Obvious Unnecessary Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion, though it does seem to own me.

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A/N: So it's been almost a month. I'm sorry, really, but real life has hit me hard. I decided to sacrifice some sleep and get this chapter out, so I hope you enjoy it. It includes references to explanations of the last 2-3 chapters, so you may wish to re-read.

Chapter 9; Foundation

An idea. Something that can range from the mundane to exotic, from simple to mind-blowing. Not all ideas are especially ground breaking; in fact most are extremely basic. I'm thirsty so I should get a drink of water. But sometimes, ideas are born that completely change the way we see something or open up an entirely new line of thought that didn't seem to exist before.

Rei's ideas, products solely of her own mind, were few and far between. This rare idea would prove to be of the more mind-blowing nature.

Shinji was pulled from his musings by a simple statement, one that he had never heard from the introverted girl leaning across from him, one that she had never before uttered to anyone. Though he didn't know her extensively, the fact that she tended to keep her thoughts to herself was blatantly obvious. He was even suspicious that his father had… done something to her to keep her in this submissive do-what-you're-told kind of state. The poor girl didn't seem to have hardly any concept of self-interest, or self-worth for that matter.

Of course, even after such an unusual display of independence, she kept her usual deadpan expression. He regarded her with curiosity, staring back into thoughtful crimson eyes. There always seemed to be an endless sadness in her eyes, though he could see how some might mistake it for emptiness. It was the look of someone that accepted the nightmare in front of them because they were expecting to wake up. Her gaze seemed to clear as her focus shifted, meeting his eyes with clarity as she appeared to come to a decision.

Rei's gentle voice again pierced the quiet air. "Do you remember everything you felt yesterday, when you kissed me?"

He was listening intently, but the question was something he was completely unprepared for. He felt his stomach tighten at the prospect of tackling this uncomfortable subject, one he'd been dancing around since last night. The room suddenly seemed just a little too warm. Even so, though he wasn't exactly eager, he found it was a question that he wanted to address. Perhaps it was the mutual admission of indescribable emotion, or maybe it was sheer curiosity, but it was much easier than normal to keep from simply running away at the first sign of emotional distress.

Taking a deep breath that sent dust motes spiraling, he tentatively answered the potentially disastrous question; "…Yeah." He came to the sudden realization that he was blushing a great deal.

The third child's mind raced at the many things that could have followed, and as usual, he was not expecting what came next. The idea of tackling exactly what that kiss meant was especially unsettling. Fortunately, her idea did not involve such things.

"Specifically," she continued, "can you describe what you felt right before we separated?"

More like you sent me flying across the room. But meh, details. The question left him even more curious as to what she could possibly be thinking. This was a particularly blurry part of the memory, mostly from lack of understanding. Regardless, to try and put something like it into words was incredibly difficult. His brow furrowed in thought.

In that moment he had felt completely encompassed by the girl he had so desperately clung closer to. It wasn't just as simple as physical closeness, but rather for a split second he could feel everything about her at once. In that second, time had seemed to slow down. He followed his natural urge to simply be closer to her, latching on to the feeling. The sensation was overpowering and yet broad, and of course all-together unfamiliar. He would have a difficult time remembering a specific detail about exactly what he felt, though he had the concept as a whole.

But how exactly do you describe that? It seemed that he was finding himself without words quite frequently around the first child, not that he was especially verbose to begin with. Thankfully, his dilemma was eased by another intuitive statement from the withdrawn girl in front of him. She was still watching him closely, her deep gaze not having left him since her initial question.

"It is hard to describe, is it not?" Nailed it.

"Yeah… what exactly happened?" he said, slightly relieved that she seemed to have an understanding.

Her reply was as neutral as ever, but still somehow managed to convey assuredness. "I am not entirely sure. I believe for a moment our AT-Fields…" she paused, seemingly searching for words, "overlapped? Crossed? Words are not adequate," she continued, her azure hair brushing a pale cheek as she tilted her head in thought.

Rei shook her head as if to clear it, continuing, "It is plausible that in that moment our souls made contact. What followed leads to the… sensation that you cannot find words for."

Silence.

So that was it, huh? The contact of two individual souls. He supposed he could have put two and two together, so to speak, from her previous explanation, but his mind had been otherwise occupied trying not to think. Still, while this bit of information was enlightening, what did it have to do with her idea?

He openly studied the first child's pale features, trying to decipher her thoughts with little success. While her expression was still more or less blank, he thought he could now detect traces of… determination? Possibly worry?

"My idea," she said, calmly interrupting his thoughts, "is to make this contact again." She paused for a brief moment, taking in the shock and lack of understanding that must be evident on his face. "This would, in theory, remove the need for words. The medium of communication could then be raw thought. As you said, 'it would be so much easier if I could just show you.' This concept would now be possible."

Maybe it was the fact that in the last month he'd been thrown into a giant mecha and pitted against a divine being sent to destroy the human race not just once but twice, all of which he'd previously never before even dreamed of, but the idea somehow didn't seem entirely insane. Even last night the odd girl had told him of her rather unsettling origins, though he was having a little trouble accepting it; she seemed very human, albeit a little unorthodox.

Still there was one glaring flaw in this borderline crazy plan. What about last time?

"Didn't I almost extend your AT-Field the last time?"

Her gaze seemed to darken for a split second before returning to normal. "That is a risk, but I believe I can control this if we are both more… aware of our actions."

He felt heat flood his cheeks once again, though he refused to break eye contact. Yeah, they had been a little pre-occupied. Even so, what exactly is the level of damage if things go wrong? And how would they even do it anyway?

"What are the stakes?" he spoke, pensive.

Rei tilted her head to the side in trademark fashion, question apparent in her eyes. Her fine hair again fell lightly against one cheek.

Ignoring the undeniable cuteness, the third child clarified: "What happens if you can't control it. The AT-Field I mean."

Her posture returning to normal, she addressed the question. "Again, I am unsure. The effects could be nothing at all, or could cause heavy damage to our surroundings. It could also potentially set off angel alarms at NERV. All of this depends on the strength with which the AT-Field is projected."

Okay, so really, really high stakes. Then again, the benefits were equally appealing. He could not deny that he wished to be closer to the girl, and though he didn't know how to feel about her origins, this urge was something he could not ignore. The draw that he felt to the strange girl was only getting stronger.

"How sure are you that you can keep it from projecting?" It was all a matter of odds. Did the benefit outweigh the potential risk? He felt crazy for even pursuing this line of thought, yet perversely he was unable to stop.

Her reply was measured but confident. "So long as you do not actively attempt to project it and we both remain aware, it is very unlikely. Even so I am not entirely sure; it would be far more difficult if I were to have to fight you for control. I cannot predict exactly what will happen."

This brought the third child to the last and perhaps most important question. How? Last time it took a very intense kiss, something he was still very unsure on how to feel about and equally hesitant to repeat.

"Alright… and how would we accomplish this?"

Despite his own near-constant blush, Rei's cheeks remained pale as ever. Her answer also lacked the embarrassment undeniably present in his own voice. "It is likely that some amount of physical content would ease the process, though I do not believe it will require as much as before. If we both focus on the same non-physical closeness that we remember, we should succeed."

Shinji could not say that he was completely without doubt. The prospect of touching souls again was frightening. Despite the indescribable peace of that moment and the feeling of her mind, it was the very feel of that mind that unsettled him. Not the presence itself, but the addition of that presence.

Even so, he wanted it. He wanted to know that she meant the words she said before. He wanted to know who she really was. He wanted to know how she felt and if he felt the same way. It all came down to one thing.

I want to understand.

It was this drive that led him to speak his next words, shoving doubt to the back of his mind as he prepared himself for what was to come.

Rei seemed to sense his decision, blinking slowly at him and raising her arm, releasing her other elbow, to bridge the space between them. Specks of dust swirled in the silence around them. His heart was again pounding in his chest.

His fist clenched as he shut his eyes, then opened as he gradually raised his arm to meet her fingers with eyes still squeezed closed. The contact was anticlimactic as their fingers touched, though strangely satisfying. In that moment he realized exactly how much he desired her touch, but pressed the stray thought away as he opened his eyes to regard the calm girl across from him.

She was now standing straight rather than leaning against the counter. Her eyes were as calm and self-assured as the rest of her demeanor; doubt did not seem to be present. She regarded him with a single question that set his heart pounding yet faster.

"Are you prepared?"

He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the urge to extend his fingertips that were only barely touching her and take her hand in his own. He was amazingly aware of her presence. Even without looking he could tell exactly how and where she was standing.

Doubt festered in the back of his mind, a gentle nagging that he so often succumbed to, an itch that told him to distance himself from any situation that he didn't know how to handle.

I want this. I can't run away.

Taking another breath to steady himself, he strengthened his resolve. Focusing on her eyes, he replied with a sure voice that did not waver or betray the doubt he was wrestling. "Let's do it."

…

Two young teens stood in the kitchen of a shabby apartment, fingers touching gently in the absolute silence. A measure of time passed, both an eternity and but a moment. Soon two light gasps broke the still air as they again discovered a world that belonged only to them.

]|[

The Katsuragi residence was as quiet as usual. Even when Shinji was present, there was never any excessive noise but for the gentle sounds of day to day chores. Occasionally this quiet would be broken by a rather loud exclamation after a raven-haired woman downed an entire can of beer in one go, but for the last few days even this did not fill the quiet air.

Misato sat at the dinner table, an opened beer gripped in one hand and a large stack of paperwork cushioning her resting head. She had loads of paperwork to do (as usual), however this was not what occupied her rather unhappy thoughts (as usual).

Concern.

She had taken in an introverted boy by the name of Shinji Ikari. He was going to live alone, but she insisted. She went out of her way to take him in. And for what?

In the end she had been using him too. Just like the people of NERV, the people that she both identified with and despised. Like much of the staff, she felt strongly about having to use children to bear the insane burden of defending humanity. But she found that when it all came down to it, she was just as bad as the commander.

The cold, heartless commander. Okay well maybe not that bad, but at least in some ways.

She hadn't seen him as the boy he was, but rather as just a pilot. When she scolded him, she scolded him like a soldier that had disobeyed orders. She realized her mistake now of course, as with the rest of her past she could see her mistakes clearly.

How could she forget that he was just a boy, just trying to make it through all this in any way that he can?

Her fingers absently tapped against the can as she blankly stared at the wall to her right.

To make it all worse, he'd now run away. Not that I can blame him. In a way she was almost glad for him, glad that he could get away from the hell that he'd been thrown into. But still, it was a temporary reprieve that wouldn't last. He'd have to come back soon enough. Section 2 undoubtedly knew his whereabouts and would keep him from physical harm, but they could not assure his emotional protection.

And she was worried, worried because she knew he was suffering. She wanted to help. She needed to help. But even if he was here she was unsure of exactly what to do.

Despite that a whisper escaped her shapely lips.

"Shinji, come home."

]|[

Peace.

Absolute and total serenity. The contact of two souls is a sensation unlike any other, a fact that neither pilot could deny. Neither was sure of exactly how long they'd stood there, fingers touching at arm's length, before they managed to focus enough for it to happen. In reality, neither of them really cared. They were both sucked into the beauty of the present.

Two minds touched, both individual and united, reveling in all that they were. It was not as simple as a connection that allowed the flow of information, what might be referred two as telepathy. Their bond was far more complete and fulfilling. They were, in this state, completely able to feel one another's thoughts and feelings in real time.

Some of these thoughts consisted of words, but they were not bound by them. Neither were they bound by the time it takes to voice these thoughts or describe their emotions; they were simply able to feel them as they came into existence. Questions and answers were proposed and addressed as quickly as they could be conceived.

In addition to the near-instant relay of complex information, the connection itself was fulfilling. The two were close in a way that was absolute and otherwise unmatched. The feel of one another's mind was not just what they were thinking at the moment, but the essence of who they were; their character, their general thought patterns, everything that comprises a person: the soul. This feeling was of course broad and unspecific, but it is a sense of understanding that cannot be gained as thoroughly or accurately through face-to-face interaction.

While Shinji was at first a little scared of such an absolute connection and the unknown elements of what they were trying, his doubts were quickly banished. Time seemed to slow down around them as their connection solidified and their thoughts began to intermingle. Even so, they remained two individual beings and never lost their ego borderlines.

It was impossible to hide any thought, any emotion. There was no room for deceit in such an absolute connection.

The personalities and thought patterns of each pilot affected one another strongly. Shinji was grounded by Rei's logical and calm manner of thought, while Rei was granted a great deal of perspective and understanding from Shinji's outlook and experiences.

They focused on the bond that they shared, what it meant, and what all it entailed. As they both recounted the experiences of the last several weeks, both found that the connection they shared was strong and undeniable. But perhaps most important of all, they could trust one another without hesitation.

…

Shinji found himself being held in thin but strong arms. He was in incredible pain, but the pain was far away, dampened, as if he was looking through a foggy glass. Still, he could feel something, something where those arms held him up. A sensation, electrical, startling and fiery. He craved more of this contact as badly as he wanted to know what it was and what it meant. Looking up he saw his own face, his features distorted with concern.

In this moment he realized he was not Shinji, or rather this was a memory that belonged to Rei. It gained new meaning as he re-examined the feelings coursing through him. The confusion. The understanding. The need.

They were connected, suddenly he was aware of her presence again, all around him. The memory had passed over in a second, a small eternity, vanishing into the void as his mind resurfaced. He felt the question in her mind, asking what he thought of the memory she shared.

Replying without words, he then led her into a memory of his own.

…

Rei was sitting down, a plain school desk surrounding her. The sensei's monotonous drawl about second impact found her ears, but she was ignoring it. Instead, her focus was on a blue-headed figure that sat in the corner, staring out the window. She was still as a statue, showing no movement, aloof of the environment around her as if it was beneath her notice. Suddenly the girl's crimson eyes met with her own as emotion coursed through her. Anxiousness, wonder, curiosity, many forms of desire, the list goes on.

Soon the moment had passed and the girl resumed her vigilant gaze on the floating clouds as if nothing had happened. Her mind was reeling.

But it was not her, it was Shinji. Again she found herself surrounded by his presence as the moment passed, a brief eternity. Understanding lit her as she looked back upon the memory.

This is how Shinji sees me. She felt his acknowledgement, infused with both amusement and eagerness. Smiling inwardly, she took him on yet another journey.

…

Things continued in this fashion for an immeasurable amount of time. Neither was really keeping track or cared for that matter. Both were completely lost in the now tangible bond that allowed the understanding they so desperately sought after. With each discovery they found wonder and acceptance, gaining perspective.

Perspective. Amazing how much seeing things from another point of view can change.

Still, it was sequentially before the memory of the kiss that they broke apart, their minds withdrawing from one another, each left gasping for breath as they leaned back in the small kitchen.

]|[

Rei glanced over at the thin boy, examining his features as if to confirm that she was not awakening from some strange and elaborate dream. In his face she found the same wonder that filled her mind, the same bewilderment.

As her chest rose and fell, filling her lungs with satisfying and precious oxygen, she regained her composure, correcting her posture and slowing her spinning mind.

Connection. Bond.

Words, concepts that had an entirely new meaning. And yet this new perspective was in many ways similar to the last, just expanded upon.

In their melding of minds, they had covered a great deal of ground in understanding one another, though they had barely scratched the surface. She found herself wanting more. She enjoyed the feeling of being that close to him, for more than just the understanding that she gained.

Blinking, she focused on Shinji. He was regarding her with a gentle half-grin. Even when their minds were connected, he seemed thrilled with the fact that she felt the same way as him. Not to say that she wasn't happy about this, but with him it was as though he thought such a thing was an impossibility, like her acceptance was an invaluable and divine gift.

"There is more I wish to know," she voiced gently, still partially out of breath. It was a little darker in the muddled room than she remembered, but she took little notice of it.

His voice was more confident than before as he replied, "I've got time."

Her cheeks felt odd as the corners of her mouth pulled up into what she recognized to be a small smile. The feeling was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant. While on the one hand the expression of emotion felt unnatural and odd, on the other she didn't really mind.

Her pale arm seemed to move of its own accord, lifting up in the gesture that had initialized this entire situation to begin with. She watched the third child take a breath before he mirrored her actions. In the next moment their minds were again united.

]|[

To be continued…

Last revision: 04:59:32, 2/11/2012
Written to: Reanimation (album) – Linkin Park

A/N: This was a hell of a chapter to write. Questions were answered and raised. In the next couple chapters we get to see exactly how Shinji (and Rei) decide to tackle the rest of the plot. I've wanted to write these scenes since I started this fic. With regard to my next update, I honestly have no clue when I'm going to be able to sit down like this and write again. I hope it's soon. Really.

Comments for this chapter… In a lot of ways what Shinji and Rei are now sharing is far more intimate than even sex. This is not to say that there will inevitably be sex now, rather to kind of keep this in mind. I have hinted at the trademark ability that I'm going to be playing off of for Shinji in angel fights this chapter. It's likely to be glimpsed in the next angel fight. Shortened the experiencing of memories to just two… I figure going through every memory would get stale. You get the picture. Last of all I apologize if this chapter is hard to follow. This was largely more introverted and psychological than previous chapters.

I love your reviews. They make me want to blow off my homework and write more. Keep em coming ;D

In reply to reviews:

Thank you, all of you that reviewed. Seriously. I may not mention you by name but your feedback means a lot.

Shinji will be a badass, but I'm not going to overdo it. The rebuild comparison was mostly for giggles, his badassery is going to be unique and fit into the niche of this story.

Ah skyeandmax, good to see you again! And I hope this chapter hints a bit about Misato's view on things, I had actually planned this scene before your review :)

My goal is to slowly introduce the rest of the cast in bytes. The main focus of this story is Shinji/Rei, however I really want to include everyone. Asuka will probably get more time than the rest of the supporting cast simply because she's so key to everything.

Sooo, manga vs. anime. I like the manga characterization better. Still going to follow the anime.