(Author's Note: I took a surprising amount of flack from friends and readers for giving "My Fantasy" such a depressing ending. Guess that's what I get for messing with Rei fanboys/fangirls, huh? The irony is that I had originally planned to give it a happy one, until the idea of Kaworu being unreal came to me. Here, for your reading pleasure, is my original planned ending, with a few refinements. It resumes from the point where Kaworu and Rei are leaving the memorial garden.)

Rei followed Kaworu past the garden gates, head still spinning. She was on a date! She'd never expected to do anything like this, especially not with someone like this boy. She stepped out into the street, moving between two parked cars. The sound of squealing tires knocked her out of her reverie, but before she could react she found herself yanked backwards. She fell, landing on top of Kaworu on the sidewalk, stunned. If he hadn't pulled her back she would've walked right in front of the car that was now speeding away...

Kaworu groaned, shifting slightly under her weight. Rei jumped up quickly, embarrassed, turning to face him as he sat up, rubbing his head but still smiling. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to land on you, it just sort of happened and I wasn't thinking and I should've been able to stay on my feet and I should've been watching where I was going and..."

Her stream of words dried up as Kaworu climbed to his feet. He was laughing. Rei was shocked. How could he be laughing at what had just happened?

He smiled at her. "Rei, it's alright. Accidents happen. Are you okay?"

Rei blinked. She could see that he had a skinned knee and bruises on his face, but he didn't seem to care. He was only worried about her. She didn't know how to deal with this, and it scared her. She wasn't used to people really caring about her. She didn't know what to do, so she went back to what she always did in uncomfortable situations.

"I'm fine," she replied flatly. "Let's go."

She strode across the street, being sure to check for cars this time. Kaworu followed behind, silent. Rei wasn't good at reading people, so she couldn't tell if he was offended by her last statement or if he was ashamed for having upset her or just didn't care or...there were just too many possibilities. She didn't know which was true, and she was too afraid to ask, so she just kept walking. They soon reached the coffee shop. Kaworu took the lead, something Rei was grateful for as she'd never been to a coffee shop before. After grabbing their drinks, Kaworu led Rei over to two comfortable armchairs in a back corner, where they could watch people without being observed themselves.

Rei sank into the cushioned chair, taking a tentative sip of the odd-smelling drink. Her eyes went wide as coffee ran down her throat. It was hot and sweet and not at ALL like she'd expected. It was delicious. She found herself smiling and glancing over at Kaworu. He was sipping his coffee slowly, eyes closed, expression one of quiet enjoyment. Rei cleared her throat, slightly nervous about asking. "There's a lot of stuff on that board. How'd you know what I would like?"

Kaworu answered without opening his eyes, kind amusement in his tone. "It was just a hunch. You seem like you like sweet things, so that's what I ordered."

Rei nodded, taking another sip of her coffee. He was right, though how he knew that she wasn't sure. She had an incredible sweet tooth. She actually had a box full of candy bars under her bed, but she tried not to eat too many at once because she didn't want to get fat.

Kaworu spoke quietly, his tone seeming somehow kind without being condescending. "Rei, can I ask you a question?"

"Umm...sure, I guess." Rei wrapped both hands around her coffee cup, the warmth slowly seeping into her long, delicate fingers. She wondered what he wanted to ask. Something about why her hair was blue? Did he want to poke fun at her threadbare jacket and matching bag? Or did he just want to ask some stupidly trivial question that didn't matter and was a waste of time to even speak? Rei could feel herself getting annoyed already. She hated when people wasted her time asking questions that either they already knew the answer to or that didn't matter.

Kaworu smiled calmly, almost as if he could see her thoughts. "Why were you in the memorial garden?"

Rei blinked, surprised. She hadn't expected a question like that. She felt off-balance, as if nothing was acting how she expected it to. Without thinking, she answered honestly. "I had to get away from school."

Kaworu chuckled. "Well, yeah, I figured that out myself. I mean, why the memorial garden? Why not somewhere further away? You don't have any relatives there, or you'd have paid your respects before we left."

Rei blushed slightly. Could she tell him? It was such a personal thing to her. She didn't want to ruin it by telling anyone else... "I...I went to see the birds."

She cringed, waiting for the inevitable mockery. Only little kids went bird-watching, after all. Why would a high school student be doing something so childish?

Kaworu, far from mocking, calmly nodded. "I like to watch them myself sometimes. It must be wonderful to be a bird, able to defy gravity on a whim, to see such beautiful things from the air.."

He sighed, his voice seeming somehow wistful, as if recalling a half-forgotten memory. "No wonder birds never go to war. They're too busy enjoying a power humans can never share."

Rei nodded silently. She'd always felt the same way, though she'd never told anyone. She would love to be a bird, to be able to fly away from all her problems and spend the rest of her days floating through the sky. She looked up to find Kaworu staring at her, smiling slightly. "Don't you feel the same?"

Rei's blush deepened. "Umm...I guess so, yeah. It's just not something I've ever said to anyone..."

Kaworu frowned. "Why not? Humans have wanted to fly since ancient times. It's nothing to be ashamed of, to dream of being something that can do it so effortlessly."

Rei shook her head. "My...my family wouldn't understand. They'd just think I was being ridiculous. They...they're kind of ashamed of me."

Kaworu tilted his head, apparently puzzled by this. "Why would they be ashamed of you? You're smart, you're sensitive, and you're...well, you're beautiful. They should be proud of you."

Rei frowned slightly, tone bitter. "I'm a freak. I don't think the same way other people do. I can't even act normal when I need to. I don't even have any real friends because I scare people away by acting cold when I don't mean to or messing up on social stuff everyone else seems to just know. Besides, my younger sister is prettier than I am. Everybody says so. All the boys swarm around her and ignore me, even...Shinji."

She hesitated as she said his name, not wanting to bring up someone else on what was pretty obviously a date. Kaworu didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, he looked oddly determined.

"Rei, do you mind if we go to your house for a bit?"

Rei hesitated. Her father wouldn't care, and her mother would probably be overjoyed that Rei finally had a new friend. But she didn't want to bring this boy around Asuka...either Asuka would steal him from her, or she'd mercilessly mock Rei for weeks about having brought a boy home. Kaworu seemed to sense her dilemma, and smiled.

"If you don't want to, it's alright. But...I want to help you, Rei. Will you trust me?"

Rei froze. There was that word. Trust. She'd never trusted anyone. One of her therapists had said that trust wasn't something she was really capable of, that whatever was wired wrong in her brain wouldn't let her just believe that someone meant what they said and would stick to it. She looked at Kaworu, somehow able to see the earnestness and sincerity in his face. Her face set.

Screw her therapists. She'd trust someone if she wanted to. She screwed up her courage and said the most difficult words she'd ever had to say.

"Sure, Kaworu. I'll trust you."

Kaworu smiled softly. "Thank you, Rei. I promise, this will be good."

He stood, still carrying his half-finished coffee. Rei followed suit. They exited the coffee shop, Rei leading the way toward her home. They didn't talk at all while walking, but not out of fear or nerves. Rei found that she felt comfortable being silent around Kaworu. Most of the time, she was so nervous that she'd babble incessantly to anyone who was around, about anything that came to mind. Not right now. She felt no need to talk, felt that Kaworu would be happy whether or not she was talking. She somehow knew that he just wanted her to be comfortable...and that knowledge made her happy.

They stopped on the front porch of the modest suburban home Rei lived in. She shuffled her feet. She had no idea what Kaworu had in mind now that they were here, and that terrified her. She knew she should just open the door and go in, but she couldn't make herself move. It was an unknown situation, and Rei had never done well with the unknown. Kaworu smiled, sensing her nerves. He spoke quietly. "Rei, I promise that what I'm about to do will turn out really well for you, okay? I know you're afraid, but it'll be okay. Are you with me?"

Something in his smile wouldn't allow Rei to say no. She nodded mutely, stepping forward and slowly opening the door. The house was mostly silent, which told Rei that her parents weren't home yet. She darted for the stairs, dashing up them, not even caring that if he wanted to Kaworu would be able to see up her skirt without issue. He followed her up, then into her room and shut the door. She flopped down on her bed, looking at the grey-haired boy as he gazed appreciatively at her collection of anime and figurines.

After a few moments, Rei sat up, clearing her throat nervously. "So...umm...what now?"

Kaworu blinked, shaking his head slightly. "Sorry...drifted off there for a minute. Pack up all the stuff you want to take. I'm bringing you to live with me and my folks."

Rei blinked, shocked. Taking her away? But...this was her home. It was where she'd grown up, it was what she was familiar with. How could she leave? Then again...was it really a home? Sure, she lived here, but she never felt happy or welcome here. If she was going to be honest with herself, she'd have to admit that she was scared of coming home most days. She hated it here. And it would never get any better, not if she didn't do something.

Rei stood, pulling suitcases out of her closet. She piled clothing and knickknacks in one, anime, figurines, and books in the other. Soon, her walls were bare and the suitcases were full. Rei hefted one, surprised to feel how heavy it was. Kaworu lifted the other with ease. Rei noted this, wondering just how strong he was. As they headed down the stairs, a door banged upstairs. Rei froze, wincing.

"Oh, no..."

A shrill, maliciously gleeful voice rang out from the upper hallway. "Hey, Wondergirl! Where ya goin'? Do Mom and Dad know you're taking off?"

Asuka came into view at the top of the stairs, already dressing for whatever date she had tonight. Rei refused to turn around, scrunching her eyes shut and praying that her sadistic sister would just go away. Kaworu, however, turned to face her, calm. "Why do you care? The way you talk, you obviously don't care about her."

Asuka smirked. "Oh, that's not true at all! I love my little retard sister!"

Kaworu frowned. "She's not retarded. Not by a long shot."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Retarded, autistic. Same difference. Either way, you can do better." She grinned, purposely swishing her hips as she came down the stairs. "You're pretty cute, y'know. I think you and I should get to know each other better."

Rei cringed. This was it. Her first spark of hope in so long, and Asuka was about to steal it from her just because she could. Why couldn't she ever have anything of her own, anything to make her happy? Why was she bothering to try? It'd be better to accept the inevitable and stop feeling sad over it. It'd be better to stop feeling ANYTHING.

To Asuka's surprise, Kaworu's face set into a mask of cold anger. His tone was disapproving, almost hostile. "Sorry. I don't go for whores. You never know what you'll catch."

He turned, speaking kindly to Rei. "Let's get out of here, okay? We can grab some lunch on the way."

The pair left the house, ignoring Asuka as she slumped over the bannister. Something in the way Kaworu had called her a whore had really hit home. Was that all she was being? Was she really that horrible of a person? If so, there was only one thing to do. She turned, going up to the bathroom and drawing a bath. She muttered to herself as she undressed, "I wonder if Daddy still uses straight razors..."

Much later, a taxi dropped Rei and Kaworu outside the Yokota Air Base. Rei gulped slightly, noting the armed soldiers watching them as Kaworu presented a pass and they were waved through the gates.

"So...you live here?" she asked, still nervous with all the soldiers around. She'd heard about some of the things these soldiers had done to these locals. She knew she could defend herself, but the idea of being attacked was still nerve-wracking.

Kaworu smiled. "Yeah. My dad's a helicopter pilot with the 459th Airlift Squadron. American-born, but Japanese by heritage, so they sent him here."

Rei nodded, then blinked. "Wait...your dad flies for a living?"

Kaworu nodded, laughing. "Yeah. I'll see if he can get clearance to take you up this weekend. It's incredible. Probably the closest we'll ever get to being birds."

Rei thought about this for a moment, then smiled. Just the thought of actually flying somehow was making her happier than she'd ever expected to be, and being here with this boy was only adding to her joy.

At the small house Kaworu and his father shared, Kaworu flipped on the light in his room. The walls were covered with anime and movie posters, and his walls were covered with the same kinds of collectibles Rei had. He even had several rare figures she'd never been able to get hold of. Rei gasped, eyes lighting up. Kaworu laughed at this. They talked for a little while, then Rei took the bed while Kaworu slept on the floor at his insistence.

The next morning, Rei awoke slowly, yawning. She sat up, a brilliant shaft of sunlight blasting through her blue hair and illuminating the dust motes floating around the room. They were beautiful to Rei. Everything was beautiful this morning. For the first time in months, she had an idea for a story. Writing was the other thing she'd learned in therapy. She reached for one of her suitcases, being careful not to wake the still-sleeping Kaworu, and extracted a notebook. Grabbing a pen, she flipped to an empty page and began to write.

Evangelion, Part One: You Are (Not) Alone

It is the year 2015. Shinji Ikari has been summoned from his home by his distant, work-obsessed father. Little does he know that ahead of him lie friends to be made, enemies to confront...and a world to save.

The End

(Author's Note, Part Two: And there it is. The originally planned ending for "My Fantasy". I'll admit, I'm not exactly a dab hand at writing happy endings. I lean more toward melancholy and doom. I hope all of you find this satisfying. I actually rather enjoyed writing it. Thanks to Kraven Ergeist for giving me the inspiration to finish this thing. If you guys haven't read his stuff, you should. He's WAY better than me. Thanks also to Kyle Hart for the original idea to this story and to my friend Hilary for pointing out how remarkably in-character it would be for Rei to have a sweet tooth. Remember, everyone. Love is the power of destruction AND rebirth. Which way it goes depends on US.)