer. Whenever she was alone, without activity, her mind would wander upon itself. She would think back to two years ago, and the memories would haunt her, stalk her, and attack her very soul as the memories flooded her mind. She hated it, and thus she always tried to keep herself busy. However no matter what, the darkness that came on strong in silence, always assaulted her very being. She was followed, always followed. It consumed her mind, stripping her of her emotion, of her life. Her life was truly bleak, and it slowly destroyed her will to live throughout the past two years. Now she lives by the day, but she remains unsure how long before she loses her interest in life. Already, she has begun to doubt things, such as why does she continue to go to school and such. It was truly a bleak and helpless existence for her. She would like it to end, but she could never let go of what happened two years ago. It would always be with her, as it consumed her soul.

 

“Do you always talk like that?” Shinji suddenly ask, drawing Rei from her thoughts about the silence.

 

“Like what?” her eyes never leaving the book.

 

“Well…” he scratched the back of his head to find the words. “You always speak in an objective tone. At least from what I can tell since I started schooling here.”

 

“I find drawn out sentences superfluous.”

 

“And your vocabulary, you really need to tone it down Ayanami-san.”

 

“No point.”

 

“No point?”

 

“Hai.”

 

“Why no point though? I don't understand, Ayanami-san.”

 

“It is pointless to decrease my vocabulary. It is part of me.”

 

“So uh…what kind of hobbies do you have?” he asked, hope to make conversation in his voice.

 

“I read books, and play the violin.”

 

“Anything else?”

 

“I either clean the house or do my homework. Is there any point to this? Or are you trying to make conversation?”

 

“I…well…uh…yes.”

 

“Please stop.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“As I said, I find drawn out sentences to be superfluous, same thing in conversations. I prefer them to the point or no conversation at all.”

 

“I see,” he replied dejectedly. The rest of the afternoon went by slowly in the awkward silence. Shinji sighed sadly as he pulled out his S-DAT player and listened to it. This left Rei alone with her thoughts, as he had closed his eyes and focused on his music. Despite the novel she was reading, she found the silence more uncomfortable that she was used to. It was then she noticed that talking with Shinji, despite the shortness of it, gave her a small temporary reprieve from the darkness. During her conversation with Shinji, she was at peace. The only time she ever felt like this was when she read romance novels, or adventures siblings undertook. She would imagine herself in the shoes of the woman or sister in her stories, and therefore would be protected by the man, or the brother. However in one small moment, that peace was weakened. She wondered what it could mean. Although it could possibly refer to her feelings but…she immediately shook the thought off. No way could she ever be with a boy like Shinji. She also figured she would soon lose her will to live, and eventually would die a lonely death. She had lived the last two years alone, she may as well end it alone.

 

Shinji opened his eyes to notice that Rei had stopped looking at her book, and stared down at the floor with a distant look. It was barely noticeable through the haze that had fogged her crimson orbs, but he swore that he could see loneliness in her heart, possible even a desire to be protected from something. He wondered what could've happened to her to have such eyes, but it was not his place. However that did not stop him from often wondering how and why she could have such eyes. He often wondered what she was like if she smiled.

 

Rei could feel Shinji's gaze upon her, and it begun to stir something inside her. She wondered how one visit could stir so much inside her. She often believed that after what happened to her two years ago, she could never return to her original state. But here she was, with the hottest boy in her class and grade, in her house, and his words of curiosity, his very presence, was already stirring things inside her. Rei figured that her soul had died long ago that day, but here she was, feeling things. She felt her heart constricting upon itself, her breathing, although quiet, was rather ragged. She felt warm inside herself, and a longing for his continuous undivided attention. All this resonated throughout her soul as it battled the darkness.

 

She had been falling for the last two years; deeper and deeper into a chasm known to all as depression. She figured that the day she hit the bottom was the day she died. As she fell, the light above her, the exit of this pit, the light that was her life, was no longer within her reach. But now that light, that small spark, that was slowly dying, started to burn brightly once more as it started to grow and approach her. It was slow, and it was steady, but for sure her life seemed to slowly becoming something tangible once more. She hated this depression, but she seemed to be given this chance to live again. However, that chance was lost this night.

 

Rei took a deep breath, and turned to face Shinji only to find him walking upstairs with Reika. Her heart felt like a tonne of bricks as it fell down harsh in her soul. The light seemed to have dimmed inside her soul, and the darkness seemed even more intrusive than ever. She felt something she hadn't felt for years, since the days she was adopted by the Akagi family. She was afraid. She was afraid that she would die a lonely existent, she was afraid she would lose her chance at life. For the first time since two years ago, she cried. Unlike the tears she shed in the mornings, which only came in small amounts, and it was simply bottled sadness, she shed full blown tears, as they streamed down her face. She made no sound, but her heart was hurt that day. But little did she know, she made yet have a chance to heal it.

 

Throughout the evening, Rei was in a worst state than ever, so says her family. She did eat that night. She simply sat on the love seat, staring out towards the door, almost as if she was waiting for someone. No one could understand who or what she could be waiting for, but one look at her told them she was lost in a world of her own. How the world she was lost in was what concerned them. Instead of a far away look when someone was daydreaming, she had a deadened appearance. They noticed that she had cried earlier that afternoon, and that something was had upset her bad enough to have her shed tears. Her eyes were more of a dull copper instead of the vibrant crimson, which was a sure sign something was negatively affecting her depression. They didn't know what to do, they were at a loss.

 

Later that night, after a long time of tried and failed persuasions, Naoko and Ritsuko finally forced Rei out of the seat, and brought her up to her room. From there, Reika took over and more or less changed Rei out of her school clothes and into her pyjamas. Afterwards she laid Rei in bed, which now merely looked up at the ceiling, her depressed expression still on her face. It was starting to scare Reika badly. She wanted to help Rei, badly. However, she left it for a bit later, and quickly got ready for bed.

 

After taking a quick shower, and changed into her pyjamas, she sat on her bed and stared at Rei for some time. Rei's mind was in turmoil. She had a shot, to possibly at the very least gain Shinji's friendship. Everything started with friendship, and that was what she probably needed. But that chance to go beyond friendship seemed to have been taken away from her, by Reika. Somewhere, mixed in with all the sadness and the enveloping darkness that consumes her soul, she could feel anger out towards her sister. That unforgiving anger she felt two years ago began to reignite and burn, with a slow, but growing passion.

 

Reika stared at her sister for some time before she took a deep breath, “Say sis, why did you give up your status back then?” Rei slowly turned her head to her left to look towards Reika. Reika cringed at the sight of her sister's eyes. She immediately knew the answer. Her eyes always spoke for her whenever she didn't speak. Rei was angry. She had still not forgiven her for what she did back two years ago, nor had she forgiven herself. What was worse was that she had another reason to be angry at her. For what reason, she didn't know.

 

Reika took a few deep breaths to recover from her stare, and spoke again, “Ok, ok, I'm sorry I asked, however, I have,” she paused a moment, “A proposal.” Rei raised an eyebrow, but showed no other expression.

 

“You return to your old self, the person you were two years back, for a whole week, and I promise I will get Asuka off your back for two years, if not, one year. How does that sound?”

 

“Why?” she quietly asked. Despite the lack of volume in her voice, Reika could hear the venom in her voice. She knew she had to tread carefully. She was on thin ice.

 

“Well in my case, I get to see my sister in a manner of speaking, in a cheerful mood again. And in your case, if Asuka backs off, other, lesser popular kids will back off as well, as they will follow her lead. Plus tomorrow is a good day as any because we get to wear regular clothing for the day. So what to you say?” She sits on the edge of her bed as she sticks out her hand.

 

“I have no reason to,” she deadpanned. She then turned her head to face the ceiling again. She began to wonder why her sister would offer such an agreement, and for a whole week. The convenience of such an offer spoke of an ulterior motive. However it did not matter to her really. She didn't care. Just one move from her sister destroyed what little was left of her soul anyhow. She was now waiting for her time.

 

So lost in her thoughts she almost didn't catch Reika saying, “Shinji's curious about your real self.” The name Shinji immediately cut through her thoughts and her darkness, drawing her back into reality. She slowly turned her head and faced her sister, to only then notice the worried face upon her face.

 

“Ikari-san?” she quietly whispered.

 

Reika nodded her head, “Yeah, while we were working on our project, he asked a lot of questions about you. I could be wrong, but he may have the hots for you.” Although she didn't blush, Rei could feel her body heating up from the very thought that Shinji may have feelings for her. If so, she wondered if the reasons behind his attempted conversations were to get to know her. If so, she had pushed him away again. He had tried to get her to open up by opening a bit of himself of, and she in the end rejected his offer, to continue to wallow in her own misery.

 

“So,” Reika began, “now that you know why I'm offering this, what to you say? This may be your shot not only to get out of this slump that's scaring mom and Ritsuko; you may just get the hottest guy in school to be your boyfriend.”

 

“Hottest guy in school…boyfriend…” Rei quietly muttered, and looked back up at the ceiling. Reika was unsure of what was going through Rei's mind, and so she pulled her hand back and waited. Inside, Rei was sorting through what she felt. On one hand, she felt happy she had a chance to possibly gain Shinji's attention, and now with the knowledge that Shinji may be attracted to her made her believe there was a possibility. Also felt relieved that her sister has not interest Shinji in that manner, but also suspicious that her sister planned this. However, she was also scared. Scare of what Asuka might do if she found out, and scared that a relationship between herself and Shinji would never work. That was what she was feared most right now, and it prevented her from answering straight out. However, her sister's deal involved getting Asuka to back off. She knew she had enough influence in the school to be allowed to speak directly to Asuka. Perhaps there was a chance.

 

She turned to face Reika, “Agree, under on condition.”

 

“What's that?”

 

“The moment Asuka harasses me, the deal is off. Agreed?”

 

“Deal,” Rei cracked a tiny smile as she slowly got up and sat on the edge of her bed, and then takes her sister's hand. “Glad that your smile is somewhat back,” flashing a big smile of her own.

 

“Do not expect this to last any longer than a week.”

 

“Go to sleep girls,” Naoko called out from the hall as she walked into her room. Both girls let out heavy sighs as they slipped into bed, and let sleep claim them.

 

 

So how was that? To those who are familiar with the story The Real You, this is a reworked version, complete rewrite of the story. I have rewritten the plot, the story behind it, and such. Unlike the original which focused on both sisters, you may have noticed from my writing that I have focused it purely on Rei. In most of my fics, I usually focus on Shinji and Rei, but this focuses solely on Rei, with some Shinji during their dealings. What about Rei I will focus on, you should already have an idea. If not, you will get it sooner or later. Anyways, please leave your reviews. That's all from me.

 

Cheers ^^ Ja ne