Neon Genesis Evangelion Higher Learning Strike Fiss, 2000 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. To be Continued... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Good evening, good readers! I hope you enjoyed Higher Learning # 28. ^_^ Also hope you like the slight change in direction the plot is taking. Always fun to screw around with Mr. Anno's work. I'm sure I'd do it more justice if I was Prozac deprived, but I happen to prefer Jolt, and I have lots of it, so I'm happy. Stay tuned! It's not over yet. :P I apologize for the delay. Moving into my brand new spooky keen room has taken longer than I thought. Hopefully this extra-long instalment will make up for some of that. ^_^ Also, I plan to regain my schedule this upcoming weekend, so it should be all good. Lesson 30 should be out by the end of the month. Enjoy! And now, as if 22 pages of fan-fiction-goodness weren't enough... OMAKE TIME! ----------- All four Evangelions stood at the ready...their elevator cages retracted and their power supplies linked up and solid. "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, then motioned to Maya to activate the test. "You're all going to be playing Hop-Scotch." Shinji, Asuka, Toji and Rei all blinked as they noticed the giant, numbered squares off in the distance. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?!?" Asuka yelled. "I'm afraid that's not all, Asuka." Misato sighed, dreading her assignment. "Each Eva has been retrofitted with the H-Type Equipment." For the first time, all the pilots gasped, and did a system's check. Shinji almost screamed as he realized Unit-01 was wearing a long, school-girl skirt and bow. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" "Y...You've GOT to be kidding!!" Toji gasped. "Oh, that's right." Ritsuko said with a cough. "To calibrate your new sensors, I'm afraid you'll all have to pair up and play Patty-Cake." All four Evangelions fell over. The crater was quite impressive. Gendo Ikari just smiled behind his gloves. "Did anyone tell you that you are one sick bastard?" Fuyutsuki sighed. "I warned Yui when we started going out." Gendo shrugged. "I have a school-girl fetish." he turned back to the screen, now zooming up onto a 'panty shot' of Unit-01. "Now who has the last laugh, Yui? Whhaa!!!!" A large sweat drop slid down Fuyutsuki's hairline. ---------------------------------- e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110 Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000. Khattam-Shud, EOF.