Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Only In Your Eyes Am I Worthy ❯ Your Void In Me ( Chapter 27 )

Evangelion: Only In Your Eyes Am I Worthy

 

Author's Note: Nicht mehr sein, das war ihr Wunsch. Aber nicht mehr.

 

Required Disclaimer: Still no own. Still no money. Too evil for a conscience. I think I might just have some jelly donuts around here now, however… Enjoy and ponder on the glory of GAINAX! And stuff.

 

Chapter 27: Your Void In Me

 

 

Shinji paused outside of Dr. Akagi's lab, taking a few deep breaths to calm the fires of rage that threatened to overtake him. “Don't kill the doctor… don't kill the doctor…” He muttered to himself. Briefly he wondered why the blonde woman was his doctor in the first place. `She doesn't have a medical degree, does she? I know she treated Rei, but given her unique physiology… wait… is that why she's always overseen my medical care and given my physicals? Asuka never had to see her… did Dr. Akagi know about me being a clone? If so, why did she seem so surprised to find out about my S2 organ? Something doesn't fit here. Or maybe she did see Asuka and I just never noticed? It's not like Asuka talks about herself all that much… well, neither do I, so it's not like I can say anything about that.' He sighed, concentrating on staying calm, and entered the lab.

 

“Good morning… Maya-san?” Shinji blinked in surprise, seeing the pretty young captain sitting at Dr. Akagi's desk, looking lost in thought.

 

Captain Ibuki blinked and looked at the third child. “Shinji-kun? Is everything all right?”

 

“I… don't know. I had a follow-up exam with Akagi-dono this morning.” The blue-eyed boy responded, glancing around to confirm that the doctor was indeed not there.

 

Maya frowned when the doctor was mentioned. “She didn't come in today.” The computer geek was afraid the woman had done something stupid and had been shot or worse, but she kept that to herself. “I can take a blood sample, at least. If she was going to do anything else, I can't really help you with that.”

 

Shinji nodded and sat down on one of the examination tables close to the captain and tried desperately not to blush when she bent over to retrieve the materials she'd need for a blood draw. He couldn't help but blush when she glanced back and noticed him staring at her backside. “Uh… um… do you think… ah… is Akagi-dono sick?” He stuttered out, trying to cover for his gawking.

 

“I don't know, Shinji-kun.” Maya replied. “It'll be easier on the both of us if you lie down.”

 

The third child blinked a few times, surprised by her attitude. She should have either admonished him for looking, or teased him, or… something. Once he was lying down, he looked at the captain as she tied a tourniquet around his arm. “Are you all right, Maya-san?” He inquired.

 

Maya nodded. “I was out sick until this morning. Technically I'm supposed to still be out but I was concerned about Akagi-dono.”

 

Shinji knew something was wrong, then. She didn't call the doctor sempai. Then he remembered the doctor's comment about keeping his fluids to himself. `Uh oh…' The boy coughed and looked up at the captain. “Maya-san… is she upset with you… because she found out about… what we did?”

 

Captain Ibuki paused before rubbing the pilot's arm with an alcohol swab. “Yes. But she was angry about something else more… something to do with Ayanami-chan. Apparently they had some sort of argument.”

 

The third child sighed. `Yes… and the doctor tried to kill my Rei-chan.' He thought. Then aloud he said, “She mentioned it.” He couldn't hide the anger in his voice.

 

Maya nodded as she took the blood sample, waiting until she was done before she added to her previous statement. “Sorry if that hurt. Ah… and there's something else. Is it true that you and Ayanami are… involved?”

 

Shinji blushed in embarrassment. “Ah… yes. At least, I think so.” He didn't want to say that he thought the girl was trying to decide between him and Asuka. He wasn't even sure that was really the case or not. “It was after um… that day with us. I wasn't involved with her then.”

 

“But she knows about it.” The captain stated.

 

The blue-eyed boy blinked. “How did you know that? I just told her yesterday.”

 

“Akagi-dono said that was what started their argument. She said Ayanami threatened me and her over it.” Maya explained.

 

Shinji was shocked. “Rei-chan threatened you? And Akagi-dono? That doesn't make any sense. First of all, we're talking about Rei, the least likely person to ever threaten somebody, ever. Secondly, it was after Akagi-dono tried to strangle Rei to death that I told her.”

 

Now it was Captain Ibuki's turn to be shocked. “She… hurt Ayanami-chan? Oh no…” The lady shook her head, horrified. “She did seem angry and was talking about being betrayed. Oh sempai… how could you?” She sighed, turning to place the blood sample into the analysis machine like Dr. Akagi always did, after taking a drop of it onto a slide.

 

After a few moments of thought, she glanced back at the boy. “Akagi-dono said Ayanami already knew about what we did. Assuming she wasn't lying, she said Ayanami could sense your energy in me, or something crazy like that.”

 

The third child thought about that. It made sense. “She didn't seem surprised when I told her… but then, this is Ayanami we're talking about.”

 

Maya nodded and looked at the sample under the microscope. “Wow… now that is a lot of blue cells. I was looking at Ayanami's earlier and your blood looks almost the same… though she probably had more. Your S2 organ may be smaller but I don't think it affects the energy output.”

 

Shinji smiled, remembering Rei's words. “Ayanami said… size doesn't matter.”

 

Captain Ibuki smirked mischievously. “That must be very comforting for you.”

 

The blue-eyed boy paled and his mouth dropped open in shock. He looked down at his waist.

“Oh… that's… ah…”

 

“Males really are insecure about that sort of thing, aren't they? I was teasing you, Shinji-kun.” Maya laughed softly. It took her mind off of wondering what trouble her sempai might be getting into, which was a good thing.

 

Shinji blushed. “Well, how would you feel if someone insinuated that your breasts were too small? I mean, compared to Katsuragi-shousa…” He blurted out defensively.

 

The captain shook her head. “Shinji-kun, compared to her, we're all flat-chested. I don't have any insecurity over the size of my breasts. Now… my feet on the other hand…”

 

The third child looked down at the girl's feet. “They look fine to me.”

 

“What about my legs?” She asked, twisting one leg at the hip from side to side.

 

The blue-eyed boy coughed nervously. “They're very nice.”

 

Maya smirked and turned around. “And my butt? Do you think it's too small?”

 

Shinji turned red and looked away. “You're teasing me, Maya-san.”

 

“I know. You're cute when you blush.” The captain giggled.

 

“Ah… I think I should ah… get going.” The young pilot stated nervously.

 

Maya shook her head and laughed softly. “Shinji-kun… still so shy around me? That's so adorable.”

 

“I'm going to go now, then…” Shinji started edging towards the door.

 

“Shinji-kun, I haven't dismissed you yet.” The captain stated seriously.

 

The third child blinked. `Uh oh…' He coughed nervously and looked back at the computer geek. “May I have permission to leave, Ibuki-taii?”

 

“Denied. Sit down.” Maya ordered.

 

`Oh god… no. Not again!' The boy paled and wondered how much trouble he'd get in if he ran for it. “Ah… yes ma'am.”

 

“I'm not teasing you right now, Shinji-kun. We have to sort this out. Now, Akagi-dono said that Ayanami threatened her, and me. And that she was rubbing it in the doctor's face about how she had you and your father wrapped around her little finger. Now, that didn't sound like Ayanami to me, and it still doesn't. But Akagi-dono is the head researcher of Project E and Ayanami is just a pilot. If this is a matter of her word versus Ayanami's, then they will likely take the doctor's word over Rei's.” Maya explained.

 

Shinji almost sighed in relief, as he had been almost sure the captain had an ulterior motive in mind. `I need to get my mind out of the gutter.' He chastised himself. But the lady's words got him worried. “But… my father wouldn't take Akagi-dono's word over Rei's!”

 

“Probably not, but he may not have a choice. What would people say if he took the word of his ward over a respected leader of this organization? There is a committee from the UN that oversees NERV. If they heard about it…” The captain trailed off, her point made.

 

The third child shook his head. “But… she attacked Ayanami! I saw the bruise where that bitch strangled her! It went all the way around her neck!”

 

“Has anyone else seen it? With how fast she's healing now, there's probably no visual evidence of it remaining. And even if there was, she might claim that Ayanami attacked her and she was defending herself.” Captain Ibuki pointed out.

 

Shinji rubbed his temples, worried now. “Do you think Akagi-dono will make that claim?”

 

Maya shrugged. “I really don't know. When she came to see me last night, she was angry. She tried to talk me into helping her do something… awful to Ayanami. She wanted revenge, she said. She wants to take her frustrations out on Rei… and your father. I don't think she's in her right mind. The Akagi-dono I know wouldn't have done any of this.” The captain shook her head, bewildered about what could have caused the doctor to take such a downward spiral. “If she does report Ayanami, I will testify on her behalf. Perhaps with my report on her mental state, Ayanami's report on what actually happened and your corroboration of the physical evidence you observed, it will be enough. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, though.”

 

The third child nodded. “Hai.”

 

“That's it, then. You are dismissed, Shinji-kun, unless there's something else on your mind?” The captain gave the pilot a playful smirk.

 

Shinji blushed and shook his head. “See you, Maya-san. At the next sync test, if not sooner.” He waved and started walking out, wondering why all the women in his life enjoyed teasing him so much. Well, most of the women, at any rate.

 

“Give Ayanami a kiss for me, won't you?” Maya called out to the boy right as he was leaving the lab, stifling a giggle.

 

The third child's mouth dropped open in shock. `Not Maya too!?' He hurried away, intent on getting home and trying to get images of Sapphic kissing out of his mind. `I must run away! I must run away!'

 

 

*************************

 

 

Asuka was bored. After she came home from her therapy session, she found an empty house awaiting her. “That Dummkopf is still going at it with Wonder Girl?” She wondered aloud, frustration creasing her eyes.

 

The second child opened up the refrigerator and an impish grin formed on her lips as she looked at the beer. “Just how bored am I?” She asked aloud in an innocent voice, but then her tone turned almost demonic as she pulled out a six-pack. “Bored enough to drink this sludge that Misato thinks is Bier.” She cackled as she closed the refrigerator.

 

The red-haired girl plopped down near the television and picked up one of her bottles of medication. “Time for my happy pills.” Then she noticed a big warning label on the side of the bottle. Luckily for her, it was printed both in Japanese and in English. “Warning, absolutely do not mix with alcohol. Results can prove fatal.”

 

Asuka's right eye twitched. She growled and got up and placed the beer back into the refrigerator. Once it was closed, she kicked the innocent appliance. “The whole world is against me.” She griped.

 

After she took her medication, she flipped on the television. Luckily, some of the stations were back on the air, so she didn't have to watch badgers mating. Unfortunately, however, there wasn't anything better on. “Old Tommy (British) sitcom about some fat oaf running around a lot and looking up skirts. Some cartoon about little kids fighting each other with playing cards… home improvement show… yeah like I'd be interested in that…” She paused when she came on a show that looked strangely familiar. “Is that… an Eva? They made a show based on us?”

 

She raised an eyebrow as she watched some guy in a rubber suit, obviously meant to be an Angel, trashing buildings. Then it showed actors portraying people that were obviously meant to be them summoning the Evas and somehow jumping straight into them and attacking. “What… the… hell?! How come that girl with the red-dyed hair has some humongous breasts?! Isn't this supposed to be a kids' show?! And is that how they see me, as some Flittchen (floosy) with over-sized melons for breasts?!”

 

The red-haired girl growled and flipped off the TV set in disgust. “Diese Idioten! (Idiots!)” She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. She sighed and looked around. “I'm bored.” She complained to the empty house. Her ears perked up, however, when the front door opened.

 

“I'm home!” Shinji called.

 

Asuka blinked in surprise. “Hey, Dummkopf. I'm in here!” She called, daring to get her hopes up that the boy wasn't just picking up some spare clothes and going back to Rei's house.

 

The third child walked in and smiled. “Ah good, I was hoping you'd be here.” He greeted.

 

`Of course I'm here, where the hell else would I be? Most of the city is nothing but rubble!' She thought. Then aloud, she couldn't stop herself from being obnoxious. “Wonder Girl kick you out already?”

 

“No, nothing like that. She had plans with my father.” Shinji replied. He saw the flash of indignation in her eyes and knew he said that the wrong way, so he quickly covered for himself. “Which is good because it gives me time to spend with you, Asuka-chan.”

 

`Don't fall for that… don't fall for that…' Asuka smiled, in spite of herself. `Damn it! Why does Shinji have to be so damned… adorable?' “Well good, I'm so bored I was contemplating counting the cracks in the walls.”

 

Shinji winced, knowing that was likely what the girl did the day before without having anyone to spend time with and barely anything being left open in the way of entertainment. “Would you like to go out and find something to do?”

 

“On a date?” The German girl asked hopefully. `Damn it, don't sound so desperate! Have some pride! What is wrong with you tonight? And why am I talking to myself in the second person in my own thoughts?!'

 

The blue-eyed boy paused for a second. “Ah… well…”

 

Asuka stared at the boy, anger edging its way into her expression.

 

“Sure!” Shinji cried suddenly, not wanting to suffer the girl's wrath. “If that's all right with you?”

 

The red-haired girl narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “What would Wonder Girl think about that, though?”

 

“She's ok with it.” The third child replied confidently. `Though why, I'm not sure…'

 

“Oh… do you mind waiting while I shower and get changed, then?” The German girl inquired.

Shinji shook his head. “No, go ahead. Take your time, Asuka-chan.”

 

Asuka smiled, feeling a little giddy. `Why do I have to act like such a silly little thing? Damn it!' She showered and glanced at the door every now and then. “Shinji, if you open that door, I won't even mind…” She whispered, apprehension and a little hope in her voice.

 

The blue-eyed boy, however, was sitting in front of the television. “Whoa… I think that red-haired girl's breasts are even bigger than Misato-san's!” He stared in awe.

 

The second child paused as she was heading to her room to dress, a towel wrapped loosely around her body. She looked at Shinji's back for a few moments but then noticed his eyes were glued to the television screen. Her royal-blue eyes trailed up to see what his attention was fixated on. A moment later she was clenching her fists in an attempt to quell her rage. `I'm in the shower, which I can't even lock him out of, naked, and he's in here staring at some busty girl's oversized breasts?!' She paused for a moment as another realization entered her mind. `Though… it is the red-haired girl he's staring at, and not the blue-haired one that's meant to be Rei… interesting.'

 

Asuka shrugged and went into her room to get dressed. She looked through her closet and smiled. “I've been saving this dress for a special occasion… I'll give him something better to look at than that breast-monster.” A short while later, after she was dried off, dressed, and her hair was dry and brushed, she applied a touch of perfume that she had… borrowed from Misato. “Die höchste Perfektion! (Ultimate perfection)” She stated confidently, doing a twirl in front of the mirror and flashing her reflection a flirtatious smile. Then she walked out and cleared her throat to get the boy's attention. “I'm ready when you are, Shinji-kun.”

 

Shinji flipped the television set off and stood up. He turned to look at the German girl and a moment later his eyes were bugged out, he was blushing and his mouth was hanging open in shock. “What… are you wearing!?” He exclaimed, blinking in a vain attempt to clear his eyes and find her wearing something else.

 

“It's a Dirndl. Do you like it?” The blue-eyed girl inquired mischievously. The Dirndl was crimson over white, and also had a frilly white apron wrapped around it. She did a slow twirl to give the boy the full view. It was also low-cut and provided a tantalizing view of the girl's cleavage, which was enhanced by the tight bodice. (AN: If you don't know what a Dirndl is, it's a traditional German folk dress. Do a google image search on them, they're pretty.)

 

The third child blinked and swallowed nervously. “You look… gorgeous.”

 

`Ein voller Erfolg! (A complete success!)' Asuka thought. “So are we ready to go, then?”

 

Shinji blinked again. He glanced away to give himself a moment to clear his head then turned back and nodded. “Yes…”

 

As the two pilots walked towards the undamaged (or rather, the less damaged) section of Tokyo-3, Asuka glanced over at the blue-eyed boy several times, noticing his eyes kept straying over to her. “So what's Wonder Girl doing with the commander?”

 

The third child shrugged. “I don't know.”

 

“You don't know?” The German girl repeated, surprised.

 

“She just said she'd be with him overnight.” Shinji replied. “I'm curious also, but she was in a rush. And I got the impression that it wasn't really my business to know.”

 

“Maybe she and your dad are making wedding plans for you.” The second child teased.

 

The blue-eyed boy froze, horror etched on his face. “What? But… we're too young for marriage!”

 

Asuka smirked. “Well you never know… maybe he taught her that if she had sex with a guy, that she should immediately make wedding plans.”

 

The third child shook his head and continued walking. “We haven't had sex, though.”

 

The red-haired girl glanced at the boy. “You don't have to lie to me about it.”

 

Shinji frowned. “I'm not lying. Well… ok. We did do a little something, but I don't think it would count as far as making wedding plans are concerned.”

 

The girl's blue eyes narrowed in confusion. “What'd you do that wouldn't count? You watch each other masturbate or something?”

 

The third child blushed and glanced away. “A little more than that. So what do you want to do?” He attempted to change the subject.

 

“Oh, come now, Shinji-kun. Spill it. What'd you do?” Asuka pressed. “If you can't tell your best friend in the whole wide world, who can you tell?” She gave the boy a cheeky grin.

 

Shinji looked at the girl, wondering if she was serious or not. “You actually want to hear this?”

 

The second child nodded. “I can handle it. Entertain me with your lusty tale.”

 

The blue-eyed boy blushed again. “Ah… it wasn't that lusty. When I woke up her hand was kind of on me… and I was already kind of… up, if you know what I mean. Morning, you know? And she was asleep and I couldn't reach down and move her hand so I tried to wake her up… she kind of shifted a few times and that made it worse.”

 

“She groped you in her sleep? That's it?” Asuka inquired, not believing it was as simple as that.

 

The third child glanced away nervously, wishing he could run away or at least change the subject. “No. When she did finally wake up, I asked her to move her hand. She misunderstood me, and instead of taking her hand off me… she started rubbing me for real. And then… it led to her… ah… relieving the tension with her hand. You know what I mean.”

 

The second child nodded. “So she jerked you off. Then what?”

 

Shinji shrugged. “We cuddled for a little while then she took a shower, I cooked breakfast, we ate, then she left to go meet up with my father.”

 

Asuka stopped walking, grabbing the boy's arm to halt him as well. “Wait… you made her do all that work to get you off and you didn't even return the favor? That's pretty selfish.”

 

The third child started panicking. “No, it wasn't like that! I asked her if she wanted me to do anything and she just… said she needed to shower. I would have been happy to do anything she wanted.”

 

The German girl slapped her forehead and sighed. “Dummkopf! Have you learned nothing about our fair Rei-chan? You can't ask her something like that and expect an answer. She hates answering questions like that.”

 

The blue-eyed boy blinked. “What?”

 

“She doesn't just come right out and tell you what she wants!” Asuka exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “You kind of have to guess with her. Actually, in my experience, she doesn't like to be asked at all, except for asking her to do something. If you want to do something with her, just do it. I'm pretty sure she'd stop you if she didn't want it. Haven't you figured out that she's like… even more passive than you?”

 

The third child blinked again.

 

“Idiot! You are hopeless. You do realize that, right?” The second child inquired, shaking her head in disgust.

 

Shinji frowned and shook his head. “I think it was just that she was in a hurry.”

 

The red-haired girl sighed, but a moment later an idea came to her. “An experiment, then. Take a good look at me, ok?” She paused a moment as the boy blushed and glanced away nervously, then his gaze returned to her and his eyes roamed appreciatively. “Ok, now tell me, what do you want to do?”

 

The third child glanced away timidly again. “Ah… see a movie?”

 

“Bockmist! (Bullshit basically… or rather ram poop)” Asuka retorted. “You want to kiss me. Or grab my boobs, or maybe even my ass. Hell, you might even be thinking `Damn, I would love it if we could duck into an alley so I fuck this sexy girl until she's screaming my name' or something like that.”

 

Shinji blushed and looked away. “I… ah… well…” He was completely flustered.

 

“But you would never come right out and say that, would you? I've had my pussy in your face, and you still can't say that to me.” The second child pointed out. She winced at the memory of that day, but she had to accept what she did in her past and move on, or so Dr. Kagame claimed.

 

The blue-eyed boy frowned at the memory also, not because of what she did to him, necessarily, but what he did to her in retaliation. It was hardly his finest hour, either. “Even so, I wouldn't just say that. And… just because I have a lusty thought doesn't mean I'd act on it without invitation.”

 

“See? You just made my point.” Asuka stated triumphantly. “You would never say `Hey Asuka, I'm horny. Let's fuck.' even if you thought it. Hell, you probably wouldn't have even asked Rei to jerk you off if she hadn't already been groping you. And as I said, she's far more passive than you are. You might occasionally get the guts to ask for something, or make a bold statement, but she never does. She lives in a shit-hole apartment probably because she never thought to ask for a better one.”

 

Shinji scratched his head, still embarrassed by the conversation. “But I can't just come right out and ask her to let me do something like that… or ask her to do something to me.”

 

The red-haired girl shrugged in response. “Then she never will.”

 

The third child sighed and looked down the street in the direction they had been heading. He couldn't think of a decent reply to that because he knew it was true.

 

“Hopeless. I'm going to do you a favor, mein Freund. Follow me.” She glanced around then started walking down an alley between two undamaged buildings. Without even looking back, she knew the boy was following her silently and obediently.

 

She turned into a small alcove, turned to face the third child and pressed herself back against the stone wall. There was a door next to her, but it was locked with a chain. They were completely hidden. Even if someone walked down the street and looked into the alley, they would have seen nothing. In fact, the only way someone would be able to see them was if they walked down the alley as well. “Now, no one can see us. There aren't even any windows around here, even if this area wasn't completely deserted. So… do something to me.”

 

Shinji's eyes widened and he glanced nervously around. “Huh? Like what?”

 

Asuka shrugged. “Your choice. Anything you want.”

 

The third child blushed and glanced around again before stepping forward until he was in front of her. He reached out tentatively then dropped his arm back down to his side. He looked around again then leaned in closer and pressed his lips to the red-haired girl's.

 

The German girl started reaching up to pinch the boy's nose closed, but forced her arm to stay at her side. His hot breath still tickled her a little, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first time they kissed. She tilted her head slightly and deepened the kiss, closing her eyes and enjoying the moment.

 

A few seconds later, Shinji backed away and blushed. “That was nice.” He stated with a silly grin plastered on his face.

 

The second child grinned. “Ja, it was. I'm glad you didn't run away.” She paused for a moment then gave the boy an impish grin. “Of course, you might be kicking yourself in a minute, since you could have felt me up… or hell, even pulled my panties down and fucked me. But it was a nice kiss.”

 

The third child's mouth dropped open in shock. “I could have?”

 

“I said anything, didn't I?” The German girl pointed out, raising her hands up to do an expressive shrug.

 

Shinji blushed and looked away towards the ground. “I wouldn't want to lose my virginity in an alley.”

 

“It wouldn't have been my ideal choice either, but you still could have felt me up, or even pushed me down on my knees and pleasured yourself with my mouth. Or any number of other choices. But it was a nice kiss.” The second child smirked, intentionally teasing the boy. “Rei mentioned she saw a movie with Ibuki-taii, so there must be a theater open. Want to go see a movie?”

 

The third child blinked in confusion, both from the girl's words and the sudden change of subject. “Ah… sure.” He agreed. He cleared his throat and discretely adjusted his pants, willing his eager body to calm down. “It's probably the one near the restaurants that are still open.” He backed away nervously and turned to walk back to the street.

 

“Poor Shinji-kun… he still could have made a move on me just then, and he missed another golden opportunity. Let's see if a good action movie is playing.” Asuka teased as she walked towards the street.

 

Shinji froze, staring at the girl's back as she walked away. “What? Damn it!” He grumbled as he caught up to his fellow pilot. As they walked he glanced at the girl several times and then spoke up. “It's probably for the best, I don't know if I should have even done anything like that. I probably shouldn't have even kissed you, but I don't know. Rei doesn't seem to mind it, but I can't really tell. It may just be that she doesn't want to voice her displeasure in me.”

 

“I don't know. She didn't express any qualms when I was kissing her. Maybe she's just not the jealous type.” The second child suggested.

 

The blue-eyed boy glanced over at the girl, considering that. It certainly made sense. “She said she doesn't care who I share my body with, as long as she has my heart… so you're probably right. But… just because she doesn't mind it, doesn't mean I should be doing it. I'm courting her now, I even have my father's permission since he's her guardian. I can't just go around screwing every girl that thinks I'm cute just because Rei wouldn't mind.”

 

Asuka shrugged. “I would hope you'd at least care about the ones you did sleep with, though. If you do sleep with anyone else, that is.”

 

The third child didn't comment on that, but he didn't think it was likely. Even if his blue-haired beauty didn't mind. “So… you and Rei-chan have been kissing?” He inquired curiously.

 

The red-haired girl nodded. “A few times, ja.”

 

“Oh. I thought you were just teasing me.” Shinji replied in an ambiguous tone.

 

The second child glanced over at the other pilot and raised an eyebrow. “Are you jealous?”

 

The blue-eyed boy considered that for a few moments then shook his head. “No.”

 

Asuka made a thoughtful noise before asking, “How come?”

 

The third child thought about it for over a minute as they neared the theater. He looked over at the girl beside him and shrugged. “I guess because it was with you.”

 

The German pilot blinked a few times and fell silent, no response to that seemed to be forthcoming. When they reached the theater they looked at the movies playing. “How about that one? I heard it was a good samurai flick.”

 

Shinji nodded. “Sounds great. I'm just glad you don't want to see a love story… I've got enough drama in that area already.”

 

Asuka laughed softly and shook her head. “A love story? Oh, that sounds like a great idea! Let's see that one instead!”

 

“No.” The third child stated firmly.

 

The blue-eyed girl raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Shinji-kun… you said no to me?”

 

“That's right.” He affirmed. `If Rei can say no, so can I.' Shinji thought.

 

Asuka grinned. “There's hope for you yet, Third Child.”

 

 

*************************

 

 

Rei entered the chamber containing the Dummy Plug system, which was where she had agreed to meet the commander the last time they saw one another. Gendo was leaning over a console, tapping away at the keys and scowling down at the readout. He frowned, hearing the soft tapping of approaching feet and wondered if Dr. Akagi had returned to gloat. He turned to stare into the red eyes of the first child. Both remained silent for a few moments, but when he noticed her eyes shifting to gaze behind him, he spoke quickly. “Rei, step outside. I will come out and talk to you there.”

 

The girl's red eyes shifted back to meet the commander's. “The sunflower has become the orchid.” She stated ambiguously.

 

Commander Ikari stared emotionlessly at his ward. After a stretch of silence that would have made anyone else uncomfortable, he spoke. “Yes, that she has.”

 

Rei approached the LCL filled tank that had once housed her sisters/clones and raised a pale hand up to press against the cool glass. She stared into the amber liquid silently and then turned her head to fix her red eyes on the commander. “You… destroyed them? Because the Dummy Plug was no longer a viable option?” Her voice was unreadable, but Gendo could see a seething anger deep in the crimson depths of the first child's eyes.

 

If Commander Ikari was offended by her accusation, he gave no indication of it. “Dr. Akagi entered this lab with a stolen keycard and boiled… them.” He hesitated a moment on that last word, deciding between `your sisters' and `the dummies' but instead chose a simple pronoun. “Before security and I could reach her, she somehow escaped this chamber and installation.”

 

The first child turned her gaze back into the Room of Gauf. She knew why the doctor had done it and it was giving her an emotion she had never experienced before and was unsure of what it was. “Ritsuko has no honor. She is dead already, even if her body does not know it yet.” The girl stated softly, surprised afterwards by the edge in her voice.

 

Gendo frowned, turning his attention towards a sound he heard, like cracking glass. He wondered if somehow the doctor had been hiding in the room the entire time, and was simply missed by both security and him when they searched the room. He turned his attention back to the blue-haired girl and surprise forced its way through his normally stoic mask. “Rei?”

 

Rei fixed her gaze on the commander and it wasn't until after she heard the crunching glass behind her that she saw the concern and apprehension in his eyes. She turned to look at the spider web of cracks forming in the LCL tank and realized she had accidentally pushed her AT field out. She stared at the damage impassively, even as the cracking continued, obviously about to shatter the Room of Gauf.

 

“Rei!” Commander Ikari called out sharply, immediately gaining the slender girl's attention. “We're going to lunch. Now.” When the girl wasn't walking quickly enough for his tastes, he reached down and grabbed the girl's small hand and literally pulled her behind himself as he hastily exited the room. A moment after the doors closed behind them, the sound of shattering glass and rushing liquid was heard. Still he continued walking, concerned that the water would somehow leak out of the chamber into the surrounding lab areas that occupied Terminal Dogma.

 

When they were riding up the elevator to the upper levels of NERV, the first child discretely rubbed her sore hand and arm, but remained silent. Gendo noticed, however, and realized he had pulled too hard and walked too fast for the girl to handle. “Your power is beginning to manifest.” He observed.

 

“Yes sir.” Rei replied.

 

The commander glanced down at the girl, wishing for a moment that she wasn't so unreadable. Shinji was easy. The boy couldn't hide his emotions if his life depended on it. “I've never seen you lose your temper before.” He observed, his tone betraying nothing of his thoughts.

 

“No sir.” The blue-haired girl replied.

 

Gendo was silent for a while before continuing. “Don't ever take your anger out on me, Rei.”

 

The first child turned her head to look at the commander, but made no comment. She would never say it, but it was starting to annoy her, the way he talked down to her. She had realized long ago that she was nothing more than a tool to him, and it hadn't bothered her before, but now…

 

Commander Ikari frowned, unsure of how to take the silence and the girl's stoic expression. “Don't take your anger out on Shinji either.” He added as an afterthought.

 

“I know, sir.” Rei responded.

 

Gendo fixed his eyes onto the girl's crimson orbs. `I know? Not `yes sir', or even `of course not', just `I know'? And I received no response when I warned her against taking her anger out on me? This was not in my scenario.' The commander turned his gaze straight forward, seeing the girl do the same out of the corner of his eye. “Has my son talked to you yet?”

 

“Yes sir.” The first child affirmed, knowing what he was asking her.

 

“Elaborate, please.” The commander requested. Normally he would just order it, but he no longer had a replacement for Rei and he had never wanted to resort to using one to begin with. When a new Rei was awoken, she had memory loss and the changes in her personality could be unpredictable. Assuming, of course, that the same held true this time as it had with the first time they were forced to do it.

 

Furthermore, he never wanted to go through the pain of losing another child. It was after Rei's death that he had taken care of Shinji back from the boy's aunt and uncle. He wanted the boy close to him then, even if he no longer knew how to relate to the troubled child. And because the boy had been by his side two years later, he was killed. He would never forgive himself for that.

 

“Pilot Ikari came to my apartment and informed me that he wished to court me and that you had given him permission to do so. Therefore, we are now courting.” Rei finally responded, interrupting the commander's train of thought before it reached its natural destination on his guilt and grief over Yui's death and absorption by Unit 01.

 

Gendo looked down at the girl beside him as they started walking towards the commander's private break room. “Understood. What else occurred?”

 

“We had a meal. We kissed. He held me. We slept together. This morning he cooked breakfast for me before I came here.” The first child deadpanned.

 

The commander's expression became unreadable again. “You had sex with him, then?”

 

“No sir. He has not yet tried to have intercourse with me. I did pleasure him this morning before I showered, however.” Rei explained.

 

Gendo frowned. He always told the girl she could tell him anything, even if it was embarrassing, but going into detail about her sexual escapades with his son was a little difficult to hear, even for him. “I will not interfere with your relationship with my son.” He said instead of commenting on whether the girl could tell him things like that or not. It was good that she still felt comfortable sharing, but that didn't mean he had to like what she chose to share.

 

“Thank you, sir.” The first child replied, her tone unreadable.

 

Commander Ikari glanced down at the girl after they sat down, his personal chef came in to find out what they wished to dine on, then he hurried away to give the two their privacy. “Has my son made any mention of what else we discussed, when he asked for permission to court you?”

 

“No sir. It never came up.” Rei responded honestly. She was surprised the commander had even discussed anything else with the young Ikari.

 

Gendo was disappointed in that. He was hoping Shinji would have told the girl about the change in his relationship with his son. “He has forgiven me. For everything.”

 

This time, the normally stoic blue-haired girl was unable to hide her surprise as her eyes widened. “Has he? The Dummy Plug, also? And the death of the fourth child?”

 

“Yes, everything.” Ikari affirmed proudly. He silently wished he had a camera to capture the expression on the girl's face for all eternity. Rarely did he see such an emotional display since her re-awakening. Unlike the first Rei, who was quite expressive, perhaps too much so at times, this Rei was stoic, quiet and introspective to the point of being shy.

 

Then the red-eyed girl did something that the commander had never seen her do in her current life. She actually smiled at him. “I am… glad? Yes, I am glad that all is well between you and Ikari-kun.”

 

They both fell silent as the chef returned with their meals, then Gendo continued after the man had left again. “Do you still call him Ikari?”

 

“No sir. I use his personal name.” Rei replied as she picked up her chopsticks and started eating her rice.

 

Gendo nodded. “You can call him whatever you like in front of me.”

 

The first child paused to finish chewing her rice before responding. “Thank you, sir.”

 

“I have something to show you when we are done eating. I think it is time for it.” The commander stated.

 

The girl paused in her eating to fix her crimson eyes on the commander, wondering if it was a good thing or not. She knew it likely had to do with the Human Instrumentality Project, though she was still unsure of her exact role in the events, especially now that Unit 00 was in pieces. She knew the man wouldn't divulge any information until he was ready to, however. So she resumed her meal, though worry was making her stomach upset.

 

After lunch was finished, the Commander Ikari stood up and turned away from the girl. “Follow me.” He ordered as he started walking, not even looking back to make sure the girl complied.

 

Rei followed the man silently, though she felt uneasy when they took the elevator back down to Terminal Dogma. Soon they came to a bulkhead door with a sign next to it indicating it was the LCL plant. A moment later, the door was opened by the commander's pass card and the first child was greeted by the familiar sight of Adam.

 

The commander stepped forward onto the walkway overlooking the angel and the reservoir of LCL that lay at the bottom of the vast chamber. “You have been here before.” The commander stated. She had indeed been down in this room twice already, but both times she was in her Eva. Once to plant the Lance of Longinus in the angel's chest, the second time to retrieve it to save Asuka's life.

 

“Yes sir.” Rei replied.

 

Gendo fixed his eyes onto the angel that was crucified and masked, his face expressionless. “You were told that this angel is Adam. In fact, everyone but Professor Fuyutsuki and I believe this to be Adam.”

 

The first child turned her head to look up at the commander's face. Obviously he had lied to everyone, but for what purpose? “It is not Adam.” She stated more than questioned.

 

“It is, in fact, Lilith. We discovered her even before Adam, as she was… slumbering here in the GeoFront where humanity was born. I am sure you have wondered how we cloned you with Lilith's DNA when no mention of her contact was ever made.” The commander explained.

The girl turned her crimson eyes back to the angel and stared at it impassively. “So this is the instrument of my rebirth.” She commented without emotion.

 

“She is more than that, Rei.” Commander Ikari stated ominously. “You are, in fact, a clone of Lilith.”

 

“I know, sir.” The first child responded. That was not news to her, so what was this all about?

 

Gendo shook his head. “No, you don't. You were told that you were cloned from the little girl that was killed by one of the researchers here. While that is true, it is not the whole truth. You were a clone to begin with. You are a direct clone of the Lilith you see before you.”

 

That got the blue-haired girl's attention. She turned her gaze back onto the commander, her face still stoic, but disbelief was in her eyes. “Sir?”

 

The commander leaned forward and rested his elbows on the railing, staring at the huge angel before him. “Some time after we made contact with Adam and forced him to revert to his embryonic form utilizing the Lance of Longinus, the mission of Gehirn was to resurrect the angels in a form we could use. The Evas were the grand plan, but you were an alternative. Actually, at the time we believed that only you would be able to pilot the Evas. We cloned you directly from Lilith. We had to give you human form, but that proved relatively simple since the difference between a human's genome and an angel's is only 0.11%. All we had to do was… fill the gap. And thus, you were born.”

 

Rei's eyes narrowed slightly as she was still confused. “But I was strangled to death by Naoko Akagi. I remember that quite clearly.”

 

Gendo looked down at his ward, surprised that she remembered the person responsible. She had always known it was a woman, but had never given any indication that she remembered who in particular her murderer was. “Yes, that is true. We were able to salvage your memories and your soul and place them into one of your clones. Your personality changed, however. And you also experienced large gaps in your memory. It was… a tragedy, in more ways than one.”

 

“Sir?” The first child questioned.

 

“You… or she rather, always called me Papa.” Ikari explained, his voice betraying a hint of the underlying grief.

 

“I don't remember.” Rei replied, for the first time in her life actually yearning for the memories she had lost.

 

Gendo nodded. “I know. You became so cold and distant after we revived you. It had a similar effect when we were forced to use the same process on Shinji. He was never entirely happy since he witnessed… what happened to Yui. And I was so lost in my own grief that I couldn't face him. I had him move back in with me, shortly after your… death. I needed to be around him, but I couldn't connect with him. Truthfully, I didn't really try. He was… still quiet and thoughtful, but he had innocence in him… even after all he had suffered through. After he was killed, however… he became even more withdrawn. He had never been very brave… but he developed an anxiety problem which he is only now recovering from. He also became quite angry and bitter, especially towards me. He ran away and it was two weeks before we found him. He refused to live with me and his aunt and uncle had grown feeble and could no longer care for a child, especially one as troubled as he was. I had no choice but to place him into the care of his teacher. I think he still despises that old man.”

 

The red-eyed girl was shocked. Not only in the information she was hearing, but that the man was actually speaking this much and in this amount of detail to her. Normally their conversations didn't extend past an enquiry into her health and schooling. “Why…” She started to ask.

 

“Am I telling you all this?” The commander finished for her. After she nodded, he looked back at the crucified angel. “I am happy that you have are bringing my son out of his shell… and that perhaps he is doing the same for you. But, as things stand now, you have no future. Humanity is dying out. I'm sure you've heard that the birth rates around the world have dropped more and more with each passing year since the Second Impact. Soon… they will cease altogether. Project E was initiated to artificially evolve the human race, so that we may continue to survive. You are an integral part of that plan, as is Shinji. You have long known that you were important to my plans… but now it is time that you knew what those are. I cannot force you to help me, to help humanity achieve a second genesis. But I can request it, as humbly as I must.”

 

Rei blinked.

 

“I will explain it to you in detail. Afterwards, I want you to consider my words carefully. Consider Shinji as well, for without the second genesis, he will not have a future either. Just as the dinosaurs died out following the First Impact, so to will humans die because of the Second. We were fated to perish even before the Second Impact, but through those fires we gained the means to our rebirth, just as the phoenix rises again from its own ashes.” Gendo stated. He turned to face the first child, gauging her reaction to his words thus far. “Will you listen to what I have to say? As I said, I do not expect a decision immediately.”

 

Rei considered the request silently. Shinji had forgiven the man, and possibly placed his trust into his father once again. If his words were true, the boy she loved had no future. For him, she would do whatever was necessary. It was not a hard decision. “I will listen.” She affirmed.

 

Gendo nodded. “Then let us go somewhere more comfortable so that we can talk.” He walked back through the doors leading into the lab area of Terminal Dogma and then towards the elevator, followed closely by the quiet red-eyed girl.

 

 

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Next chapter: The rest of Shinji and Asuka's “date”. The next day, they get together with Rei for some pilot camaraderie. Stay tuned for the party. Teehee Buhbye.