Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ The Nephilim Complex ❯ The Day After ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter Nine: The Day After

Blip.

Shinji opened his eyes slowly as the odd sound caught his attention. The drone of the teacher explaining history was not helping him stay awake. Even being jabbed repeatedly in the back by Toji, who was trying to ask him something, did not help much. He hadn't slept at all last night, and he knew it. Not even for five minutes. But he wasn't complaining. As he looked around the room slowly, still feeling sleep griping at him, he saw most of the students chatting with one another through their computers.

Blip.

He let out a small sigh as he massaged his temples, trying not to give into the exhaustion gripping him. Not that he would have traded it for anything - for once it hadn't been bad dreams or memories keeping him awake. He just couldn't stop thinking about a certain red haired roommate of his. Not only was the impression of her without a shirt burned into his mind, but the feeling of her soft lips against his, and her tongue searching his mouth was more than he could handle and still get to sleep. He just laid awake all night thinking about her. Who knew such a simple game could mean so much?

Blip.

Finally his eyes settled on his computer screen, which showed that he had several messages waiting for him, all from a single source. Most people had apparently given up trying to chat with him quite some time ago, as they saw he was half asleep. As he watched the flashing note, not quite discerning just what it said, another one came in.

Is everything alright? It was a message from Rei.

Shinji's fingers grazed the keyboard carefully, not wanting to alert anyone else to the fact that he was using the messenger system again. He didn't really feel like talking with a lot of people. Yeah... I'm just a little tired.

Oh, came the reply. Did you not sleep well?

I was too busy thinking about things.

There was a pause in the messages for a moment before the next one appeared. I hope it was not anything bad, her note read. Is there anything you wish to talk about? I am here, if you need me...

He blinked slowly as he read the message. 'I was remembering the feeling of Asuka's tongue in my mouth...' he thought to himself. 'And how nice it was to feel so close to her, even if it was only because she was bored.' No, I think I'm fine. But thanks.

I did not do anything.

Shinji shook his head and smiled as he typed his reply. Never mind... He looked up as he felt a couple of sets of eyes on him suddenly. He smiled at Asuka, who turned away instantly. He thought he might have seen a blush on her cheeks at first, but dismissed the thought. 'This is Asuka... no way she'd blush that easily.' He then nodded to Rei, who was also watching him. He ignored the other stares. Apparently he wasn't the only one tired of the lesson already.

Are you heading home after class to sleep, then?

He had to admit that the question seemed a little odd to him, but it did seem like a good idea. I was thinking about it, he typed after a moment. But we'll see.

Oh.

Why?

It does not matter, Shinji. He waited for a moment before the next part of the message appeared. I do not wish to disturb you if you need sleep.

What do you mean?

He met her gaze across the room again before her reply appeared. I wish to speak with you in private. He just stared at the screen for a moment, not sure what to think, before more of the message was added. I feel it is important, but it can wait, I suppose.

Shinji shook his head to himself as he typed his response. How about I walk you home? We can talk them. As soon as he hit the return key, he closed his eyes slowly. 'Oh boy... Asuka's not going to like that, is she?' He regretted sending the message almost at once as he remembered the warmth he had felt spread through him after she slowly pulled away from the kiss last night and wished him a good sleep.

Thank you, Shinji. Before he could type anything else, he saw that Rei had shut her computer again. Rather than watching the teacher like she usually did, though, he saw that she was staring out the window. He sighed and set his head on the desk, even though he knew it wasn't a good idea. It wouldn't take much to fall asleep.

Hey baka! The message on his screen repeated itself about six times in a couple of seconds before he even had a chance to reply.

Hi Asuka...

Can you tell Misato that I won't be home right away after school? I'm going out with Hikari.

Shinji looked up slowly from his desk, as he was typing with his head down still, and found her watching him again. He smiled slowly and nodded to her. She winked and turned around to face the front again.

'I've got to tell Asuka what's going on anyway...' he thought to himself as he closed his eyes again. 'Because if she finds out before I tell her, then I'll never have a chance to do anything with her ever again...' He sighed to himself as he felt his tired body relaxing at his desk. 'Then again... she did say last night that Rei is just a friend... and she must be right...'

A few moments later, Shinji wasn't entirely sure how he had been sent to the hall, or why. All he knew was that the back of his head hurt, and that Toji was standing next to him, apologizing for hitting him so hard.

"I just didn't wantcha fallin asleep, ya know?"

Shinji shook his head. "It's fine, don't worry."

"Well yer not gettin in trouble cause a me, got it?" Toji asked. "I'll take da blame when da teacher comes ta yell at us." He then looked closer at his friend. "Why are ya so tired taday, anyways?"

"I couldn't sleep..."

"What'id da she-devil do ta ya dis time?"

The young pilot suddenly found that he couldn't even look at his friend and keep a straight face anymore. "I just couldn't sleep," he lied.

True to his word, when the lunch bell rang, Toji took the blame for the outburst in class, and received two days detention for it. Shinji was let free, though. When he entered the class to give Asuka her lunch, her found that she had already taken off with Hikari again. With a sigh he set her lunch on her desk and then laid down at his own desk to sleep through the break.
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"Alright, so what is it?" Hikari asked once the two had stopped running. She was somehow not surprised to find that the two of them were on the roof of the school again. Asuka always seemed to drag her there when she wanted to talk privately.

"He trusts me again," Asuka said, a gleam in her eye as she faced her friend.

"Really?" Hikari asked in surprise. "That's great!"

"I know..." Asuka said warmly, sitting down on the roof and leaning against the wall. "I didn't think it would actually feel so good to know, either."

"You've really fallen for him, haven't you?" Hikari asked with a grin as she sat down too.

Asuka shook her head. "I don't need him," she said, though her voice lacked its usual conviction. "But he sure is nice to have around every now and then..."

"So I take it you won, then? You asked Shinji out before I could ask Toji."

Asuka sighed and looked at the roof. "I asked him alright," she explained. "But he didn't give me an answer. He said it wasn't a good time to talk about it."

"What?" Hikari demanded. "What do you mean? And how can you be so happy about that?"

"He told me in no uncertain terms that he trusts me again, Hikari," Asuka stressed the word trust. "I know... I would have liked an answer too, but I think I know anyway. But I wouldn't have changed a single thing about last night."

"Just what did happen, Asuka?"

"Then again..." Asuka continued as though Hikari didn't say anything. "I might change my mind when Misato gets home tonight. That's why I wanted to go shopping with you this afternoon... I don't want to be anywhere near that place when she gets back."

She noticed the glare her friend was giving her right away, but she just smiled and looked away from her for a moment. "Come on, tell me!" Hikari was practically begging already.

"I can't tell you everything. It's part of the rules of the game," Asuka explained slowly. "And I'm not breaking his trust again so soon after getting it back. I don't want to ever break it again..."

"Game?"

"Ever hear of Truth or Dare?"

"You played that, with him, alone?" The Class Rep stressed each part of the sentence separately. "With no one else in the apartment?"

"Yeah," Asuka said. "But don't get any ideas. We didn't do anything like that!"

"Like what?" Hikari asked at once. "I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it, though," Asuka pointed out. "Besides, Shinji might be a pervert, but he's also a coward. He'd be too afraid to suggest anything like that." She felt bad saying it like that, especially after just what he had asked her to do. If anyone else knew and asked her, she would have said she hated it, but in fact, she was glad that he seemed to love her body. Not that she could blame him... but it was still good to know.

"So you two didn't do anything... like that?"

"The worst thing we did was hide Misato's beer in the bathroom."

"Oh god..." Hikari breathed in horror. "I understand why you want to get away from there now... what about Shinji? Will he be alright alone? Should we invite him too? Or should I talk to Toji and ask him to take Shinji to the arcade or something?"

"He'll be fine," Asuka said with a bit more confidence than she felt. "She needs him to cook and clean still. She'll probably just yell at him for a while, but that would be about it."

"Well... if you're sure..." Hikari still sounded a little doubtful. She then looked back to Asuka. "So, have you ever kissed anyone?"

The German girl looked away from her friend as she let out a snort. "Like I'd let anyone that close!" she exclaimed. "Gimme a break, Hikari..."

"Oh," she replied, sounding a little sad. "I just wanted to know what it was like, that's all..."

"Why? Planning on kissing someone, are you?" Asuka asked, looking back with a grin.

"If you must know, then yes, I am!" Hikari said defiantly. "After I can build up the courage to ask him out, anyway..."

Asuka didn't say anything right away, but she did stand up and lean against the railing that rang along the edge of the roof. "It's the most wonderful feeling in the world," she whispered as quietly as she could. Hikari was next to her in an instant, staring at her. "But also the most terrifying. It leaves you wondering how everything suddenly looks so perfect, when you know that it will all come crashing down again at any second. But for that moment... it is almost worth it. You tell yourself that it is... if not, then why bother trying?" She looked over to Hikari with a small, sad smile on her face. "You feel that you have everything all of a sudden, but the feeling of dread still lingers in the back of your mind. Like you are stronger somehow... and weaker..."

"You kissed him," she said flatly.

"I kissed him." She sighed as she looked up at the sky. "And it was perfect. I don't care if everything does fall apart now, if I do die against an Angel, or whatever. It was worth it."

"Does he know how you feel?" Hikari asked in a hushed voice.

"Not a chance in the world."

"Then how do you plan on getting that feeling again? Just tell him... and it could be yours forever."

"Or it could be lost, and the memory ruined," Asuka replied, shaking her head. "No. I'd rather keep my memory as it is."
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Shinji never realized just how long the walk from the school to Rei's apartment was. It might have been because most of the walk was in complete silence, as she barely even said a word to him. He couldn't find much to talk about, either, as he was afraid that he might mention Asuka, and he thought that would upset her.

About halfway to her place, he mentally kicked himself. Asuka would get upset if he mentioned Rei, but he should know that Rei wouldn't care one way or the other. She was a very understanding person... she just didn't understand herself.

As he glanced over to her, he found that she was watching him out of the corner of her eye. When their gazes met, she stopped and turned to him. "I have a strong concern, Shinji..." Her voice was softer than he had ever heard it before, but what she said was what really got him.

"What... what's wrong, Rei?" he asked once he regained his composure.

"I have been given to believe that I upset you recently," she explained as they started to walk again. "And that was the farthest thing in my mind. I was just trying to make you happy... trying to take away your pain."

"Could you be a little more cryptic?" Shinji asked sarcastically. His voice was warm, though, so he knew his words wouldn't sting or anything.

"I do not understand..."

He smiled to himself. "Never mind, Rei. What did you do that would have upset me?"

"I kissed you," she replied after a long silence. "And I did not check to make sure you would not mind. I should have, right? I apologize. It was not proper of me."

"That... that didn't upset me," Shinji stammered. The realization hit him then, that he had been kissed by both his fellow pilots. Although part of him was incredibly pleased that there were two girls who he thought very highly of after him, a larger part was worried. "I liked it, actually," he admitted after a long silence. "But it was a bit of a shock."

He was shocked again when she smiled to him. He still wasn't used to the sight. "I am glad you liked it. I was not sure if I was doing it right."

It was true, both girls had kissed him very differently. Asuka was rather aggressive with her tongue, pressing into him as though trying to become a part of him, while Rei was more reserved, just licking the edges of his mouth slowly. He didn't know which he preferred, but he didn't really want to be thinking about it right then.

"I don't think you can kiss improperly, Rei," Shinji offered after a moment. He stopped when they came to the door leading to her apartment. He smiled gently to her and took a step back. "Here we are. Take care, alright?"

She looked confused for a moment, but then smiled and nodded. "I understand. I will try. You too, please? Remember, if Soryu does anything to hurt you, I am always here..." She felt strangely hollow as she opened the door and stepped inside. After she shut the door, she felt her heart pounding a bit harder than usual. Rather than take the time to determine the cause, however, she opened the door again quickly and found that Shinji had started to walk away. "Shinji?" she called.

"Yes, Rei?" He turned back to her, surprised.

"Would... would you like to come in again?" she asked after a moment of silence. She wasn't sure just how she was supposed to go about things, but having him around should help some. "I would like to talk with you about a couple of other things... if you don't mind, that is. I know you are tired..."

He smiled. "No, that's alright," he explained. "I think I got enough sleep at school."

"You should learn your lessons," she pointed out as he stepped inside.

He didn't reply right away as he looked around. The last time he had been there, the place was bare save for a small kitchenette, a bed, and a dresser of clothes. Now, in addition to that, there were books of every description strewn everywhere, and many different sets of clothes piled here and there.

"Would you like help cleaning up again?" he offered after just standing there for a moment.

"I did not ask you to come just to clean," she stammered quickly. She didn't want him to think she was taking advantage of him. "I know you are very good at it, but I just wanted to ask you about a couple of things. You explained the concept of relief so well last time..."

He looked to her, thinking hard, until he remembered when she was talking about, and nodded. "Well, I can help clean while we talk then, alright?"

"If that is your wish," she said, turning away from him to start picking up a couple of dresses that she had tossed into the corner. Amongst them was the white dress that had apparently upset Soryu so badly.

"So what's on your mind?"

"My brain is covered with a gelatinous..."

"No," Shinji interrupted her quickly. "I meant what are you thinking about..." he explained hastily before she could question him, or go into further detail.

"Oh," she said with a grin. There were a few phrases that she still had to pick up on. It was amazing how much was out there, now that she knew to look. She just could never admit to Soryu that she had helped. It seemed wrong somehow. "I wanted to know about friendship and family," she explained. "The bonds seem strong, but I do not think I understand."

"Well, those are relatively simple," he said as he started to sort through the books and arrange them alphabetically. "Family, anyway, is who you are related to through blood. Your... your mother and father," he said quickly, not wanting to think about his own parents at all. "Your siblings, like brother and... and sister..." He trailed off without even realizing it until he felt Rei's hand on his arm.

"I did not mean to upset you. I thought they were easy questions. I'm... I'm sorry," she offered.

He shook his head with a sad smile. "Nothing to be sorry about, Rei. My family isn't the greatest, that's all. My mom's been gone for a long time, and my dad doesn't care." 'And my sister's dead...' "Friends are a little easier, though. Friends are people who you get along with and enjoy spending time with for no real reason."

She looked to him for a moment before nodding. "So you and Suzuhara and Aida are friends, correct?"

"Yeah," Shinji said. "And I consider both you and Asuka my friends as well."

"I would like to think of you as a friend too. I think anyway. Do you care about your friends?"

"I don't want to see them hurt or in pain, if that's what you mean," Shinji explained.

She nodded again and sat down on the bed, watching him clean for a moment. A part of her felt an odd twinge, which she assumed must have been guilt, and she stood again to keep helping. "Do you believe Asuka thinks of you as a friend, then?"

Shinji stopped cleaning for a moment, caught off guard by the question. 'After last night... I don't know what she thinks about me...' "I think so," he settled on eventually. "But I'm not sure."

"Why not?" Rei asked. "She did hurt you, remember? I find it difficult to believe that everything is resolved."

"Friendship is about trust, Rei."

"I understand," she said, even though she didn't entirely. After a moment, she turned to him again. "I have read a good deal about caring for another, and about something known as love. All the books I have read are very nondescript, and give nothing concrete about either. Could you try to explain those concepts to me as well?"

Shinji sat down on the bed without even realizing it, and found Rei sitting very close to him the next moment. "That's not easy, Rei," he said slowly. "Nothing is really concrete in life. Even math has exceptions to rules, right?"

"So you can not explain caring and love?"

"I didn't say that," he objected. "I just said that it won't be easy. It is just what I believe, that's all. Is that enough?"

"More than enough," she said quickly. She didn't care if Soryu thought he was spineless and pathetic. He seemed very insightful, and really cared about her. At least, if what she thought was caring was true, anyway.

"Well, I guess caring is rather simple. If you worry about someone being hurt, or about where they might be if they aren't where you thought they would be, or things like that, you care about them. If you want them to be happy all the time, and not feel pain and anguish, then you care about them. If you would never do anything to hurt them intentionally, then you care about them."

Rei nodded and looked straight into Shinji's eyes. "I was right, then," she said slowly, trying to keep her voice steady for once. It seemed to be tighter than usual as she looked at him. "I care about you a great deal."

"Re... really?" he asked in surprise. No one had ever really told him that before... at least, no one that wasn't a part of his so called family. Nephilim had told him before, but as she was practically his sister, it wasn't the same as someone else saying it. "You care about me?"

"Do you care about me?" she asked pointedly.

"Of... of course I do," he said quickly. He remembered the fear that he had felt when he thought she had died against the fifth Angel, and the pain in his chest when he opened the entry plug hatch and found her unconscious. "I care a lot."

She put a hand to her chest suddenly, and Shinji moved quickly to put an arm around her, to steady her. "I feel... I feel a great warmth in my chest suddenly," she explained in a soft voice to him.

"Your heart," he explained softly. "It says when you should care about someone. If you listen to your heart, you should never go wrong."

"My heart..." she trailed off. She wasn't sure what it was telling her suddenly, but when he pulled away from her again, she felt almost empty. "And... what about love, then?"

"Love?" Shinji asked. He sounded almost uncomfortable, and she wasn't sure why. "That's a bit harder to explain. It comes from your heart too... and that's about all I can say. When you love someone... love them without question... then your heart tells you how to act. And which path to chose." He fell silent as he felt his own heart speaking to him suddenly. He just wished he had any idea what it was saying. "It is not easy to tell what it is saying, though," he offered after a moment. "One of the hardest things about love is admitting it. It is a great risk..."

"Why would it be a risk?" Rei asked logically. "If it is something that everyone should have, as I am given to understand, then why would it be a risk?"

"What if the person you love doesn't feel the same way about you?" Shinji said softly, not meeting her eye as he looked down. "What then, Rei?"

"You can never give up," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked to her slowly, but a beeping on his wrist diverted his attention.

He looked at his watch and leapt up from the bed. "It's almost supper time," he exclaimed. "I've got to get home to cook!" He looked around Rei's apartment quickly, and then back to her. "What are you doing about supper?"

She shrugged. "I will simply make an Instant Noodles," she explained. "Like every night. It is nourishing, and provides me with what I need."

Shinji shook his head. "That's not right, Rei," he said. He looked at his watch again, and then back to Rei. "Why don't you come with me? You can eat with us," he offered.

"You wish for me to join you in your apartment for supper with the Major and Soryu?"

"Misato and Asuka, yes," Shinji prompted. "If you'd like, anyway. I will make you something without meat, if you want."

"After trying it the other night with you, I found that I did not dislike it as much as I had thought," she said, shaking her head. "I will eat whatever you prepare." She paused for a moment before standing up and giving him a light hug. "Thank you, Shinji."

"Uh... no problem..." he stammered. His mind was racing again. Asuka would not be happy. Without question, she would probably yell and scream, or worse. But it was too late now. Besides, she had said that Rei was a friend of his last night. So why shouldn't he be able to invite her for supper? "We'll have to hurry, though. I have to get things ready before Asuka and Misato get home. Asuka might be there already..."

"We will go as fast as you wish."

Shinji honestly didn't think he would be able to run the entire way home from Rei's apartment. It was half the city away, after all. It was an odd sensation, though. With Rei's constant encouragement and the thought of getting home to make a supper for both Asuka and Rei, he found the energy within himself to keep going. He wasn't sure how Rei did it, but she must have been in remarkable shape.

He called out to anyone who was home as he entered, and was greeted by a loud squawk from the kitchen. He walked in and was immediately attacked by Penpen demanding food. He fed him quickly before Rei called over to him.

"I did not mean to snoop, I apologize," she explained, holding up two pieces of paper. "It appears that Mr. Kaji and the Major left a couple of notes for you and Soryu."

"Thanks Rei," he said, taking the paper to glance over them.

"With the way Misato's going on, I think you'll be happy to know that I've managed to get her out of here for tonight. I've got to say that you both surprise me, though, messing with her that badly. Don't tell her I said so, but bravo!" Kaji's scrawl was on the bottom of the note, and Shinji couldn't help but grin at the blatant remarks. Kaji was always horrifically honest, though, and Shinji respected that.

He didn't really want to read Misato's note, but he knew he should anyway. Especially with Rei watching him as intently as she was suddenly. "How DARE you two take my beer out of the fridge like that! It's all warm now, and I can't STAND warm beer! And then I go to my room to relax and change into some comfortable clothes, and what do I find? AHH!!! You two have a lot of explaining to do when I get back! Mr. Kaji and I have to discuss a couple of things about NERV, so you are off the hook until I get home this evening! And you had better have a DAMN GOOD explanation!" Misato didn't even bother to sign her note.

"Is everything alright, Shinji?" Rei asked. When he looked up, she continued. "You look pale suddenly. Is something the matter?"

"I think Misato's upset with Asuka and me," he mumbled, stuffing the notes in his pocket. "Don't worry about it, it'll blow over." He turned to the fridge and started rummaging through for the ingredients he would need. "What would you like to have?" he asked. He was trying to get his mind off the fact several things at once, including the fact that Misato was angry with him, that Asuka would be really pissed that Rei was there at all, and the fact that Misato wasn't there to help calm her down.

"Just make whatever you were planning on making," Rei said, taking a seat at the table. She stood up again almost instantly, as though she thought she had just done something terribly wrong. "Do you want help, or may I sit down?" she asked.

"If you're tired, you don't have to ask," Shinji said, motioning to the table. "Go ahead and sit. I'll be fine. I usually cook alone anyway."

"Thank you, Shinji," she said as she sat down heavily. "I am not accustomed to making runs of that distance."

"You seemed to handle yourself pretty well, though," Shinji admitted as he started to prepare supper. "Better than me."

"I did not wish for you to be yelled at for being late," she explained. "Though I do have a thought that worries me now..."

"What's wrong?"

"Pilot Soryu will not be pleased to see me here, will she?" Rei asked after a moment. She felt strange asking the question, but she did not want Shinji to come to harm on her account. "If you think it would be best, I can still leave before she realizes that I was here."

Shinji shook his head without turning around. Though he thought it was probably a good idea, his conscience wouldn't let him just tell her to go home at this stage. "She understands," he said, praying that he was right. "She knows that you are a friend of mine."

"She will still be angry," Rei pointed out.

"Probably," he admitted. "But she'll be alright. She won't kill either of us, if that's what you are worried about."

"I am worried that she will yell at you."

Shinji smiled to himself as he started pulling out spices from the cupboard above the sink. "Then everything will be normal, so don't fret, alright?" He paused for a moment as he felt an odd sensation, and then turned to Rei. "Would you go get the door, please?"

"Why? There is no evidence that there is someone there..."

"There will be when you get there," he explained, even though he wasn't sure just how he knew that himself. "So you can give her a hand with her bags."

Rei still did not understand why he was asking her to go to the door, but she decided not to question him. For whatever reason, she knew that if he was telling her about something, then it must be true, no matter how unusual it sounded.

She opened the door as she arrived and found herself face to face with Asuka, who was holding a bag of clothes in either hand, and fumbling in a pocket for a key. "Tha..." she started, but then looked up and saw Rei standing in the doorway. "Just what are you doing here, Wondergirl? This isn't your place!"

"Shinji invited me here for supper," she explained in as calm a voice she could muster after being yelled at. Ever since she ahd started examining her emotions and thoughts more, she found that she did not enjoy being yelled at. "I am simply heeding his request, but please do not be angry with him."

"And why would I be angry with him?" Asuka demanded. "You're here! Verdammt! I'm angry that you actually came! He probably felt sorry for you or something!"

Rei did not respond to her remarks, but simply turned and walked back to the kitchen. Asuka left her bags just inside the doorway and followed immediately afterwards. "What did you invite Wondergirl here for?" Asuka shouted as soon as she saw Shinji.

"Her name is Rei," Shinji said softly, his back still turned to her. "And she was having Instant food at her place, so I thought that she could join us."

"And just why did you think we needed company?" she asked harshly, causing him to turn around quickly to look to her. He found himself wishing that he was a lot better at reading his roommate, and made a quick mental note to start trying to more in the future.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." he stammered.

"Why am I not surprised?" Asuka said bitterly as she sat at the table. She looked up to the doorway, where she saw Rei still standing, watching both of them, an odd expression on her face.

"I will not join you until you apologize for yelling at him," Rei said in a quiet tone. "I do not feel comfortable sharing a table with someone who does not care for Shinji, if he is to be joining us. He does not need to be yelled at."

"Great, you go and complain to her or something?" Shinji looked to her for a moment, and she found herself looking straight into his eyes. She sighed after a moment. "Fine, I know you didn't," she admitted. "But did you have to ask her to come?"

"I didn't have to," Shinji admitted. "But I wanted to. I'm making noodles here anyway," he added, taking two plates from behind him and putting them in front of both Asuka and Rei. He winked to Asuka, but she didn't even seem to notice, and then turned back for his own plate.

"Thank you, Shinji. It looks... delicate."

"Delicious."

"Sorry."

The rest of the meal was eaten in relative silence. There was the occasional barb from Asuka towards Rei, or the offhanded comments from Rei about how nice it was to be there. She wasn't sure why she kept mentioning it, nor why she took such pleasure in seeing Asuka slightly upset about it.

Shinji, on the other hand, was extremely uncomfortable. He felt torn between both girls who were sitting with him at the table. He knew how he had felt that morning about Asuka, without question. But then Rei had to bring up the kiss she had given him, and told him that she cared about him. He had the distinct impression that both girls wished that it was only them and Shinji, without the other pilot to get in the way.

Once they were finished, Shinji stood and collected the plates quickly. "I'll deal with the dishes. I need some time to think," he explained softly, turning away from both of them. Rei stood slowly and walked into the living room. Asuka was tempted to go to her room, which was what she really wanted to do, but she didn't want to leave Rei out with Shinji, so she sat in the large living room as well.

After a few minutes of only hearing Shinji in the kitchen with the dishes, Asuka chanced a glance towards Rei. She was surprised by the fact that the albino blue haired girl was watching her. "What is it?" she asked angrily. "Why are you staring at me?"

"I am trying to determine if you can be considered a friend of Shinji's or not," Rei admitted. "But from what he told me this afternoon, I do not believe that to be the case."

"What?" Asuka demanded, though on the inside she felt an odd pang that hurt more than she wanted to admit. "What did he say?"

"He told me that friendship is about trusting one another, and sticking up for each other," she explained softly as she looked towards the kitchen. "About caring for one another through difficult times."

"And from that you assumed he doesn't think I'm a friend?"

"He said that the most important thing about friendship is trust. Above all else, you have to trust your friends almost all the time," Rei pointed out.

"Is that so?" Asuka asked, a small smile spreading across her face. "Well then I'd say you're dead wrong. I am a friend, at least!"

"But he can not trust you," Rei said steadily. "You hurt him, you betrayed him. Without that trust..."

"I would not be a friend, I will admit that you are right there," Asuka was forced to admit. She didn't really want to hear Rei going on about that mistake. "But Shinji said that he trusts me. It was a difficult time for our friendship, but we've moved on. It is in the past."

"And how would you be so certain as to know that?"

"He told me himself!" Asuka said triumphantly. "So there."

"I care for Shinji a great deal," Rei offered after another minute of silence. "And when I think of him, I feel a great warmth in my chest. I told him as much this afternoon."

"So?" Asuka spat. She did not need to hear how Rei had tried to steal... she stopped her thoughts before they went any further. Shinji did not belong to her, or anyone else. Especially not Wondergirl.

"He seemed shocked, and then he, too, seemed to glow with a warmth. I do not think anyone has ever told him that they cared about him before," Rei explained.

'Great, so she admits her feelings for him before I can... just great!' Asuka snorted and shook her head. "That baka's so mixed up that he doesn't know what's coming or going half the time. I wouldn't read too much into that!"

"Into what?" Shinji asked suddenly as he walked into the room.

"Never mind," Asuka said quickly, standing up. "I need to talk to you tonight, alright?" she added as she started down the hall to her room. "So get her out of here so I can, got it?"

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Shinji asked, turning to Rei. He had offered in the past, and she had always turned him down, so he assumed it would be the same as before. He had to admit that his curiousity was peeked, and he wanted to know what was on Asuka's mind. Despite what Rei had said earlier, he still felt drawn to his fiery roommate more than anything else.

"That would be welcome," Rei said, standing slowly. Shinji just stared at her for a moment before shaking himself back to his senses.

"I'll be back in a bit, Asuka," he called to her. When he didn't get a reply, he knew that she was angry. In truth, he knew that he couldn't blame her. Right after she said she wanted to talk, he had to offer to walk Rei home...

The walk in the dark seemed a lot longer on the way back to Rei's house than it had earlier as they ran to his own apartment. The journey was again made in relative silence, but as he turned to say goodnight to her, she caught his hand and he froze.

"Would you do something for me, Shinji?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Uh... I guess..." he stammered, feeling his face getting very hot suddenly. He was not used to anyone holding his hand like she was, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what she was thinking about.

"Would you... close your eyes for me?"

Shinji looked to her, a little confused for a moment, before shrugging and doing as she asked. He kept his eyes closed for a few seconds before he heard the lock to her apartment opening, and then he was suddenly inside and pressed against the wall. He opened his eyes just in time to find Rei pressing her lips against his again.

He closed his eyes again as he felt her tongue searching for passage into his mouth, and he opened slowly, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close as she kissed him with more passion than he had ever felt before. He could feel her pressed against him, rubbing up and down as she held him close, her own hands wrapped around him as well.

Once they finally separated, she took a step back and held a hand to her chest, breathing hard for a moment. Shinji couldn't ever react, but just leaned against the wall, looking at her. She finally looked up again, and smiled. "You are a wonderful teacher, Shinji Ikari," she whispered. "Now seems like a better time to repeat your first visit here," she added softly as she started to unbutton her blouse. "At a time when I will also enjoy it. I feel at ease with you."
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Shinji eased the door to his apartment closed softly, afraid of waking Asuka. He tiptoed through the place slowly, and stopped when he heard the faint sound of his music playing. He looked over to the couch in the living room, and found Asuka asleep on it. She had his SDAT Player in her ears, and was listening to the music that she had told him she had hated before.

He picked up his blanket and draped it across her carefully, not wanting to wake her. She had said that she wanted to talk, but he didn't want her to wake up suddenly. She looked so peaceful while she slept, so happy, and he didn't want to disrupt that.

He sat down at the other end of the couch carefully, and leaned back to relax. He didn't want to fall asleep, and he looked over to the girl slowly. He froze as he heard her start to talk in her sleep again, though she only ever said one thing this time.

"... Shinji..."

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