Neon Genesis Evangelion Higher Learning Strike Fiss, 2000 Fourteenth Lesson: Sound Pen-Pen's scratching woke Shinji as always. As always, around the same time, just before school. Though there was no school on Sundays, Shinji always expected the little penguin's noises, and had even begun to count on them to wake up. After all, SOMEONE had to feed him. Shinji walked out into the kitchen, scratching his head lazily as he went about fixing Pen-Pen's breakfast. "Uh...Shinji...you might wanna..." Shinji blinked as he realized Asuka was talking to him. She was sitting over by the table with a mug of coffee in her hands...and a bright red face. He followed her stare down to his boxers and... "AAAAAAAGH!" he jumped behind a chair, hiding his front. "A...Asuka!" he was now even redder than she was. "It...It's morning...I didn't think anyone was awake..." Asuka turned away, still red. "Well it's a good thing SOMEONE pays attention in class! Mein Gott! Today's our first test with the concert. We're supposed to be at the gym by noon." "Tha...that's today?" Shinji blinked, shifting in his boxers until he was certain he wouldn't be embarrassing himself. "Are you an idiot?" Asuka snickered. "Sure, we'll just be playing one piece, but that's still a lot of practice to do before next month." "Uhm...okay." he nodded. "Makes sense..." "What the hell?" Misato grumbled as she stumbled out of her bedroom, scratching in a few places that even Kaji probably hadn't been to yet. "Why's everyone awake so early?" "Parent-teacher interviews." Asuka said. Misato gasped and looked around for the calendar. "Already? Are you sure? I have nothing to wear and..." "Not NOW!" Asuka grumbled. "Next month." Misato blinked, turning to Shinji for an explanation. "We're going to have a concert for the interviews." Shinji said. "We're already practicing. It's part of a philosophy class." Misato blinked, yawned and then turned around. "You kids need a ride?" "No, ma'am." they both shrugged. "Good. I'm going back to bed. Have fun." The door shut behind her with a soft 'thump'. Shinji took advantage of the pause to get on some clothes. "So why you so anxious to go?" he called out from his room. Asuka yawned and shrugged to herself. "I dunno. Better than sitting around here all day." Shinji's eyes narrowed as he put on his pants. "Yeah...plus Sensei will be there..." "Pardon?" "Nothing." he called back, sighing and getting his cello ready in it's travel pack. He watched the zipper close, slowly concealing the deep golden brown wood. "That does it...I'm goinna finish this today..." he whispered to himself. "I can't run away...not this time..." Asuka smiled as he returned to the kitchen. "So you want some breakfast?" Shinji shook his head. "No, let's just go." he walked past her to the door to put on his shoes. "Okay..." Asuka shrugged and followed, picking up her own instrument bag as she went. "Are you sure this won't be any trouble? I can always change the plans." Kaoru said as they walked down the hall. "It's really no problem." Principal Yamamoto smiled as he dug out his keys. "The theatre hasn't been used in months anyway. Ever since the angel attack, it's been closed off from the cleaning crews. We're still waiting for the engineers to check the seats, but the actual stage is just fine. If you don't mind the dust, it's all yours." "I'm sure it will be perfect." Kaoru smiled. With one final 'thoom' the doors were opened, throwing off a bit of dust that circled into the darkness beyond. Kaoru smiled as he stepped in side. "Oh, this is perfect!" As the light filtered into the room, soon aided by the warming stage- lights in the roof, he saw a long, wooden stage covered with dust. Modest, but more than adequate bleachers for an audience were off into the shadows, as well as a few stacks of folding chairs. Some band equipment, including a small army of musical-paper stands, strewn across the floor gave the impression that the last concert was interrupted and had to be left in great haste. "Well?" Yamamoto said as they walked through the dust. "I'll get the other students to help clean up." Kaoru said. "We'll be more than ready." "I look forward to hearing your kids play." the older man smiled. "Well, I'll instruct the janitors to leave an extra cleaning trolley outside for you. If you need anything else, just ask." "Thank you, sir!" Kaoru beamed. "I must say, you're certainly a big help with this project." "Not at all." he shook his head. "This is what the school needs, in my opinion. Some semblance of normality." He sighed. "Everyone's going nuts. The tension is thick enough that you could use it for Evangelion armor. I think what you're doing will be a great distraction." "Well, it's my pleasure, sir." Kaoru nodded, then caught the key as it was tossed to him. "Just lock up when ya go." Yamamoto bowed slightly and then walked out the door. "Good luck!" Kaoru sighed and turned to the stage. "This will work..." he nodded to himself. "It has to work." "What has to work?" Kaoru spun to see Rei in the doorway, holding a viola case in her hand and her school bag in the other. "Miss Ayanami! You startled me!" he laughed. "Do you enjoy doing that?" If he didn't know better, he could have sworn Rei actually grinned. "Of course not." she said smoothly, walking into the darkened room and picking out a chair from the pile. "What will be the lesson for today?" There was a knock on the door, and a janitor smiled, wheeling in a large bin of cleaning supplies and mops. Kaoru smiled and turned to Rei. "Today's lesson? Manual labour." Asuka's sigh echoed throughout the room. "Scheiáe. I KNEW I should have stayed in bed today." "Hey, I'll be helping too." Kaoru said, wheeling in the bin and taking out a mop, throwing it to Shinji, who almost got whacked in the head by it before he realized it was coming his way. Shinji's eyes narrowed. "I thought this was going to be music practice." "It is." Kaoru beamed as he handed Asuka a broom and then took a bucket for himself. "Well, eventually anyway." With a tiny 'click', the lock gave way, allowing the rest of the door to slide open. "Hello?" Kaji smiled as he poked his head through the door. "Anyone home? I just need to borrow some wasabi." he paused. "No? Oh well, I'll just help myself." It was a modest apartment. One bedroom by the looks of it. A kitchen and a small TV room or study. The fact there was little furniture besides an odd box here and there seemed to suggest someone had just moved in. Only the essentials were unpacked. Kaji found himself admiring the man's style. Much like his own, actually. He made a mental note to finish unpacking once he got home as well. As he removed his shoes at the door, careful not to track any dirt or outside clues into the residence, he saw the painting. A large mural- ish masterpiece. Oddly enough, based upon Unit 01 and Sachiel, the Third Shito. "Odd thing to unpack..." Kaji frowned as he walked past. As he did, he brought out a small electronic wand and went over to the first large box he saw. He passed it over the box, but only a steady green light on the tip indicated the sensor was active. He frowned and tested it next to his side-arm. Sure enough, it beeped. Working perfectly. A slow check over the room showed that if there were any weapons or technology in the unpacked boxes, they were plastic or organic. Kaji briefly wondered if he should have brought an organic sensor as well...in case some "material" was smuggled in from the 2nd Branch. Still, anything like that would need a special transportation unit. Wouldn't want angel-tissue to "spoil." Everything was spotless, though. Kaji sighed and moved over to the kitchen, quickly rummaging through the cooking utensils and shelves, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Finding nothing, he even took time to look in the fridge. Instant ramen, sandwich and dinner meats, and a half a dozen jars and boxes of condiments and other foods. "Damn. This guy must be hiding something...his fridge is well-stocked and his house is clean." he smirked. "No REAL bachelor would be able to manage that." On the kitchen table were books and office supplies. Two dozen papers were strewn about, some of them with grades on them. This surprised Kaji. The records he had managed to find showed this man as a construction worker. What was he doing with school assignments? He smiled. Another false trail in the Magi. Very interesting. After examining some of the attendance records, he wasn't too surprised to find the names of the three Children in his books. "Interested in the kids, are you...?" he frowned, feeling a twinge of parental concern for Asuka and Shinji wash over him. He dropped the papers and walked down the hall, hand ready next to his gun, just in case. As he opened the door to the bedroom, his eyes scanned it with a practiced ease. Oddly enough, this was the messiest bedroom he had seen in a long time. "Nice 'hurricane' d‚cor." Kaji shook his head, then put away his weapon. Apparently, this Kaoru guy wasn't much of a sleeper. The air was stale in the room. The smell of sweat and a dozen restless nights was something Kaji knew all too well. Though, he could probably guess it wasn't due to a woman. This was frustration. Nightmares. Inner demons. Something else Kaji knew all about. Also, another odd smell was floating through the air. Almost like blood...but not quite. Kaji had smelled blood before...but he could also tell this was something else. Something else he had known... He ignored the messy bed, knowing he wasn't going to find much there. Instead, he walked over to the closet, and to the source of the smell. The light paper door slid away to revile a box...and three tanks of LCL. "Holy..." Kaji coughed, shielding his nose from the smell. While NERV had cleaning crews to get rid of the stale LCL, it was obvious that this stuff had not had the same care and attention. The canisters, each almost as tall as he was, were cracked and battered. It was amazing they were still holding together from the looks of it. He checked the readout of the pressure gauges and almost ran when he saw two of them were past max pressure. Completely full. There was still enough here to completely flood an entry plug half-a-dozen times. He checked the readout on the third, surprised to see it was almost half empty now. "What the hell does he need with LCL?" Kaji wondered. There were tests being run on the medical and mental effects of injection and digestion, but really, there was no reason anyone would need any LCL unless they were going to climb inside an Eva. And EVEN then, you didn't need LCL. It was mostly provided as a cushion and life-support barrier. Kaji ignored the urge to run in fear of being next to such potentially explosive metal, and decided to investigate the box. It was dirty. Card-board. Looked like it had been through hell and back. As he opened up the top flap, he blinked. Then, Kaji closed the lid and sighed, rubbing his head in frustration. "What the hell did you get yourself into, Kaji?" he groaned. "This is not good..." "Miss Ayanami." Kaoru huffed, wiping his brow with his sleeve. "Would you mind getting me some fresh water? This is getting rather messy." Rei nodded and took his mop-bucket out of the stage to get a refill. Asuka watched enviously, obviously not enjoying her task, sweeping up all the plaster bits around the seats. "Sensei-san, can I get a drink of water?" He nodded. "Of course, Miss Langley." he chuckled. "And you don't have to make those pathetic coughing noises. Just make sure you don't take forever." Asuka grinned evilly and bounded off out the door. Shinji cast her an odd look, then turned his attentions back to his rag. He had been cleaning the seats and the walls with brushes and rags all afternoon, but he welcomed the work. It was nice, and focused his mind. Finally, though, he realized now was his chance. Asuka wouldn't be able to defend her precious Sensei, and he could finally get to the bottom of it all. "Something on your mind, Mister Ikari?" Kaoru said as he mopped up along the edge of the stage. "You're even quieter than usual." His glasses reflected the light in just that same way that made Shinji cringe. "M...maybe..." he admitted, almost surprising himself that he didn't deny the fact." Kaoru smiled. "Well, out with it man! You're going to start going nuts." Shinji raised an eyebrow. Kaoru yawned, then looked over to the wall. "Oh, you brought your cello?" Shinji nodded. "Uhm...yeah...but I was going to..." "May I?" Kaoru smiled walking over to it. "Well...okay...but I really wanted to ask you about..." Shinji gasped as Kaoru almost dropped his cello. "Hey! Watch out!" Kaoru nodded. "Sorry...it's been a while..." he chuckled, making sure he picked up the bag by the strap this time, moving it over to a folding chair. Shinji sighed and groaned to himself. "Please don't break that...my mother gave it to me." Shinji put down his cleaning brush. "And I just got new strings." Kaoru, however, seemed quite familiar with it, and soon had it set up in front of himself, checking the bow and strings. "You did a good job. Looks almost like new." Shinji hovered next to his Sensei nervously. Thoughts of Asuka were replaced with the anxiety of watching his most precious possession being handled by someone else. "Please be careful..." "I've been watching you, Shinji." Kaoru said, ignoring the warning. "You take your music pretty seriously, don't you?" "Of course." Shinji nodded defensively. "Nothing's wrong with listening to music..." "Oh, I agree." Kaoru placed the bow against the stings and tested it with a nice, crisp low hum. "But how often do you MAKE the music, Shinji?" he cast his young student a worried glance. "When was the last time you played?" Shinji turned red. "I play just fine." "That's not what I meant." Kaoru began to play a few notes that sounded something like "Air". Shinji's eyes widened as he recognized the song, but he quickly forced himself to keep serious. He had to get this done...for his own sanity's sake. "I played last year. A school concert." he said quickly. "But..." Kaoru held up his hand, waving the bow at Shinji. "Now, now. Mister Ikari. You KNOW what I mean. When was the last time you played a song simply for yourself?" Shinji blinked. "I...I don't know..." he sighed, trying to think of the last time he played. "It...it must have been before I moved here." "Why haven't you?" Kaoru continued, slowly drawing the bow back again. "I haven't had time." Shinji sighed. "But you've needed it more than ever." Kaoru pointed out. "Haven't you?" Shinji felt a lump in his throat. "...yes..." Kaoru nodded and took a deep breath. Very slowly, he began to play. Long, deep notes began to be pulled from the strings. They flowed almost like waves...gentle, and yet complex and fast. Suiten Fur Violoncello. Perfect, smooth notes echoed throughout Shinji's soul as he stood in front of the music, completely absorbed in it's power. A song Shinji had heard so many times through his SDAT, and in his memories. The song that made him feel alive. Feel good. The song that let him forget his father, his mother, his pain and everything around him. The thing he could draw on to prove he was worth his spit in the world. One cello against all the black, evil things. And the cello would always win. It would drive them back. It would always prove it's sound. Asuka sighed as she met Rei half way back to the concert hall. "What took you so long, Wondergirl?" Rei held the bucket in her hands as she walked. "The washroom was locked. I had to find the janitor." she turned to Asuka. "Why are you still out here?" "I'm taking a break." Asuka said simply. "Shinji's used to this stuff. The Second Child is not supposed to do menial cleaning work!" she grinned proudly. Rei walked past her. Asuka followed with a huff. "Well, might as well get back to it, eh?" "You complain too much." Rei stated as she opened the door with a free hand. Asuka would have retaliated at the comment, when she heard crying. "W...what's going on?" she whispered. Shinji cried softly as Kaoru hugged him. "It's okay, Shinji." he sighed, wiping away a tear himself. "Let it out. I'm here for you." "I'm sorry..." Shinji cried. He wouldn't have been able to finish that statement if he wanted to, but Kaoru seemed to understand, so he didn't care. For the first time in a long...long...time...Shinji Ikari felt like he had a father. This man who knew exactly how to push back all the bad things. To protect him and teach him. Who asked nothing in return. "...That song always does this to me too." Kaoru smiled sadly, holding Shinji like a son. To be continued... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRRRRRRRRGH! GOMEN! I can't believe I'm half a day late! :P Sorry. Shouldn't happen again. ^_^ LIVE WITH IT! HAHAHAA! Warning. I MAY miss the Higher Learning for Easter Weekend, due to a trip across the universe. But that's another story. ^_^ Hope you enjoyed Lesson 14! Omake by Jonathan Gaters------------------------------------ SCENE: In the war room of NERV headquarters. Misato: So that's the plan. You got it? Asuka/Rei: Hai. Misato: Ritsuko, are you sure that we're going to have enough protection? Ritsuko: Don't worry about it. Me and Maya took care of it. Misato: Okay, then let's go. ------------------------------------ SCENE: Shinji is sitting in a confession booth in one of the few Catholic churches in Tokyo-3. Shinji: Father, I must tell you this! Priest: Go ahead my son. Shinji: (Taking a deep breath) This afternoon was going just like any other. I had just got home from school and was wondering where my roommates were, when in through the front door walked Misato, my guardian, Asuka, my other roommate, Rei, my fellow Eva pilot, Ritsuko, the head scientist at NERV, and Maya, her assistant. I asked them why they were all here, and they said that they all had a crush on me because I was so sweet and they all wanted to make love to me! For the next six hours they proceeded to make passionate love to me, sometimes one at a time, sometimes multiple women at once! Whenever one would move another would take her place! I don't think I'll ever be able to have sex again! Shinji: (Taking yet another deep breath) Finally at the end of it, Ritsuko, Maya, and Rei went home, and Misato and Asuka went to bed. I took a shower and came here. Priest: Well, my son, I'm glad you came here. Recognizing what you did was wrong is the first step. Shinji: I don't think what I did was wrong. Priest: (Sounding puzzled) Then why did you tell me this? Shinji: I just had sex with five women for six hours, I'm telling everybody!! ----------------------------------------------- e-mail : strikef@bigfoot.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110 Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000. Khattam-Shud, EOF.