Neon Genesis Evangelion
                          Higher Learning
                          ===============

                         Teacher's Edition
                       Lessons 21 through 30



                         Strike Fiss, 2000











Twenty-First Lesson:  "Aftermath"








Ritsuko watched with faked interest as the view screen showed the 
events at hand.  The footage was already a week old, yet only she and 
Commander Ikari had seen it sooner than this 'emergency report' issued 
by the MAGI.  

Maya recited the 'T-Minus' seconds as an overhead camera shot of the US 
Nevada NERV facilities sat peacefully on the Earth's surface.  As the 
countdown reached 'zero', a red and white fireball spread out and 
engulfed the entire structure...before causing the camera view to short 
out due to the EM pulse.  

As Misato and the others gasped and then began asking questions, she 
sighed.  It was getting tedious...keeping the others up on secrets that 
were already censored and filtered to the point of harmlessness.  She 
had once asked Gendo why they bothered.

"It will keep them happy." he had smirked. 

And true enough, it did.  Though Misato would occasionally notice a bit 
too much for her personal comfort, Ritsuko saw that everyone was filled 
with a sense of awe and purpose when given these little tidbits. 

If they knew the whole truth, it might crush them.  At least this way, 
they had only the motivation. 

She wondered briefly how much the Commander was keeping from her.  
After all, no matter how she tried to fool herself into thinking 
otherwise, the only person on this planet that knew Ikari's plan was 
Ikari.

And he did not offer much up during pillow-talk.  That was certain. 

"Unit 04...missing." Misato sighed as she scratched her head.  "Well, I 
suppose we won't have to hurry up to find the Fifth Children anytime 
soon."

"Always look on the bright side, eh, Major?" Ritsuko smiled across the 
dull glow of the display panel.

"Steps are being taken to ensure we no longer have to rely on that 
method." Gendo mentioned suddenly.  "Unit 04 does not concern us.  I 
expect you all to be ready for Unit 03 when it comes this week."

The bridge crew all nodded crisply, though Ritsuko could see the 
tension in Gendo's features.  Tension replaced his cool, icy 
manor...though the change was subtle, it was noticeable by anyone who 
had spent so much time in his presence.

"That will be all." Gendo dismissed everyone, snapping the doctor out 
of her reflective mood.  

As the rest of them shuffled out, discussing things that they would 
have to prepare for in the upcoming Eva transfer, Ritsuko dared to 
linger on a bit, walking up to the Commander as he rubbed the bridge of 
his nose lightly.  

"Ikari-kun." she said softly.  "You're tired."

"Mmm." he hummed.  It was his patented 'no comment' reply.  

She raised an eyebrow and took the glasses off her face in a futile 
attempt to get them cleaner than they already were.  "The dummy plug is 
almost finished.  You said yourself that Unit 04 is of no concern to 
us." she put her specs back on and crossed her arms around her note-
pad.  "I doubt you're losing sleep over those things."

"I'm not losing sleep." Gendo grumbled.  

She sighed.  "Well, how was the concert then?"

The twitch in his face was almost audible.  Ritsuko jumped in surprise.  

"Mmm." 

"Did Rei play?"

"Mmm."

She smirked to herself.  Rei.  Should have known it was something about 
Rei.  God knew he'd never get this dishevelled for anyone else.  

"She played Air." Gendo finally offered.  "It was very good."

The way he said it seemed forced.  Ritsuko's curiosity got the better 
of her.  "Then what happened?"

"I am not sure." he said finally, standing before the cryptic comment 
could be questioned.  

Ritsuko sighed and followed him out.  "How about Shinji and Asuka?"

"They played well." Gendo said after a moment, letting the door close 
behind them.  

She sighed, knowing the conversation was about to revert back to 
'mmm's.  "Well, that's good."

"Mmm." Gendo agreed.  

They rode the elevator in silence for a moment.  "Will the plug be done 
in time?" she asked. 

"Of course." he nodded.  "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just wondering if we should bother to notify the Forth Children." 
Ritsuko said. 

Gendo smiled slightly.  "I suppose it couldn't hurt to have a...spare."









Kensuke sat in his desk, idly watching the class for interest to spark, 
but not really expecting it to.  Toji wasn't in class yet...visiting 
his sister at the hospital overnight again.  He probably wouldn't show 
up till second period.  Sensei hadn't arrived yet, nor had Shinji and 
Asuka.  Rei sat in her corner, typing on her laptop, but otherwise 
keeping with her morning quietness.  

Hikari walked up to him as she often did when his fellow Stooge wasn't 
around.  "Mister Aida." she announced crisply.  "Do you know where 
Suzuhara is?" she glanced at the clock.  "He's usually here with you 
around this time."

"Probably visiting his sister." Kensuke yawned, then smiled.  "Why do 
you ask?"

She faltered for a moment, trying to come up with something.  Finally, 
the good ole standby...  "I'm the Class Rep!  I'm supposed to ask!"

"Really?" Kensuke shrugged.  "Well, as the Class Rep, I would thing 
you'd be more concerned that the morning bell is about to ring and 
Sensei hasn't showed up yet."

She gasped, just as the bell rang and the rest of the students filtered 
into the class.  Asuka and Shinji showed up finally, while she was 
discussing the merits of him always making lunch for her.  

"Has anyone seen Sensei?" Hikari asked, running up to the two Pilots.  
"Normally he's here by now!"

Asuka flipped her hair away from her eyes.  "I'm sure he's just got a 
late bus or something." she beamed.  "Relax!"

"Remember last time?" Shinji nodded. "I'm sure he'll show up."

Kensuke was promptly taping the rare incident of them agreeing on 
something for his "Wedding archives".  

Hikari wasn't satisfied and huffed to the front of the class so she 
could adequately yell at everyone for not behaving like stone statues 
while the Sensei wasn't around.

As Shinji and Asuka sat down in their seats and got comfortable, he 
frowned.  "I hope he didn't oversleep like last time."

Asuka grinned.  "You KNOW where I was last night, so don't blame me."

The young Mr. Ikari promptly turned red and smiled sheepishly. 

"Hey, Shinji!" Kensuke leaned over, scaring his friend almost out of 
his seat.  "Did you hear?"

"Hear what???" Shinji blinked, regaining his balance.

Kensuke looked around for the spies that always seemed to plague him.  
"I hear that we're getting a new Evangelion tomorrow."

Both Children's jaws dropped.  "Why do we need another one when they 
have me and my Unit-02?" Asuka said.

The boys shook their heads silently.  Shinji, testing out his 
diplomatic talents, cleared his throat.  "Maybe they're just preparing 
in case two or three angels attack at the same time, Asuka-chan."

That seemed to lighten her grumbling somewhat.  "Mm, I suppose, after 
all, I can only handle three or four myself...you never know..."

"And they can always use it for spare parts." Shinji offered wisely.

"Of course!" Asuka smiled.  "After all, you never know when your Test 
Type or Rei's little bundle of bolts might drop an arm or a leg." 

If anyone was watching Rei, they would have seen a sweat drop form on 
her forehead...briefly. 

Shinji sighed.  "...I suppose..."

"Besides, it's not like they have a pilot for it yet." Asuka said, then 
looked over to Kensuke.  "Do they?"

"I don't think so." he said, looking at a print-out from his computer.  
"I can only access a few of NERV's records, but it doesn't even look 
like they have any spare access-cards made yet.  They could do it at 
the last minute, but that's doubtful."

"Mmm.  I haven't heard anything about it." Shinji shrugged.  "Misato 
would tell us, right??"

"I don't know." Asuka said, switching into 'pilot' mode.  "I'm not sure 
if our security clearances are high enough.  Maybe even Misato won't 
know ahead of time.  We might not meet him or her till they are in the 
change rooms putting on a plug-suit."

"Of course, there is a chance that nobody suitable has been found yet." 
Kensuke said...then began to smile, looking up at them.

Both Children blinked.

"Would you two be able to put in a good word for me?" Kensuke grabbed 
both their hands and bowed his head.  "PLEASE!  At least get me a 
chance to prove myself!  Just once!  Even if I can't sync or something, 
at least then I'll KNOW!!!"

"Eww!  Stooge-cooties!" Asuka ripped her hand free.

"I...I really don't think it's up to us." Shinji said.  

Kensuke looked up at them with what would be an amazingly accurate 
'puppy dog look' if it hadn't been for his glasses squished crooked on 
his nose.  "Pleaaaaaaaaase?"

Shinji turned to Asuka.  "I guess it couldn't hurt, Asuka..."

She sighed and looked down at the grovelling boy.  "Well, as long as it 
isn't Toji." she conceded.  "Sure.  We'll ask Misato if she can get you 
in."

Kensuke almost burst into song he looked so happy.  "Arigato!" he bowed 
quickly.  "Both of you!  Did I ever tell you I love you guys?"

"No." Asuka grimaced.  "And don't start."

Kensuke nodded happily.

"And if you peep at me when we're in the changing rooms, I swear I'm 
jamming my Prog Knife into your Eva's crotch."

Both boys cringed promptly.







Not too far away, Toji Suzuhara walked towards class.  His face was a 
mix of determination and anger, as was customary for his day after 
visiting his sister.  Though his anger had shifted away from Shinji and 
Unit 01, it still existed every time he saw his sister injured like 
that.  

It had shifted towards NERV.  Enforced also after he saw and heard how 
Shinji suffered at their hands.  How he had come close to losing his 
friend many times...and yet it was considered okay because he had saved 
the rest of them.  That kind of responsibility was something he 
wouldn't wish upon his worst enemies, let alone Shinji Ikari...or even 
Asuka.  

Fate, it would seem, not only had a sense of irony...but a rather sharp 
whit.  

He regarded the tall blonde woman with mild interest as she came into 
the hallway from the principal's office just ahead of him.  She wasn't 
particularly young, but did have an air of attractiveness around her.  
If it wasn't for her lab-coat, Toji assumed he might have a nice view 
of her butt.

Toji cleared his throat, wondering what she looked like.  "Hey, lady." 
he announced, catching her attention. 

Dr Akagi turned and blinked at the young man.  "Yes?"

"You looking for any room in particular?" he said, a little 
disappointed now that he saw her hair to be bleached.  "You looking for 
anyone?"

She smiled.  It was then he noticed a small picture of...himself...in 
her hands.  "Actually, I was just coming to see you." she offered her 
hand over back along the hall towards the principal's office. 

Toji blinked.  "Listen, I didn't do anything to that cat.  It was like 
that when I found it!"

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow.  "Uhm." she shook her head.  "Actually, I'm 
here to talk to you about something a bit more important."

Toji immediately wished he stayed at home in bed today as he noticed 
her little NERV ID tag.  "Oh..."

"If you'll just come this way, Mister Suzuhara." she lead.

He nodded and sighed, following her.  "It's your dime, lady."








With the threat of Hikari The Butcher hanging over their heads, the 
class actually behaved quite well while Sensei Miyazaki was gone.  
Still, when he finally poked his head in through the door, Hikari shot 
him a look that could have killed a lesser man.  

"Hey class." he smiled brightly, bowing to Hikari in thanks.  "I see 
the good Miss Horaki has kept you all in line while my car decided to 
die?" he chuckled.

"Does the Principal know of your tardiness, sir?" Hikari grumbled.  

"Actually, no, the office staff seemed very busy today.  But I promise 
I'll tell them of my absence so they dock me some pay." he reached into 
his briefcase and pulled forth a small grocery bag.  "And I brought you 
all food as a peace offering."

The class immediately crowded around his desk, drooling as the smell of 
fresh baked cookies filled the air.  Shinji gasped as he recognized the 
smell.  "I LOVE these!" he surprised Asuka by almost leaping over three 
other students in order to get a handful.  

"Now, now.  Everyone behave." Sensei laughed as Asuka took Kensuke's 
share...curiously without complaint on his part...  "There's lots more.  
Today, we're going to have to do some REAL school work, so I thought 
I'd make it up to you by buying lunch."

Asuka gave him a thumbs up.  "Well, it's better than what Baka here 
makes.  You're forgiven."

The class settled back into their desks, still munching on their 
cookies as Kaoru began to pass out work sheets.  "Just a review of the 
math chapters.  I got word that your regular Sensei got ill just before 
you could complete the test, so this will have to do."

Everyone sighed, but didn't complain much, considering the day.  

Hikari sighed as she looked around, still not seeing Toji.  "I hope 
he's okay." she whispered to herself, no longer busy with the task of 
controlling the class.  




Shinji finished most of his work sheet when Asuka messaged him.  

"Hey, baka...what does that little squiggle that looks like a railroad 
track mean again?"

He looked down at his computer and sighed.  "It's a not-equal-to sign." 
he typed back with a smile.  "I thought you said you were studying your 
kanji?"

"Oh, well, that explains it.  It's not even kanji." she replied with a 
little smiley-face next to the words.

Shinji smiled and was about to turn back to his work, when a stray 
thought hit him. 

"Didn't Rei say that Sensei didn't have a car?"

Asuka frowned from her desk, then shrugged.  "Yeah, so?" she typed 
back.

"Then why did he say his car broke down?" Shinji looked up from his 
computer to Kaoru, who was busy marking a few papers. 

Asuka sighed.  "Maybe he's just making up an excuse for sleeping in.  
That's what I always do."

"Mm, okay."

The door opening and closing interrupted further speculation.

The class looked up to see Toji walk over to Kaoru's desk, handing him 
a note, and the walking over to his seat.  "Sorry, teach.  Did I miss 
much?"

"Not really." Kaoru nodded.  "Actually, you're just in time." he turned 
to the class.  "Everyone, I'm just goinna take these last few minutes 
before lunch to dive back into discussion with you all."

Everyone happily put down their pencils and pens.  

"Does anyone remember World War Two?" Kaoru said, standing up and 
circling his desk to sit against it as was his custom. 

"Do I!" Kensuke raised his hands happily.

Everyone groaned.  "Okay, more specifically, what HAPPENED during World 
War Two?" Kaoru chuckled.

Rei nodded and raised her hand.  "Europe was at war, with Nazi Germany 
being the leading aggressor.  North America was pulled into the war 
with Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbour, eventually leading to the 
nuclear drops."

"Very good." Kaoru nodded, then turned to Asuka.  "How about you, 
Asuka?  What happened over more on the German front?  We all know about 
the Japanese side, but it would be good to get your point of view."

Asuka shrugged.  "Well, Hitler got everyone all nuts and the Nazis 
killed Jews until the war was over.  It was a very embarrassing and 
retarded time for my lovely country." she sighed.

"I'm sure we'd feel the same way." Kaoru nodded.  "After all, Hitler 
and his group of generals were responsible for many war crimes.  Things 
that we consider to be in the dark ages, even though they were less 
than 100 years ago."

The class nodded solemnly. 

"Now, here's an interesting question I want you all to ponder over as 
you eat your lunch." he walked over to the front of the room and rocked 
back on his heels.  "What if you could kill Hitler?"

Kensuke shrugged.  "Like a time machine?  Go back and kill him?"

"Exactly.  What if you could go back and get rid of Hitler before he 
could cause all that bad stuff to happen.  Millions of deaths and 
horrible things that most children your age can't even imagine used to 
exist." Kaoru said.  "Do you think it would be worth it?"

"What do you mean?" Hikari said quickly.  "That's no question!  I'd say 
do it!"

Kensuke shook his head.  "But what about all the stuff that happened 
because of Hitler?" he said, raising his hand to count off points on 
his fingers.  "We might not have nuclear power, or jet engines, or even 
computers and Evangelions if it wasn't for WWII."

Shinji raised his hand timidly.  "And you never know...what if someone 
else took Hitler's place?"

Toji nodded as the class murmured the ideas.  "Yeah, and who needs 
Hitler when you have Asuka??"

"WHAT WAS THAT?!?!!?!?!" Asuka stood and lifted her chair up over her 
head before the neighbouring students could hold her back.

Kaoru laughed and motioned for everyone to calm down.  "Relax people, 
it's just a discussion.  We don't need a recreation of the Second 
Impact in my class."

"Grrr." Asuka grred at Toji who just smiled at her. 

"What do you think, Shinji?" Kaoru asked.

Shinji looked around nervously.  "Um, well, I dunno...I mean, Evas and 
stuff are pretty important...but a LOT of people died in that war...and 
that wasn't even part of the fighting..."

"How about you, Kensuke?" 

"Oh, I agree.  Who needs Hitler when you have Asuka!?!" he smiled 
happily, before being glared into the ground by the Red Devil herself.  

The lunch bell rang, interrupting the growling and cowering.  Kaoru 
chuckled.  "Well, anyway, I want you all to write a paper, due 
tomorrow, about your thoughts on the subject.  It can be as long as you 
want it to be, or as short as one paragraph.  I don't mind.  The best 
will get more of these cookies."

Everyone nodded, and with Hikari's instruction, stood and bowed before 
leaving.  On the way out, however:

"Mister Suzuhara." Kaoru said after a moment.  "Can I see you for a 
moment?"

Asuka promptly made a face at Toji and laughed.  "Ooh, detention!"

Shinji and Kensuke shook their heads and followed her out of the room 
as Toji stayed seated. 

After everyone was gone, Toji looked up to the Sensei.  "You know, 
don't you?"

Kaoru nodded.  "You are to be the Forth Children." he sighed, then 
smiled.  "Ever wonder why they call it 'Children'?  Maybe NERV has bad 
English instructors."

Toji smiled slightly.  "I guess."

"I can see the look in your eyes you'd rather not be." Kaoru said, 
sitting down in the seat next to his student. 

"Mmm...I still have to decide if I like it or not.  All I know is I 
have to." Toji shrugged.  

Kaoru nodded and leaned back in his seat.  A pause passed between the 
two.  

"Would you do it?"

Toji looked over to him.  "Nani?"

"Kill Hitler." Kaoru said.  "Go back and shoot the fucker in the head."

Toji sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.  "Well...Kensuke's 
right...a lot of things happened because of that.  But I suppose that 
could have been any point in history you were trying to change.  It all 
becomes big later on." he looked up and clenched his fist with a smile.  
"I'd kill the fucker."

Kaoru smiled.  "Why?"

"Mm...well, I guess, it's like you said.  Someone would have probably 
replaced him...but at least then there would be less of a chance of 
that holocaust happening...and maybe the war wouldn't have been so 
bad." he shook his head.  "And even the Evas aren't worth all the 
people who died because of Hitler."

Kaoru nodded to himself.

"Well?"

"Pardon?" Kaoru blinked.

"Did I answer right?" Toji smiled.

Kaoru shrugged.  "Let's hope so." he smiled.  "Go on.  Have a good 
lunch."

Toji stood, nodded, and walked out of the class, leaving the Sensei to 
his thoughts. 

"Let's hope so." he sighed to himself, then walked over to his desk to 
retrieve an extra cookie to munch on.  










Twenty-Second Lesson: "Compassion and Pressure"






Misato grinned as she snuck up behind Ritsuko, holding one of her 
larger stuffed cats in her hand.  

Ritsuko did nothing, completely focused on her computer screen.

Just barely resisting the urge to say 'heh heh heh' out loud, she 
raised the little black kitty to shoulder-level, about to make it 
'pounce' onto her friend's shoulder. 

"Do that, and you'll wish you disappeared with the Second Branch too." 
Ritsuko said suddenly.

Misato pouted, tossing the cat onto the desk.  "Mmph.  You're no fun!" 
she smiled and leaned over Ritsuko's shoulder.  "Whatcha working on?"

The blonde sighed and turned to the Major.  "Why are you so happy?  
Normally you just come in here and drink coffee, standing over my back 
and hoping to catch some secret that flashes up on my screen."

Misato gasped.  "I do NOT!"

Ritsuko smiled.  "I must congratulate Maya on her excellent coffee 
then, since you hang around so much." she raised an eyebrow.  "So?"

"So what?"

"Why are you so happy?"

Misato got a grin on her face.  It began to spread, too.

"Ahh, a date." Ritsuko deduced.  "I didn't know Kaji was back in town?"

Misato's grin got bigger and she started whistling.

"Someone else???" Ritsuko blinked, then suddenly got caught up in the 
Major's mood.  "Who is it?  Is he hot??" she grinned back.

"He's really nice." Misato nodded lecherously.  "REALLY nice.  We met 
at the bar by accident.  Turns out that he's a teacher at the school 
the Children go to." she smiled and raised her hand to make a point.  
"He's got brains and looks.  That always means the most imaginative 
lovers."

Ritsuko blinked, then chuckled.  "I never knew you went for the older 
type..." she went back to her computer typing.

"Older?" Misato blinked.  "Actually, I think he might have a year on 
me, youth wise.  I didn't bother asking." she grinned again.  "So long 
as he knows what to do with his tool, I don't care."

Ritsuko sighed.  "I just KNOW this is another misunderstanding like the 
children's concert practice...so I'll ask now.  Is this guy balding?" 
she turned to Misato.  "Because all of their teachers are over forty 
nine years old.  I know their home room teacher doesn't even have a 
straight back, let alone a useful tool." she chuckled.  

Misato shook her head, leaning on her friend's desk.  "Oooh no.  Must 
be a new teacher or something, because damn...I'm wondering why I don't 
go back go get an 'education' because of him."

"A new teacher?" she blinked.  "Mm.  Must not have noticed the report." 
she sighed, turning back to the screen.

"And so why are you so moody?" Misato said finally.  "Normally you at 
least PRETEND to let me sneak up on you...damn reflective glasses..."

"The Unit-03 test." Ritsuko sighed.  We'll be using the Forth Children.  
Not much time to get things done.  It starts tomorrow.  Not to mention 
we have to move some of the equipment to the alternate test site at..."

"Forth?" Misato blinked.  "You found the Forth?"

"Mm mm." Ritsuko nodded, pointing to the screen.

"HIM????" Misato gasped as she saw Toji's face looking back at her from 
his ID screen.  

Ritsuko nodded.  "There's no choice.  You know that.  The reports never 
lie."

"...but I haven't even received the report!" 

She cursed herself for letting her mouth get too far ahead.  "It's tied 
up in the Commander's office at the moment.  You'll probably get it in 
a day or two."

Misato sighed.  "Well...I'll tell you right now, I'm not looking 
forward to this."

"Why not?" Ritsuko asked.

"Well...Asuka?" she smiled slightly.  "She won't care...she'll be mad 
at first, but probably love the chance to prove herself better.  Rei 
doesn't seem to worry about much..." she sighed.  "But...Toji is one of 
Shinji's friends..." she shook her head.  "I don't want Shinji to 
suffer anymore.  What if something bad happens...?"

"It doesn't matter." Ritsuko stated simply.  "We need them to pilot.  
This isn't a game.  It's everyone's survival.  If they don't, they die 
along with us."

Misato regarded her friend coldly.  "Makes it easier to take when they 
get splattered by an A.T. Field, doesn't it."

Ritsuko nodded silently, taking a sip of coffee.  "You might want to 
try it sometimes.  It's called 'reality'."

The Major sighed and stood, turning to leave.  "Really?  I thought it 
was 'humanity' we were trying to save."

"Have fun on your date, Major.  Don't be late for the arrival this 
evening." Ritsuko sighed, hearing the door close a moment later.  









"Suzuhara?" Hikari said sternly as the lunch bell rang out and the 
class broke into the usual gossip, eating, and relaxing.  

Toji looked up from his thoughts to see the class Rep standing next to 
him.  "Hey, Hikari-san."

She shifted nervously in her stance.  "Uhm..." her mind wandered 
around, trying to think of something to say?  Finally, she smiled and 
got an idea.  "Have you noticed Shinji acting any different lately?"

"Has he?" Toji blinked, looking over at Shinji...who was actually 
TALKING with Asuka over their bento-boxes.  I.E., not yelling.  "Yeah, 
I suppose he is a little different lately." 

"I've noticed the same thing with Asuka." Hikari smiled.  "Do you think 
they could be in love?"

Toji just shrugged.  "I doubt it...but I suppose people sometimes get 
into strange situations."

Hikari nodded and sat down in an empty seat next to him.  "I...oh my!  
I hope I'm not keeping you from lunch..." she blushed terribly as she 
realized he might be politely trying to cut the conversation off so he 
could eat. 

Toji just smiled.  "Naw.  It's okay.  I forgot my lunch today, and I 
don't really want to waste any money on the so-called-food that the 
vending machines give out."

She smiled, but shook her head.  "You should eat something, though.  
It's not healthy to go all day without food." she turned slightly red 
but didn't hold back.  "If you don't mind sharing, I brought kind of a 
bit too much lunch for just me today..." she picked up her pack from 
the floor and opened it up, revealing a rather large bento box.

Toji blinked and sat up straight.  "Really?" he smiled.  "You wouldn't 
mind??" he subconsciously began to drool.  The food smelled REALLY good 
to the hungry future pilot, since he had pretty much forgotten to eat 
since he was 'drafted'. 

Hikari smiled and began setting out the food.

Shinji and Asuka watched the exchange with surprise.  "God that woman 
is nuts." she sighed.

"Oh?  They're just having lunch." Shinji shrugged, picking up a roll 
with his chopsticks and eating it happily.  

"Baka!" she smacked him on the head with her chopsticks.  "What do you 
think we're doing?"

He blinked, then turned red.  "Uhm...we're having lunch..."

"Exactly.  To all you stooges, it looks harmless." she glared around 
the room.  "But if everyone didn't think we were just roommates, the 
women here would know we were...well...together!"

Shinji considered the theory.  "But...I mean...I never really 
noticed..."

"That's cause you're a stooge." she smiled.  "My sweet little baka 
stooge, but still, you're a boy."

"T...thanks, I guess." Shinji smiled.

Asuka nodded, then turned to Natsume, one of their classmates who was 
chatting with another of her girlfriends.  "Hey, Natsume-chan, did you 
see Hikari?"

Natsume turned to Asuka and chuckled.  "No doubt.  She's almost all 
over Suzuhara!  I had to turn away to be able to eat.  It's too damn 
sweet." she giggled.  

Shinji blinked as Asuka turned back to him and smiled.  "Now watch 
this..." she turned to Kensuke, who was busy typing on his computer.  
"Hey, Stooge!"

Kensuke sighed and looked up from his terminal.  "Yeah?  You wanted 
something, Red Devil?"

Asuka's facial twitch betrayed she wanted to kill him for the comment, 
but she restrained herself for the moment.  "Yeah.  I was wondering 
what Toji is doing.  Any ideas?"

Kensuke blinked and observed his friend.  "He's having lunch.  So?"

"With Hikari." Asuka pointed out.

"So?" Kensuke shrugged.  "Is that not allowed or something?"

Asuka turned back to Shinji who had observed the whole thing.  "See 
what I mean?"

"Wow...!  I never even noticed!" Shinji nodded, looking at Hikari and 
Toji, who were still eating together.  "But...the more I think about 
it, you're right!"

"Good boy." Asuka smiled.  "You're learning already." she pointed out 
with her fingers.  "See, that's like Sensei was talking about.  
Everyone sees things different...even plain and obvious things.  Girls 
are naturally intuitive when it comes to this kind of thing, while boys 
are idiots about pretty much anything." she grinned.

Wisely, Shinji decided to keep his mouth busy with food, instead of 
defending the Male Species.

"So, anyway." Asuka said  "We should do something about this."

"Why do we need to do anything?" Shinji blinked.

"Well, Hikari, for whatever reason, likes Toji." Asuka sighed tiredly.  
"And although I think she's being a little hasty with falling for such 
a hentai, I think we should at least get Toji to realize it."

"So, even if he doesn't want to go out with her," Shinji reasoned "then 
he'll know not to hurt her feelings and break her heart?"

"Exactly." Asuka smiled proudly.  "I'd rather have my friend not get 
hurt.  That's more important than even her going out with Toji, so I 
suppose it's worth the effort."

Shinji smiled.  "That's very noble of you, Asuka-chan."

"Yeah, yeah." she smiled uncomfortably.  "You can nominate me for a 
peace-prize later.  Any ideas?"

"Why don't we just say to Toji that she likes him?" Shinji shrugged.  
"I can invite him over tonight and we can all talk or something."

"That might work." Asuka nodded.  "But we need a more direct way to 
tell him.  Maybe even so he'll..."

A shadow crossed their desks.  They looked up in surprise to see Rei 
standing there.   "Ayanami!" Shinji smiled.  "How are you?"

Rei nodded.  "Ikari-kun.  Sohryu-chan." she paused for a moment.

"What do you want, Wondergirl." Asuka sighed.  "We're eating."

"I believe I can help." Rei smiled slightly. 

Asuka stared blankly.  "P...pardon?"

Rei nodded.  "I believe I can help you protect your friend Hikari from 
Toji's ignorance of her feelings."

Shinji smiled.  "Wow, Ayanami!  That's really nice of you!" he blinked.  
"Uhm...how?"

"Do I have your permission to try?" she said to Asuka.

Asuka really wasn't too used to this much Rei interaction, and had to 
take a few moments to come up with a response.  "Uhm...why are you 
asking me?"

"Because she is your friend." Rei replied simply.  "I wish to use my 
observations of the class to help out if I can."

Asuka blinked, then shrugged.  "Sure.  I don't see why not.  I mean, 
it's not like you're goinna start spinning your head around or 
something...are you?"

"I am not able to spin my head around in such a manor." Rei replied.

Shinji smiled back at Rei, who joined in. 

"God help us...Rei making jokes." Asuka sighed then shrugged.  "Sure.  
Knock yourself out."

Rei chose not to make another joke about self-inflicted 
unconsciousness, and nodded simply, walking over to Hikari and Toji.

"I wonder what she's going to do?" Shinji wondered aloud.

Toji was about to stuff another rice-cake into his mouth when he 
noticed Rei walking up to them.  Hikari smiled a greeting.  "Hello, 
Ayanami-san."

Rei ignored Hikari and turned to Toji.  "Hello, Suzuhara."

Toji blinked, looking up at her.  "Uhm...Hi?"

"I would like to announce I am no longer interested in you." she stated 
in a plain voice. 

A gasp or two came from around them in surprise.  Toji blinked, 
dropping his rice-cake.  "Huh?"

"It is clear to me that Hikari-san has romantic intentions toward you, 
and I do not wish to get in the way." Rei announced officially.

Hikari promptly fell over in her seat, but not before turning tomato-
red.  "Ahhhh!"

"I wish you two the best of luck." Rei said, extending her hand for him 
to shake.

Toji was frozen.

She took back her hand and bowed slightly instead.  "I apologize for 
interrupting your lunch.  Ja." she turned and walked back over to her 
seat.  

Toji was still frozen as Hikari finally managed to crawl back into her 
seat, gasping in embarrassment.  Shinji and Asuka both blinked in 
unison.  "Well...that's one way to do it..." Shinji whispered. 

"Wondergirl isn't one to mess with." Asuka restated an old thought.  
"She's very direct."

The entire class was looking at Toji and Hikari at this point.  Both of 
them were VERY nervously trying to look like they were eating.  Toji 
was turning a shade of red that seemed to match Hikari's blush.  Shinji 
smiled.  "I think he realizes it."

Asuka smiled.  "See?  I was right.  Even Wondergirl saw it.  She's a 
woman after all."

Rei just smiled from her seat.  "Excellent..." she folded her fingers 
together in front of her mouth and gazed out the window.  

At that moment, the principal came into the class with a bright smile 
on his face.  "Good afternoon class."

Everyone snapped to attention, except Toji and Hikari, who were 
desperately trying to remain focused on their food.

"I just wanted to let you all know that your sensei called in sick for 
this afternoon." Yamamoto said with a sigh.  "Anyone who wants use of 
the study hall may use this afternoon's time there...but besides that, 
you're all free to go home for the day."

The class cheered.  

As the principal continued rattling on more information and what tests 
were coming up, Toji turned to Hikari. 

"Uhm...Class Rep?"

"H...hai...?" Hikari grimaced to herself.  

"Can..." Toji frowned, thinking about the words.  "Would you like to 
hang out with us this afternoon?"

Hikari looked up from her bento box and blinked.  "H...hang out with 
you and the others?"

He nodded, turning even redder.  "I...I mean, I know you don't 
normally...but I thought if..."

She nodded quickly.  "Okay!"

Toji smiled nervously.  "Okay."






Asuka shook her head.  "Now it's our turn to make sure they don't do 
anything stupid." she sighed.

Shinji blinked.  "Like what?"

"Like Toji to show what a stooge he is." she grimaced.  "This will be 
quite a challenge."

Wisely, Shinji decided not to refute that statement.  "Hai."








Twenty-Third Lesson: "Learning Nothing"






Asuka stood proudly.  One hand was on her waist, while the other held a 
clipboard full of German text.  This was an important moment, and if 
everything was to go well, she would have to read the list perfectly.

"Are you ready, my kawaii baka-Shinji?" she smiled down at him from her 
vantage point on the couch.

Shinji's knees became weak at her calling his name with such affection. 
(for Asuka, anyway)  But he bowed crisply and thudded the end of his 
mop on the ground like a sceptre.  "Hai!"

She nodded, looking at the list.  "FOOD!"

Shinji gasped, running over to the kitchen table and checking what was 
there.  Potato chips a plenty, three kinds of Poky (tm) in quantities 
enough to make a forest green with envy (as well as chlorophyll), a 
veritable STATUE of beverage-container of every liquid refreshment 
known to science, and a large tray of cracker-meat-and-cheese snacks 
that they had hand-made for the occasion. 

He counted all the items and turned back to Asuka with a nod.  "Check!"

Asuka continued.  "ENTERTAINMENT!"

Shinji gasped and sprinted over to the living room.  Asuka had dug out 
her stereo system, magazines and manga, putting most on the little 
coffee-table.  Shinji had added his impressive music collection to her 
own, and set up the Sega system on the T.V..  He even checked it's 
connections before reporting "Check!"

"BATHROOM!!"

It wasn't a dumb thing to check on, considering the amount of 
preparation that usually went into just getting the apartment THIS 
nice.  (i.e., no garbage laying around)  Shinji hustled over to the 
bathroom with his mop.  Asuka waited with a official looking frown as 
she heard the toilet flush once.  Then, he scampered back out.  
"Check!"

"And now..." Asuka nodded with a sigh.  "Don't be shy..." she pointed 
at him.  "BODY ODOR!"

Shinji sighed and raised his arms to do a quick 'pit check'.  "Check."

She did the same and smiled.  "Perfect!  We're all done.  Anything else 
we need, Shinji-kun?"

He shook his head.  "Nope!  That seems to be about..." 

They both gasped as the door opened.  "ROOM-MATES!!!"

Pen-Pen squawked angrily.  Little did they know he helped fix the 
toilet!  Ungrateful humans...

Misato, on the other hand, entered the living room.  "Tada..." she 
blinked, looking around at the children.  "Uh...what's going on?"

Both blinked, looking at the food, music, and mop (that Shinji quickly 
hid behind himself)  

"Nothing, Misato-san!" they echoed in a spooky 'sync-training' 
flashback.

She blinked, looking at all the evidence, but then regarded Shinji's 
innocent little look on his face.  

It was a bit TOOOOOOO innocent...

And Asuka was known to 'convince' Shinji into doing things sometimes...

"Are..." she frowned.  "Are you two planning a party?"

They shook their heads quickly.  Shinji promptly folded under Misato's 
glare.  "We're just having Hikari, Toji and Kensuke over for..." he 
fell over as Asuka whapped him on the back of the head.  

Misato looked around.  "Great...now I'm going to have to find a 
babysitter." she sighed, crossing her arms.

"BABY-sitter?!?!?" Asuka all but yelled.  "WHO do you think you are 
TALKING to!?!?  We're..."

"Still kids, as far as I'm concerned." Misato frowned, glaring down the 
younger female of the house.  "And this is MY apartment, I might add."

Both children sighed.  Shinji tried to atone for his slip-up.  
"But...Misato-chan.  We've had friends over before...it's not like it's 
a big party."

Asuka nodded eagerly.  "That's the truth, Misato!  We were just goinna 
eat junk food and play video games and music!"

She sighed and walked past them.  "I'm sorry, but I'll be out tonight.  
I'm going to see if Kaji can come over and look after you guys."

"Kaji!?!" Asuka beamed, then caught herself quickly as she sensed the 
air around Shinji get colder.  "Uhm..."

Misato picked up the phone and started dialling.  

Asuka smiled sheepishly at Shinji.  "Gomen...habit."

Shinji sighed and nodded.  "Hai.  I understand."

Determined to make Shinji relax about it, she leaned over and kissed 
him on the corner of the mouth while Misato wasn't looking.  "I 
promise...just habit."

He nodded, blushing terribly, but not very convincingly.  "Hai."

Asuka was about to get more offensive when Misato came back into the 
room.  "What time is it?" she gasped, looking for the clock.  

"Six-Twenty." Asuka pointed to the stove-top clock. 
 
"AHH!" Misato gasped, ripping off her work clothes as she ran into her 
room.  "I'm goinna be LAAAAAAAAAATE!"

"Where are you going?" Asuka blinked, realizing that if Kaji was coming 
over...

"I gotta date." Misato smiled, poking her head out from around the 
corner.

Both children produced large sweat drops on their respective foreheads.  

"Anyway, Shinji, we're running low on milk...and if your friends are 
coming over, make sure Kaji has enough to eat.  He said he'd be over in 
a bit.  You might want to meet him downstairs." Misato said between 
moments of clothing-muffled speech.  "Asuka, behave.  He said he's been 
really busy, but he owed me a favour.  He might need to get some work 
done here.  I'll might have to run off early in the morning, so I don't 
have much time to shop.  Kaji will make sure you guys are alright for 
the next few days."

"Just what kind of 'favour' was that?" Asuka smirked as Shinji was 
getting on his shoes.  

He was just about to open the door when the bell rang.  Outside stood 
Toji, Kensuke and Hikari, who was nervously tagging along behind them.  
"Konbanwa, Shinji!" Kensuke greeted happily.

"Forgive the intrusion, Ikari-kun." Hikari blushed.  "I hope we're 
not..."

"Oh!  Not at all!" Shinji smiled, remembering the evening's plans.  "I 
just have to go get some things from the store.  Uhm...please, come in!  
Asuka's here, and Misato's just getting changed."

Toji and his friend's jaws opened in glee.  Kensuke immediately whipped 
out his camera.  "Misato-san!"

In a movement that would be praised by Asuka later on, Shinji almost 
leapt over to Toji and tossed him inside before he too could drool in 
the thought of Misato changing.  Hikari just blinked as Shinji smiled 
innocently.  "Ah, gomen...I thought I saw a bee."

Toji picked himself up from the floor.  "A bee?  I didn't hear any..."

Asuka bounced over to the group.  "Everyone!  Come on in!  Make 
yourselves at home!" she smiled over at Shinji.  "And don't forget the 
milk, Third Child."

"Hai." he smiled, walking out of the door.

"That was close." Asuka mumbled to herself, then turned to her guests.  
"So..." she sighed, wishing they didn't show up so early.  "Anyone for 
some food?"






Shinji was just bringing his groceries up to the counter to pay for 
when he saw Kaji walk by.  He quickly waved, catching the older man's 
attention.  He smiled as he entered the store.  "Hey, Shinji-san.  
Misato making you do all the shopping again?"

He smiled and nodded.  "Actually, Asuka-chan and I have to insist, or 
she'd only buy instant ramen."

Kaji noticed some of the items in Shinji's basket, including a lot of 
party snacks.  "A party?"

"Well...not really." Shinji said.  "We just wanted to...Uhm...well, you 
see, Hikari and Toji like each other, and..."

"You wanted to get them together." Kaji chuckled.  "Cute.  I must 
admit, I never thought you'd be playing matchmaker, Shinji." he looked 
around.  "So I'm going to be the 'responsible role-model' for your 
gathering, am I?  Misato's working late?"

"Actually, I think..." he turned pink.  "I think she's going on a 
date."

Kaji blinked, not expecting that.  "Mm...well." 

"I hope you're not mad." Shinji apologized as he paid for the food.  

Kaji picked up one of the bags and shook his head.  "You know we 
haven't been going out for a while.  It's okay.  Just sometimes it 
brings back old memories." he shrugged.  "But, that's life." his smile 
returned.  "Anyone tells you differently, and I'd be surprised."

Shinji nodded as they got into the elevator.  "Can I ask you something, 
Kaji-san?"

"Of course."

"Can you tell me about Asuka?" he shuffled his feet.  "I...I mean, 
before she came here?"

Kaji said nothing for a moment, regarding the young man.  "That..." he 
smiled.  "That is a conversation we'll have to have later.  But sure, 
I'll tell you."

Shinji smiled a thanks as they got out and went to the apartment.  

"Tadaima." Shinji announced as they walked in, kicking their shoes off 
as they went.  

Asuka, for her credit, did very well.  "Welcome back.  Konbanwa, Kaji-
san!" she walked over and took Shinji's bag for him.  "Here, I'll help 
you with that..."

Kaji's jaw was almost dropping to the floor.  "Asuka...helping to carry 
groceries?" 

Shinji shrugged and took Kaji's bag to help.  "It's no big deal.  We 
have to do most of the chores here anyway."

"Still..." Kaji nodded.  "The girl's changed..."

Toji, Hikari and Kensuke were already digging into the chips and sodas 
as Kaji walked over and joined them at the table.  "Hey, Kaji-san!" the 
boys bowed.  "Pull up a seat!" 

"Why thank you, kind sirs."  Kaji chuckled, helping himself to some of 
the crackers.  "So, anyone bring any cards?"

"Hey, Kaji-kun." Misato appeared from the hall with a big grin.  "What 
do you think?"

The boys all turned (even Asuka and Shinji couldn't stop Toji in time 
anyway) and gasped as Misato struck a little pose.  She was dressed in 
a flowery-purple sun dress, long, and modestly cut.  On most people, it 
would be very cute.  On Misato's impressive 'endowments', it was 
downright sexy.  Her hair was tied back and wisps of it fell over her 
shoulders, framing her neckline.  

"I..." Kaji blinked, then smiled.  "That's a very nice dress, 
Katsuragi-chan."

The boys all just nodded.  Luckily, Toji didn't say anything 
incriminating, while Kensuke did for him.  "Damn..." he gasped and 
remembered to get a shot of the Major for his camera.  

"Glad you like it." Misato nodded, grabbing her shoes and looking at 
the clock.  "Oy...almost Seven.  You sure you can handle everyone here, 
Kaji?"

Kaji smiled at the children.  "I'm sure they won't be too much 
trouble." Toji, Kensuke and Shinji smiled their official 'stooge' 
smiles.  

"Famous last words." Misato winked.  "Don't wait up, boys and girls!"  
she put on her shoes and was out the door without another word.  

Kaji sighed and stretched out.  "Well, I can't say I don't feel a bit 
envious toward whoever she's wearing that dress for..."

"You and me both." Kensuke sighed.

Hikari and Asuka grumbled.  







"Well, I can't say I envy NERV HQ." the captain sighed as he and his 
three co-pilots walked around the aircraft.  

"You and I both, sir." one of them said.

The customary check of the wings and control surfaces was almost done, 
and the fuel was almost finished being piped into the massive 
Supercarrier Jet.  Two dozen men and women in lab coats were off to the 
side, performing their last, pre-flight checks on the cargo.

Under the massive shadow that the aircraft wing's cast down, the 
irregular glints of metal and white paint on a black background hinted 
at something very dangerous being loaded.

Evangelion Unit 03.  With it's dark colors and grimacing, pug-like 
face, it looked like a baron of hell...ready to swallow them up like 
the Second Branch had been.  Luckily, this unit didn't have an S2 
engine system, and so, the tension around the aircraft was only 'mind-
numbing' and not 'unbearable'.  

"Ugly mother fucker isn't it?" One of the techies mentioned as he 
handed the captain the last scanning report on a personal computer-
palm-top.  

He nodded, signing the report and sighing.  "I'm not going to relax 
until this sucker is in Tokyo, and we're back out over the ocean." he 
turned to his crew, who were all still staring at the beast.  "This 
mission is a no-shit.  Do you remember what that means?"

His chief co-pilot nodded and smiled.  "No shitting around, no causing 
shit, and avoiding shit at all cost, you shit us not." she stated 
crisply.

"Exactly." he nodded.  "Now, I have the words of honor from fifty 
people that this thing is as harmless as a rock without power.  
However, despite the fact that they have no fucking idea what this 
thing might do, we're also going to be on the look out for any external 
trouble.  That means terrorists, missiles, other Evangelions, hell, and 
if an Angel attacks I wouldn't be surprised.  Anyone sees ANYTHING out 
of the ordinary, you tell me immediately."

The crew of Neo Path 400 saluted under their aircraft's shadow, still 
looking up at the monster hung beneath it.  

Unit 03 grimaced back with an unblinking stare. 







Hikari and Asuka sat off to the side, watching Toji and Kensuke battle 
it out with a flight-simulator game on the TV.  The volume was turned 
up and they were shouting and hollering, so it was pretty safe for the 
girls to talk.

"I...I didn't know Ayanami liked Toji..." Hikari said suddenly, just 
loud enough to be heard by Asuka.

Asuka groaned inwardly, wondering how anyone could be fooled by 
Wondergirl, but kept face for her friend's happiness.  "Well, you never 
know...she is pretty quiet.  Nobody pays much attention to her."

"Well...I wonder if I should let them..."

"What?!?!" Asuka groaned.  "No!  She said it was no problem..." she 
leaned into Hikari's shoulder.  "You would be a fool to pass up this 
opportunity!  How many times have you heard of a rival girl actually 
stepping down honourably?  You'd better grab hold quickly before 
someone else rises up to challenge you!"

"I...I guess..." Hikari was completely red.  "Still, that sounds so 
aggressive!  I'm not like that..."

"You should be!" Asuka smiled, wagging a finger in front of her 
friend's nose.  "Boys like that."

Hikari wondered if Asuka knew exactly what all the boys thought of her 
at school...but then realized that, even with their low opinions of the 
redhead, they still yearned for her.  "Well...maybe a little."

"Any boy that can't handle a strong woman is exactly that." she nodded.  
"A boy.  Not a man." she grinned.  "If Toji can't handle you as a 
woman, then you don't need a little boy like him anyway."

Hikari turned completely red.  "Asuka!!"





Shinji and Kaji were in the kitchen, washing up the dishes.  The young 
Ikari was watching the living room again, trying to figure out what the 
two girls were talking about.  Hikari was blushing terribly and Asuka 
was smiling in that way that half frightened him...half excited him.  
It was a dangerous mix...they could be talking about anything!  Maybe 
even him... 

"Shinji...plate." Kaji smirked, watching the boy jump back to 
attention. 

"Hai!" he grabbed the dish and dried it, putting it with the others in 
the cubboard as Kaji reached for another with a soapy cloth.  

"Women..." Kaji smiled.  "No greater mystery exists."

"Nani?" 

"Look at them." Kaji said, peering around the corner with Shinji.  "The 
boys don't even realize the plotting and scheming that's happening 
behind their very backs.  I have always maintained that women make the 
best spies, since they have many natural talents in that area."

Shinji smiled.  "Asuka was pointing that out to me too.  I didn't 
realize it before, but I think I'm beginning to see."

"Asuka's teaching you the ways of the opposite sex?" Kaji laughed.  "I 
pity you." he paused, then shook his head.  "However, if you survive, I 
doubt you will have found a better teacher."

"I think I'll survive for now." Shinji stated proudly.  

"I think you will too."  Kaji smiled, then sighed, turning to the 
dishes.  He finished up washing two glasses.  "Shinji, will you join me 
for a drink?"

Shinji blinked.  "But...I'm a boy."

Kaji chuckled.  "Not like that." he paused to regard the glass as he 
held one up.  "Drinking is the oldest form of male bonding.  For 
countless years, our kind has told stories and tales over glasses of 
ale and liquor.  Sometimes, even a bit of wisdom leaks out from time to 
time."

Shinji smiled brightly.  "Oh, in that case, sure!"

Kaji raised an eyebrow.  "You agreed a little quick.  You've gotten 
drunk before?"

With a dry grin, Shinji nodded. 

"Oh...that's right." Kaji laughed.  "You live with Misato." he walked 
over to the fridge and pulled out four beers, setting them on the 
table.  "Stupid question." 

"Won't Misato mind?" Shinji asked, sitting down across from him.

"We'll re-stock for her." Kaji nodded, and popped the tab on his can.  
Shinji followed suit and they paused.  "What should we toast to?"

Shinji took one last look out into the living room and then smiled.  
"How about to someday figuring out women."

"My my..." Kaji laughed, tapping his can to Shinji's.  "You really have 
done this before."  he bowed his head and took a long sip.  

Shinji followed suit, and managed to get down a large gulp before 
having to come up for air.  "I liked the sake better." he shrugged, but 
then took another sip.

"So what should we talk about?" Kaji asked, already knowing the answer.

Shinji looked up.  "What was Asuka like in Germany?" he beamed.  "I 
wanna know."

Kaji took another drag of ale and smiled.  "Well...I first met her 
when..."









Twenty-Forth Lesson: "Barriers of the Soul"









"So you two are going out?" Kaji said, sucking back another burp as 
they watched the slow sunset.  

"Yup." Shinji said, throwing his empty beer can out over the pavement.  
He was rewarded with a hollow 'thunk!' sound a moment later.  "She's 
nice to me now...but..."

"You still don't understand her?" Kaji nodded. 

"Exactly." Shinji sighed.  "I mean...it's almost like there's two of 
her always fighting...one is mean and pompous and a total...bitch..." 
he giggled.  "But...well, the other half of her is really nice.  I 
think I'm falling in love with her..."

"Whoa there, Shinji." Kaji shook his head.  "Don't be in a hurry.  The 
road to a woman's heart is not one you can just stroll down.  And the 
faster you go, the easier it will be to trip over a beer can..." he 
illustrated by hurtling his off the balcony.

Each popped another. 

"Mm, I guess..." he looked up at his friend.  "Asuka did 'fall' for you 
pretty quick."

Kaji said nothing, looking out over the distance with a slightly stark 
expression.

"Gomen..."

"No, it's okay, Shinji." Kaji shook his head.  "I just feel bad for the 
girl...I could tell her to back off and she'd just try twice as hard.  
In fact I have told her to back off.  I suppose it just proves that 
it's impossible to understand anyone any more than yourself."

"Nani?" Shinji blinked.

Kaji sighed and leaned against the rail.  "Do you know why people have 
so hard of a time trying to figure each other out?"

"No..." the boy admitted.  "Not really."  

"It's impossible to know someone else unless you know yourself." Kaji 
said cryptically.  "That is why.  The world is full of people who are 
longing for another person's touch, yet they don't even know who they 
themselves are."

"Mmm.  Self-discovery, I guess." Shinji nodded.  "It's hard, since you 
don't have a reference point that's unbiased."

Kaji smiled.  "Very good.  You read that somewhere?"

Shinji blushed and smiled.  "No, we've been taking philosophy in 
school."

"Ahhh." Kaji smiled.  "That new Sensei, right?"

"Hai!" Shinji nodded.  "Do you know him?"

"A little.  We used to be friends...way back." Kaji said, taking a chug 
of beer.

"Mmm." Shinji nodded.  "So...how do you get across all that?"

"I'm still trying to find out myself." Kaji chuckled.  "With women 
especially.  Some guys I can read pretty well...and most ladies would 
say I know my way around their heads too..." he shook his head.  "But 
women are a great mystery."

They nodded in silent reflection together, downing another few sips of 
beer.  

"I..." he sighed.  "I just want someone to..." Shinji shook his head.  
"I don't know."

"Make you happy?"  Kaji wondered out loud.  "Or for you to make happy?"

Shinji looked up at him.  "Both, I guess."  he took another sip.  
"But...well...it seems like everyone's just my friend because of 
Eva..."

"Asuka's different, though." Kaji smiled and nodded.  "Isn't she."

"Mmm." Shinji nodded quickly.  "She's a pilot too...so it's not like 
she's just depending on me to pilot.  And she's sometimes nice to 
me...and when she is, I know she's not faking it because she would just 
as easily yell at me."

"She's a very honest young lady." Kaji admitted with a chuckle.  "A bit 
too honest sometimes.  I hope she hasn't tried anything with you 
yet..."

Shinji turned bright red. 

"Ahhh.  So she has." he smiled and turned.  "So, did she succeed?"

"N...no...but..." he swallowed.  "I think we're going to..."

Kaji considered his response carefully.  "Well...just don't get her 
pregnant, okay?  That's the last thing you two need at the moment.  
Wait till all this Eva stuff is settled and done with."

"Mmm." Shinji nodded, then looked back through the window, seeing Asuka 
and the others laughing and chatting away, completely oblivious to the 
two men outside.  "What's it like, Kaji-san?"

"Sex?"  Kaji shrugged.

"Hai."

"Well...it's different for everyone you talk to..." he smiled.  "Just 
like love."

"Oh." Shinji nodded and sighed. 

"But it's usually a lot of fun." he grinned goofily.  "Just remember 
one thing, Shinji..." he leaned closer.  "Don't do it in the water."

Shinji blinked.

"It takes away all the lubrication." Kaji advised.  "Best try it out on 
dry land first."

Shinji's nose began to bleed.  "L...lubrication...?"

"Yup." Kaji nodded.  "Oh, and since you two are both clean...as far as 
I know...you might want to try it out with her on the pill.  It's more 
convenient than a condom, and then you don't have to worry about 
anything breaking or slipping or spilling..."

Shinji fell on his ass.  "uh...okay..."

Kaji laughed and picked him up by the hand.  "Sorry...what I mean to 
say is everything will go fine.  Just don't rush anything."

"Hai." Shinji nodded, dazed. 

"So...you have Asuka...a woman who is in the same boat as you...the 
same class, so to speak." Kaji said.  "And she has you.  You two are 
more alike than you will ever know...and that..." he smiled.  "That 
just might be enough for you to overcome all this unknown that 
separates most everybody."

Shinji smiled brightly.  "You think so, Kaji-san?"

He nodded, then finished off his beer.  "And if not, chances are you'll 
get a few rolls in the sack for your trouble." he grinned as Shinji 
promptly spit up all over the deck in surprise.  

"Kaji!" he coughed, trying to remember to breathe. 

Suddenly, the glass door opened up behind them.  Asuka was standing 
there, hands on her hips.  "And just WHAT are you two doing out here?"

Shinji gasped and promptly threw his can over the edge.  "N...nothing, 
Asuka-chan!"

"He's right." Kaji nodded.  "Just talking.  You know, male-bonding 
stuff."

They both hiccupped.  Asuka eyed them suspiciously.  

"Mm.  Well, get inside.  We're going to watch some Godzilla.  Kensuke 
was..." she cringed "'nice' enough to bring his collection."

They smiled and followed her back in.  "Thanks, Kaji-san."  Shinji 
nodded as he tried to walk straight. 

"No problem, Shinji.  Anytime." 

Asuka suddenly grabbed Shinji and pulled him off to the side.  "You 
guys start.  We're going to bring out some more snacks." she said, 
yanking him by the arm.

"Yup." Shinji agreed wobbly. 

Once they were out of view of the others, Asuka frowned and looked him 
over.  "You smell like beer."

"I do?" Shinji hiccupped.  "Uhm...Well, Kaji and I were just 
talking...and I guess it's a really old tradition to..."

She leaned forward and shut him up with a kiss.  A rather...intense 
kiss.  She was still scowling as she let him go, though.  "And you 
didn't invite me?"

Shinji blinked.  "Uh, gomen!  I will next time!"

She nodded crisply and turned to the fridge to retrieve more snacks.  
"You'd better." she winked, then walked out to the others.  "Now grab 
the dip, baka." 

"Hai!" he wobbled.  








Toji and Hikari walked home together that night.  While the street 
lights provided enough illumination, their conversation was dead 
silent.  

"Nice party." Toji said gruffly. 

"Yes.  We'll have to thank Asuka and Shinji again for letting us come 
over..." Hikari responded quickly.

Toji smiled and nodded.  "I still can't believe they weren't fighting 
the whole time."

"Well, Shinji was out of the room most of the night." Hikari giggled, 
then blushed as Toji joined in.  

They walked in silence for another block or two, knowing they would 
have to split up soon.  "Hikari?" he asked suddenly. 

"Hai?" she beamed.

"I..." he looked down at his feet for a moment.  "I might be absent 
tomorrow...I have some stuff to do..." he looked up at her.  "Would you 
hold onto my print-outs for me?"

She nodded quickly.  "Of course, Toji-kun!" she gasped when she 
realized she said that.  They both blushed terribly.  "Uh...I mean..."

"It's okay..." Toji said quietly as they walked.  "I...I guess I don't 
mind."

She nodded, taking deep breaths to try to remain calm.  "Hai..."

"If..." he shook his head.  "Maybe later this week, though..." he 
stopped in his tracks.  Hikari stood next to him, still facing forward.  
"If you're not doing anything important...would you like to visit my 
sister with me?"

Hikari gasped, then bowed her head.  "I...I would be honoured!" she 
said worriedly.  "But...are you sure you're okay with that?  I mean, 
I'm not part of the family and..."

Toji took a deep breath and smiled.  "No...actually she's looking 
forward to meeting you."

"Pardon?" Hikari blinked.

"Well...I've...kinda..." he coughed.  "Told her about 
you...and...well...that I was..." he grumbled at his own lack of 
poetry.  "Well...that I like you..."

Hikari's heart went into overdrive and her face lit up.  "I...of course 
I'll come!"

He scratched the back of his head absentmindedly.  A goofy smile was on 
his mouth.  "Gomen...I'm no good at this kind of thing..."

Hikari shook her head.  "You're doing fine." she smiled, ignoring her 
urge to turn an even deeper shade of red from that comment.

They started walking again, reaching an intersection.  "I suppose I 
should say goodnight..." Toji nodded, mustering up all his courage for 
a proper romantic moment.  

"Me too..." Hikari sighed, looking up at the night sky.  "I'm just a 
street down this way..."

"Okay..." Toji nodded, extending his hand for a handshake.

Hikari blinked, but went with it, letting her hand into his.  
"Goodnight..." she gasped as he bent down to her hand and kissed it 
gently.  

Toji stayed like that for a moment, then looked up at her with a 
nervous smile.  "Goodnight, Hikari-chan.  Thanks again for the lunch, 
too.  It was very good."

She nodded, blushing impossibly deeper, but smiling with all her heart.  
"N...no problem..."

And with a final bow, Toji walked off towards his house...desperately 
resisting the urge to skip or something equally stupid looking.  

Hikari just stood there with a funny little smile on her face as she 
looked at her hand.  "Suzuhara, a romantic...I always knew." 










Misato sighed as she thumbed the piece of paper between her thumb and 
index finger.  In her other hand was a clear glass with a dark amber-
colored liquid in it.  Half an ice-cube was left floating in the drink 
since she had been absentmindedly gnawing on it's brethren.  

It was a card.  

A nice card, too.  Probably bought at a nice shop for people who needed 
to make an apology look sincere.  

"Dear Misato-chan.

      Emergency work came up.  I'll try to catch up to you at the bar.  
I've made reservations for us.  If I'm not there by midnight, I'll make 
it up to you some other time.  Hope to see you soon,

                                                -Miyazaki Kaoru"

she read it for the twentieth time, then sighed, and slammed back her 
drink.  "Men..." she sighed.  "Wear a fancy dress and they don't even 
show up..."

It was already coming on 11 pm.  

"What the hell is he doing?" she grumbled.  "School isn't THAT damn 
important."










"This is Ecta 64 calling Neo Path 400..." the radio crackled to life 
for the first time in three hours.

The commander sighed and lazily picked up the comm. unit as Ecta...a 
small weather monitoring station off the coast of Hawaii...continued 
their report about some clouds that they were about to enter.  

"This is Neo Path 400." he replied, doing another scan of the sky.  
"Cumulonimbus clouds confirmed.  Barometer indicates no hazard.  Will 
maintain course..." he checked their ETA "...expect to arrive on 
schedule." he smiled.  "Tell the Major that we won't keep her waiting."

"She'll be happy to hear that, Neo Path.  Ecta 64 roger and out." the 
reply answered.

The captain chuckled and hung up the radio set.  A curious look from 
his co-pilot prompted an explanation.  "Major Katsuragi is notorious 
for being a major bitch in the early morning.  Mostly due to hangovers.  
She wasn't too happy to hear we were arriving so early on Tokyo time."

"Ahh.  My kind of woman." chuckled one of the bridge crew. 

They watched the massive white puffy cloud come closer.  "Hopefully 
this will be the only thing of interest we encounter on the flight." 
the captain sighed, doing another sensor sweep.  

As the white vapour engulfed the giant winged structure, they were 
surrounded by a brief period of darkness as the sun slid behind the all 
encompassing clouds.

If he had blinked just a moment earlier, he would have missed it.

A bright, sun-yellow flash lit the cloud.  The captain gasped, bracing 
himself for something...anything...

but nothing came.

A moment later, the clouds dissipated and the sky reappeared.  His co-
pilots looked at him with worried expressions, noting their captain 
looked shocked.  "What is it, cap?"

"Run another scan..." he said quickly.  "Check that blasted monster 
we're carrying too!  Someone get down to the observation room and LOOK 
at it.  Make sure nothing's wrong." he turned to his second-in-command.  
"I saw some kind of a flash.  I don't think it was lightning..."

Everyone jumped into action, checking every system on board and then 
double-checking.  The bridge crew closest to the door ran out, grabbing 
their tool kit as they left.

He ran down the narrow hall that existed in between the crew-bunks and 
giant fuel tanks that comprised most of the wings.  Then, he jumped 
onto the oil-rig style ladder and slid down the rungs that lead down to 
the lower cargo decks.  

The captain wasn't about to be seeing things, and this was exactly what 
he meant by keeping an eye out for ANYTHING.  With a racing heart and 
unsteady hands, he used the power-drill to physically open one of the 
emergency escape ports half way, using it as a window to the underside 
of the aircraft. 

He carefully put his head down the hole, bracing against the sudden 
wind.  Almost right next to him was the grimacing head of Unit 03, 
staring mutely into the space ahead of the aircraft.  

The pilot sighed and nodded, quickly re-fixing the hatch, then going 
over to three more to check all angles of the beast.  

Unfortunately, as his focus was on the Evangelion...he failed to notice 
the dark shapes under the cloud they just flew through a moment ago.







The Angel howled in anger.  It's tiny, twisted 'mouth' was agape and 
outstretched for the escaping Unit 03.  Every time it tried to snap 
it's jaw's, however, the bright, flickering yellow flash held it back.  
While it looked almost as a leach, all along it's back were feathery 
outcroppings and four 'pods' that gave it the look of some kind of 
plant...perhaps a snaking vine.  It's dark purple and black flesh 
pulsed in anger as it tried to escape once more.  Vein-laden 'hands' 
lashed out, but were nowhere near as long enough to threaten Neo Path 
400's flight.  

Finally, as it realized it would not have a chance to fulfill it's 
mission, the Angel turned it's snake-like body to it's captor.

White, glowing eyes were narrowed in an evil looking frown.  The 
beast...almost three times larger than the Angel...opened it's angry 
jaws and growled a deep, animalistic rumble that could have rivalled 
the thunder from the nearby clouds.  

The plain of orange-yellow light flickered off, releasing the Angel's 
path; but even with the A.T. Field gone, it would be useless to chase 
after Unit 03.

Unit 04 reached up to it's shoulder, unconsciously drawing it's Prog-
Knife.  Much like Unit 02's, it was based on a disposable-utility knife 
design.  If the blade broke, it could easily be extended to expose more 
useful edge.  

It stood on it's own A.T. Field, a few metres above the water.  The 
Angel would have easily escaped if only it could fly away, but Unit 04 
had appeared even higher in the cloud, almost as if it had been 
waiting.  

The battle resumed without more than a moment's rest.  With a primal 
shriek, the Angel shot forward with it's 'hands' and branches extended.  
Most looked sharp enough to slice rock.

The Evangelion leapt at the Angel with it's own wolf-like howl, 
extending the blade of it's knife to maximum, and swinging at one side 
of the attacker.  

The Angel's head ducked under the blade, and it's jaws melted into the 
Eva's right shoulder with a bloody CRUNCH!  However, the blade slid 
into the Angel's body, producing a clean, razor-cut all the way 
through.  

Now that the Angel was off balance, Unit 04 ripped it away from it's 
armor, ignoring the bloody mess dripping down it's arm.  Screaming in 
pain, or anger, or both, the Angel raced forward again in desperation.  

Unit 04 was ready this time, however, and swiped it's good arm up at an 
angle with a massive GRRRRRRROOOOOOOOO! sound.  The air split on it's 
very atoms as a new A.T. Field deployed, slipping into the Angel's 
mouth on it's side.  The sub-atomic width of the field was sharper than 
any man-made blade by a factor of twenty.  The Angel's core, while 
usually being fairly durable and withstanding to the elements, was 
completely ripped in two.

The Angel barely had time to bounce off of the Eva's chest when it was 
engulfed in an explosion.






As the fire dissipated, Unit 04 replaced it's knife back into it's 
holster, then let it's A.T. Field collapse under it's feet.  A moment 
later, it was sinking back down into the ocean, out of sight










Twenty-Fifth Lesson: "Activation"







It was one of those things that made Misato believe firmly in God.  And 
that He was out to get her.  

The ten or so seconds (depending on how you counted) from 11:59:50 to 
Midnight that night were filled with the sound of someone walking into 
the bar in a hurry. She sighed, nursing her drink between her thumb and 
index finger, and watched Kaoru run up and sit down next to her.  

"Sorry I'm late." he groaned, ruffling his hair.  It was even messier 
than usual.  

That, and the truly apologetic look on his face won him some points.  
"Ten seconds to spare.  You're lucky I waited." Misato advised.  

He relaxed and leaned back in the seat.  The bartender came by and he 
asked for a rye and coke, and three shots of tequila...one for Misato.

"How did it go?" she blinked as Kaoru downed the two shots without even 
wincing, then started on his rye.  "Rough night?"

Kaoru smiled, then cringed as the mixing tastes caught up to his 
throat.  "You could say that." he shook his head.  "I want to 
apologize.  I shouldn't have kept you waiting so long.  It didn't go as 
well as I expected."

"What didn't go well?" Misato finally asked as she watched him nurse 
his drink, downing half of it in a steady sip.  

It was a moment before he spoke, ruffling up his hair as he did.  "Ex 
girlfriend dropped by.  I politely told her to go, and she didn't until 
we had a nice long talk."

Misato shook her head.  "I hope I'm not keeping you..."

He smiled and shook his head.  "No no...it's been over for years." His 
face turned apologetic again. "She had the worst timing, though.  This 
humble man begs your forgiveness." he bowed his head.

Misato chuckled to herself.  "Now how can a woman stay mad with an 
apology like that." she straightened up in her seat.  "Very well, it's 
forgotten.  Now keep drinking, humble sir, because you have to catch up 
to me." she hiccupped with a playful smile.

Kaoru smiled and nodded.  "That sounds perfect right now...I have such 
a headache."








Misato groaned as the cheerful daylight hit her eyes.  "I hate 
mornings."

Ritsuko watched her friend exit the NERV transport with a smile.  "Let 
me guess, you're allergic to sunlight?"

"Hey...that can actually happen, you know." the Major grumbled, putting 
on her 'hangover' sunglasses as she walked past the Doctor, looking at 
the reports.  "Is it here yet?  Can I go back to bed?"

They stood adjacent to one of the innumerable NERV controlled runways 
at the Bay Airport.  Able to scramble half the bombers and fighter 
craft in a two thousand mile radius, it was indeed a huge airport.  
However, for today, it had been emptied of all traffic for the sole 
expected arrival.  

And there they saw it. 

At first, it was just a black dot on the sky, descending in what looked 
like a leisurely rate.  Misato knew they were probably dropping 
altitude faster than a rock, however.  Larger craft like the Neo Path 
series could drop out of the sky at a pace that would make comets 
jealous...yet still have enough lift to pull up if there was a problem.  

With the Evangelion under it's wings, however, the giant plane looked 
almost like a personal hang-glider for the beast.  

"Well, at least he's not late." Misato yawned as she watched the 
descent. 

"Oh?" Ritsuko blinked.  "Do many men stand you up?" she smiled.  "Or do 
you even wait around to find out?"

"Normally I don't." she smiled back, but then winced.  "But I suppose 
there are exceptions to the rule."

"Well, it looks like today will be good." Ritsuko said.  "The Forth is 
already at the base, and everyone looks ready.  This should go 
smoothly."

"I hope so." Misato yawned.







"Okay, now I need a bobby pin or something." Kaoru said as his slightly 
clumsy fingers worked on the match. 

Misato laughed and started rooting through her purse.  "You learned 
this all from school?"

"Hell yeah.  Even us teachers get to goof off." he chuckled.  "We were 
students once too, you know."

"Strange." Misato said, passing him the bobby pin that she found.  "I 
would have thought you the kind that always did their homework and 
never goofed off." 

He looked up with mock offence.  "I may have done my homework, but 
there was LOTS of time to goof off." he slurred back.

Misato erupted into a fit of laughter, then calmed as she watched him 
continue working on his little 'project'.  The conversation had been 
centred around bar-tricks, when he had suddenly gasped, exclaiming he 
had the COOLEST trick, and asked for a deck of matches and a cigarette 
pack.

So far, the Sensei had constructed some kind of a hood around the 
match, using tin foil from the smokes, and was shaping it with his 
fingernail.  Misato was watching in fascination, as was the bartender 
and three of the other people nearby.  

"Just don't burn down the place, buddy." the man had laughed, and 
handed him the matches.  

Finally, with the bobby pin, he had the entire thing rigged up.  It was 
fairly unimpressive, but consisted of a foil-wrapped match propped up 
against the bobby pin like a ramp.  Finally, he pointed it down the bar 
and lit up another match.  Misato, in order to see, and a little tipsy, 
decided to rest her head on his shoulder to watch.  He didn't seem to 
mind, although she could feel his cheek get warmer with a blush. 

"Stand back, everyone!" he announced, lighting the second match and 
holding it under the foil-wrapped tip of the other on the ramp.  

A few seconds later, and the match ignited, sending out all it's flame 
down the tiny lump he had crafted in the foil, and propelling the match 
like a tiny bottle rocket up and across the bar.  

Everyone laughed and clapped.  Most were drunk enough that it was quite 
an impressive feat to behold.  Misato smiled and gave him a kiss on the 
cheek for his troubles.  "Why is a guy like you teaching here when he 
could be at NASA?"

"Beautiful women." he smiled, blushing terribly.  "Those NASA chicks 
don't compare."

She smirked and returned to her drink.  "I bet you say that to all the 
NERV chicks."

"So far, yes." he smiled.  "Of course, you're the only one I know of."

"We're sneaky ones, us NERVs." she cautioned around the rim of her 
glass.  "You'd better watch out...we could be anywhere.  Devious little 
buggers we are." 

He shrugged and cleaned up his little rocket-experiment.  "Maybe, but 
I'm guessing you're worth the trouble." 

She grinned.  "Do you now?"






Everything in Project E was big.

Big guns.  Big airplanes.  Big bullet.  Big knives.  Big trucks.  And, 
unfortunately for Misato, big BIG engines to drive those big trucks.  

Now, with Eva-03 in tow, the pilots and crew of the aircraft long gone 
(and damn glad to be rid of that 'ugly fucker' as they put it) NERV had 
official control over it's newest Evangelion.  All that was left was to 
test it's compatibility with it's pilot and pray the thing didn't turn 
his mind to Jell-O.  To tow this massive weapon, however, they were in 
what Ritsuko liked to call her "REALLY big truck".  Several thousand 
horsepower and more wheels than Detroit City moved this monster truck 
down the road at an impressive pace considering it's cargo.  

Misato had been gritting her teeth for most of the ride back to the 
research centre when Ritsuko looked over and sighed.  "Would you like 
me to turn off the engine and put it in neutral?  I'm sure we could 
just coast down the hill..."

"That would be lovely." Misato grumbled back, now trying to rub her 
temples and the bridge of her nose.  

"How much did you have to drink last night, anyway?" the blonde smiled.  
"Oooh, that's right...your date must have been treating you."

Misato cocked her head to the side with a sigh.  "Actually, we didn't 
really drink that much."

Ritsuko almost hit her head on the steering wheel in surprise.  "You 
didn't drink that much???"

Misato frowned, crossing her arms in her best attempt to look mad.  
"I'll have you know that I don't drink nearly as much as you probably 
think I do."

The scientists' dry look told her she wasn't buying it.  Misato sighed 
and turned away.  

"So what were you doing, then?" Ritsuko blinked.  

"...philosophizing?" Misato smiled weakly.






"You know, some say a kiss is far more intimate than even having 
sex...or anything else..." Kaoru said as they walked down the street, 
enjoying the dark, cool air.  

"Mmm...depends on the kiss..." Misato hummed against his neck, firmly 
deciding not to move as they stumbled down the sidewalk.  

"I'd have to agree with you." he said with a hiccup, but was caught as 
the dark haired woman leaned up and pressed her lips to his.  "Mmph!"

She used the surprise to get a better angle on him and soon, they were 
wrapped in each other's arms, engulfed by a deep, long kiss.  The light 
from the street lamps was low enough that they were secluded in a 
twilight shadow, with Tokyo 3 oblivious around them.

It was only when a passing car's headlights shone over them for a brief 
moment was the spell broken and they parted.

"How about that kiss?" Misato asked with a tiny, sheepish smile.  It 
did nothing to lower the completely adult and completely inviting look 
on her face, however.

Kaoru looked at her with groggy eyes.  She was certain his brain was 
trying to come up with an excuse, but it looked like desire (with the 
help of the booze) was winning.  "That..." he swallowed hard.  "That 
was very..."

She interrupted him with another kiss.  He didn't seem to complain in 
the slightest.  His arms came down around her waist and held her close 
as she reached up around his shoulders, making sure they wouldn't fall.  

"Maybe we should..." she gasped, finally breaking for air.

He nodded, now completely under the spell.  "Your place or mine?"

She gave him a very hungry smile.  "Yours.  It's closer."






Ritsuko sighed as she looked over and saw that same silly grin on her 
friend's face that had been appearing and disappearing for the last 
hour now.  "Earth to Misato.  Come in, Major."

Misato shot her friend a growl.  "I'm here, I'm here!"

It was hard not to be.  The control room rushed around them as they 
waited for cues that the test could begin.  While they were more than 
adequate, the crew that had been stationed for this activation test was 
nowhere nearly as efficient as Maya and the others.  The two senior 
officers had opted to stare at the inert Unit 03's ugly face in the 
meantime. 

A quick flick of her finger commanded the computers to bring up a video 
screen to the inside of the entry plug.  "Hey, Toji-kun.  How you doing 
in there?" Misato asked, trying to seem busy under Ritsuko's attention.  

With a flash, the yellow communications box came up on the screen and 
showed a meditating Toji seated in his chair.  He sighed, causing a 
bubble or two to float up from his mouth.  "Well, I don't feel like 
puking anymore."

"Told ya it would just take you a minute to get used to the LCL." 
Misato smiled.  

"Yeah." Toji grimaced.  "It smells like a locker room in here, though."

Misato nodded and bowed her head apologetically.  "Well, don't worry.  
We're almost ready.  All you have to do is sit in the seat for five 
minutes like the sync test yesterday...then we can all go out for 
dinner or something."

"Hai, hai." Toji nodded, looking at his plug-suit.  "Hey, how come I 
get the cool colors??  Why doesn't Shinji get these?"

Misato turned to Ritsuko with a shrug.  Ritsuko smiled.  "Wardrobe has 
a sense of humour.  They were going to make his suit purple and green 
originally..."

Toji laughed.  "Oh, okay, never mind.  Blue and white is fine."

Misato chuckled as she cut the comm. link.  "Purple and green?  God..."

"Hey, we could have just had them start off piloting naked..." Ritsuko 
grinned.  "But we knew that would be a little too much."






Misato breathed out in surprise as she lifted his shirt up over his 
head.  For a teacher, he was fairly well built.  She had been almost 
expecting either a skinny little man or someone with too much meat on a 
lanky little frame when she first met him.  However, she figured, he 
would do very nicely.  

Kaoru raised an eyebrow as he saw her look.  "Disappointed??"

She grinned and responded by kissing along his chest, up to his neck 
before nibbling playfully all the way up to his lips.  The way his 
hands were working to rid the obstacle of HER shirt, she knew he 
understood she was NOT disappointed. 

And he paid her back in spades by not even slowing when his hands 
brushed up against her scar.  The thought that he might be freaked out 
only shimmered into her brain for half a second...then out when his 
hands moved down to her pants. 

"Oh my..." she shivered.  "...you're rather good at this..."

"I'm a fast learner." Kaoru nodded, bowling her over into the blankets 
with a hard kiss to the flesh between her breasts.  Misato just enjoyed 
the ride, trying not to lose breathing control too early in the game.

Well...that didn't last too long, she mused as he started to...






"Major?" Ritsuko said...a little too sternly for her tastes.

Misato snapped out of her little gaze and focused.  "Hai!  Fine.  
Fine." she grumbled.  "Station report!"

"All boards green."  "Circuits 2011 and up all within tolerances."  
"Power is synced and we're receiving no signal echoes."  "Pilot is 
ready."  "Evangelion Unit 03 is standing by."  "Recovery teams in 
position.  All restraints show nominal and green."

"Magi all show a go, Major." Ritsuko said at the terminal.  She 
shrugged.  "It's your call."

She sighed and nodded.  Her heart was a little...fast...but she knew 
that was because she was in her little daydreaming mode.  She groaned 
inwardly and scolded herself.  Sex always screwed up her woman's 
intuition.  Still, everything looked to be green, so....

"Start the activation test." she ordered.

All thoughts of last night with Kaoru were gone as the entire control 
room watched the board of nerve connections light up green in sequence, 
nearing the ever-fateful borderline.  

The point that made or broke the test.  Where the Evangelion became 
'alive' with the mind of it's pilot and was able to function as an 
entity.  It was also the moment where all hell could break loose.  

And sometimes did.

Misato prayed her intuition wasn't needed on this day.

The green progression flickered slightly around the borderline 
mark...but then, in one final push...the later half of the board turned 
green, and a dull glow emanated from Unit-03's eyes.

Misato sighed in relief, turning away from the window.  "Well, I'm 
goinna go grab a beer."

"Misato!"






Inside the Entry Plug, Toji watched in awe as patterns of light, 
sparks, nerve-like-projections, and finally, a spectrum gave way to a 
view outside his cockpit.  

"Is this what you see, Ikari?" he smiled, looking out over the holding 
cage with his new eyes.  "Eva's world?"

"Good work, Toji-kun." the blond scientist's voice came over the comm..  
"The test is successful, and your sync rate is holding at twenty-five 
point three percent.  You'll be happy to know that's above your 
projected values!"

Toji just nodded.  "Hai.  So can I help beat up some Angels now?"

"Not yet." Ritsuko laughed.  "You'll be lucky if you can walk for 
another week or so.  But don't worry, we'll get you out there helping 
in no time flat."

"Hai." he nodded with a sigh.  He knew what that meant.  A week of 
solid tests.  He'd be breathing this LCL crap for another week or 
more...all just to get used to the Eva.

It was a strange feeling.  A kind of friendly echo of his thoughts and 
feelings.  If it hadn't felt so...natural...Toji would have thought it 
felt like his skin was crawling.  But it wasn't like that...it was 
almost like wearing a new shirt.  A barely noticeable addition to ones 
self.  

Before he knew it, five minutes had passed, and the scientist's voice 
came back on.  "Okay, Toji.  We're going to de-sync now.  Retrieval 
will occur in another two minutes after we make sure everything shuts 
down okay.  Just tell us if you feel anything strange."

"Yes, ma'am." Toji nodded as he watched the colors return and 
everything fade to the gray metal walls of the plug.  

He sighed and leaned back in his seat, letting a bubble of real air 
escape his mouth. 







The Sub-Commander sighed as he entered Gendo's office.  It was colder 
than usual...or maybe it was just his imagination.  

Maybe both.

"The Doctor just contacted us." he said, not wanting to stay in the 
room any more than was necessary.  

Gendo nodded.  "Mmm."

"Unit-03's activation test was successful." he said.  "They'll be 
transferring the new unit to holding cage twelve by tonight.  The Magi 
will be busy compiling the data all night, but it looks pretty straight 
forward."

"Mmm." Gendo nodded again, then turned to the windows behind his desk.  
"Dismissed."

With a sigh, the gray-haired man turned and left.  "SEELE's going to be 
pissed..."








Twenty-Sixth Lesson: Normal Blood








Day broke as it had every other day.  The peaceful night crickets 
eventually fading to the noisy day cicadas.  Only a few in the city 
even noticed them anymore.  What some would consider an annoying sound 
was music to the ears of Tokyo-3.  

They never chirped during the Angel attacks it seemed.

A newer tradition was witnessed, however, as Asuka Langley slept next 
to Shinji Ikari.  While the redhead seemed very content in her slumber, 
however, the boy seemed wide awake.  His mind already active and his 
eyes wide open as he stared at the ceiling.  

He wasn't all that concerned about the young woman in his bed...they 
had only snuggled up together for the night...in full dress.  And it 
had been very pleasant to sleep next to her warm body once again.

A tiny 'click'! signalled the side change of his SDAT.  His eyes never 
wavered.  They seemed focused on something.  Thoughts of the moment and 
the past that were rushing through his mind.  

Though he was shielded from the cicadas outside by his ear buds, his 
sleeping companion was not, and she stirred with a grumble as the sound 
began to grow in the morning sun.  

"Gott in Himmel!" she said groggily into the side of Shinji's chest.  
"Don't they ever shut-up here?"

He blinked and smiled, taking out his headphones and turning off the 
music.  "Good morning, Asuka-chan."

In a stir, she raised her head and looked around quickly.  She did this 
every morning with him...probably wondering why he was there with her.  
"Oh..." she smiled.  "'Mornin, Shinji." she yawned, then gasped as she 
realized she had morning breath, holding her hands at her mouth.  
"I...I'm goinna get washed up." she groaned, then ran out the door in 
her rumpled clothing.  

Shinji said nothing.  She always did this.  He never minded, but Asuka 
was always afraid of letting any weakness or imperfection show to 
him...even if it was just morning breath.

He did smile, though.  Completely content.  "I suppose I'll get 
breakfast ready." he said to himself, then got up to get fresh clothes.










"Wuaagh!" Pen-Pen replied happily as Shinji opened up the can of fish 
he had left to thaw from the freezer last night.  To this day, he still 
maintained Shinji knew how to get the fish to taste the best.  He must 
have had a gift.  Misato could follow Shinji's instructions exactly, 
and he'd still have to work to keep the fish down.  Asuka was a bit 
better, making his meals at least edible, and Kaji even did a good job 
when he was over.  But when Shinji made breakfast?  It was a meal, and 
not just food.  

"Here ya go, Pen!" he smiled, setting the tray on the floor.  "I think 
the newspaper just came, so I'll grab that too."

Pen-Pen dug in gratefully and reminded himself to do something special 
for the boy on Christmas.  Maybe he would appreciate the inflatable 
mail-order Pingu?  Naw...maybe not.  

After much steam and cursing at her clothes, Asuka emerged from her 
room completely refreshed and clad in her school clothes.  To the 
penguin's amazement, she actually had a smile on her face.  "Hey Pen-
Pen." she greeted the bird before sitting down at the table with a 
mighty yawn before helping herself to the orange juice that was set 
out.  

"Wuaagh!" he replied, pointing that the toast was ready.  

"Thanks." she got up and began setting the table.  Shinji returned a 
moment later and she smiled.  "Hey, sleepy head.  I didn't keep you up 
all night, did I?"

"Don't ask questions you might not like the answer to, Asuka-chan." he 
smiled innocently, catching her off guard. 

"Hentai." she chuckled, throwing a piece of toast at him.  He caught it 
clumsily and sat down across from her with a wide smile.  She regarded 
him with an odd look.  "Seriously, though...How come you're so happy 
today?"

"No reason." he smiled.  "I've just been thinking."

She took a bite out of her toast, waiting for him to reply.  When he 
didn't offer up any more information, she pressed.  "About what?"

"I don't know..." he shrugged.  "About...well...us..."

She nodded slowly.  "And?"

"Have you..." he sighed, trying to find the right words.  "Have you 
ever wondered what our lives would be like without Eva?"

Asuka shrugged.  "Not really."

"Not even just a bit?" Shinji pressed.  "I mean...what happens after 
all the Angels are gone?  What are we going to do then?"

"I haven't bothered thinking about it much." Asuka said confidently.  

Shinji blinked, not quite expecting a reply like that.

"It's not a good idea to focus on things that are too far away, 
Shinji." she said in her best 'wise' tone of voice.  "If we do, we get 
distracted from the dangers that we face.  And then the Angels get in a 
lucky shot, and I'll have to come and save your ass again." she smiled.

Wisely, Shinji kept his mouth shut.  

"Why do you ask, though?" she continued.  "Why are you thinking about 
all this now?"

"I..." he sighed.  "I don't know.  Just hoping for a future, I guess." 
his eyes brightened.  "Sensei was telling me about this one university 
he knows, and says that all our grades are good enough so far...if we 
keep it up we should be able to get in.  And Kaji was telling me more 
about what he did after school, and I was thinking maybe about doing 
some traveling."

Asuka blinked.  "Oh?"

"Well, he was telling me a bit about Germany." he blushed slightly.  "I 
was wondering...maybe I could come visit you or something once this is 
all done."

"Well, of course you do!" she smiled.  "Germany is a beautiful 
country!"

He smiled and nodded, helping himself to some coffee.  

"But..." she said suddenly.  "What did you mean about 'without Eva'?" 
she asked.  "You mean like...what would we be like if Eva never 
existed?"

He nodded.  "Something like that."

"I...I really can't imagine." she sighed, taking another bite.

Shinji looked up at her and shook his head.  "What about this?"

"What?"

"This." he raised his arms and gestured to the apartment.  "This is 
normal...right now."

"Wuaagh." Pen-Pen agreed.

Asuka shrugged, looking around.  "But...it's just a house."

"Exactly." Shinji nodded.  "Four walls...er...more or less...and a 
roof." he pointed at the food on the table.  "Here we are, two normal 
kids, who are eating breakfast and are about to go to school like all 
the other normal kids." he was smiling slightly.  "That's all.  And 
after school, instead of going to have Sync Tests, we'd go out to the 
arcade or something and play videogames."

"And I'd kick your ass at Tekken." she smiled.

"That's not the point." he interrupted, but his tone of voice was still 
happy.  "The point is it wouldn't be at NERV.  We'd have a normal 
life."

She shrugged.  "What's so special about that?"

"What's so special about piloting Eva?" he retorted.  "Ninety percent 
of our job is sitting in goo that smells like blood for hours on end.  
The other ten is facing death and pain at the hands of things we aren't 
even sure are our enemies."

Asuka sighed, but didn't say anything, content to eat her toast.  

Shinji settled down, returning to his coffee.  "Sorry..."

"I...I suppose it wouldn't be too bad." she admitted.  

He beamed.  

"I mean...especially if we didn't have Eva in the first place." she 
smiled softly.  "Who knows...I could have been an exchange student 
visiting here." she shook her head.  "But that's just a dream, Shinji."

He sighed and nodded, returning to his breakfast.

Asuka watched his mood drop, then sighed to herself, realizing she had 
best do something to prevent a grumpy Shinji all day.  "Of 
course...maybe after all the Angels are done..."

He looked up.

"I mean...it might not be so bad." she smiled.  "We'd be able to go on 
tour and let all the people thank us for saving them."

"We could sign autographs." Shinji added with a smile.

"That's the stuff." she gave him a wide smile.  "We'd be famous!  And 
rich!"

"Rich?"

"I don't see why not." Asuka nodded.  "If NERV doesn't pay us, I'm sure 
we can get top-dollar for our first-person accounts of the battles."

"Mmm...I suppose so." Shinji nodded.  

"And then, when we don't have to worry about all that, we can just live 
like normal people." she continued.  "You know...traveling doesn't seem 
like such a bad idea, Shinji."

He smiled, then slowly turned red.  "And maybe I can come along...once 
in a while...I mean, if you don't mind."

She smiled softly.  "Well, of course!  After all, we're a team, right?"

Shinji nodded happily.  "Well...only if you want me too..."

"Of course I wouldn't mind." she sighed.  "After all, we ARE a couple, 
right?"

They hadn't quite noticed it, but the lights were dimming, leaving only 
the gentle sunlight streaming in from the windows.  Pen-Pen waddled 
over to the stereo system and carefully manipulated the volume on the 
"Romantic Piano Songs" CD he had ready.  He had been planning for just 
such a thing for a long time.  After all, Pen-Pen takes care of his 
friends; and Shinji definitely qualifies. 

It had the desired effect already, and Shinji found himself suddenly 
closer to the object of his affections.  Asuka watched him, oblivious 
to anything else but him and the cozy mood that was suddenly created 
around them.  "We've been together for so long...it would be a 
shame..."

"...if we drifted..." Shinji filled in, finding breath on his lips as 
they came closer.

"...apart..." Asuka said lazily, giving herself over to the moment.

BBBBBBBBBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPP!

Both Children promptly fell on their faces, the music skipped and 
turned off, and the lights came back on at full force.

"YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Misato cheered as she slugged back another 
belt of beer.  "Now THAT's part of a nutritious breakfast alright!"  
She turned away from the light switch, for the first time noticing her 
roommates in a heap on the floor.  "Hey kids.  Got school today?"

Shinji promptly nosebleed himself to unconsciousness.  Asuka sighed and 
picked him off of her chest, trying to untangle herself from the chair.  
"Don't you ever wake up like a NORMAL person, Misato?????" she 
grumbled.

"What would be the fun in that?" Misato shrugged and walked over to the 
sink.  

Pen-Pen gave her an unseen middle-flipper and stormed off to his fridge 
to plan a Misato-proof romantic situation.  "Wuaagh."

"Come on, Baka." Asuka sighed, then helped Shinji's dazed form off of 
the ground.  "Time for school." 

"B...w...Later, Misato-san!" Shinji finally burbled as they left, 
holding a napkin to his nose. 

"Strange kids." Misato sighed, then popped open her second beer.










Maya followed behind Ritsuko like a loyal puppy, typing silently on her 
palm-top computer as they surveyed the Eva cages.  It seemed much too 
quiet in the huge bay.  The only sense worth noting was the smell of 
the liquid coolant.  Enough to fill several thousand swimming pools.  
The pinkish liquid kept the Evangelions at prime biological 
reconditioning temperature, and prevented any stray radiation from 
effecting the systems.  

For some reason, Ritsuko always thought it smelled like ice cream.  
Vanilla ice cream.  

"Sempai?" 

Her musings were cut short and she accepted the readouts.  "Everything 
looks good." she sighed, tapping once on the 'page down' button.  
"Unit-03 seems to be handling the environmental changes without a 
hiccup...Unit-00's scar-tissue-removal seems to be complete...Unit-02 
and 01 seem well within tolerances..."

"When will the Dummy Plugs be ready?" Maya asked eagerly, knowing it 
was the purpose for the systems check on the Evas.  

"We'll be installing them within the hour." Ritsuko smiled.  "I've 
scheduled a sync test for this evening to see how the new plugs accept 
their pilots.  We might even get the go-ahead to test them out 
tonight."

"That's great, Sempai!" Maya smiled.  "You've worked so hard on the 
project, it would be a nice addition.  Especially if it will be a while 
before we get S2 engines installed."

They walked over to Unit-01.  The massive purple beast stared blankly 
out at them, locked in an endless staring contest with Unit 02 and now, 
Unit 03 across the bay.  Ritsuko felt a kind of sympathy for the thing, 
all of a sudden.  "I just hope they won't mind us taking their Children 
away."

Maya just blinked, not sure what to make of the comment, then smiled.  
"I'm sure if the Evas cared, they'd be more happy that we'd try to keep 
the Children out of danger, Sempai.  They'd probably thank us."

Ritsuko turned to Maya with a tiny smile.  "Maya...have you ever had 
children?"

She blushed furiously.  "O...Of course not, Sempai.  You know that."

The Doctor nodded.  "Then you don't know the bond a mother has with her 
children." she smiled sadly, then turned back to Unit 01.  "Sometimes 
mothers are blinded by their desires and emotions.  They might not 
always do the right thing for their child."

"But...you've never had a child..." she blushed even more.  "Have you, 
Sempai?"

Ritsuko laughed.  "Only my cats." she sighed.  "But I know from 
personal experience that mothers can sometimes act irrationally."

"Are you saying the Evas are like mothers?" Maya asked, confused.

"No...no..." Ritsuko sighed and kept walking.  "Just...just that I hope 
the Dummy Plugs work."  she handed the computer back to Maya.  
"Schedule Unit 01 and 02 for dummy plugs as soon as the work crews are 
done transporting them from the Dummy Plug Plant.  We'll wait until 
Unit 03 can pilot under its own power before installing experimental 
equipment.  I don't think the Fourth Child would like us wasting his 
time."

"Hai." Maya nodded, making the orders for the work to begin.  

The ice-cream scented staring contest continued uninterrupted.  Unit 00 
seemed to be winning.  Unit 02 always complained it wasn't fair...one 
eye was easier to keep open than four.










"Each of you will be worth a small fortune by the time you graduate." 
Sensei Miyazaki smiled as he drew the graph on the chalk board.  The 
students of his class all blinked.  

"You mean the Eva Pilots, right?" someone asked.

"No no.  Everyone here will be worth at LEAST that much." he said, 
turning away from the board that prominently displayed 'University 
Planning'  "As you all may have realized, the next two years of your 
lives in school will determine how far you get after school.  It's a 
bitch of a truth, but the truth nonetheless." he walked over to his 
marks.  "All of you are fairly bright...and unless you all run off to 
join the circus, I think each and every one of you will be able to 
graduate with a wonderful future ahead of you."

Shinji was listening intently, as well as half the class.  Toji and 
Asuka seemed slightly less interested, off in their own trains of 
thought.  

"The government pays for most of your schooling." he wrote down the 
figure.  "Approximately a quarter of a million yen every year of your 
grade-schooling, plus, the money your poor parents and scholarships 
will fork over towards your higher education." he smiled.  "Not to 
mention all the anguish you cause your poor teachers along the 
way...that's goinna cost them a lot in mental health."

The class chuckled.

"The University of Tokyo 2 is rated one of the best in the world." he 
started writing facts and figures on the board.  "While they specialize 
in math, pretty much anyone can study there and get a world-wide 
recognized degree." he turned to the class.  "Now, the lunch bell is 
about to go, but while you're all enjoying your meals, I want you to 
discuss what kind of career you'd be interested." he smiled.  "And it 
has to be something good.  I will not accept any truck-drivers or 
burger-flippers in my class.  Is that clear?"

"Hai!" everyone nodded happily, just in time for the bell.  

As the Sensei packed up his papers and cleaned the board, assisted by 
Hikari and another classmate who were on lunch duty that day, the usual 
groups assembled.  Along with the Three Stooges, however, Asuka joined 
them for lunch, to the obvious discomfort of Kensuke.  Toji, however, 
like Shinji, seemed to have something on his mind. 

"So, what are you guys goinna be?" Asuka yawned as she opened up her 
bento box.  

"I'm applying for military training the moment I'm old enough." Kensuke 
smiled.  "Besides, they'll pay for university, so even if I do want to 
do something besides blowing stuff up, I'll have the chance to learn."'

"Really?  I don't think they teach Stooge 101 at Tokyo 2." Asuka smiled 
sweetly.

Kensuke shot her a look and grumbled around his sandwich.  

Hikari interrupted Asuka's questions, pulling up a chair next to Toji 
with a light blush around her freckles.  "Hey everyone." she smiled and 
blushed more as she turned to Toji.  "Suzuhara, I brought you lunch."

He smiled a polite thank you and bowed his head.  "Thanks, Class Rep." 
his eyes widened as he opened it.  "Uhm...isn't this a bit much?"

The group all blinked as they saw the feast prepared.  Freshly rolled 
and ice to keep the nori crisp on the maki-sushi.  The nigiri looked 
amazing, too.  Perfectly pressed rice and three kinds of fish.  There 
was enough to feed three Tojis, and Kensuke was now salivating over his 
own sandwich, long forgotten even in his mouth.  Shinji looked to 
Hikari with a awed expression on his face.  "Uhm, Hikari-san?"

She smiled brightly.  "Yes, Ikari?"

"Can we exchange recipes someday?" he bowed his head in honor.  

"Oh, it's nothing really..." she turned even brighter red at the 
compliment. 

Asuka, despite her heart being far away from sushi, felt insanely 
inadequate with her simple pork and rice lunch.  "You'd better, Hikari.  
Shinji needs cooking lessons."

Toji finally had a piece of the sushi, and his eyes lit up.  "Hey!  
This is great!" he beamed at Hikari.  "Domo, arigato, Hikari-chan!" he 
said in an uncustomary show of politeness.  Everyone else but Hikari 
blinked in surprise.  The poor Class Rep almost passed out from the 
attention.

"Y...a...you're welcome...To...er...Suzuhara-kun." she finally managed 
to say, barely able to breathe at that point. 

Asuka and Shinji sweat-dropped...both glad they weren't this sappy...at 
least in public.  Kensuke would have probably done the same, but the 
army brat had already begun to leach off of Toji's amazing lunch, not 
bothering with his own anymore.  Toji didn't seem to mind...though he 
was busy...blushing...and looking at Hikari. 

"Soooo...anyway..." she turned to Shinji.  "What do you wanna be, 
Baka?"

"I..." he shrugged it off.  "I don't know."

"Eh, you're no fun." She sighed and took her fork to her lunch. 

"How about you, Asuka-chan?" he asked.

"Don't know either." she shrugged, then smiled.  "Like I told you, I 
never gave it much thought."

"Mmmm." he nodded, back into thoughtful mode. 

The group finished their lunches (or helped finish Toji's lunch), and 
enjoyed the remainder of the break with idle chat.  







After the final bell rang, and Asuka was ready to go, she found Shinji 
hadn't packed up yet.  He looked up at her waiting expression with a 
smile.  "I'll catch up to you."

"Okay, but remember, we have the sync test today." she winked.  "You'd 
better show up so I can beat you."

He nodded with a bright smile.  "Hai.  I'll catch up."

She sighed and nodded, heading out the door with Rei, who had been her 
usual quiet self that day.  Toji walked past him...pausing for a 
moment, but then decided to leave before he said anything.  "See you 
later, Shinji."

Kaoru saw this and leaned back in his seat, waiting for the other 
students to pack their things and leave.  "Have something on your mind, 
Mister Ikari?"

Shinji walked up and stood at the front of the Sensei's desk.  "Hai." 
he sighed, waiting for everyone to leave before he said anything.  
"It's...it's about the future."

The older man nodded and smiled.  "Anything in particular?  Or just 
wondering about the state of humanity a thousand years from now?"

Shinji smiled.  "Well, I suppose just me." he paused.  "And 
maybe...Asuka too..."

The Sensei raised his eyebrows and nodded.  "Ahh, go on?"

"Well..." he sighed.  "I asked her what she thought of life without 
Eva."

"After you're done piloting, you mean?" 

"That's it." Shinji nodded.  "And...well...she seemed not too worried 
about what happens after Eva...but she seemed interested in maybe..." 
he realized he was blushing furiously, and tried to make the reaction 
stop.  "Maybe that we could be together, even if we weren't pilots 
anymore."

Kaoru laughed warmly.  "Well, you two are going to be adults 
eventually...I suppose it can't hurt to have a few long term plans, can 
it?"

"Hai." he nodded, glad he was being taken seriously.  "But...I was 
wondering..." he sighed.  "I still don't know what I'd do after Eva."

Kaoru nodded, regarding the boy with a careful eye.  "And is that a bad 
thing?"

Shinji frowned.  "Of course it is!" he sighed, shaking his head.  "I 
mean...Asuka...she doesn't know either...but she already has a degree!  
She can do anything she wants!  She just has to pick something and off 
she goes."

"But...you..." Kaoru shrugged.

"Before I was an Eva pilot..." Shinji said sternly.  "Do you wanna know 
what I was doing?"

"What?"

"Existing." Shinji said...spitting it out like it was a bad word.  
"Just existing.  And not very well."

Kaoru sighed and nodded.  "So...you're scared...after seeing and doing 
all this...that you'll have to go back to it?"

"Hai." Shinji nodded, clenching his fists.  "But...the thing is...I 
would rather be doing that than piloting Eva." he sighed, the 
frustration in his voice showing.  "But...when I pilot Eva..."

Kaoru smiled.  "It's a purpose.  It gives you a purpose." 

Shinji nodded, defeated.  "Hai..."

Kaoru stood up and walked over to the chalk board.  He casually picked 
up a piece of chalk and handed it to Shinji.  "Here."

"What's this for?" Shinji examined the little stub.  

"Look at this chalk board." Kaoru said, pointing to the wall.  "What is 
it doing?"

"Existing." Shinji said in a tiny voice.

"Exactly.  There is nothing on it...there is nothing special about it, 
and for all intensive purposes, it doesn't need to be there." he rapped 
his knuckles on the bricks behind the board.  "There's already a 
perfectly good wall...why would anyone want this ugly piece of black 
board?"

"Exactly." Shinji nodded.

"Wrong." Kaoru took Shinji's hand and firmly yanked him over so the 
chalk hit the board.  Shinji stumbled, but caught himself.  "This is 
existence.  But it is also the start of your life."

Shinji looked at the chalk, now leaving a tiny white mark.  "But...it's 
just a dot."

"Move it." Kaoru offered with a light shrug.

"But...I don't know where?" Shinji frowned.  "I can't even draw!"

"Draw a line." Kaoru offered.  "Draw the ground you're standing on."

With a drawn out sigh, Shinji Ikari drew a line. 

"Now what?" Shinji asked.

"What would you like to do?" Kaoru shrugged.

Shinji turned to the board and whispered:  "I want to get as far away 
from Eva and my father as possible."

"Then draw a destination."

"I...I don't have one." Shinji said, the frustration cracking through 
again.

In a perfectly calm voice, Sensei Kaoru said:  "Then draw a road."

Shinji blinked.  At first he wasn't sure what that meant.  It...it 
seemed so simple, yet so silly.  And still...it seemed to be the right 
idea.

He drew a road.  It veered off the line, using it as a base, a point of 
origin.  It was a simple highway, snaking off into the distance with a 
little help from perspective.  At first, it was just a simple dirt 
thing.

Then...he started drawing horizontal lines.  And two more snaking lines 
that followed the outline...turning it into a railroad.  Kaoru watched 
silently as Shinji finished off the drawing before saying anything.  

"Now...what do you see?" he said as Shinji put down the chalk and took 
a step back.

"I see..." he sighed.  "I don't know what I see."

"You just made this railroad exist, Shinji." Kaoru said, sitting on the 
corner of his desk.  "You have all this blackboard to play with...that 
is your life.  Before, you were just letting it stay blank.  But that 
doesn't mean you can't start drawing at any time."

Shinji just stared at the rails, willing them to become real.  These 
rails did not loop.  They started here...and stopped only very far 
away.  They did not come back to Eva.  They were after Eva.

"Eva has given you a big chunk of this chalk." Kaoru said.  "You have 
met Asuka...met friends...and seen things that make you so much more 
than most people could ever hope to be.  Even if those things are bad, 
they will help you in the long run.  All you must do is survive." he 
smiled sadly.  "Don't die out there, Shinji...then the blackboard is 
gone."

Shinji turned to Kaoru and nodded.  "I'll try not to."

"Good." Kaoru smiled and pointed at the board.  "Shinji...we were 
talking about things you don't even have to worry about until you're 
eighteen or older.  This railroad can lead anywhere...and it never 
needs to stop." he sighed.  "There are people who go to university all 
their lives and never find out what they want to do.  And there are 
people who wander the earth, and find everything they could ever ask 
for." he took the chalk from the board and placed it again in the boy's 
hand.  "All you need to do is try.  To live." he smiled and pointed to 
the other half of the board.  "Just existing is boring."

Shinji nodded, looking at the chalk in his hands.  "Thank you, Sensei." 
he looked up, smiling again.  "Honestly...thank you..."

Kaoru shook his head.  "Thank me by becoming the lead cello in an 
orchestra or something." he laughed, patting Shinji on the shoulder.  
"Now, come on, I'm sure your darling Asuka is waiting to clobber you in 
sync rates."

Shinji nodded and smiled, bowing deeply before grabbing his books.  
"Arigato.  See you tomorrow, Sensei-san." 

Kaoru let out a long sigh as he watched his student leave.  "Anytime, 
Shinji.  Anytime."

He turned to the board, holding the eraser in his hand.  After a 
moment, though, he just put it down and left the drawing on the board.  
It didn't seem right to erase it.  At least not yet.










Twenty-Seventh Lesson: "Catching Up"










"Well well, look who decided to join us." Asuka chided as Shinji rushed 
to catch the elevator before the door closed. 

"Gomen!  Just had to ask about some homework." Shinji smiled as a hand 
kept the doors from closing.  The NERV elevators were made to be high-
capacity, since often, you could wait up to a full minute for the next 
car to come around.  Though they were the fastest way to get around 
inside of NERV, the sheer size of the underground complex made it a 
challenge to do without the transportation reaching supersonic speeds.  

Shinji took a double take as he realized the hand holding open the door 
belonged to Toji.

Toji just nodded his usual greeting.  "Hey, Shinji.  We were afraid you 
got lost."

Rei bowed her head slightly.  "Ikari-kun."

Shinji was still blinking at Toji, though.  "Y...y..."

The other boy suddenly looked embarrassed.  "Yeah.  They drafted me 
last week."

Asuka, impatient, grabbed Shinji by the collar and dragged him into the 
car, letting the doors close and their descent begin.  "Jeez.  You act 
like you've never seen another Eva Pilot before."

The ticker began to click away and they felt the rapid reverse-gee-
force that came with the ride.  Shinji spent a good part of the trip 
just stunned.  

"But...I thought you hated Eva?" he said, as the half-way mark ticked 
away.

Toji was solid as a statue, unmoving.  "I thought I apologized." he 
smiled slightly.  "If you want to hit me again, though, I wouldn't 
mind.  You still owe me one."

Asuka blinked, not sure what that meant, but watched as Shinji shook 
his head. 

"No...but...what about...your sister?" he said, slightly flustered 
under the watchful eyes of the two girls. 

"That Doctor lady gave me a deal." Toji explained, arms crossed as he 
watched the ticker.  "Me in the pilot's seat in exchange for my sister 
in NERV's best hospital ward." he looked to Shinji.  "They can hack me 
up and put me in the blender.  I don't care so long as she gets 
better."

Asuka shuddered to herself...okay okay, so Hikari wasn't blind...the 
boy did have a bit of compassion in him.  Still...it was eerie to hear 
such noble thoughts coming from a Stooge.  

"Oh..." Shinji nodded.  "But..."

"I know." Toji cut him off.  "Remember?  I was there.  Kensuke and I 
saw.  It doesn't matter.  I'd march into that Eva and live through hell 
so long as I got to see my sister walking around back at home with a 
smile on her face."

Shinji looked up at him, slightly embarrassed at how right his friend 
sounded.  He had a good reason to pilot.  He should be happy for Toji.  

"I'm glad you're here, then." he finally said with a smile.

Toji nodded, letting a smile out as well.  "Me too, Ikari.  I'll keep 
an eye out for you if I can too."

"That's okay, Toji." Asuka said with a smug smile.  "Rei here loves 
being the human shield.  We don't need two."

Toji blinked at Rei.  Rei just blinked back.  "I will watch out over 
Ikari-kun and both of you." she said simply.

Any reply Asuka had to that was cut off as the doors opened, now 
revealing the hallways of NERV HQ.  Misato was standing just down the 
hall, kicking one of the vending machines, trying to get her yen back.  
"Grrr!  Damn cheatin...ARGH!  MY FOOT!"

The four children all sweat-dropped.  (nobody noticed it on Rei, 
though, as she is much more practiced at hiding her surprise)

She turned, noticing them, then smiled brightly, her mood doing a 180 
degree turn.  "Hey kids!  I see you've all met the Fourth."

"At least you didn't pick Kensuke." Asuka mumbled as she shot Toji a 
look.  He just ignored her.  

"Asuka, you know I don't pick the pilots." Misato said, kicking the 
machine behind her once more for good measure.  Finally, her can of 
soda fell into the retrieval bin.  "Ooh!  Finally!"

The four all sighed.

"So how was school?" she asked as they began to walk down the hall 
towards the change rooms and testing facilities.  

"Boooooring." Asuka sighed as they walked.  "Sensei Kaoru was telling 
us about the universities.  I've already been there, so it was just a 
waste of my time."

"You should listen to your Sensei, Asuka." Misato remarked, hiding a 
small, thoughtful grin with her beverage can.  "He knows what he's 
talking about."

"Bah." Asuka sighed.  "I've met smarter sensei's.  Sure, he's a bit 
easier on the homework..."

"And you keep staring at his back side." Rei added helpfully.

"Ye..." the redhead blinked.  "I DO NOT!!!"

Misato spat out a good mouthful of drink.  "Asuka!  You haven't 
been!?!"

Toji and Shinji watched the exchange from afar, enjoying it thoroughly.  

"No I haven't!"  Asuka defended.  "You'd better be making jokes, 
Wondergirl..." she growled at Rei, rolling up her right sleeve.

Rei just turned to Misato.  "And the Major is mad because she has her 
sights set on him."

Misato almost fell over.  "W....b...REI!?!  Stop that!"

Asuka's eyes were wide and she turned to Misato.  "No way!  I thought 
you were all about Kaji-san!  What's with..."

"Now wait just a second here!" Misato yelled back, turning red.  "This 
is none of your business, Asuka, and I must say, hardly very..."

A cough interrupted the two, just as Rei was beginning to enjoy it 
herself.  Damn, she thought.

Ritsuko sighed, arms crossed.  "Can't I leave you kids alone for five 
minutes without you fighting?"

Misato and Asuka both blushed terribly and turned away from each other.  

"Assuming the Major didn't quite have a chance to...brief...you..." 
Ritsuko edged on the word, making Misato squirm slightly.  "...today 
we're testing a few new refinements to the Eva's systems.  Shinji and 
Asuka get to try out the new plugs first.  It should be a seamless 
test.  You both won't notice a thing."

"So long as everything works." Misato added helpfully.

Ritsuko sighed.  "Yes, but everything WILL work." she turned to Toji.  
"As for the new member of our group, we've configured Eva 03 to you, 
and we should get a much better sync ratio than last time.  You might 
even be able to move an arm today, Toji-kun."

"Yuppie." Toji smiled grimly.  "Can't wait."

"Now now, Stooge." Asuka said in her best 'wise' voice.  "We can't ALL 
be invincible Shinji's at the start."

Shinji blushed terribly.  "Asuka!"

"Well, I'll be in the control room.  No peeping in the change room, 
Toji.  Asuka has a mean kick." Ritsuko smiled and walked off.  "You 
coming, Major?"

Misato sighed.  "Hai hai.  Right behind you." she hurried after her 
friend.  

When out of earshot, Ritsuko smiled.  "So what was that about?"

"I swear...that girl has it out for me..." Misato sighed wearily.  
"Every man I find, she sees too, and clings to him until he goes away."

"Now now, it can't be THAT bad." Ritsuko smiled. "Besides, you've only 
just started dating Kaoru.  She couldn't have clung to him THAT fast."

"You'd be surprised." Misato groaned.

"Well, maybe you'll be lucky and she'll cling onto Shinji for a while." 
Ritsuko smiled.  

"Very funny." Misato grumbled.  









In the false calm of the entry plug, Shinji always found time to think.  
Often, hours at a time.  Sometimes, that time was filled with calm, 
repetitive ideas...such as piloting Eva was right, and he must not run 
away from it.  That he should try to forget how much everything smelled 
like blood.  How he should forget the pain and focus only on the calm.  

This time, however, his mind was racing.  

Once in a while, Ritsuko would interrupt his thoughts, saying he should 
try to focus on syncing and clear his mind of unwanted thought.  He 
would comply, but his mind always returned to his previous train of 
thought. 

The blackboard and chalk. 

The train tracks.  The fact that...sooner or later...he was going to 
see those tracks.  Going away from here.  Away from Eva.  Away from all 
the pain.  

It didn't matter where.  He would finally be free.  

Free.  Such a thought used to be frightening to Shinji Ikari.  Where 
freedom had only meant more pain in varying forms.  Where every 
blessing eventually turned into silent torture.  

Not anymore.  

Freedom now meant a future.  He never used to think about the future 
before.  He never considered he deserved one.  He never needed one.  He 
needed only to exist and feel pain.

But...university sounded very nice.  People were beginning to enjoy his 
music.  He felt a sense of closure with his father just around the 
corner...his chance to finally say goodbye if that was his father's 
wish.  And...he had love...even if it was just in the initial stages, 
he knew it had to be true.  Asuka would never hold back the truth from 
him.  She would just as easily tell him to go away if she meant it.  

For the first time...he had something to look towards.  Even if it was 
just a road.  A way that was paving itself if he wanted to take it.  
Somewhere else to go.  Somewhere to aspire to be.  

They had a new Evangelion, and a new pilot.  It was no longer on Asuka 
and Rei's shoulders.  Toji was a good man.  Strong and dependable.  A 
natural fighter.  Despite the circumstances, he was probably a natural 
pilot.

"Shinji-kun." Misato's voice interrupted his musings.  "Is there 
something on your mind?  Your sync-rate is a good ten points below 
normal."

"Just a bit tired, Misato-san." Shinji said.  "I'll try harder."

"No need.  We're going to end the test for now." Misato said.  "We'll 
pick it up tomorrow morning so you all can get a good night's sleep.  
Ritsuko says she wants to do some fine tuning with the new systems 
anyway."

"Hai." all the Children replied.  

Shinji relaxed as the view around him un-synced and his thoughts were 
again his alone.  










"You seem aloft today, Ikari." Toji yawned as he straightened his 
jacket.  "Asuka beat you in the head too hard this morning?"

Shinji found himself staring at his shoe.  His fingers still hooked 
around the laces.  "Pardon?"

"Listen...if this is about me..." Toji sighed.  "You know my reasons.  
You can't talk me out of it."

Shinji smiled slightly...a reaction the other boy hadn't quite 
expected.  "No...it's not that.  I'm glad I have someone to talk to in 
the change room now."

Toji smiled.  "Yeah, I guess it must have been weird.  Outnumbered by 
the ladies." he chuckled.  "Half the guys in class would kill to have 
our jobs, I suppose."

"We used to share one room." Shinji said.  "They had a curtain between 
Rei and I.  It was nice to have her to talk to before getting into 
Eva." he looked away.  "Once Asuka came, she demanded separate changing 
rooms, so then, it was just me."

Toji smoothed out his hair and looked in the mirror, checking to see if 
he missed anything.  "If it means anything to you...I think I 
understand you better now."

Shinji blinked.  "Oh?"

"I know how hard it must have been for you." Toji said with a sigh.  "I 
mean...I'm not even having to fight right away, and every time I get 
into the damn seat I get nervous." he admitted.  "Honestly...I don't 
know how you pulled off fighting the first angel that came here."

"I...it was nothing...I kinda...blacked out."  Shinji said.  "I was 
lucky."

"I don't believe that for a second." Toji said gruffly, startling 
Shinji.  "I see how you fight.  You just don't realize your own 
strength.  You don't think you can do it, but you can." he sighed and 
then smiled.  "Me?  They have to run me through more training programs 
in a week than you've probably had to do in months." he walked past 
Shinji and sighed, patting him on the shoulder.  "You're a natural, 
Shinji.  Face it."

Shinji just blinked, not quite sure what to say.

"I say I'll try to help and look out for you...watch your back..." Toji 
smiled.  "But in reality, I'll just be trying to keep up to you."

"A...arigato, Toji-san..." Shinji said, trying not to sound too 
embarrassed.  It was strange, but he actually felt complimented by 
this...even when normally he would despise his position.

Toji nodded and motioned to Shinji's shoes.  "If you hurry up, do you 
want to come with me to visit my sister?" he smiled.  "She's only a few 
floors up in the medical ward."

Shinji smiled brightly.  "Really?  You wouldn't mind?"

"Not if you hurry, slow poke." Toji nodded.  "Meet you out in the 
hall?"

"Hai!" Shinji nodded and quickly finished getting dressed to follow his 
fellow pilot.










Ritsuko placed the documents on Commander Ikari's desk, hoping to 
startle him out of his seemingly endless silence.  The old man wasn't 
about to give anyone that satisfaction it seemed, and he just looked up 
at her with those same calm, intense eyes.  "Report." he said, as if he 
had all but ordered her to his office.  

"The Forth is adjusting well." Ritsuko said, pausing to let Gendo look 
over the sync test results.  "He should be ready for combat when the 
next angel attacks."

"And the Dummy System?"

Ritsuko nodded.  "No installation problems, and it is probable that 
they are working perfectly."

The Commander looked up with a small smile.  "Only probable, Doctor?  
You haven't ran this through the Magi?"

Ritsuko sighed and pointed to Shinji's test scores.  "The Third's sync 
rate was less than usual.  It could be the new plug system.  I ordered 
another test for tomorrow before we run active simulations."

Gendo seemed tired of the conversation.  "It will be nice not to have 
to rely on them." he said.  "We have no time for childish things."

Ritsuko wondered if that was Gendo's way of saying he didn't want to 
hurt Shinji.

Probably not. 

"Run Unit 01 and Unit 03 in the tests tomorrow." Gendo said.  "Prepare 
test-ground three."

Ritsuko blinked.  "Y...you mean out in the Geofront?"

"That is correct.  We will eliminate the simulations and try a real-
life test.  We both know a simulation might not be the same thing to 
the Dummy Plug, and we must see what it is capable of."

"Hai." Ritsuko nodded, turning to leave.  

"Doctor."

She sighed inwardly as she noticed the tone of voice.  "Not tonight, 
Gendo.  I'll have to prepare the test."

A long pause, but finally:  "Very well...dismissed."

Ritsuko shut the door behind herself and scolded herself for almost 
saying 'yes' to his request.  As she walked down the hall, knowing an 
apartment full of cats awaited her...his offer was looking much more 
appealing.  Misato...the lucky bitch, had at least the possibility of a 
romantic night planned.  Not just "Are you free?" and a roll in the 
office chair.

"Damn Misato..." she wined to herself, then sighed.  Maybe Maya would 
be up for a few sappy movies tonight.  At least it was company.  










Twenty-Eighth Lesson: "Freedom"







Few things in life were this cute.  

Rainbows were beautiful.  Newborn babies were adorable...and some 
puppies and fuzzy pets were often considered cute.  However, Mari 
Suzuhara, just a few scant weeks away from her tenth birthday, and 
dressed in what had to be the most adorable, yellow-and-pink flowery 
hospital gown, topped them all.  

The fact that she had Toji by the neck was even cuter...in a strange, 
Asuka-esque kind of way.  

Shinji tried to hide his laughter as the little girl hung onto her 
brother's shirt collar and scolded him like an angry mother.  "I told 
you that you two might become friends." she sighed and turned to 
Shinji.  "He was all mad and huffin and puffin like a big bad wolf when 
he came in here before." she explained. 

"Oh?" Shinji inquired politely, still trying to ignore how comical her 
older brother looked with the loss of blood flow through his neck.  
Finally, Mari let go and Toji was able to breathe again.  

"Well, he thought that the building crashing was all your fault." the 
girl nodded with a strange mixture of wisdom and innocence that only 
made her cuter.  "So he came in and told me he'd get you back for all 
that.  But I was already getting better, and he was all worried over 
nuffin!" she pouted, shooting the already red Toji a look.  

"I'm sure he just did it cause he was worried, Mari-chan." Shinji 
smiled innocently.  

"Yeah, but then I heard he beat ya up." she scowled.  "I told him he 
should go and maybe be friends with you.  I was right." she beamed.  
"See??  Now he knows that he should never beat people up cause they 
might be good buddies later on."

"Why me?" Toji sighed, hanging his head. 

"Because you've been bad!" Mari said with a 'humph!' at the end of her 
sentence.  "Shinji-san, do you know what he did?"

"What did he do?" Shinji asked.

"He went and said he'd pilot a big robot just so I could have these 
stupid little flowers on my clothes instead of just white ones!" Mari 
crossed her arms and glared at Toji.  

"But, Mari-chan.  You got better when they moved you here." Shinji 
said, trying to help out his poor friend.  "You might not have gotten 
better...or at least not as fast.  Your brother did a very kind thing 
so you could get better faster and wouldn't have to stay in the 
hospital all the time."

Toji smiled, though he was still bright red from embarrassment.  

Mari sighed, losing interest in the argument.  "Oooh!  Shinji-san!  Do 
you want to see the cool computer screen they gave me?"

The boys watched as Mari ran as well as her weak legs could carry her 
into the other room.  "She's gotten a lot stronger, though I wish she 
could stay in bed a few more days to be sure." Toji sighed with a hint 
of worry on his brow.  

"We'll have to thank Ritsuko for getting her better." Shinji smiled.  
"I remember you told me she hadn't even been able to stand before."

Toji smiled and nodded, his color returning to normal.  "I'm glad you 
understand." he sighed as they heard more crashing and rummaging in the 
other room.  "I'm sure she would have been fine...but it's hard to see 
your sister in a damn hospital bed for almost half a year.  I didn't 
want it to be a full year before she got better."

Shinji nodded and then laughed as Mari dragged an impressive-looking 
computer screen into the room and flopped it onto the bed, powering it 
up.  "Wow, that's quite a toy!"

"It has a really cool drawing program." Mari smiled, happy to be the 
focus of attention again. "And you can play cartoons on it too!"

The two boys smiled happily, watching the younger girl.  "I know you 
don't want to pilot Eva, Shinji." Toji said, quiet enough that Mari 
didn't hear.  

Shinji nodded with a weak sigh.

"But if you ever find a reason to..." Toji placed his hand on Shinji's 
shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze.  "Whatever that reason will 
be, it will out-shadow all the pain.  You won't even notice."

"Your sister is that important to you." Shinji observed to himself. 

Toji nodded and sighed, watching his little sibling drawing a cat on 
the screen.  "If I knew we had to march into those monsters tomorrow 
and die...I would do it in a heartbeat, so long as I knew Mari-chan was 
safe."

With that, they silently agreed to drop the conversation, and instead, 
helped Mari draw a house to put behind the cat, complete with a pretty 
little yellow sun in the sky. 

Shinji wondered how that picture would look with a pair of train-tracks 
running by.










It was almost midnight when Asuka heard a familiar "I'm home..." at the 
door.  She looked up from the magazine she wasn't really reading 
anyway, and smiled warmly.  

"Hey, Ikari." she said.  "How's Toji's sis doing?"

"A lot better." Shinji smiled, hanging up his coat before going to the 
kitchen for a glass of milk.  "Anything interesting happen while I was 
gone?"

"Bah.  Misato's out on a date tonight...again..." Asuka sighed, rolling 
over onto her back, letting the magazine flop over her face.  "Pen-
Pen's sleeping, and Hikari had too much homework."

"And we have that sync test tomorrow again." Shinji finished his milk 
and then let out a hearty yawn, forcing him to realize just how tired 
he was.  "I think I'm goinna head off to bed."

Asuka sighed to herself.  She really didn't feel like sleeping, but it 
was probably the only thing TO do.  "Sounds good."

The next thing she saw was the magazine being pulled away from her 
eyes, revealing Shinji, who leaned down and delivered a gentle kiss 
goodnight to her lips.  

It was halfway on his way up that Shinji turned slightly pink.  
"Oh...uh...goodnight..."

Asuka blinked, still kind of surprised by the familiar, gentle gesture.  
"...No problem, Shinji-kun..."

It seemed too good to be true.  In this quiet, empty house, the two of 
them shared a moment that could have been any couple on the planet.  If 
it wasn't for their mutual young age, it could have very well looked 
like a man kissing his wife goodnight before a needed rest.  It seemed 
too nice...too easy to fall into.  

"Uhm..." Asuka whispered as she noticed that Shinji hadn't moved, still 
looking down at her from his kneeling vantage point.  "Are you okay, 
Shinji-kun?"

Shinji just nodded slowly, a small smile crossing his lips.  
"Asuka...I...I've had something on my mind..."

Asuka, for some reason, became slightly worried.  "Oh?"

He seemed to pick up the distress in her voice, and backed away 
suddenly.  "Uhm...yeah." he sighed then shook his head.  "Listen, it's 
nothing.  Just a lot on my mind." he smiled again.  "I'll tell you 
later or something, okay?"

Asuka, despite her hatred for secrets and unknown thoughts, just 
nodded.  "Okay, Shinji-kun...if you want."

With a final nod, Shinji stood and walked over to the hall.  
"Goodnight, Asuka-chan."

"Goodnight, Shinji." she smiled back, then sighed as she heard the door 
close.  "Sweet dreams."








"Aren't you weirded-out by this?" Kaoru said lazily, looking up at the 
ceiling past Misato's hair.  

"Mmm?" Misato hummed softly against his neck, curled up against him on 
the bed.  "By what?"

"Well...with the Children." he said with a sigh.  "They're not stupid.  
They're goinna notice this...if they haven't noticed already."

Misato just smiled to herself.  "Quite frankly, I don't care." she 
said, getting up on her elbow so she could look down at his face.  "I 
don't pretend to be their mother, and they don't pretend either.  
They're big kids.  I don't need their permission to date their teacher, 
and they can stay the hell out of my sex life." she winked.  "Thank you 
very much."

Kaoru sighed, defeated in the argument, yet he still wore a bit of 
concern on his face.  

"Why do you ask?" Misato nuzzled back down and rested against his neck.  

"I guess I just have a lot on my mind." he smiled.  "Gomen.  Must be 
tired"

"Mmm.  Then shut up and sleep with me." she smiled against his skin.  
"I have an early day tomorrow."

"Mmm, more spooky secret NERV stuff?" Kaoru smiled and tapped her on 
her nose with his free hand.  

"If I tell you, can I frisk you for recording devices later?" Misato 
grinned.

"If you intend to pull out a set of rubber gloves, I'm afraid I'll have 
to decline." Kaoru said with a cautious grin.

"Damn." Misato kissed him.  "And I left them at home." she yawned and 
settled back into the covers.  "But we are having a test.  If you want, 
I could see if we could get you a guest pass.  You could watch from one 
of the Geofront's observation decks."

"I wouldn't want to intrude..." Kaoru said.

"It wouldn't be a problem.  You can't see any top-secret stuff from 
that far away, just the Evas." Misato said sleepily.  "It's quite a 
sight."

"I know." Kaoru whispered to himself as the Major drifted off to sleep.

He followed a moment later; the moonlit ceiling no longer holding his 
attentions strongly enough.  









The four Evangelion pilots sighed as the massive steel and alloy cages 
began their ascent to the 'surface' of the Geofront.  In reality, it 
was only what NERV could afford to excavate out of the mysterious, 
giant sphere that gave any kind of open space inside.  Originally 
filled with dirt, rock, and sediment, Shinji often wondered how they 
even knew it existed in the first place.  

Asuka had reasoned they must have been drilling for oil or something 
else, when the geologists found the sphere, but Shinji wasn't too sure.  
Everything about NERV seemed planned for from the beginning.  

Whatever the origins, however, it was human technology that now gave 
them this strange world underground at their disposal.  With the city 
of Tokyo 3 just above, three or four buildings still in their 'safe' 
positions while under repair, the skyscrapers gave the illusion of 
stalactites reaching down from the cave roof.  The iridescent, dome, 
however, looked almost like a blue sky, and the buildings almost seemed 
to hang in mid air like clouds.  

As the yellow-and-black 'danger' strips on the doors parted, the four 
Children felt the air rushing in around them in a welcome change of 
pace from NERV's recycled hallway atmosphere.  At least the Geofront, 
while also contained, had larger ventilation systems in place.  

Of course, it didn't matter too much at the moment, since liquid LCL 
now filled their lungs, and the only breeze they felt was from the 
echoing effect of the air hitting the Evangelion's armor.  Still, 
Shinji had a smile on his face.  Evangelion Unit 03 stood beside him.  
Toji had been able to sync past the minimum level for movement, and was 
under his own power at last.  

"How're you doing, Toji-kun?" Misato's voice asked on all their 
monitors as the cage-elevators locked in place and opened.  

"Not bad.  Still smells in here, though." Toji sighed.  Despite a bit 
of uncomfort edging in on his voice, he seemed a lot more relaxed than 
Shinji remembered himself being during his first attempt.

"Don't worry.  You get used to it, Toji-san." Shinji offered helpfully.  
Toji smiled on his monitor and nodded.  

"Don't worry about me, Shinji.  I'll still beat you good." he grinned 
with his usual competitive spirit; a complete reversal of the 
flattened-grimace that Unit-03 wore on it's face.  

Shinji just smiled.  "We'll just see about that."

"Okay, kids." Ritsuko interrupted their musings.  "Unit-03 has also 
been equipped with the test equipment we've put into Unit-01 and 02.  
Rei will be standing by for backup in case we need to restrain anyone, 
so play nice, kids."

"What exactly will we be doing?" Asuka asked over the intercom, her red 
Evangelion taking an anxious step past the other three.

"Very simple." Ritsuko smiled to herself.  "You're all going to be 
running laps."

All four of them blinked.

Misato was on next.  "This will get Toji acquainted to the Evangelion's 
speed and manageability.  Also, it will give you three seasoned pilots 
a chance to prove who's the fastest." she smiled.  "As we know, Shinji 
proved himself the fastest during the Tenth Angel attack.  This is your 
chance to reclaim your record, Asuka."

If Shinji hadn't been expecting it, he might have missed the evil grin 
that Unit-02 gave him from the side.  

"Understood.  I won't let you down, Misato!" Asuka said.

Ritsuko nodded.  "I want you all to be ready for anything.  Remember, 
this is a test of the new plugs." she smiled again.  "We may have built 
in some surprises for you."

That was enough to get even Rei nervous.

"Hai." they all answered.





Misato sighed and turned to her friend.  "You really shouldn't scare 
them like that."

"Who said I was scaring them?" Ritsuko smiled innocently.  "I was just 
warning them."

Somewhere up above them, Commander Ikari smiled slightly.  Fuyutsuki 
noticed and took a step back.  

Misato raised an eyebrow, but then sighed and turned to the main 
observation screen.  "Evangelions!  ENGAGE!"




All four of the massive weapons were already lined up along the edge of 
the dome in a start formation.  Their umbilical cables were hung from a 
centre point boom in the air, letting them all have free range 
throughout the Geofront.  At the Major's command there was an almost 
physical boom as all four of them took off like bullets.  

Toji, for his credit, only faltered the first three steps, barely 
keeping upright, but managing with a comical wave of Eva-03's oversized 
arms.  It wasn't long until he found pace behind Rei, though, and began 
to catch up. 

Shinji smiled and popped on his intercom.  "Hey!  Toji!  Not too bad!"

"Shut up, Ikari!  This is harder than it looks!" Toji replied, a 
stressed look was on his face as he tried to focus on running, but he 
was smiling nonetheless.  "Normally I don't have to lug around an 
Evangelion when I run!"

"Ha!" Asuka entered in with her usual commentary.  "If you ever get as 
high a sync-rate as I, you'll know that the Evangelion is a graceful 
machine!  It's your stooge-mind that makes it perform badly!"

Toji just grinned back.  "You're only winning because you took a few 
steps in front of us before the race!  Cheater!"

Asuka sputtered.  "NANI!"

"The Forth is right.  You took three steps forward before we began." 
Rei offered helpfully as she ran, keeping pace with Shinji, just behind 
him in third place.  

"Shut up, Wondergirl!  I don't need your help!" Asuka grumbled and cut 
her comm. off.

Shinji smiled and concentrated on running.  He could watch everyone in 
tiny windows in his field of vision now.  Toji looked as if he was 
finally getting into a nice, normal run.  His movements were less 
robotic and more human as his mind got used to it.  

It was odd to watch the ground from this vantage point.  It was a 
strange feeling...running, yet sitting in the pilot's seat.  Swinging 
your arms, and yet, pushing forward on the butterfly control-handles.  
The feeling that one was just out for an evening jog...and yet, each 
step ripped up the earth beneath them and launched the massive beasts 
forward at speeds that all muscle-cars could only dream of having.  

In Eva, everything was enhanced.  While each step felt almost normal, 
the Evangelions multiplied and accelerated it.  Each footstep thundered 
down against the Geofront's earth at lightning speeds, only to rip back 
up into the air and back down again before the eye could blink.  Their 
bodies had to lean unnaturally forward to keep their centre of gravity.  
If they were to stand or lean at only a natural angle, their feet would 
run away from them and they'd flip, belly-side-up, like a cartoon 
character.  

Unit-02 and 01 were now neck-to-neck, producing a comical sight as 
their elongated chins and horn lead their attack on the air in front of 
them.

After the second lap, already over thanks to their amazing speed, Unit-
03 actually gained some ground on Unit-00.  Toji was beginning to enjoy 
the feeling of running so fast.  Every limb seemed supercharged and 
strong.  His heart and lungs beat to their normal rhythms, yet 
multiplied to so much more when fed into his Evangelion.  "Shinji..." 
he thought to himself.  "You'd be a fool to want this to stop..." he 
smiled and tried running harder.  "It's like flying."




"Unit-03 shows nominal.  All Evangelions in the green." Maya said 
happily as she reported to the bridge crew.  

"I must say." Shigeru smiled to Misato.  "It's nice to know we have 
another backup."

"Hai.  Four Evangelions against an Angel sounds much nicer than one or 
two." Makoto nodded.

Misato smiled.  "Not to mention better odds of us all surviving this 
intact."

"Doctor Akagi." 

Everyone, including the doctor turned to the Commander, who was still 
seated in his usual spot one level above them.  "Yes, Commander?" she 
blinked.

"Activate Unit-03's Dummy Plug system."

Ritsuko blinked.  "P...Pardon?"

Misato turned to the screen, then did a double take at the Commander.  
"Dummy Plug?"

Gendo Ikari nodded, his hands masking his mouth as he spoke.  "Prepare 
to record the data.  I want a full report."

Ritsuko nodded and turned to the front of the bridge.  "Maya, get all 
the sensors online.  Activate the Plug when Unit-03 passes the start 
point for the third lap."

Maya nodded, quickly getting the Magi and systems ready for the 
unexpected test.  "Yes, Sempai!"




Fuyutsuki allowed himself a small smile as he turned to Gendo.  "The 
good Doctor warned the Children something might happen."

"Mmm." Gendo nodded.  "She seems to be getting familiar with my 
commands." a small smile.  "I'll try to be more original in the 
future."

"God help us all." Fuyutsuki offered with a small chuckle.  

"Indeed."




Toji had yet to take three full steps over the starting point when he 
felt everything cut.

The speed, the strength, and even the view of outside simply 
disappeared from his mind...reverting to a stale, cold gray metal 
coffin.  "What the...?"

He was cut off as he felt a horrible jolt through his system.  The 
Evangelion around him, with it's momentum no longer being controlled, 
did a complete, utterly devastating, face-plant into the dirt.

Shinji gasped as he saw this, still running.  "Toji!  Are you okay!?!"

"He will be fine, Ikari-kun." Rei said suddenly.  "It is just the 
test."

Shinji nodded, resisting the urge to turn back and help his fallen 
friend. 

Asuka just laughed.  "Ooooh boy!  He's goinna feel that tomorrow!  I 
guess it's not such a loss...he was already in last place."




But then, the black, blue and white Evangelion got back up.



It's eyes glowed angrily.

Inside, Toji's view returned, but he found that none of the control 
had.  "W...What's going on??" he gasped as he felt his seat humming 
behind himself.  A strange, computer-drive device began to spin, and he 
was amazed when he felt the Evangelion lift itself up.  "A...An 
autopilot?" he wondered.

"AAHH!" he gasped as the beast took off under it's own power once more, 
this time hunched over in an animalistic, clawing sprint. 




Shinji and Asuka gasped as they saw Unit-03 regain pursuit.  What was 
even stranger than the sudden resumed chase was that it seemed to be 
almost...angry.

It's arms lashed out at the ground.  Each massive hand pulling up 
fistfuls of trees and roots, hauling it's body forward when it's legs 
were hardly even touching down anymore.  It looked like a cheetah 
ripping across the savannah, hot on the trail of it's prey.  

"What the hell is he doing!?!?" Asuka gasped, watching the scene on her 
monitor as she ran. 

"He...he's catching up!" Shinji blinked.

Unit-03 sped up.  The destroyed plant life and earth behind it 
splattered against the Geofront dome's walls, being thrown hundreds of 
feet into the air.  Black and twisting, like a snake that had chosen a 
meal much too fast for it's jaws, the umbilical cable strained to reel 
in and out fast enough for each 'step'.  It was no longer even an 
exaggerated run.  The humanoid Evangelion turned into a bat out of 
hell.  It's eyes focused hungrily on it's mission.

Run.  Defeat the others.





"It works." Gendo said to himself.

Fuyutsuki just sighed, watching yet another one of this madman's dreams 
take life...in all it's unknown viciousness.  

Misato just watched, half amazed, and half frightened.  "What the hell 
is that thing...?"

Ritsuko stood next to her friend.  "Hopefully...it's something good."

"What do you mean, 'hopefully?!'" Misato snapped.  "Is Toji okay?"

"He's fine." the Doctor sighed.  "The Eva's on it's new Auto-Pilot."

Misato blinked, then turned to the comm..  "Toji, are you okay in 
there?!?"

A very confused Forth Child answered back.  "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING 
ON!?!?"

Everyone cringed as the speakers echoed. 

"This is the new system we're testing, Toji." Ritsuko explained.  "An 
emergency auto-pilot.  Just hold on and enjoy the ride.  We'll be 
ending it soon."

"Fine." Toji grumbled.  "You know, you could have WARNED me!" his comm. 
channel cut off.

Ritsuko smiled to Misato.  "I did!"

Misato sighed and turned back to the screen.




"Dammit!" Asuka gritted her teeth and poured on the speed.  "No way I'm 
being bested by the rookie!"

Shinji, though worried, took Rei's advice to heart.  "It's the new 
system they installed.  It has to be!"

"Humph!  Then they wanna see what a real pilot can do against their 
fancy technology.  I'll show them." Asuka's comm. cut off and her 
Evangelion passed Shinji to reclaim the lead and try to keep it from 
Toji.

Shinji just smiled at her determination, and tried to keep up as well.  




But the real test began when Unit-03 caught up to Unit-00.  



A lightning fast arm came up and grabbed Unit-00's leg.  Before Rei 
could react, she let out a sharp yelp in pain and unceremoniously fell 
down and skidded to a stop in the dirt.

"Ayanami!" Shinji gasped, but didn't have time to hear much of a 
response when Unit-03 literally pushed him aside with an animalistic 
growl, almost toppling the purple and green Eva over like it's 
prototype counterpart.  

"I'm fine, Ikari-kun." Rei's reply came.  Shinji nodded.

"It's going after the leader!" Shinji said.  "Asuka!  Watch out!"

Asuka was keeping an amazing lead on Unit-03.  It was a true testimony 
to her piloting skill that she could, under her own power, control her 
Eva to such a fine degree.  However, the fact that Unit-02 was still 
ahead of Unit-03 seemed to be pissing the black Evangelion right off. 

It lunged, and it's arms connected with Asuka's power cable, pulling on 
it hard.

Asuka gasped and felt her world lurch backwards.  A dizzying spin 
later, and she fell right on her ass, sliding to a stop, defeated on 
the ground.  Had it not been for the Eva's armor, she would have had a 
few broken limbs just from the neural backlash. 

"SHIT!" Asuka yelled, watching Unit-03's form jump over her, continuing 
on it's goal to be first at the finish line.  And then, Unit-01 
followed.  She growled.  "GET THE BASTARD, SHINJI!"

Shinji was indeed going to get him.

But on his face, was a smile.  "Okay, Father.  This is your chance..." 
he said to himself as Unit-01 thundered forward, catching up.  "Rei 
once asked me to put faith in your work..." he took a deep breath.  
"...so here it is."

His fists jammed forward on the control yolks.

"EEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Shinji yelled, diving forward at Unit-03's 
feet.  




Commander Ikari smiled.





Unit-01 connected with 03's legs with such force that the newer Eva was 
literally swept off it's own feet.  It's crawling run was cut short as 
it's hands caused the massive thing to flip over and land squarely on 
it's back. 

Inside, Toji cringed, but was fine.  "I'm going to have such a headache 
tonight..."

Unit-01 scrambled to it's feet, hunched over, ready to attack the black 
Eva.  

Two, narrow, glowing slits looked up at Shinji with more hatred than he 
would have thought possible.  It was right about then he hoped he had 
done the right thing.  

"GWAAAAAAAAAARGH!"  Unit-03 somehow propelled itself up and rocketed 
towards Unit-01.  It was such a quick action that there was no hope for 
Shinji to counter and he felt the brunt of Unit-03's head connect 
squarely with his stomach.

Shinji gasped, not exactly sure how to breathe.  Bubbles exploded from 
his mouth, but he tried to remain focused.  He had to give it his best 
try.  

Unit-01 drove it's gauntlet-like hands down and down again against 
Unit-03's shoulder's and back, but it was no use.  The beast did not 
care for pain.

Black pushed purple through a terrain outcropping, causing rock and 
debris to explode and fly everywhere as the small mountain was 
literally demolished under their heels.  

And even then, Unit-03 just ran, howling against Unit-01 in blind rage.  
It's arms wrapped around the Test-Type, preventing it from breaking 
away.  The dome of the Geofront sounded out the mighty impact as the 
two Evangelions crashed into it.  Birds that had been watching the 
battle all scattered as the shockwave bounced across the dome.  

Even as Shinji felt the bone-jarring impact, though, he refused to give 
up.  "COME ON!" he yelled, willing his machine to leap.  "FIGHT!!"  
Indeed, Unit-01 followed it's pilot, and the crushing blow stopped as 
Unit-01 flipped over it's attacker, using the hold to twist Toji's Eva 
back into an almost fatal spine-break under so much weight and stress.  

Unit-03 wasn't that quick to be defeated.  It's arms let go at the last 
moment, spinning around while Unit-01 crashed into the earth.  As the 
wall of churned up soil and gravel boiled up into the air, Unit-03 
leapt through the cloud, startling Shinji as he was recovering from the 
impact.  

All he saw in the debris were the two, angry, glowing eyes flying 
towards him. 

The impact was twice as strong as anything he had felt yet.  Unit-03 
actually landed with it's feet on Unit-01's chest.  Shinji cried out 
despite his best efforts to focus, feeling his ribs threaten to crack 
open.  

And the beast would not stop there.  

It jumped up and landed, with it's legs on either side of the fallen 
Unit-01's chest.  It's fists, however, connected with Shinji's neck.  
CRACK!  CRACK!  CRACK!  After a barrage of punches that left the sound 
long echoing throughout the Geofront, Unit-03 roared and gripped the 
Test Type by the neck.  

Shinji gagged, feeling the pressure around his neck at almost crushing 
levels.

And even as everything went black, he had a tiny smile on his lips.








He awoke to lights.  

Red, flashing lights of the emergency rescue vehicles and teams as the 
ran up to his ejected plug.  A pool of amber LCL lay around him as two 
large men in isolation suits yanked him free of the capsule that he 
only now saw was red on the outside, instead of it's normal white.  

He saw Unit 01 and 03 still locked in their struggle, only now frozen 
without power.  Two umbilical cables hung from the roof, safely ejected 
and away from their hosts.  Unit-01 had a look of pain on it's face, 
but seemed undamaged.  

Shinji was glad.  "Thank you, Mother." he whispered to himself.  Then, 
almost as an afterthought:  "And you, Father."

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKAAAAAAA!" Asuka ran over to him, ignoring the two men 
helping Shinji to his feet, and grabbing him into a hug that could have 
strangled him twice as hard as Unit-03 did, if it wasn't for the fact 
she was shaking so much.  "I didn't mean attack him!"

Shinji just smiled up at Asuka.  "I know...but it was just part of the 
test."

Asuka frowned and just lay her head on his shoulder.  "You should warn 
your girlfriend before you run off and almost get killed, you know."

"I know." Shinji smiled, then let out a tired breath, slipping back 
into a light sleep from the stress of the battle.  "Gomen..."

"You always say that." Asuka sighed, holding him tightly.









Commander Ikari walked along the railing as the tanks were being 
refilled.  

All four Evangelions were back in their holding pens.  Despite the 
battle, Unit-01 needed only to regenerate on it's own.  No extreme 
repairs were needed.  

Ritsuko walked up to him as he stopped, characteristically, in front of 
Unit-01's giant face. 

"The test went well." she offered.

"It did." Gendo said in his usual cool, controlled manner.  "Schedule 
tests with the other two units before the end of the week."

Ritsuko nodded and sighed.  "I'm surprised Shinji did that." she turned 
to him.  "Was that part of your plan as well?"

"No." Gendo said after a moment.  "But it is all going according to 
plan." he paused.  "I am..." a smile.  "...glad...that Shinji fought 
his hardest."

"And I bet you're even happier that your Dummy Plug won." Ritsuko 
nodded.

Gendo turned to her and took a step forward, putting him uncomfortably 
close to her. 

"I am glad he did not disappoint me." he said.  "I will no longer be 
forced to rely on his childish desires and wants."

"We should have back-ups." Ritsuko swallowed hard.

"They will serve their purpose if I need them to." Gendo turned and 
walked away.  "They shall remain backups for now."

Ritsuko sighed and relaxed, looking up at Unit-01.  It's monolithic 
face just stared back at her.  

"Gomen-nasai." she said simply.  "We're only trying to survive."

And then, she left as well. 

The four Evangelions resumed their staring contest.








Misato and Asuka ate dinner in relative silence that night.  Shinji lay 
in his room, resting from the day's events, and both women had too much 
on their minds to succumb to idle chit-chat.  

And, so, as these things often happen...the phone rang. 

"I'll get it." Misato said, rising from the table.  

Asuka heard her exclaim something to whoever it was on the phone.  It 
sounded like it was either Kaji...or Kaoru...depending on who her 
flavour of the month was.

"No no no, everything's fine.  It looked a lot worse than it was." 
Misato said into the phone.  "Yeah, I know, the dust was pretty bad.  
Oh, no, he'll probably be in school tomorrow morning so long as he gets 
a good night's sleep."

Kaoru it was, then.  Asuka sighed, looking off into the direction of 
Shinji's room.  "It must be nice to have that kind of warmth..."

"What was that, Asuka?" Misato blinked, looking up from the phone.

"Nothing...just talking to myself." Asuka sighed angrily. 

Misato shrugged and continued her talk with the Sensei.  

Shinji...Shinji...

She wanted him to open up to her.  To let her in.  A blush crept over 
her cheeks as she thought of letting him 'in'.  It all seemed so nice 
and natural...they just always hit a barrier when they tried to be 
closer. 

Misato flaunted her ability to be intimate in every respect.  It made 
Asuka green with jealousy.  Want things that she never even considered 
wanting.  And even then, it opened her eyes to Shinji...even if just in 
little ways. 

She mused that it all started when Kaji was complaining, in his usual 
understated way, that Misato wouldn't even say happy birthday to him 
over their years apart, when he always did. 

And so, last June, she decided she'd be nice and wish Baka-Shinji a 
happy-birthday.  What could be the harm?

At first, she considered it must have been her competitive urges that 
drove her to spend more time with Shinji.  Misato and Kaji seemed so 
happy...but she could still be nicer than Misato...and happier if she 
tried.  

When she found herself staring down with fuzzy, drunk eyes at a similar 
Shinji who had just tipped over, and called her an angel, though...

Competitive urges be dammed.  

Her heart broke.

No...

The shell around her heart broke.  Right there.  Between a bottle of 
quality sake and a conversation about the Shinjis and Asukas in their 
minds...

she started to love him.  

She started to see the good in Shinji Ikari.  He was still Baka 
Shinji...but he was also Shinji.  He was also her Sweety Shinji.  Her 
Invincible Shinji-sama.  

And, if all else failed, she at least admitted he was her friend. 

Today, when Unit-01 and 03 were in the throws of battle, she worried.  
Even though NERV could have cut off the power before Shinji got hurt, 
she was still worried.  Like Hikari or any other of the other 
annoyingly average girls in her class. 

And she didn't really mind.  

Not when it was for Shinji.  

"I'm going to bed, Misato." she stood and dumped her plate in the sink.  

"Goodnight, Asuka.  I might be going out later, so set your alarm 
clocks for school tomorrow." Misato called after. 

Damn her.  

And when she couldn't raise him on her comm. channel, she had thought, 
for a split second, that he had gotten killed.

The strangest thought ran through her mind as that moment filled her 
heart with terror.  She could still remember thinking:

"I'll never know what he wanted to say to me."

It was such a silly thing to think about when her Shinji might be lying 
dead in his own LCL.  That she would never know what random little 
tidbit was on his mind last night.  

What if it was "I love you"?

That would be okay...she knew that to be true to some extent.  After 
all, she felt at least a bit of love (as much as her stubborn mind 
would admit to) for him.

But what if it was "I want to break up with you."

Or...as her mind raced...

"Marry me."

Her eyes widened at that one.  

"Die with me." 

Her body shivered as that last phrase let itself into her head, and her 
mind clawed it away before it could take hold.  

Asuka slid her door shut behind her, getting undressed on her way to 
bed.  

"Join with me."

Her eyes softened at that thought.  Shinji would only say it poetic 
like that.  "Making love" instead of "sex" or "fucking" or whatever 
else.  It made her scared.  Could she be gentle like that?  Did she 
want to?  She knew she didn't want to be rough.  At least not her first 
time. 

The unknown was driving her antsy.  Shinji had been reflective all day.  
It made her smile, but also filled her with a need to know.






It had to have been hours since she first slipped into her covers with 
these thoughts.  The gentle green LCD display now said 02:00am.  




Asuka turned and sighed.  Misato must have left for another date.  
Normally, she could hear the soft snoring of the Major in the next 
room.  

And so, she got up, pulled on her sleeping gown to cover herself at 
least somewhat, and opened the door to the hall.  

She wasn't completely surprised when, after she knocked on Shinji's 
door, she heard a soft "Come in."

With a small smile, she poked her head in and looked around.  "Hey."

Shinji was seated on his bed, fully dressed in his white shirt and 
pants.  Next to him, on the bed, was a full duffle bag.  On the desk 
was his security pass and a small envelope labelled 'NERV'.

Asuka's eyes widened as she let herself in.  "Shinji?"

His eyes were bright and wide with excitement as he stood up to meet 
her, sliding the door shut behind her.  "I...I was hoping you'd come 
here...I didn't really know how to approach you."

Asuka nodded and looked around.  While his room was never messy in the 
few times she had seen it close up, it seemed to be polished.  
Everything was squared away and packed up.  The extra bed sheets were 
in the corner, the lamp was placed back in it's original position, and 
the desk was clean of all school work.

"What's going on, Shinji?" she whispered, not sure if she wanted to 
know the answer.  

Shinji gently sat her down next to her on the bed, then turned to face 
her.  





"Asuka, come away with me."





She blinked.  

"What?"

Shinji's smile faltered for a moment, but he tried again.  "Come away 
with me." he said.  "Tonight.  Right now."

Asuka's heart began to race.  "W...What do you mean?"

He nodded, trying to think of what to say.  "Asuka...I...I can finally 
have something I never had before..." he said, looking at her with 
those same, excited eyes.  "Freedom.  A future.  Life."

His red-headed companion just stared at him with wide-eyes. 

"Father doesn't need me anymore...EVA doesn't need me anymore..." he 
said softly.  "I can finally leave."

"B..." Asuka swallowed hard.  Her heart and mind were having contests 
to see which one was racing faster, but neither had won yet.  
"But...you're a Pilot!  You pilot Unit-01!  You can't just...go!"

"I've thought about that for three days."  Shinji shook his head.  "I 
can."

Flustered, and out of lack of a better retort, Asuka said:  "HOW?!?!?"

He took her hand into his and held her tight.  

"NERV has three working, non-prototype Evangelions now.  More maybe on 
the way." Shinji said, trying not to let the excitement into his voice.  
"Toji is a natural Pilot, and he's a better fighter than I am." he 
paused, taking a deep breath.  "And you saw what that new auto-pilot 
could do, Asuka." he smiled.  "They don't NEED us anymore...It won!  I 
tried to fight...and it won.  I promised myself I would try my hardest, 
just so I could make sure it was okay for me to go...and it won."

Asuka just watched him talk, hearing the words but not responding to 
them.  

"My Father doesn't want me here." he whispered.  "I don't want to be 
here.  I have nothing to fight for here.  Toji has his sister to 
protect.  Rei...Rei's purpose is for Eva.  Even if she's not all that 
good all the time, we know it's true." 

Leaning forward, he continued. 

"But we...we can leave, Asuka." he squeezed her hand warmly.  "We don't 
have to be part of this.  We had to before...and we fought the angels 
and won." he shook his head.  "But we're done fighting.  We can start 
living now."

Asuka wondered what the tears sliding down her cheeks were for...as her 
mind wasn't fully able to comprehend what was happening.  

"Asuka..." Shinji swallowed hard.  "I...I know we just got 
started...but I..." he paused, then sighed.  "I love you, Asuka."

Time stood still.

Asuka begged it to stay still.  She wished with all her heart and soul 
that time could just stop on those simple, four words.

Time resumed. 

"I love you too..." Asuka whispered, looking up at him with tear-
clouded eyes.  "Shinji..."

Shinji's face couldn't have gotten happier.  Though a tear or two 
dripping on the bed must have been his, it didn't matter.





"Asuka..." he whispered.  "Come away with me.  Tonight.  Right now."




Asuka looked up at him, her eyes half-lidded.  Her brain was almost 
shutting down in frustration.  Her mouth worked simply on it's own 
accord.  




"No."





Shinji blinked.  A tear hit the bed with a soft 'plick!' sound.  

"A...Asuka...?"

"I can't...Shinji-kun..." she whispered.  Her voice was as weak as a 
breath.  Each shiver and whimper built up into the words that she could 
not have the power to say outright. 

"I...I can't leave this..." Asuka went on.  "It's a part of me..."

"No..." Shinji begged softly, his hands grasping her shoulders like he 
was scared of losing her.  Maybe he was.  "Y...you're not a part of 
Eva!  It doesn't need you anymore!  You're so much stronger than I, and 
I know I can leave!"

She looked away from him.  "I need Eva." she said.  "I...If it didn't 
need me..." a sob threatened to break out from her chest, and she had 
to swallow it back.  "...I'd be lost, Shinji..."

"I'll protect you!" Shinji begged, his voice so much louder than hers, 
trying to give her power, but scared more than anything.  

"You can't." Asuka whispered, hating the tears that were already 
flowing down her face.  "I can't leave this...I can't be you, 
Shinji..."

They held each other, not daring to cry out loud.  Both shivering.

Shinji's mind raced.  He begged his brain to fix this...to make it 
better...to get her to come.  

"Asuka..." he said, his head on her shoulder, as hers was on his.  "I 
need to leave...Now...Please...Come with me...I love you."

I Love You...it was supposed to make everything better, wasn't it?  Fix 
the worst problems...sometimes even when they shouldn't be fixed.  

Asuka desperately wanted those three words to make things better.  
Three simple words that made her the happiest woman on earth for that 
moment...but the most miserable the next. 

"Shinji..." she gently pushed him away from her body and curled up on 
the corner of the bed.  "I can't."





Shinji Ikari sat there for a long time as they tried to think of what 
else to say.  




Asuka almost screamed when she felt the bed shift and heard Shinji's 
footsteps.  A moment later, there was the rustle of a bag being lifted 
over his shoulder.  There was nothing else.  He had to believe that.  
He had to believe that more than anything he had ever in his life if he 
was to survive this.  Asuka knew this. 

That's why she dared not say she loved him again.  

The door slid closed behind him.

And Shinji Ikari was free.













Twenty-Ninth Lesson: "Run Like Hell"








He didn't care.

That was the only conclusion Shinji Ikari could draw against his 
escape.  Last time he did this, even NERV's so-called 'finest' security 
officers took over two days to bring him back.  Even then, they would 
never have been able to keep up with him until he stopped to visit 
Kensuke that one misty early morning.  

It was ridiculous and insulting to those in the agency.  Finding one 
lost little boy was more than within their power.  Combine that with 
the natural good Japanese work ethic and it was easy to see why things 
happened as they did. 

Like everything else in NERV, Commander Ikari controlled them all.  

A grumble from the man could make or break a mission.  Launch a 
thousand missiles to destroy an offender, or sit back and let an enemy 
kill their fighter pilots until an N2 mine was ready for deployment.  

Commander Ikari did not give a rat's ass that his son was escaping.  

At least not until he was needed again.  That's when the guards 
'suddenly' started noticing him and would pick him up in their black 
limos; complete with their stoic atmosphere of 'fight us and you'll 
wish you hadn't'. 

Shinji Ikari, however, was not worried as he strolled down the deserted 
streets of Tokyo-3.  It was only now becoming a lazy, blue dawn over 
the cityscape.  Half of the people here wouldn't wake up until he was 
already on the train.

He was no longer needed. 

He was a nuisance. 

He was happier than a clam in mud to know this, too.

His Father would not take him back this time.  

He was free.

These were the things that occupied Shinji Ikari's thought processes as 
he imagined how the train tracks would soon be speeding by his eyes.  
Perhaps he could request a window seat.  It wouldn't really be a big 
problem, considering the usual morning crowd was so light along this 
section of the monorail.  

Shinji wore neither a sad look, nor a happy one.  Only determined.  
Focused.  He had to be strong.  Stronger than he realized, or planned 
for.  Running away had always been so easy...just escape when reality 
became too much.  

Not this time.

Not when he was leaving Asuka behind.

He knew that one day, he could come back.  Maybe save her from Eva when 
he was sure he could save himself.  Still...those were uncertain terms.  
Eva may have her trapped forever.  Shinji realized he couldn't fight 
that...at least not yet.  

He had to become strong.  Find his way in life.  Find his own reasons 
to fight.

All of these were things he could not do at NERV.  Not with his Father 
watching behind his desk...controlling it all.  

He was not running away.  He was running like hell to find himself. 

Or so he hoped. 

"Mama..." he whispered out loud, re-slinging his pack up on his 
shoulders.  "Please watch over Asuka."

The next crosswalk light showed the white 'Walk' symbol, and his feet 
kept moving.  He had to keep going.  If he stopped now, it was all 
over.

Father would have won.








Misato yawned as she unlocked the front door and stepped inside.  
Though she had wondered if she should stick to dating only on the 
weekend, those thoughts were always vetoed when Kaoru was around, it 
seemed.  Luckily, he never seemed to mind her sleeping over, or she'd 
never get any.

The Misato inside Misato Katsuragi's head that had received most of the 
benefit of sleep: the logical, thinking Misato (who usually needed 
every bit of sleep it could get, thanks to all the hangovers that 
Drinky-Tipsy-Misato had) noticed that Shinji's shoes were gone from the 
door-well.  

However, still nursing the lack of sleep caused by Happy-Hentai-Misato 
last night, Logical-Thinking-Misato didn't voice it's concern too 
loudly, opting to grab an aspirin instead. 

"Tadaima." She called out, looking around for the usual signs of 
morning activity that accompanied the morning fiasco.  


Silence.


"Shinji-kun!  Asuka!  You kids here?" she called out down the hall as 
she put away her coat.  Misato sighed as she heard nothing, wondering 
if the two had another fight or something last night and were avoiding 
each other.  

On that thought, she realized they hadn't fought in quite some time.  
"Oh well...I suppose they're due for one." She mused, grabbing a beer 
from the fridge.  

"Wuaaagh!" Pen-Pen announced suddenly, startling Misato.  

"Hi, Pen!" she smiled, bending down and patting the little penguin on 
the head lightly.  

Pen-Pen rubbed against her hand affectionately, but then looked at her 
expectantly.  "Wuaagh!"

Misato blinked, then looked at his food dish.  "Hungry, boy?"

"Wuaagh!" Pen-Pen waved his flippers happily as Misato got him his 
breakfast.  Luckily, Shinji had left out a can of sardines, and 
therefore, Misato wouldn't poison the poor bird this morning.  

Logical-Thinking-Misato woke up enough to finally register that Shinji, 
even if he was avoiding the redheaded devil, would at least feed Pen-
Pen on the way out.

"Shinji?" she blinked, walking over to his door, beer still in her 
hand.  A soft knock later and she opened it herself.

PLUNK!

The beer-can dropped and spilled over her foot, though she didn't even 
notice. 

Asuka Langley Sohryu was on Shinji's bed, rather knelt against Shinji's 
bed, crying softly.  She was completely oblivious to the intruder in 
the room, never missing a sob.  A large, dark stain from her tears had 
spread out over almost all of the sheets, matting her hair down to the 
bed.

"A..." Misato had to swallow back the whirlwind of feelings that were 
submerging her heart just in order to speak.  "Asuka?"

Pen-Pen poked his head in the door, past Misato's legs, and stopped in 
shock, having never seen anything like this before.  Half of a sardine 
plopped out of his mouth.  

Asuka raised her head slowly, only now noticing that there were people 
here.  Her eyes were red and her face was swollen from crying so much.  

"He's gone..." she whispered, standing up on shaky legs.  

Misato gasped and rushed over to her, picking her up in her arms just 
before she fell.  "Asuka!  Shinji's gone??"

She nodded, looking up at her in desperation.  "I...I couldn't go..." A 
sudden sob wracked her body, forcing Misato to pick her up like a baby 
in her arms.  

"Asuka..." the older woman whispered; her eyes were wide as the reasons 
presented themselves to her.  "You love him..."

Asuka just cried as Misato carried her out of Shinji's Lovely Suite.









"What do you mean you're too busy!?!?"

Ritsuko had to hold the phone out away from her ear as Misato broke 
into yelling once again.  "Major, get a hold of yourself." She sighed, 
leaning back against her chair, illuminated by the dull glow of the 
computer screens around her.  It had been a long night, and while she 
wasn't exactly surprised to hear that Shinji had ran away, it was 
grating on her nerves nonetheless.

"I DO have a hold of myself!" Misato insisted.

"He's done this before." Ritsuko said as she mixed some more sugar into 
her next batch of coffee.  "He always comes back safely.  You said it 
yourself that he probably just rides the monorail for a while to blow 
off steam."

"That's all fine and dandy." Misato chided.  "But I don't think it's 
too much to ask for a security team to find him in case he's in 
trouble." She grumbled.  "From what I understand, that was supposed to 
be an outstanding order."

"Commander Ikari recalled that order a while ago." Ritsuko said.  
"We've needed all available personnel at Headquarters.  I know you 
think that we've just suddenly installed some new fancy equipment in 
the Evas, but it's a LOT more involved than that.  Security has been a 
major issue since the Second Branch's accident."

"But...they're our PILOTS!!" Misato yelled.  "They are the reason NERV 
exists today!"

"Might I remind you that it is the Operation Co-ordinator's duty to 
oversee such matters." Ritsuko smiled to herself as she heard Misato 
almost choke on her tongue.  "A duty that you have insured us that you 
were handling personally." 

"But..."

"Tell me, Major...where were you last night?" Ritsuko asked coldly, not 
willing to give an inch. 

"Fuck you, Akagi." Misato slammed the receiver down, ending the call 
with a loud, ringing click.

Ritsuko sighed and hung up on her end as well, pressing in a new number 
right away.  "The Third is gone again."

"Understood." Came the cool, cold voice.  "Reconfigure Unit-01 for Rei.  
Erase the current profiles.  Keep the Dummy Plug in as backup.  I 
expect the next battery of tests to be scheduled right away.  I want 
this to be flawless."

"Yes, Commander." 

He hung up without another word.







Sensei Kaoru idly checked off the attendance list as the class was 
reading an essay he had picked out for them to do a report on.  As he 
got to Shinji and Asuka's names, he looked up.  "Has anyone seen the 
married couple?"

"Probably off on a honeymoon." Toji offered, to the amusement of the 
class.  

Kaoru smiled, but persisted, turning to Rei, who was surprisingly 
present considering the Eva pilots often disappeared from school 
together at the same time...usually due to hospital stays.  "Miss 
Ayanami?"

"Hai?" she looked up from her essay, already half way though and taking 
notes as she went.  

"Do you know where Shinji and Asuka are today?" Kaoru asked.

"No." Rei shook her head slightly.  "But I would imagine they are in 
need of many lubricating fluids if they have been absent this long."

Everyone blinked.

"Or so I've been told." She smiled innocently before going back to her 
essay.

Kaoru was just about to move on when he heard a knock at the door.  The 
class all turned to see a very nervous looking Misato Katsuragi looking 
in through the window.  

Toji blinked.  "Hey, that's Misato."

Kensuke nodded, nudging his glasses up on his nose.  "Maybe she's here 
to recruit me?"

His friend sighed.  "I told you, they already have enough pilots."

Kaoru smiled and stood.  "Just a second, class.  Carry on with your 
essays." Of course, that received many cat-calls and 'Oooooooooooo's 
and 'Awwwwwwww's from the class...not to mention a few jealous looks 
from some of the girls. 


Misato waited patiently until he had opened the door before hauling him 
outside and slamming it shut behind them. 


The class blinked, then returned to saying a collective: 
"Ooooooooooooooooooh!"






"He's gone." Misato said quickly, letting him down from her grasp now 
that they were away from the door.  "Shinji is gone."

Kaoru blinked.  "G...gone?"

Misato looked very dishevelled.  While Kaoru had managed to pull in a 
few hours of sleep, she had not.  She shoved a piece of paper into his 
hand and waited expectantly for him to read it.  He sighed and opened 
the carefully folded letter, recognising Shinji's hand-writing 
immediately.

"Dear Major,

  Thank you for everything these past few months.  I am sorry for any 
trouble I have caused you and the fights we had.  I..."

"I know all that part.  Skip to the last." Misato interrupted. 

Kaoru blinked, then scanned down.  "Please respect this as my final 
wish with NERV.  Do not follow me.  NERV does not need me anymore.  You 
have the new auto-pilot systems, and Pilots who have a reason to fight 
for you.  I cannot live here, where my only reward is a lie I've been 
telling myself for years.  I must find out where the tracks take me.  I 
wish to be free.  Please tell my Father I said goodbye, and I wish for 
us never to meet again.  Take care, Misato-san.

           Your friend, Ikari Shinji."


Misato nodded.  "Tracks."

Kaoru blinked.  

"What did he mean by tracks?" she pressed into him, arm first, back 
against the wall.  "What the HELL have you been teaching him???"

Kaoru sighed, but did not resist.  "Train Tracks." He said.  "Shinji 
wanted to leave." His face was apologetic where his words could not be.  
"I didn't think he would actually leave right away, though."

"And you didn't TELL ME?!?!" Misato yelled, making Kaoru wince.  
"Dammit!  I mean, I know you're just a teacher to the Children, but you 
knew about this and didn't even THINK to tell me when I was around last 
night?!?"

The Sensei nodded.  "Misato, you have to understand, that boy was 
suffocating here!  I didn't want to crush any dreams of his that he 
might have a future!" he stood up tall, making Misato back off a bit.  
"You would have done this if I told you.  Pushed him back down."

SLAP!

Kaoru held his face as Misato re-pinned him up against the wall with a 
sound 'crack'!  

"You sonofabitch!" she growled.  "Who do you think you are?!?  You KNOW 
what Shinji...what every one of them means to us!  You have no IDEA 
what this means if an Angel attacks.  You don't even KNOW Shinji...or 
Asuka...or Rei for that matter!  You're treating them like they're some 
worthless group of kids who you can afford to test out third-rate 
psychology on!"

"I'm treating them like normal people." Kaoru defended.  "Do YOU know 
them?" he pushed off her arm to her surprise.  "Each of them are still 
kids, Misato!  And you're treating them like the fucking Evas that NERV 
tosses around like dolls!"

Misato growled.

"I never put ANYTHING into Shinji's head.  I just told him he should 
follow his heart."  Kaoru said sternly.  "I know how important these 
kids are to you...and to all of us.  But I'm not about to condemn them 
to a second-rate life just because they're so damn priceless.  I'm 
going to teach them like I would any other normal young student."

"No." Misato said.  "Don't you do this.  Not fuckin now." She growled.  
"Don't you twist this into something it's not.  The fact is that 
Shinji's running again.  Do you really think that's going to help him?"

"When he's running away from NERV?" Kaoru smiled sadly.  "I'd tie his 
own running shoes for him."

"NERV?!?" Misato yelled.  "What the HELL does this have to do with 
NERV?!?  Do you think I just treat him like some kind of guinea pig?  
That little man means more to more people than a thousand teachers or 
Majors combined!  There isn't a day goes by where every person I meet 
or deal with at work doesn't ask how Shinji-kun is doing.  If he's okay 
and feeling better from the last attack or whatever.  Not an attack or 
emergency goes by where I would give my life if it meant he could be a 
thousand miles away instead of inside that fucking purple monster!" 
tears were now evident on her face, but her voice was strong.  

"Misato..."

"SHUT UP!" she yelled.  "There isn't a moment where I don't wish he was 
a safe, happy, normal boy!  He's given us so much, and asked so little 
in return." She leaned forward.  "But that's not the way things are.  
That's not reality.  I don't know what you think reality is, but it's 
life or death out there.  We're all just hanging on by the tips of our 
fingernails just to keep alive!  This is NOT a fucking classroom, you 
pompous, self-righteous asshole!  Things don't work on tests and pop 
quizzes!  You do NOT get time to study and review.  You will either 
live or die."

Kaoru was silent.  Words were long since escaping him.

"Shinji is that one thing that lets us have any CHANCE of survival." 
Misato whispered dangerously at him.  "He's not going to have any 
future if we all die tomorrow in an Angel attack.  It doesn't matter 
how long the train-tracks are...they'll lead to the same place.  The 
only difference is that you've given him a false hope...something to 
pretend and play up to.  He's still running away, though, and we may 
all die because of this.

"And I'm sorry if you can't accept this, but I have more love toward 
that little boy than you will ever know from me, and the only reason 
I'm not putting a bullet in your head is because I know he'll be back." 
Misato released his shirt and pushed him away.  

Sensei Kaoru, dazed slightly, finally managed to retain a bit of his 
analytical mind as Misato was walking off.  

"W...why do you think he'll come back?"

She turned and frowned.  "Don't expect Asuka in class for a few more 
days.  I think they're in love."

Kaoru was silent as he watched her leave.  When he opened the door to 
class, he was greeted with the wide-eyes of his students.  He swallowed 
hard, wondering just how much they heard.

"PMS." Rei offered quietly.

The class all blinked, then returned to their assignments nervously.

Kaoru slumped into his chair.  They were in love.  "This is not 
good..." he thought to himself.  







Shinji was looking at his travel pass as he sat on the bench, waiting 
for the next train.  As he had been walking along the streets, he 
wondered what it would be like to live in a cooler place.  Away from so 
many noisy cicadas and the unending summer.  Asahikawa was on the 
Northern island of Japan, and far enough inland that it wasn't flooded 
out by the Second Impact.  

"I wonder if they have cicadas up there..." he asked out loud.

As if to answer him, the cicada's chirping suddenly stopped.

Shinji looked up and around, wondering what happened.  That was right 
about the same time the sirens started.

"A...an Angel?" he blinked.  The fear that he might be brought back to 
Eva suddenly reclaimed his mind.  

A sudden voice echoed out over the almost deserted train station:

"A state of emergency has been declared throughout all Tokyo-3 Sectors.  
All non-combat personnel please report to the nearest shelter 
immediately.  Thank you!"

As he turned back to the train tracks, he saw the green lights had all 
shifted to red.  "All Trains Delayed"

Shinji Ikari was trapped in Tokyo-3. 





Misato swore to herself as she and Asuka drove.  The buildings were 
already being retracted down into the Geofront, creating an eerie 
illusion of flying as they sped by.  "Why, oh why, do these fucking 
things attack us NOW?"

Asuka looked lazily out of the window.  Her features seemed so delicate 
and fragile at the moment.  She had gotten a bit of sleep that morning 
after Misato had escorted her to bed, but her emotions were sill 
playing havoc on her body.  "They are the enemy." She said simply.  
"They come when they want to."

"I'm going to take you to the NERV's hard-shelter." Misato said. 
"You're in no condition to fight right now."

"No." Asuka said, this time much more forcefully.  "I have to fight.  
Let me pilot.  I'll be okay."

Their world lit up in a bright flash as the first attack hit only a 
block away from the car.  Misato cried out and struggled to keep 
control of her vehicle as it took to the air and landed hard from the 
shockwave.  

Asuka looked out of the rear window at the tiny white-and-black speck 
in the sky that was descending upon them.  "I will kill it."

Misato prayed Asuka was right.  The next cross-shaped explosion would 
have hit them if it wasn't for the tunnel that enveloped the car, 
taking it down to the Geofront.









Thirtieth Lesson: "Moved"









"There's no time." Misato said urgently, startling the bridge crew, who 
had thought her to be still in transit.  "As soon as Asuka is in Unit 
02, launch it to the Geofront ground level."

"Hai!" Maya replied, checking the systems.

"Status on Unit-00 and 03." Misato demanded.

Ritsuko checked her own readouts as another crashing explosion rang out 
overhead.  "Unit-03 is ready, and the pilot is standing by.  Rei is in 
transit to HQ, Unit-00 ready."

"Sortie Rei in Unit-01." Gendo ordered suddenly.  "Have Unit-00 standby 
in the AT Field neutralization zone as backup."

Misato forced herself not to glare at the commander.  He acted like 
Shinji's leaving was just another phase of his plan.  "Launch Unit-03 
immediately after Unit-02.  He can act as back-up, but I don't want his 
first battle to be a solo."

"Rei will be ready in T-Minus sixty seconds."  Ritsuko sighed and 
looked up at the monitor. 

The angel was huge.  As it hovered towards the centre of Tokyo-3, it 
seemed to ride on the wake of it's destruction.  Entire batteries of 
missile silos and armament buildings had been nearly vaporized in it's 
advance.  Every new obstacle it came across was promptly ripped down by 
it's beam.  The same, eerie, cross-shaped pillars of light that the 
Third Angel had made were the signatures of each hit.

This time, they were bigger.  Each explosion, while damaging the 
superficial Tokyo-3, was now also eating away at the Geofront's 
defence.  

The Angel seemed to grimace at them.  It's mask was a solemn, mocking 
face.  Had it a hood and scythe, it would look very much the part of 
Death, with it's twin eyes sparking their obliteration.  

"I'm counting on you, Asuka." Misato whispered to herself, then:  
"LAUNCH!"





Unit 02's red, angry mass became ballistic as it was shot up through 
the catapult.  It's four eyes glowed with awareness, yet it seemed 
almost immobile.  Deep inside it's chest, Asuka sat, hunched over in 
her seat, clutching the controls tightly.  

She watched the lights and colors whiz by her with a strange, detached 
look on her face.  

"This is who I am..." she whispered to herself, looking around the 
plug.  "I can't leave it.  Not yet."

Her last conversation with Shinji kept replaying in her mind.  She 
remembered saying the words, yet she couldn't remember why.  Why Eva 
was so important to her.  She remembered wondering why Shinji didn't 
feel the same way.  How could he walk away from Eva?  

Unit-02 reached the surface.  

"I am the pilot of Evangelion Combat Type Unit-02." She whispered to 
herself.  "I can not run away."

The Evangelion reached down and picked up two combat assault rifles.

"I can NOT run away." She looked down at her guns.  "This is all that's 
left." Her eyes steeled to the hanging city above.  "So hurry up, you 
lazy Angel." A tear dropped through the LCL, reaching her chin before 
it was absorbed in the liquid atmosphere.  

"Let's finish this so I can go home and cry."




Rei felt the gentle twist of the Entry Plug as it was inserted into the 
spine of Evangelion Unit-01.  The comm. began it's usual rattle of 
commands and statements that were mostly just issued by the three Magi 
faster than any human could do it.  

She found herself surprisingly calm.  While she was about to go into 
battle, she was also fulfilling her purpose.  A purpose that Ikari-kun 
chose to leave behind.  

She wondered what else there was.  Oh...Rei knew of other things, and 
she found in her heart a growing joy for things besides Eva...but they 
were still simply 'other things'.  They were not Eva.  Eva was the 
reason they were here.  Nothing else.  

And Shinji ran away from it.  Seeking something else??  Why would he 
wish to seek anything?  

"He does not like Eva." She thought to herself.

...

A voice.

"There is no choice..."

Rei's eyes opened wide as the neural patterns skittered around the 
plug's walls.  

"No choice?" Rei though, startled at the clarity of the new voice in 
her head.

Flash.

Her mind was tossed into...something searching it...something seeing 
through it...accessing her memories...viewing her soul as it was 
accepted into Eva.

"Shinji is gone." She found herself thinking.  As she did, every sense 
and neuron in her body screamed.  

Unit-01 screamed into her:

                          "G E T   O U T !"

The shock was so hard it was physical.  The walls turned blood red in 
anger.  Waves of nausea and pain swept over the blue haired pilot, and 
she had to keel over, holding her mouth so as not to vomit in her own 
LCL.  

Every sense was ripped from her.  The Evangelion savagely threw Rei's 
soul away from it's own, breaking off any connection she did have.  Rei 
found herself too stunned to fight it, and before she knew it, the 
Evangelion was dead to her mind...yet still shrieking in protest.

As the bridge crew exploded into a flurry of activity, alarmed by the 
sudden refusal, Rei just held herself, still jarred from the 
experience. 

"It's not going to work this time..." she whispered to herself.

Unit-01 screamed around her.





Gendo Ikari watched it all from behind his tinted sunglasses.  

The gray haired Sensei turned to him.  "Ikari..."

"Yes..." Gendo agreed.  "It's refusing me."

He lowered his hands and turned to Misato.  "Abort activation.  Rei 
will take Unit-00.  Re-activate Unit-01 with the Dummy Plug."





The black, hulking mass of Evangelion Unit-03 arrived just a few blocks 
away from Asuka's position.  

She sighed, noticing for the first time she wasn't alone on the battle 
field.  "What are you doing here, Stooge.  This isn't a training 
mission."

Toji's little communication's box appeared in her field of vision.  
"Hey, relax Red Devil." He smiled in an odd way.  If Asuka didn't know 
better, she would think he looked almost sorry.  "I'm just here to 
watch your back.  That Angel is all yours."

Asuka paused, at first not really registering his words.  Then she 
nodded, and smiled.  "Okay.  Just don't expect to be much use.  I'm 
taking this bastard down in one shot."

"Good.  These legs feel like jelly." Toji nodded, then smiled again.  
"Besides, you might need help tracking down Ikari after this is over.  
I know where he likes to hang out.  The sooner we get this done, the 
sooner you can drag his ass back home where it belongs."

All at once, every sappy, sentimental, and lovey-dovey word that Hikari 
had ever said about the stooge seemed true.  She could only nod.  
"Thank you, baka."

He sighed. "Well, I suppose that's the best I'm goinna get out of you." 
He smiled.  "No problem, Devil."

And then, a thundering crash came.

Glass and steel exploded down from the high ceiling as two city blocks 
of Tokyo-3 were vaporized to gain passage into the Geofront.  The 
iridescent sky-blue glow of the dome was suddenly overshadowed by the 
resulting mass of yellow and red fire that shot down, then billowed up 
as black smoke along the inside of the half-sphere.  

Asuka and Toji braced themselves, but now, Asuka had an angry, 
determined smile on her face.  

"It's all your fault...you bloody Angels have been hurting my Shinji-
kun." Her A.T. Field roared to life, seeking out and neutralizing the 
new Field that was already entering her vision.  "Here's where I pay 
you back for all that pain."

The Angel...a massive, stocky shape...had not even cleared the first 
building before Unit-02 opened fire.

Toji had to hold himself back in surprise as the shockwave from each 
bullet hit his senses.  Each one was the size of a large bus or train-
car, and yet they seemed to fly through the air at the speed of a 
bullet less than one thousandth the size.  

When he noticed that Asuka was holding both rifles ablaze, and yet was 
barely even jarring from the kick each round left, he found himself 
hoping never to get into a fight with her.

The Angel, however, seemed less impressed.

With explosions erupting in the air around it's body, the massive thing 
seemed to be in no hurry...descending and landing at it's leisure.  

"Damn you!" Asuka yelled, firing off the last few rounds.  "Toji!  
MORE!"

Toji had been ready, and his Evangelion threw Asuka two new rifles.  
She caught them with deadly accuracy and was already letting the 
barrage commence before he could blink.

"Cover me!" Asuka demanded.  "I don't think it's AT Field is all gone!"

Toji picked up the nearest weapon.  A huge rocket launcher that had an 
under-arm indentation.  He slung it under his right arm, leaving one 
arm free to pick up a spear.  "Ready!!"

"FIRE!" Asuka yelled, pausing only to grab two smaller, yet hand-held 
rocket rifles.

Toji aimed and pressed the switch.  A blaze of red and black smoke 
whistled out from under his arm.  The kick was so great that he 
wondered if his waist would twist clean off from the jolt.  The 
missile, though, was nearly as long as the rocket launcher, and 
screamed towards the Angel with a furry matched only by the charging 
Unit-02.  

As the first missile hit, Toji saw something strange.  The Angel's arms 
began to unfold.  Like paper ribbons.  Only they did not look like 
paper. 

He remembered the Fourth Angel.

It's energy tentacles ripping through Shinji's Eva and mind.
 
"ASUKA!  PULL BACK!  PULL BACK!!!!!" he screamed.  "IT'S GOING TO 
ATTACK!"

"I WON'T LOSE!" Asuka screamed back, now getting dangerously close to 
the Angel.  "COLLAPSE, DAMN YOU!"

Unit-02 ran head-first at the Angel, finally erupting in propelled 
grenades from it's twin cannons when she reasoned to be sufficiently 
close.  

That's when she saw the two ribbons whipping towards her.  "No!" she 
gasped.

And then the pain slashed through her shoulders.

Each ribbon slid cleanly through the armour's joints, then right 
through the bones and nerves.  They kept going, sliding through the 
Evangelion with a new shade of red adorning their normally gray-silver 
metal.

Toji watched in horror as, with a simple 'flick' of the ribbons, each 
of Unit-02's arms fell cleanly away from it's body.  The sounds of 
Asuka's pain registered over the comm. channel.  He was amazed that she 
did not scream as dark red sprayed out from Unit-02's shoulders, 
coating the trees and staining the water with the gore.

"ASUKA!  GET DOWN!"  Toji threw away his missile launcher and focused 
on his spear, remembering how Shinji defeated the Fourth.  His mind 
automatically pulled up the new targeting display, and with three quick 
steps forward, he threw the blade towards the Angel's core.

The spear rocketed through the air, yet the Angel had already retracted 
it's ribbons for a new attack.  It's right lashed out and cut through 
the length of the spear with the same precision that Toji had thrown it 
with.

He wasn't quite prepared for the ribbon when it kept advancing.

A sharp pain rocked through his leg as the ribbon wrapped itself around 
his thigh.  Toji found himself taking a deep breath as he prepared 
himself for the pain.

With a twist, the ribbon's razor edges crushed and slid through the 
Eva's skin, ripping it's leg right off with a horrible shattering 
sound.  Toji would probably have felt it more, but he had fallen 
unconscious from the shock.  

Asuka gasped as she saw more blood on the Angel's ribbon as it 
retracted from attacking Unit-03.  "No!" she scanned around, seeing the 
fallen Eva.  Her anger re-focused, despite the pain, and she raged 
towards the Angel once more, ignoring the pleas from Misato on the 
comm..  "DIE YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

The Angel's ribbon unfolded once again...then shot out for her neck.






Shinji would remember that moment for the rest of his days.





How he had been sitting in Shelter number 2, listening to the soft 
giggles and talking from babies and the assembled students and 
civilians.  How he remembered wondering why they all felt so safe when 
a fallen Prog Knife would be able to rip though the roof and gut them 
all.  Or a cross-shaped explosion even a block away would uproot the 
entire room from it's foundation and throw it into the Geofront's wall 
with fatal force.  

Not to mention the fact that if an Angel actually wanted anyone inside, 
the small shell of metal wasn't about to stop it.

Only the Evangelions could do that...and they were monsters in their 
own right

Shinji would remember the sudden crash.  How the lights all turned 
black the second before it hit.  As the rumbling stopped, he looked up 
from his cowering hands.

And saw the disembodied head of Evangelion Unit-02 as it lay, lifeless, 
on the wall that used to be part of the shelter.

Shinji's world tumbled.

"Asuka..."

Every word flew into his head.  Every smile crossed his eyes.  On his 
lips, the touch and taste of Asuka's burned like fire.  His hands began 
to shake as every touch and gentle embrace was remembered.  In his 
ears, he could remember their concert together.  How amazing and 
perfect Asuka played.  How beautiful it sounded to hear her feelings 
through the music.

"I love you, Shinji."

"Asuka..." he stood...running before he knew where he was going.  
"ASUKA!!!"  Shoulders slid out of his backpack, letting the green hulk 
tumble free as his speed shot him forward faster.  

His heart and mind competed for who was racing faster.  The body simply 
tried to keep up.  

And he ran.  

Right towards the battle.  All at once, the train tracks shifted and 
curved.  He did not care.  At the end of the line, he saw his reason.

"ASUKAA!!!!"

He would have kept running, but a sudden voice stopped his blind rush.

"You're going the wrong way."







"REPORT!" Misato yelled, desperately trying to keep her head about her.  

"Neural connections secure!" Hyuuga announced.  "Asuka's alive!" he 
pressed a button.  "Fourth Child is in shock, but alive as well!"

Aoba turned to the screen.  "The Angel's moving past the two Evas!"

Misato turned to Ritsuko.  "Status on Unit-01?" she cringed as the wall 
of pattern lights turned a deep red.  "The Dummy Plug??"

"Connection refused!" Maya said.  "Unit-01 will not activate!"

"This is impossible!" Ritsuko said...then her eyes widened.  "The 
Dummy...Rei...is being refused."






"Fuyutsuki." Gendo said quietly, standing up in his seat.

The old professor turned to the Commander. 

"I'm leaving you in charge of this."

Fuyutsuki just sighed and nodded as the Commander walked past.  
"Understood."






"That's you, isn't it, Shinji-kun?"

Shinji was still gasping, trying to catch his breath.  He looked up and 
saw the oddest sight.  "Kaji-san?"

Sure enough, the older man was standing not far away, holding a 
watering can over some plants.  Such would have been a very pleasant, 
normal scene, if it wasn't for the hunched over and gored form of Unit-
02 in the background, and the explosions of weapon fire all around it 
as NERV desperately tried to stop the Angel with conventional weapons 
while the other Evangelions were being prepared.  

"What are you doing out here at a time like this?" Shinji asked, 
walking over to him.

"That's my line." Kaji smiled.  "I thought Pilots didn't go to the 
Shelters during angel attacks."

"I..." Shinji suddenly felt very out of place.  "I was running away.  I 
didn't think they needed me anymore."

"Is that so." Kaji nodded, stretching his free arm lightly as he 
watered his plants.  "Well, I've been too busy with other assignments 
to help fight." He looked over to Unit-02's form.  "Though, I doubt I 
could really do much with my pistol and charm.  So here I am, 
sprinkling."

Shinji peered over and finally noticed.  "Watermelons?!?" he looked up 
at Kaji.  "At a time like this?  When an Angel is attacking?"

"What better time?" he said with a calm smile.  "Of course, if you 
think that Misato would let me attend to her melons, that would be 
preferable."

Shinji blushed.  

"Though..." Kaji looked around him.  "This is a nice place to die.  I 
will have no regrets."

"Die?" Shinji blinked.  "W...why would you die?" he saw the Angel off 
in the distance.  "You can easily get away from here!  You don't have 
to be in danger...not like I should be..."

CHOOOOM!  Another explosion crashed through their ears, this time 
taking with it a large portion of the HQ pyramid's top.  

"It doesn't matter." Kaji said, looking towards Shinji again with his 
usual calm face.  "The reason, Shinji, that Misato and everyone thought 
it was so important for you to pilot is not just because of NERV." He 
shook his head.  "It is said that if an Angel reaches the very centre 
of NERV, and finds Adam...humanity will suffer to the Third Impact."

"Th...Third Impact?" Shinji's skin ran cold.

"That is the purpose of the Evangelion." Kaji said.  "To stop the 
Angels from doing this.  They are the only thing with equal power to an 
Angel."

As if on cue...

Evangelion Unit-00 rose from the ground.

In it's arms, cradled like an infant, was an olive-green and red 
cylinder.  The characters "N2" were painted on the side.

"Ayanami?" Shinji gasped.





"Go." Rei whispered.

Unit-00 charged at the Angel.  Just as the Eva reached it, the Angel 
turned it's grimacing mask and met the blue beast with it's AT Field. 

Even with Rei's Eva, the field was strong.  No wonder Asuka and Toji 
had no luck at all.  A wall of yellow-red light erupted between the two 
combatants, cutting the ground and air like a knife.  As it spread out 
over the Geofront's lake, the water seemed to part and scurry away from 
the invader's power.  

"AT Field...Full." she commanded her Eva to be stronger; focusing it's 
relatively outmatched AT Field into the very centre of the 
Angel's...all while pushing the N2 Mine through.

It was just enough...just barely enough.

And just before Rei's world exploded around her, she saw a rock-like 
shield snap shut around the Angel's core.  




The gray shockwaves passed out over Shinji's head as he watched in 
horror; the Angel quickly dispatching what was left of Unit-00 with a 
ribbon to the chest.  

Heat and sound was unregistered in his mind...only the dull despair 
over watching his fellow Pilot fall was allowed.

"Shinji."  Kaji said, bringing him back to reality.  "All I can do is 
sit here and water my melons.  I know you hate Eva...I know you thought 
that...with so many others...you were not needed." He shook his head.  
"But that's not true."

"Kaji-san..." Shinji nodded.  

"You have a choice." He said.  "You have something inside of you that 
lets you fight when other people can't.  You have the power to change 
what you think is wrong.  And, most importantly..." he set his watering 
can on the ground and knelt down to examine his plants.  "You have the 
power to protect those who you love."

Shinji could feel his courage returning.  Seeing Asuka's Evangelion 
broken and dormant.  Rei's bleeding on the ground.  Just over the 
treetops, he could see the bloody stump of Unit-03's leg.  

"This is important, Shinji." Kaji warned him.  "If you go back, you 
have to do it for the right reasons.  Nobody is forcing you, and you 
now know most of the facts as I know them.  Do what is in your heart." 
He smiled calmly as more explosions rocked around them.  "Think about 
no longer having regrets.  Know that you're doing the right thing."

Shinji looked up from his daze, then nodded. 

Without another word, he was off.  This time, headed right for NERV.

He ran towards Eva.







Somehow, he was not surprised to see his Father there...standing in the 
control room so high and mighty above the Eva's cages.  It was just 
like him...to leave the others like that...needing only himself.

But this time, he was no longer adequate.  

Shinji would have said something cutting to that effect, but he knew he 
was already running out of time.

"LET ME PILOT IT!"

A long pause as he caught his breath, desperate for oxygen and life.  
His body aching to be replaced by the Evangelion, desperate to let the 
beast's muscles and power be it's own.  

Gendo Ikari looked down and saw his son.  "Why are you here." He 
demanded.

"I..." Shinji gasped.  "I...I AM THE PILOT OF EVANGELION UNIT ONE!"

Gendo did not smile.  The flashing red of the refused dummy plug still 
reflected off his glasses.

"I AM SHINJI IKARI!  Now LET ME PILOT!"






The final explosion was horrible.  It shook the control room like an 
earthquake.  The four massive three-dimensional holograms of the Toko-3 
area all shivered out of existence, leaving a dull, cracked green 
display screen.

"It's coming HERE!!!!"  Maya screamed, almost as Misato noticed the 
first ribbon cutting through the wall.

It was like some mockery of birth.  The screen parted to give life to 
the massive Angel's grimace as it slid through the tones of rock, metal 
and plastics unopposed.  

Hunched over, even under the high ceilings, the Angel reared up and 
glared at them.

These tiny humans.  So small, yet the creators of such might.  Such 
power and design.  Such pain and hopelessness. 

Misato found herself clutching her cross as she watched the Angel's eye 
sockets begin to spark...only a heartbeat away from obliterating them 
all.

The wall exploded.

At first, Misato imagined it to be her own demise...until she saw the 
avalanche of debris was propelled, not by a cross-like explosion...

But rather a purple and green fist.

"Eva One?!?" Misato gasped, seeing it's eyes bright yellow, angry and 
driven.  "Shinji-kun!!"





"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHGGGHH!!!!"  Shinji yelled with all his 
force as he drove the Angel into the ground.  His body replenished by 
the fury and power of the Evangelion, even the Angel of Might could do 
nothing but fall.  

And fall again.  Unit-01's arms grappled around the invader and threw 
it in a tumbling crash through the opposite wall, not willing to give 
up any measure of momentum.  Not offering any sign of mercy or 
weakness.

The world fell apart into thick blankets of choking dust.  Walls 
designed to ensnare and cage even the Evangelion itself fell down like 
a house of cards.  Green metal was pierced by the thundering struggle 
these two giants produced.  

A chance!  

Unit-01's fist reared back, the muscles and armor straining under the 
sheer effort Shinji demanded from them.  

SSSSSSEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!! The Angel's eyes exploded into activity, not 
willing to fall so easily again.  With the blast, blood showered the 
far wall and Unit-01's arm slapped dead to the ground, witnessed by 
Gendo Ikari as he watched under the blood of his work.  

Shinji clutched his left shoulder in nerve-shattering pain, but 
demanded obedience from his mind and machine over it.  
"EEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!" 

The yell seemed to echo though the Evangelion, and it's mass launched 
forwards at terrific speeds.  Every thought was it's command.  

Shinji Ikari was the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01.  Once again, and 
forever.

The remaining arm came around and silenced the Angel's next attempt at 
attack, ripping it off balance and tossing it over it's own body.  
Unit-01's feet dug trenches and crushed the metal floor as it fought 
the Angel's every resistance.  The same foot came up and bludgeoned the 
'waist' of the Angel, kicking it backwards even as the purple demon 
punched in with it's torso.  

Both of them fell past the last Eva cage, into the catapult grounds.  
For the first time, the Evangelion made it's own sparks as it ploughed 
the Angel into the shaft's wall.  All the while, Shinji screamed in 
undying determination.  You will die!  You will die!  DIE DIE 
DIEEEEE!!!!!!!

"MISATO-SAN!" he yelled, remembering himself.  He never heard her 
answer, but felt the results as the catapult sparked to life and roared 
upwards, taking the beasts with it to the Geofront.  

The clouds of dust were now replaced by the bright shower of sparks as 
Unit-01's grip shoved the Angel's face into the wall for the entire 
journey.  As the two exploded out of the catapult and into the 
Geofront, Unit-01 held on tight, using the Angel to break it's fall.  
"HHEEEEEEYYYAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

CRAAAANG!  CRRRAANNNG!  Shinji willed his fist to punch.  Every 
movement creating thunder as it impacted against the Angel.  Each time, 
the pain lessened and the rage increased.  Images of Asuka fuelled his 
mind as it long since passed the breaking point.  "You sonofabitch!  
DIE!  DIIIEEE!" he screamed, now plunging his hand around the Angel's 
mask and pulling...ripping it off...




Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee




Shinji's eyes snapped open as he saw the control panel turn red and 
Evangelion Unit-01 hunch forward just before taking away his view of 
the outside world.

"Out of energy...!?!"

The Angel did not take long to realize this.  What little awareness 
Shinji had of the outside world...now replaced by his coffin-like plug, 
was tossed about as the Eva was lifted up and thrown.

CRASH!

Shinji desperately pulled on the controls.  "Move!  Move!  Move!  Move!  
Come on, move!  Move now or there's no point to this!!!"

The sound of a cut...probably just around the chest...left a sickening 
sound in his ears, and he gasped as the residual pain hit him, even in 
the mostly dormant Eva.

A final crashing sound signalled the exposure of more of his 
Evangelion's innards to the Angel.  

Then came the ribbons.  CRACK!  CRACK CRACK!  Each one hit the same 
point...and each time, Shinji saw his world break a little bit more.  
Cracks began to form in his vision as Unit-01's core was hit.  Each hit 
echoed out over the Geofront like a cannon-shot.  

"Move!  Move!  Move!  Move!" Shinji begged the Eva, pulling harder and 
harder on the handles.  "Move!  Move!  Move!  Move!  Move!  Move!  
Move!  You've got to move!  Or everyone will be killed!"

The sounds of a cracking egg continued...each hit bringing him closer 
to the edge.  Desperation leaked into his voice as he realized there 
wasn't much time left.  "I'm sick of it already, so...COME ON!  
MOVE!!!!"





Move.





Shinji looked up as he heard it...

A heartbeat.

And then...Unit-01 moved.






It's eyes lit up in a screech, turning blazing white.  It's hand came 
up to meet what would have been the Angel's final blow...ripping the 
ribbon to shreds with it's fingers,

The Angel seemed almost surprised as it found itself face-to-face with 
a growling Evangelion Unit-01.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

CRACK!  The Eva kicked the Angel away, ripping off it's ribbon and 
throwing it to the ground in one motion.  

The ribbon became the Eva's new arm, as the beast, now fully lost in 
it's own madness, cannibalized the Angel's flesh to replace it's own.

The Angel, never giving up, shot out it's last remaining ribbon, hoping 
to finish Unit-01 before it was too late.

With a low growl, the Eva swept forth its AT Field, not only severing 
what was left of the Angel's arms, but also moving back and cutting 
into the Angel's body like a knife.  

New arm attached, it crawled it's way over to the Angel.  As a final 
death rattle, the Angel tried using it's particle-beam once more, but 
was interrupted...

...When Unit-01 began to eat it's face.







Kaji watched from his watermelons, crouched down next to them.  
"So...the Evangelion has awakened." He chuckled.  "I suppose SEELE 
won't stay quiet about this for long."

A footstep sounded as someone walked up next to him.  

Kaoru nodded, watching the spectacle.  "That's what I was afraid of."

"Don't you trust me?" Kaji looked up and rubbed his chin.  "I think I'm 
entitled to a bit of trust after the leaps of faith you put me 
through."

The Sensei regarded Kaji with a sigh, then smiled.  "I suppose you're 
right."

The two men stood and watched Unit-01's feast with grim fascination. 

"I just hope you did the right thing." Kaoru mentioned out loud.

"I did." Kaji said.  "Shinji is our only hope." He turned back to his 
melons.  "You, of all people, should know that by now.  Besides, he 
would have gone back anyway."

Kaoru just stood and watched.  Unit-01 raised it's head to the heavens 
and howled.  

"That's what I was afraid of." 









To be continued.






-----------------------------------------------------------------------

<insert Fly Me To The Moon here.  Your choice of artist and style.  I'm 
voting for an instrumental version myself.  ^_^  They're so much better 
than the vocal ones after these cool episodes>

Thank you all for staying with Higher Learning this far.  ^_^  I know, 
especially for new readers, that 30 files in a row can be a daunting 
enough read to tackle.  Though, everyone has been wonderful in their 
support (sometimes...rather constantly...pestering me outright to get 
the next Lesson done), and it has been a true pleasure to know that I 
can at least help a reader or two waste some spare time reading about 
Eva.  ^_^

As of late, Higher Learning has been harder to keep on it's weekly 
schedule, now shifting to weeks and a half at a time.  I shall 
endeavour to keep up to my original schedule, but unfortunately work 
and real life have been taking their toll.  Nothing bad has been 
happening...rather many good things, however, they still are taking up 
my free time.  I apologize to you all, and hope you'll forgive me and 
keep a little extra patience in your heart for me.  ^_^  Arigato!  

I'm still aiming for about 40-50 lessons.  As you may have noticed, to 
make up for the time loss, I've been making them a bit bigger.  Even if 
it looks like I'll be running out of year to do them, I will gladly 
sacrifice time for quality, and keep Higher Learning going as long as 
it needs to.  However, I'm also thinking I might wrap it up in one big 
spectacular Lesson at the very end.  ^_^  I think I'll have to, since 
it will be the only way of me surviving all the death threats.  

People get fussy when I end things in a cliff-hanger.  ^_^ 

But, for now, enjoy, and thank you all for reading!




OMAKE!
------------------------------------------------- 

"LET ME PILOT IT!"

A long pause as he caught his breath, desperate for oxygen and life.  
His body aching to be replaced by the Evangelion, desperate to let the 
beast's muscles and power be it's own.  

Gendo Ikari looked down and saw his son.  "Why are you here." He 
demanded.

"I..." Shinji gasped.  "I...I AM THE PILOT OF EVANGELION UNIT ONE!"

Gendo did not smile.  The flashing red of the refused dummy plug still 
reflected off his glasses.

"I AM SHINJI IKARI!  Now LET ME PILOT!"

Gendo sighed, then realized he must concede to his son, even if it was 
just this one time.  "Very well.  I admit...I need you, Shinji.  You 
must go out there and prove yourself."

Shinji's eyes glittered.  "Father??"

"Yes..." he sighed.  "I admit, I've been short-sighted...I have failed 
to see your value and your inner abilities."  It was obvious Gendo was 
telling the truth.  There was no way he would allow himself to squirm 
so much under anyone's eyes...especially his own son's.  

"You...you mean this...don't you, Father!" Shinji's eyes were tearing 
up with joy.  "Papa!"

Gendo felt his heart lose itself to the moment, knowing he may never 
get another chance to say these things...so he continued.  "You have 
always made me proud, Shinji...every time you've gone into Eva, I knew 
you were worth all this trouble.  All the pain.  The torture of having 
to be away from you for so long.  A father never forgets how much they 
love their son."

The elevator activated, letting Gendo descend down to Shinji's level on 
the walk-way.  Shinji watched with glittering eyes and a smile so wide 
he could have made a believable Pac-Man stand-in. 

They ran to each-other and embraced in a warm, fatherly-son hug that 
was so long overdue.  "I love you, my son.  I'm so sorry for everything 
I've done." Gendo wept openly against Shinji's hair.  "Your mother 
would have been so proud too...I know she can see you now."

"Thank you, Father." Shinji whispered, hugging his dad tightly.

A moment passed, and they were interrupted by an explosion somewhere in 
Headquarters.  

"I guess you'd better get going, son." Gendo smiled, taking off his 
glasses so he could dry his eyes.

"Hai!" Shinji beamed, raising his fist.  "I'll make you proud, Father!" 
he extended his hand expectantly. 

Gendo blinked.

Shinji blinked back.  "Dad?" he kept holding out his hands.

"What?" Gendo asked, honestly not knowing.

Shinji shrugged.  "Well, I need the keys to pilot Unit-01."

Gendo blinked.  "But...you took them with you.  That's why we couldn't 
get Rei or the Dummy Plug to work."

Shinji's eyes went wide.  "Uh...you mean...I didn't give them to you??"  
he gasped as he realized they were still in his other pants...in the 
green backpack he dropped on the way.

Gendo looked down at Shinji, then smacked him upside the head.  "Anta 
baka!?!?  I take back everything I said.  You're a fucking moron."



The Third Impact was very pretty at such close range.  ^_^ 

----------------------------------------------------------------------









e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110



Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.