Author's notes:
I picked up this fanfic to work on because a) it's EVA, b) it's a non-fusion
fic by Scriviner (oh rare gem), c) it's originally in author omniscient
(which I've retooled to third-person viewpoint) and d) it's relatively
short.
That said, I hope this version can live up to the legacy of the original. As
usual, C&C is always welcome.
Enjoy!
=====
Two Hearts of One Mind - TimeRunner Reprise
based on the original story by Scriviner
A Church of All Worlds / Gratuitous Theater Project
"Rei, how are you doing?"
Ayanami Rei settled in the entry plug, keeping silent as she
tried to make sense of the feedback she was receiving from the EVA-01.
Commander Katsuragi had just asked her a question through the local
comm link, and while she realized that a prompt reply was expected of
her, she actually had little idea of how exactly to verbally convey
the sensations she was receiving.
Were there words for these things, these images, these
sensations seeping into her as the synchronization pulse increased in
intensity? Was what she was experiencing at that moment within the
scope of human language? Of human concept?
"Rei?"
Did Ikari-kun experience these things every time he synchronized
with this EVA? This was the Unit 01, after all; normally she would be
assigned to the Unit 00, but this was to be some 'mutual
compatibility' test of some sort; presumably it was to determine if
she and he were interchangeable as pilots for their respective mecha.
Was this how Ikari-kun felt as he piloted this thing? Was that
what she wanted to say?
"Rei, are you okay?"
"Yes," she finally replied, although the incompleteness of her
statement bothered her. It didn't seem right. No, that's not what she
meant; it didn't seem enough.
"We're going to switch over to second stage synchronization,"
Major Katsuragi's said, her voice directly inputted into Rei via the
neural linkages to her inner ear. "Are you ready?"
"Yes."
Suddenly the sensations came to Rei in a single flash, a single
jolt; and while her body was completely calm her mind struggled to
translate what she meant into speech, and she mentally latched onto
the nearest analog she could find...
"It... it smells like Ikari-kun."
"How do you feel so far, Shinji?"
"I'm okay, Misato, I guess," Ikari Shinji weakly replied from
the entry plug of the EVA-00. It didn't feel too different from his
EVA. Actually, Shinji was more nervous about doing something wrong in
Ayanami's EVA than anything else; would she be able to tell when she
got it back?
He realized, now that he thought about it, that there WAS
something different about this EVA that he couldn't place. Something
different, but familiar.
Was this what it was like for Ayanami? The same, but different?
Shinji cringed despite himself. What the heck did that mean? The
same, but different? He began to wonder if the anxiety was beginning
to drive him insane.
But whatever was different about this EVA was definitely there.
Shinji began to picture what it was like for Ayanami, shielding him
against that beam attack from Ramiel back then. He imagined how the
LCL temperature rose, how the heat of the blast registered on the
EVA's neural linkages and got passed on to her own body. He thought he
could hear her grunt in exertion as she bought him enough time to fire
off one final shot against the Angel.
"Shinji? What's up?"
"Huh?" Shinji snapped out of whatever reverie he'd fallen into.
During a synchro test, no less! How irresponsible of him! "No, it's
nothing, Misato."
"Do you feel anything, Shinji?"
"Well... No, never mind. It's kind of strange."
"No, go ahead."
"It's the plug..." Shinji said, realizing what it was that was
different. "It smells like Ayanami."
"Smell? What's all this stuff about smell? Are you some kind of
pervert or something?" Asuka's voice rang into his ear through the
comm link.
"That's enough chatter, Asuka," Misato said. "Shinji, we're
going to switch over to stage three in a few seconds, okay?"
"Okay." He leaned back and resumed his imaginings of Ayanami,
risking life and limb to save him, shielding him, and before that,
saying goodbye before the mission went underway...
He blinked. That didn't happen in here.
"Third stage commencing."
Shinji clutched at his head as a feedback pulse slammed into his
head, into his brain... images of Ayanami flooding his mind...
Ayanami in the entry plug, Ayanami during the first synchro test,
Ayanami trapped inside as the Unit 00 went out of control, went
berserk, went berserk, berserk, BERSERK...!
"OW!" Shinji exclaimed as he touched the lump on the back of his
head. What happened? He felt like an EMP knocked out his short-term
memories. Something about Ayanami...?
"Serves you right, stupid," Asuka said from where she was
sitting in front of the TV. "Not only did you manage to make Ayanami's
EVA go nuts on you, but you slip and fall on your head afterwards. It
takes effort to be that stupid, you know."
"Whatever." Shinji looked in irritation as he realized that
Asuka had switched the channel back to 'Tokyo Love Story'. He grabbed
his remote from the dining table and switched it back to 'Souvenirs of
the 20th Century'.
"Hey!" Asuka immediately used her own remote to switch the TV
back to her program.
"I'm watching the History Channel, okay?" Click!
"Well, I'm watching 'Tokyo Love Story'!" Click!
"History Channel!" Click!
"Tokyo Love Story!" Click!
"You stop that!" Click!
"You started it!" Click!
"Did not!" Click!
"Did too!" Click!
"Did not!" Click!
"Fine! Let's see how you like this!" Asuka stood up and cupped
her hand over the television's infrared receiver, in the process
hitting the channel button by accident.
Both children looked on in exasperation as a Yebisu Beer
commercial flashed onscreen.
Shinji wondered in annoyance whose idea it was to get two
remotes in the first place. Then he realized...
"Where's Misato?" both children said at the same time.
"Kgh!" Asuka exclaimed. "I hate this! This all started when we
did that choreographed mission together. Now all you do is keep
copying what I do!"
"Copying what you do? You're the one who keeps parroting my
actions!"
"As I was going to say before you so RUDELY interrupted me --"
Asuka began.
"You interrupted me!"
"-- Is that it's Misato's turn to cook tonight, and she isn't
home," she finished.
Shinji raised an eyebrow. "You actually want her to cook? She
can make instant food taste bad, remember?"
"No, it's just that I was wondering when you'd start making me
dinner, seeing as she doesn't seem to be coming home any time soon,
and we can't contact her since the phones are still dead from the last
Angel attack."
"Make you dinner? You're the hungry one!" Shinji protested.
"Oh, really? Don't tell me you don't feel a little peckish,
yourself."
"No, I don't."
"Really?"
"Really."
Asuka did not reply. Instead, she stood up, crossed her arms,
and stared at Shinji's belly.
It growled in response.
Shinji sighed. Not even his stomach could lie to save his life.
"Fine," he said, getting up as well, "let's both get something to eat.
Fair enough?"
"Whatever. All we have to do is pop two TV dinners into the
microwave. How hard could it be?"
"This isn't working."
"Shut up!" Asuka snapped.
Both of them were perched on a chair and were leaning into the
open freezer, chipping away at the icy tomb containing the last two TV
dinners.
"Put your back into it, Shinji!"
"I'm doing my best, okay? Look, maybe we could use a blow dryer
or something."
"What kind of stupid idea is that?"
"Well, do you have any better ideas?"
"Yes! Chip harder!"
"Why don't you chip as hard as you whine, Miss Soryu? Maybe then
we'd get somewhere!"
The cheap electronic doorbell managed to make itself heard above
the din of the argument.
"That's probably Misato. I'll get it," Shinji said, wiping his
brow and stepped down from the chair.
"You just wanna slack off, don't you?" Asuka shot accusingly.
Shinji sighed as he walked to the front door. "Welcome --" he
began as he opened the door.
Ayanami was standing outside, wearing her school uniform and
carrying an overnight bag.
"-- Home," Shinji weakly finished. "Ayanami? What are you doing
here?"
"Major Katsuragi will not be able to return home until tomorrow
morning as she has other matters to deal with," Ayanami stated
expressionlessly, which the way she usually spoke. "I was ordered to
keep you and the Second Child company."
"Um, okay... Uh, why don't you --"
Rei stepped into the apartment past Shinji and proceeded to
remove her shoes behind him.
"-- Come in. Never mind," he said, closing the door.
"Shinji, stop slacking off and --" Asuka began as she stepped in
the room, then she caught herself. "Oh, Ayanami. Well, what brings you
here?"
Ayanami took a deep breath, then spoke, "Major Katsuragi will
not be able to return home until tomorrow morning as she has other
matters to deal with --"
Shinji heaved another sigh as he entered the kitchen. Melted ice
and puddles of brownish water were all over the floor, and the instant
dinners showed no sign of leaving their frozen imprisonment. He looked
at the makeshift steak knife chisels lying on the counter and cringed
at the gloomy prospect of going back to work in the permafrost mines.
Asuka and Ayanami entered behind him. "This is hopeless," Asuka
whined. "By the time we chip out those dinners it'll be breakfast
time."
Shinji crossed his arms and looked at the two girls. "Any other
ideas?"
Ayanami glanced at the freezer, then gave Shinji a look he could
not read. He could have sworn she gave a slight smile as she replied,
"Have you tried using a blow dryer?"
"Well," Asuka said, pushing away from the dinner table and lying
back on the floor, "that was..."
"...Adequate," Shinji said, looking at the remains of the meal,
feeling bloated yet vaguely unsatisfied. "Sorry the meal wasn't much,
Ayanami."
Ayanami calmly set aside her chopsticks and wiped her mouth,
saying nothing.
"Well, I'm getting some sleep," Asuka said, getting to her feet.
As she walked off to her room, she paused and faced Shinji. "By the
way, don't you even THINK of trying to steal a kiss from me this time,
Shinji!"
"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"
"What do you expect? You tried to take advantage of me, you
pervert!"
"I am not a pervert!"
"Yes, you are! Who knows what you could have done to me
afterwards?"
"Ikari-kun probably would," Ayanami flatly said.
"Wha-?" both Asuka and Shinji said, incredulously.
"Or, then again, maybe not," Ayanami amended, and Shinji saw
that hint of a smile cross her face again.
"Ooh, you people are impossible! Good night!" Asuka said,
stomping off to her room.
Shinji breathed a sigh of relief. "Please tell me why NERV chose
her to be the Second Child."
"I don't know," Ayanami replied. "Would you rather it was just
the two of us?"
Shinji was ill-prepared for the way that question was phrased or
that the response was a question at all. "I... what? That is, um... I
suppose they could have gotten someone easier to get along with, I
guess."
"Like... me?"
What was with Ayanami? Shinji froze, quite unsure how to react.
Ayanami shook her head and looked at her feet. "I have been a
little difficult to approach, haven't I? I see that, now."
"No, it's okay. I'm no people person, myself," Shinji said,
chuckling weakly. He raised his hand to scratch the back of his head
and knocked a half-filled glass down on the table.
"I'll get it," Shinji said and he reached for the glass at the
same moment Ayanami did the same, and their hands touched... and for a
moment, the strangest sensation filled Shinji, almost as if he were
touching his own hand through someone else's...
He looked up, into Ayanami's eyes, and he saw himself, reflected
in them. He wanted to look closer, look deeper, as if to find out how
he looked through her eyes...
"I can't believe this. Are you two flirting?" Asuka exclaimed,
shattering his reverie.
When did Asuka enter the room? Had she been watching all this
time? "What... what are you talking about?" Shinji said.
Asuka snorted. "Be careful, Ayanami. Next thing you know, he'll
be ripping your clothes off."
Ayanami blinked. "Why would he want to do that?"
"What rock have you been hiding under, girl?" Asuka said,
incredulous. "To see your naked body, of course!"
"What are you saying?" Shinji cried. "Stop that!"
"I can't see why," Ayanami said in her calm voice. "He's already
seen me naked before."
"What?" Asuka gasped, scandalized. "You... pervert!" She grabbed
the nearest thing she could find (which was fortunately a throw
pillow) and began bludgeoning Shinji with it. "You lech! Peeping-tom!
Pervert!"
"It - was - an - accident!" Shinji pleaded in-between blows to
the head.
"A likely story! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"
"Why?" Ayanami asked quietly.
"What do you mean why? Don't you even feel violated that this
filthy-minded pervert saw you naked?"
"No. It wasn't his fault. He lost his balance and fell on me."
"He fell on you while you were naked?"
"I've had enough! We already told you it was an accident!"
Shinji shouted. "Besides, it's none of your business if we were naked
together or not!"
Asuka and Ayanami stared at Shinji in silence.
"Uh, I mean," Shinji corrected, realizing what he had just said,
"if I was naked -- I mean, if she was --"
"I don't care anymore!" Asuka cried. "Why am I even bothering
with you two? I don't care if you two are -- if you two -- Argh! I'm
going to my room! Good night! I'm going to sleep!" She stalked off to
her room and shut her door loudly.
Shinji and Ayanami silently watched Asuka walk off, and after
Asuka had shut the door, stared at it for long moments.
Finally, Shinji heard Ayanami say, "I'm going to sleep, too."
"You don't have to sleep on the couch. You can use my room,"
Shinji offered, turning to face her.
She had dressed down to her bra and panties.
Shinji swiftly turned his gaze to the nearest convenient blank
wall. "Um... what... what are you doing?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why are you down to your b-bra and p-panties?"
They heard a thud from Asuka's room, but neither was inclined to
investigate further.
"I'm undressing to sleep. Your room?" Ayanami asked.
"My what? Room? Oh, right! My... room... It's the right door...
uh... down the hall... third... um..."
Ayanami began to walk down the hall before he could finish his
sentence. Shinji tried not to look at her and attempted to focus his
attention on the intricacies of tatami mat weaving, but he could feel
her all too well; he could feel how she walked, he could feel how she
moved, how her clothes moved with her, even without him looking at
her. He could... he could smell her. That was the thing he noticed
most of all. He could smell her all around him. He could smell her on
everything she touched, everything she had come in contact with... on
his hand...
He slumped down on the couch and tried to sleep. He tried to
sleep, but couldn't make himself comfortable enough... With
irritation, he realized that he'd left his Walkman in his room. He
briefly considered going into his room to get it, but quickly decided
against it -- after all the trouble he had trying to avoid looking at
Ayanami, entering his room to find her lying on his bed in her
underwear, or worse, completely naked...
He decided to save himself the nosebleed, buried his head under
several throw pillows, and forced himself to fall asleep.
Melody.
Melody, bass.
Melody, bass, counter-melody.
Melody, bass, counter-melody, counter-bass.
Canon in D.
Shinji awoke, hearing it in his right ear. Pachelbel's Canon in
D, string quartet rendition. Track 25.
He began to drift off again, but a familiar scent filled his
nostrils... "Ayanami?"
He opened his eyes and saw her face, partly obscured by the
darkness. She was beside him, kneeling next to the couch, wearing a
long shirt. She held his Walkman in her hand, and he realized that she
had one earphone on her left ear, and the other one was in his right.
And her smell...
"What... what are you still doing up?" he asked her, trying to
banish his tension with speech.
"I couldn't sleep, and I thought you might want to listen to
something, to help you sleep."
Shinji murmured his thanks, and closed his eyes to listen. Two
violins, two cellos in counterbalance, neither overpowering the other,
playing off in perfect harmony... and if he concentrated, Shinji swore
he could hear the music in both ears, even though he only wore on
earphone.
"This is my favorite song," Shinji whispered.
"I know."
"How do you know?"
Ayanami reached out and touched Shinji's hand softly. "You know
how."
Shinji held her hand, letting the sensation of her fill him.
"Ayanami..."
"I lied, Ikari-kun. I wasn't ordered to come here. Major
Katsuragi simply suggested that I drop by, and --"
"I know."
Ayanami opened her mouth to speak, but then she stopped. She
sighed happily and lay her head down on Shinji's chest. "I had to come
here. I just wanted to be near you."
"I'm glad," Shinji said. "Ayanami..."
"Yes?"
"When I woke up after I'd blacked out in the entry plug, I was
afraid I'd forgotten something important, that the pulse had wiped out
something special from me... and all I knew was that it was about
you."
"Ikari-kun..."
Shinji smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. "But then
when our hands touched, and I saw myself in your eyes, through your
eyes... I remembered." He smelled her, held it in for a moment, and
released it slowly. "I remembered what it was like to feel what you
felt, see myself through your eyes... I remember how it felt when you
protected me, when you were trapped inside the entry plug..." He
lightly traced her cheek with his fingers. "But most of all, I
remember how it felt when you smiled at me. Do you remember?"
"I remember," was Ayanami's soft reply, and Shinji could feel
her smile light up both their entire beings. "I remember, Ikari-kun."
"Please, call me Shinji."
"All right, but only on one condition."
"What's that?"
She looked up at him, smiling. "That you call me Rei."
Shinji laughed softly. "Rei," he ventured, and the name felt
sweet on his lips. "Rei."
"Shinji," Rei said, giggling softly, "guess what I want to do
now."
"Lie down and sleep."
"Right."
Shinji moved over and made room on the couch. She lay next to
him, and they snuggled together.
"I'm sorry it's so cramped," Shinji apologized.
"I think the word is 'cozy'," Rei said.
Shinji chuckled. "What if Asuka catches us like this?"
"Don't worry. I've taken care of it."
He paused for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"You know how she's always complained about privacy, right?"
"Right, about no locks on our doors. Why?"
Rei giggled. "I only did what you've always wanted to do."
Shinji gave a start. "You... you didn't!"
"I did."
Shinji laughed, wrapping his arms around Rei and hugging her
tightly, which she returned wholeheartedly. After all, they had all
night to sleep in each other's arms -- that is, until Asuka found out
that Rei had glued her door shut.
They were only too happy to give Asuka the privacy she wanted.
- end -
=====
w.o.m.
TimeRunner's Web Page:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/7482
=====
"A little naive? Was that what you were going to say? A little naive?"
"I was going to say a little clueless, but yeah, that about covers it."
- Skuld and Keiichi, "What Wish?"