Pity to the Angels - Written by Laqjr
  A Ranma/Eva crossover idea by Nighthawk

Disclaimer: Ranma1/2 and Neon Genesis Evangelion are used without permission.
Ranma1/2 is copyright Viz, and Neon Genesis Evangelion is copyright Gainax.

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A slight breeze blew by as the sun slowly set on the horizon, accentuating
the beauty of the Tendo yard in autumn as nightfall approached.  The sound
of the TV drowned that of the footsteps making their slow gait toward the
kitchen, the sound of the crackling static nearly overwhelming the voice of
the man on the evening news.

Ranma ignored the TV as he passed the living room and entered the kitchen.
The reception was much better than it had ever been before, clearing up nearly
to the point where captions were not needed to understand what had been said.
In any case, captions still made the news easier to understand.

Taking a glass from the cupboard, he filled it with purified water from the
sink and walked toward the dining table. Nabiki was there, looking at some
papers that were strewn about her and the table. Nabiki looked up for a moment,
watching Ranma look at the table. "It's getting harder, you know," she said.

"Huh?" Ranma wasn't sure if she meant the financial sheet she was working on, or
if she was just teasing him again.

"Harder for me to stop loving you," she continued saying, adopting a frown.

"Uh..." There was no reply to that. Was she serious, or just tasing him? "Well..."

Nabiki pouted. "Oh, come on, don't you think I'm cute? Your life would have been
drastically different if you'd been engaged to me." Her pout only lasted moments
before she smiled at him. "I'm just kidding, Ranma. You know I'm joking; don't act
so serious. Everyone's probably still searching for you in Kokyoma. Just sit back
and relax, and enjoy your day off from school."

Ranma reflected on her statement for a moment. Nabiki had offered him a once-in-a-
lifetime deal. For �6000, Nabiki would arrange for everyone to disappear for a day.

Ranma had readily agreed, thinking he'd get the day to himself. Although not completely
alone, Ranma didn't mind Nabiki's presence, as long as she wasn't scheming against him.

They sat for a while longer before Ranma spoke up again. Nabiki continued working on
the papers set about her. "So what are y�"

The phone rang, interrupting him in mid-sentence. Sighing, Nabiki picked the phone
up from beside her on the mat she was kneeling on.

"Moshi moshi. Ranma? He's unavailable for the moment. ... May I ask who's calling? ...
Really? Can I take a mesage? Mhm, mhm. Do you have a number I can call you back at? ...
Are you sure? He may not be back for several days. ... Okay, well, have a good day." *Beep*

Getting up from the table, Nabiki walked briskly to the dojo where Ranma had returned to.
Opening the sliding door, she watched him practice an offensive kata, with its many fast-
paced punches and kicks, before coughing and entering the dojo.

He slowed his pace, then stopped and turned to face her. "Hey, are you feeling better, Nabiki?
You shouldn't be out here; your cold might get worse."

"I have the flu, Ranma. Besides, I feel much better than I did three days ago, and I was
starting to get a cramp from doing all that makeup work."

His gaze disconcerted her a bit, and as she continued, she heard in her own voice a rushed,
almost anxious tone. "In any case, it seems we've had a change in plans."

"What? Hey, I-" Nabiki shushed him and waved her hand to say, 'wait a moment.' Coughing once,
she continued.

"The woman I spoke to on the phone was a Captain Katsuragi of the Japanese Defence Forces,
currently working under the jurisdiction of NERV. She says she must speak with you immediately,
so she's on her way here now. Honestly, Saotome, how did you manage to tangle yourself with a
world agency like SEELE?"

"SEELE? What does NERV have to do with SEELE?" Ranma thought briefly on the matter. SEELE was
a committee formed under the UN (United Nations) to keep the peace between nations. NERV
had been formed to stop some alien force that had caused the state of the world they lived in
today, at an event called Second Impact, which had happened only a year before he was born.
In the last two years there had been talks that perhaps NERV was not needed anymore, as the
Angels, the alien things, had not come. It was hard to go anywhere in the world without finding
something which depicted current events as tehy were today.

"NERV is supported and governed by SEELE, therefore tangling with NERV pits you against SEELE."
It was a fairly accurate representation of the matter. Nabiki was a little more knowledgeable
about the state of world affairs, and she heard rumors on the cache-lines that SEELE had plans
which contradicted the UN's terms, and even that world powers like America were weary of
crossing them. Ranma's connection to NERV, and through them, SEELE, was not to be taken lightly.

"Well, what does Katsuragi-san want?" Ranma searched Nabiki's face, trying to see if she was
holding something back from him. Her poker face was much better than his.

"I don't know, she wouldn't tell me any more than it was important she see you immediately."
There could be no reason for them to come for Ranma. Nothing special or supernatural had happened
in nearly two weeks. Why was Ranma targeted? "Ranma, I don't know what's going on, but... I won't
let them take you away without a good reason, or at least �650,000."

Ranma stared at Nabiki incredulously, a sweatdrop forming behind his head. "Somehow, I don't feel
comforted by that, Nabiki."

"Don't worry, Ranma, I'm sure that if they really need you, they'll pay even more for you. I'm
going inside now. Katsuragi-san should be here in a few moments." Nabiki left as quietly as she
had entered, walking slowly down the walkway to the house.

Ranma watched her for a moment longer before turning around and bowing to the shrine. Entering
the house, he turned up the stairs to get some clothes and prepare for a bath.

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End Part 01.a