Disclaimer: I obviously do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this fic. It is owned by GAINAX.

A Place in the World

Chapter 1:

Prologue/No Purpose At All

...?!

A pair of red eyes shot open suddenly, as Rei Ayanami woke up abruptly, gasping for air. She could feel cold sweat running down her back. Her short cropped, blue hair dripping wet, just as if waking up from a very upsetting dream.

Was it all a dream? Rei pondered. No, never before had I dreamed neither pleasant dreams nor nightmares, there is no reason I should start now.

She began to take in her surroundings, recognizing the insides of her apartment. Yet there was something amiss. Upon further notice, she discovered it was clean. Just as it had looked the time Shinji Ikari had helped her by cleaning up. Also the sound of distant clanging metal the pale girl had gotten used to was gone, instead replaced with the ever present sound of cicadas.

Ikari-kun. He rejected Instrumentality, did he not? It is an obvious statement, since my soul is still one. I am still only me, Rei Ayanami.

The First Child got off her sweat-drenched bed, and slowly walked towards the bathroom while trying to clarify all her thoughts. What has become of Ikari? Why is Tokyo-3 still standing? I recall this area was in the blast range of Unit-00's explosion…

The explosion. Her crimson eyes went wide as she processed that bit of information. Even though she knew she was the third clone to be awakened, she recalled with photographic memory every detail of Rei II's life.

I do not understand. I seem to be aware that I should not be able to remember everything. Yet I do. Then again, The First thought of Shinji. Perhaps it has something to do with Ikari-kun's involvement in Third Impact. I must take mental note on asking him about it the next time I see him. She then removed her long, white night-shirt, her pair of shorts and the rest of undergarments, dropped them unceremoniously on the floor, and headed to the shower.

Rei turned on the water, letting its coolness wash away the sweat, the idle feeling of the drops on her back a little bit soothing. She started to recall the past events. The invasion on NERV, her merging with Lilith, Instrumentality, the eerie mirage-like view of the post-Third Impact Tokyo-3, and then… nothingness. The next thing she remembered was waking up on her oddly clean apartment.

The slender girl turned off the water and stepped out to the shower, and just in the way she was used to, reached down to the floor of the bathroom for her towel and tip-toed a bit to get her sandals on. But finding no towel, and no sandals in the place they were supposed to be, she lost her balance a bit and the wet floor did the rest, sending her down with a little yelp.

"Gaah…" The Pilot grunted as she stood up and rubbed her sore rear end. Where is my towel? Looking around closely, she noticed that, while everything was neatly arranged, everything was misplaced.

Rei frowned slightly, a hint of annoyance showing in her bright red eyes. Finally finding her brown towel neatly folded in a basket she was sure was NOT there the whole time she had lived in this apartment, Rei proceeded to look for her sandals, finding them at the side of her bed. She no longer needed to use them since her feet had dried enough by walking through the bedroom floor, leaving petite footprints of water along the trail she had walked, so Rei just grabbed them and left them in their proper place.

After drying, she went to her drawers to look for her bra and panties, which thankfully were still in their right place. She then opened her closet just to find herself with yet another surprise.

Her usual school uniforms weren't there. Seeing as she had no clothes to put on, she proceeded to put on her undergarments only and wash her teeth. Just moments after she was done, the female Pilot heard her door open and close.

The blue-haired girl stepped out of the bathroom to stare at a very stunned Shinji Ikari, whose blush started to compete with the color of her eyes. He was carrying a basket full of clothes, in which she noticed were her uniforms, neatly folded and clean.

"I..I, Aya…" Shinji stuttered, very aware of the state of semi-undress the blue-haired girl was on, and moments later the male Pilot regained control of his movements and turned around with lightning speed.

"Gomen nasai Ayanami!! I didn't know y-you were awake already!! I-I went to do the laundry! I-I-I thought you were going to continue being asleep since you've been sleeping for almost 2 days now, so you wouldn't notice if I was out! Sorry, sorry, sorry!!" The brown haired boy blurted out, still blushing profusely.

Rei didn't answer his apologies, but rather voiced her own question. "Have you been staying here?"

"Huh?" The Pilot turned around to face her "Umm, yes, yes, I've been trying to watch over you since I found you in the shore after…" Shinji paused, the memories of Third Impact and rejecting Instrumentality rushing back. He then smiled a little. "after Third Impact."

"So it did happen." Rei spoke softly in her monotone, calm voice.

"Yeah, it did..." Shinji said sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. "But it seems that after I realized life was worth living after all, people were able to return to their original forms. Even Misato and Kaji-san were able to regain their bodies, although they were dead!" Shinji said happily, remembering how bad he had felt after realizing his guardian wasn't going to make it.

"Ikari-kun," The red-eyed beauty said softly, yet strangely foreboding. "Were you the one who cleaned my apartment and re-arranged everything?"

Shinji smiled "Yes I did, I took the liberty to arrange everything in order so it would be easier for you to keep your apartment clean." He said, happy his work was being recognized.

"Please refrain from taking such liberties in the future Ikari-kun." Rei simply said.

The Third Child gulped. "G-gomen, I didn't think it would upset you, I'm sorry, I really am!" He said bowing repeatedly.

Rei saw his reaction and said "The efforts you have taken towards my comfort are appreciated, but do consult with me the next time you wish to switch the location of every item in my apartment."

Shinji laughed nervously "Ok, I will." He said sheepishly. After a few seconds of staring at each other, the blue-eyed boy remembered Rei's state of semi-undress and handed her one of her uniforms with one hand while trying to cover his eyes with the other, and blushed profusely.

As Rei put on her uniform, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of recently washed clothes, she remembered her unasked questions.

"Ikari-kun" The blue haired Pilot called.

"Yes Ayanami?"

"How come I remember everything that happened before the explosion of Unit-00?" Rei asked with a barely noticeable hint of curiosity in her soft voice.

"What?! You do!?" Shinji asked, surprised. He wouldn't believe it just yet. The fact that Rei would remember everything that they went through before that fateful explosion which had taken away one of his only true friends was too good, so he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Yes. I recall all the events which transpired up until now, yet I am aware that I was not supposed to remember. Why?" Rei asked. Considering the major role Ikari-kun had in the rejection of Instrumentality, perhaps he knows the answer to my question.

"…" Shinji just stared at Rei with a flabbergasted expression on his face.

"Ikari?" the pale girl pressed after a few moments, wondering if he actually knew the answer of her question or not.

"Woah… Aaah, umm, well, with what I learned of Instrumentality, anyone with the desire to go on living could return to normal, I… guess the mental barriers you had disappeared the moment you came back." Shinji said, still trying his best not to get his hopes up. She could probably see me as nothing more than a colleague, the fact that she remembers doesn't mean she feels the same way she used to… And even now I'm not his colleague anymore, since there are no Evas to pilot…

"What happened while I was unconscious?" The ex-Pilot of Unit-00 asked softly, with a hint of caution.

"Well, at first I was stuck in a weird post-apocalyptic world, not sure of what the hell was going on. I even tried strangling Asuka I think…" he frowned "I don't know what happened back then, I wasn't really in control of my emotions, thoughts or actions at that time. All I know is I was suddenly venting all my frustrations on Asuka. I still don't know if she made it back or not, I haven't seen her around. Probably for the best at the moment."

Rei nodded, adjusting the belt of her uniform.

"After that" Shinji continued "I think I came into a weird trance, that's when I finally realized, after a lot of mental search that life was worth living, and that those who realized the same thing could return to this world. I guess you found something in your life that gives you hope besides Eva then." The male ex-Pilot said smiling.

"What do you mean?" Rei asked surprised.

"Well, the Evas are gone now, as the souls within them preferred to stay. The Angels are no longer attacking us, so NERV has to think of something else to do besides protect the city. Also, Father apparently chose to stay with Mother, since there is no trace of him whatsoever." Shinji smiled a bit at that. "Strangely… I'm glad for him."

Rei just continued to stare calmly, her outside giving no signs of the storms of inner turmoil going on inside the blue haired girl's mind.

There are no Evas anymore…? No Angels left to fight. The Commander is gone… My purpose has already being fulfilled, yet I was not supposed to live through it. My existence was meant to end after I had served my purpose. Yet here I am. I have no purpose. At all. And yet apparently I have found life is worth living for. Ikari said it was hope. I had found hope. But for what?

"It was really weird returning to this world, actually…" the blue-eyed boy continued. He seemed to be remembering something quite embarrassing. "All the people that had returned appeared in the shore… naked." Shinji rubbed the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes, trying to block out the memory. "After a while, Misato found you lying unconscious on the shore and brought you to your apartment. She said you were suffering from a massive over exhaustion. I offered to stay and take care of you till you woke up. I suppose I don't have to stay anymore..." He said with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Hearing the tone in his voice, Rei snapped out of her trance and asked "Where did you sleep?"

"Huh?" he said confused, "Oh" he pointed towards a corner of the closet, where his futon laid rolled up to take up as little space as it could. "I just slept on my futon on the floor beside your bed. But I didn't really sleep much; I was beginning to worry about you. 2 days without food or water can be taxing, and I didn't want your condition to worsen. I guess I forgot you are part-Angel, you probably don't need food or water as much as normal people do. N-Not that you're not normal! B-but I don't mean to sound like y-you're not special either!! I-I mean..! Arrrgh, sorry."

"For what?" asked Rei with her soft voice, while concentrating completely on the strange, warm feeling that arose in her chest when she realized Shinji had been losing sleep because he was concerned of her well being. This feeling… I do not seem to recognize it. It feels… pleasant, to say the least. To Shinji's surprise, she smiled a bit, if only the tiniest of smiles. But that sort of action never went unnoticed in her normally stoic and cold exterior.

"Umm" Woow, she has such a beautiful smile… Too bad it's such a rare occasion she shows it.

He smirked a little bit "I… don't really know." He confessed.

After a few seconds in silence, accompanied only by the incessant chant of cicadas, seeing as the construction sounds were no longer there, another sound joined the calm setting: Rei's grumbling stomach. A small pink blush crept its way to Rei's cheeks as she noticed that, despite her angelic resistances, she was very hungry.

The Third Child laughed lightly "You want something to eat, Ayanami?"

"That would be acceptable." She nodded.

The blue-eyed boy seemed to pause to think for a second and then said "But there's a problem, there is no food in here."

"Then we shall eat outside." the pale teen said softly, and started to walk towards the door, Shinji began following her, and then he suddenly stopped.

"Are you not coming Ikari-kun?" Rei asked, tilting her head to one side.

"A-Ayanami, since you remember everything that has happened before the detonation of your Eva, and you remember what we've been through, would you consider us to be friends?" Shinji asked, finally rounding up the courage to ask that question. In reality, the prospect of losing a friend was hurtful enough for Shinji, but losing Rei's friendship had hurt in a different way, it had been a deeper wound. He was afraid to ask due to the fear of her saying no. That would mean he had in fact lost her friendship. He couldn't bear to lose it, somehow it felt very dear to him.

Rei thought for a second, and then simply said "Yes." She turned around and opened the door, meanwhile a smile had crept to her face, unbestknown to Shinji.

"So" he continued, now with more confidence. He felt like a tree trunk had been lifted from his shoulders by hearing her answer. "would it be alright with you if I called you Rei? You can call me Shinji if you want to…"

The First Child turned from the door with the same smile still on her lips and faced the male ex-Pilot, the smile similar to the one she had given him after the battle with the 5th Angel.

"Very well Shinji-kun." She turned around once more and they both left, while Shinji closed the door of Apartment 402 behind him, a wide grin plastered in his face.

As they both walked outside, Rei's smile had disappeared, and her usual stoic self was back again, but the way her red eyes shimmered gave a different glow about her, so she no longer felt cold to the outside.

With the Evas and the Commander gone, I no longer have a purpose. No duties to fulfill. I only have hope, it seems.

Hope…

I think I am beginning to understand now.

Author's Note: Taraaaa! (Fanfare sounds) My first fic!! First Chapter! Hope it isn't horribly written, full of grammar mistakes and suffering of a nasty OOC disease. Read and review people, I could really use some insight, constructive criticism, etc.