Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Imperfection ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

Imperfection

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion

A/N: I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's been over six months since I last updated! I'm SOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!!!!!! I was almost thinking to drop this one, but I didn't want to disappoint people.

---- Chapter Four ----

Rei turned the corner to where the apartments were. And froze. What were Shinji and Asuka doing in front of her flat? She started to walk towards them, when she remembered something important. Kaoru was in there! He was home!

"Hey, Shinji! Your precious First Child's back!"

Shinji, who was just about to open the door, turned around. Then he looked to the hand holding the doorknob and back again. And flushed in embarrassment. He didn't want to look like he was trying to enter her place without her permission. After all, it wasn't right. He looked into her garnet coloured eyes, which regarding him with something close to confusion.

"Ayanami!" he squeaked. "I'm sorry! This isn't what it looks like!"

He flushed, if possible, even redder as she approached them, book bag in hand. There was no saying how far he jumped when she passed him to the door. Asuka sighed noisily, shaking her head at his idiocy. Boys! What idiots!

"Listen, Wondergirl," she snapped. "Third Child's here to tell you something. The least you could do is stop and listen to him. Did you hear what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I did."

"So?" Asuka nudged Shinji. "Get on with it."

"R-Rei. . ."

The other girl fixed him with a steady, impassive stare. Fidgeting nervously, Shinji managed to pry open his own mouth and let out a stream of near-incomprehensible words.

"IREALLYLIKEYOUANDCANYOUGOOUTWITHME?!"

--------

Kaoru blinked. Did Shinji really say what he thought he said? After those words had sunk in, a small, half-smirk, half-smile worked its way onto his lips. Ah, the wonders of love. He wondered how Rei would react to it.

Abandoning all thoughts about escaping, Kaoru edged closer to the door in attempt to listen-in on the conversation being held outside. He also found himself battling some strange little voice inside his own head and heart. One voice, the strange one, was saying: `oh please, reject him, REJECT HIM!' and the other one were arguing back: `no, say yes! SAY YES!' He surmised that the voices were talking about Rei.

"Well, Wondergirl?" came Asuka's impatient voice. "What's your answer then?"

SAY YES! SAY YES!

REJECT HIM! REJECT HIM!

He could hear Rei take a small breath, heart hammering in his chest and a wry smile playing on his lips. He couldn't read minds and so didn't know what Rei would choose to say, but he was sure it would affect him in some way or other. That was why he was standing as close to the door as he dared, trying to listen to her answer.

"If it pleases you," her quiet voice said.

Kaoru couldn't help but feel both elated and disappointed all at once. It was the answer he had expected her to give, but somehow actually HEARING it was so different. When the words left her lips, there was silence as both boys on either side of the door let the information sink in. Slowly, slowly, Shinji started to breathe again.

"So that's a yes?" He said squeakily. "You'll go out with me?"

"Yes."

--------

Shinji blinked. Asuka blinked. Rei blinked.

Then, slowly, Shinji let out the breath he had unconsciously been holding. It was like an enormous weight had been lifted from his chest and he began to smile - to grin and then his throat unhitched to let him speak again.

"All right!" He exclaimed. "Thank you so much!"

"I can't believe you just said `yes' without asking the commander," Asuka said. "This must be some strange day."

As for Rei, she wasn't feeling anything much, besides a little relaxed and calm. So she didn't have to make the first move after all. There had been also no point in her worrying about whether or not Shinji liked her. But he had also just placed his trust in her, which made guilt squirm in the pit of her stomach. If he found out her part in the Third Impact and all the secrets she had been keeping from him . . . he would be so angry and hurt.

"So - um," Shinji began again, flushing beet red, "does seven o'clock, Saturday sound all right to you? Um - yeah, I mean - are you free at that time?"

"I am."

"All right, so um - see you then!"

"Yes, see you then."

Then Asuka gave a huge, exasperated sigh and dragged a lovesick Shinji away by the collar. He was still looking at Rei with the same expression he looked at her with in the classroom. Admiration and affection were all present within the soft gaze in his light brown eyes. Rei held that gaze for a few seconds, before turning to open the door to her apartment.

"Come on, wake up Third Child!" Asuka's whip-like voice lashed through his daydreams about Rei. "We have to get home - there's a TV show I wanna watch."

"Yes Asuka."

--------

Kaoru walked back to his favourite position against the wall and sat down. Outwardly, he couldn't keep himself from smiling at the ironic twist of fate. Of course, fate didn't exist and it was only their choices, which took them this far along the path, but it was also a good excuse to blame the mistakes they made on. It was a common term used by the lilims for a situation they couldn't find the cause to. They always blamed it on fate.

He himself didn't believe in the existence of fate, only in destiny. Though when he came to think of it, there really wasn't that much difference between the two. Nevertheless, it was ever so amusing to think that both Rei Ayanami and Shinji Ikari would be having the same problems about each other.

"You were listening, weren't you, Nagisa?"

"That would be obvious," he replied, viewing her with amused eyes. "I am rather pleased Shinji harbours the same feelings towards you. This was, however, not unexpected. As I see it now, you will have no choice but to tell him the truth."

"Commander Ikari has forbidden it," Rei replied tonelessly.

His eyes followed her as she made her way across the simply furnished apartment to the desk. She set down her book bag on the tabletop and made for the shower. Kaoru couldn't help but notice just how perfectly she was formed, but stopped himself just before the thoughts got out of hand. He was not here to appreciate the beauty of a mortal.

"If you must keep Shinji uninformed of intentions both NERV and SEELE have," he began, just before she went into the bathroom, "I suggest you be careful not to leave evidence."

"I am undecided as to whether or not I will tell him," she said quietly. Her hand rested on the doorframe. "Perhaps I will."

"You are in a difficult position, Rei," Kaoru said gently.

"I don't understand."

"It is a matter of decision. Whether or not you tell him, it is your choice. Either way, he will be emotionally injured. It is a matter of decision - and injuring him sooner or later. Which will you choose?"

Rei didn't answer, but stepped into the shower and closed the door. When she was out of earshot, Kaoru leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. The smile never left his lips, though his heart felt strangely bitter. He never really changed on the outside, but on the inside, he was always in turmoil with the emotions he kept at bay.

Certainly, he was happy about Rei's decision to be with Shinji - she had finally found someone she felt for. But whenever he looked at her, heard her words of worry about Shinji, or thought about her, knowing that her heart belonged to another, his heart went cold.

What was going on?

---- End of Chapter Four ----

A/N: AH GOMEN!

I can't believe I haven't updated for so long! I just got so caught up with my other fics and forgot that I still had this one! Then I also lost my original plot for this story, so I'm making it up as I go, which is what I do with my other fics.

If this was strange, if I've left something out and if this sucks/is done well:

PLEASE REVIEW!

Bittersweet Angel Chika