Brave Nurse Shinji

An Evangelion fan fiction by rojo

Disclaimer: I don not own Evangelion or its characters. Wish I did but I don’t. The idea for this story is all mine.

Chapter 6: It's Raining Angels

Shinji woke up on the couch in Misato's living room. He sat up and looked around, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

Glancing at the VCR clock that for once was not flashing 12:00, he saw that it was late in the morning.

"How did I sleep so long?" Shinji wondered aloud.

Misato answered him from the kitchen. "Late. You must have stayed up watching over Rei."

Surprised by someone actually answering him, Shinji stood up and headed to his room.

The images of Rei flashed through his mind as he remembered the night before.

"Hey, Ayanami, how are you…feeling?"

The last word was just a whisper as he surveyed his empty bedroom.

Running into the kitchen he found Misato reading a newspaper.

"What happened to Rei? How could you just let her leave?"

Misato pulled her eyes from the text and looked at Shinji.

"What? Oh, Ritsuko came by this morning to get Rei. She said she had some tests to perform…something about Rei being sick. I don't quite remember."

The boy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, ok. I'm glad that she's ok."

"Worried?"

"Ah…Well, no. I-I just…"

"You know Shinji, this is the first time I've seen you really concerned about someone."

"This baka? Ha, like he knows how to care about other people."

Asuka walked into the kitchen and began pulling out the necessary items to make toast.

"He probably just wants to get in Wondergirl's pants. Like he cares about her."

Shinji got very quiet and looked at his feet.

"Asuka…I do care about Ayanami. She's my friend. And if you can't understand that, I guess that's too bad."

Quickly Shinji ran to his room, his short burst of courage expired.

Rei thought as she floated in a tube of LCL deep under NERV headquarters.

She had just completed her weekly memory transfer and it was unlike any other she had experienced. Every other time she was easily able to let herself go. She would awaken refreshed and her mind cleared.

This time was different. She had to concentrate to make the connection. She awoke feeling tired and shaky.

"Rei. You can come out now. We're finished." Dr. Akagi stood near the center of the chamber writing on a clipboard.

"Have you been taking your medication?"

"Yes, Dr. Akagi."

"I want you to start taking this as well."

Ritsuko handed her a small, orange plastic container of pills. "The instructions are on the side. Now, you must remember to take these. They will make you better."

"I understand."

"Good, you can get dressed."

Rei proceeded to get dressed and joined the doctor to ride the elevator back to the central block of NERV.

After a minute Ritsuko broke the silence. "How are you feeling after yesterday?"

"I am well."

"How is school?"

"No problems."

"How is Shinji?"

Rei's expression flashed surprise for a nanosecond and returned to her cool visage. This fact was not lost on Dr. Akagi. She continued playfully, "I just wondered since I found you in his bed this morning."

This statement seemed like a veiled jab to Rei. She had heard the doctor and Major Katsuragi bicker and make fun of each other before in this manner. Now that she was becoming the target she decided that she did not like it.

Rei replied calmly after a moment. "I went to the Major's residence after I was invited. The Third Child showed concern for my well being. He was justified, as I became ill again and fell asleep. According to what I remember and what you have told me, he must have put me in his bed after I fell asleep."

Rei turned back to face the elevator door.

Ritsuko was taken aback. Even she had never heard Rei say so many words at once.

The elevator clicked to a stop and the doors slid open.

"Right…well, I guess I'll see you for testing this afternoon." Ritsuko said as Rei exited the elevator.

Another person stepped past Rei and took the place next to the doctor.

"Good morning, beautiful. Where are you headed?"

Ritsuko sighed heavily. "Good morning, Kaji."

Rei was troubled.

Deciding that sleep was a good option she headed to her apartment just as the sirens blared across the landscape of Tokyo 3.

"Report!" Misato yelled as she burst into the control room.

"The angel has taken up stationary orbit over the city. Recon Sat has been re-tasked to obtain a data reading. In range in 20 seconds."

The main screen static cleared to reveal a huge eye. Gasps from the tech where audible.

"It's huge." Ritsuko whispered.

"Zoom out and let's get a look at this thing." Misato took her normal place behind Makato's station.

"Right, ma'am."

The view pulled out along to show the true size of the angel. The large central eye was complemented by two smaller ones that rested on the end of "arms" that extended to twice the length of the central mass.

"Tracking station in Africa reporting power buildup within the target."

The wrenching squeal of constricting metal was suddenly audible over the comline and the picture disappeared.

"An A.T. Field?" Misato turned to Ritsuko.

"Apparently a new use for one. As an offensive weapon."

The control room was quiet.

"What now? You're in command, Major?"

"We wait."

"You want us to catch it!" Asuka yelled.

"With…our hands…" Shinji looked at his hand carefully as he spoke.

The Children and Major Katsuragi stood in the one the many briefing rooms that NERV contained.

"I'm sorry but with your A.T. fields at maximum you should be able to do it. Theoretically, that is."

"So we have to be willing to sacrifice ourselves?"

"I'm sorry. There's no other way. Have you all filled out a will?"

"I don't need one. I don't plan on dying." Asuka crossed her arms and assumed her defiant look.

"It does not matter." Rei spoke for the first time. "There is no point."

Shinji was a little taken back by Rei's answer but he managed to stammer out, "Y-Yeah, I don't need one either."

"Rei?"

Rei turned to Shinji as he walked up to her in the corridor after the briefing.

"Yes."

"I just wanted to see…how you were."

"I am well."

Shinji wanted this to be another conversation like the ones they had had last night but it didn't look like it was going to pan out.

Sighing Shinji started to walk away.

"Ikari…"

Shinji stopped and looked at Rei.

She met his eyes quickly. "Your kindness will be remembered. Thank you."

And she walked out the door.

"Here it comes."

"All Eva units on your marks!" Misato yelled over the radio.

Shinji came out of his daydream about the things that had happened in his life.

"I won't run away."

"What was that Shinji?" Misato's voice stopped the countdown.

"Nothing."

Misato realized that the operation needed to begin at that moment. "Shit…GO!!!"

Shinji screamed, "Move out!"

In the control room Ritsuko put on a quirky smile. "Shinji certainly sounds enthusiastic. What's his deal lately?"

"I have no idea. I guess as long as he's happy it doesn't matter." Misato watched the Evas race through the streets of Tokyo 3 tearing up chunks of pavement under their huge, armored feet.

"It might have something to do with where I found Rei this morning."

"You mean how Shinji and Rei were all cuddled up. I found them after work. I know…I think it's great. Shinji is such a sweetheart, taking care of Rei like that."

Ritsuko grinned at her next question, "So have you given Shinji the talk?"

Misato spit out her coffee. "What! They're so young…you don't think they would…"

Ritsuko enjoyed Misato's unease and shrugged.

"Contact with the angel in 10 seconds!" Aoba yelled.

All attention focused on the main screen.

Shinji had never made his Eva move so fast. It blurred through the streets. He was way ahead of the other Children and consequentially the first to arrive at the angels targeted site.

Unit 01 flexed impressively, as it's A.T. field leap up around it. The air shimmered and burned away as pure energy defined the boundary around the mighty Eva.

Shinji looked up.

The angel fell right toward him. Its one huge unblinking eye bore down directly on top him.

He threw up the Eva's hands as the two opposing A.T. met and crackled fiercely.

The angel's huge mass halted and stayed where it was. Barred by the Eva it could go no further.

The pressure that threatened to push him into the ground was intense. Shinji gritted his teeth and fought it with everything in his being.

The Eva's feet shattered the very earth under it as the angel drove Unit 01 into the hillside.

Far away in the back of Shinji's conscious mind, the part that was not fighting for survival, he heard Rei on the radio. "Unit 02, expand your field!"

Asuka's reply, "I'm already doing it."

Just as the weight of the angel seemed ready to crush his Eva he was bracketed by the other two pilots.

Quickly, the three fields merged and pushed the angel back.

"Rei, now!"

Rei slashed a wicked cut through the fabric of the angel's A.T. field and ripped it open with her Eva's hands.

Asuka was right behind her with her white hot Progressive Knife that pierced the core and crippled the angel.

In defeat it's huge body sagged and exploded in pure energy leveling the entire hill.

From the fiery destruction three huge harbingers of death emerged carrying their young masters safe inside.

After the mission Shinji felt good. His father, in the debriefing, had praised him. It was the first time he had heard his father utter kind words in as long as he could remember.

That single phrase "Good work, Shinji." repeated itself over and over in his head.

As he left the locker room he was surprised to see Rei waiting for him.

"Uh…hi, Rei."

"Ikari."

"Do you need something?"

"I am supposed to accompany you to Major Katsuragi's. She is having a party for the pilots. I was told to find you and make sure you knew that you were to proceed home."

"Ah, great. I-"

"May I walk with you?"

"S-Sure."

The two children feel into step beside each other and walked toward the exit.

"Ikari, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Last night…did you…how did you feel?"

Shinji was a little confused about what Rei was trying to get at. "What do you mean? What part of last night?"

"When you…cared for me. How did that make you feel?"

Shinji remembered and blushed.

Rei looked at him closely, studying his face, as if for answers.

"I felt good. It made me feel happy to be caring for someone."

Rei nodded, looking forward again. "I have been trying to understand my feelings about…last night. I would like to talk to you about that later when we have more time alone."

"Well…ah, I guess. After the party, how about?"

"That would be fine."

Rei faced forward and walked calmly, just like Rei always did.

Shinji smiled and walked home feeling more alive and happy than he had in a long, long time.

Ritsuko once again found herself in the communication chamber deep under NERV.

"So when will we know if the treatment is working?" Gendo's voice crackled out of the audio only box.

"As soon as I am able to run the cross synchronization tests I will know how well the treatment is working."

"Good. Once we have cleared that hurdle nothing will stand in the way of completing the Dummy Plug."

Gendo paused and cleared his throat. "I will return soon. We have found what we are looking for."

Ritsuko wasn't quite sure what that meant but decided not to question Gendo. Any smart person knew that if Gendo wanted you to know something he told you. If not, you were out of luck.

"I will begin the tests on the day you arrive back."

"Good."

The transmission ended.

Again Ritsuko was left standing alone in the dark room.

It's been awhile so please read and review!!! Let me know you guys are out there. Even if it's just "you rock" or "this sucks".

Authors Note: I am so sorry this took so long. I had midterms and then I had to do a big school project. This chapter was also hard to write because I am trying to decide where BNS ends and where One Who Truly Sees the Moon will begin. For those of you that don't know that’s my sequel to this that will examine the Shinji/Rei relationship in detail going up to the events in EoE. That's right I'm crazy and I plan to rewrite the whole series. That's really why this is taking so long. I already have many of the chapters written for OWTSM (abbreviating is good). I just have to get to them! In other news I recently became a member of the darkscribes.org. It's a great site full of good fan fic authors. Check it out. And I put up my website. Go through my author profile to find the link. All my stories and some stuff about me is on the site.