Neon Genesis Evangelion Higher Learning Strike Fiss, 2001 Forty-Third Lesson: "School's Out" Kaji gazed at Misato with an odd expression. It was a mix of both awe and concern. Concern for the events happening of late, and the stress that she must be feeling. However, he was also quite entranced with the woman across from him. Needing to talk, they agreed on a meeting place out side of town. There wasn't much left of Tokyo-3 anyway, so it seemed to be the best idea. The air was humid. A million gallons of water had been evaporated in the explosion of Unit-00, and it was still hovering in the air like a thick misty blanket. Misato kept complaining that it made her hair feel messy, but Kaji was tending to enjoy it. They had packed a small lunch and hiked up to the top of the mountains surrounding the city. From below, it looked horrible. Melted debris and the unfortunate few bodies left somewhat whole were still being pulled out from under some of the more...intact...buildings. Rescue crews still dotted the landscape three days later, and the flashing lights were so common, you almost didn't notice anymore. From this point of view, however, the chaos was hidden. The fog wrapped around everything with a warm, friendly embrace. The sun lit it all up until it almost looked like ice on the water. Buildings looked like trees branching out from the pond below, and the gentle flickering of the rescue lights made the scene alive in the way stars in the sky could. Sharing the moment with a beautiful woman and a good glass of wine made it all the better, and Kaji felt the days of stress leaving him almost completely. "I have to tell Asuka today." Misato whispered as she laid her head in his lap. "Oh?" he asked, gently tracing his fingers through her hair. "With Unit-00 gone, we'll have to find a new pilot for Unit-02. If we don't..." "I know." Kaji nodded. "She's not going to take it well...but I don't think she'll hold you responsible." "That's what I'm worried about." Misato groaned. "You know what she's going to do?" "What?" Kaji smiled, humoring her, even though it was pretty obvious. "She's going to start crying, and then Shinji's going to make her feel better, and then she's going to want to repay him and they'll be shagging like rabbits by the time I get home." She screamed. "ARGH!" "It will be okay." Kaji said, lying back so they were both looking up at the hazy blue sky. "Shinji's a good man. He's been taught by some of the best in our generation. Me, for example." He smiled as Misato snickered. "And you, Misato. Remember, while you insist you're just a roommate and guardian, you're also his friend. You're family to him." "That's the scariest thing I've ever heard." She smiled. "I don't want to be related to Gendo." "He's a good teacher too, you know." Kaji said. "WHAT?" Misato sat up and glared at him. "Of course." Kaji smiled. "Just don't act like him, and your life will turn out okay." She sighed and curled up around his side again. "I suppose. But the kids are so young." "Sixteen isn't too bad, Misato." He sighed. "Our country posts the limit at fourteen years old before marriage." Misato smirked at him. "Ah, so explain to me this, Dr Math...Asuka and Shinji were both born in 2001. How do you explain that with it being 2015?" Kaji just shrugged. "Then why did they both know their sweet sixteens were coming up?" There was a long silence. "That isn't funny." Misato sat up and looked at him. "What did you do?" "Nothing." Kaji shrugged. "The Magi are also correct. During their last physical, they were confirmed at sixteen years of age, more or less." He smiled at her as her eyes went wide. "Why do you think I've been busting my back trying to find out this secret's answers?" "Two years?" Misato blinked. "Two years we don't remember." Kaji corrected her. Then, shrugged. "Of course, the Magi also say it's the year 2015. The stars agree. I've done my own calculations, as well as talked with several people around the globe. It's quite a conspiracy if it's not actually 2015." Misato looked at him, then herself. "What about us?" "Just the Children. Everyone in Shinji and Asuka's class shares the same thing, however. Everyone thinks it's their sixteenth birthday." Kaji looked out over the fog. "With cloning technology the way it is, who knows. But, I do have a theory." "Let me guess...Eva?" "Exactly." Kaji sighed. "Now, first of all, I'm no expert." He looked at her with warm eyes. "I've been talking to that Kaoru character for the last few months. From what I've been able to coax out of him, I think I know what is going on." "He's...not from here, is he." Misato whispered. "I don't know." Kaji said, looking down at his lunch long enough to pour them both another glass of wine. "But...I don't think he's an angel." "You mean you're not sure?" Misato blinked. A long pause. "I tried to shoot him the other day." Kaji said quietly. "An AT Field came up and saved him." He looked at her. "I think he's the one that saved my life earlier." "When was this?" Misato gasped. "Four days ago." "But..." Kaji smiled. "I know. There were no AT Fields detected." He shrugged. "But I know what I saw, Misato. You don't get a flashlight beam in the eye, or muzzle flash, and think it's a giant wall of orange-red light." "This is one big nightmare. Isn't it?" Misato sighed and looked up at him. "Maybe." Kaji sighed, then shrugged. "But we just might be waking up from it soon." The Three Stooges sighed as they looked out over the ruined city. Toji had his arms crossed...though Hikari was hanging onto one of them, peering past him. "Wow." They all nodded. Kensuke shook his head. "This is horrible." Rei blushed and sighed. Shinji smiled. "He's talking about all the military hardware that was blown up." "Damn rights!" he smiled happily to Rei. "Next time you wanna blow up the city, please tell me so I can go looting just before you do." Rei just blushed more and bowed her head. Asuka grumbled. "Don't listen to them, Rei. They're just stooges. They wouldn't understand." She humphed and stuck her nose up in the air. Rei smiled and shook her head. "I'm just glad nobody was hurt." "And Misato's apartment is far enough away from the main city it was unharmed." Asuka smiled happily. "You can come stay with us for a while if you want, Rei." Everyone almost gasped. Even Shinji, who hadn't heard such a noble, selfless gesture from Asuka...well...ever! "Stop gawking." Asuka grumbled, then smiled happily to Rei. "I mean it. You're welcome to stay with us." Rei smiled. "I can stay at least for tonight, I guess." "Perfect!" Asuka said, triumphantly. "Let's go!" As they started walking back to the train station...one of the few that hadn't been destroyed on the outer Tokyo-3 Monorail, Toji and Hikari leaned into Shinji. "Well, so much for that." Shinji smiled. "Well, we won't have to worry about getting everyone in one place now. And Misato is almost done I'm sure." "It amazes me." Hikari blushed and smiled brightly. "Asuka seems so much happier now." The group all had their suspicions about Asuka and Shinji, but everyone was polite enough to leave it alone. However, Shinji wasn't so sure. "She's trying to keep busy." He said quietly. "She doesn't want to think about Eva." "Well, I'm sure the party will be a nice distraction." Kensuke smiled, then adjusted his glasses. "Even the Devil shouldn't be ignored on her birthday." "SHHHH!" Toji and Shinji clasped their hands over his mouth. "Not so loud!" Toji said. "Besides, her birthday was last week." Shinji whispered. "Well, still, it's her party." Hikari smiled. "And besides, I bet Shinji and her wanted to spend time together." Toji smiled a bit...too...cool. "Yeah, I bet they had fun." Shinji prayed nobody saw how red he got. Gendo walked down the steps, past the tiny grate marked 'drain' and into the LCL Tank Observation Deck. As he walked, he spoke out into the darkness. "Life is not a random direction, Rei." He stated, circling the tanks slowly. "There are several points of change that, by their very nature, make it hard to predict." He smiled. It was no a creepy, controlling smile, rather, it was kind, proud and familiar. "I'm proud we could come this far." He whispered out to the room. "To make life behave like it has a purpose...a goal...it takes a lot of planning. Effort." He said softly. "Sacrifice." "Ahh, but I suppose you're an expert on that part." Gendo blinked, looking around, wondering what just happened. He had been so caught up in his speech to Rei, that he didn't quite expect to hear another voice respond. Finally, though, as he walked around to the Reiquarium, he saw a lone figure standing causally, leaning against the amber fish-globe like glass. He looked entirely surreal in the resulting light from the tank...and looked much more devilish with the echoing shadows of limbs, heads, and other body parts floating over his skin. Gendo rushed up, at first, trying not to betray his horror...but it was apparent he had yet to see the good Doctor's work. Kaoru stood there, thumbing his glasses gently with his shirt to clean them. "Life isn't fair. I figured why should you be exempt from that truth?" he smiled, looking into the tank. "Now, your little doll is gone. Only Rei remains. One Rei. No more backups." "You..." Gendo hissed, standing amazingly still for a man with the amount of emotion and thought raging through him that he did. "What are you doing here." It was not a question, and Kaoru felt no obligation to answer. "I have spent years in preparation for this moment." He said, putting back on his glasses. They shone in mirror-like crispness under the shadows of intestines and amber. "You..." Gendo took a step back. "You are going to kill me." "No." Kaoru smirked. "Though it would do me great pleasure...I once promised that I wouldn't." "Then..." the confused old Ikari blinked. "This is the moment where everything is reset." Kaoru said slowly, letting the meaning of the words impact on his prey. "Everything you have done will be undone. Everything you control will have it's strings cut. Everyone you've ever hurt..." he grinned. "Will now be able to fight back." Gendo watched behind his glasses as Kaoru walked around him, circling like a shark. "What is it that you want." "You don't care what I want." Kaoru said softly. "I only want this to go the way it was supposed to. I have heard too many stories, and seen too many examples of your work to let it continue." Carefully, at first, but then with a grin, Kaoru placed his hand on Gendo's shoulder from behind. "I want you to know that it wasn't easy..." Kaoru hissed. "I do owe a bit of respect to you in that. And...you may actually still win this. You may just get exactly what you want." "I always do." Gendo warned, trying to ignore the hand on his shoulder. Kaoru smirked. "Ahh, yes, I suppose you might." He leaned forward slightly, whispering right in Gendo's ear now. "Of course, now, it will be everyone's choice. Not just yours." Gendo was silent. "But...I must go on a brief vacation." Kaoru said quietly. "Your son is about to face his most difficult hour." He said. "I know he will triumph." "And if he doesn't?" Gendo smirked back. "You place too much faith on that boy." "So do you." Kaoru replied. "You should be careful not to trust him to make the same mistakes you have." "Mm." Gendo just grumbled. "I've taught him better than you have." And with that, Gendo was suddenly alone again. He turned around, looking for the intruder, but could find nobody. He cursed himself for not remembering his gun. But then again...he doubted it would do any good. Kaoru had been standing on his own too feet. With a sudden gasp, he ran over to the central LCL tank. The MAGI had said Rei was still here, hence why he came down. He knelt down to the tank, seeing the floating, ghostly figure of the cobalt-haired young woman. She didn't respond to his presence. Desperate, Gendo reached into the pool. He grabbed onto her hair and pulled. It was more than a bit disturbing to watch her head pop off into his arms, dripping with bloody LCL. The Rei in his hands looked horrible...with strange, vein-like lesions all over her cheeks. However, she had the most peaceful smile on her face. The loud, squishing crack of the imposter Rei's skull echoed out in the nightmarish room as Gendo threw it against the wall. He stormed off, determined not to let it all fall apart. He just wished he knew how far it had gone. The bits of Reis in the tank never offered their sympathies. "I hate you all." Asuka grumbled through gritted teeth. Of course, that was probably due to the fact she looked completely silly with the birthday hat on her head. Kensuke filming the event wasn't making her feel any better. Both Kaji and Misato tried hard not to look amused, but failed. "Oh, come on, Asuka-chan!" Hikari giggled, hugging her friend for the nth time that day. "You're ALLOWED to have fun." "I know." Asuka protested, trying to look completely non-happy. However, the shimmer in her eyes as she was handed her presents betrayed her true emotions. Nobody blamed her for wanting to be in a bad mood, but everyone was very glad that she was able to have a bit of fun. They didn't even mind the threats. "I hate you a..." she gasped. "OOOH! THE NEW RAMSTIEN CD! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" she leapt at Hikari and toppled her over in a hug right back. The poor Class Rep just gasped out for air. Toji smirked. "It's a bunch of angry Germans making music about ants marching. We figured it was 'you'." He turned to Rei, who was blushing. "And, besides, Rei said you'd like it." "Rei?" Asuka beamed. "Thank you!" she hugged the poor girl. "This really is an awesome gift!" Rei blushed and hugged back. "I like ants too." Asuka blushed and smiled back at the Class Rep "Thank you too. I really appreciate it. I haven't had the chance to listen to much music other than classical lately." "Nothing wrong with classical." Shinji piped up. "True, but I was getting all these mental images of Napoleonic wars in my head when we were fighting angels." She winked. "It was very strange." "Ooh! Ours next!" Kensuke said happily. He pointed to the box next to her on the carpet." "Who's?" Asuka blinked, opening it up. She looked at Toji, Kensuke and Shinji...noticing their grins. "Oh god...not..." Sure enough, it was a Three Stooges Classic DVD Box-Set. Asuka stood up, and gave them all noogies. After the fiasco, the three boys were holding their heads painfully, trying to smile. "Ow." They said in unison. Asuka stuck out her tongue. "Well, I must say, it suits you all." Finally, she sighed and bowed her head. "Thank you, bakas." "Haai!" they all chorused happily. "Now now...let's not forget old Misato!" Kaji smiled, ignoring the grumbling from Misato at the 'old' comment. Asuka sighed as she was handed a crudely wrapped object...in the shape of a bottle. "Uhm...thanks, Misato." She smirked. "Is it a pony? I've always wanted a pony." Misato sighed. "Hey! I've been busy!" she smiled. "Just be glad you have someone to buy quality sake for you under-aged brats. Pen-Pen seemed to get slightly angry at the undermining comment about HIS choice of sake. After all, it wasn't this third rate crap that Misato bought. "Wuaagh!" "See? Pen-Pen agrees." Misato smiled happily, not noticing Pen-Pen giving her the 'flipper'. Everyone turned to see Shinji smiling, holding a box behind him. Asuka eyed him suspiciously, but was smiling. "Oh? And does Baka-kun have something for me?" Hikari instinctively elbowed Toji just before he commented on that. Shinji handed her a shoe-box sized present, holding it carefully. When Asuka took it, she could feel it was delicate, and looked at him in surprise. The other gifts were nice, but this must have been something special. "I...It's nothing much, but I hope you like it." Shinji blushed. "I remembered the promise we made, and, well..." Misato reasoned it was way too big to be an engagement ring, and tried to relax a bit. "Go ahead, Asuka!" she beamed. "Open it!" Speechless, Asuka opened it up. There was a nice, brown-paper box under the paper wrapping, and she carefully removed the top. After ruffling through the white packing tissue inside, she gasped, looking at Shinji. "T...this is..." Hikari walked behind her friend, unable to resist curiosity any longer. "Oh my! A sake set!" Everyone but Shinji crowded around as Asuka pulled out the set. Traditional sake serving sets consisted of a larger jug-like ceramic vase, with any number of smaller clay or ceramic sake cups that would hold a few sips (or one good shot) for whoever was drinking it. This set was beautiful. Deep, stormy plum colours mixed with warm grays and midnight blues. Everything was set with a tasteful gold trim around each edge and the bottoms of the cups. Patterns of feathers and leaves gave definition to the colours, while a simple, yet equally beautiful wooden serving tray stood as an amazing, oak-red base for the array. Asuka seemed almost afraid she would break them. They looked so thin, yet would be able to withstand years of use. The clay was masterfully crafted, and protected all via a thick, deep glaze. It was only this caution that made her remember to carefully put it down back in the box before ignoring it so she could leap up at Shinji and hug him as tight as she could, tears already wetting his shirt. "Shinji...you are wonderful..." she whispered, trying not to sob. "Thank you..." Shinji just hugged back, blushing a bit due to everyone staring, but he didn't seem to worry too much about it. "It's my pleasure, Asuka- chan." He whispered back. "Happy Birthday!" Kaji smiled and bowed his head. "To Asuka! On her sweet Sixteen!" Everyone except the two adults rushed the two and they all group hugged. Even Rei, who, in the back of her mind, was cataloging the experience with quite a level of interest. After all, they don't usually teach about group hugs in school. "Would you like me to warm up the sake?" Rei offered as they parted. "Not yet." Asuka blushed. "I promised Shinji we'd share a glass or two. But for now, I think I just wanna hang out with everyone." "I'm just glad we're all here together." Misato smiled, walking over and hugging Rei, before hugging all of them. "It wouldn't be fair if someone was left out." Rei nodded happily. "It's a wonderful life." Kaji smirked. "Just don't start singing Christmas carols yet, or I'm goinna get cavities." Misato was about to retort when there was a knock on the door. She walked over and opened it up. Nobody stood on the other side. However, she noticed a small package, resting at the doorstop. "Asuka is not going to be very happy." Maya sighed as she looked over the report. "Asuka is more concerned over not being suicidal." Ritsuko shook her head. "I think a break will do her good." She shrugged. "Hell, the Fifth Child might even be an excuse for her to fire up that sense of competition she used to have." "But...the big question will be if he can sync with Unit-02." Maya said. "And will he want to after Asuka complains about it." They stood, looking at the same screen. It was a message via the NERV network. SEELE would be sending them the next pilot in a few days. "We're so close to something big." Ritsuko whispered. "I'm worried more that we'll have to baby-sit another new pilot. Toji is good, but even now, he's nowhere near Asuka and Shinji's level." Maya smiled. "But he might have the same heart that Shinji and Asuka have. Training doesn't seem to matter all that much." "Maya?" the Doctor turned to her. "Are you getting all sentimental on me?" a small smile followed. "The human spirit has nothing to do with our project." "Quoting Gendo?" Maya mumbled to herself. Ritsuko blinked, then blushed. "Sorry." "No need." Maya shrugged it off, then sighed to herself. "You know, you could use a bit of sentimentalism..." "Maybe after we stop the angels, I'll read up on it." Ritsuko joked...but it was clear Maya didn't think it was funny. "And you could definitely get a sense of humor..." Maya continued. Ritsuko pouted. "Yes, dear." Shinji found himself up later than usual that night. Despite Misato's subtle hints that she'd be 'checking' in on them once in a while, Kaji managed to remove the good miss Misato from the apartment for that night. Shinji and Asuka were finally abandoned by their friends as well, by feigning sleep. Finally, they had been left alone. As promised, they did share sake. It would probably become another of their shared practices. It seemed to taste so much better this time around. Maybe it was the way they used the actual sake set instead of just plastic cups. Or maybe it was the kiss or two stolen between drinks. Whatever it was, Shinji was happy. Asuka slept lightly on his chest, curled around is waist, refusing to let go completely to their lovemaking, taking the feeling of them together to protect her dreams. Shinji never bothered to move, even though he had stayed awake this night, long after his redheaded partner had succumbed to sleep. He managed to get his SDAT player without waking Asuka, or moving enough to part from her form. It must have been curiosity that lead him to put in the tape. Indeed, it was why he had stayed up this late. The box Misato had found on the step contained two items. The SDAT tape, and a small, handmade metal bracelet. Asuka wore the later of the two...now as warm as her skin, he could feel it next to his side on her wrist. It was beautiful, and clearly one-of-a-kind. The tape was battered, but looked playable. They both assumed it was for his ears, and Asuka was too much under the spell of comfort and love to ward off sleep long enough to find out for herself before Shinji did. On the side, where there was a small, newly-made label, it read: Train Tracks. Turning down the volume so as not to disturb Asuka, he quietly clicked 'play' and listened intently. There was something in the background of the sound. Maybe static...rare on an SDAT tape, but not unheard of if it was recorded with non-digital equipment. Other than that, he heard the familiar voice of Sensei Kaoru speaking. "Hello, Shinji. This is your good ol' teacher." A small chuckle. "Hopefully, I was a good teacher, anyway. I suppose this will all be determined soon." Shinji smiled. "Hai." "I am hoping this message finds you happy and healthy. And while I must be brief, I knew you might not forgive me if I didn't say a few words before I had to go. The school is gone, and it may be a while before we meet again. I pray we can face each other as adults once again. Not as student and teacher. It reminds me too much like 'father and son'. Something I know you will understand when I say I want to avoid it." Shinji found himself nodding silently. "My father was a great man, Shinji. I'm glad you will have the chance to meet him. But one thing I could never forgive myself about was that...we were always too separate. I didn't realize what a good man he was until much later on in my life. By then, we were too old and stubborn to admit..." he sighed. "Whatever. I want you to know that you remind me of him. You are not a student in my eyes. You are just as much a teacher. "It may be hard for you and Asuka to survive together in these next few years. I know that your love is true, but I also ask you both to be patient with each other. Be good to one another." Shinji smiled down at the young woman sleeping around him. "We will." He whispered. Asuka hummed a silent response. "I leave with you this one, final lesson." Kaoru said with his clear, 'teaching voice'. "And that is of the hearts of other people." A small chuckle. "Take notes...this is 100% of your final grade in my class, Mister Ikari." "I always do." Shinji smiled back. "There will be people..." he said. "Who you love. Who you trust. And sometimes, for no reason, they will turn around and hurt you right back. I know you know this...but I offer this advice to you. Instead of hating them...instead of running...you must save them." "Kaoru...?" "You have the power to do great good, or great harm, Shinji. And sometimes, the results will be opposite of what you think they should be. Sometimes, it is good to give up. Sometimes, it's good to be angry and let fear take over. Sometimes...you have to run away. Sometimes, when everyone else is running, it will be your job to stop yourself...and everyone else." A long, deep breath. "You must face each challenge. Don't let your heart be clouded over by your feelings. You MUST do what's right." Shinji nodded, silent. "And with that, I can say only one thing. That the world will be in good hands." He blushed silently to himself. "Arigato." "I apologize...but I cannot stay to help. I will be back, though. Please, keep everyone safe. If you need anything, talk to Kaji or Misato-chan." A small pause. "And tell everyone I will miss them." "I will..." Shinji sighed, but hugged Asuka warmly out of reflex. Asuka hummed softly. "Ja. Shinji-sempai." And the sound was gone. With his mind full of worry, but also trust, Shinji fell asleep a fee minutes later. Unfortunately, he missed the next part of the tape. His nightmares didn't. To be continued... ---------------------------------------------------------------- Strike Fiss here with a quick apology and word. Sorry for taking so long when this story was almost ready to post over 2 weeks ago. A move into a new house, a new job, and some new underwear have made writing this past month impossible. (just kidding, the underwear is fine. ^_^) I hope you all enjoyed the Lesson, and I want to thank Hooze, my keen sister, for getting me a sake-set like the one in the story. ^_^ They are mighty keen, and wonderful to drink sake with. Makes it taste even better. :P (or maybe that's the 'being drunk' part. ^_^) Oooh! And the kick ass Cheshire Cat mug she got me. ^_^ YOU RULE HOOZE YOUZE IS MAH ELF-HO! I DO MIGHTY KUNG-FU KICK FOR YOU! And, while I'm sure it needs no introduction, the US terrorist attacks on Tuesday have been rocking the online world for most of this week, and I would like to offer my deepest sympathies to the victims, survivors, and the World in general. Unless we get hit by an Angel anytime soon, this is probably the biggest disaster I have been unfortunate enough to see. I pray it's the only one in my lifetime, and many lifetimes to come. Terrorism of this nature is not committed by angry people lashing out. This was the work of inhuman assholes that give shit-throwing monkeys a bad name. I would like to thank Humanity for reminding me that I still believe in it...and would like to hunt down and kill each and every one of those bastards who haven't been killed already. I send out a might "Fuck you all, and die quickly." to them. I know there are some harsh feelings directed towards the US, and I know the US has done bad shit like this to other countries. But you have to be one sick motherfucking asshole to do shit like this on a personal scale. I pray the only ones sick enough to do this were the ones in the suicide planes that already went down. At least then SOME of the death isn't innocent people. If I was Global Czar, this would be prevented under the "Don't be a fucking moron/asshole" law. Please, vote for Strike Fiss in the next election. Thank you. Everyone, be safe and take care of those who you love. Protect...don't destroy. And maybe, if everyone does that, we'll get out of this bullshit and evolve eventually. Hopefully...without the aid of turning us all into LCL. Anyone else think Gendo might have had a good idea? -__- OMAKE---------------------------------------------------------------- Gendo stood silently before Rei. The naked girl looked puny before the vast might of Lilith, but Gendo knew she was the key to all his plans. And like any good doll, she would follow his instructions. "Now, take me to Yui." He extended his hand for her naked chest, but stopped as Rei's red eyes came up and stared into his own. "I am not your doll." Without warning the clone let out a Xena yell and slammed a karate chop into Gendo's neck. He grunted painfully as he fell to the floor, then grunted again as Rei planted a foot somewhere sensitive. "I am not your doll. I am... an action figure!" Rei went off to show the army her kung-fu fighting action, and Gendo moaned quietly. "If only Yui hadn't rejected the name Barbie..." Darren Demaine Chairman of the Horde Horde O' Hentai Productions ---------------------------------------------------------------- Farewell and goodnight! strikef@bigfoot.com www.studioshinnyo.com www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110 Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2001. Khattam-Shud, EOF.