Author's note: For the longest time I have been struggling with my writing, deeply disappointed with the quality of the things I was producing. This fic idea came to me randomly one day and I was hooked with excitement while writing this fic, and after a few hours, the first draft was completed. By the end, despite a few doubts, I was confident I had done something right in this story, though i still cannot identify what. Perhaps it is meant to be that way. Though I have never trusted giddy excitement while writing, it is much more auspicious than the toiling I went through with other projects to force myself to write. That didn't work. This apparently did.

...

The rain was falling heavily. Though its onslaught did not frighten the souls of the children within the school, it did well to dishearten them, for it had accomplished what no other thing could - restricting the students' desire to head to their homes. As it was, most of the adolescents decided to exercise their mobility to the greatest of their extent by at least sitting outside underneath the roofs of the outdoor walkways that lay between the multiple school buildings. Unfortunately, the only wonder to be experienced outside were the sight of a darkened city whose lights were clouded by storm, the smell of a sad sky, and the clammy embrace of a humid world.

...

Still, it beat the luckless situation the Children found themselves in.
    Shinji found himself with a mop in his hands. There was no rush to finish his task since he had no plan as to what he would do next. And instead of solving that problem, he found his mind immersed in a sea of different troubles, little ones that did little to worry him. This was one of his better days. He felt that he had only barely escaped the last Angel, but the aftermath of the encounter was the most rewarding of any before it. Somewhere, he knew, Mother was not dead. At that thought, he pulled his gaze from the hypnotic puddles of slop he was creating, and, with some effort, glanced to his left, where the ever subtle Ayanami Rei knelt with a sickened rag in hand, wiping the floor in a way that Shinji could only describe as motherly. He could not understand it.
    Asuka was in one of her better moods with everyone except the other Children away. That is to say that she went about her chore without the sense of apprehension she carried towards the other pilots these days, particularly Ikari. Still, it came as no surprise that she swept the floor busily in an effort to finish her job and be done with it. Like the other Children, she toiled without comment, her mind dwelling about the task at hand and nothing else. This was fortunate for Shinji, who would surely have been at the receiving end of a string of accusations dealing with perverseness and indecency had he been caught with his gaze lingering towards the pale blue girl at his side. There was an eerie atmosphere about, however, one that seemed to consume any energy the students could draw up. Perhaps even if the red girl had seen the boy staring, she would have said nothing.
    Before any of the Children had finished their tasks, the door clucked open and through it emerged two stooges and the class representative. The Third Child looked up with question, the Second with relief, and the First with slight consideration.
    Touji spoke first. "And here we have Shinji Ikari, who now has two ladies under his belt to assist him with-" His sentence was cut short as he was promptly stuck at the head by Asuka's broom and grimace. Aida Kensuke, being ever so vigilant, briskly concealed his camera.
    The class representative sat down at the desk nearest her friend with a sigh, while the other two visitors claimed desks by the Third Child. Touji swept his hand through his hair as he sat down, briefly glaring at the Second Child as he did so.
    "It doesn't look like it's going to clear up anytime soon," the class representative reported. She received no reply for a second as multiple pairs of eyes gave her quizzical looks. Flustered, she continued: "So I decided to see how you were doing."
    Asuka sighed, standing idly by her friend's seat, leaning upon her broom in an awkward fashion, as if she would fall from exhaustion without its support. With a sigh, she spoke (or rather, groaned). "What does it matter? We'll have wilted away, fainted and woken up in time for class tomorrow before the rain stops. This room is so depressing."
    And indeed it was. With the windows as the only gateways for light to enter the room, the place was played upon by light that had been tainted by the rain. The lackluster colors of brown and green blended with the contrasts of light and darkness to give the room the mood not different from that of a murky swamp. To compliment the visual qualities of the dire situation was the droning of rain, which slapped against the building lightly but relentlessly. It was much like the drumming aboard a slave ship, and at the moment none of the students could deny that they were feeling more like slaves by the minute -- grim, tired, and lifeless.
    Kensuke responded. "That's because you're a girl who's got female issues," he bragged, not noticing the flames developing about Asuka's being. "We men can take it just fine," he went on, dropping a hand upon Ikari's shoulder. "You don't see Shinji here whining. Heck, I'll bet he doesn't even notice the rain." At this, Shinji flinched to his side away from Kensuke's grip, a horrified smile tugging at his cheeks. He turned to see Asuka fuming with a spirit that had not been present before.
    Hikari noticed this as well. "Well, Ayanami-san doesn't seem to mind the rain, either, ne, Rei?"
    Ayanami, who had her back turned towards the class representative and the Second Child, did not halt her actions. "No, I do not mind."
    Unfortunately, this turn of conversation did not settle Asuka's temper very much. She did, however, manage to control herself enough to give a smug look at the three stooges, and retort: "Well, that's because Shinji is too much of a wimp to care about the rain, and Wondergirl doesn't really care about anything at all. You twerps are just…"
    At this point Shinji Ikari managed to settle into his own mind and stare listlessly at his mop, successfully blocking out the external world.

    His clothes were damp and sagged upon his shoulders heavily, draping him with a clammy grasp that was uncomfortable and troublesome. Before long a red hue began to flood over his white shirt, staining it with-

    Shinji inhaled sharply at the thought and his gaze darted nervously about his school uniform. As he glanced up, he saw that his fright had not gone unnoticed. Touji, who had been resting his chin upon his arms, looked up at him with curiosity and concern. Kensuke turned his head to portray the same expression. Asuka and Hikari, who had been focused on their argument with the other boys, looked at him with senses of shock and confusion. Ayanami Rei had turned to examine him with a blank expression.
    Shinji's eyes met hers last, and he could not help but notice the strange pinkish-red color that her eyes displayed. They were strangely curious inside, and behind them lay an ocean of thoughts and questions. Shinji began to realize that she was staring, and then luckily, Ayanami blinked sharply, gave him one last glance, and returned to her chore.
    "You alright, boss?" Suzahara inquired.
    Turning his attention back to the other souls in the room, Shinji nodded hesitantly. "Gomen." His nod became an informal bow.
    The previous topic lost in the interruption, Asuka's state of mind remained revolving about the Third Child. "Nightmare, Third Child?" She asked, with some tone of annoyance.
    "Hey, give the guy a break, huh?" Touji shot back. "The guy just came back from the hospital."
    "You don't have to remind me," Asuka said with a sneer. "The invincible Shinji, who tried to 'show us how it's done,' got a bit cocky, eh?" Despite Hikari's pleads for her to calm down, Asuka found that at the moment she could only think of how much she despised the Third Child.

    "You are number one!" Misato chimed.

    "Did you get to do any thinking while you were trapped, waiting for us to save you, hm?" The smirk she wore upon her face set him off somewhat.
    "I still did better than you, didn't I?" he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to her. Asuka received the full blow of the comment regardless.
    She decided to take the argument on from a different angle, ignoring Hikari's subtle hisses for her to calm down. "So is that what your little relationship with Wondergirl is based upon? Your lucky breaks?"
    "It's not like that," Shinji croaked with a grimace, caught off guard. "I-"
    And then. Rei, who had continued on with her task, wrenched the rag dry of water one last time, and, holding both the bucket and rag in one hand, stood up. The room had suddenly become silent and remained so as the class recluse set the bucket down at Shinji's side and walked towards her desk, her steps echoing throughout the classroom. She took her book bag off of her seat, and, sitting down silently, set it at her heel. She rested her chin upon the back of her hand, and fixed her gaze towards the dreary view outside.
    The class representative took this opportunity to speak up. "Why does the rain make you guys gloomy?" she referred specifically to the Second and Third Children, "can't you two ever get along?"
    Though the only replies she received were silence and shame, she took those answers in the best of heart, and continued. "Now look, Ayanami-san is finished, and who knows? By the time you two are done, the rain just might stop." She finished with a smile, which blossomed into a fit of blushing when she noticed the affirmative expression Suzahara was giving her.
    "Hmph," Asuka snorted, but without its usual vigor. "Yeah, right." Nevertheless, she resumed her sweeping, and Shinji, who said nothing more, went back to his mopping.

...

Some time later, Shinji and Asuka finished their respective duties, but the rain had not yet stopped. Shinji settled down at his desk and assumed a tired position similar to the First Child's. Asuka sat at her desk conversing with Hikari, her mood having visibly brightened. Touji and Kensuke continued about their ramblings, ones which left Shinji listening to more than participating in (to Shinji's own lack of flair for conversation). The physical atmosphere about the classroom had not changed in the slightest.
    Shinji relaxed, took in a deep breath, and nearly choked. It smells like blood, he thought, and it was not long before the humidity and stench of rain began to overwhelm his senses. Somewhere, he felt sick.
    "What?" The voice was Rei's, and it was so soft that it seemed only Shinji had heard it. The blue girl did not turn her head or shift even the slightest from the stance she was in, leaving Shinji to wonder if he heard her at all.
    His gaze danced about for a second. Did I say that out loud? It was apparent that he had. And so, he responded, in a somewhat clearer voice. "It smells…" he uttered out with diffidence, "…like blood." Ayanami brought her head back to face him. It was not long before the boy began to feel himself confused and questioned by those eyes, which, although they seemed to have lost their intensity on this rainy day, were no less solid or hard than usual. She blinked, and brought her gaze back towards the window.
    Finally, she spoke in a tone that could nearly be described as casual. "It is just rain." Shinji found that there was nothing he could say to respond. A second later, Ayanami softly lifted the window open and brought her arm out from under her chin and reached outside just so her fingertips could catch the specks of water diving down from the shrouded white sky. Her eyes followed each drop's impact against her skin with what could be described as mild lively amusement.
    Having admired the sensation of the cool droplets of rain tapping about the palm of her hand, her arm still stretching out the window, Ayanami Rei turned once more to meet the Shinji Ikari's stare. And she smiled gently.
    This time Shinji did not lose himself under her attention towards him, and his breathing and composure actually relaxed visibly. And he smiled as well.
    What had gone undiscovered by him was the rising of a frozen silence that began a moment ago. And now, there were five pairs of eyes directed towards him, four of which he had yet to notice.

~fin

Special thanks to Chris Burke and Adrian Forest for their in-depth suggestions and feedback (7/26/00).