DISCLAIMER: I own neither Evangelion nor any of the following mentioned anime, only their merchandise. I am, however, a licensed fan. XD
A/N: I put all my other work on hold for this, so bear with me.
Key:
"Speech"
Thought
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It was just another day in Tokyo-3. The sun was shining and the streets were busy as always. Or so it seemed to one certain occupant of a very rundown apartment. Ayanami Rei woke up from yet another dreamless sleep and began her usual routine preparations for the day. Bathe, get dressed and then spend the rest of the day reading. But then something happened that day that changed her entire schedule.
Her phone rang.
The girl frowned slightly. Who would call her? Certainly not NERV, there were no tests to be done today. She highly doubted a telemarketer, as all important NERV personnel (especially pilots) had special screening from those in case they interfered in dire situations where contact with them was a matter of life and death. Walking across her apartment, she hesitantly picked up the phone.
"Hello, Ayanami residence."
"Oh hi, Rei," announced Misato's voice from the other end of the line. In the back ground a soft squeaking sound could be heard.
"Listen, we're coming over to pick you up in a while-"
"Misato-san, car!"
"God damn it, woman, keep your eyes one the road when you drive! I'm too young to die!"
"-so get yourself ready, okay?"
"…Very well, Major Katsuragi."
"Okay, see you later. Ciao!"
Slowly the girl put down the phone. What reason would Major Katsuragi have to retrieve me from my residence? And those two voices resemble Soryu's and Ikari-kun's… Shrugging the thoughts off, she continued with her ritual and then promptly read one of her books while waiting. Soon, a knock on the door was heard. Putting down her book, she opened the door and was slightly surprised.
"Ikari-kun…"
"Um, hi, Ayanami. R-Ready to go?"
A nod was all he got for an answer. "O-Okay, let's go then. Misato-san's waiting downstairs."
The journey was silent until they reached the car. Misato was driving (of course) and Asuka was sitting in the passenger seat. Both teens quietly got into the back seat and buckled up instantly. No one in their right mind would sit in Misato's car without wearing seatbelts unless they were looking for a fashionable way to commit suicide.
"Hi, Rei!" greeted Misato.
"Guten tag, Wonder girl." No surprise who that remark had come from.
"Good morning, Major Katsuragi, Soryu."
"Alright then, let's go!" The blue Alpine pulled out of Rei's apartment area and began burning rubber at speeds that would derail a roller coaster.
"So, Rei… do you know what today is?"
"Today is the 24th of December, is it not?"
A loud 'Pfft' sound could be heard from Asuka's side of the car.
"Nope, today is… Christmas Eve! And we are going to go Christmas shopping!"
"…I… see…"
"I figured you guys deserved a break, and what better way to relax than to buy stuff! I'm inviting everyone we know, so buy enough presents for everyone, okay?"
"If Kaji wasn't coming, I'd kill you for this, Misato."
"Shut up, Asuka."
In a very short while all of them soon reached the biggest shopping mall in Tokyo-3. (Granted Misato's kind of driving, they could've driven to the other end of the world in a single day itself.) "Okay, guys, the plan's like this: This mall has four wings, north, south, east and west. Since there are four of us, I propose that we each take a wing for one hour." Asuka interrupted again. "Why all the extra hassle?"
At this, Misato waved a finger at her. "Why, to keep the surprise element in Christmas, my dear! It's no fun if you already know what you're getting! Now, as I was saying, after that one hour, everyone groups up in the centre and changes wings clockwise. Rei gets the east, Shinji gets north, Asuka, you get west and I'll take the south wing. Rules and regulations: Sharing tips is allowed but no revealing what you got for each other, okay?" she ended her speech with a wink. She makes it sound like a game… thought Asuka and Shinji simultaneously. "Alright, begin!" Immediately both the purple-haired major and her German subordinate disappeared to their own designated areas.
Shinji himself was about to go when he was stopped by his cerulean-haired co-worker. "Ikari-kun, may I speak with you for a while?" Even though the mall was jam-packed and abuzz with noise, somehow her voice managed to slice through it like a hot knife cutting butter. Nodding, he proceeded to follow her to a quieter part of the place before she spoke up again.
"I… I have never participated in festivities before. I do not know what is appropriate as a gift nor do I know the interests of the people we work with to aid me in this endeavor. Can you help me, Ikari-kun?" she asked with a slight tinge of distress in her usually monotone voice.
"Um, sure. Well, let's see… Misato-san will take anything you give her, Asuka… I guess she'd like something like a dress or anything that makes her look beautiful. From what I heard from Misato-san, Ritsuko-san likes cats, Kaji… anything suitable, I guess, Shigeru-san likes music, Makoto-san computers and anime, Maya-san has a soft spot for cute things. Touji-kun likes sports…" …and Hikari-san… "…Kensuke-kun likes anything to do with technology and Hikari-san likes… making tea, if I'm not mistaken."
"I see… thank you, Ikari-kun. But you missed out one thing."
"Uh, what's that?"
The girl leaned closer to make herself more audible as the noise in the mall intensified. A rather innocent gesture but nevertheless it made her companion more nervous than he already was. "What do 'you' like, Ikari-kun?"
"You-" Immediately the boy clapped his hand to his mouth. What the hell did I say 'that' for?! To cover up for his slip, he faked coughing, causing Rei to give him a concerned look. "Are you alright, Ikari-kun?" "Ah, I'm cough fine. Just fine, don't worry. Um, what I meant to say just now was, you can get me anything at all. I don't mind." Flustered, Shinji attempted to make a quick getaway. "Um, is that all? 1 hour is actually quite a short time to go through one wing. We should get started." The girl nodded in reply and got up, almost instantly melding into the pulsating mass of bodies. With a sigh, the boy himself began his own hunt for gifts.
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Rei hesitantly stepped into the shop that had caught her attention.
"Good day, can I help you in any way?" greeted the shop attendant.
"I wish to look around," she replied for the umpteenth time that day.
"As you wish." With that, he left to tend to other customers. Walking around the premises aimlessly, something suddenly caught her eye. Stepping closer to it, she admired the smooth design of the object.
"Excuse me, I wish to purchase this item," she stated to the closest attendant.
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"Excuse me, young sir, do you require help? You seem to be having some trouble."
Shinji looked up to find a male shop attendant looking at him. "Ah, I'm looking for a Christmas gift for one of my friends. Problem is, I don't know what she likes," he explained.
At this, the attendant's eyes lit up. "Ah, describe her to me."
"Well, she's very quiet and generally doesn't like attention…"
"Mmm hmm. What's her complexion like?"
"She's quite pale…"
"Then I know the perfect thing. Follow me."
Curious, he let the man lead him to another section of the shop and watched as he withdrew an item from one of the shelves.
"This… should make for a nice gift," he said with a grin.
Mesmerized, Shinji slowly picked the object up. "This… this is perfect." He looked at the man again, determination shining in his eyes.
"I'll take it!"
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Misato waited in the centre court while tapping her foot impatiently. She had finished her shopping in her designated wing and was now urging time to speed up so she could get on with the rest of it. To top it off, the centre was playing host to a bunch of festive contests and competitions. Sighing in defeat, she decided to look around the stalls. One certain one caught her attention.
Spotting a potential customer, the stall attendant called out. "Miss, would you like to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime competition? Winner gets to spend two days and two nights, that is Christmas Eve night to the morning after Christmas in a private house on the outskirts of Tokyo-3."
Her curiosity piqued, she decided to investigate. "What do I have to do?"
"It's simple, really, the competition's sponsored by the Yebisu Beer Corporation. Each contestant has an infinite supply of beer. The person who consumes the most beer without falling asleep wi-"
"I'LL TAKE PART!!!" she screeched before he could finish the sentence.
The man blinked in surprise at her sudden outburst before he managed to regain his senses. "Ah… alright, please pay the entrance fee and take a seat at that table." It's scary how fast she signed up…
Confident in her win, Misato strode up to the table and set down next to a guy with a nametag saying 'Yagami'.
"Think you can beat me, girl? I live for these things," he said challengingly.
She grinned back. "Same here, old man."
"Contestants, on my mark… Ready… Get set… GO!!!"
Immediately all the participants began guzzling down their beer as if their very lives depended on it. (Well, in a sense, it did kind of make sense. Drinkers DO live on beer.) Bystanders, spectators and friends of the contestants cheered their favorite on. Misato herself had quite the fan-base (mostly males, of course). Both the guys on her left and right were putting up quite the fight. The guy Yagami was matching her in stride while the other one, a guy whose only indication of his identity was his Italian accent, showed that he too was not one to be looked down upon.
"Hey, girl," Yagami called out halfway through the match. ("Three down, ladies and gentlemen! Five more to fall before we have a winner!" announced the commentator.)
"What?" Misato shot back in between her twenty-fifth can. ("Ooo, I'd hate to be THAT guy, wouldn't you?") "If you're thinking of distracting me, think again!" ("That guy's going to have a biiig launderette bill!")
"Wrong, my fine-tempered gal! Here's the deal between you n' me: Winner takes the other one out for dinner next Friday. How's that?" ("Someone get that guy a new set of clothes, snappish!")
The grin that appeared on her face quickly disappeared with the arrival of another can of beer to her lips. "Deal, bar-boy! You're on!" ("Puking out the beer is an instant disqualification, folks! Get that drunk outta here!")
(15 minutes and 27 seconds after the competition began…)
"Damn it, you're good…" Yagami managed to get out before he collapsed in an alcohol-induced sleep.
"You're good too, but no one can beat me," Misato replied to the snoring body next to her.
Secretly she slipped her card into his pocket. "Be seeing you next Friday, bar-boy," she whispered into his ear.
"And the winner is… Miss Katsuragi Misato! Congratulations!" the announcer cheerfully declared.
In celebration, the 'winner' took a final swig of Yebisu before giving out her legendary yell that reverberated throughout the entire building. "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!" Somewhere within the complex, three teenagers recognized that sound.
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Rei stopped in her tracks. Is that not Katsuragi-san's voice?
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Shinji looked up from his frantic gift-searching. Either I'm imagining things… or I just heard Misato-san's usual morning yell after she drinks her beer.
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Asuka's ears perked up, her attention drawn away from the sales assistant blabbering in front of her for a moment. I could've sworn I just heard that old witch scream…
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(Finally, the four-hour shopping marathon ends and the group reassemble at the car.)
"Well, did you get everything you wanted?" Misato asked cheerfully. Three nods answered her. "Load it up, we're going somewhere besides home to celebrate Christmas!"
"Where?" queried Asuka suspiciously.
"Well, I won a chance to spend tonight until the morning after Christmas at a house on the outskirts of Tokyo-3. It's quite big, don't worry."
"What about the Christmas tree? The decorations?"
"Everything's there. We just have to decorate it ourselves, though."
By then everyone had entered the car and buckled up. "Right, while I'm driving there, the three of you have to inform our guests about the change of location." Something tells me we might not even be able to finish a single call before we get there… thought Shinji.
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"…WOW…" was all they could utter when they arrived at their destination. (The place had been quite far, thus allowing all three Children to finish their phone calls in time, even with Misato's driving style.) To say the place was spacious was almost an understatement. A rather impressive tree stood in the living room, several boxes of ornaments lying in wait below it.
"Alright," Misato declared, clapping her hands together. "We've got a lot of work to do decorating, so I suggest we do it ASAP. Now, Asuka will help me with the lights outside…"
"Why me?" came the replying whine.
"…and Shinji, you help Rei decorate the tree. Got it?" Two nods and another incoherent whine. "Let's get started. We still have to wrap our gifts."
"Before we do that, Misato… I say we settle our sleeping arrangements."
"Oh… right."
"Good, now it says here there are two single rooms and one master bedroom. I say I take one bedroom to myself and we move Misato to the other single. No one will sleep in the same room with her," declared Asuka.
"And what's THAT supposed to mean, missy?" snarled the major, an irritation mark of epic proportions growing on her head.
Asuka turned her gaze towards her superior and answered flatly. "Because you snore like 10 pigsties put together."
"I don't snore!!! … Do I?"
"Yes," answered her two charges almost too quickly.
"Fine, fine. Can we go do the decorations now?" she grumbled.
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This really isn't so bad after all… Shinji thought as he sorted out the tree ornaments. They had done the bottom half of the tree and Rei was now on the ladder settling the upper portion. The same couldn't be said for the outside, however. Both women's voices could be heard quibbling even through the thick walls of the building.
"Ikari-kun, can you please pass me more ornaments?" came Rei's voice from above him.
"Sure, Ayana…" he stopped short and quickly turned his gaze back down. Unconsciously, his position under the tree had allowed himself a perfect view… up her skirt. Blushing furiously, he got up and handed them to her personally before continuing with his job (all the while reminding himself to never again look upwards until she was done).
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Finally after all the decorations were done (even the outside, after help from both Rei and Shinji), each person chose a separate room and took their gifts plus a sizeable amount of wrapping paper to begin wrapping their gifts. Then the wrapped presents were placed under the tree (which Asuka had admitted was quite well-decorated for someone of their level) and everyone had a simple dinner (which Shinji cooked, of course) before deciding to go to sleep.
Misato, Asuka and Shinji yawned as they headed off to bed. Even Rei looked a bit sleepy. Just before Misato disappeared into her room, she gave a mischievous wink to Shinji. "Oh, Shin-chan, before I forget…"
"What is it, Misato-san?" the unsuspecting boy replied.
"…No naughty business with Rei, hear me?" came his guardian, which caused the poor boy to experience the expected symptoms: blushing furiously, unintelligible stammering, poorly constructed denials, shaking, etc.
At this, Asuka scoffed. "The baka hentai can do whatever he wants, Misato. It's not like he needs your oh so 'subtle encouragements'."
The lavender-haired woman saw a chance to tease her young charges even more. "Ehh, and here I was thinking you were jealous of Rei."
The German fireball glared at her superior. "In your dreams, witch. I'm just damn glad I don't have to share a room with that pervert." With that, she slammed her room door shut with a resounding BANG.
"Well, goodnight Shinji, Rei. And remember, no funny business," Misato said slyly as a parting shot before she too retired for the night.
Shinji stared at the now closed door with a bit of relief. Thank goodness THAT'S over…
Suddenly Rei spoke up for the first time throughout the entire conversation. "Ikari-kun, may I ask you a question?"
Turning to face her, the boy summoned up the last of his strength to reply her question. "Sure, Ayanami. What is it?"
She hesitated before speaking her mind. "What did Katsuragi-san mean by… 'funny business'?"
Immediately all his energy fled his body and his breath left him in a whoosh. This is going to be a loooooong night…
(A/N: For those of you who were wondering, nothing happened that night. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. They both kept to their sides of the bed, okay? … Hentais.)
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"Alright, today's the day! Merry Christmas, everyone!" announced Misato cheerfully. It was early morning of that long-awaited day and people were exchanging 'Merry Christmas'es everywhere, even in the temporary Katsuragi household. Shinji was assigned to cooking the food and Rei was helping him while both Asuka and Misato went out to buy more food. ("We don't want you to overwork, now, do we, Shin-chan?" Misato had said. "We also don't want YOU cooking in the kitchen. Having diarrhea on Christmas is the last thing on the agenda," her companion shot back. "Hey!")
Luckily, they came back quickly and helped finish the preparations. Soon enough the guests began to arrive. First came Ritsuko with Kaji (who had picked up Pen-Pen and a substantial amount of Yebisu from Misato's apartment), then the three bridge bunnies: Makoto, Shigeru and Maya. Last but not least was Touji's, Hikari's and Kensuke's appearance.
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Finally, the time for opening gifts arrived. Asuka got earrings from Shinji, clothes from Misato ("You didn't have a single clue what to buy me, did you?" accused Asuka, which set off another quarrel between both women.) and a matching choker and dress from Rei ("You know, you're not so bad after all, Wonder girl.")
Shinji got a music box from Rei, a set of clothes from Misato ("I knew it! You're hopeless at buying gifts!" screamed the German girl. Round No. 2 began.) and a collection of Beethoven's best work from Asuka.
Rei received a teddy bear from Shinji ("Ooo, Shin-man, you're hitting on her, aren't you?" teased Touji. "I'm not!" Round No. 3), music sheets from Asuka and clothes from Misato ("See what I mean?! You're completely useless! All you know how to do is drink that disgusting beer of yours!" Round No. 4).
Misato got a camera from Rei, an alarm clock from Shinji ("This has something to do with me not doing breakfast duty, hasn't it?" "Um, no…") and a make-up set from Asuka ("Because you look like dirt half the time." "WHAT?!?! How dare you!!!" "It's the truth, admit it, you aging witch!" Round No. 5).
The guests got to open their gifts too. Ritsuko received a cat figurine, a cat-shaped stuffed toy, a bottle of perfume and a photo frame. Kaji was decidedly less lucky. He got a watch, an electric shaver, a Leatherman Wave ("You deserve the best, Kaji-san!") and a tie ("Your gift-buying skills are pathetic!" "Shut up!" Round No. 6).
Shigeru became the owner of new guitar picks, some music sheets and a Dying Breed album. Makoto received a computer magazine, the box set of the anime 'Groove Adventure Rave' and the game 'Metal Gear Solid 5'. Maya got a toy bunny, a soft toy dog and 'The Lord of the Rings' 3-in-1 novel. To all three bridge bunnies Misato presented front-row tickets to see Beck, the hottest band in town.
Touji was pleasantly surprised to find himself in the possession of new sports shoes, a basketball, a baseball cap ("You'll need this to hide the fact that your head's got a hole where normal people have a brain, stooge." "Why you, Devil woman!" Round No. 7) and a "Risk" board game.
Hikari received an antique tea-making set (jointly bought by Rei and Shinji since it had been rather expensive), a fancy dress and a make-up set.
Kensuke considered himself the luckiest. Within his presents he had found one of the latest camcorders (again Rei and Shinji had shared costs), a torchlight ("'Cos you're not bright enough." "Hey, take that back!" Round No. 8) and a Swiss Army Knife.
Pen-Pen was not left out. Everyone gave him tins of fish. He was quite happy with that.
The rest of the time was spent quite happily enough. The occasional quarrel would happen and then be forgotten, only to be revived several minutes later. Touji's Risk board game was pulled out and everyone participated in one way or another. Makoto was kind enough to share his Rave anime, games and PS4 console (he brought it in case of emergency) with everyone.
At some point Misato decided to have some festive music and promptly pulled out her Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Christmas Album out to play. ("Sailor Moon was a $#$&#!!!" was screamed by one red-haired girl and the adamant major proceeded to defend 'one of the best anime ever released'. Round No. 8).
"Um, Ayanami, can you follow me? I… I need to tell you something," whispered Shinji in the middle of the commotion.
She nodded. "I too have something I wish to tell you." Getting up, the girl tailed him unnoticed by the rowdy group. Both of them walked out of the house, stopping only when they had found a place that guaranteed safety from prying eyes and listening ears. Both stood there, looking at each other uncertainly.
"I…" "I…"
Rei spoke up. "You go first, Ikari-kun."
Flustered, Shinji decided to just get it out. "Well, that present from me… It's not what I really wanted to give you. Actually… I still have your real Christmas gift."
He was surprised when Rei nodded. "As do I."
"Well… now that we're alone, we can exchange our gifts without anyone making too much noise, eh?" Again she nodded. Hesitantly both teens withdrew a small box from their pockets and swapped. Both took their time unwrapping their respective gifts, careful not to damage the paper. Finally the paper was gone and both opened the boxes simultaneously. Two gasps filled the quiet air.
"It's beautiful," they both said in unison. Blushing slightly, Shinji smiled a tentative smile.
"You help me put mine on and I'll help you with yours."
"…Agreed."
Slowly both withdrew their gifts. In Rei's hands lay a slender silver chain, a delicate blue rose pendant hanging on to it. Shinji's was gold with an elaborate blade-shaped pendant on it. Taking their time, both put on their respective presents.
"Thank you, Ayanami," Shinji whispered. Rei's next action seemed to be an even better present than the one that now lay safely around his neck: She smiled. The same smile that she had given him when he had rescued her from her entry plug during the 5th Angel's attack.
"I thank you as well, Ikari-kun," she whispered back. Then something fell into their view that distracted them both. Something white. A tiny snowflake.
Instantly both of them looked up and saw many more falling down.
"It's… it's snowing," the boy declared disbelievingly.
"Indeed, it is."
Suddenly a loud cheer came from within the house. Immediately everyone had rushed out to witness the miraculous gift from Mother Nature. Cheers went up and talk of getting drunk intensified within the ranks of the adults.
"Shall we join them, Ikari-kun?" asked Rei as she looked at him.
"Sure, why not? Come on," he said, grabbing her hand, "let's go."
Perhaps… Perhaps this wasn't such a bad year after all…
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Well? How did you guys like it? If there are problems, please forgive me. I wrote this entire story in just one day. Oh, and A/S fans, before you send me that flame, please remember: It's Christmas. If that doesn't do anything to your conscience, I don't know what will. This story is dedicated to the guys at the forum of Apartment 402, my home and family on the Internet. Hope you liked it. You guys rock. BIG TIME.