Neon Genesis Evangelion Higher Learning Strike Fiss, 1999 Second Lesson: Falling Evangelions Principal Yamamoto had been good with his word, and the classroom had been cleared out of the old sensei's belongings and replaced with a new desk. Kaoru had gotten to school early and was reading over the lesson plan. Most of it was standard issue. About ninety percent of the year had already been covered already, actually. NERV had the foresight to count on the Angel attacks as school interruptions. He smiled. No wonder Taisho was always talking about his past. It also meant Kaoru could focus on what HE wanted to teach. "Good morning, Miss Ayanami." He said out loud, startling Rei, who hadn't even shut the door behind herself yet. The young First Child gave the new sensei a strange look, then walked over to her desk, unfazed. "Good...morning." She replied before sitting down to look out her window. Kaoru blinked. "I suppose you're wondering where your old sensei is." He smiled, extending his arm for a handshake. "I'm..." "Miyazaki Kaoru." Rei replied flatly, not bothering to turn away from her view. "I assume you are to replace Sensei Taisho. There is no need for further introductions." He paused, wondering how she knew his name. A smile crossed his lips as he realized his name had already been put on a tiny plaque on his desk. "Very well, Miss Ayanami. It was a pleasure to meet you." The cobalt-haired girl slowly turned her head towards him as he sat back down and began to look over papers. "A pleasure to meet me?" she asked quietly. He looked up. "Yes. I've been looking forward to meeting the three Evangelion pilots." He smiled warmly, then got a more serious look on his face. "Actually, I would like to talk to you." "You may." Rei replied. Another smile. "Thank you." He stood, then walked over to the front of his desk so he could sit on the corner. "I understand your unique position as pilots, and I wanted you to know I'm willing to work around any Angel attacks that may occur. If you three are interested in furthering your studies..." "That will not be necessary." Rei said in a quiet voice. "I am only here because Commander Ikari orders it so. I already know what I will need." Kaoru paused, considering this. Rei turned back to her window. "However, if you wish to participate in class discussions, that will be the bulk of my course." He said. Rei blinked, turning back to him. "I understand Taisho was a bit long-winded." Kaoru nodded. "I suppose I am too, but I will also be getting the class into the discussion. I know you don't need to be here, but you may find our discussions interesting." Rei turned back, once more, to the window. "Perhaps." "Good." He smiled. "Good enough." He walked back around his desk to sit down as they bell rang for morning classes. "I look forward to talking with you, Rei." Further conversation was cut short by the other students all piling into class. Noticing that the sensei was still looking through some papers, everyone assumed he wasn't ready, and began to chat with their desk-mates. Taking a deep breath, Kaoru stood. "Miss Ayanami?" She blinked. "Hai?" Everyone immediately shut up, amazed that Rei was talking. Excited that he had managed to get the ball rolling, he didn't let Rei have time to reconsider being silent. "Please give me the name of a remote location." Rei faulted for a moment, but quickly regained her composure. "The surface of the moon?" He smiled. "Very good." Then turned to Kensuke. "And, I need the name of a very large object, Mister Aida." Kensuke smiled, adjusting his glasses. "How about Evangelion Unit-01!" "Excellent." Kaoru nodded, then turned back to the class as Kensuke was patting himself on the back. "Here's the situation." He walked over to the blackboard and began to draw on it with the chalk. Everyone waited patiently, interested to see what was to come of it. Soon, there was the moon, orbiting over Earth, with a rather cute Super-Deformed EVA-01 drawn on it's surface. The class began to laugh. "Now, if an EVA falls on the surface of the moon, and there's nobody around to hear it, does it make a sound?" he smiled. Asuka laughed. "What a simple question! Of course it doesn't make a sound! There's no air on the Moon!" Everyone nodded, agreeing. "Mm, okay then." He quickly drew a haze around the EVA. "Suddenly, a gas pocket beneath the EVA erupts and the Moon grows a thin atmosphere." He grinned, turning back to class. "For argument's sake, it DOES transmit sound." "Well." Asuka shrugged. "Then it would make a sound." "Yeah. Like this: MWARRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHH!" Kensuke offered, doing his best EVA roar. "That's very impressive, Mister Aida, however, who is around to hear that mighty roar? After all, we are just a classroom on Earth. That sound cannot reach us through all that space, can it?" "It is the..." Rei stopped herself, blushing. Everyone in the class looked at Rei. Sensei Miyazaki smiled. "It's okay, Rei. You may continue." Rei nodded. "The Eva does not exist in our minds." She said, carefully picking her words. "Therefore, there is no sound." Jaws dropped. "Very good, Rei." He turned to the class. "Now, who would dare to dispute that insightful comment?" Everyone looked towards Asuka. She smiled, leaning back in her seat. "Ahh, but you asked if it makes a sound. Because we know that the EVA fell down...thanks to Baka Shinji's bad piloting..." That prompted a giggling fit from most of the class, while Shinji frowned. Asuka smirked and continued. "We also know that it's going to make the noise. Therefore, it makes the sound." She looked over to Rei. "Not that it wasn't a good try, Wondergirl." "Now now." Kaoru chuckled. "Let's keep the philosophy civil as possible. What exactly is a sound?" Asuka crossed her arms. "What do you mean, 'what is a sound'?" Shinji raised his arm timidly. "Uh, I think what he means is what do we think a sound means to our minds?" Everyone looked from Rei to Shinji, equally surprised. He blushed terribly, but didn't cower. "That's right, Shinji." Kaoru nodded. "In fact, does anything exist in our minds, unless we know about it? Rei just said that because this EVA does not exist in our minds, neither should the sound it makes." He moved to the front of his desk and leaned against it. "Asuka is also right, however." That got a smile from the redhead. "After all, science shows us that just because we cannot sense something with out own minds, doesn't mean it doesn't exist." "Like Atoms." Hikari offered nervously. "We can't see atoms, but we know they exist." "Right on, Miss Horaki." He smiled, prompting a blush from the younger girl. "Now, even though we can't hear Shinji's poor EVA trip over a rock and fall, we DO know it exists, or at least, we can assume it exists. We know the EVA exists, and that it falls. Through the study of other examples of such an occurrence, we can assume a sound will be made." The class nodded collectively. "But, because the question is based on sound specifically, something we can only hear, and not really imagine, we have to think of it on two levels. Reality, and our Mind." He began to erase the blackboard. "Reality is the universe around us. What we know, and what makes up what we know. Our minds are a little different, however. Sometimes, they can become our own versions of reality. It will be the focus of this class until the end of the year to teach you all how to recognize what is inside your heads. How to improve it. How to think better. How to find out who we are." He smiled over at Rei, who was watching him with rapt fascination. "Or, at least, try to." The bell rang, signaling gym class. Everyone stood reluctantly, as the debate had gotten quite lively. Asuka had even started drawing little sound waves on the board, trying to illustrate their use. Asuka glared at the class. "Ugh. I hate philosophy." Shinji smiled, patted her on the shoulder, then left with the others. Rei walked up to Kaoru's desk and got his attention by clearing her throat. "Yes, Miss Ayanami?" he smiled, adjusting his wire-frames. She had a small smile on her face. "I will discuss things in class." "Excellent, Miss Ayanami. I look forward to it." He smiled. She walked off, out the door, past Asuka who was angrily cleaning off the chalk board. "Shiest." "Miss Sohryu?" She spun on her heels. "YES?" He nodded. "I agree with you." The redhead almost fell over. "W...what?" Kaoru was grinning. "I know the sound exists, just as you do. However, I also know you are the only person in the class who had enough backbone to keep up with the discussion." He bowed his head. "I thank you." She raised an eyebrow. "You...but you were agreeing with Ayanami?" "No. I was simply adding to the debate. If it wasn't for you, the class would simply grasp the first idea that came into their heads. You helped them foster that little questioning voice, so they could make a decision for themselves." Asuka shrugged. "It...it was nothing." "Go on. I'll clean up here." Kaoru nodded. "You'll be late for gym." She smiled brightly, bowed, then ran off. He smiled, then walked over to the board, setting up the next lesson. "I should have been a teacher long ago." Shinji, Kensuke and Toji were all sitting down against the wall of the baseball complex, as usual, though their thoughts did not focus on the swim-suit-wearing girls a few meters above past the fence. Each hadn't said a word since they left class. "Wow." Toji finally blinked. "I just figured something out..." Shinji and Kensuke looked over to him. "Oh?" "What if the EVA was a tree in a forest somewhere!" he gasped. "It would be the SAME THING!" Kensuke laughed. "That's where that question comes from!" "Oh." Toji smiled sheepishly. "The new sensei is awesome!" Shinji stated proudly. "He hasn't even said a WORD about the Second Impact yet!" "And he hasn't assigned any homework, so he's good in my books." Toji grinned, stretching out against the brick. "What about the Class Rep?" Kensuke smiled. "She looked to be enjoying class a little TOOOOO much." Shinji laughed. "Yeah. Watch out! The Sensei isn't an old geezer now. You'll have to keep an eye on your woman!" Toji coughed, almost choking on his own breath. "Mmph." He grumbled. "Well what about Asuka?" "W...what do you mean?" Shinji said, trying not to blush. Kensuke nodded. "He's right. I mean, you just said the new Sensei isn't an old geezer, Shinji. And you know how Asuka is always falling over that Kaji guy." Shinji crossed his arms. "Asuka-chan isn't like that. She just...just...uh..." "Likes older men?" Toji offered. "Hates us 'boys'?" Kensuke added with a bit of spite in his voice. "Is the Devil?" Toji continued. "I like 'Beelzebub' better." Kensuke smiled happily. "NO!" Shinji yelled, flustered. "She just isn't...too...romantic." He nodded. "Yeah, that's it. So, obviously, she's not about to go around acting all gaga over a new Sensei. Even if he ISN'T ninety years old." "Not that you'd care, anyway." Toji smiled. "Yeah, not that I'd care anyway." Shinji replied sternly. "And that's why you always say 'Asuka-chan'?" Shinji blinked. "I do not!" "Yes you do!" Kensuke smiled, holding up his camera. "If you don't care, why don't you call her Devil-Girl?" Toji pressed. "Yeah. Like us." Kensuke leaned closer. "Don't you LOVE us, Shin- kun?" he laughed. "Fine." Shinji shook it off. "I'll call Asuka-chan Devil-Girl. Happy?" "He did it again!" "I did NOT!" The whistle blew, forcing the boys to break up and get ready to play some baseball. Shinji gave one more glance up to the girls, wondering if Asuka was around, but didn't see her. "I did not." He said again. "Sure you didn't." Toji patted him roughly on the shoulder. "Hey!" Kensuke smiled as they walked over to get their equipment. "If Shinji says 'Asuka-chan' in the forest, but she's not there to hear him, will she still call him a Hentai?" A few meters above the playground sat the swimming pool, where most of the female physical activities went on. Whoever wasn't gossiping, that was. With no boys around, the hen-talk could reach amazing levels during PE. "He's SOOOOOOOOOOOO smart!" Hikari gasped. "And did you see the way he sat on his desk?" The girls around her began to blush and giggle. Keiko nodded happily. "I bet he has quite a package." They all laughed. "Ooh, I wish he would take off his glasses...I want to see what color his eyes are..." "Blue." Asuka said casually, sighing. "You're all a bunch of hentai, you know?" The entire female population of her class gasped, then crowded around her. "You saw his eyes??!?!" "Ooh! What shade of blue?" "How did you see them?" "Oh you're so lucky, Asuka!" She shrugged, examining her fingernails. "Kind of a dark blue. But I don't see what the deal is. I've seen cute professors in college before." She sighed, as if remembering something. "They're all business, though." She laughed suddenly. "No fun at all. All they care about are grades and research grants." "I suppose." One girl shrugged. "But, he does have a nice butt." She giggled as her friends joined her. Asuka looked up at the smiling faces. "Well, can't argue there. Shiest...what I wouldn't give for some private lessons from him!" they all laughed. Hikari smiled. "Didn't he give you pilots his phone number?" Asuka's eyes opened wide. "Y...yes..." Keiko shoved two girls out of the way. "I'll do your cleanup duties for a MONTH if you give that number to me." Asuka grinned a little grin. Some would say it was an exact copy of the Grinch as he grinned, looking out over Hoozeville after stealing all their Christmas presents. "Bidding will start at one Month." She said happily. The girls all groaned, but huddled around eagerly. Suddenly, Rei stepped up between two of the girls. "That is not right." Everyone looked up to Rei, who was calmly glaring at Asuka. "What do YOU want, Wondergirl?" Asuka grumbled. "You should not be giving out Sensei Miyazaki's phone number without his permission." She stated flatly. "If he is harassed, I will inform him of the source." The girls all began to blush, then looked extremely guilty. "Maybe she's right." Keiko said sheepishly, turning away. Hikari nodded. "You're right...sorry, Ayanami." She bowed. As the crowd dispersed, Asuka had to hold back from throttling her fellow pilot. "BAKA! I could have gotten out of a month of chores around class! It's not like we won't be able to look in the phonebook for his number in a month anyway!" she raised an eyebrow. "Or are you jealous?" Rei began to blush. "You are mistaken, Second Child. I want only his privacy." She lowered her eyes. "Like mine." Asuka sighed, then turned. "You're no fun, Wonder Girl." She turned around and headed for the showers. "I wasn't even going to give it to anyone anyway." To be continued... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi everyone! Fiss here! Response to the first Lesson was great, and I hope to keep up this pace for at least another 3 months...but by then, I'll have more, so you never know. I could ACTUALLY live up to my promise of 3-4 stories a month. Heh. Anyone, no matter WHAT part of the world you're in, should know The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. If not, then you wouldn't get the reference anyway. ^_^ Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110 E-Mail: strikef@bigfoot.com Archive if you want, just send me a message so I may check out your site as well. ^_^ Ja ne! Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000. Khattam-Shud, EOF.