Tokyo-3 Baby-sitters

Written by Alain Gravel

Story based on characters created by and copyright GAINAX
Started on May 9th 2000
First pre-reader draft finished on June 1st 2000
Second pre-reader draft finished on June 8th 2000
Final draft finished on October 3rd 2000

Chapter 4 - Welcome to the club

    "Come on Katsuragi..."
    "Really, I shouldn't..."
    It looked GOOD. So tempting. And as much as she wanted to accept Kaji's offer, she really couldn't stay. For far too long already she had left Rei and Shinji alone.
    "But you'll like it," insisted Kaji, waving the tempting object seductively in front of her face. A little drop dribbled from the tip, causing her eyes to go a little wide.
    "I said no!" She refused. But God... it had been awhile since she had it...
    "Your mouth says no, but your body says yes."
    That little smile of his, the one that said, "I'm reading you like an open book." She really hated that smile... yet it made him look so good...
    "Oh, shut up!"
    "Don't worry, we can make it quick."
    "What part of 'no' don't you understand?! Hey! Keep that thing away!"
    Although, just the sight of it... it almost made her drool. It was so... meaty...
    "Just open your mouth and enjoy it."
    "In your dreams! I won't be putting that..."
    Misato found herself speechless as Kaji skillfully slipped in her open mouth a fork full of his special spicy bacon and ham omelet.
    The Major almost purred with delight as her taste buds were in paradise. An intricate web of flavor, almost indescribable. How Kaji could manage to cook so well was beyond her. And with the recent weeks she had to go through with eating her own cooking, it felt like she had died and gone to heaven.
    "Fine," agreed Misato, losing to her growling stomach. "But let's make breakfast quick."
    "Relax, Katsuragi. I'm sure Rei handled Shinji without any problem. And we have plenty of time," answered Kaji, pointing toward a clock that barely indicated 6 AM.
    "I just can't help but worry..."
    Kaji smiled, seeing a side of Misato only a few people knew. The Misato who cared for the Children and considered them as much more than just tools. The woman who considered those Children as her own.

    Misato swore loudly as, for a moment, she imagined that her worst fears had come true. Shinji was crying so loudly that she could actually hear him through the door.
    "Kaji no baka!"
    The poor child was probably hurt, and all because Kaji had delayed her. Sure, Rei had probably done her best, but she was still too young for such responsibility, for God's sakes!
    As fast as she could, she entered the apartment and ran in the living room to simply freeze in her tracks.
    Had Shinji not been crying, it might just have been the most beautiful scene Misato had ever seen in her life. Rei was asleep, a serene expression on her face, Shinji cradled in her arms. It looked so... right.
    Nevertheless, Shinji was crying, which meant that something was wrong. It was probably nothing serious; Rei wouldn't be holding him that way if he was hurt or sick. Most likely, he was simply hungry.
    Still... how could Rei manage to sleep despite all of this racket?
    Never having visited Rei's apartment, Misato was ignorant of the fact that Rei had long ago mastered the art of tuning out any loud noises, whether it was construction equipment or the stray red-headed pilot.
    Since it seemed obvious that Rei wouldn't be waking up soon, Misato decided to let her have her sleep and take care of Shinji herself. A moment later, however, she almost regretted that decision. The instant her fingers brushed Shinji's skin, she found her wrist caught in a painful iron grip. Misato gritted her teeth as the pale fingers squeezed even harder, almost as if intending to crush Misato's bones. Rei's eyes snapped open and stared straight at her. For an instant, Misato felt scared at the intensity of the rage and fury she could see in those eyes. Then, Rei blinked several times, yawned and looked at Misato with what could almost pass as a puzzled expression on her face. The Major sighed in relief as Rei's hand released her wrist. She didn't look at it, but she was pretty certain it would be bruised for a while.
    "Major. You are back."
    Rei felt... confused. She couldn't remember the Major coming in. Therefore, it likely meant that she had fallen asleep. She frowned as she tried to remember what had led to the current situation. She remembered the child not wanting to leave her arms. Then she had laid down against a wall, in the exact position she was still in, which confirmed that she had indeed fallen asleep. Then... there had been a strange sense of danger... she had felt threatened. But it was very confusing. Looking at the child, she realized that he was crying, and she quickly understood why, as she noticed a wet and warm feeling on her leg. She lift the child up and her suspicions were visually confirmed by a large wet spot on her skirt.
    "This is not nice, Shinji."
    Misato didn't know if it was the fact that for once she wasn't the victim or the way Rei was admonishing Shinji, but she burst out laughing. A loud, pure, joyful laugh. All the worries had suddenly disappeared and Misato realized that life felt good.
    "Here, I'll take care of him," said Misato as she picked up Shinji from Rei's still outstretched arms. "Why don't you go take a bath and change clothes? After all, you can't go to school in that condition," added the Major as she pointed out the spot on her shoulder where Shinji had barfed, which still had traces, despite Rei's rudimentary efforts on cleaning it, as well as the location of the more recent incident.
    "I do not have other clothes."
    "Ooh..."
    Misato had forgotten all Rei's improvised visit and the following decision to let her take care of Shinji. This could be a small problem...
    For nearly a minute, she looked at Rei from head to toe, sizing her and considering her options. Rei wouldn't have the time to go home, then go to school; she would no doubt end up late. Driving her there implied either leaving Shinji alone or taking him with them, which she felt a bit reluctant to do. After all, Shinji was safe here, but outside... And she couldn't have Rei skip school. Only a few options remained, and out of them, she chose the one she considered the most practical. A grin slowly appeared on her face.
    "Don't worry, Rei. Just go take a bath, I'll take care of everything else: Shinji, breakfast and your clothes."
    Had she known Misato better, Rei would surely have felt an impending sense of doom.

    "I doubt this is appropriate."
    "Why? It all seems to fit... more or less."
    Rei was standing before Misato, her hair still slightly damp from her bath. While she didn't have any problem being forced to wear the same underwear as the previous day, she felt very uncomfortable about the rest of her clothes.
    Ever since she had started attending school, Rei only wore four different outfits: school uniforms, which also included a PE swimsuit and PE shorts and T-shirt, her plugsuit, a nightgown at night, as well as a swimsuit for her weekly exercising at NERV. So what she was currently wearing made her very uneasy, as it was the first time she actually wore such clothing. The problem wasn't really with the black T-shirt; she was used to those from PE class. Neither was the white shirt; wearing it over the T-shirt, she barely felt it. But the pants and belt... this was almost completely alien to her. It didn't provide her legs with the snug fitness a plugsuit did, nor did it leave them exposed as her school uniform skirt. It was... strange.
    But her main problem was the owner of these clothes. Ikari Shinji. She felt very self-conscious wearing his clothes. She had this strange impression of... intruding. Even if he was presently cradled in Misato's arms, she could almost feel the boy's presence in his clothes. It... smelled like him.
    "What?" asked Misato, noticing that Rei was taking a sniff at the sleeve of 'her' shirt for the third time in a minute. "These were washed a few days ago, I guarantee that they are clean!"
    Misato flashed a wide grin, somehow happy to tell someone that she had cleaned Shinji's clothes, instead of the opposite.
    "I... I cannot wear these clothes."
    "Sure you can!"
    Indeed, Misato was rather proud of this idea. Shinji was only slightly taller than Rei and since he was rather scrawny, his clothes fit Rei as she had expected. The waist of the pants was a bit too large, but it was nothing some extra holes in a belt couldn't handle.
    "This is a male school uniform. I am female. It will not be tolerated."
    "Relax Rei, there won't be any problems. And if anyone makes a fuss about this, just tell them to call me."
    Rei finally resigned herself. The Major would not change her mind. She would have to spend the... day... in Ikari-kun's clothes. The thought somehow made her cheeks feel rather... hot.
    "Understood."
    "Good! Now that it's settled, you can eat. I... I'm not very good, and I don't have much here right now... is toast and jam okay?"
    "It will be sufficient."
    That morning, Rei learned the hard way how Misato had gained the reputation of being a culinary disaster. She looked for a moment at the two pieces of black toast on her plate, then poked them with a knife. They were very resistant.
    "I think I may have overcooked them a bit. Strange, I did exactly what Shinji does every morning..."
    With a sigh barely louder than a whisper, Rei picked up a jar of jam and applied a generous portion of its contents onto the burnt toast. The first bite was almost painful, and the taste was a horrid mixture of sugary sweet berry jam and burnt toast, but Rei ate the whole thing nonetheless. After long instances of having LCL as her sole nourishment, Rei had learned that any taste was far more enjoyable. Except perhaps the taste of meat.
    "Will you... will you require my assistance again with Shinji?"
    The question surprised Misato. She had not expected Rei to actually talk while eating.
    "Well, to tell the truth, I had hoped that Asuka would help. I should have been more realistic..."
    "The Second Children is indeed very self-centered."
    "Yeah... but it's not entirely her fault. Well, in any case, any help you can give me will be more than welcomed. I never imagined it would be so much work to take care of a baby. It's exausting!"
    Rei nodded. Her recent experience had taught her that.
    "I think I can watch Shinji at night, as well as while you're at school. If you can watch him from... let's say... after school to around the time you usually go to bed; it should be enough time for me to get a good rest. How does it sound?"
    "It sounds... acceptable."
    At first, Misato had been sure that Rei would have said something else. She had seemed overjoyed for a second, but then had slipped into her usual demeanor again. So close to bringing her out of her shell, yet so far away. Well, at least it was progress, even if just a tiny bit. Maybe taking care of Shinji would help further bring down her defenses. Or some of them in the least.
    "Great! Welcome to the Tokyo-3 Baby-sitters club!"
    Rei blinked at that sudden cheer and stared for a moment at the Major's outstretched hand. She finally returned the handshake, although without the older woman's enthusiasm.
    "Once school is over, go to your apartment, and bring back what you need for staying a few days here. I'll be waiting!"
    "Understood."
    "Now, finish your breakfast, before you're late for school. Just because you'll stay here doesn't mean you have to pick up the bad habits of my former roommates."
    While she didn't comment, the way Rei looked at her told her clearly that she believed said roommates had probably picked up those habits from her.
    Soon, Rei was done with 'breakfast' and grabbed her school bag without wasting any time. She was putting on her shoes when Misato joined her, Shinji in arm and sucking on a bottle. From a pocket, the Major pulled some yen she gave to the blue haired girl.
    "Couldn't make you lunch, so I guess you'll have to buy it from the school cafeteria."
    Mentally, Rei let out a relieved sigh.
    "Enjoy your day! See you later!"
    Rei blinked. It was the first time in her life anyone had told her to enjoy herself...
    "I... I will try..."
    A confused look on her face, the girl left the apartment.
    "Maybe there's hope for her after all..." thought Misato as she watched the girl disappear into the elevator.

    Rei tried to ignore the curious stare most students and teachers alike gave her. It only partially worked. Although she appeared to other students as her usual cold self, all those eyes on her made her extremely self-conscious. Thankfully, since the object of the students' curiosity was Ayanami Rei, that attention was short lived. After all, not only was Ayanami an EVA pilot, but she was also well known for being strange, as well as other less pleasant qualifiers, ranging from "freak" to "cold hearted bitch". The teachers didn't exactly share such strong feelings, but they too lost interest in her very quickly, already having learned to keep out of NERV matters.
    So Rei quickly regained her status of someone that should be ignored. That is, until she reached her classroom.
    "Ayanami!? What are you doing!? This kind of attire is against school regulations!"
    Rei had expected such an outburst to come from the class representative. She had well observed this Horaki Hikari, which, like all her other classmates, was a potential EVA pilot candidate. She was soft hearted, but was also the type of person to take her responsibilities very seriously and was more mature than most of the other students in class. She knew it was pointless, but she had sometimes found herself wishing that such a girl had been chosen as Unit-02's pilot, instead of the current Second Children. It would have been much more easier to work with her. In a way, she was relieved that she hadn't been chosen to pilot Unit-03. It had kept her potential from being wasted.
    But for the time being, the girl's responsibility was to ensure that order in the class was kept. And the violation of the dress code Rei knew she was committing was no doubt bringing chaos to that order. She felt respect for the girl's efforts and it somewhat saddened her that she would have to stand up to her.
    So Rei looked straight into the brown eyes of the ponytailed girl. She knew that people were reluctant to stare directly into her eyes and she knew it would intimidate the girl.
    "I am wearing an authorized school uniform."
    The initial outburst of the class representative had attracted the attention of the remaining of the class... or at least the few students that still came to class. With Ikari-kun and the Fourth Children absent, the class was nearly empty. Aside from herself and the class representative, only Ikari-kun's friend Aida Kensuke and two other students were present. As well as the Second Children, which was currently worrying Rei more than Horaki.
    "Rei... you're wearing a MALE uniform! The teacher won't tolerate this... you'll get in trouble. This... this isn't like you at all..."
    "It was not my choice to do this. If there is need to file a complaint, then this matter will have to be discussed with Major Katsuragi."
    Hikari nodded. While she had no idea why Rei had to wear boys clothes, the fact that it all came from Major Katsuragi was good enough for her. She almost chuckled at her own naivete; Ayanami would never have done such a thing of her own volition. A frown appeared on her face, however, as she noticed the irate red headed girl making her way toward Ayanami. Without any doubt, it meant trouble. From the corner of her eye, she could already see Kensuke aiming his camera toward the two EVA pilots, no doubt hoping to catch a great fight on film. Sighing, she tried to think of a way to calm Asuka, or at least distract her.
    "These are Shinji's clothes!" proclaimed Asuka, finger pointing toward Rei's chest.
    Since class was nearly empty, the only sound of surprise came from Kensuke. Which disappointed Asuka, as she had somewhat expected a bigger reaction.
    "Correct," answered Rei, matter-of-factly.
    Rei's lack of reaction naturally only added to Asuka's outrage.
    "WHY ARE YOU WEARING SHINJI'S CLOTHES?!"
    Rei only stared straight toward Asuka for a few seconds, while she thought about how to answer this question. Quite possibly, the Second Children knew of Shinji's condition. However, the Major had not expressly stated that. And even if the Second Children knew, then this matter was most likely one that other people present should not be informed of.
    "My clothes got damaged while I was helping Major Katsuragi with her new charge," answered Rei very calmly. Her next words, however, carried a harsher tone, despite being spoken only a little bit louder than a whisper. "A task you ran from, if I understand correctly."
    To everyone's disbelief, Asuka found herself speechless before Rei. A fact the blue-haired girl ignored as she walked past the girl and sat at her desk, to look out the window, as she usually did. Her thoughts, however, were more turbulent than her calm exterior let on, as she finally had time to ponder on the recent events in peace.

    While the old teacher rambled about the crisis that plagued the post-Second Impact world, Asuka fumed. And the worst part was that she didn't know at whom she should be the more angry. Misato, who had replaced her with Rei? That bitch, Wondergirl, who had pointed out that she was replacing her? Or herself, who had just lost a golden opportunity?
    The night Asuka first came to live with Hikari, the ponytailed girl had been very upset with her. When not playing class representative, Hikari was a caring and gentle person. She tried her best to make her friends happy, but without asking anything else in return. She respected the privacy of others and this suited Asuka perfectly. In fact, it was probably one of the reasons why they were still friends. At first, Asuka had decided to be friendly with the girl because of her status in class. She had responsibilities, people respected her and she was her main competition when it came to getting the boys' attention. But quickly, Asuka found herself enjoying the other girl's company. Unlike most of the other students, Hikari didn't seem intimidated by her, and she seemed to want to be her friend... simply because she wanted to. And they had a few things in common, certainly more then she would ever have with Ayanami, despite that they were both EVA pilots. So, Asuka had been rather shocked to see Hikari angry at her. The class representative had allowed Asuka to sleep with her, but beyond that, the brown haired girl practically ignored her presence. Only the next day did Asuka finally understand why, and by that time, Hikari had already apologized for her previous rude actions.
    Hikari was the heart of the Horaki house. Everyone and everything seemed to depend on her. The household chores were her complete responsibility, as well as the well-being of the family, apparently. From what she knew, Hikari's mother had died a few years earlier and, as she watched Hikari play with her younger sister Nozomi, help her older sister Kodama choose a dress for a date and listen to her father as he talked about his day at work, Asuka came to the conclusion that somehow Hikari had taken her mother's place. Enlightened with this new realization, Asuka could now better understand Hikari's reaction. To someone who took family responsibilities as seriously as Hikari, leaving home when Misato needed her probably seemed totally selfish. Hikari's apparent love of babies had probably only added to her anger. If this whole situation seemed completely trivial to Asuka, it was probably very important to Hikari. And yet, after a few hours of sleep, Hikari had pushed all those matters aside because she considered Asuka her friend. The EVA pilot didn't really know what to think about the whole situation. So she simply decided not to think about it, period.
    However, trying not to think about Shinji was something else altogether. Asuka was certain that Hikari wasn't doing it on purpose -- Hikari wasn't that type of person -- but to Asuka's annoyance, the ponytailed girl just kept mentioning Shinji every time she could. And sometimes, some rare times, Hikari's words would make Asuka doubt the rightness of her choice. It was really only a matter of time before she'd find her resolve crumbling.
    And the worst part was that Hikari wasn't even responsible for her change of heart.
    It had all started rather innocently. On the previous day, Kensuke approached her and Hikari to ask her if she had any news about Shinji. Now, while she had no interest in baby Shinji, Asuka had of course realized that such a matter was not to be discussed, and so told Kensuke on very clear terms to get lost (in a way involving a string of German curses, Kensuke's camera and a suggestion on a very painful way to use it). But knowing that Asuka wouldn't do anything excessively harmful in Hikari's presence, Kensuke decided to stay, if only to infuriate the redhead more. Hikari took the opportunity of Kensuke's question to say just how much it was a shame that Shinji was away, with the Major taking care of baby Shinji. Kensuke nodded, adding that Shinji was indeed the reliable type and that it was no wonder that the Major preferred him on the battlefield over her other roommate. After all, if he was reliable in real life, he would tend to be in the field.
    Asuka was about to argue that Shinji was not reliable at all, having failed to fight the Thirteenth Angel and then running away afterward, but the words died in her mouth. Mentioning the Thirteenth Angel would not be wise with Hikari around and she had been herself too distracted by the identity of the Fourth Children to do anything. Heck, even Rei hadn't dared to kill him. And as for running away, Shinji had come back at the last second to fight and beat the Fourteenth Angel. As infuriating as it was, Shinji was reliable. He had been there for every single Angel from the Third to the Fourteenth. He had saved her life against the Eighth. He had stopped the Tenth from hitting the ground and destroying NERV. Despite all odds, he had beaten the Twelfth even when everyone considered him no better than dead.
    You could always count on the Invincible Shinji.
    As she kept hearing Kensuke's words in her mind all day, even as she laid in bed, sleep completely out of her reach, Asuka started to revise her position.
    Misato had been expecting her to help. She had said so herself. Instead, she had run away. Perhaps her reasons were valid, but she had failed Misato nonetheless. Of course, she had no obligation toward Misato; she only lived with her because it was convenient. If needed, she was pretty sure that she could be on her own like Rei was. Misato tried to be nice, but Asuka bore no illusion and knew that the woman simply did her job, nothing more. So there was no reason why she should accept every request coming from her. But Misato was also Director of Operations at NERV. She was the one who decided who fought and who didn't, who took point and who would act as backup. Asuka's career as EVA pilot was literally in her hands. Now, Misato didn't seem the kind to use such a thing as blackmail, but what Kensuke had said had a ring of truth: Misato would probably be more inclined to trust old reliable Shinji over her now. Especially with her latest failures. All things considered, Rei's battle record seemed as good as hers. Gaining Misato's trust outside of NERV might just help her overlook her recent problems.
    So Asuka had come to a decision. She would go back 'home' and help Misato take care of the child. She wasn't overjoyed with the prospect of diaper changing and crying babies at night, but if it could give her an extra chance to show that she could outdo Shinji, then she would grit her teeth and do what was required. And in the end, Misato only needed some help; she had never asked for her to care about the child.
    And now, this opportunity was gone. Misato had found someone to help her. Someone much more reliable than her. Someone to replace her. Ayanami Rei...
    She knew it was the result of her own choices, but she couldn't help but feel her anger toward the other pilot rise. How dare she...?
    Her anger however quickly deflated. After all, it was all too late now...
    Or was it?

    Overall, school had not been as bad as Rei had expected. The Second Children had remained strangely subdued for the reminder of the day. Teachers and students, including the class representative, quickly ceased to notice her or her attire. In fact, for the most part, it was almost a day like any other. She even stopped thinking about the fact she was wearing Ikari-kun's clothes after a few hours.
    Still, the first thing she did as she entered her apartment was to change into her regular clothes.
    And now she was back to the Katsuragi household. And she would see Shinji again. The thought made her smile. A very faint smile, but a smile nonetheless.
    "Finally! You're here!"
    Rei blinked once as the Major seemed to just appear right before her the moment she entered her apartment. Quickly, Rei noted that the Major was wearing a skirt and a sleeveless blouse which, while more casual than her uniform, was definitely more formal than the usual clothing she wore at home.
    "We're nearly out of diapers and formula, so I've got to make a quick errand! For some reason, I couldn't find Makoto anywhere..."

    In his sleep, earplugs ensuring that it would remain undisturbed, Makoto smiled. Following Shigeru's advice, he had decided to switch to the night shift for a few days. Recently, Misato had taken on the habit of calling him at work to do all her errands and he was very aware of the dark glances the Sub-Commander was giving him each time he left the Control Center under Misato's "orders". While he didn't mind in the least helping her, it was starting to jeopardize his career. And since he couldn't bring himself to refuse her request, this was simply the best way...

    "So, I've got to go myself. Now, Shinji has been fed and changed not too long ago and he's taking a little nap, so he shouldn't be a problem. Oh! I've left some instant ramen in the fridge, just needs to be microwaved. Be back soon!"
    And so, without even leaving Rei the chance to react, the Major walked past her and was long gone. Rei blinked a second time as she tried to analyze what had just happened.
    Her excitement faded, as she realized that she would not be able to care for Shinji, as Misato had already done all the required tasks. But then again, she was supposed to care for him until around 23h00, if her agreement with the Major was still valid. Surely the child would wake up in that period. And then she would be able to take care of him again.
    Feeling a certain warmth inside of her at that thought, she made her way to the kitchen to store some food she had the good idea to take with her, along with some clothes and other necessities. Looking at the "ramen" the major had mentioned, Rei was glad she took that precaution. Now, if she could only find some space to store it, the fridge being filled up mostly by beer and baby food...

    Misato came back about an hour (54 minutes and 38 seconds exactly, if someone asked Rei) after she had left. From what she had gathered from the Major, Rei assumed that it had actually been "fast" for her. It had only taken a third of that time for Rei to prepare her meal and eat it, five minutes had been dedicated to personal hygiene and the remainder of the time had been spent by looking at Shinji's sleeping form. The child had not woken in that period and only the faint rising and falling of his chest indicated that he was actually alive and not simply a small doll.
    Silently, as not to wake the child up, Misato lowered the large bags she was carrying and walked up to Rei, startling the girl as she gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. Not knowing how to react to what she believed was a sort of show of affection, Rei simply didn't react at all.
    "He's so cute when he sleeps," whispered the Major.
    Rei surprised both Misato and herself by nodding in approval.
    "But when he wakes up..." added the Major with a slight grimace, as she thought about all the crying and diaper changing...
    "He is still cute," Misato nearly gasped at such a statement from Rei. "When he's awake... he is still cute."
    "Yes... I guess he is," admitted Misato. "But then, Shinji's always been cute, hasn't he?" added the Major, barely restraining a grin.
    The faint blush on Rei's usually pale cheeks spoke louder than words.
    "Oh? So you think Shinji-kun is cute too?" teased Misato. It had been so long since she last had someone to tease. It was something she had missed greatly. Something she had taken for granted, before Shinji disappeared into Unit-01.
    The blush on the girl's face was starting to deepen.
    "You... embarrass me."
    Misato giggled, forgetting all about the child sleeping nearby. So Rei was an ordinary girl after all... this was too good to pass up.
    "Do you think of him, at night, when you're lying in bed?"
    A wolf grin showed on her face.
    "Of course," answered Rei matter-of-factly.
    Misato didn't know what was surprising her the most, Rei's words or her lack of reaction.
    "You... you think of him?!"
    "Yes. As well as Commander Ikari..." Misato let out a horrified gasp as some thoughts of Rei and the Commander crossed her mind, "Sub-commander Fuyutsuki, Doctor Akagi, you and the Second Children. Commander Ikari always says that knowing your opponents' and allies' strengths and weaknesses is key to attaining your goals."
    The Major let out sigh of relief, although she felt a bit disappointed. Rei seemed back to her usual self now.
    "Oh... I see... so you take some time each night to review the events of the day before going to sleep, correct?"
    "Yes."
    Misato nodded. It was something she did herself after each Angel battle... at least if she didn't pass out from drinking too much beer first.
    "And what are your goals, Rei?"
    The Evangelion pilot was spared the need to answer, however, as Shinji made it known that the progressively increasing noise made by his two caretakers had woken him up. Misato was about to reach for the child when Rei stopped her.
    "I will take care of him. You should get some rest."
    For some reason she couldn't figure, Misato wasn't totally sure that this was only a suggestion. But it was the deal she had made with Rei and she had to admit she felt a bit tired.
    "Alright... you take care of him. If needed, the diapers and formula are in these bags." Then the Major's eyes lit up as she suddenly remembered a few other things she had bought. Looking through one of the bags, she pulled out a video disc case and handed it to Rei. "You can watch that with Shinji. I loved watching it when I was a little girl." Rei stared a moment at the 'Hello Kitty' video cover and wondered if a baby actually had a sufficiently developed brain to actually watch such a thing. "And I found this for him to keep him company in his sleep..." The huge smile on the Major's face should have prepared Rei for the worst. Nevertheless, a deep frown became visible on her features as she took a good look at the doll Misato had handed her.
    It was a super-deformed kind of doll, the kind which usually had a head too big for a chubby body, and small limbs. To any other observers, the doll would have been considered as cute. But to Rei, cute was the last thing that came to mind.
    If the doll's large brown eyes and smile could have mislead those who knew the model the doll was based on, there was no way to miss the short fuzzy blue hair as well as the white plugsuit the doll was wearing, even if crudely designed.
    In her left hand, the right being monopolized by Shinji, Rei held the latest product issued by NERV's public relation department: the Zerogouki Pilot doll. Despite the fact that NERV was the last line of defense against the Angels, a lot of people either feared or hated NERV, from reasons varying from the EVAs scary appearance to NERV's excessively high operating cost. So EVA Pilots dolls, as well as Evangelions action figures had been made and released as merchandise to brighten its image among children. The basic idea of this project was that if children trusted NERV, then their parents might be inclined to do so as well. And it was also an interesting source of revenue.
    "Isn't it cute?"
    Misato wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but she was almost sure she saw Rei's eyebrow twitch before her frown deepened.
    "It does not look like me."
    Misato couldn't quite believe it. Rei seemed... displeased...
    "I am not fat," added Rei, which caused Misato to burst out laughing. When she noticed Rei's stern gaze at her, she made an attempt to sober back up.
    "I... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." she gasped, before bursting out laughing again.
    "Gah... gah... ga!"
    Misato's became serious again, as she looked to see why Shinji seemed suddenly so animated. She blinked as she noticed that Shinji's little hands were trying to grasp the doll Rei held only inches from him.
    "I think he wants the doll."
    Having noticed the baby's behavior herself, Rei brought the doll closer to the child. As it came within reach, Shinji grasped it and held it to his tiny chest, giggling as the doll's hair tickled his nose. When she tried to get the doll back, Rei realized that the child was holding it too tightly for her to take it without the use of force.
    "I think he likes it," commented Misato.
    Rei nodded, her features now more neutral, although a smile seemed to be creeping at the edge of her lips.
    "Perhaps... it is not so bad after all," admitted Rei, as she sat down, delicately placed the child on the floor, and watched him play with the doll.
    A proud smile on her face, Misato left the two alone to get a well-deserved rest.

    Determined not to lose, Asuka walked the now familiar path that would lead her to Misato's apartment. It was how she preferred to call it. "Home" didn't sound... right.
    As she thought back at her reaction in school, Asuka couldn't believe she had been about to give up so easily. So what if Rei had taken care of that stupid baby Shinji? For sure she could do it better than her. And as soon as Misato would see that she was serious about helping her, she'd send Rei away. If she hadn't already. One would be crazy to let this girl take care of a child.
    Discreetly, she entered the apartment. If she wanted Misato to trust her again, she had to make sure that the Major believed she cared about Shinji, which meant not waking him up. It seemed like the right thing to do, since an almost eerie silence had taken possession of the apartment. A silence that was only an apparent one, however, as she realized a faint voice could be heard coming from the living room as her steps brought her closer there. She froze at the sight awaiting her. She saw Ayanami sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall, baby Shinji cradled in her arms.  The strangest thing, however, was how lively Ayanami seemed. The voice she had heard was hers, but it was all wrong. Instead of the subdued emotionless voice was a joyful, rich voice, even if she didn't speak much louder than a whisper.
    Wanting to hear what Ayanami was saying, Asuka walked a few steps closer. Apparently, Rei was telling the child a story. She was so engrossed in it that she hadn't noticed the German girl.
    "... The evil oni spoke, its voice loud and heavy as pitch black darkness: 'If you don't give me the soul crystal, I'll kill your beloved Tokiko. What will you choose, Tanaka? The life of this little princess... or the world?' Knowing the weakness of the human heart, the evil oni gloated, his success becoming clear as the young samurai sheathed his sword. The princess cried, as she urged the samurai to destroy the soul crystal, even at the cost of her life. 'If you love me', she said, 'you'll let me die to save the world.' Looking straight into the beautiful princess' eyes, the samurai asked: 'Hime-sama... do you love me?' Hearing the question she had dreaded for so long, the princess bit her lip, but sure that this would be her last words, answered: 'Yes.' The samurai then smiled and with all his might, threw the crystal to the ground, shattering it in a thousand pieces. The oni growled in anger, but was surprised to see the samurai leap at him at a speed he had never seen in a mortal before. Using his family ancestral battou technique, the samurai struck. The fires of love and the desire to protect his princess burned within the heart of the warrior and for only a few seconds, his blade glowed, powered by the samurai's spirit. Not having anticipated the pure feelings of the warrior's heart, the oni found itself defenseless, the light piercing through his evil. The blade entered his flesh above his right hip and exited by his left shoulder, literally slicing the oni in half. With a scream, the oni's body crumbled into dust. The samurai helped the princess to stand on her feet and under the moonlight, the two lovers kissed."
    As she watched Ayanami telling this tale to the young Shinji, Asuka remembered a scene from a long time ago, in a far away place.
    "And so, they lived happily ever after."
    "Yay! Mama! Mama! Tell me another story!"
    "Now, Asuka... it's time to sleep."
    "Tell me another story!"
    "Oh, alright... but it's the last one and you must promise me to go to sleep after it."
    "I love you Mama!"
    Asuka shook her head in denial, not wanting to remember this. Because if she remembered the good memories, then the bad would also come...
    "No... no... no... NO! NOOOOO!"
    Finally noticing the Second Children's presence, Rei looked straight at her, her unblinking red gaze burrowing deep into Asuka's blue eyes.
    "Asuka darling, please, come to heaven with me."
    Emotionless eyes looking at her. Eyes almost... dead. Like...
    The little girl stood in the doorway, staring in horror at the inanimate body of her mother, hanging from the ceiling of her hospital room, her empty eyes opened in a way that almost made it look as if she was looking straight at her...
    "Asuka darling, please, come to heaven with me."
    The eyes... the little doll in her hands...
    "NO! Don't... don't look at ME!"
    Scared and confused, Asuka ran out of the apartment, leaving behind a puzzled Rei and a worried Misato, who had been awakened by Asuka's first screams. When she tried to run after her however, the Major couldn't find any traces of the redheaded girl.
    "This is bad..."
    She was relieved however to learn, after a phone call to NERV security, that Asuka was on her way toward the Horakis' home. Not wasting time, she phoned the class representative and briefly explained the situation to her without going into details. Once she was finally sure that Asuka would have someone she could talk to and a shoulder she could lean on if she felt the need to, Misato prepared her trusty coffee machine for a much needed cup. She doubted she could go back to sleep.
    She really wished she hadn't stopped drinking.
    For a moment, Rei watched the Major and took notes of her actions, but lost interest after a while and instead looked at the sleeping child cradled into her arms, and smiled.

[To be continued...]
 
 
 

Author's notes:

Oh, before someone point it out, it was on purpose that I used contractions in the story Rei was telling. Using it or not is simply to give a more monotone feel to Rei's words (since she really speaks Japanese). From this, you can make your own conclusions...