Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ So Happy Together ❯ chapter 33 ( Chapter 32 )

The soft golden glow of the morning light spilt through the airy sheer curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The gentle illumination woke Shinji up almost immediately. He wasn't used to so much light in the early mornings.

He groaned as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Still laying down, he arched his back and stretch his sore muscles then reached over to the left to embrace his wife. She wasn't there. So he turned slightly and reached over to the right. She wasn't there either. Slowly, he pried his eyes open, sat up, and looked around the massive bed. There was Rei, laying on her back, spread eagle, at the foot of the bed. How she got down there was a thought beyond Shinji, for he had no idea. Last night when they finally fell asleep, she was under him.

Groaning painfully, the boy untangled himself from the soft, silky sheets. His stomach felt like he had done a million sit-ups. Trying to ignore the pain, he started to scoot off the large bed. Not bothering to cover up, he slowly padded across the large room and toward the bathroom. As he walked, he realized that last night's love session made his whole body sore.

Swinging his arms back and forth to wake and stretched his body, he made his way to the toilet. Last night, he and his wife just had the most intense sex he had ever had in his whole life. It was so AMAZING, it was surreal! His body was still trembling from the intensity of the many orgasms.

After finishing his business and washing his hands, he quickly walked back into the massive room and crawled into the bed.

Rei was now curled against the footboard of the four poster bed. Carefully, he laid beside her and gazed lovingly at his wife. Shinji smiled warmly; he couldn't help but notice how innocent she looked. Looked, being the elemental word. Shinji frowned slightly, because of last night's love session, he sort of felt like he signed a deal with the devil. The devil being his beloved angel and wife.

During the entire time the two teens made love, Rei stared into his eyes, drinking him in with the most seductive gaze he had ever seen in his entire life, and asked him questions. Questions that tested his devotion towards her. Shinji took a deep breath as he thought about them, and about the answers and promises he made her.

The boy ran his fingers through his sleep matted hair and sighed. He was moderately certain that she would never hold him to the promise of killing again, but he would be lying if he said the questions didn't bother him. He had never seen her so pleased. It mirrored his dad's joy. Shinji sat up and raked his hand through his dark hair again. It was just another parallel Rei had with her guardian, his father. But that wasn't what was bothered him. He already knew that she had an apathetic view of life, he attributed that to her dying so many times. What vexed him was that he *knew* that he would do it again because it made her happy. Shinji knew that he would do *anything* to make her happy. Especially if it would make her as happy as it did last night.

Shinji turned and looked at his wife, leaned slightly over her curled-up form, and whispered "Were you serious, koishii? Do you really want me to kill again?" He hoped not. Shinji knew that by asking her at this time of the morning, while she was in her tween, he would get an honest answer.

With a balled up fist, Rei rubbed her eyes and answered a minute later. "No."

Shinji breathed out thankfully. He was fairly sure she would never hold him to it; he just wanted to make sure. It was just a verbal G spot!! He sat back up and rubbed his hands lecherously together. Now that he knew how to make her hot with just a couple of words, he was going to *exploit* this new find to the fullest. Starting ... right now. Just as he reached out to gently shake his wife and wake her up

DING ding DING DONG DING ding DING DONG.

The doorbell rang.

The loud grandfather clock chime scared the crap out of the third child. The sound itself was pretty, but unexpected. However what frightened him was that he was messing with Rei's tween and he didn't want to get caught. He knew what he was doing was wrong.

He groaned angrily as he quickly got off the bed and put on his shorts from yesterday. He had to get to the door before it rang again. Unless Rei woke up on her own, she really wasn't a morning person. Quickly, he padded across his massive bedroom, down the hall, and ran quickly through the living room. Shinji smiled warmly as he glanced at the two figures still asleep on the love seat. He made it to the door before the person rang the bell again. Never in a million years did he expect to see

"FATHER?!"

Commander Ikari stared at his son. His finger was mere centimeters from the doorbell. He was tired. Very tired because he was up the entire night working on details on how to fix the newly found problems concerning unit 01. *And* he was tired of waiting for someone to answer the door. Sure, it took less than a minute, but he was tired, so it was a minute too long.

Shinji stared wide-eyed at his dad. All he could think was <what are you doing here?> It wasn't exactly a negative question, but it wasn't exactly a positive one either. Never in all the years that he lived in Tokyo-3 did his dad ever visit his home.

Answering the unspoken question, Gendo reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a capped syringe that was filled with blue liquid. "Make sure Rei takes this shot."

The boy timidly took it. "What is it?"

Annoyed that his order was questioned, the commander frowned at the boy.

Shinji gulped.

In a calm yet annoyed tone, the commander reluctantly answered the boy's question. "It's Chi. A serum that will immediately counteract the sugar that is in her system, so make sure she takes it." His tone left no room for deviance from his order. The commander then turned on his heel and started down the hall. Before he made it to the elevator, he called out. "Just a bit of advice... if I where you, I would give it to her while she is asleep." <if she wakes up....> He sighed as he mentally finished <you will regret it>

He had given the serum to Rei when she was a child. The commander shook his head and shuddered at the memory. That was the first time he had ever witnessed her tantrums. She kept crying and throwing the medicine on the floor, claiming that it tasted like "poopoo." However, Gendo knew for a fact that the Chi didn't taste like poopoo. He had made sure it tasted like cinnamon, for it was her favorite flavor at the time. In spite of this, he didn't doubt her claim. Sometimes Rei would taste things differently from anyone else, and since it was a medicine to counter balance the chemical imbalance in *her* body, it may have tasted nasty to her.

Under the influence of sugar, Rei even accused her shikisha of punishing her for no reason. No REASON?!! She was completely out of control, and she had been that way for almost a month! When her accusations didn't work, the little five year old, grabbed his pants around the knees, looked up at him with her melancholy, pink flushed face and gave him the most pitiful and sad looking puppy dog eyes the little angel could muster. Then to top it off, she used guilt. She asked her shikisha, in a sobbing whisper, if he was punishing her because she had been a _bad_ girl. Needless to say, Rei did not have to take the Chi, and that's why it took a month for her to burn the sugar out of her system.

For that reason, Gendo was going to give Rei her medicine intravenously. Well that's not entirely true. *Shinji* was going to give her the medicine intravenously. The commander doubted if he could handle another one of her tantrums or guilt trips, and he *knew* she would have one. She hated that stuff and the sugar in her system destroyed any semblances of her self-control. A tantrum was inevitable, and he was too tired to deal with it. All he wanted to do was get home and go to sleep. Unfortunately the latter wasn't an option for him right now.

The third child watched his father press the elevator button. That in itself wasn't odd. He had to get off their floor somehow. What was odd was that he pushed the UP (!!!) button!!

"What the---" Shinji's eyes tripled in size. He watched the doors close and he watched the floor tracker stop moving TWO FLOOR ABOVE THEIRS!!!!! He quickly spun around, slid the front door shut, and ran back toward his bedroom. He was going to have to ask Rei about what he just witnessed. As he rushed through the living room, Kensuke lifted his head off of Kimiko's lap and asked groggily.

"Was that your dad at the door?" Kensuke asked with a sleepy fear and amazement. <why in the world would Shinji's dad come here?>

Kimiko's dark brown eyes fluttered open when she heard Kensuke speak. After her mind deciphered what he said and she realized he wasn't speaking to her, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. It was just too early.

"Uhh yeah" Shinji answered. He was a bit startled by Kensuke's voice. He thought his friend was still asleep. Apparently, Kensuke wasn't the only other one up these wee hours of the morning. The pilot caught movement in the hallway that lead to the guest bedrooms. An I know what you did smirk tugged at his lips as he gave his full attention to Touji. The fourth pilot had just been caught sneaking out of the Hikari's room.

Touji answered Shinji's smirk with a cocky wink and a nod that said You bet your @$$ I did what you think I did. Then he went on his way towards the room he and Kensuke were sharing. He needed to take a shower.

"What was he doing here, Shinji?" Aida asked nosily.

Shinji turned his attention to his other friend and held up the needle his dad gave him. "I was told to give this to Rei."

"She has to take a shot?"

"Yeah... but I have to give it to her."

"_You're_ going to give her a shot?" the hacker asked with flat disbelief.

"Uhh.. yeah.. I guess." The pilot answered only slightly offended by his friends tone.

"Do you know how?"

"Sure I do!" Shinji lied and walked toward the hallway that led to the master bedroom. "I just stick the needle in her and squeeze out the juice!"

Aida groaned as he sat up. He had a suspicion that Shinji didn't know what he was doing. Now his doubts were confirmed. "Your dad told you to do it?"

"Yeah" he answered a bit defensively.

"Why?" Aida asked as he stood up and stretched. He noticed Kimiko stretch out more comfortably on the small plush couch. "Why didn't *he* just give it to her? You don't know what you're doing." He yawned dramatically and finished voicing his concern. "You're probably going to inject an air bubble in her veins and kill her!"

The pilot paled. "Can that really happen?"

Aida shrugged. "Not sure, but I think I saw it on a movie once."

Shinji rolled his eyes and turned away from his friend. "Kensuke you can be sooo... " He growled, not coming up with an insult. It was just too early, so instead he scoffed "Apparently, my father thinks I'm capable, or he wouldn't have given me the job!"

Kensuke looked skeptical. There had to be more to it, but he was too tired to give it much thought. He sat back down on the love seat, and lovingly brushed the long silky strands of Kimiko's hair out of her face, then he settled himself beside her again.

When Shinji made it back to his room and closed and locked the door behind him, Aida's doubt and his fathers words "If I where you, I would give it to her while she is sleep." Rang loud in his conscious. His eyes tripled their size <I was set up!>

Timidly, he padded over the plush carpet to the four poster bed. Rei was now in the middle of the bed, spread eagle in all her naked glory. Shinji had too many reservations about what he was going to do to get turned on by the sight of her.

Ok that's a lie. He was turned on. A LOT. But he still had reservations about what he was doing.

Timidly, the boy crawled on the bed. When he reached her, he slowly straddled her waist, but didn't put any weight on her. He did this because he didn't want her rolling away while he stuck her with a needle. He didn't want any air bubbles in her veins.

<stupid Aida! Now I'm scared to do this!>

The pilot uncapped the needle and did something he had seen on TV and movies a million times. He thumped the needle. He wasn't sure what it would do, but he had seen it done so many times. <probably to get the air bubbles out>

When a small amount liquid squirted out, Rei scrunched her nose a little. It was almost as if she smelled something foul.

Shinji sighed and tried to shake the fear of mistakenly killing his wife out of his head. Kensuke didn't even know what he was talking about, yet still, that seed of fear was planted. So just in case, Shinji swirled the blue liquid in the syringe until every last air bubbled disappeared.

Rei exhaled through her nose as if she was trying to rid herself from a bad smell.

Shinji didn't notice her discomfort as he let out a deep silent breath and looked down at his sleeping beauty. He wasn't sure why his dad chickened out; it wasn't like Rei ever refused an order from him. Whatever the reason, Shinji was going to do it. The medicine was supposed to help her, so she had to have it. More importantly, it was supposed the return her to normal and Shinji wanted his calm wife back. As slowly and as gently as possible, the pilot of unit 01 punctured the delicate skin of his beloved wife's upper arm.

A pained whimper escaped her pink lips.

That whimper broke Shinji's heart. He hated the fact that he was hurting her. He almost took the needle out but reminded himself that this was for her own good. So, slowly, so very slowly, he injected the serum into her. All was going well, until it was almost gone... then the most horrifying thing happened.

Rei's eyes snapped open.

Not only were they open. They were open and they were ablaze with divine energy.

She was furious!

And she was terrified.

Terrified because when Shinji pricked her in the arm that shot of pain triggered the suppressed memory of all the pain she had experienced earlier, in her young life. Then when she opened her eyes, the figure she saw through her sleep hazed eyes, was straddling her and trapping her in a very vulnerable position. This figure was also causing her pain. This... person had trapped her in the same position... it made her remember something bad.... something that happened to her so many years ago.... something the elder Dr. Akagi did to her.

Once that lost memory surfaced, Rei was relying on pure instinct. The instinct of survival. Rei was determined not to be strangled again! She was not going to die again. It hurt to die! She remembered that it hurt soooo much to die that slow death! And she as not going to die! NOT AGAIN! NOT LIKE THAT!!!!

Shinji couldn't even get an "eep" out before he was sent flying across the room and into the adjacent wall.

Rei quickly sat up on the bed. She had a scowl that rivaled her guardian's as she reached across her body, and pulled the needle out. Glowing with divine energy, she turned her focus on the offending figure. She was going to teach that yaro a lesson. A divine lesson.

When the sleep and the fear that clouded her vision vanished, Rei almost screamed when she realized that the "offender" was her koishii otto. Quickly, she stood up, jumped off the bed and ran to tend the crumpled boy on the floor. She didn't mean to hurt him... but why was he hurting her?

Shinji gasped violently as he tried to replace the air that was knocked out of his lungs when he was slammed against the wall. Rolling to his knees and grabbing fistfuls of the plush carpet, he fought the urge to outwardly cry but mentally, he bawled <why you gotta be so rough, Rei-chan?!>

The first child fell to her knees beside her husband and embraced him. "Are you okay?"

Not even a second later, Kensuke and Kimiko could be heard trying to burst through the bedroom door. A few seconds later, Touji and Hikari could be heard as well. They all heard the loud sound of someone being slammed against the wall. Hard.

"Is everything ok?" Aida screamed as he jerked frantically on the doorknob.

Rei looked at the door then back to her husband. "Are you ok, koibito?"

Shinji noticed the change in Rei's voice immediately. No longer did it have that chipmunk hyperness to it. It sounded concerned, but yet it was... unnaturally calm. It was back to normal. He forced himself to nod and mentally noted <let father do his own dirty work from now on! No wonder he wanted me to do this! > He groaned as he sat up and called out painfully. "Yeah we're fine."

"Are you sure?" Hikari asked fretfully. She was now giving it a go at getting the door open. "Whatever you guys are doing sounded really painful. Are you sure everything is ok?"

"Positive." Shinji groaned out.

Rei gracefully stood up, walked to the door, opened it, and peeped her head out but made sure that they could not see her nude body. "I assure you, we are fine."

Though her tone was calm, it did not leave room for anymore discussion. Nor did the fact that she closed the door before they could respond.

Shinji chuckled softly at her bluntness and shook his head. "Yup, Rei-chan, you are back to your old self." He was glad. It was her stoic apathetic personality that he fell so deeply in love with.

As the four friends walked way from the master bedroom, Touji's voice could be heard saying. "It's always the quiet ones... that you never expect of being the biggest hentais."

Kensuke laughed in agreement and the girls just blushed silently.

The group wasn't sure what just happened, but after last night's wild, loud, and vulgar love session between the two Ikaris, they figured that it had to do with sex. Also catching the newlyweds with their sex toys strewn around their old apartment wasn't swaying that assumption either.

~~~

Inside the master bedroom

Rei walked past her husband, crawled on the bed and retrieved the needle. The way she was holding it, one would think that she just pulled it out of a toilet. Quickly, she walked toward bedroom balcony terrace, opened up the glass door, and threw the needle over the balcony railing, into the garden. She then proceeded to the bathroom.

~~~

What neither teen knew, was that from the apartment above, one commander Ikari chuckled softly as he watched Rei's object of detest, twist and spin its way down to a shattering doom.

<thaaaaank yooou, Shinji!>

Gendo knew that Shinji would follow his orders, and he was very grateful for his son's gullibility. Rei was calm and obedient 99.9% of the time, but during that .1% when she wasn't calm or obedient, Rei could exhibit a fury that was out of this world! Gendo could only attribute it to the "Lillith" in her.

The commander wasn't sure if he could handle another bout of Rei's wrath. His ribs were still tender from when she found out about Shinji and Misato. Furthermore (and this is a secret) Gendo was scared of Rei when she was angry. He wasn't sure why; he knew that she would never attack him. But the thought of her upset made him unconsciously rub his hand, just.... to make sure it was still there.

Maybe one day he would ask her about it.

~~~~~~

Back inside the bedroom.

Shinji's eyes followed his wife's movements. <what's going on?> "Uh... Rei-chan?"

The girl in question stopped in the bathroom archway, gave her husband a side profile of her angelic face and said_ one _word. "Angry." She then disappeared inside the bathroom.

The third child swallowed hard. He knew that Rei's simple statement was more than a confession about her feelings. It was more than an explanation concerning her frosty disposition. It was a ....warning.

The third child groaned as he slowly got to his feet. Staggering, he walked toward and inside the large walk in closet. He needed to get his clothes, so he could get out of there and not have to come back until his precious little wife wasn't angry anymore. He was afraid. Why you ask? Rei was barely 5'2''. She was not even a hundred pounds on a good day. So why was the 140 pound 5'9'' boy scared? Maybe it was because his delicate looking wife could blast him into the next dimension with a passing thought!

Shinji quickly retrieved one of the school uniforms he hung up last night. Absently, he noted the same fact he realized last night when he put his clothes in their proper place.

"We're never going to fill this closet up with clothes."

The closet was more like a little room, with dozens of shelves, shoe storages and ample space to hang up clothes. It also had a white round couch in the middle of it and a dressing vanity area for Rei. In his opinion, it was way to much room for his 10 pairs of pants and a little over a dozen shirts, and that included his school uniforms! Moreover, Rei had even less clothes than he did. He couldn't imagine ever filling this room... <closet> He reminded himself. He couldn't imagine ever filling this closet with clothes.

The whole apartment was overwhelming to a point to where it was almost too much. He would have loved to live here earlier. But because he understood his wife, and the way her mind thinks, he understood why she chose not to live here. But he was kinda upset that she didn't tell him about this apartment earlier. He had been asking her to move since they started dating and she never wanted to. She was completely content to live in that little apartment that was only slightly larger than their new bedroom.

With his fear momentarily forgotten, Shinji put his hands on his hips and frowned as he looked around the beautifully ornate room *and* closet. Their bedroom walls were painted in a ski blue, with soft clouds painted on them. Their rug was a plush ornate white on ivory design. The white four poster bed had orchids carved into the headboard and footboard and up the posters. The bed was also encased in a silk mosquito netting that draped from a golden hoop from the ceiling. The night stands and dressers matched the bed. When Shinji first stepped into the room, he thought he had stepped into heaven. He had never seen a room so beautiful and so peaceful in his entire life. Rei really should have told him about this place. It was a nice birthday present, but he still would have liked to live here earlier.

Just the thought of this secret made him wonder what other secrets she had stashed away in that forth drawer of their old apartment. It wasn't until they went on their first date did he find out that she had over a million dollars worth of jewelry in that drawer. That was about that same time he found out she stored Wild Orchid in there too and now she gave him a key to this magnificent apartment, and all of which were stashed in that fourth drawer of their shared dresser. Rei had told him when he moved in with her that the fourth drawer was private. Shinji had always respected her privacy so never looked into it, even when he had the opportunity. Now Shinji wished he was a little bit more rebellious and took a peek when she was gone for those three weeks. The pilot wanted to know what other secrets she had in that drawer.

Ironically, those little items had always been in that drawer. Even before he moved in with her, when she didn't have a lock on her door! Shinji sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He just admitted that he was wrong. He didn't understand his wife at all.

Shinji grabbed the last of the clothing he would need to get dressed for school and started to make his way toward the bedroom door, as quickly as possible. When his hand touched the doorknob, a soft voice from behind asked.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Shinji froze in place and meekly answered "Nowhere...?" Ever so slowly, he turned to face her. What he saw, petrified him.

Rei was leaning against the bathroom archway, her arms crossed in a mock-relaxed position and her face was void of all emotion.

Shinji swallowed hard. He had seen that face before! It was the same face she gave him when she thought he was using her for sex. <oh gawd she's really pissed>

The first child was a master at creating an apathetic mask on command. Most of the time it wasn't a mask, she simply didn't care about what was going on around her. However, the expression she was giving him now, the one that *looked* like it was void of all emotion, well that face was misleading, for it was her angry face. Correction, this was her, I'm so angry, I can't even express how angry I am face. Shinji would rather see her furrow her brow, frown, or even allow her eyes to glow with her divine energy, ANYTHING than the look she was giving him now.

He got his wish, Rei narrowed her crimson eyes at him, and a flash of divine lighting flashed in them.

"Gomen, koishii!" the boy squeaked out.

The blue haired angel pushed herself off the wall, turned around and walked into the bathroom. Shinji took that as his reluctant queue to follow her. He threw his clothes on the bed and followed his wife. With each step he took, he felt his resolve to go into the bathroom dissolve away. His knees felt like jelly as he forced himself to walk to his foreboding doom. He was scared. He was so very scared. He just hoped that she really did forgive him for yelling at her yesterday in their old apartment. He would hate to be punished for yesterday's crimes as well as today's.

<maybe I can tell her I'll kill for her again> He hoped that would work. He was so scared. He knew no one would believe him if he ever told them that he was terrified of his wife when she was angry. Most people believed that if Rei ever exhibited her anger, it would be mild. He remembered his friends joking about how he and Rei would never fight because they were so compatible. Shinji never understood why his friends would think that. They were two different people, so of course, they wouldn't agree *all* the time. And contrary to popular belief, Rei was in no way submissive, unless you were talking about sex, and still, Shinji would have to pin her down, tie her up, and tell her she deserved it. The pilot blushed at those memories, then returned his thoughts to the pressing issue. Submissive, Shinji shook his head no. A submissive person could not associate herself with his father and not flinch every time his father spoke. No, Rei was not submissive, she was more like a passive aggressive. His wife was loyal and followed orders, IF and ONLY if she believed in the cause. And if she didn't agree, well, we all know what happened the last time she got on a major defiant streak.... **cough cough 3rd impact cough cough**

Shinji tried to erase that train of thought; he was already scared enough. He didn't need to think about his wife turning him into orange goo. However, what he saw after walking into the bathroom, did not alleviate his fears, it stopped him in pure unadulterated terror.

Rei was leaning over the two person whirlpool tub, resting her weight on one hand. With her other hand, she was testing the temperature of the water. However, what terrified her husband was the fact that she was aglow with divine energy. Her gossamer silk hair fluttered beautifully around her face, and when Rei heard her husband walk into the bathroom, she acknowledge his presence with her crimson eyes ablaze with divine energy.

Shinji took note to her placid, yet powerful, observance of him. He couldn't help but notice how unearthly beautiful his wife was when she displayed her powers. He also couldn't help but remember that she was upset with him. So the display of her powers was probably not a good thing. Even though, her expression was beatific, Shinji was sure that her gaze was full of controlled fury and so full malice.

"Gomen, koishii!" he cried out again. "I didn't mean it!" Shinji could feel his heart pounding a mile a minute. He thought it was going to burst through his chest. "I didn't even really what to do it in the first place!"

"I know." Rei answered calmly.

"And you're still gonna blast me anyway?" he squeaked out. His tone clearly expressed that he thought she was being terribly unfair.

Rei quirked a brow. <why would you ask me that, koibito? I would never harm you on *purpose*> She then remembered that she was calling on her powers to burn the Chi out her system. The blue hair angel exhaled deeply and her gaze softened into something that resembled melancholy. "I am burning the medicine out of my system."

"Oh" He breathed out in relief.

The thought of that foul smelling liquid in her system made Rei want to puke. How could he inject that stuff in her? Couldn't he smell it? Moreover, how could Shinji honestly think that she would purposely hurt him?! Keeping a trained eye on him, she sat herself on the edge of the tub.

Shinji stood still. The only movement he made was to wring his hands nervously. For about five minutes the two Ikaris stayed that way. Neither one spoke; they just stared at each other.

Slowly, Rei exhaled and gained complete control over her emotions and admitted "You scared me.... I thought you were someone else... I thought you were trying to.... kill me."

Shinji thought she was thinking about the guy who shot her yesterday. His face became serious and he assured "I killed him, koishii. You don't have to worry about him anymore."

She smiled, blushed, and nodded. "I wasn't worried about him, koi." She lifted her legs, turned around, and lowered herself into the tub. Rei turned slightly, and faced her husband. She lifted one hand out of the water and held it out to him.

He understood the unspoken command; she wanted him to join her. Timidly, the boy walked toward the tub and his wife. "Are you still mad at me?"

She shook her head and answered truthfully. "No. You were just following orders. I understand that now." Then with remorseful, burning, crimson eyes she asked "Forgive me?

"Always." he breathed out lovingly. As he unbuttoned his shorts and asked "How did you know... that I was ordered?"

"How else would you get the Chi, if it was not given to you by the first or second commander?" She frowned a little as she scooted back a little to make room for him. The mere thought of that stuff made her sick.

The boy furrowed his brow and pulled off his shorts. "About that...." He stepped inside of the tub. Immediately, Shinji felt every muscle in his body tense up as he clenched his teeth to bite back a yelp. Why his wife always felt the need to bathe in water that was hotter than lava was beyond him.

The still glowing, angel looked up at her husband and quirked a brow. He was just standing there with his eyes closed. "Koibito?"

In a pained whisper all he could say was "Hot."

"Oh" Rei turned around and pushed the left wing on her swan shaped faucet to turn on the cold water. She then pushed the button to turn on the whirlpool, to quickly mix the cool water in. It didn't take long before the water was a suitable temperature for the both of them.

Ever so slowly, he sat in the water, for it was still hot. Shinji then continued with what he was going to say before he was almost cooked alive. "Rei-chan, when my father left our apartment and went to the elevator, he pushed the--"

"Up button." Rei interrupted and finished his sentence as she poured a large amount of liquid soap on her loofah.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed completely surprised that she knew.

"He lives upstairs, Shinji." She answered calmly and nonchalantly. "Koibito, the commander is our neighbor. " She was giving more of her attention to the amount of soap she was pouring on her scrubber than to her husband's reaction. Rei continued. "And so is the second commander. They both live in the apartments above us. " She held the loofah out to him and changed the subject. "I'll wash your back if you wash mine." Rei was acting as if her confession was no more important than her talking about the weather.

Shinji, on the other hand, wasn't taking the news well. He *didn't* want to be his dad's neighbor!! He didn't even want to live on the same side of town as him. Sure they got along better since he and Rei got together and especially since yesterday, but still! No wonder they didn't move here earlier! The boy's body seemed to turn into jelly, and he sunk underneath the surface of the bath water. <I think... I'm gonna be sick>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No for real. I think I'm sick!" Kimiko mumbled as she sat Indian style on the bed, in Hikari's given room. It was about forty-five minutes since the incident with the Ikaris. She wiped her stuffed up nose with another piece of tissue and whined "It's soooo cold in their apartment!"

The room the class rep was given was very plain and exactly the same as the other three guest room. It had white walls, a wall-to-wall plush white rug, and a platform bed, with white sheets. There where also sheer, white, floor to ceiling curtains that hung softly over the floor to ceiling windows. No other furniture was in the room. With help of the soft glow of the morning light, the room did not look sterile or impersonal, it looked modern and in vogue.

Hikari finished picking the rest of her bath stuff out of her carry-on bag and put the items on the bed beside Kimiko. She then pulled her school uniform out of her over night bag. "Touji says that they like to keep their apartments the same temperature as NERV." the class rep said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"It's freezing!" the tall girl coughed.

Hikari nodded in agreement and shrugged again. "I guess I'm used to it. Asuka and Misato are the same way." She giggled a little when she heard the girl repeat her last statement through chattering teeth. The class rep turned her attention to her friend and asked sweetly "Did you need something?"

"Oh.. yeah..." Kimiko answered sheepishly. "What are we going to do about school today?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know... the guys.... They're bound to find out what we *did*" Her dark brown eyes widened fearfully. "I'm sure *someone* we know saw our... performance."

The class rep paled and dramatically placed the back of her hand on her forehead. She feigned a faint. She never thought about what would happen at school today. The NERV agent "warned" anyone and everyone from publicizing Rei's conduct... <oh_ my _gawd.... he only said Rei!!> "Now, I think *I* feel sick."

"You mean you don't have a plan?!" the tall girl squealed then coughed. In Kimiko's opinion that was horrible news! She was sure Kensuke would be upset. She could feel the tears sting her dark brown eyes. "And I just got promised too!" Raising her hands over her head, Kimiko dramatically fell back on the bed. Unfortunately, her right hand landed in a wet spot. <please don' t be what I think it is> Slowly, she brought her hand to her nose and took a whiff. To bad, it was. Not even a second later, Kimiko was off that bed and out of the room. "Eeeeeewwww!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kensuke watched his girlfriend run out the Hikari's room and into her own with lighting speed. He was about to follow her and ask her what was wrong, when he heard...

DING ding DING DONG DING ding DING DONG

Aida turned towards the door then back toward Kimiko's room. He chose to ignore the person at the door. It wasn't his home, but moreover, he was afraid that it might be the commander again. He had known of the man for years, and had seen him countless times, from afar, but he had never met the man in person, and he wasn't ready to meet him today.

DING ding DING DONG DING ding DING DONG

"THE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!!!" the hacker called out to everyone else in the apartment. He waited a minute for someone to leave one of the four occupied bedrooms.

No one answered his call.

DING ding DING DONG DING ding DING DONG

Aida groaned and reluctantly dragged himself toward the door. "Who is it?" he asked meekly.

"Just the errand boys!" was the sarcastic reply.

Kensuke quickly opened the door and saw two of Rei's personal agents. He could tell by their faces that they were tired of being Rei's gophers, but used to it all the same. Rei admitted yesterday, at the fair, that her personal guards were picked on a lot because their duties usually consisted of retrieving things and bringing her stuff and not actually protecting her. Kensuke wouldn't mind having that job. They hardly put themselves in danger *and* they got to wear that cool black suit and dark glasses.... that sounded like the best job.

The man with the mustache handed Kensuke a garment bag and Rei's suitcase. The 3rd commander didn't have any clothes besides the one she wore yesterday. The smaller man then put a gold plated trophy in the boys arms then placed a tape inside it.

"Makes sure 3rd commander Ikari receives these." The smaller man tilted his dark glasses and gave the boy a glare with his deep obstinate eyes.

"Y-yes sir!" Kensuke stuttered.

The two men smirked and turned toward the direction of the elevator, knowing that they sufficiently intimidated the child.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been about an hour since Kensuke interrupted their bath to give Rei her stuff. Shinji was standing outside, on the balcony, looking at the beautiful gardens that surrounded the tall building. He had been there for a while. His mind pondered on what his wife had told him during their bath together.

Rei had regained her memory, all her memories, of her past lives. They once thought that she lost her memories with each life, but it turned out that with each death and reawakening, she would suffer from traumatic amnesia. It took time for her memory to come back, but they *did* come back. Just as *his* memory of what happened to his mother came back to him. It didn't surprise him that his wife was taking her reemerged memories in stride. It also didn't surprise him that she had to comfort *him* when she told him who she thought he was when he was straddling her. He never meant to make her think that he was going to strangle her, and it broke his heart when he found out what happened to her when she was only nine.

The pilot scrubbed his face with his hands and tried not to think about it. Rei told him that dwelling on the past couldn't change it, so it was best to move on. So that what he was going to do, or at least try to do. His focus left his thoughts and was returned to the gardens below. Surrounding the building, the gardens had flowers of every variety, there were labyrinths, fountains and a child's playground. It was extremely beautiful. However, in the far distance, Shinji could also see the tall brick wall that encased the private property, as well as the strategically placed guard towers.

At first glance, one would never be able tell that they were living inside a prison... as well as a fort. But last night, Shinji had a feeling that something wasn't right when he noticed all the guards inside the building and the way they where checked in. In the tub, Rei assured him that there was even less privacy here than anywhere else in Tokyo-3. Even the elaborate gardens were tapped with visual and audio surveillance. His father had a very short list of people he trusted fully, and that list only consisted of his two high ranking subordinates. However that was only part of the reason this building was designed the way it was.

The 1st and the 2nd commander had started construction on the Guarding District before their wives were taken from them and before Fuyutsuki's family was killed as well. It was built to protect their families. But when Shinji's mother and Mrs. Fuyutsuki saw the blue prints of what their men intended them to live in, they had a fix it. Gendo and Kozo designed their living quarters to be as sterile looking as NERV. So the two women altered the design and made the building more elegant to live in. They even planogrammed the garden.

The building was finished before the accidents happened. Rei had informed him that he had actually lived here, with both his mother and father. He played in that garden and in that playground with Kozo's two younger children. All were happy and safe until.... the 2nd commander's family was killed in a car bomb when they went shopping. It was only by chance that Shinji didn't go. He was feeling ill that day so his mom kept him home with her. That's when Shinji's parents started taking him to work with them, and that's why Shinji saw his mother...

The boy wiped away the tears that escaped his eyes.

Rei told him that it wasn't until after his mother's absorption did the 1st and 2nd commander's reasons for building the Evas change. No longer were they trying to save humanity, for they both wanted their families back. Shinji wanted to be angry with the two commanders for their selfishness; he wanted to be disgusted that they would sacrifice the world to get back with their wives... but.... He also wondered what he would do if he lost his wife.

Rei walked out of the large closet and threw her jacket over the footboard of the bed. From where she stood, she looked around the massive bedroom before she noticed her husband on the balcony. Shinji was bent at the waist and he rested his elbows on the railing. He had been out there for almost an hour now. She wasn't sure if she should bother him, for she knew that he had to work through some of the information she had told him. She too retreated to the confines of the closet, for privacy, as she worked through her memories and the knowledge she regained. Rei knew more than she would have guessed about the private feelings of the commander and the 2nd commander. It wasn't that they told her their feelings and their sorrows. She knew of their private woes because of her silent nature, they sometimes forgot to keep up their masks around her, especially when she lived in the commander's condo. He would often forget and get lost in his sorrow as he remembered the life he lost when his wife was taken away. It was observations of his constant sorrow that made her believe that the 3rd impact was a good thing. It made her agree and accept her fate. No more pain, was what the commander always told her, and after the impact they would all be together. They would be one big family that she was apart of, and Kozo would be reunited with his family as well. Rei remembered believing whole heartedly in the 3rd impact.

She also remembered returning as the III and Dr. Akagi coming to her in the hospital and telling her lies about the commander. The doctor took advantage of Rei's vulnerability, for she knew that the first child would not remember the life of the II or the I. She knew that Rei would not remember the secret paternal relationship Gendo had with her. Ritsuko didn't know what Gendo planned, but she knew it had something to do with getting his wife back, and she also knew that Rei was a major key to his plan. Akagi was determined not to allow whatever her lover had planned to get his wife back to happen. So she manipulated the blue haired angel with lies. And in the end, the girl believed the untruths and betrayed her guardian in a divine fury.

Rei hung her head down in shame. <how could I have been so gullible>

Shinji heard the almost nonexistent rustle of clothing behind him and turned around. He saw his wife raise her head and stare at him. Her expression was controlled but not without emotion. She almost looked... sad. So Shinji knew that to mean she was very sad, if she couldn't mask it. He curled his finger and gestured for her to come to him.

"I am ok." Rei assured as she walked onto the balcony and into her husband's embrace. "How are *you,* koibito?" she asked as she wrapped her arms under his open white dress shirt and around his slender waist. She snuggled her cheek against his chest, for she loved the soft feel of his well-worn dark blue T-shirt.

"Better" He sighed as he kissed her forehead. "I think... I want to stay here."

Rei tilted her head up and looked into his face. "You do not mind your father being our neighbor anymore?" Earlier he had proclaimed that he wanted to move for that simple fact. "Or the surveillance taps?" Rei felt her husband's muscles tense up before he answered.

"I'm not saying that I am totally comfortable with those things but...." He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "It's just that... my mom helped design this building.... I guess knowing that makes me feel closer to her here."

Rei gave a short nod and tightened her embrace around him. "Then we stay."

A few minutes later, Shinji pulled back from the embrace, took both of his wife's hands in his, and spread her arms wide. Drinking her in with his gaze, he gave and appreciative whistle. "Ah, so this is your official 3rd commander uniform. Niiiice."

"Shinji, you embarrass me." She giggled as she let go of his hands and walked back inside their room.

Shinji chuckled when he noticed the slight blush on Rei's cheeks. His wife could never take a compliment without getting shy about it.

Rei wore a silk, sleeveless, sky blue, mock turtleneck and tailored white slacks that fit to show off the curve of her hips but hung loose around her legs and folded at the cuffs. Her tiny feet looked even smaller due to the heels she wore and the loose legged pants that seemed to only allow the tips of her shoes to peak out. Also, her shoes were not pumps like Misato or Ritsuko, they were soft soled, platforms that were extremely quiet when she walked. Rei never understood how the two women avoided twisting an ankle while wearing pumps and walking on the grated walkways that covered so much of the NERV floors.

He watched her put Wild Orchid in a shoulder harness and slip it on. She then put on the coordinating white, high collared, suit jacket that hung down to her mid thigh. He could tell that the jacket was specially tailored to accent her figure as well as hide her gun.

"Very impressive" he praised. Completely in uniform, his wife very much looked the part of the 3rd commander of NERV.

Rei turned to the dresser mirror and put on the triangle pin that alerted everyone of her status. "You think so?" she asked honestly.

Shinji pushed back his unbuttoned, white, short sleeved, dress shirt, and put his hands in the pockets of his dark blue slacks. He gave his wife another appraising look before he answered truthfully. "Yeah... I think so."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dressed in their school clothes, the four teens waited in the living room for the two Ikaris.

Kimiko and Hikari had their eyes trained on the golden trophy that was sitting on the expensive glass coffee table.

"Where did that come from?" the class rep whispered to Kimiko.

The tall girl was about to answer when Rei and Shinji turned their private hall corner and entered the living room. Kensuke and Touji immediately stood up at attention when they saw Rei. Shinji smirked. He understood why they did that. Rei's aura seemed to ooze authority when she was in her uniform. He himself had to fight the urge to react the same way as his friends only moments before.

Rei, on the other hand, ignored the boys. Uniform or no uniform, she had been performing the duties of 3rd commander for a while now, so dressing the part was no big deal to her. Instead, she focused on and walked toward her trophy. A tiny satisfied smile graced her lips. Rei never had a trophy before, and she was very happy. Inside the golden ornament of her affection, she saw the tape. It was a tape of their performance *and* of Kensuke and Touji's jail experience.

"Koibito."

"Hmm?" Shinji hummed happily.

"Allow me to show you what you missed yesterday." She picked up her trophy lovingly, and took the tape out of it.

Kimiko and Hikari paled and cried out in unison. "She wouldn't!"

Oh yes she would!

Rei put the tape in the VCR and stepped back from the 72'' TV. Shinji stood beside her. Touji and Kensuke gathered around to see as well. Hikari and Kimiko stayed on the couch and tried to disappear.

(A.N. //// means what's happening on TV ^_~)

////Rei's was snapping her fingers and shaking her hips in beat with the music. In a not so calm, not so innocent voice, she started the song. "Where's all mah soul sistas Lemme hear ya'll flow sistas!!"

Hikari answered her call as she snapped her fingers in beat. "Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, go sista..." Then she started singing with diva like expertise. "He met Marmalade down in old Moulin Rouge Struttin' her stuff on the street!!" The class rep crouched down and sung to one of the guys in the front row. "Hello, hey Jo, you wanna give it a go?" Oh! uh huh"////

Touji eyes tripled in size. He was so stunned by what he was seeing... he couldn't appreciate his girlfriend's vocal talents. He was more focused on how she was dressed. He wasn't liking the fact that her shirt was twisted through the collar, creating a make shift bra. He wasn't liking the pelvic thrust she was doing in front of that guys face either!!

////Rei, Hikari, and Kimiko started singing the chorus and dancing even more seductively as the guys in the crowd started getting excited.

Gouchie, Gouchie, ya ya dada (Hey hey hey)

Gouchie, Gouchie, ya ya here (here)

Mocha Chocalata ya ya (oh yea)

Creole lady Marmaladeh

Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir

Voulez vous coucher avec moi////

Next was Kimiko's solo. Kensuke was definitely NOT liking what he was seeing. Ok, he was liking it, but he was NOT pleased WHERE she was doing it.

All Shinji could think as he watched the tall girl perform was <wow... she sure is limber> Unconsciously, he tilted his head to the side for a better angle. <damn... I wonder if Rei could do that... I hope so>

////// After the second chorus and some more very sexy dancing from the three girls, it was Rei's turn.

The first child's voice wasn't as rich sounding as the other two girls, but it was on key. "hey Hey Hey!

Touch of her skin feeling silky smooth

color of cafe au lait alright

Made the savage beast inside roar until he cried, More-more-more"///////

However, it wouldn't have even mattered if she was on key or not, because after the blue haired angel caressed the curves of her body as she sang her lyrics, she ripped her shirt off and started spinning it in the air like a helicopter as shook her hips seductively. The guys in the crowd were so rowdy at that point, you couldn't even hear the trio sing the rest of the song.

////// Gouchie, Gouchie, ya ya dada (da daeaea yea)

Gouchie, Gouchie, ya ya here (ooh)

Mocha Choca lata ya ya (yea)

Creole lady Marmalade /////////

Hikari and Kimiko stared wide eyed at the large screen and wanted to die. They couldn't even remember doing that. They were just glad that they didn't go as far a Rei. Touji and Kensuke were speechless, completely speechless. Rei looked up at her equally stunned husband and back at the screen.

///////// Many of the guys were taking off their shirts and spinning them in the air as well. They chanted for the other two girls to follow Rei's example.

Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir (ce soir)

Voulez vous coucher avec moi (all my sistas yea)

Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir (ce soir)

Voulez vous coucher avec moi (C'Mon! uh)///////

Kimiko and Hikari were furious at Rei for showing the boys what they did. However, they were more terrified that they were going to lose their boyfriends because of their actions.

Rei cut off the VCR before she was carried off the stage.

Ever so slowly, the boys turned away from the TV and looked at their female counterparts. Before any of them could speak, the 3rd commander put her trophy back on the table and said to the girls, in the most relaxed conversational tone.

"Did you see the reaction we received because of our performance? I bet you two will have at least half the male student body wanting to be your suitors when you go to school today."

Suzuhara and Aida blinked hard. "What?!!"

Rei looked up at the boys and quirked an elegant, yet arrogant brow. "We're hot and sexy and everyone who didn't see it before.... knows it now." She looked at her husband, then back at his friends, then back to her husband. "I bet you're glad I'm not going to school today, koibito."

Shinji smirked, nodded and answered in a cocky tone. "You're right. After that performance, I'd probably have to cap someone for flirting with you."

Rei's face blushed a deep crimson, seconds before she took a deep, silent breath to calm herself and her raging hormones.

Shinji put his hands in his pockets and mentally chuckled. <this is just too easy> It didn't take much to turn his wife on with her verbal G-spot. The boy mentally sighed <too bad my friends are here> Shinji wanted to exploit her fetish.

The four other teens in the room looked at the two newlyweds quizzically. Touji turned to Shinji and asked "You're not mad?!" He pointed at Rei accusingly . "She stripped in front of hundred men!"

Shinji glanced at his wife, then back at his friend. "It wasn't her sin."

The fourth child blinked hard and stuttered. "It wasn't her ---" He shook his head wildly. When it came to Rei, Touji did not understand Shinji. "Are you trying to tell us that---"

"He's telling you that he trusts me." Rei interrupted using her seldom used authoritative tone.

An uncomfortable silence immediately fell over the group.

Then Kensuke whimpered out, as he gave a longing look at Kimiko. "People are going to try and steal our girlfriends from us?" It took him over a year to get the nerve to talk to her and now someone was going to try in steal her from him. He felt like crying.

Rei looked at her subordinate and answered honestly. "Yes, they will. So I would advise you not to give your girlfriends any reason to accept another suitor." She shifted her gaze toward the other boy and reiterated that statement with one word. "Suzuhara-kun." She then directed her crimson gaze to her husband and said. "I have to go to work now." Turning on her heels, she gave one last glance at her trophy and started walking toward the front door. It was almost 7:15am. She would have to leave now if she was to meet the commander on time.

Touji and Kensuke were furious at what they just saw, but Rei's words made them afraid to comment on their anger. Rei was right, those guys were going wild for their women.

<thank you, Rei> Hikari and Kimiko mentally chimed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shinji held Rei's hand as he walked her to the elevator.

"That was really nice... What you did back there." Shinji had already known about the performance. Rei had told him about it last night. That's why he helped her calm down his friends.

Rei looked up at her husband and said "Well.... it was partially my fault that they performed as they did."

Shinji looked down at his wife and quirked a brow. "Partially?"

Rei pursed her lips and turned her gaze away from him.

Shinji chuckled. "It was still nice to do..."

She nodded and stopped in front of the elevator doors. "I thought you would think so."

"Just don't do it again."

She quizzically looked up at him. "Don't do what again? Save your friends relationships?"

"No." He gave her a stern serious face. "Don't ever do a performance like that again. I don't care who the sin belongs to! Don't do it again."

She blushed a little and answered "Yes, Shinji-sama."

"I'm not joking, Rei." He said in a serious, husband type tone. "I don't like the thought of you prancing around half-naked for everyone to see. You're mine and your naked body is for my eyes only!"

Rei tilted her head to the side and asked "Are you serious, or are you trying to turn me on? If it is the latter, it is working." She blushed and gave him a beautiful smile.

His eyes widened dangerously. "I'm serious."

"Oh.." Her smile fell and she sighed in a disappointed fashion. "Very well then." Rei loved being dominated but she was starting to hate being told what to do. In her opinion, Shinji was taking advantage of her vow to him, but she didn't mind complying to this demand.

What Shinji didn't know was that Rei wasn't planning on doing a performance like that again. She would never admit it, but she was terribly embarrassed by her behavior. She cursed that day, and she cursed the sugar she consumed that made her behave as if she had lost her mind. But being the 3rd commander meant never ever admitting that you made a fool of yourself. Commanders at NERV were never at fault, they were never wrong, and they were never sorry for their actions. The angel played the role of the unremorseful well, for this was how she was raised. In spite of this, she often made exceptions to the rules and said "sorry" to Shinji. However, this time she was going to allow him to think that she was proud of her actions, but will never do it again because his rule was law.

"Thank you" he sighed lovingly then kissed her gently on the lips, then her jaw line, and then her ear and whispered "Tonight... I will be your Shinji-sama."

Rei felt her cheeks get hot, but she shook her head no.

"No?" He quirked a brow.

"No. Tonight we do positions 104 through 109 in the Karma Sutra book." She heard a soft ding and she turned her gaze toward the elevator doors. Mere seconds before they opened, she informed her husband. "So make sure you are well stretched..... I would hate for you to pull your groin muscle. "

It was the male pilots turn to blush this time. The opening of the cabin doors startled the boy because he couldn't remember Rei pushing the button. But what almost gave him a heart attack were the two occupants inside the cabin.

Gendo watched the two teens pull away from each other and stand at attention. He also noticed both of their flushed faces. Rei quirked an elegant brow at Kozo as she walked into the elevator.

"I was in an accident" he informed as he gently touched his neck brace.

Rei gave a short nod to his explanation and left it at that. Silently, she took her place on the left side and behind the commander.

"Are you ok? " Shinji asked the older man.

"He'll live." Gendo answered shortly and pushed the down button.

The second and third commander gave no reaction to his father's rude response. The 2nd and 3rd commanders were like two pillars of stoic loyalty. Shinji looked at the untouchable three and swallowed hard. They were a force that was not to be reckoned with. Their cold, impersonal masks were expertly in place. Kozo was in his stiff gray suit. Rei was in her feminine, tailored white suit, and Gendo was in his trademark black. Their aura radiated the saying "f*ck with me, only if you have a death wish."

Shinji was happy to see the door to the elevator close. Individually, Shinji could handle being around them. All together... He shook his head and shuddered as he walked back to the apartment... He would never get used to being around all three of them together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was going to be a busy day for the former first child. The first thing on the agenda was to promote Misato.

"It's not too late." Gendo said to his favorite. "Are you sure she is the correct choice?"

"She passed your test." Rei reminded. "She would have killed the 2nd child if it had not been for my divine intervention."

Gendo clasped his hands together and inwardly grumbled. He respected the major's strategical talents. He was impressed with her loyalty to NERV. He was also impressed at her ability to sacrifice the few to save the whole, even if the few were her charges, her Children. But all that aside... he just didn't like her! And he didn't want to give her the promotion. She had too many bad habits. She was a drunk and a pedophile! She was too emotional, and she never hesitated to act on her emotions. The list of her negative qualities went on and one, but *those* were the main reasons Gendo felt she was an embarrassment to NERV. He tried one more time to talk Rei out of it.

"You know, as your second, you are going to be around her constantly. She will try your patience."

Rei nodded in agreement.

Finally, he felt he was getting through to her. "Have you forgotten... what she did with your husband?"

Lightening flashed in Rei's crimson eyes. No, she didn't forget. She would never forget!

The commander smirked, then frowned when Rei said.

"The past does not matter. She is qualified for the job." The girl in white took a deep breath and continued "You told me that when I fully accepted my position, I was to choose my second."

"I thought you would chose the third child." Gendo interrupted.

"I had presented Shinji with the offer when I informed him of my rank, but he does not want the job. It was he who suggested Misato." Rei ignored the tightening of the commander's frown and continued. "However, we knew his loyalties did not lie with NERV, and had already made provisions for his future."

"When *are* you going to tell Shinji about the Ray of Hope Foundation?" the 2nd commander asked from his place behind the commander.

"I... do not know." Rei answered meekly as she bowed her head and became interested in the floor design. "I don't want him to feel that he has no choice."

"No choice?" Gendo interrupted bitterly. "He is the unknowing president of the worlds largest _peace_ organization." The commander rolled of his eyes. The thought of his son helping the world instead of controlling it made him want to vomit. "Most people would give their right arm for that job."

Two years ago, Rei came to the commander with the idea to help Shinji along in his future goal. She shared with the commander a brief conversation she had with his son in the elevator. The whole conversation consisted of Shinji asking her what she planned on doing for the rest of her life. Of course, Rei said she was going to work for NERV. He told her that he didn't plan on working for NERV for the rest of his life. He said he wanted to help the world, not help make war toys and destroy it. That was the jist of the entire conversation. It was that conversation which gave Rei the idea to help him out a little. Shinji was the son of commander Ikari; she could not allow him to start at the bottom in his quest to help the world. The name of the foundation was Kozo's idea. And the money came from his father; although Gendo wanted nothing to do with the *peace* organization. The only reason he invested the money in the foundation was to help out his son and to appease Rei. Kozo helped Rei by investing his time as he helped her hire competent people to run the company until Shinji was of age. The former first child kept her name hidden from the organization as well. The only thing she did besides keeping an eye on the funds was sign the president's name on important documents. President Shinji Ikari. Yes, Shinji was the mysterious and "reclusive" President of the Ray of Hope foundation, and he didn't even know he had the job. What was unexpected by all the parties involved, was that within two years, the Ray of Hope Foundation was the most respected, and most profitable global peace organization on the planet.

"You need to tell him, Rei" the commander informed. "This was your idea. You need to inform him."

Rei bit her bottom lip and reached over her waist and put a death grip on her elbow. "I will.... just later."

Gendo was about to say something else but was interrupted.

"You wanted to see me sir?" asked a confident voice from behind Rei.

The 3rd commander silently sighed in relief. She walked behind the commander's desk and took her place on the left side. She was glad that the major entered the room, for she was no longer the focus of the commander's attention.

Misato had an idea of why she was called. She didn't take care of Asuka as she was told to by the 2nd commander. Also, she wasn't very nice to Rei when the blue haired girl ordered Asuka to the calaboose.

The purple haired woman stopped in mid-step when she walked into the massive office. The first thing she noticed was the commander. As usual, he looked unhappy. The next person her gaze traveled towards was the 2nd commander. He looked very... uncomfortable in his neck brace, and she fought the urge to ask him if he was ok. Lastly, her eyes shifted to Ikari's left side and she felt like she had ice in her stomach.

<see Misa-chan> she mentally chided to herself. <this is why you're supposed to be nice to everyone. You never know who's going to end up being your boss>

It wasn't until yesterday did the major believe the rumors about Rei's rank. The Rei she knew, seemed to be too submissive and passive for the job of commander. Although the Rei she witnessed yesterday, ordering Tomita around, looked very comfortable giving orders. The purple haired woman swallowed hard and remembered what Ritsuko would often tell her. "Rei is just like the commander." Slowly, she walked deeper in to the dimly lit office. Her high heeled pumps crackled like gun shots every time she took a step. She felt she was walking toward a guillotine. She just knew was fired.

Gendo smirked behind his clasped hands. He could tell that the major was already sufficiently intimidated, so he wouldn't have to make her do the usual waiting. *Have to* being the key word, of course he was going to make her wait anyway.

Misato didn't have the courage to look at the commander, so she allowed her gaze to travel toward his second. Kozo, in his injured state, was easier to focus on. That is, until he narrowed his eyes at her. He didn't appreciate being gawked at. Quickly, she shifted her focus toward the former first child, then just as quickly she looked away. Rei was standing rim rod straight, her pale face was void of any emotion, and her crimson gaze was unblinking, and trained in her. It was eerily robotic. In Misato's opinion, all three of them were creepy and she was SCARED. Two commanders was bad enough, but three, no correction, THESE THREE odd, inhumanely calm, having no value for individual life (outside their inner senshi) was just a living hell!

"Major do you know why you are here?" Gendo asked in his calm cruel voice.

She had an idea but none she wanted to mention. "No sir."

"Then lets make this quick." He unclasped his hands and reached to retrieve something out of his desk.

Fuyutsuki bit back a chuckle. Misato pinched her eyes shut, she looked like she expected that she was going get shot. Rei's stoic expression remained unchanged.

The slam of a huge stack of papers on a marble desk made the major physically jump and open her eyes. She immediately noticed the stack of stuffed manila folders and looked at the commander quizzically.

He answered her unspoken question. "3rd commander Ikari has chosen *you* to be her 2nd."

"You mean I'm the 4th commander?" she asked timidly as she pointed at herself. She was not believing her own ears. <and Rei chose me?>

"There is no 4th commander." Gendo informed shortly. That *was* the job he was giving her, but he was NOT going to give her the title.

"Yes sir" she answered and stole a glance at Rei. The girl had yet to change her expression. She wondered why Rei chose her.

Gendo continued. "You will be given a 35% raise in your salary."

Misato looked back at him and grinned <I take back every nasty thing I ever said about you!! you generous generous man!!>

Kozo glanced at Gendo <you cheap @$$> That was not what they agreed to pay her. He cut her raise by 48%. Misato may not have had the title of 4th commander, but her status was now that of one. If she ever found out how little she made compared to the rest of them she was going to be pissed.

Rei glanced the her shikisha then returned her gaze back to Misato without changing her expression . She had a feeling he was going to do that.

"You're responsibilities start today." Gendo pushed the papers toward her. "Make yourself familiar with the contents of these folders." After she received them, he said. "You are dismissed, major."

She hugged the bundle of papers to her chest and gave him a brilliant smile. "Yes sir! " She look at the 2nd commander, bowed her head in respect and turned to leave.

When the door closed behind the woman, Rei spoke sarcastically. "I guess I'm invisible."

"It's too late to complain now." Gendo said as he stood up. "You chose her."

"Give her time." Kozo offered as he followed his boss. He liked Misato and was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. "I'm sure she didn't mean to ignore you on purpose, Rei."

"Yes, you are probably correct." Rei agreed as she followed both commanders. "It is just a habit of hers to dismiss my presence."

"You chose her." Gendo reminded once again. He was now glad he cut her pay. That disrespect to Rei was unacceptable. Later, he was going to have to reprimand her about that. When he opened the door he was surprised to see Misato standing there expectantly. Although, by his cool expression, you couldn't tell that he was taken off guard. "Did you forget something, major?"

"Uh yes.. sir.." She bounced slightly on the balls of her feet. She shifted her gaze toward the girl behind the two men. "Rei.. I just wanted to say--"

"Who?" Gendo interrupted angrily. "Who are you addressing?"

Misato shifted her gaze from the man to the girl in a confused manner. "Uh... Re--" She stopped herself and realized her mistake. "3rd commander Ikari."

"Better" he commented dryly and brushed past her. "It would be in your best interest not to forget that again."

"Yes sir." She stepped back and out of the 2nd commander's way. When Rei came out, she walked beside her and said softly. "Thank you."

After 30 seconds, Rei decided to nod. However she wasn't so sure of her choice anymore. It was Shinji who persuaded her to make Misato her 2nd. She didn't want to, but he was so convincing. Shinji had compared Misato and her working relationship to that of his father's and Kozo's. He said that he and the 2nd commander had dinner a few times, while she was away, and the 2nd commander shared stories about working with his father in the beginning. He said the that the professor couldn't stand his father in the beginning and that he thought Gendo was an @$$. He even said his dad felt the same way about Kozo. Rei found that hard to believe, but she knew her husband wouldn't lie to her. Shinji also pointed out that even though they didn't like each other, they worked well together because they had a shared goal, and a mutual friend, Yui. Just as she and Misato have a mutual friend in him. In spite of this, Rei wasn't buying what he was selling. Misato got on Rei's nerves and the major being her 2nd meant that they would be constantly together. It wasn't until an old memory of what Misato did to a certain spy resurface did Rei agree to Shinji's suggestion. Surpassing her antics, Misato was loyal to NERV. So much in fact that before the third impact she was ordered by the commander to take care of a certain spy, Kaji, and she did it, without hesitation. She regretted it later and tried to make amends, but she still did the deed. Her loyalty to NERV came before her loyalty to the only man she ever loved. That was why Rei agreed to Misato being her 2nd. It was because Rei knew that not even she was that loyal. Rei would never forsake Shinji. She would destroy the world if she thought it would make him happy.

"We should throw a party!" Misato suggested in a friendly tone. "To celebrate our promotions!" Then to find a common ground she added on. "I'm sure Shinji would love that!"

Once they turned the hall, Rei said in a tone that was neither demanding or commanding. It was simply... Rei. "Major, I am going to go and change into my plug suit. It will take me approximately 20 minutes to dress and go to unit 01. Therefore, you have twenty minutes to become familiar with condensed version of two years of work."

Ok that wasn't the answer Misato was expecting. "So it's a no go on the party, ne?"

Rei gave the woman an askance glance and quickened her pace. <Shinji what were you thinking when you suggested her!... what was I thinking when I agreed with you!!>

Misato stopped walking while Rei continued toward her destination. She looked at the papers in her hands and pilfered through them. "The... Tojiru Project... What's that?" She looked down the hall at the retreating figure of her 3rd commander. "And what does it have to do with Rei and unit 01?"

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Ooooo looks like we finally get to find out what the Tojiru project is ^_^ I'm sure many of you have already figured out what they are trying to do. I left many hints ^_~

Sorry this chapter took so long. School, work and life.. and stuff... *then* I realized that almost everything I wrote for this chapter is going on the next chapter. *sigh* That's ok ^_^

Ummm... oh yeah. I don't own anything that deals with Evangelion

I love ya lots I really really do!!

Kimberly