Chain Lightning Studios Presents Together We Stand Book Two Divided We Fall By T. L. Webb Hello? Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd, The Wall []=======================[] Book Two, Part Seven []=======================[] Somewhere in the tangled network of the Earth's electronic communications system, a meeting was taking place between members of an organization that did not officially exist. The group members had changed over time, but the goals and name remained. They were collectively known as Seele to those who were granted audience, and even the members did not truly know one another’s identities. Only the chairman-- Lorenz Keel-- had ever been seen outside of these electronic meetings. In these meetings, fates of entire nations were decided. It had been Seele who had been ultimately responsible for Second Impact. Their funding had sponsored Dr. Katsuragi's theories and research. Their funding had sponsored his expedition to Antarctica to investigate the so-called 'white moon' that had been discovered deep in the snow-filled wasteland. It had been at their urging that he'd proceeded with the experiment that had awakened the First Angel-- their only miscalculation. That setback had not, however, hindered their ultimate goal-- the Human Instrumentality Project-- in the slightest. They had assessed their losses, salvaged what they could, and had proceeded with their contingency plan. It had been one of the guiding bylaws of Seele to _always_ have a contingency plan. So heavily worked into what some considered Seele's charter was that rule that a twentieth century scientist named Murphy had made famous. In fact, some rumors held that he had once been a member. Whether or not this was true, something had now happened that no one had prepared for. It was unexpected and to Seele-- whose decisions and policies were ruled with an iron hand by the predictions of the Dead Sea Scrolls--it was the closest they'd come to total disaster since the turn of the century. The popular saying that was referred to as 'Murphy's Law' stated that "what can go wrong, will go wrong". It was a rule that was considered dogma in the fields of engineering, and Seele held it in at least as high regard. But how do you prepare for something that is not even suspected to be possible? How do you write contingency for the inconceivable? The latest event in the ongoing angel war had proved to be so unexpected, so far off the course of their plan, that for the first time in centuries... Seele was feeling a creeping sliver of the fear of failure. "This is not possible!" the French representative practically yelled, "an Evangelion can _not_ generate and S2 organ! Its impossible I tell you!" "Impossible?" the German replied with a sneer, "Many would consider the entirety of project E and the instrumentality program impossible. One more impossible thing amongst so many means nothing. The scales we are playing with have rendered the term obsolete." "This is true..." another said, "we simply never considered that an Eva would attempt to ingest an Angel. Without considering the possibility, we can never consider the consequences. This was a dangerous oversight on our part." "Events are straying too far from the scenario we planed," another said, "I do not care for unanticipated surprises such as this. Given the response to this event, I do not believe we can handle many more of these grievous alterations to the plan." "_I_ believe this is the result of granting Ikari so much leeway. Far too much of the program was entrusted to him." "Please remember that we had no choice at the time," Keel replied with a frown, "he was the only one available who truly understood his wife’s theories. Our mistake was allowing him to retain control for this long. Now it is too late to consider an alternative... we must find out if he has planed this deviation from our scenario or if it is merely coincidence. But this is not just about Evangelion Unit One." "Agreed," the Canadian said, "serious damage was dealt to Units Two and Zero, and the Headquarters itself was nearly destroyed. Our defenses are down to almost nothing. Should another Angel attack before repairs can be implemented... we do not stand a chance." "There are no scales to estimate how much time and money this will cost us," the American member grumbled. "This happened because we did not bell the cat." "No, the bell was there on Ikari's neck, it simply did not ring." "A bell that does not ring has no purpose," Keel said grimly, "next time we shall insure it works." The council was unanimous in that regard. []====[] []====[] "I know Wondergirl is ok," Asuka screamed from her room, "now leave me _alone_!" Misato sighed and wandered back to the kitchen. It had been two days since the battle and she worn out in body and soul. They had survived the battle, but she somehow didn't feel they had really won. All three Eva's were inoperable, and the second wave was still hung up in the limbo of the UN's red tape. And then there was the mater of the pilots themselves... If she had a choice in the mater, she would say that Rei alone was fit to be piloting at the moment. Hikari might be, but she had been refusing to speak with anyone ever since she’d seen the inside of Unit One's entry plug. Misato didn't consider herself an expert on such maters, but something about the girl's attitude wasn't meshing with what the psychologists were saying. They insisted that it was some type of posttraumatic stress, or a case of survivor's guilt. Misato thought that Hikari was simply hurt and didn't want people telling her how she should feel. Misato had done that for the last month or two of her own experience with what she thought that Americans so appropriately referred to as the 'head shrinkers.' When she'd finally come out of her shell the doctors had swarmed her, telling her she shouldn't feel this, or she should feel that-- and it had just plain pissed her off. She'd shut up, and for another three months refused to speak. Not because she couldn’t, but because she was tired of people telling her that what she’d seen didn't exist, or that it had, but not as she remembered it. No one back then had believed her story of the giant of light, and it hadn't been until the academy had requited her that she'd discovered that there was a PR campaign the likes of which the world had not seen since before the turn of the century going on. Officially, the Giant of light and the angels hadn't existed until the third had arrived in Tokyo Three... and even then it wasn't until the press leaks over the internet that Nerv had begun to slowly release pieces of the truth. It still pissed her off that they'd tried to manipulate her like that, but on the other hand she knew far too much about Nerv to try to deny that such steps had been necessary. Had the public known back then there would have been a panic and the Evas would never have been finished in time. Too many resources would have been diverted to other projects, and they would have been woefully unprepared for the third angel. So she understood Hikari's refusal to speak to the doctors. She just hoped that they were the only one's she was refusing acknowledgement. Concerned for the new pilot, and tired of yelling through Asuka's door, she grabbed the phone and dialed up the Horaki house. "Hello," Nozomi answered, "for those of you who are just tuning in, everyone here is a crazy person." "Hi Nozomi," Misato said as she fought back a giggle, "is Kodama there?" "Yeah, she’s standing watch at Hikari's room." "Is Hikari still giving everyone the silent treatment?" "Only the ones who keep bugging her about it, she and I talked all last night. She's sleeping now." "... Did she talk to Kodama?" "Yeah for about two seconds-- then Kodama tried to chew her out on her decision to pilot and Hikari threw her the sub zero." "Oh... could you give Kodama a message?" "Sure, let me get a pen.... Okay, shoot." "Ask her to meet me at the happy times diner off of East Sakura Street tomorrow night at nine, I need to talk with her." "Not a problem, I’ll let her know." "Thanks Nozomi, and look after Hikari." "Will do, see ya." []====[] []====[] The next afternoon Misato went down to the temporary workstation that had been assembled for the project to save Shinji Ikari. Misato still found it amazing that such a thing were possible, but Ritsuko had preformed far more amazing miracles with the technology at her disposal since Misato had joined Nerv. If anyone could save Shinji it was her... the question was, would Shinji be happy to return to an even stronger sort of bondage to Nerv than before? Unit one would apparently operate for no one but him. It was something that she thought of with a mix of ironic amusement and great sadness. "How goes the salvaging project?" she asked Ritsuko as she ducked under a cable. "Well," Ritsuko answered a bit hesitantly, "we've determined that what might be referred to as Shinji’s life force definitely still exists in the entry plug." "Humph, will you be respecting that life when he gets back?" "Cheap shots are below you Misato," Ritsuko shot back with an annoyed roll of the eyes-- for a moment Misato was reminded of their collage days, "besides, we have no choice this time, loosing Shinji now is out of the equation. We _must_ get him back." "I don't know Ritsu... all Nerv wants is Unit One as a tool, they don't care about him, his life or his dreams." "I don’t deny we've been using him Misato... but what's this about dreams?" "You’re still stuck on my first reports about him aren't you?" Misato said with a sad smile, "Shinji'd been studying Music for last few weeks before the thirteenth angel... he wants to be a composer." "Rather unrealistic considering..." "Go to hell Ritsuko, if dreaming of a future allows him to get through this nightmare we're living then let him, I can't believe you'd--" "OK, OK, down girl! I see your point." "Good, so what is our progress?" "Our running theory is that Shinji's body has lost its Ego border and is drifting in the plug in quantum form." "Hold on, I think I actually stayed awake for that class.... You're saying that Shinji's still in there, but the form he's in can't be detected visibly?" "Close enough. The LCL's components in the plug have been altered at a chemical level. Our readings are showing that it’s very similar in nature to... what you could call a primordial soup." "Ok, I'm still with you." "Hmm, you really did stay awake... or did you just read Kaji's notes for the test?" "H-how did? What?" "Of course, he did copy those off of mine so it only makes sense that you’d remember it properly." "Oh shut up and keep talking." "I'll ignore the oxymoron. Anyway, the point is that all the materials that make up Shinji are still in the plug. What could be called a soul exists inside as well-- as you can see the spare Plugsuit we injected has been holding a vague human shape." "So how do we help him?" "Saving him means we have to reconstruct his body and soul from a genetic level." "We can do that?" "With the Magi's help we can." "But you're just talking in theory aren't you," Misato said as she placed a hand on the monitor showing the plug's interior, "you don't really know what will happen, do you?" Ritsuko wouldn't answer that, neither would she meet Misato's eye. []====[] []====[] "I'm going to the restaurant," Kodama told Nozomi," dad promised to be home in an hour, so you wont be alone here long." "Of course not silly," Nozomi replied, "Hikari's here." "... Right, well, I need to go." "Don't be late because you're worried about us. I keep telling you Hikari might not be 'fine' but she's not as screwed up as everyone keeps saying she is. Now _go_ already!" "Um... OK," Kodama said trying to fight off another wave of annoyance at her sister's ability to see straight to the root of most problems that confounded most other people. She shook her head and was about to open the door when the bell rang. Startled, she looked through the spyhole and saw a scruffy looking man with a ponytail standing at the door. She put the chain on and opened the door a crack. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him "May I help you sir?" "I certainly hope so," he replied in a friendly voice that almost made her forget she had only just met him, "is this the Horaki residence?" "Um, yes it is," she replied as she found her heart rate increase slightly-- despite the man's scruffy appearance and rumpled suit, he was devastatingly handsome. "Oh good, I was afraid I'd stumbled upon the home of a Goddess," he said with the most charming delivery she'd ever heard of such a cheesy line, "my name is Kaji, and if I'm not mistaken we met at Miss Katsuragi's promotion party?" "Oh that's right!" Kodama said. She barely remembered the evening past all the alcoholic haze, but she vaguely remembered meeting him. She opened the door and invited him in, "what can we do for you Mr. Kaji?" "Well, it concerns your sister," he said, "Shinji asked me to give her a message if something happened to him, and it looks like I'll need to deliver it." "I... she... I don’t know..." "I understand if it's a bad time, I could come back later if necessary." "Well it's not exactly that, I'm about to leave to meet Misato for diner." "Oh, well I could give you a lift, I won't be long and the cabs in this town always take the long way to run up the fare." "Well.... OK, but she might not talk to you..." "I've heard. The doctors are more than a little put out because she stopped mid way through the third session. It's outside their profile data so naturally they are at a loss to explain." "Er... okay, well her room is this way." "Thank you" []====[] []====[] When he opened the door he saw Hikari sitting by the window. She was leaning against the windowsill with one hand propping up her face. He thought about announcing his presence, but suddenly the younger Horaki was beside him tugging on his sleeve. He glanced down at her and saw her shaking her head 'no'. "Ok, what then?" he whispered. "Go over and sit down on the other side of the window, she'll talk to you if she wants to." "Great," he muttered as he walked over and did just that. Nozomi left the room, but he heard her dragging a chair down the hall and understood that he wasn't really being left alone. He shrugged it off and looked out the window. Across the city, the sun was setting and the reflections off the buildings were making everything seem unreal-- like something out of a painting. As the sun dipped below the mountains in the distance, he was startled by the voice beside him. "Do you think they know what it's really like?" Hikari asked. Thinking for a moment, he made a guess at her topics and answered as vaguely as he could. "I doubt most of them know, but a few might suspect." "I remember that first month... none of us understood, he told us and we saw it, but we didn't understand. I don’t think I really understood until now." Kaji was silent, he hoped she'd let him know what exactly she was talking about. He suspected, but messing up at that moment would be counterproductive. "Shinji always told us he hated it, I don't think most of us believed it. I kind of did, after the second fight, after seeing what he was going through I started to understand." "When did you finally understand in full?" he asked, although he felt he already knew the answer. "It was when Dr. Akagi asked me to be pilot," she said, "I realized that I was being offered the choice, and that if I chose not to pilot someone might die." "Because of your projected synch rate?" "Yes, they said that someone with a lower one would be more at risk. I've never really thought of myself as someone who could fight... but I got to thinking that I didn't believe Shinji was that type either when I first met him." "Shinji has a passion and drive that he buries deep within, but it's there. I might be out of line saying so Hikari, but you have a similar passion, only not as hidden." "It didn't do much good though... what good is my being a pilot if this is the result?" "Hikari, I know how this sounds, but believe me, your decision had little to do with what’s happened." "Bullshit," she spat out bitterly "No, it's not, I can't tell you much, but there are things going on in Nerv that have brought things to this point, and they would have achieved their goals with or without you as pilot." "What are you talking about?" "I can't tell you. Not because I don't want to, but because I'm still learning the shape of what is going on myself. But trust me on this, what happened to Shinji was not your fault." "But how can I keep piloting if I know that I'm working for someone who wants things like this to happen?" Kaji smiled and shook his head, "Shinji and I had a similar discussion just before the battle... I'll tell you what I told him. This is larger than any of us; we’re fighting to survive. Mankind is on the brink and if we do not defend this city we will be wiped out." "But... if there is something dark behind Nerv... how can I keep working for them? I don't want to be a party to this!" "It's a choice of two evils, Hikari, but I want to point out that if you stay, you at least have a chance to alter the outcome... if you leave then it's all over. Shinji had the same choice, and he chose to stay. "And look where it got him," she said as tears rose to her eyes. "HEY," Kaji said sharply, "this isn't over yet, there is still a chance-- however small- that they can save Shinji. Don't give up on him.... Oh and I almost forgot something." "W--what?" "Just before the battle, Shinji asked me to tell you this in the event that he could not. Hikari, he is truly sorry for what happened, I've seen the sincerity in his eyes and I believe him. He wanted me to tell you that he was wrong in what he did... and one last thing." " . . . " "He loves you Hikari. He didn't fight to save all those people out there who you’re wondering about. He didn't fight for Rei, Asuka, Misato or his father. He fought for two things. He fought for himself, and he fought for you." Her eyes widened, and as he stood to leave, she caught his arm. "Thank you," she said through the tears. []====[] []====[] "Um... Mr. Kaji? Is this safe?" Kodama asked about half an hour later as they raced down East Sakura. A mile back they had made a turn and had ended up alongside Misato. She didn't quite know how or why, but the two had suddenly decided it was a good time to start a drag race. As she gripped the seat with white- knuckled hands, she prayed that they knew what they were doing. "Absolutely," Kaji replied far too calmly as he whipped his red Alfa Romeo around a slower car and back alongside Misato's blue Renault Alpine, "we used to do this all the time back in collage.... The autobahn was one of the major attractions to the academy for both of us. Of course, there was a lot less traffic back then." 'Heeeeelp?' she thought as the approached the restaurant with no signs of slowing. She looked over at Kaji, then back out the window at Misato, and was deeply worried to see they both wore an identical maniacal grin, 'I am going to die.' At the last moment both cars hit their brakes and Kaji threw the gearshift into reverse as he cranked the wheel. The car spun and as it did she caught a brief glimpse of Misato's car pulling a similar stunt nearby. Slamming her eyes closed she hoped they weren't about to crash. When her breathing finally returned to normal, she opened her eyes and found that Misato's car was parked just in front of Kaji's. Both were parallel parked facing the same way, and other than the smell of burnt rubber there wasn't so much as a clue that they had been a slight miscalculation from a twisted pile of metal. Outside, both Kaji and Misato were hugging and laughing their heads off. Kodama climbed out of the car and unsteadily made her way over to them. "yes!" Misato said with a loud shriek of excitement, "We haven't done that in--" "Eight years," Kaji said, flashing his ever-present grin, "just before we came back from spring break." "Thanks, Kaji, I needed that." "I kind of figured a little nostalgia might help get you out of this funk." "Getting Shinji back will get me out of this funk, but the adrenaline rush went a long way toward cheering me up, thanks Kaji." "Anytime, I'll leave the two of you to whatever business you have, see you in a few days." "Ok, you be careful," Misato said as Kaji climbed back into his car and drove off at a legal pace. "Um... are you two always like that?" Kodama asked. "Huh? Oh, no we haven't done anything like that since the academy, sorry if we frightened you." "Well, only a little, next time warn me so I can take some Dramamine." Misato giggled, and after giving up on her 'stern' look Kodama started as well. When they got themselves under a bit of control, they went inside. []====[] []====[] The doorbell had been ringing for over five minutes, and as much as Asuka wanted to ignore it, it was starting to get on her nerves. Storming out of her room, she crossed the kitchen and stomped down the hallway to the foyer. She tossed the door open and spat out what could only vaguely be considered a greeting. "_What_?" Rei blinked and took a step back from the angry German. She suddenly understood why some of the males in her class feared the Second Child. "I-- I wish to speak with Major Katsuragi," she said-- surprised at the hesitation in her voice. "Misato isn't here, probably wont be back till late," Asuka said as she turned and walked back inside, leaving the door open. Rei was unsure of whether or not to consider this an invitation, but she decided to enter anyway. In the unusual state that her fellow pilot was in, it was possible that she was mistaken about the location of the Major. Following the hall into the kitchen, she found the Second Child rummaging through the refrigerator. A quick glance at the living room revealed that Major Katsuragi was not home, her door was open slightly, and there was no light from behind it. "Sorry there isn't anything to drink," she told Rei, "but it's Shinji's night to shop and things are all screwed up without him here to do the drudge work." "Why do you speak of him so angrily?" Rei asked. This state that the second was in was intriguing. "Why not? He’s a little showoff. Waits till we get pounded into the mud then charges in on a white horse and saves us wittle helpwess goils," she clasped her hands to her breast and fluttered her eyelashes so emphasize the point. "I do not believe his return had anything to do with bravado." "How would you know Wondergirl?" "I viewed the security tapes earlier today from the cage that night. He did not seem proud or happy about--" "Why the hell would you want to watch those?" Asuka asked, cutting her off. "I was ... curious to see how he activated Unit One when it would not activate for myself or the dummy system." "Didja learn anything?" Asuka asked as she wandered into the living room and practically threw herself down onto the cushions in the middle of the room. "Only that Unit one has a stronger bond with Ikari that I believed." "Right, so where is the fungus anyway?" "Major Katsuragi did not tell you?" "She probably did, but I’ve been ignoring her." "I do not understand. Why would you do such a thing?" "None of your business Wondergirl, so you were saying?" "Pilot Ikari is one with Evangelion Unit One." "Huh? Whoa, hold on a second, what do you mean by that." "He has lost the border of his Ego, and bonded with the Eva." "I'm not following, what do you mean?" "I... I do not know how else to explain." "Well it figures, the little twit." "Does it not bother you that Shinji is in danger?" "Humph, let me tell you something Ayanami, Superboy might be a little fungus, but he has an annoying habit of winning. Why should I worry?" "I see..." "Whatever, I'm off to bed, if you want to talk to Misato I’d suggest catching her at work, and lock the door on your way out." Asuka got up, and walked to her room, leaving Rei alone in the living room. As she did as asked and left, she realized something. 'I have never referred to Pilot Ikari as Shinji before just now... what does that mean?' []====[] []====[] "I didn't know," Kodama said quietly as she and Misato talked over dinner, "why didn't they tell us any of this when they drafted Hikari?" "I just found out about the whole Adam thing a few weeks ago Kodama. Something isn't right-- I know that, but someone has to fight this fight." "I don't like it..." "Well let me tell you something my father used to say." "What's that?" "There is no call so noble that it will not attract assholes." "Ok, I guess you have a point, but I still don't like it." "Neither do I, but as long as there is a chance of winning I’m going to fight." "I admire that Misato, I just wish it wasn't my sister in the trenches." "N.I.M.B.Y." Minato said with a chuckle. "What?" "Oh, it's this American term I heard at the academy, it's an acronym for Not In My Back Yard. People will agree to all kinds of crazy things until it affects them directly." "... I see... you're right I guess, but that doesn't change the whole thing with Shinji." "Kodama? Let me ask you something." "Shoot." "If Kaji started making a passes at you, how long do you think you could resist?" "Not very long, he's a charmer to the core." "Even if you had a boyfriend?" "I want to say yes... but I don't know. I don't think I'd cheat on anyone though." "Shinji's been living in close quarters with Asuka for months, quite frankly I wasn't surprised at the kiss, just when it happened." "But that's the thing, he kissed her! She might have started it... but he let her, and tried to hide it." "He's barely spoken to Asuka ever since. I would bet a year's pay that he won't even look at another girl for months after he and Hikari get back together, and he wont ever stray again." "If they get back together." "Kodama, do they have a classic literature at your school?" "Yeah," "Ever read Romeo and Juliet?" "Yeah." "I'd bet that you'd have about as much luck as their parents keeping the two apart." "Oh." []====[] []====[] "Hikari?" Kensuke almost shouted as he lowered his camera. He hadn't expected to see Hikari back in school so soon-- or at all for that mater. "Hi Kensuke," she said, "how are you?" "Um... I'm okay I guess, but what about you? When did you wake up? Why didn't you call us? We've been worried about you guys! None of the Pilots have been back in class except Rei and all she’ll ever tell me is that 'it's classified'!" "It probably is, there is a lot of stuff going on Kensuke... where’s Touji?" "Well that kinda why I've been trying to get a hold of someone... his father was at the testing center when it went up." Hikari's eyes widened as she remembered waving to Mr. Suzuhara just before the Eva had gone berserk. She grabbed hold of the desk to steady herself as she took that in. The memory had been there the whole time, she'd actually thought of the incident just after she woke up, but she hadn't made the connection until Kensuke had said something. "Oh no," she whispered as Kensuke jumped up and helped her sit down in the desk, "I didn't realize..." "He's at the hospital taking care of Mari, I think his grandfather is about to quit Nerv." "Can we go see him after school?" "Actually he's staying over at my place, you can see him when he gets back." "Thanks Kensuke... I keep finding reasons to wish I'd never joined this stupid organization." "Don’t do this to yourself, look, we'll talk at lunch ok?" "Okay." []====[] []====[] That afternoon she and Kensuke walked back to his house. "So how are you and the Iron girl doing?" "Well... I keep wanting to go and meet her, but she can't." "Because of where she works? How old is she?" "Oh, she’s our age, she's a secretarial assistant or something for a program that's kind of like that Jet Alone the UN tried to pull awhile back, but much more advanced." "So are you two getting romantic?" "Um... well... er," watching Kensuke blush almost made Hikari laugh for the first time since she woke up. "Don't worry, I won't tease you." "We've been getting pretty close... I feel like I know more about her sometimes than I do about anyone else in school... but there is the name thing too... its confusing." "I can see how it would be. Just be careful, ok?" "Hey-- it's me!" he assured her cheerfully She reached over and messed up his hair a bit. "That's what I'm worried about you dork," she told him, finally laughing. []====[] []====[] "So we're starting so soon," Fuyutski said as he and Gendou Ikari watched the construction crews hauling the shattered body of Evangelion Unit Three on to what resembled a three hundred foot long operating table. "Dr Akagi assured me that the chances of a re-infection are non existent. That is enough to convince me." "And what about the committee? What did Seele have to say about it." "They were surprisingly generous, which has me worried." "So you think the are beginning to suspect what we have planed?" "It is possible, but unlikely. What is more likely is that they suspect we are up to something, and they hope that they can cause us to relax and make a wrong move." "And here I thought Kiel was smarter than that, he should know by now that you never relax." "Very droll professor." "I take my moments when I can old friend. So, how is the situation with Unit One?" "It's an unknown factor. We failed to save Yui, but at the time we did not have the Magi... a good deal of it depends on the boy himself, and that is what has me worried." "I told you that he would change once he started dating." "We factored that into the equation, but still... he has managed to surprise us in the past." "Maybe its because the Magi only calculate these things mathematically. Emotions are often unpredictable. One would have to be a mind reader to know what someone is thinking at any given moment." "It is true, we did rely on the Magi's profile to closely... Shinji has become an unpredictable element in the Unit One situation, which was already an unpredictable element." "He won't take to kindly to very much interference, and he's already threatened your life." "Yes... We considered brainwashing due to that for a short time, but ultimately we can not predict if Unit One will still accept him if we proceed. As it stands we will have to treat him with kid gloves. If he returns." "So what will you do then?" "We have certain safeguards in mind that should slip undetected in Unit One's system. If we succeed with that we will have some measure of control." 'And indeed,' he thought as he looked out at the Repair station filling with the coolant fluid, 'control is everything in this game.' []====[] []====[] "Hey Kensuke, I was wondering if we got any--" Touji's voice trailed off as he walked into the living room of the Aida residence and saw Hikari sitting at the coffee table. He dropped the backpack he was holding and blinked as if to make sure he was really seeing her. "You're ok?" he whispered as he took a tentative step forward. "I'm okay," she said as she stood, walked over and took his shaking hand. Touji had always been the type to hold every thing inside until it burst over the dam in one wild flood, and she had the feeling that was what was about to happen. As she predicted, he put his arms around her in a fierce hug. She could feel a few hot splashes against her neck and realized that she had never seen Touji cry before. "I'm fine Touji, really, it's ok." "I was afraid... when I heard that the Evas got trashed... that..." She held him until he got under control, and after threatening to give Kensuke 'the swirly from hell' if he ever told a soul what he'd just seen, they went out to the back patio to talk. Hikari told them what had happened from her point of view, and they told her what Shinji had told them. She listened and a few times came close to tears. She told them what Kaji had told her and that she regretted her decision not to tell Shinji about her appointment as the Fourth Child with all her heart. As the day grew later, Kensuke went inside to get some dinner prepared and she and Touji sat and watched the sun pass behind a thundercloud off in the distance. "Y'know," Touji said, "when I found out that you and Shinji were hooking up I wasn't that happy..." "Why not?" Hikari asked, wondering what had made him say that. "Well there were a couple of reasons... for one thing I didn't know Shinji so well at the time and I still thought he was a bit of a jerk. I don't anymore so you can stop looking at me like-- I just didn't think he was good enough for you." "What changed your mind?" "While we were in Okinawa I got to thinking about it, and I realized that he wasn't as bad as I thought... I guess I was still pissed about what happened to Mari." "How is she? I didn't get a chance to ask before." "She's getting out of the hospital next month, after that we're moving out to some relative's down south." "Kensuke said something about that... it seems like a lot of people are getting out of Tokyo Three, and I don't know if I can blame them.... What was the other reason?" "Well its kinda embarrassing to say, but I kind of had a thing for you since last year." Hikari didn't know what to say... so she blushed. "Don't worry, I’m cool with it now, I kind of realized how well you two were together after awhile.... Hey, could you do a me a favor?" "Um... sure..." she said, still trying to digest what he'd said a moment ago. "When Shinji gets back, could you guys pay Mari a visit? She really wants to meet a real Pilot...could you pass that along?" "I... yes, I mean..." "Hey... don't get all worked up, Kensuke will think we've been up to something," he said with a laugh. "Ok, I promise we'll visit as soon as we can." "Thanks, now let's go see what's holding Ken with those snacks, I'm starved." []====[] []====[] When she walked in the door that night, the first thing Hikari noticed was her older sister sitting on the couch that was in their living room. At first she thought that Kodama was asleep; she was leaning forward and her face was mostly obscured by her hair. Hikari paused, and stepped out of the hallway towards her sister. As she neared, Kodama jumped slightly. She looked up to Hikari and blinked, before letting out a sigh. "Sorry, I must have zoned out there," Kodama said, "can I talk to you for a moment, Hikari?" "I suppose," Hikari said with a frown. She hoped this wasn’t going to end up like their last little talk. She went over to the chair that was across from where her sister sat. after a moment's silence, both started to speak-- cutting each other off. They both blushed slightly before finally Hikari nodded for Kodama to speak first. "I... I guess I just wanted to apologize for they way I've been acting around you... and Shinji." Hikari said nothing as her sister continued. "I don't guess I've ever told you this... did you know I've never had a boyfriend?" Hikari's eyes widened. "I know... you probably remember how I used to talk about boys a lot at your age, but most of that was me trying to pretend I had a love life. The truth is that the only time I ever became interested in someone... I was too scared to even talk to him. I think Nozomi knows more about all this than she lets on... but the look on your face leads me to assume she never told on me." Kodama sighed, "I screwed up and the guy I liked ended up going steady with another girl. At first I was alright with it... I knew the girl pretty well and they were happy, but when he cheated on her I kind of got pissed off at the male gender in general. I suppose that was about the time I started earning that 'nitrogen queen' reputation," she shook her head with a sad smile, "but my point is that when Shinji did what he did I kind of grouped him with every guy I ever saw hurt their girlfriend. Which included the guy I had a crush on," she paused a moment to wipe away a tear before continuing, "Hikari, look... I'm not saying that I don't think what he did was wrong... but the way I acted towards Shinji was completely out of line. I... well, I want to apologize to you for it." Hikari stared at Kodama with difficulty. This was due to the tears which were pouring down her cheeks. She was completely speechless. "When you... when you see Shinji again," Kodama said, "would you tell him that I'm sorry? I'd appreciate it." As Kodama got up to leave the room, Hikari leapt to her feet and ran over to her sister-- nearly bowling the older girl over as they embraced. Both crying now, they held each other for a long time before Hikari finally spoke. "Thank you Kodama, I love you." "I love you too," Kodoma replied as she sniffed back her tears, "I wish I was better at showing it." As the two sisters stood in the living room, a small shadow stood and hurried up the stairs. As Nozomi softly shut her door she herself had to wipe her eyes. Leaning back against the door, she slid to the floor and smiled. "took her long enough," she said. []=====================[] To Be Continued... []=====================[] Authors Incoherent Babbling Well there's the latest draft of chapter seven. Not much changed this time around, so feel free to make any comments and suggestions that come to mind. For those who are waiting on my site to update again, it will be next week-- after I return from Dallas's Project A-Kon. I'll be out at the hotel the entire weekend-- buying new anime DVDs and other goodies, as well as hanging out with the anime club 'the anime heretics' I'll also be checking out the fanfic panel and other interesting events. If anyone wants to reach me before I leave, better do it before Thursday, because that's when the club is holding its pre-game bash. I'll be out of communication from then until Monday. What else? Well, next chapter we'll have the tear jerking reunion of Shinji and Hikari; the parting of the three stooges, Asuka’s downward spiral, and more of Rei's slow awakening. What? Fan service? Hey you can't always get what ya want... But if you try some times, you just might find you get what you need. []==========================================[] And now, Chain Lightning Studios is semi-proud to present: []==========================================[] Our second OMAKE!!!! []==========================================[] The MC ushered the blond off the strange for the fifth time that night and hoped that she had finally run out of money. "Miss Kuramitsu ladies and gents, ain't she great?" he said cheerfully despite the catcalls and boos that always resulted from the crazy girls attempts to sing on stage. "Well, moving right along-- tonight we have a new singer, and a celebrity to boot!" he said, and the crowd quieted down to see what who he was about to bring out, "you’ve seen her all over the Internet, and in Otaku magazines the world over. You've thought of her every time a Sinatra song came on the radio, and every full moon, ladies, gentlemen, those who aren't sure, we at the karoke club are proud to present, Tokyo Three's very own-- Rei Ayanami!!!" As the albino girl stepped on stage in a blue dress that was transparent around the neck, the crowd went wild. She stepped up to the microphone and in her soft calm voice announced the title of the song she would sing. "This song is called 'everything you've ever dreamed', thank you." What was it she did to break your heart Betray your heart and everything Kiss you with a kiss that wasn’t true It wasn’t you at all Hide behind a painted smile, did you know that You would live a lie or two Pull the very ground from under you And leave you nowhere else to run You can sail the seven seas and find That love is a place you'll never see Passing you like a summer breeze You feel life has no other reason to be You can wait a million years and find That heaven is too far away from you Loves just a thing that others do What is love Til it comes home to you? Did she promise you the world and did that Girl just throw your love away Leave you like a lonely solitaire With just despair for company Do you think you'd find revenge so sweet Make it so your hearts will never beat Squeeze the very last undying breath from Everything you’ve ever dreamed You can sail the seven seas and find That love is a place you'll never see Passing you like the summer breeze You feel life has no other reason to be You can wait a million years and find That heaven is too far away from you Loves just a thing that others do What is love Til it comes home to you? You can sail the seven seas and find That love is a place you'll never see Passing you like the summer breeze You feel life has no other reason to be You can wait a million years and find That heaven is too far away from you Loves just a thing that others do What is love Til it comes home to you? When she finished, the room was deathly silent. Everyone sat staring at her in a state of pure awe. Finally one person began to clap, followed by another and another. Soon the entire room was erupting in wild cheers and yells. Rei gave a polite bow and stepped off to the side of the stage and out a door. []====[] []====[] Ok, so it wasn't the silly little skits that usually make up the omake, but I fell in love with this song the moment I heard it on the S2 Works CD and wanted to share it with all of you. Anyway I'm out Love and Peace! Hotwire Chain Lightning Studios http://www.chainlightningstudios.com