From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>


                      Neon Genesis Evangelion
                          Higher Learning
                          ===============

                         Teacher's Edition
                       Lessons 01 through 10



                         Strike Fiss, 2000











Someone's crying.

I'm not sure why, but I think I'm glad it's not Asuka.  Or Misato.  I 
know Rei won't cry.  Not over me.  Not unless she knew the whole truth.  
But, to know that, I suppose you'd have to be someone else.  Rei, for 
all her perfection, probably doesn't consider the truth before her.  
It's too far-fetched.  

It takes me a moment to remember who else is there at my side.  The 
grass is cold under my back, and it's slippery from the backwash of 
LCL, but I don't mind.  It feels good.  I know that, in a few moments, 
the cold will take me, and I will be at rest.  Once more.  Finally.

The young boy...no...young man...who is crying on my chest, is Shinji 
Ikari.  I can just make out his telltale blue and white plug-suit as he 
asks me not to leave him and the others.  He keeps telling me that he 
wants to learn so much more.  That I'm the only one that can teach him.  
That Asuka and Misato need me.  That he needs me.  That Tokyo 3 needs 
me.

My eyes are barely able to focus now.  Blood has crept it's way from my 
head to cover them but I try to stay awake as long as possible.  

I'm glad it's Shinji who will send me off to the next world.  He's why 
I came here in the first place.  It saddens me to leave like 
this...without knowing if all this was worth it.  However, maybe this 
is what he needs to remember everything I tried to teach.  

I manage to look over to Asuka.  Her eyes are wet, from what I can 
tell.  But she is not looking at me.  I think it's because I've scared 
her.  I've scared both of us.  Still, I have to give her one last 
glance before I pass on.  My vision is foggy, now.  She seems 
surrounded by a kind of golden halo.  God, she is beautiful.

Misato is crying too.  She's holding my hand, I finally realize, though 
I cannot feel it.  The same halo surrounds her in my mind, and I drink 
in the sight of the two most amazing women I've ever known.  She's 
pleading for me to hold on, though she can tell by the way my blood is 
slowing that it's already too late.  Strange, I can remember a time 
when it was her blood.  I can still remember the taste...

I turn back to Shinji.  Mustering whatever strength I can, I hold out 
my hand for him to take.

He accepts it without thinking twice, ignoring the blood.  I'm not 
sure, but I think I manage to smile as well, because he suddenly smiles 
back as he grips my hand with both of his.  

I would have moved the universe to see that smile.

It is at that moment, where I know there is a chance.  A chance that I 
may have done my job.  Just maybe I did it right.  And just maybe, 
Shinji Ikari will not have to do the same thing I just did.

And as everything goes quiet, and my mind falls down into the 
cold...lit now only by the two halos and a smile that were my last 
visions...I take one last breath, and I dream of the past few months.











First Lesson:  The Family Unit







Being only a foot and a half high, Pen-Pen never did get the hang of 
door-knobs.  This was one of the facts of many that made the penguin 
one of the only people in the apartment that never took advantage of 
Shinji.  When he gently scraped his beak up against the door to 
Shinji's room, a moment was all it took for the young man to wake up 
and emerge with a smile.

"Good morning, Pen-Pen." Shinji whispered as he opened the door.

"Wuaaagh!" Pen-Pen replied gratefully.  

They walked or waddled over to the kitchen, and Shinji fixed up a quick 
meal of sardines that he had left out on the table overnight to thaw.  
A moment later, he emerged from the front door with the newspaper, 
reading any interesting headlines before he handed it over to Pen-Pen.  
"I think your stock went up another point." Shinji said.  
"Congratulations!"

Pen-Pen watched as Shinji put on his cooking apron and began to fix 
breakfast for the three humans.  Today was a very special day for the 
young Ikari.  Pen-Pen wasn't too sure why he was doing all the work, 
but figured everything went smoother when Shinji did the chores anyway.  

The sound of the shower running hinted at Asuka being awake and 
prepping herself for the morning routine.  Misato wouldn't be awake for 
another ten minutes at least and would let herself be known by asking 
for her morning beer.  Shinji re-doubled his efforts to get breakfast 
on the table and succeeded with time to spare.

Both of them enjoyed their quiet mornings together.  Shinji sat and ate
his toast and coffee while looking over some notes for class.  Pen-Pen 
read the daily entertainment section and quietly licked the remaining 
sardine salt from his beak.

It is June 6th.  Shinji Ikari's sixteenth birthday.  Oddly enough, it 
is also the first day that the school had been open in nearly three 
weeks, due to the last angel attack.  Shinji looked a lot happier than 
usual.  Probably because of those two facts.  School was a nice routine 
for him, and a birthday is always nice...even if nobody remembers it.  

Pen-Pen remembered, though, and reminds himself to order the dancing-
girls for the party tonight.  Or, at the very least, to get the 
presents wrapped.

Asuka Langley makes herself known.  Of course, that usually involved 
some kind of anguish on Shinji's part.  Today is no exception, and he 
almost swallows his own tongue as she smacks him on the back of his 
head.

"Morning, Baka." She says with a big yawn.  "You better not have had 
any dirty dreams about me."

Pen-Pen was still torn up over if he finds Asuka's presence to be a good 
thing or bad thing.  After all, she is loud, annoying, always watching 
soap-operas on TV, and is constantly pestering his friend Shinji, who 
is the only human who can get his sardines to taste juuuuust right.  
However, she looks very nice in the shower, as Pen-Pen has observed no 
less than three times, and that almost makes up for all of it.  The 
fact that, for all his complaining, Shinji would probably not want her 
to leave makes up for the rest.  Asuka can stay...for now.

"Morning, Asuka." Shinji grumbles, rubbing his head as she settled down 
on the seat next to him and began to shovel food into her mouth.  "Sleep 
well?"

She shot him a dirty look.  "No!" she stated loudly, making little bits 
of egg fly out over the table.  "And it's not polite to talk to someone 
who's eating!"

Shinji sighed and turned back to his homework.  "Sorry, Asuka-chan."

Asuka deems eating as more important than mentioning how he ALWAYS says 
'sorry', and is quiet for the remainder of the meal.

One thing is missing from the cozy little picture, however.  
"Uuuuuuuuuugh..." Misato groans as she walks out of her room and heads 
towards them.  Her eyes are half-dead and she looks like she recovering 
from cryogenic storage with the way her skin looks so pale.  Pen-Pen sill 
likes her, however.  Though this woman has a lot of personal demons that 
need slaying, she's always put him, and the others, ahead of herself.  

Of course, that does not count in the morning when she has a hangover.  
Nobody gets in the way of her first beer.  
"YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" she whoops as 
the tab is cracked and the first third of the can is poured into her 
lips.  Pen-Pen smiles to himself.  Yup.  Same old Misato.

Shinji and Asuka are used to the outburst and let her join the 
breakfast table without even looking up in disgust.  "Morning, Misato-
chan." Shinji says warmly.

"Looking forward to this morning?" Misato smiles as she takes a bite of 
Shinji's cooking and deems it scarf-able.  "I hear summer vacation has 
been cancelled."

"WHAT?" Asuka yells.  "Just because of that last angel??  Shiest!  Next 
time I'll destroy the school myself!"

Misato regards the younger woman with a frown.  "Didn't get all your 
homework done, did you?"

Asuka blushed and shook her head.  "I couldn't read the questions.  
I'll have to ask Sensei Taisho when we get to school."

"You had THREE WEEKS to ask us!" Misato yelled back.  "Are you saying 
you didn't even STUDY?" she pointed to Shinji.  "You could have at 
LEAST asked Shinji to help you!"

"Shinji's a pervert." Asuka explained calmly, talking like Shinji wasn't
even there.  "If I asked him to be my study-partner, he'd get a nosebleed 
and think we were going to make out all night!"

Shinji just ignored the comment and took a sip of his tea.

Misato gave up, instead focusing on her breakfast.  "Very well...but I 
want a signed letter from Sensei Taisho by the end of the day." She 
smiled as Asuka begins to squirm.  "And he's going to let me know how 
much homework you need to catch up on, so I know how much TV you're going
to miss."

"AAARGH!  YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING!" Asuka yelled back.

Shinji and Pen-Pen share a sigh.  Yup.  Another normal morning.  They 
both stand, not bothering to interrupt the emerging argument, and move 
to the kitchen where Shinji uses the few-minutes head start he's gained 
on the day to fix his and Asuka's lunches.  Pen-Pen goes to his fridge 
and opens the door.  "Wuaaagh!" he tells Shinji.

Shinji nods.  "Later, Pen-Pen."










Asuka follows Shinji on the way to school, a step or two behind.  She 
keeps telling him is so he can't look at her butt.  Of course, she 
fails to tell him that it's also so she can look at his.  This would be 
because she herself doesn't really know she's looking.

"Can you believe Misato?" Asuka grumbled as they walked.  "How did she 
know I didn't do that homework??  Was she searching through my things 
again?!"

Shinji said nothing, reading a book as he walked.  He was rather good 
at it from his practice at NERV.  "Mmm." He hums in a tone that could 
be seen as either positive or negative to her comment.  That particular 
talent seemed to get a lot of practice lately.
 
Asuka frowned.  "Well?  What about you, Third Child?  Do YOU know how 
she knows?  I bet you helped her look through my things, hoping you'd 
get a glimpse of my underpants!"

"I do your laundry." Shinji mumbled to himself.  "I see more of your 
underwear than YOU do.  Why would I want to go looking through your 
room?"

"HENTAI!" she smacked him across the back of his head.  "That does it!  
I'm doing my own laundry!"

"Good." Shinji smiled happily.  "It's about time."

Asuka blinked as she realized she has been tricked.  "AARHG!  Never mind." 
She pouted.  "I still don't see how Misato knew, though."

"Everyone knows you didn't do homework." Shinji commented quietly.

"Mmph.  Well, we can't ALL be Invincible Shinji's, now, can we?"

"Don't you like anything about School?" Shinji frowned.  A small bit of 
attitude finally chipping free from his iceberg of untouched reserves.  
"You went to college for four years, didn't you?  You had to have liked 
some of it."

"There is a big difference." Asuka explained.  "College and High-school 
are nothing alike." She sighed.  "This place is so boring.  I already 
know more than the sensei, and it all seems useless."

Shinji nodded.  "Yeah...I guess you're right."

Asuka smiled at Shinji's comment.  "Of course I am!" she patted him on 
the shoulder.  "See?  You're getting smarter just by being in my 
presence!"

Shinji, very wisely, chose not to comment on that.






Elsewhere...a few blocks away...






The Principal of the school was a stout man in his late fifties.  Went 
by the family name Yamamoto.  Thin grey hair covered his head, and gave 
him the look that he was about to be blown away by the wind.  Still, he 
had penetrating eyes that bore straight through the glasses he wore on 
the bridge of his nose.

Those eyes were glancing down to a piece of paper in front of him on 
his desk, and then up to the young man who was seated before him, 
waiting patiently.  "I'm curious about something, Mr. Miyazaki?"

"Please." The younger man smiled.  "You can call me Kaoru."

"Very well.  It seems that this is your first teaching assignment in 
Japan?" the Principal frowned.  "I'm not sure you'll enjoy this job.  
Are you aware of what this School is?"

"If you're worried about the Angels, I know all about them." Kaoru 
nodded, his jaw set in a more serious expression.  "In fact, that's one 
of the reasons I requested this job."

The principal's eyes were wide.  "Really?"

"I know that must sound a little crazy." He smiled, prompting a smile 
from the older man.  "However, I consider it an honour to help teach 
these students.  After all, they may be the ones who will rebuild human 
kind."

Yamamoto nodded respectfully.  "Even if it means putting yourself in 
danger?"

Kaoru nodded back.  "I consider it worth the risk, so long as they 
learn something I can teach."

A final look at the young man's credentials almost sealed the interview 
right there.  Yamamoto nodded to himself.  "I understand you were all 
but promised this position?  The three Magi must really think you're 
qualified."

"I'd like to think so." He nodded.

"And you are ready to start today?" Yamamoto asked hopefully.  "Sensei 
Taisho hasn't been released from the hospital yet, unfortunately." He 
sighed.  "A good man.  A little long winded, but we were hoping he'd be 
able to teach until the end of the semester."

"I actually knew him." Kaoru smiled sadly.  "I hope he is able to 
return to class.  I would love to talk to him again."

There was a short pause, then Yamamoto filed the papers away.  "Well, 
class is starting in ten minutes." He smiled.  "I expect to see you 
there."

With bright eyes, Kaoru blinked, then stood and took Yamamoto's hand in 
a vigorous shake.  "Thank you, sir.  You won't be disappointed!"

Principal Yamamoto laughed.  "I think the students may appreciate your 
enthusiasm." He cleared his throat.  "I'll have payroll set you up by 
noon, and tomorrow, you'll have a fresh desk and the lesson plans ready 
for your approval.  The children should be caught up due to the 
vacation they've had, so you'll have a few days to test the water." He 
raised an eyebrow.  "But I want you full steam by the end of the week."

They bowed deeply, ending the interview.  Miyazaki Kaoru smiled one 
last time, nodded, then gathered his briefcase and laptop before 
walking out the door...closing it quietly behind himself.

"There goes one crazy sonofabitch." Yamamoto smiled to himself as he 
filed away Kaoru's resume.  "He'll fit in perfect in this place."









The children were already assembled in class, milling around and 
clustering in their usual groups before the day started.  Toji and 
Kensuke were explaining to Shinji how that the construction to the 
school was just a cover-up to place more bugs and hidden cameras.  

"Did you hear about Sensei?" Kensuke asked as Shinji yawned away the 
rest of his morning sleepiness.  

"No?" Ikari blinked.  "Why?  I thought he just broke his wrist when the 
school got hit?"

Kensuke grinned, edging his glasses up on his nose.  "Oooh no.  You 
see, that's what everyone THOUGHT." His face got more serious.  "I 
hacked into the local hospital just last week, and found his name on 
next month's nurses chores."

"No way!" Toji blinked.  "So the old fart is still in the hospital?"

"Yup.  The nurses regiment didn't say much about his treatment, but it 
looks like he's still on some pain-killers, and has to get a sponge 
bath once in a while.  He probably broke a hip or something else that 
always happens to old people."

"I hope he's not in any serious trouble." Shinji said.

"Well, all I know is that we're getting a substitute for a while." 
Kensuke continued.  "Weird thing is that they haven't even been hired 
yet."

"Maybe they'll just forget about us." Toji smiled happily.  "And we'll 
get the next month off!"

The school bell rang, signalling the start of the day.  Everyone looked 
around and was surprised to see the Sensei hadn't already walked into 
the room.  Normally, he was right on time.  

Asuka's hopes were high that maybe the old man got hit by a car on the 
way to school, and all her homework would be moot.  The door opened a 
moment later, and the Three Stooges rushed to their seats, along with 
most of the class.  Asuka took her time, of course, not willing to 
hurry for anything.  "Shiest..." she sighed.

Everyone wondered who this younger man was walking over to the sensei's 
desk.  He dropped his case on the desk, then reached into his long, 
green tweed jacket, pulling out a pair of glasses.  He had messy black 
hair, but it seemed to fit his face.  A strong, shaven jaw line with a 
curious soft smile.  His eyes, now hidden behind his glasses, looked 
over the class.    

Hikari stood, blinking nervously.  "Konnichiwa..." she announced.  "I'm 
the class representative.  May I help you?"

The young man jumped.  "Oooh!  I'm sorry!  Please, forgive my manners!" 
he smiled.  "You are Miss Horaki, are you not?"  His voice was 
familiar, and very soothing.  

The female population of the class began to melt like snow on a summer 
day.  

"H...Hai..." she replied with a blush.

"Very well." The young man nodded.  "You may skip your duties for today 
until we are all introduced." He walked over to the chalk board and 
began to write on it.  "My name is Miyazaki Kaoru, and I'm your new 
Sensei."

Everyone relaxed noticeably as they realized he wasn't just some crazy 
man who had found his way in their class.  The ladies all began to 
smile.  After all, he wasn't exactly an ugly man.  Toji noticed this 
too, and crossed his arms.  "Who is this joker?"

"A man with very good hearing, Mister Suzuhara." Kaoru smiled as he 
wrote his name on the board.  The class laughed in response, angering 
Toji even more.

Shinji couldn't help but grin as well.  "He seems like a nice guy."

"Shut up." Toji frowned.

Kaoru turned around to face the class, who were all waiting for him to 
finish.  "Sensei Taisho hasn't been able to leave the hospital, so I 
will probably be teaching this class for the remainder of the 
semester."

That prompted sighs of relief from most of the class.  Mostly because 
there was a chance that this new teacher wouldn't ramble on about the 
Second Impact for hours on end.  

"Excuse me." Kensuke raised his arm suddenly. 

"Yes, Mister..." he looked at his class names list.  "Aida?"

"How do we know you're not part of some government plot to heard us all 
into slavery?" Kensuke asked proudly.  "If you really ARE a teacher, 
you'll tell us what your credentials are."

"Retard." Asuka grumbled from the other side of the class.

Kaoru smiled.  "I'm sorry, young man.  But if I tell you why I'm here, 
I'd have to kill you moments after."

That prompted another round of chuckles.  Kensuke sat back in his seat, 
arms crossed.  "Ooh, I see...hiding in plain view.  Brilliant 
strategy." He whispered to himself. 

"I understand that you've all had a nice, long vacation." Kaoru said 
with a stern look on his face.  

Everyone sighed, and opened their laptops, ready to copy the impending 
avalanche of notes.  

"However, I'm afraid that you'll have to bare without homework for one 
more day." The new Sensei smiled as he saw everyone's surprised looks.  
"I don't have the lesson plan yet, and so, today is going to be more of 
a get-to-know-you class."

The young ladies all began to giggle.  

"Now," he sighed, opening his briefcase and looking over some notes.  
"I know most of your names already.  I can see that Ayanami isn't 
present?"

Shinji cleared his throat. 

"Yes, Mister Ikari?"

Shinji stood, timidly.  "Uh, well, she's sometimes...not..."

Asuka's eye began to twitch.  

"Don't worry, Shinji." Kaoru nodded.  "I'm aware of her status with the 
Evangelion project.  As well as yours and Miss Langley's.  Your 
absences won't count toward your final report."

Shinji blinked, then sat down with a smile.  "Hai."

"Okay." He put away the class roll-call. "To put Mister Aida's 
suspicions to rest, I am indeed qualified to teach your happy young 
minds." He stood and then sat on the corner of his new desk.  "I major 
in history, though I can tell by your faces that you've already heard 
about the Second Impact."

"HAI!" everyone almost screamed.

"Good.  Then we can focus on the interesting stuff that NERV won't 
classify to death." Kaoru adjusted his wire-frames.  "Also, I majored 
in philosophy, so I intend to give your minds a healthy workout.  Most 
of my class will not require a lot of homework, but I will need your 
attention in class.  I promise you will have lots of time to chat with 
your friends, but I will also expect you to know what we have 
discussed."

The class nodded collectively.  The males almost forgave this new man 
for stealing their girlfriend's eyes...so long as he promised minimal 
homework.

"I'll hand out a brief test at the end or beginning of each week to see 
how you're all coming along in your studies." He continued with a 
ridged smirk.  "Each of you will give me your best effort.  If you do 
not?  You will find my punishments are equally strange as my hair." He 
smiled as the comment prompted another chuckle around the class.  
"Otherwise, we should all get along quite nicely." He stood.  "Are 
there any questions?"

A young woman named Keiko raised her hand.  Many of the men in the 
class considered her to be the most beautiful woman they had ever set 
their eyes on.  

"Yes?"

She smiled.  "Are you single, Mister Miyazaki?" then sat down, giggling 
as three of her blushing friends joined her.

He rolled his eyes back into his head.  "Yes I am.  All that means to 
you is that any time you start misbehaving, I will have time to come up 
with more work for you." He smiled evilly.  "Next question."

"What happens if an Angel attacks at the end of the week and you can't 
give us our tests?" Toji asked.

Kaoru nodded.  "Good question.  In such a case, I will grab the Angel 
by it's neck and put him in detention, where he will have to write your 
tests for you."

Everyone laughed and nodded.  

"If an Angel attacks, don't worry about school." He continued.  
"However, I will not accept 'an Angel ate my homework' as a valid 
excuse."

Asuka had a large smile on her face.  "I'm going to like this class."

The Sensei cracked his knuckles.  "Now.  Lets get this show on the 
road.  I want each of you to introduce yourselves, starting in the 
right hand corner of the class and moving back in the row, then up the 
next one.  Nothing too dramatic, though if you want to act out your 
favourite opera, I'm all ears." He smiled.  










The final bell rang, closing the day.  Five hours seemed to fly by in 
five minutes, and many of the students were almost sorry they had to 
leave.  

"Miss Langley?  Mister Ikari?" Kaoru announced just before the class 
shuffled out of the door.  "May I have a word with you two?"

The two Children walked up to the front of the desk where their new 
Sensei was filing away his papers.  Asuka grinned to herself.  "So, you 
wanted to meet the world-famous Evangelion pilots, did you?"

"Yes, actually." He smiled warmly, looking up past his glasses at 
Asuka.  Suddenly, though, his smile was gone...replaced with something 
else.  For the briefest of moments, he found himself staring at Asuka's 
eyes.

Shinji was the only person on earth that would have noticed, and he 
coughed, not sure what was going on.  Asuka just waited, arms crossed, 
oblivious to the situation.

"Uh..." Kaoru shook his head slightly.  "Anyway, I just wanted you two 
to know that I'm going to make sure you both get every chance to keep 
up with your studies."

Asuka sighed.  "Is that all?" she flipped her red hair away from her 
shoulder with her hand.  "I thought you might want my autograph!"

"I'm a pilot too." Shinji said quietly.

"Yeah, but who would want YOUR autograph?" Asuka retorted. 

Kaoru smiled and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.  "Mister Ikari?  
Would you?  I'm your biggest fan!  I love EVA-01!  The way you ripped 
apart the Third Angel was amazing!"

Asuka watched, dumbstruck as Shinji blushed, then grinned, and began to 
scribble his name on the paper for Miyazaki.  "I've never had anyone 
ask for my autograph before..." 

"Well, it's a shame." Kaoru nodded.  "You're quite a famous young man.  
It must be NERV security that stops all your fans from getting too 
close."

Asuka just grumbled something under her breath as Shinji finished and 
handed the pen back to Mr. Miyazaki.  

"From now on," Kaoru continued "if there's anything you two..." he 
cleared his throat "three...sorry...need, I'm at your disposal.  From 
what I've seen of your records, and what I know of the Angels, you two 
will probably appreciate a more adaptive environment.  Think of me as 
your tutor."

"I'm a college graduate." Asuka yawned.  "Why would I need a tutor?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Miss Langley, you are also not very good at 
reading your text questions." He stated simply. 

She face-faulted.  "H...How did you know??"

"I know everything, Miss Langley." Kaoru smiled.  "Your school 
transcripts are quite in depth."

She blushed and gasped.  "Really?  What do they say about me??"

Shinji was enjoying the exchange immensely.  

"Nothing much." Kaoru coughed.  "But enough to warrant me to worry 
about your education.  I'll be moving into Tokyo 3 over the next day or 
two...but once I'm settled, I'll give you both a number to contact 
should you need any help with your homework."

Both Children nodded.  

"Now, get out of here." He sighed happily.  "Enjoy your afternoons."

They both bowed respectively and turned to leave.  Just before they got 
to the door, though:

"Oh, and Children?"

"Hai?" they both replied, turning back around.  

Miyazaki Kaoru smiled and bowed his head.  "It was a real pleasure to 
meet you both."  He said warmly.  "See you both tomorrow."

Shinji and Asuka smiled, then turned around, letting the classroom door 
close on their way out.

There was a long, tired sigh in the lonely classroom.  Kaoru slumped 
over slightly, taking a deep breath before looking up.  "A real 
pleasure." He said, shaking slightly as he pocketed Shinji's autograph, 
then grabbed his briefcase before he left the class himself. 










Shinji found himself almost unable to think clearly as they walked home 
that day.  Sensei Kaoru.  An amazing guy!  He finally sounded like 
someone that would make class interesting!  Philosophy?  That sounded 
like a lot of fun.  He wondered what kind of history they would study, 
and what amazing discussions would rise.  

Asuka found herself dwelling on what the new Sensei thought about her.  
"He's seen my transcript?  Oh no!  Wait!  But it can't be all bad..." 
she figured.  "But...still!" she looked over to Shinji, walking a step 
in front of her.  "And why is he so happy?" she shrugged.  Oh well...at 
least the new teacher did say less homework.  Even Baka Shinji could 
appreciate that.   

As they got home, greeted by Misato and Pen-Pen having a shot-contest, 
they both were in high spirits.  

"Hey you two!" Misato hiccupped as they walked in.  "Asuka?  Did you 
bring me my note??"

"Couldn't." Asuka smiled.  "We have a new Sensei."

She raised her eyebrow.  "Really?"

Shinji nodded happily.  "He's a really nice guy, too.  Even asked me 
for my autograph!"

Misato smiled as Asuka developed a small thundercloud over her head.  
"Aww, that's nice."

"One fan, and his ego gets as big as EVA-01's butt." Asuka grumbled.

"My butt's just as big as your butt." Shinji replied quickly.  

"Your butt's huge!  What are you talking about!"

Misato, having being slightly drunk, began to laugh at the comment as 
the two Children developed large sweat drops on their foreheads.  Pen-
Pen just wobbled back and forth, trying to keep down his alcohol.

"Anyway." Asuka said, changing the subject before Misato couldn't stop 
laughing.  "He said that there won't be much more homework, just so you 
know I'm not slacking off."

"Okay." Misato ignored her.  "I fixed dinner, by the way.  Pen-Pen 
helped too.  I think he left something in your room, Shinji, so you may 
want to check it out."

"Hai." He nodded.  "I will."

Asuka, upon hearing that Misato had cooked, lost most of her appetite.  
"I'm going to my room."

Both Children walked off down the hall.  Shinji stopped at his door, 
Asuka stopped at hers.  He was about to go in when he noticed Asuka 
wasn't moving.  

"Asuka?"

She turned to him with a sigh.  "You know, just because it's your 
birthday doesn't mean I don't think you're still a baka." She stated.  
"So don't think I'm going to go easy on you today." She frowned.  "And 
don't think that means you can undress me with your eyes, either."

Shinji was smiling.  "Thanks, Asuka-chan."

She glared at him for a moment.  "Happy birthday, Baka-kun." She said, 
letting a small smile slip before she closed her bedroom door behind 
herself.  

The young Ikari stood there for a moment, enjoying the after-image of 
her smile.  He had learned to treasure such instances, as they were so 
few.  Asuka often smiled, but it was a special occasion when she would 
smile at him like that.  His own special smile.  The one she only 
seemed to give to him. 

Opening his door, he found a box, gift wrapped, on his bed.  The card 
had tiny scribbles that seemed to make a word...but he wasn't too sure 
what it said.  "Pen-Pen." He smiled, opening the box.

Inside was a bottle of sake...a very expensive one by the looks of the 
label...and a shrink-wrapped herring.    

Shinji Ikari smiled and laid down on his bed next to Pen-Pen's present.  
"This was a nice birthday." He whispered, looking up at the ceiling.  








 

That night, on the other side of Tokyo 3, a young man also laid on his 
bed, looking up at the ceiling.  Boxes of his belongings were scattered 
across the modest, but not uncomfortable bedroom.

There was a muffled grunt as he cringed slightly.  Fantasy images still 
flooding through his head.  Unconsciously, he wiped the mess in his 
hand off on the blankets next to him.

His breathing was returning to normal as he focused on the unfamiliar 
ceiling above his head...reliving the memories of the day.  His first 
day seeing them again.  Seeing her again.

Miyazaki Kaoru sighed, rolling over on his bed, away from his 
embarrassing trophy.  His voice was tiny, yet angry.  Angry at himself.

"I'm hopeless." 










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, signalling 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 colour 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."








Third Lesson: Enjoy the Weekend!







With no Angel attacks, the week went by very smoothly.  Hardly even 
realizing it, the students had gotten about the same amount of work 
done that they usually did...however...they did it without looking like 
they were sitting in the dentist's chair, waiting for a root-canal.  In 
fact, there were often days where the class would stare at the front of 
the class with one-hundred-percent attention for the full five hours.  
With only half an hour left in the afternoon, the weekend jitters were 
showing.  This was it.  Would the new Sensei be like every other Sensei 
and assign a shit-load of homework for the weekend?

Looking up at the clock, Kaoru smiled.  "I see there is only a few more 
minutes before the end of the day."

Everyone cheered.

"Ooh no." he laughed, reaching into his desk to pull out a stack of 
papers.  "You're not getting away THAT easily."

Everyone groaned.  Even the girls who had been trying to determine 
exactly what shade of blue his eyes were.

He frowned.  "Oh?  Do I take it that you children want to write a page 
of notes before you leave?  And do not care that I had reached into my 
own pocket to photocopy notes FOR you?"

Everyone blinked, not believing it...then cheered again.  

"That's better." He laughed, passing out a pile to the front desk of 
each row.  "On Monday there will be a report due." 

Everyone groaned.

"Relax." Kaoru chuckled.  "Now, it's basically an oral report.  I want 
you all to take notes on what you do on your free time.  Be honest.  I 
won't report you to the authorities if you are partying without your 
parent's permission or stealing N2 mines." He glanced over to Kensuke.  
"Right, Mister Aida?"

Kensuke smiled.  "You can't prove anything."

"Exactly." Kaoru turned back to the class.  "I want each and every one 
of you to be honest...or...at the very least, lie and come up with a 
great story to tell."

"I love this class." Kensuke gasped up at the heavens above.  "Thank 
you!"

"There is..." continued Sensei "one catch." He raised his fingers for 
emphasis.  "I want each of you to do something with another class mate 
this weekend.  Hang out with each other.  Go on camping trips.  Go to 
the arcade.  Do everything you normally do, but make sure it's doing it 
with others."

The confused looks on the class' faces prompted more. 

"Then, on Monday, you will tell me great and amazing stories about your 
weekends with your fellow young gentlemen and young ladies." He 
explained.  "And we will see how each story fits with the other 
stories."

Shinji raised his hand.  "So you're going to see if our minds match up 
with the events in other people's minds!"

"Exactly, Mister Ikari!  I'm glad someone has been paying attention." 
He nodded.  "We will see, as Rei had pointed out, if the 'Friends in 
your Mind' match with 'You in your Friend's Minds" he laughed "or 
something like that."

Realization sunk in and everyone nodded happily.  Asuka raised her 
hand.  "So, the only homework we have to do is hang out with each 
other?"

Miyazaki nodded. 

"That's easy!" Asuka said proudly.  "All I gotta do is force Shinji to 
do my chores and I'm done my homework!"

The class chuckled.  Shinji sighed to himself.  

Kaoru grinned back.  "Now, if you want to write a written report of the 
whole weekend, you may, but you will still have to say a word or two 
with whatever people you were around." He turned to Shinji again.  
"Even you."

Ikari nodded nervously.  

"Yosh!" he clapped his hands just as the bell rang.  "I expect you all 
to get out there, enjoy your weekends, and have lots of fun.  
Remember!" he pointed out.  "If you each have lots of fun, that means 
the longer we can listen to your reports, and the less REAL school work 
you'll have to do."

Keiko raised her hand.  "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Will we get to hear about YOUR weekend?" she smiled sweetly.  The 
girls of the class all leaned forward eagerly.  

Kaoru blinked, not expecting the question.  "Well, I suppose, if I see 
any of you over the weekend, I'll be forced to come up and tell the 
class about it." He nodded.  "Though, I'm afraid I'll have to give 
myself an A+, as always." He turned to the clock.  "Now, get outta 
here!  Ya bother me!" 

Gasping collectively, the entire class realized they just stayed EXTRA 
on a Friday!  Everyone rushed out and into freedom.  Rei was left 
behind, though.  

Kaoru sighed, regarding Rei with a sad look.  "Rei?  Are you okay?"

She nodded, stiffly.  "Hai." Her hands were fidgeting, though, showing 
she was anything but okay.  

"Do you not get along with the others?" he asked, sitting down in the 
desk besides her.  

She shook her head.  "No...but...I do not...try...to get along with 
others." She sighed.  "My weekend will not be with anyone else."

He nodded carefully, sensing there was something more to her story.  
"It's okay, Rei.  If you don't want to, or can't be around anyone in 
the class this weekend, you won't have to give a report."

Rei nodded sadly.  "I am sorry.  I do wish to be part of the 
discussion." Her eyes brightened.  "Perhaps we shall have to go into a 
Sync Test.  That is with Pilot Ikari and Pilot Sohryu!  Or an Angel 
will attack!" she beamed. 

Laughing, he shook his head.  "I think we'd better hope for one of your 
sync tests.  An Angel will not be good for homework."

She nodded.  "Hai.  I suppose not."

"I'll tell you what." He said.  "If you're unable to do anything this 
weekend, I'll invite you over for dinner, and you can tell me more 
about your philosophies on life."

Rei's mouth opened in surprise.  "You...you would want to hear more?"

He nodded.  "Of course.  Not only that, but you can help me raise more 
interesting questions to ask the class." He smiled.  "How does that 
sound?"

"But..." Rei paused.  "If you are not busy, that is..."

"How does tomorrow sound?" Kaoru offered, giving her a card from inside 
his coat.  "I'm afraid I don't have a car..."

"It is not far from my home." Rei said quickly, looking up from the 
card with bright eyes.  "I will walk."

"Seven P.M. sound okay?" he bowed.

  


"I will be there." Rei bowed back.  "Thank you, Sensei Miyazaki." She 
smiled, then stood, walking for the door.  

"Rei?" he called after.

"Hai?"

"If you can hang out with the others, I won't mind if you miss dinner." 
He smiled.  "Enjoy your weekend, Miss Ayanami."

She bowed deeply, then left.  



 







Shinji and Asuka came home to find Misato rushing about, putting on 
makeup and her earrings.  Asuka's bright smile dropped as she smelt 
lavender perfume in the air.  "Konnichiwa." She grumbled, kicking off 
her shoes.

Oblivious to what was happening, Shinji just smiled and did the same.  
"Misato-chan?  You going somewhere tonight?"

Asuka shot him a dry, angry look.

"Oh, hi kids!" Misato finally noticed them and stopped zipping around.  
"What do you think?" she spun, showing them her nice, deep violet 
evening dress.  It was modestly low cut, but had a high slit on the 
leg, compensating for the ratio of flesh to fabric.

Shinji nodded, trying not to stare.  Dresses like that had a universal 
effect on the Male gender...even if their spines were a little wobbly.  
"It's very nice."

"Yeah." Asuka sighed, storming off to the kitchen.  "Did you make us 
food?  God I hope not."

"Don't worry, I didn't." Misato laughed to herself.  "I'm going to meet 
Kaji over at that new restaurant that's opening up.  I've heard they 
have the BEST steaks and salad bar.  Not to mention drinks are free 
with the meal tonight!" she whooped.  "They'll be broke by the end of 
the night!"

Both Children developed large sweat-drops on their foreheads. 

"So, anyway, I'm leaving the car here.  Don't wait up!" Misato bounded 
off, looking at the clock.  "Oooh, almost six...I'd better call a cab 
from downstairs." She waved.  "Make sure you feed Pen-Pen!"

The door closed, leaving the two alone.

Asuka walked over to the kitchen table and slumped down in it.  
"Shinji?"

He walked over and began to look for food in the cupboards and fridge.  
"Hai?"

"Am I attractive?"

Shinji blinked, then turned to her to see if she was just teasing him.  
She sat with her head on the table, though, and was looking very 
vulnerable.  He nodded, mostly to himself.  "Of course you are, Asuka-
chan!" he replied after a moment.  "Everyone knows you're one of the 
prettiest girls in Tokyo 3."  He nodded to himself.  That the ticket.  
Make sure you mention 'everyone' so she can't call you a Hentai, 
Shinji.  He broke open a package of instant-veggie-noodle-mix into a 
pot on the stove.

Asuka hadn't shifted her gaze from Shinji.  "What do you think?"

He blinked.  Warning signals were coursing through his head.

She frowned lightly.  "Shinji?  What do you think?" she closed her 
eyes.  "I promise not to get mad."

"I..." he paused.  "I think you're very attractive." He finally said.  
His voice was tiny, but confident. 

If he had the courage to be looking at her at that moment, he would 
have seen something flash through her eyes.  Almost like a pleasant 
surprised look.  However, it faded quickly, and she nodded to herself, 
still downcast.  "Then again, you're Shinji."

He frowned, turning his attention back to cooking dinner.  "Yeah.  I'm 
just Shinji." He poured the water in at full-speed, making a little 
more noise than was required.  "Just little, Baka Shinji."

Asuka heard him and instantly felt bad...not that she would say 
anything about it, though.  "Mm." She sighed.  "You're not Kaji."

"I most certainly am not." He grumbled, then let a wicked thought cross 
past all his walls of defence.  "After all, I'd never spend night after 
night with Misato.  That just doesn't appeal to me."

Asuka's jaw opened, but she could say nothing.  The tears began to well 
up in her eyes ever so slightly.  She really didn't know what to say, 
that comment had a lot of bite to it. Especially coming from Shinji.

He turned around, then saw her face.  She was trembling.  "Oh..." he 
swallowed hard.  "A...Asuka...I didn't mean it like that..." he backed 
away, waiting for a slap.

It never came, though.  She closed her mouth, turned back to the table, 
and began to cry.  Loudly.  

Shinji never wanted to smack himself so hard in his life.  "Asuka!  
Please don't cry..." he knelt down next to her as her chest hitched in 
sobs.  "I...I didn't know he meant that much to you..."  It was a lie, 
but the only one he could come up with.

The crying redhead began to laugh under her sobs.  "N...no...it's 
okay..." she sniffed.  "You...you're right.  You..." she looked up at 
him with wet eyes.  "At least I still have you." She sniffed.  

Shinji smiled softly.  "Even if I'm just Baka Shinji?"

She nodded, then let out another good sniff.  Shinji walked over to the 
counter and returned with some tissues.  "Sorry..." she sighed, blowing 
her nose.

"For what?" Shinji shrugged.

"For crying." She shuddered.  "I...I normally don't."

"I don't mind." Shinji replied, gently putting his hand on her 
shoulder.  "I won't tell anyone."

"Not even in our report for class?"

"I'll make something up." Shinji nodded.

"Shinji?"

"Mmm?"

"GET BACK TO WORK!" Asuka yelled, throwing him back with her voice 
alone.  "The water's boiling!"

He sighed, then turned around, missing her throw a small smile his way.  












Ritsuko sighed as the nicotine flooded her veins, easing out the ragged 
nerves she could almost count by memory.  It was like applying a warm, 
smooth cream to sore blisters that would only get worse as she worried 
about them.  

Maya gave her that worried look, but she didn't care.  "This is the 
lounge, Maya.  I'm allowed to smoke here."

The younger operations officer nodded, turning away slightly.  "Hai, 
Sempai."

"You've been on edge lately." Ritsuko frowned as she took another deep 
puff from her cigarette.  "Maybe you'd like to join me for a smoke?" 
she teased.

Maya blushed considerably.  "N...no thank you, Sempai.  It's just the 
Magi..."

"I thought I told you." Ritsuko hissed, looking around quickly.  "That 
does NOT get said out loud."

"Hai..." she nodded quickly.

A long pause.

"D...do you know..."

Ritsuko sighed and nodded it was okay.

Maya continued.  "...who might have known enough to do it?"

Ritsuko smirked.  "You might have been able to."

"Sempai!" Maya's blush made her look like she was trying to hide in a 
tomato patch.

"Maybe SEELE sent someone." Ritsuko sighed, lowering her voice.  
"Whoever did it was good.  I can't even figure out what they changed.  
There's simply too many operations that the Magi do every day.  It's 
impossible to look over each choice and decision."

Maya nodded, slumping over slightly.

"No matter." Ritsuko sighed as she finished off what little smoke she 
had left.  "Nothing happened.  There are no new Angels.  Ikari will 
never notice, let alone care someone was tampering with Magi."

Maya's eyes darkened at the mention of the Commander's name.  "I hope 
not, Sempai."

The two sat in the employee lounge, watching the sun as it faded into 
the tree-covered hills.  Not another word about the Magi was spoken. 
Tomorrow, it would be like it never happened.  











Being a Friday night, the restaurant was packed.  The fact that Kaji 
hadn't shown up yet was beginning to worry Misato.  They had 
reservations, but the staff could only hold their table for so long.  
"Uh...Waiter?" she walked up to the reservations man and tapped him on 
the shoulder to get his attention.  

"Yes, madam?" he smiled politely.

"H...have there been any messages left for me?" she paused, hoping not.  

"Your name?" the man asked, checking a list.

"Katsuragi Misato." She replied, looking around at the angry patrons 
who had yet to receive a table.  Each looked like they were willing to 
kill her for her reservation.  

The waiter whispered something to another man in a similar jacket and 
then nodded.  "Yes, actually." He smiled the same, polite smile.  "From 
a man named Kaji?"

She nodded.  "That's him."

"He said that some kind of business came up, and he regrets to inform 
you that he can't join you for dinner." The man said.  "I'm sorry 
ma'am."

She sighed, slumping her head.  "Can I still get in?"

The waiter looked at her name on the list.  "If you can find someone 
else who's her alone, I'll let it slide."

She turned around quickly.  "Anyone here without a date?"

Most of the couples began to grumble.  One man shrugged, though, and 
nodded.  "Yup." He walked past all the others to the front of the line, 
then almost jumped backwards as he saw who it was. 

Misato smiled warmly, not noticing his reaction.  "Come on!  You can 
buy me a free drink."

Kaoru Miyazaki nodded nervously and put on his best smile.  "Sure.  
Yeah." He gestured past the waiter.  "Shall we?"

"That's a good boy." She winked as they were escorted to their seats.  
She had to admit, the guy was cute.  Not in a Kaji kind of way, but 
something else that seemed familiar.  Maybe it was the glasses.  
Hanging around with Gendo must have been rubbing off on her after all 
these years. 

They were seated and given menus as the waiter began to recite the 
night's specials.  "Stop it, short-stuff." Misato interrupted.  "I'll 
have a nice, big margarita, a steak with all the trimmings, medium 
done, and point me in the direction of the salad bar."

Both the waiter and Kaoru laughed.  "A woman who knows what she wants."  
The waiter smiled.

Misato grinned.  "Oh, and make his a margarita too.  I'm feeling 
festive." She said the last word with a little bounce in her voice.

Kaoru held up his hand.  "Uh...no thanks.  I'm not a big drinker."

Misato gasped.  "WHAT!?" she turned to the waiter.  "Get this man a 
margarita before it's too late!" she coughed into her hand.  "I mean, 
jeez!  I'm not about to drink alone, am I?  And NORMAL beverages aren't 
free tonight!"

The waiter nodded with a smile on his face.  "The madam is correct, 
sir."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense...and I'm not driving..." Kaoru 
shifted uneasily in his seat, but then smiled.  "Make sure I get two 
umbrellas."

The waiter bowed.  "Very good sir.  Would you like some time to decide 
on your meal?"

"Chicken curry sounds wonderful." He said, quickly inspecting the first 
two pages of the menu.  "No dressing on the salad."

"Excellent choice." He took their menus.  "If you need anything at all, 
just ask." He smiled and went off to the kitchen.

"Wow." Kaoru grinned.  "I forgot how nice it is to have someone else 
cook for you."

"Really?" Misato smiled.  "You cook too?  Wow, and here I thought all 
the cute ones were just interested in us ladies."

Kaoru blushed slightly, but grinned.  "You'd be surprised." He held out 
his hand.  "Miyazaki Kaoru.  A pleasure to meet you, Miss Katsuragi."

She took his hand after a pause.  "How do you know my name?"

"You told it to the waiter up front." He replied.

"Wow, he pays attention too." She smiled sadly.  "Unlike the date that 
never showed up."

"I'm sure it was something important." Kaoru offered.  "I'm sorry."

"No, no..." she nodded.  "It's okay.  After all, I got to meet you, 
didn't I?"  Misato flashed him a rather cute smile.

He laughed.  "In that case, I hope he works late."







Fourth Lesson:  Shaken, not stirred.







Shinji and Pen-Pen relaxed as the warm meal in their bellies coupled 
with the pleasant mind-numbing effects of the TV took over.  "Pen-Pen.  
Change the channel." Shinji complained.  He looked extremely relaxed.  
Almost as if he was one with the couch.

Pen-Pen looked over at his roommate and sighed with equal laziness and 
couch-camouflage.  "Wuaaagh."

"Oh, yeah." Shinji remembered he had the remote control in his hand, 
and changed the channel to something more interesting.  

They continued to watch the Discovery Channel, who had been showing a 
documentary on the rising numbers of cicadas around Tokyo 3 and how the 
N2 mines kept making more lakes and marshes for them to find food 
around.  

"Shinjiiiiiii?" someone called out from over by the kitchen.  Though it 
wasn't as harsh as usual, both males recognized it as Asuka.  Shinji, 
though he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise up at her call, 
found something strangely appealing about the way she said his name 
like that.

"Hai?" he called back, never looking away from the television. 

"What goes good with sake?" she asked, poking her head around the 
corner.

Shinji paused, searching and coaxing his lazy brain to answer.  "Well, 
it's rice wine, so I suppose rice would go good with it.  I know this 
one recipe..."

"No, baka!" Asuka laughed.  "I meant, what do you mix it with?  It 
smells a little strong."

"It's not usually mixed with..." Shinji blinked, realizing Misato had 
no sake in her stock right now.  Pen-Pen realized this at the same time 
and scowled.  "HEY!  Where did you get that?" he stood and walked over 
to the kitchen.

Asuka backed up, hiding the bottle of sake she had found in Shinji's 
room.  "Uh...what?  Nothing!"

He frowned.  "Pen-Pen gave me a bottle of sake for my birthday last 
week.  Did you find it?"

Asuka looked very guilty.  "Oh...I didn't know it was a present." She 
held out the bottle.  The top was already opened once, by the look of 
the foil seal.  "I...I'm sorry..."

Shinji sighed.  "Damn.  I was going to save that for a few years and 
maybe celebrate when we killed all the angels..."

Asuka bowed her head slightly.  "I didn't know." She smiled.  "I 
thought you were just sneaking around with it in your room so you could 
get drunk without Misato knowing."

Shinji smiled back.  "Oh, I suppose it's okay." He paused.  "What were 
you doing in my room???????"

She blushed furiously.  "Oh, come on..." she tried to act on the 
offensive.  "You mean you haven't been in mine?"

He shook his head.  "NO!  Not even to do your laundry!"

"Oh.  Sorry." she shrugged it off in her typical arrogance. 

Pen-Pen walked over to Asuka with a frown.  "WUAAAGH!" he scolded her, 
then smacked her across the leg with his flipper.  "Wuaaagh..." he 
waddled off, disgusted. 

"I think he's mad I ruined your wine." Asuka smiled shyly.  "Care to 
join me?"

Shinji blinked.  "Asuka!  We're..."

She shook her head angrily.  "Stop it RIGHT there!  I KNOW we're too 
young.  I don't care.  I want to see what all the fuss is about." She 
grumbled.  "I want to see what makes all this so damn attractive to 
Kaji-san." She looked up at Shinji, smiling nervously.  In reality, she 
didn't want her first time getting drunk to be alone, and it wasn't 
like Shinji was a big pervert, so he'd probably be the safest drinking 
partner. "Unless...you're scared to."

Shinji blinked, then raised an eyebrow.  That was exactly what she said 
before they kissed last time.  "If I don't have to hold my nose, I'll 
be fine." He said proudly, walking over to the counter to get two 
glasses.  "Besides, it's not like sake is TOO strong.  We probably 
won't feel anything."

Famous last words, Shinji reminded himself, but ignored his inner 
warnings.  












Misato was a hard woman to keep up to when it came to drinks.  Not only 
was she faster, but she could also hold her alcohol better.  Kaoru 
found himself slightly buzzed after his third margarita, while Misato 
had already gone into the shots of Jack Daniel's.

"So, what do YOU do for a living?" Misato asked, cringing as she 
slammed back the shooter. 

"I'm a teacher." Kaoru smiled, fiddling with the umbrella on his 
almost-finished drink.  "Philosophy and history."

"History?" Misato frowned.  "I never got into history myself.  Too 
boring."

"It depends." Kaoru said, eyeing the Rye-and-Coke that had been placed 
before him a little earlier on.  "You see, if you just read about it, 
it's very boring.  Just facts and figures and dates and numbers."

She smiled, watching him talk.  He had a very nice voice.  Very safe 
and familiar.  "Really?"

He nodded.  "However, if you think of it in terms of people, it can be 
quite amazing." He smiled, taking the pause to finish his last 
margarita.  "For example, how did a person live his or her life, and 
not just when they were born and died."

Misato nodded, gently circling the rim of her glass with her finger 
before licking it dry.  "Mmm, like where they worked.  Who they loved.  
What they accomplished."

"Exactly." Kaoru said.  "Most specifically, who they loved, and what 
they accomplished with that love." He smiled warmly.  "Great moments in 
history have been made out of love."

"Mmm, I can imagine." Misato whispered.  "But...why do you find it all 
so fascinating?" she cocked her head to the side slightly.  "I mean, 
what good does it do to spy on dead people's love lives." She laughed.  
"Unless you just like being a voyeur."    

He paused, thinking of an answer.  Misato could tell the question hit 
close to home.  "I think, it's so I can learn from other's mistakes 
when it comes to love." He shrugged.  "Maybe even help stop history 
from repeating itself in bad ways."

Misato smiled.  "I never thought of it like that." She looked up.  "Oh, 
uh...I think the line-up is getting bigger."  She sighed.  "Maybe we 
should call it an evening."

He nodded, looking down at his drink.

She frowned, then smiled.  "No!"

He looked up.  "Pardon?"

"Let's move to the bar." She motioned to the bar-head.  Most of the 
stools were still empty.  "That would be the most honourable thing to 
do.  Let someone else eat."

Kaoru grinned, picked up his glass, and carefully stood.  "A lovely 
suggestion, Miss Katsuragi."

"Please don't call me that." She laughed as she took his arm.  "I get 
called that enough where I work."

"No problem, Misato-chan." Kaoru corrected himself as they moved to the 
bar, prompting a very cute smile on her part.  










Both Shinji and Asuka were eyeing their glasses very carefully.  Each 
had only downed a small section of their liquids.  "I don't feel 
anything." Asuka sighed.

"Same." Shinji shrugged.  "Just a second..." he put the glass to his 
lips and tilted his head back, downing the entire contents.

Asuka's eyes were wide.  "Wow..."

Shinji swallowed hard, feeling fire race up around his throat.  
"AAAAAAAARGH!" he coughed.  "That was...was..." he shook his head. "Not 
so bad...?" he shrugged with a smile.  "Maybe this stuff really is 
weaker than what Misato drinks."

Asuka did the same with her glass, cringing as similar sensations raced 
up into her mouth, then back down her throat when she swallowed them 
back.  "BAKA!" she laughed.  "You call that not so bad!!?"

They sat on the floor in the living room, in front of the muted TV as 
it showed unattended gibberish.  Between them was the white, glass 
bottle of sake and their glasses.  "Don't tell me the mighty Asuka 
Langley Sohryu is wimping out!" he laughed with mock drama.  "I'm 
ashamed to know you!"

She grabbed the bottle angrily and pressed the mouth of it to her lips.  
Shinji watched, completely stunned, as Asuka suckled the bottle and 
swallowed.  What was even more stunning were the tiny trails of liquid 
that had begun to escape her lips.  Shinji felt the sudden urge to wipe 
them off of her...

*

Asuka stopped after a few gulps and gasped out for air, slamming the 
bottle down on the floor.  "HA!" she said with a raspy voice.  "Beat 
that, Third Child!"

Shinji laughed as Asuka tipped over on her ass and fell flat on her 
back.  "I'm very impressed that you're not puking."

She sat back up...dizzy, but smiling.  "It was nothing.  Tell Pen-Pen 
that when it's MY birthday, he better get me the STRONG stuff!"

Not able to hold back any more, Shinji reached over the bottle and 
gently wiped a glistening fat drop of sake off her chin with his thumb.  
She blinked, but did not resist.  In fact, it was slightly enjoyable 
the way his hand left a trail of heat down the side of her face.  
Something she couldn't quite remember feeling before.

"Sorry." Shinji smiled shyly as he poured himself another glass.  There 
was still a lot left in the bottle, and they didn't need to worry about 
running out any time soon.

Asuka smiled back, wiping her mouth.  "It's okay.  Sake probably is 
hell to get out of the carpet.  Thanks for getting it."

"Feel anything?" Shinji coughed as he downed another glass in only a 
few sips.  

She nodded.  "Yeah." Her hand came up and rubbed the tip of her nose.  
"I feel warm." She laughed.  "And a bit dizzy."

"Ugh...same." Shinji agreed.  "I think we're buzzed."

"How do you know?"

"Well, Misato is always talking about it." Shinji laughed, snorting out 
a little bit of sake as he did. 

That, of course, prompted a hilarious fit of laughing from the redhead.  
"THAT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY!"

Shinji wobbled slightly, but laughed himself.  "You think we should 
include this on our report?"

"Why not?" Asuka laughed, laying back for a moment to watch the room 
slowly rotate around her mind.  "I am the Asuka in you mind, Baka!"

"And I am the Baka inside your mind!" Shinji laughed, falling over.  
"Ooh, that was funny!"


Pen-Pen had been watching the exchange for a moment.  "Wuaaagh. *"

< * Translation:  "Ha!  Lightweights..." >


He waddled off to his fridge to get some sleep.  

"Night, Pen-Pen!" Asuka called out after.  "Thanks for the sake!"  
Shinji was caught staring this time.  She frowned.  "What?"

He grinned.  "You look cute when you're drunk."

"Yeah?"  She blinked...then began to blush as the words sloshed through 
her head.  "I bet you talk like that to ALL the Asukas in your mind." 
She giggled.

"Yeah." Shinji nodded, a little more than was necessary, but it was 
still a nod.  "I mean, your eyes look so bright...and your hair looks 
all messy, but it's still nice..."

Asuka fiddled with her hair for a moment.  "Is this better?" she took 
out her sync-headset and tossed it away.  Her long, red hair gently 
fell out and down, across her shoulders.

Shinji began to drool.  Luckily, he caught himself before it was too 
late and she noticed.  "Oh yeah..." he nodded again.  "A...a lot 
better."

Asuka smiled brightly.  "Shinji, you are drunk."

"I am not!" he replied quickly.  "The room still hasn't spun all the 
way around." He laughed, prompting more laughter from Asuka.

"Let's see something." She grinned, then grabbed her headset once more.  
Leaning over the bottle, she reached up to Shinji's head.
 
Shinji found himself unable to turn away from her leaning over.  Her 
shirt was actually fairly loose, and a white, cotton bra had grabbed 
his attention and was refusing to let go. "Uh..." had all the blood in 
his body not been rushing elsewhere, he would have developed a nose-
bleed.  "A-Asuka?"

"Don't worry, Baka-kun." She whispered sweetly.  Her other hand came up 
and they began to fix the red headset into his hair.  "You'll look 
beautiful!" she laughed.

Shinji was too busy trying not to be aroused from both the sight of 
Asuka's skin, and the soft, warm hands on his head.  He really didn't 
notice the bottle had been tipped over until it was already glugging 
it's contents all over the carpet.

Asuka noticed a wet sensation on her knee, however, and gasped when she 
realized what it was.  "OH NO!  THE BOTTLE!" she pushed Shinji away, 
who fell onto his back, useless.  She grabbed the bottle before any 
more sake could pour out.  

Sadly, she held up the bottle and swished it around.  "Oh no!" she 
gasped.  "Shinji...I'm so..."

Asuka blinked as she realized she had pushed him away, and he was still 
lying on the floor, breathing shallowly.  She almost threw the bottle 
away in panic, even after she just saved it.  "Shin-kun!" she rushed 
over on her knees to lean over him.  "Are you alright?"

Shinji shook off the haze in his head, but she still looked to be 
surrounded by a kind of glowing, white light.  His smile said more than 
any words ever could.  "A...are you my angel?" he whispered, looking up 
into her shimmering blue eyes. 

Asuka couldn't find words for a long time.  Shinji gazed up at her with 
such purity and...?  "Baka..." she whispered.  "I'd never try to hurt 
you...not like they do..."

He smiled.  "Not that kind of angel..." his hand came up and gently 
brushed up against her face.

"S...Shinji..." she closed her eyes as his warm hand held her cheek.  
"I'm not your angel..." she sat back down with a sigh.

There was a long, uncomfortable pause.  This moment had to 
end...now...but it wasn't.  Not for a long time.  Shinji sat back up, 
slowly but still without much difficulty.  "Sorry." He smiled.

She looked up at him and saw his smile, instantly producing one on her 
lips as well.  "Baka...now I KNOW you're drunk."

He looked over to the bottle.  "ARGH!  How much is left?" he crawled 
over to it and swished it around.  

"Maybe enough for a quarter glass each." Asuka guessed.

He quickly poured the rest into their glasses.  "Well then, let's have 
a toast." He said with a hiccup.

Asuka nodded.  "YES!  A toast!" she frowned.  "What should we toast 
to?"

"Uh, world peace?" Shinji suggested.

"NO!" Asuka giggled back.  "I'm not wasting my first toast on world 
peace!"

"How noble of you." Shinji smirked.

"Shut up!" she replied with a stern look.  "I want this to be special." 
She took a deep breath and concentrated.  "How 'bout to us." She raised 
her glass.

Shinji blushed slightly.  

She coughed.  "Uh...to us kicking the asses of all those unholy butt-
fucking Angels!" she laughed.

Shinji had never heard her swear quite like that before, and promptly 
laughed until he almost threw up.  She waited with a smile for him to 
calm down.  "Okay.  To us." He raised his glass.  "To us, Unit-01 and 
Unit-02.  And may all them Angels die really quick and easily."

"Yeah!" they clacked glasses and downed their respectful drinks in one 
swoop.  

"Uh... Mazel Tov!" Shinji laughed, standing up.

"What are you doing now, Baka?" Asuka smiled.  "You have to go puke?"

"Hell no!" he nodded.  "I'm going to get something stronger."

Asuka raised an eyebrow as she watched Shinji walk to the kitchen.  
"Wow!  Maybe you're not such a weakling after all." She stood and 
followed him on shaky feet.  "Whoa, that stuff sure hits when you 
stand..."







Fifth Lesson: In wine, there is truth.









"So, what do you do?" Kaoru asked casually, working on his second rye.  

"Top secret." Misato winked.  Her smile was looking very inviting, and 
she knew it.  

She was already almost leaning into him on the bar stools, so Kaoru 
decided that it was a good thing, since she might fall off if she 
wasn't.  Plus, it wasn't exactly an unpleasant feeling.

"Let me guess then." He grinned, closing his eyes.  "You work in an 
underground lab where you and your fellow mad scientists build weapons 
of mass destruction to destroy all your foes!"

Misato blinked, sitting straight up.  

"I was kidding." He laughed.  

A large sweat drop appeared on her slightly dishevelled hair, and she 
laughed too.  "You had me for a second there." She smiled.  "I thought 
for a moment I'd have to kill you."

"Aww, but where would the fun in that be?" he offered. 

"Am I to assume you are offering something that is more fun?" Misato 
asked casually.  "After all, killing you might be kinda fun." She 
flashed her teeth at him.

Kaoru grinned, then sighed.  "Well, all I can really do right now is 
offer a drinking partner.  How does that sound?"

"Good start." Misato raised her glass, and they clanged their drinks 
together.  After a sip, though, her smile had returned to super-kawaii.  
"But, in this day in age, you have to keep up with a lady's demands, 
you know."

The light from the bar flickered off his glasses as he blinked.  
"Uh..."

She put down her glass and raised her hand up to his face, gently 
taking his chin between her finger and thumb.  "You could start by 
kissing me." She whispered, leaning over his body.

Their lips brushed up against one another, prompting a slight gasp from 
Kaoru.  It was nice...very nice...soft...hot...

She leaned back slightly.  "I...I'm sorry." She whispered, still 
smiling.  "I...you remind me of someone.  I don't know...I can't 
explain it."

He shook his head.  "No...it's okay." He smiled back.  "I'd be lying if 
I said I didn't like that..."

"Would you like another?" she asked sweetly.

Any thoughts in his head to the contrary could not make it past the 
alcohol.  "Yes..." he leaned closer.

She held up her hand, gently plucking off the glasses from his nose.  
"There..." she smiled, then met him half-way in another kiss, this one 
a little deeper.  

Halfway through the kiss, though, Misato looked into his eyes.

Something within her sparked.

It was not the spark she was expecting.

The spark was the LAST thing she had been expecting.

Suddenly, she backed away.  Kaoru saw her eyes.  "Oh...I...I'm 
sorry..." he whispered.

She nodded slowly.  "No...it's my fault..." she shook her head quickly.  
"I think you remind me too much of someone." She swivelled her seat 
around to face the front.  "Sorry..."

He shook his head.  "No...it's really okay." He smiled, taking her 
hand.  To her surprise, he planted a soft kiss on the back of it.  "It 
was a pleasure to meet you, Misato." He took his glasses and put them 
back on.  

"You're leaving?" she asked...still disappointed, even though the kiss 
did end on an awkward note.  

"I have some work to do tomorrow." He nodded.  "Have to tutor a few of 
my students." He bowed slightly.  "Perhaps I'll see you around?"

She smiled warmly and nodded.  "I hope so."

He reached into his pocket and left some money for the bar tender.  
"For her bill too." He smiled.

Misato shook her head and smiled.  "Who says Chivalry is dead." She 
leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.  "Thank you."

"Who knows.  Maybe I can teach a Chivalry Class." He winked, then 
turned.  "Good night, Misato."

"Good night." She sighed, watching him leave.

As soon as he was gone, she gasped.  "What am I DOING?!!" a whimper.  
"He was...so..." she sighed happily.  "Nice..."

The bartender noticed her distress and poured her a double.  

"Ugh..." she sighed, downing it.  "I must be as big an idiot as Asuka 
to pass up a guy like that..."








"Did you just say 'fucking'?" Asuka laughed.

"I did NOT just say 'fucking'!" Shinji replied in a wobbly voice that 
sounded like it was trying to be serious, but it failed. 

Asuka grinned and put her head on his shoulder.  "Shinji, you're fun."

"Thanks." He smiled, ignoring the tickling her hair was doing against 
his neck.  "I've never been called 'fun' before." He sighed, leaning 
his head on top of Asuka's head.  

"Have you ever been called cute before?" Asuka asked quietly.

"No." Shinji frowned.  "That too."

"Well, I think you're cute." Asuka said.

"Thank you." Shinji smiled.  "You're very cute."

She blushed, but took the challenge.  "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, you're very VERY cute!" she giggled, unintentionally 
nuzzling against his neck.  

Shinji thought for a moment, trying to top that.  "Oh...oh YEAH?"

"Yeah!" Asuka laughed.

"Well, I think Kaji is an idiot." He stated proudly. "Because you are 
the most beautiful woman in Tokyo 3."

She sighed.  "No I'm not."

Shinji would have stood up and laughed, but all he could manage was a 
laugh.  "Impossible!"

Asuka leaned away from him and frowned, finally able to hold her head 
still.  "You're just trying to be nice." She sighed.  "You are a sweet 
baka, but you are still a baka."

"No I am not.  Kaji is the baka!" Shinji defended.

Suddenly, Asuka sat up, grabbed the collar of his shirt and looked 
right into his eyes.  Tears were forming in hers.  "No."

He swallowed hard.  "Asuka...?"

"YOU are my Baka." She said softly.  A tear finally did escape the 
corner of her eye, and she sniffed.  "Not Kaji.  YOU are..." she smiled 
slightly, letting his collar go.  "My Baka Shinji."  She forgot all 
about her hands still pressing up against his chest, though.

Shinji's mind was whirling around itself as he began to breathe a 
little deeper.  "Oh...okay..."

She gently wiped away her tears.  "This is the second time I've cried 
today..." she said sadly.  "All because of that playboy Kaji." She 
lowered her head slightly.  

"At least...you are my Baka...even Wondergirl can't take that away from 
me." 

She said those words almost too softly for him to hear.  What was left 
unsaid was 'at least I hope not.'

Shinji was at a lost for words.  His whisper was almost below her level 
of hearing.  "A...Asuka..."

She felt his heart beating, and for a moment, forgot who she was.  
"Oh..." she blinked, looking into his dark blue eyes.  "Uh...do...you 
want me to move?" she asked.

"Only..." he took a deep breath.  "Only if you want to..."

She nodded...and didn't move for several heartbeats.  More than a 
several, actually.  "Feel up to another drink?" Asuka whispered.









Probably the only Child that wasn't thirsty for one thing or the other 
that night was Rei Ayanami.  It wasn't because of her surroundings.  In 
fact, Shinji had once told her how the taste of LCL made him need to 
drink something like water right afterwards to get rid of the smell.  

Rei was used to it, though.  She didn't mind it.

Not even the calming eyes of Commander Ikari as he watched Rei's body 
float in the LCL.  Her limbs and hair were floating slightly, feeling 
less of the gravity than they were used to.  

He stood like that, watching her.  Not in a lecherous way as one may 
think a man would watch a perfectly beautiful young woman.  Rather 
almost protectively.  

If one didn't know better, they looked to almost be having a staring 
contest.  Neither had lost yet.  Only the hum of the Dummy Plug system 
around them gave any indication that time was indeed moving.

Suddenly, almost to Gendo's surprise, Rei blinked. 

"Commander." she whispered.

Rei rarely spoke during these times, and Gendo felt himself frown.  
"What is it, Rei?"

"How much longer will I be required to stay here?" she asked softly.  
Her voice distorted slightly by the liquid around her.

"Until the project is finished, Rei." Gendo stated.  Something wasn't 
right.  She should have known this.

"Understood." Rei whispered.  "But how much longer tonight?"

"Tonight?" Gendo found himself asking.

"I would like to sleep soon." Rei whispered.

The echo of her words rebounded off the wall for some time.  Perplexed, 
Gendo was neither mad, nor worried.  "Why do you ask, Rei-chan?"

She paused for a long time.  THAT made him worry.  

"I have plans tomorrow."

"Plans?" Gendo returned almost immediately.

"I will require sleep to prepare." she stated simply.  

Gendo sighed.  "Rei, whatever plans you have are nothing of..."

"They are school related." Rei explained, hopefully.  "Is it not your 
wish I participate in school?"

Gendo really had no reply for that.  He really didn't care either way.  
But having her in school usually satisfied her occasional urge to live 
a life outside of NERV with the others.  

"It is Saturday, tomorrow." Gendo stated.

Rei nodded.  Her eyes never blinked.  "Homework is to be done away from 
school, hai?"

"Hai." Gendo blinked.

"Then I must leave soon.  I have homework tomorrow." Rei said.  Her 
voice was unwavering and her eyes deadly bright.  

A long minute of silence between them now.  Only the hum.

Finally, Gendo nodded, and his gloved thumb hit a remote control in his 
pocket.  "Then we will finish for today, Rei." he said with a small 
sigh.

Rei nodded, neither smiling or frowning at his unenthusiastic response.  
"Hai." she whispered as the LCL began to drain in the tube.  

"You will bring me your report card this semester." Gendo said.  He had 
never really cared before, but a tingle at the back of his brain said 
he should start...

just in case.

Rei simply nodded.  "Hai."










Somehow during the night, Shinji and Asuka had managed to wobble their 
way outside onto the balcony to enjoy the night air.  
Remembering...somehow...that this was all part of the homework 
assignment, they had passed from the 'woozy' stage of being drunk to 
'philosophical.'  

"I think I know what everyone was talking about." She said, resting her 
head on the cool metal railing for support.  

"What's that?" Shinji asked, looking out at the stars.

"Right now, my head is buzzing." She laughed.  "But I know it's not 
sound...but at the same time, it is."

Shinji giggled.  

"Shinji?" she said suddenly.

"Mmm?"

"What do you think of the Asuka in your mind?"

He blinked, looking over to her.  She was looking back at him with a 
soft, caring expression on her face that he had only seen once or twice 
before.  Each time he did, he wasn't sure if he should run, or go with 
it.

"I think she's too drunk right now." He smiled.  "Or she wouldn't be 
asking me that." He swallowed hard.  "Or looking at me like that."

Stunned, Asuka looked away, back over the balcony.   Shinji tried to 
act casual, but was just as nervous.  Finally, though, she turned back 
and smiled.  "Now I know why Misato gets drunk all the time."

"Oh?"

"So she can say what's on her mind." Asuka hiccupped.  "Like I'm about 
to do right now." 

Yep.  This was one of those times Shinji should have ran.  He looked to 
the door quickly.  It was just far enough away that he wasn't sure if 
he could make it in time.  "Uh...you don't have to if you don't want 
to..."

"I want to kiss you, Shinji." 

Shinji literally fell down.  His arm gave way on the balcony, and he 
fell back against the hard wooden deck with a loud THUMP!  Pain didn't 
even register on his backside, though.  His heart was beating too fast 
for him to notice.  "A...Asuka-chan?"

Her eyes were wide from watching him fall, but their corners began to 
curl as she smiled again.  "Don't you want to kiss me?"

"Yes..." he whispered before he could change his mind.  How could he 
not say yes?  He had been thinking about it all night.  In one way, 
shape or form, his thoughts had been focusing on how very inviting her 
lips were.  "Very much..."

She blinked.  Perhaps, not quite expecting him to say yes.  However, 
she was already edging towards him.  Finally, she knelt down just in 
front of his feet, and began to crawl over to him, oblivious to the 
view she was offering Shinji what was behind her shirt.  "Really?" she 
asked, crawling over his body.

He nodded, then let out a gasp as she sat down on his waist.  Asuka had 
still been wearing her skirt from school, and he could feel her bare 
legs pressed up against his sides.  She was smiling at him, looking 
right into his eyes as she lowered herself down.  "Asuka?" he gasped.  
"A...are you sure you want to...?"

Asuka brushed her long hair out of the way and nodded.  "Hai..." she 
whispered against his lips.

There was a new sensation as Shinji felt her kiss him.  A soft, pebbly 
warm texture at his lips.  Before he could question it, her tongue 
gently slid across his.  As it retreated, his tongue followed, offering 
the same.  Shinji tried to ignore how badly he was shivering, and 
kissed back with all his conviction, knowing that this might be his 
only chance.  

Asuka accepted all of it, however, and did the same.  Her eyes lidded 
heavily as she gently suckled on his mouth.  It wasn't long until she 
pressed her full weight against him, no longer shy to accept his body 
warmth.  A small moan escaped her lips as she felt his hands come up 
around her.  "Shin-kun..." she whispered.

He had to swallow the taste of her mouth in order to regain speaking 
abilities.  "H...Hai?"  

She was looking into his eyes now.  They were heavy with desire.  If he 
hadn't been drinking, he probably would have been able to get drunk 
just on the way she was gazing at him.  

"Why didn't you kiss like that before?" there was a smile teasing her 
lips.

"No air." He replied, swallowing hard.  

With a content sigh, she gently lowered her head onto his chest, 
listening to his heart beating.  "Thank you, sweet baka."

"For what?" Shinji asked, but didn't get a reply.

His arms were still around her, protecting her.  She felt safe.  Like 
nothing could hurt her ever again.  So long as it was just her and 
Shinji.  Asuka couldn't help but think what this night meant to her.  
Or to him.  It was scary, but she didn't worry about the changes now.  
There would be time for that later.  For now, she was just content to 
listen to him breathe.

Shinji was in heaven.  Asuka cuddled up on top of him, in a position 
that was actually comfortable for once.  His mind was whirling, but all 
that didn't matter.  Not tonight anyway.  He realized, sadly, that in 
the morning, there would be repercussions.  However, he tried to enjoy 
it as it lasted. 

"I am the baka Shinji in your mind." He whispered, looking up and out 
at the stars.

"And I am the baka Asuka in your mind..." she whispered back, very 
sleepily.  

Minutes passed of blessed silence.  Something that, admittedly, was 
very rare between the two.  Then, there was an unpleasant sensation 
filling her head as Shinji moved and picked her up, and she grumbled in 
protest.  "Mmm, don't wanna move...baka..."

He really didn't want the night to end, but the repercussions would be 
bad enough without Misato finding them snuggling on the balcony with 
booze on their breath.  "Misato will be back soon." He whispered, then 
grunted as he struggled to pick her up and keep steady.  

It was quite a feat.  While Asuka wasn't any heavier than he was, she 
was also a bit taller than Shinji, and was very lazy at the moment.  
Her arms wrapped around his neck for support as he carried her into the 
apartment.  "Mmmph." She mumbled against his cheek, giving him a small 
kiss as they walked.  "You want to get drunk again on my birthday?" she 
whispered into his ear.

"Okay." He replied, making his way down the hall, ignoring the damp 
area on the carpet where the sake was already drying up.  So long as 
Misato didn't decide to walk on it before morning, she probably 
wouldn't notice.  

Asuka smiled and nuzzled her face against his shoulder.  "Hentai...are 
you going to make out with me?"

Shinji almost dropped her in surprise.  "W...uh...no!"

"Oh." She pouted.  "Okay."

He finally stumbled over to her bedroom and deftly opened the door with 
his hand reaching under Asuka's skirt, prompting a giggle as she felt 
his cheeks blush.  "Sorry..."

"It's okay..."

For once, her room was fairly clean, and he managed to lower her onto 
her bed without tripping over anything in the dark.  As he tried to 
pull away, though, her arms didn't want to move, and he fell onto her, 
not expecting the resistance.  "Wah!" he gasped.

Asuka opened her eyes and looked down.  He was looking up at her from 
her chest, right in between her breasts, who were right against his 
hands.  Both of them blushed furiously.  Asuka could feel something 
warm inside of her stir in her stomach.  It was not the alcohol.  
"Sh..." she whispered...not even able to finish his name.  

Though surprised, Shinji didn't mistake the tone of voice.  Or how her 
stomach tensed up under him.  Or how he could feel her pulse quicken 
once more.  Or how uncomfortable his pants seemed.  "Asuka..."

He was expecting a slap.  Hell, he was almost hoping for it.  It never 
came, though.  They just looked at each other.  For a very...very long 
time.  Neither was sure what to do.  "I'd..." he finally slid off her, 
kneeling down besides her bed.  "I better go..."

Asuka nodded slowly, but there was clearly regret in her eyes.  
"Okay..."

Shinji stood quickly, but regretted it immediately as his pants bound 
up against his front.  "EEGH!"

A gentle laugh came from Asuka as she realized what the problem was.  
"Baka..."

He looked very embarrassed.  "M...ah..." he looked down.  
"It...expanded..."

"Goodnight, Baka Shinji." She whispered as he pulled the covers on top 
of her.  "Thank you..."

"Goodnight, Asuka-chan." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

She smiled and watched him go, gently shutting the door behind himself.  
Any further thoughts, though, were cut off as she drifted off to sleep 
moments later.  








Sixth Lesson:  Dinner Plans.








7:00 P.M.

One of Rei's guilty little pleasures was being EXACTLY on time.  

Strange to think of that as something fun to do, but she loved to see 
people's reactions when their doorbell rang at EXACTLY when it should 
have.  

"BING BONG!"

Miyazaki Kaoru cringed at the loud sound, still nursing the remnants of 
his hangover from last night.  "Coooommmingg!" he called out, rushing 
to the door. 

Standing out there, still in her school uniform, was Ayanami Rei.  A 
small smile was on her face.  "I am here for the homework assignment." 
She said.  "May I be admitted into your home?"

He laughed warmly and nodded.  "Of course.  Come on in.  Dinner's 
almost ready."

"I..." she paused.  "I do not like meat."

Kaoru nodded.  "Don't worry, it's just soup and some home-made bread.  
Also, if you don't mind my salad, there's plenty to go around." He 
smiled at her obviously pleased reaction.  "Everyone eats non-meat, so 
I try to keep that in mind if I'm not sure about my guests."

Rei took off her shoes and followed the sensei into the dining area.  
It was small, being a bachelor's apartment, however, it was more than 
adequate.  Dinner was already almost set up, so Rei decided to look 
around.  

"It will just be a second!" he called out from the kitchen.

"Hai." She replied, surveying the area.  A few boxes were still in the 
corner, indicating that he had just moved in.  However, considering it 
couldn't have been more than a few days, and considering his teaching 
schedule, it was amazingly clean and presentable.  Not many single men 
would have been able to copy the task.  

Kaoru walked out of the kitchen with a steaming pot of soup in his 
hands, wrapped around the handles with dish cloth.  He noticed Rei 
looking at a painting on the wall.  

It was an amazing view, looking up at EVA-01 as it charged towards the 
Third Angel.  In the foreground was the stone bust of Saint Michael, 
cracked from the resulting tremors of battle.  "Do you like it?" he 
asked.

She nodded.  "Hai.  It looks very realistic.  The colours are very 
nice." Her eyes came down and found a signature.  Most of it was 
smudged, though...but something about it looked familiar.  

"I painted it." Kaoru said as he set the table.  "I've been studying 
the Evangelions for a long time now.  Ever since I saw EVA-01 in 
action."

"Is that why you teach here?" Rei asked, walking over to the table.

"Hai." He nodded.  "Mostly."

"What is the other reason?" Rei pressed, kneeling down on her side of 
the table.

He blinked, then smiled.  "I have some old friends living here.  I 
wanted to say hello."

"That is not a reason to move into a dangerous city." Rei decided as he 
sat down, passing her a piece of bread.  

"It depends on the friends." He countered.  "What about you, Rei?  Do 
you have any friends like that?"

She blinked, not getting the question.

"Would you put yourself in harm's way for anyone?" he re-stated.  "Even 
if nobody ordered it?"

Rei considered this for a moment and then nodded.  "For Pilot Ikari and 
Pilot Sohryu I would."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow.  "What about someone else?  Do you have any 
other friends?"

"No."

He nodded at her quick answer, knowing it wasn't going to get any 
better.  "Well, let's eat, shall we?" he smiled.  

Rei nodded and broke her chopsticks apart so she could dunk a piece of 
bread into the soup.  "Why do you teach?" she asked.

A long pause.

"To help the future be better than the past."

Rei frowned.  "Then why do you ask philosophy questions and never talk 
about the past?"

He thought about this for a moment.  "Rei?  Can I ask you something?"

She nodded.

"How often would you speak in class...say...two months ago?"

"I would not speak in class." She shrugged slightly, taking in a 
mouthful of soup.

"And how often do you speak now?" Kaoru continued. 

"Every day." Rei replied.

"And is that better?" he asked.

"It is not important." Rei said.  "Me talking or not talking has no 
consequence on the future."

"So then you do not believe in Sound." He smiled.  "Even though there 
are people to hear you, you believe that your voice means nothing to 
their minds."

Rei's eyes were locked on her sensei.  

"What people think of you is not important." He continued, taking a 
bite of his bread.  "However, it is sometimes beneficial to have people 
interact with you.  The people in your mind will influence the way you 
think, and the way you look at the world."  

She swallowed another helping of soup before talking again.  "But this 
is not always better."

"True." Kaoru nodded sadly.  "Some people that connect to you will hurt 
you.  Some will try to control you and influence you in bad ways.  
However, if you can try to avoid those people, most of those 
interactions will not happen, and the overall effect on your mind will 
be beneficial."

"How does one..." she blinked, then looked down at her food.  "Protect 
against those bad things?"

"Practice." Kaoru nodded.  "Lots and lots of practice." He smiled.  
"Or, hopefully, a good teacher."

She looked up and regarded him with a tiny...tiny...smile.  "That is 
why you teach?"

He nodded.  "Your young minds...especially you pilots...are horribly 
unmatched for the world around you.  It takes most of your schooling 
years just to catch up with the whole world." He motioned over to the 
painting.  "Because of the Angels, you are forced to do so at an even 
greater pace.  That is why I am teaching now, and not when you are in 
college." He paused.  "I hope it helps all of you gain that little 
extra you need."

Rei nodded, understanding.  "Hai."

"You may know how to pilot.  You know how to survive and how to kill.  
You know how to talk, read and write." Kaoru sighed.  "But there are 
things much deeper than that.  Things that most of us adults are still 
getting the hang of." He tipped the rest of his soup into his mouth, 
then let out a long sigh.  "Even I do not have all the answers.  Nobody 
does." He smiled.  "And that is why I'm forced to teach you with 
riddles and questions, so you can find the answers for yourselves."

Rei tilted back her bowl of soup and hiccupped, blushing slightly, but 
smiling.  "Hai."

"How is the soup?"

"Very good." She nodded.  "May I have some more?"

He smiled.  "Of course."








Shinji...somehow...managed to get out of bed that afternoon.  His eyes 
refused to open for a good half-an-hour, though, and he spent the time 
sitting on the edge of his bed, hoping he knew which way was up.  

Forgetting to change his clothes, he stumbled out into the hall, 
finding the bathroom by feeling his way on the walls.  Thankfully, 
Misato kept a bulk supply of pain-relievers in the medicine cabinet, 
and he was able to keep them down long enough to remember his head was 
not in twenty thousand pieces like it felt.  

He shuddered, wondering what would have happened if an Angel attacked 
that morning.

The shower had already been used, so at least someone else was up.  He 
took a quick shower, letting the razor-sharp water droplets wake him up 
and restore some humanity to his alien-like appearance.  

By the time 7 rolled around, he was revived, in the kitchen and working 
on supper.  Misato suddenly came through the front door, looking very 
tired.  "Hey, Shinji."

He smiled weakly and noticed she too looked a little hung over.  "How 
did your date with Kaji go last night?" he asked.

"Bad." She sighed.  "He didn't show up." She shrugged, moving past him 
to the fridge.  "Met another guy, though.  Really cute.  Smart.  Very 
hot kisser." She grinned to herself, then frowned. 

"So?  What happened?" Shinji pressed, sensing there was something else.

"I flipped out." She grumbled, opening a can of beer.  "I don't know.  
Must be all the stress lately.  I almost wish an Angel would attack.  
This waiting game is horrible."

"Oh." Shinji nodded.  "So where were you just now?"

She raised a little bag from the grocery store downstairs.  "Carpet 
cleaner." She blushed.  "I think I spilled something by the couch last 
night.  I came home pretty loaded."

"I'll take care of it." Shinji smiled to himself.  "Don't worry."

"You're a sweetie." Misato smiled back.  "Oh, and I also got some 
medicine for Asuka.  I think she might have a cold."

Shinji blinked.

"She's been in her bed all day, groaning.  Must be a sinus flu." She 
giggled.  "If I didn't know better, I'd say she was suffering a grade-B 
Misato Hangover."

Shinji jumped, but shook it off before she could notice.  "I'll make 
sure she gets it with her dinner." He nodded.  "I'm making some 
chicken-ramen."

Misato sat down at the table and leaned back.  "You're really nice to 
her, you know?"

"Nani?" 

The raven-haired woman looked up at him and nodded.  "Most men would 
have tried to strangle her by now.  I'm impressed, Shinji.  You really 
care for her, don't you?"  She wasn't even using her teasing tone of 
voice.  

"I guess so." He shrugged, blushing quite noticeably.

"Either that, or you're waiting till she's asleep to strangle her." 
Misato joked.

He laughed.  "Maybe I am."

She blinked, not quite expecting that, but laughed as well.  Suddenly, 
she looked concerned.  "You look a little rough too, Shin-kun.  Are you 
feeling okay?"

He nodded.  

"Okay, I don't want you getting Asuka's cold.  Maybe take some of that 
medicine too."

"Hai." He nodded.  "I'm sure I'll be fine in the morning."













Shinji knocked on Asuka's door.  From inside, he heard a muffled moan  
"It's me." He announced.  "I have food."

Another moan.  "It's open..."

He nudged open the door and found Asuka on the bed, almost exactly 
where she had been last night.  Their eyes caught in the soft light of 
the sunset outside, and a blush followed.  Even though she looked pale, 
and lost the fuzzy perfection caused by alcohol, she still caught 
Shinji's eye for a little longer than most would.  

"You okay?" he whispered, resting the tray of soup on her nightstand.  

She nodded, but looked away, still red in the face.  "Thanks."

He nodded, hesitating for a second.  

"I'm sorry." She said suddenly.

"For what?"  He cringed, waiting for her to say 'for that horrible 
kiss' or something like that.  'For making you think I liked you' was 
also on his nightmare-list.

"For spilling your present." She said quietly.  A blush was still 
evident on her face.  "I'll make it up to you."

He smiled.  "Don't worry about it." 

A pause.

"I left you some pills for the headache." He said.  "The soup should 
help too.  Misato thinks we caught a bit of the flu so everything's 
okay."

Asuka sighed in relief.

"I'll let you get some rest." He whispered, turning to leave.  "Have a 
good night, Asuka."

She turned, just before he left.  "Shin-kun?"

He stopped, looking back.  "Hai?"

A small smile was on her face.  "Be patient with me?"

He blinked.  A confused look on his face.

"I...I'm still learning." She whispered.  "Just be patient."

Shinji Ikari wouldn't have looked happier if he tried.  He nodded one 
last time, then softly closed the door behind himself.

Asuka took a deep, shuddering breath, then looked over to her meal with 
a smile.  "Thank you, Baka."








Seventh Lesson: Classroom Behaviour







Everyone was still lock-jawed from the last presentation.  Kensuke and 
Toji and their amazing weekend.  Kensuke had gotten it all on film.  
All of it.  Three days of their own 'special' brand of humour condensed 
into half an hour of tape.  The presentation had ended with a rather 
interesting scene of the two of them in the boy's washroom, using the 
urinals and talking about trees falling in the woods.

Of course, the camera was behind them and didn't show anything too bad, 
but Toji did accidentally let his butt-crack show for a few frames, 
causing the entire class' jaws to drop.  Hikari was blushing furiously, 
and couldn't bring herself to look at either of them.  

Sensei Kaoru just sat at his desk with a similar expression on his 
face.  "Uh...thank you for that insightful look into your weekend, 
boys."

Kensuke and Toji...who had done a lot worse in public anyway...were 
both smiling proudly.  

"See?  The camera never lies!" Kensuke announced.  "I control reality 
in my hands!" he began to cackle.  

"Among other things." Keiko commented, prompting a giggling fit from 
most of the girls. 

"Mm, they're just jealous of our fantastic, multi-media presentation!" 
Toji replied with a mighty laugh.

Kaoru shook his head.  "Uh, if anyone else has any questions?"

Nobody said anything.

"Okay, lets move on." He continued.  "Quickly.  I'll give you both a B 
for effort.  The voice-over and soundtrack was well done, but I really 
did want an oral report since we're trying to see how different both of 
your views on the events were."

"I'll tell you right now, I had a different view than his in the last 
scene!" Toji laughed.

"ANYWAY..." Kaoru laughed, then turned to his list of names.  "Mmm, 
let's see.  Shinji.  Why don't you come up with your weekend's partners 
and tell us about it?"

Not surprisingly, Asuka stood with him and they walked nervously to the 
front.  

"The married couple will now tell about their fantastic arguments over 
the last three days." Toji narrated into the mic of Kensuke's camera.

Everyone laughed, turning to the front.  He was right.  They would 
never agree on events, and would probably start fighting.  It would be 
a lot of fun to watch.  

Kaoru edged his glasses up on his nose and nodded.  "You may proceed, 
Mister Ikari."  The class hushed to listen and watch Asuka's reactions. 

Shinji looked over to Asuka, who looked back at him nervously.  He 
turned to the class.  "Uh, well, Asuka caught a sinus cold."

Asuka's eyes widened and she nodded quickly.  "Yes.  It was bad too."

The class was so quiet, they could almost count the number of cicadas 
outside.  

"Uh...so I cooked some soup, and she felt better." Shinji said.

"It was good soup." She agreed.  "Chicken ramen."

The Sensei looked at them with a raised eyebrow.  "That's what you did 
all weekend?  For three days?"

Asuka and Shinji both looked at each other at the same time.  It was 
eerie.  A sync-training flashback.  Then, they both turned to Kaoru and 
nodded.  "Hai." They said in unison. 

Rei raised her hand.  Everyone turned to her.  "We also had a Sync-
Test." she informed the class.

Asuka and Shinji both nodded quickly, cursing themselves for forgetting 
it.  "Uh yeah!"  Shinji beamed.

"And Baka here got a higher score because I had the flu." Asuka 
smirked.  Shinji turned and glared at her.  It wasn't cause she had the 
flu...It was probably because of her hang-over.  He said nothing, 
though.  "He looked so proud he beat me by a point!"

Kaoru blinked and shrugged, turning to the class.  "Does anyone have 
any questions for them?"

Kensuke nodded.  "You mean, you guys didn't fight?"

They both nodded, blushing slightly.

"Not even ONCE?" Toji gasped. 

Hikari even joined in.  "You both got along for THREE days?"

"Hey!  It was only two and a half!" Asuka defended.  Shinji nodded.  

Another long pause.  Shinji began to fidget, letting his hand clench 
and straighten out a few times.  

"Very well." Kaoru shrugged.  "You both can sit down now."

They did so without even exchanging words.

"I'll give you both an A for actually getting along for such an 
impressive period of time." He laughed.  The class all nodded; nobody 
disputed the high mark.  "Uh, let's see.  Who's next?"







Shinji relaxed back in his seat, not daring to look at Asuka.  
Honestly, he had been terrified that she'd start telling the class 
about the whole thing;  making sure to leave out the parts embarrassing 
to her while knowing he'd be too embarrassed to try to correct her.

Sure...she had lied a bit about the sync-test, but that was okay.  
After all, she felt bad enough knowing he had beaten her anyway.    

A small 'mail' icon flashed on his computer screen.  A moment later, it 
opened.

[Thanks, Shinji.  I owe you one.]

He blinked, and glanced over to Asuka out of the corner of his eye.  
She was smiling...just enough to let him see.  Suddenly, though, she 
frowned and began typing quickly.

[Don't think that means you can sleep with me, Hentai.]

Shinji frowned and began typing back.  

[Why would I want to even if I could?]

There was an audible gasp from Asuka.  Everyone in the class turned to 
her in surprise.  

Kaoru peered over his glasses.  "Are you okay, Miss Sohryu?"

She nodded quickly, trying not to glare at Shinji, who had a peaceful, 
innocent grin on his face.  "I...I'm fine.  Can I get a drink of 
water?"

Everyone was giggling as she ran out of the classroom with a barely 
audible 'baka!'.  

Actually, she said it quite loudly...it was just interrupted by a loud, 
long wailing siren.  

Kaoru sighed and closed his books as the students all packed up 
quickly.  "Okay ladies and gentlemen.  We all know the drill.  Let's 
go."  He smiled and nodded to Rei and Shinji, wishing them luck.

They ran off, catching up to Asuka, who was already out the front door.







Evacuations had been going well.  They were only five minutes away from 
being ready to go into full battle mode.  Ritsuko watched the readouts 
on the main monitor as each shelter reported the number of people 
secure.  Hands in her pocket, she smiled to herself, feeling the air 
outside of the command room door shift slightly.  "You're late." She 
said.

Misato rushed in.  "I'm sorry..." she turned to the main screen, sizing 
up the situation with a practiced air.  "Did the Fuji Observation 
Centre...?"

"Didn't detect it!" Shigeru reported.  "It just suddenly appeared 
directly over us!"

Makoto hadn't even turned around from his computer as he tried to make 
heads or tales of the information coming into it.  "Pattern Orange 
detected!  No AT Field, though...?"

"What is this?" Misato blinked.  Orange?  They had never had an 
attacker with that kind of wave-pattern...

"A new kind of Angel?" Ritsuko offered, getting worried.

Maya turned around in her chair.  "The MAGI are withholding a final 
judgment."

Taking her first good look at the visual outside, Misato sighed to 
herself.  The 'Angel' looked to be a large, black-and-white striped 
sphere.  Moving at only a walking pace, it was almost peaceful.  
"Damn." She whispered.  "A situation like this and Commander Ikari's 
not here..."






The glowing white eyes of EVA-01 watched from between two buildings as 
the Angel crept across the sky, moving ever-closer to the top of the 
Geofront where it would probably start it's attack.  Shinji smiled to 
himself.  "I really got her with that one." 

"Can all of you hear me?" Misato's voice interrupted his thoughts of 
Asuka.  "I've sent you all the target's data." She continued, forcing 
him to focus. 

"This is all we know right now." She said.  "Approach it carefully and 
observe it's reactions.  If possible, lure it outside of the city 
limits." She paused.  "Two of you will back up the other.  Got that?"

It was a standard 'I have no idea what to do, so give it your best 
shot' plan.  Every other Angel they had faced up until now had at least 
tried to attack right away.  This one was behaving strangely.

Asuka smiled from the plug of her EVA-02.  "All right, ma'am!" she 
replied happily.  "But I think Shinji should be the point-man on this 
one."

Shinji blinked.  "Uh?"  Normally, Asuka was clamouring for a chance to 
whip some ass in combat.  

Asuka's face appeared on a com-link besides him.  She was grinning 
fiercely.  "Well, this is a job for the highest rated, bravest, number-
one sync rate pilot, right?"

He smiled back at her mocking face.  

"Or don't you feel UP to it, Shinji?" she edged.

Challenge accepted!  "No, I can do it." He grinned right back.  "I'll 
show you how it ought to be done!"

Asuka cocked her head slightly.  "What was that??" 

Misato had enough of the playful teasing. "Okay you two.  Knock it 
off."

Asuka smiled smugly at him in the 'she's on MY side' look.  

He turned to the monitor.  "Isn't that what you said, Misato?  'You're 
number ONE!'" 

"Well...uh...that was..." 

Shinji looked into Asuka's eyes and grinned evilly.  "And combat is a 
MAN's job after all!"

Asuka gasped, not believing he was going so far to goat her.  "Talk 
about a social dinosaur!" she stuck out her tongue at him.  "Unit-02 
will back you up." She grinned.  "And save your ass when you fall on 
it..."

Rei's com sputtered to life.  "Unit-00 will back him up as well."

Misato sighed.  "I can't believe those kids.  I haven't even ordered 
anything yet."

"Mmm...Shinji's getting more manly, isn't he?" Ritsuko teased.

"No." Misato snapped back, trying to remain serious.  "I'm going to 
have to have a talk with him when he gets back."







Eighth Lesson: Separation Anxiety








"You two in position?" Shinji whispered, looking past the corner of the 
nearest building to see the edge of the giant, ball-shaped Angel.  For 
the first time, he could feel his heart pumping in excitement instead 
of terror.  While his mind was usually wracked with self-doubt and 
questioning, he knew that he had the highest sync-ratio, that Tokyo 3 
was at full operational capacity to back him up, and he had the chance 
to prove his courage to Asuka.    

Asuka, however, was having a problem with her power-cord pulling on her 
back.  "No!  An EVA can't move that fast, you know." She mumbled, 
ejecting her current umbilical cord to replace it with a new one 
stationed on a closer power-building.  "Ahh...that's better." She 
sighed, feeling the movement return in her feet.  

With daydreams of a victory kiss in his mind, Shinji decided to get 
this over with.  "Not there yet?" he whispered.

"Not yet." Rei replied, sneaking around a building, trying to stay out 
of the Angel's line of sight.  

Shinji began to fidget.  His hand balled up and released a couple of 
times, testing the plastic and rubber of his plug suit's glove.  He 
liked how it felt like his fist was flexing.  It felt even better with 
his mind synced up so his fist was a few hundred pounds of Angel-
Crushing, armoured Evangelion fist.  

"I'll just have to stop it myself." He gritted his teeth, unable to 
hold back any more.  

Everyone watched in surprise as EVA-01 jutted it's arm around the 
corner of the building and shot three lightning fast rounds of weapon 
fire at the giant zebra-colour sphere above their heads.

Of course...that was when it disappeared.







Ritsuko gasped.  "It..."

The entire room lit up in red as a giant warning sign flashed over the 
walls.  <PATTERN BLUE DETECTED!>  Misato looked around, not believing 
the sudden change.  "WHAT?!"

"Pattern Blue!  Angel CONFIRMED!  Directly beneath Unit-01!!"






Shinji looked down in horror as he felt himself sinking.  "A...a 
shadow!?"  Training took over and his aim dropped, emptying round after 
round into the black goo that seemed to be sucking his body into 
itself.  "What is this stuff!  This can't be happening!"

Misato watched hopelessly from the command room.  "Shin-kun!  GET OUT 
OF THERE!  SHINJI!" she yelled at the screen to no avail.

A gasping Ayanami could be heard on the com.  "Ikari-kun!"





Asuka watched in horror as Shinji was sinking already past his waist.  
"Baka!  What are you doing!??!" she yelled.

Shinji's screams could be heard on the com, filling her heart with ice-
cold horror.  "AAAAAAARGH!  Misato!  What's going on!?  MISATO!?!" his 
voice became more desperate as only the upper portions of EVA-01's 
chest were visible now.  "ASUKA!" he begged.  "Ayanami!  Help me!"

Both EVA-00 and 02 were frozen, unable to move as they listened to 
Shinji cry out.  "Misato!  Can you hear me!!?!  MISATO!?!?"





"Eject the plug!" Misato yelled.  "Send the signal!"

Maya turned around.  Her eyes showed an equal level of horror as 
Shinji's voice.  "No response!  It's not working!"

"MISATO!  MISATO-SAN!!"

She watched as the last tip of purple and green armour disappeared into 
the black muck below.  "SHNIJI!" she forced herself to think.  "Asuka!  
Rei!  Get Unit-01!  HURRY!!!"





Asuka was already running towards the Angel.  Her mind was whirling.  
Anger was taking over...and she welcomed it.  Each bone-jarring step 
her EVA made brought her closer.  "That BAKA!  He gets A's on all his 
tests...but the moment he steps out into the real world..."

Rei was already firing into the Angel...who had reverted back to a 
sphere-shape...with a long-range, massively powerful rifle, but the 
shots were just flickering off it somehow.  They passed right through 
and impacted into Tokyo 3 buildings behind it.  

The moment it did disappear again, Asuka felt her feet grow colder.  
"A...a SHADOW!" she gasped, leaping into the air as Ritsuko said 
something.  No time for orders, just MOVE!

The street below her began to sink into the shadow's umbra.  Luckily, 
she had managed to scramble onto a sky-scraper in time not to share 
Shinji's predicament.

It didn't end that easily, though, as the buildings around her, and 
underneath her began to sink.  "AAAGH!" she gasped, quickly jabbing her 
Progressive Axe into the side of the building, followed by her knife to 
allow climbing holds to get to the top.  "The..." she gasped, watching 
the sight in front of her eyes.  "The city...is sinking!"

Buildings for a block around her began to slowly sink and tilt like 
they were built on quicksand.  Asuka held tight, hoping her perch would 
last at least long enough for Shinji to reach out for help.

But the giant, purple hand never came.  Asuka's scanners and eyes 
waited, but saw nothing but the mockingly simple blackness that was the 
Angel.  

"Units!  Pull out of there!" Misato's order came finally.

"WAIT!" Asuka cried out.  

"Shinji and Unit-01." Rei said suddenly.  "They're still in there."  





Misato was shaking.  "This is an order..." she said with her teeth 
clenched.  "Retreat."

I'm not about to loose all three of you today, she thought to herself.

Asuka watched, helpless, as meter after meter of Shinji's umbilical 
cable slid into the night-black shadow. 




Not far away, just far enough to be safe from the Angel's shadow, 
Sensei Kaoru stood, leaning up against a lamp-post.  He had watched as 
the final feet of cable stopped coming, and broke off somewhere in the 
black abyss.

Shinji would only have about sixteen hours of reserve power left.  

This fact was classified, as were most of the Evangelions statistics.  
However, Kaoru knew those sixteen hours.  He knew that Asuka and Rei 
would be recalled back to NERV, and at the end of those Sixteen Hours, 
the mighty, vengeful wrath of Misato would be unleashed.  Whatever 
resources she could muster would be employed as revenge in knowing that 
Angel had killed Shinji Ikari.

It was quite probable to assume this Angel would destroy the entire 
city.  

Kaoru turned away from the edge of the shadow with his left hand in his 
pocket.  His right lifted up and edged the wire-framed spectacles to a 
more comfortable point on his nose.  His lips hesitated for a long 
moment...

but finally came to rest in an eerie smile.  







NAVADA DESERT:
NERV SECOND BRANCH---






If given his day in court, Dr. Modrou Walken would have had an easy 
defence.  This tall, skinny man was well liked by his co-workers at 
NERV Second Branch, and he was accepted as the resident genius of the 
project.  

Hand picked years ago by Dr. Akagi and Commander Ikari to further their 
interests in the states, Walken had been the key figure in reproducing 
the Evangelion test data in the new location.  Also, he had been in 
charge of handling the S2 Engine project.  

Yes.  If put on trial for his actions, most people would be supportive.  
Mentioning how he was one of the most trustworthy persons they've ever 
known.  How he would always put his duty before personal goals.  

As he gazed over the expanse of coolant, into Unit 04's cage, a small 
twinge of regret flickered through his mind.  After all, there would be 
no trial.  Not if this worked.  There would be no witnesses.  No 
complications, and the world would soon have one less of these accursed 
golems on it's surface.

"How do the connections look?" he asked his support staff.  All of 
which trusted him completely.

Evangelion Unit 04 was currently running on what was called "dry power" 
mode.  The umbilical cable was attached to it's back, keeping it's pre-
borderline systems running as they ran diagnostics.  However, they had 
not yet engaged and powered up any of the nerve connections or organic 
components.  That would require a pilot anyway.  The plan was to have 
everything in top condition for when the S2 organ came online.  Thus, 
making the transfer as smooth as possible and leaving less to chance in 
what was the first run of such a device.    
 
He noted the reports of his staff as they recited numbers and 
statistics from their scans and computer screens.  All the while, his 
eyes were on Unit 04.  The giant, crooked grin that it bore was almost 
comical...but the sheer power underneath it's silver and black bindings 
was nothing to laugh at.  It's core was now, also, not simply a dead, 
black-red orb at the centre of it's power.  Months of computer time and 
'spare parts' from the Angels already destroyed had given this beast 
the ability to power itself.  Even in it's most docile state, it's Core 
now glowed a dull red colour due to the S2 organ now implanted 
inside...visible only by the internal cameras set up to monitor the 
activation.

"Are we holding stable?" Dr. Walken asked, already knowing the answer.

"Affirmative, sir!" replied his second-in-command.  "We have the 
bakelite standing by, personnel are clear, and the cage restraints show 
all green."

Good.  The Magi would relay to Tokyo-3 that the test would be 
successful...right up until the end...

"How is the S2 system looking?" Walken asked.

"Everything's green, sir." came the hopeful reply. 

"Excellent." he smiled.  It was an odd smile.  Almost sad.  He knew he 
was doing this for the good of Humanity.  That it was to accelerate 
SEELE's plans.  

Still, it would mean his death.  The deaths of everyone here.  

Commander Ikari would wake up tomorrow morning in his fool's bed with 
the news that the Second Branch had been wiped off the face of the 
Earth. 

And he would never know it was part of the grand scheme of things.  

"Activate the S2." he said simply.

Wait...

.....

Something was wrong.

The blackness stopped all of a sudden, forcing a silence out of the 
screams and yells around him as everyone realized the results of the 
test. 

But Walken saw something he had not been expecting.  

Just before he, his bridge crew, and the entire facility of NERV Second 
Branch was swallowed up by a black pit of reverse-light...

Unit 04's eyes glowed.

It's jaw snapped open.

It bellowed an ungodly roar.

Then, it began to punch through the black.




The last thing he saw were the massive, unrestrained claw-like fingers 
rip through the wall, climbing up to the surface.

SEELE would not be pleased...he mused as reality collapsed around him.  
Then, he died.







Ninth Lesson: Cram School








Asuka listened in horror as Misato and Ritsuko organized the UN troops 
around the Angel, hoping to put some kind of pressure on it to release 
Shinji.  Her only companion was Rei, who watched the whole situation 
with her usual, unnerving cool stare.  

Rei could see right through her.  This was one of the things that she 
had learned from Sensei Kaoru.  In order to protect herself, Asuka 
lashed out in any way she could.  It was that thought, and only that 
thought, that kept Rei from slapping her across the face as she had 
laughed at Shinji's misjudgements in the battle.  After all, she 
mused...even I have my limits.

"What a dummkopf." Asuka laughed nervously.

Rei walked right up to her on the deck of the NERV mobile HQ platform.  
Her eyes narrowed slightly, yet never passing into an angry stare.  

"What?" Asuka demanded.  "Are my comments about Shinji pissing you 
off?"

"Do you pilot Evangelion just for the praise of others?" Rei asked 
softly.

"NO!" she growled.  "I don't need ANYBODY'S approval but my OWN!"

"CUT IT OUT!" Misato demanded.  "BOTH of you!" 

Asuka's eyes flickered, threatening to shed tears.  Had she not been 
under the gaze of Ayanami she would not have been able to hold them 
back.  

"Yes." The Major whispered.  "He defied my orders.  He acted too 
quickly." She glared out over the city of Tokyo 3.  "So, I'll have to 
punish him when he comes back."

Both remaining Pilots were silent. 

She turned to them with sad eyes.  "Asuka.  Rei.  We're still setting 
up the operation.  So long as you keep your cell phones, you're welcome 
to get back to the city for a few hours sleep."

"But...what if Shinji ne..."

"He's not coming out yet." Misato interrupted Asuka.  "The Angel has 
what it wanted, and it's not giving it up without a fight." She looked 
like the one who needed sleep.  "Until we know how to do that, I'd feel 
better knowing you two are as far away from this thing as possible."

Rei bowed her head.  "Hai." She turned to Asuka.  "I will be at the 
pool."

Asuka gasped.  "You...y..." she watched as Rei turned and left for the 
change rooms.  

Misato turned to Asuka.  "I can make it an order."

Her hands were trembling.  "But...!"

"It's an order." She said in the strongest voice she could muster.  
"Keep close by.  You have eight hours at least.  Try to rest.  
Everything will be fine."

The redheaded young woman stormed past Misato, not meeting her glare.  
Mach es dir selber!!!" she screamed, storming down the ramp. 

Misato watched her leave, then wiped her cheek free of tears.  "I hate 
this job."







Cold, blue green light bathed Shinji's eyes when they finally opened 
again.  Like Misato was arguing on the outside, sleep seemed to be the 
best plan at the moment. 

"I never thought sleeping could be this exhausting..." he whispered 
into the LCL.

Clutching the control handle of his pilot's seat, Shinji watched as the 
plug's walls flickered into a rainbow of colours, then the various 
static patterns and nerve interface designs as it began to sync with 
his mind, showing him the outside world.

Unfortunately, the outside world was still just a wall of white.  
Though the shadow had been black, it was such a strange phenomenon that 
the scanners outside couldn't even pick up the lack of light.  

The walls of the plug faded back to blue white steel as Shinji switched 
the Evangelion back to minimal power mode.  So long as he stayed calm, 
another four or five hours would tick away before he died.  A tiny, 
orange digital clock on his left plug-suit glove was a constant 
reminder of his mortality. 

"My life will end in four or five hours." He whispered, leaning back in 
his seat.  The smell and taste of blood was the only sensation his body 
registered.  That, and his stomach.

"I'm hungry."

Slowly, he drifted off, hoping that if he was to die, it would be in 
his sleep.  








Kaoru walked over to the door, puzzled.  Not many people knew his 
address in the first place.  Those who did were probably in shelters by 
now.  Or...

Even though he hadn't been expecting it, somehow, Kaoru wasn't 
completely shocked when Asuka Langley looked up at him from the other 
side of his front door.  

"Asuka-chan?" he gasped.

She was shaking.  Actually shaking.  Her hair still smelled of LCL, 
even though she had thrown on pants and a shirt before coming over.  
"M...may I come in?" she whispered.

He nodded, leading her to the living room.  "Sit down.  I'll get you 
some tea."

She nodded weakly, leaning over on the soft sofa.  Her back was ridged 
and she looked almost like she was going to throw up.  Kaoru finished 
making a simple herbal tea that would hopefully calm her down enough so 
she could relax.  

He had no idea what she was going through.  The look on her face made 
him worried.  Returning only moments later with a tray, he set it down 
in front of her and poured her a cup.  "Please, drink." He said.  "It 
will calm you down."

Asuka did as she was told, though her hand was shaking so badly he had 
to help steady it with his own.  "Domo..." she whispered, looking 
vacantly in front of herself.

"I..." he poured her another half cup.  "I thought you would be in EVA-
02?"

She laughed softly.  "No...not yet." Her normally defiant voice was 
struggling not to crack.  "The...Angel isn't like the others." She 
whispered.  "There's no way to fight it."

"Rei?  Shinji?"

"Shinji..." she whispered softly.  "Shinji's inside it..."

He nodded slowly.  

"Baka..." a tear escaped her eye, rolling down her cheek and onto her 
chin.  "I shouldn't have pushed him..."

Kaoru sat quietly.  His heart ached to see her like this, but he could 
say nothing.  Do even less.  "I...am sorry..."

To his surprise, she broke out with a long sob and fell against his 
shoulder, grabbing on tight.  He couldn't move, completely stunned by 
the action.  She cried.  She was crying.  Honest, truthful tears.  They 
were the most heart-breaking thing he had ever heard in his life.

"He left me!" she cried into his shirt.  "He left me!  Everyone leaves 
me..." she sobbed, barely able to form words as the emotions took over.  
Everything she had bottled up for so long came rushing out in those 
tears, threatening to overwhelm her.  "Mama...Kaji...Shinji..." she 
cried.  "Everyone..."

Kaoru gently wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.  
"Asuka...please...it's all right.  Everything will be fine..."

She shook her head.  "NO!  IT WILL NEVER BE ALL RIGHT!" she screamed, 
looking him directly in the eyes.  "Everyone I know leaves me!!" her 
fists were balled up and buried in his shirt.  "Even you..."

He closed his eyes, shaking his head.  "I could never."

"Yes you will..." she sobbed.  Her eyes were puffy from her tears, but 
looked to be calming down.  "At the end of the year, you'll move on to 
another school.  Nobody will remember you.  Nobody will remember 
Shinji..." her voice was barely a whisper.  "Nobody will remember 
me..."

They sat like that for a long time.  Arms wrapped around each other.  
Asuka sobbing into his shoulder with weaker and weaker breath until she 
finally stopped crying.  Kaoru wondered if it was the tea, or her 
running out of tears to shed.

"Asuka..." he said softly.  "I will always remember you."

Her eyes closed gently as she drifted towards sleep.  "Please..." she 
whispered.  "Let me stay here..."

"Hai..." he replied, gently holding her.  An unnoticed tear fell off 
his face and onto her shoulder.  









It had been hours since Shinji's last cries for help.

With life support power dripping away with each breath, system after 
system in the plug had been forced to slow and stop.  Already, the LCL-
cleaners were off, and the horrible smell of blood had risen ten-fold.  
Murky debris hovered in the water with him, un-cleansed from the 
liquids so long as the power continued to drop.

His frantic attempt to open the plug was stopped by the fact that it 
was still sealed inside of the Evangelion's armour and body.  

That had been almost an hour ago.

An hour since he had begged for help.  Asuka.  Rei.  Misato.  Ritsuko.  

Father.

"F...father..."

Nobody came. 

So, it was somewhat of a shock when he heard another voice.

It wasn't so much of another voice, rather the feeling that one was 
dreaming, and could still hear the voices from their dreams though they 
were on the verge of waking up.

"Who's that?" he asked quietly, hoping not to break the spell.  "Who?"

"Ikari Shinji." A voice answered.

"That's me!" Shinji replied.

His mind seemed to close down on itself.  The only things in existence 
were his two voices.    

"I am you.  This self incorporates another self." The voice continued.  
"The self has always been composed of two selves."

"Two?" 

"Yes.  The self which is observed and the self which observes itself.  
To expound:  the Shinji Ikari that exists in your mind is only one 
Shinji Ikari."

Shinji blinked, and his world seemed replaced by red light.  He was 
looking at a window somewhere.  Someone's head was blocking the light, 
though.  

"There's also the Shinji Ikari in Misato Katsuragi's mind...the Shinji 
Ikari in Asuka Sohryu's mind...the Shinji Ikari in Rei Ayanami's 
mind...and the Shinji Ikari in Gendo Ikari's mind...are all different 
Shinji Ikari's." his own voice continued.  "But each of them is a 
separate Shinji Ikari."

Shinji listened intently. 

"What you fear are the Shinji Ikari's who exist in the minds of 
others."

"I'm just afraid of being hated..." Shinji told himself quietly.  

"You're afraid of being hurt." Countered the voice.  

There was a long pause.  "Are you the Shinji Ikari in my own mind?"

Another long pause. 

"You sound like my new Sensei." Shinji explained to himself.

An image of Kaoru appeared in his mind, replacing the red sunlight 
around him.  "Very good, Shinji." He smiled warmly.  "You'll be 
teaching yourself in no time at all!"

"Sorry..." Shinji replied.  "I...didn't mean to..."

Asuka was now in the scene.  "You're always apologizing!  Do you always 
think you're the one at fault?"

Shinji turned to her and shook his head.  "But, if everyone has a 
Shinji Ikari in their minds, that's my fault." He sighed.  "I don't 
want to hurt anyone else, because then I get hurt too."

Rei was now standing next to him.  "That is unavoidable.  Pain is the 
other side of Happiness.  We learn to accept the pain and enjoy the 
happiness."

"But how can I learn?" Shinji begged.  "It's all happening so fast!"

Asuka was there again, leaning towards him as he was on his back, 
looking at her with a haze of light in his mind.  "Was this happening 
too fast?" she asked softly.  "Do you regret events in your life if 
they happen too fast?"

He shook his head.  "No...I did not regret that..."

Instead of a kiss, he was met with a punch.  Toji and Kensuke stood 
over him, like the first day the class had found out he was the pilot 
of EVA-01.  Toji was rubbing his fist and glaring down at him.  "Then 
you regret the pain coming too fast!"

"Yes." Shinji mumbled, rubbing his face.  "I do not want pain to come 
at all."

"Good work...Shinji..." his father said quietly as he walked away.

Shinji gasped as he relived those words.  Those precious words. 

"But you enjoy the happiness that comes after pain." Rei said softly, 
placing a warm, human hand on his shoulder.  

"Don't you trust your father?" she asked on the escalator.  Then, a 
slap came.  

Rei was at his side again.  "And yet, when you hide from pain, pain 
comes anyway.  And sometimes faster."

Shinji nodded weakly.  "Yes.  It does."

Kaoru looked at him from his desk.  The class around them was empty.  
"Then why do you run away, Shinji?"  He sat there like Gendo, with his 
glasses glinting in the afternoon light.  

"I mustn't run away! I mustn't run away! I mustn't run away! I mustn't 
run away!!" he heard himself saying...but was not saying it himself.

"You know what you need to do, but you fail to do it." Kaoru explained.  
"The Shinji Ikari's in other people's minds will exist for a long time 
without you."

Asuka again.  She was smiling at him from her bed as he set the tray of 
food down next to her.  "Others will miss the Shinji Ikari in their 
minds.  They have grown to like his presence."

Misato set down a beer across from Shinji as she smiled.  "They have 
learned to care for him.  If you run away, you will bring pain to their 
minds as well."

"But I AM NOT HAPPY!" Shinji yelled out, causing all the images to go 
black.

Nothing.

"Wait..." he gasped.  "No...I didn't mean that..."

"Did you?" Kaoru said suddenly, spinning Shinji around by the 
shoulders.  "When are you Happy, Shinji Ikari?"

He thought for a moment, all the while, Kaoru stared at him through his 
glasses.  "I...am happy when I..." Shinji swallowed hard.  "When others 
are happy."

Gendo was now sitting across from him.  His hands were on his shoulders 
like Kaoru's had been.  "Then why do you run from others?  Why do you 
run from happiness?"

Asuka tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around to see her and 
Kaji looking at him with curious eyes.  "Do you enjoy Pain that much?"

"No!" Shinji cried.  "I hate pain!  I hate causing it!"

"But surviving pain brings forth happiness." Kaji said quietly, rubbing 
his chin.  "Is it not, therefore, acceptable to assume that you should 
not fear the pain?  That...once it is over...you will be happy?"
Again, with Asuka.  She was in his arms as he walked them to her room.  
"You find happiness in others.  You enjoy finding out you are not 
hated." She whispered into his ear.  "You find happiness when the 
Shinji Ikari in Asuka Sohryu's mind is accepted."

"You find happiness when the Shinji Ikari in Rei Ayanami's mind is 
accepted." Rei smiled up at him from her plug-seat, just after the 
battle with the Fifth Angel.  "You find happiness when she finds 
happiness."

Again, everything went black.  A spotlight seemed to shine on Shinji.  
The first voice came again.  Shinji's eyes were wide.  

"There is still one other who wishes to accept you, Shinji Ikari."

Blank.

Shinji.

Blank.

Kaoru appeared besides him, replacing Gendo at his mother's grave.  The 
wind was stark...howling like a demon.  "If you had run away, you would 
have found new pain." He continued.  "Pain does not run away.  It is 
always with you." He smiled slightly.  "Happiness is not so easy.  You 
must work for it."

The red light came again.  He watched out the window as the clouds and 
sun rolled by.  

"You can not spend you life enjoying these few pleasant memories." 
Kaoru was now sitting across from him.  "In time, they will bring a new 
pain.  You will see you could have had many more."

"I don't care." Shinji whispered.

"You can have more."

"I don't care."

"You will have more."

"I will not..."

Asuka was leaning her head against his shoulder.  "The Asuka Langley in 
your mind does not want you to give up and run away."

Rei was standing in front of him, smiling softly in her special, rare 
way.  "The Rei Ayanami in your mind does not want you to give up and 
run away."

Misato gently rubbed him on the head, ruffling his hair.  "The Misato 
Katsuragi in your mind does not want you to give up and run away."

They all disappeared, leaving only Kaoru.  "The Shinji Ikari in Shinji 
Ikari's mind does not want him to give up and run away."

Now, there was only black.








Asuka Langley felt the slight vibration in her side and woke suddenly.  

A quiet beeping was coming from her pants pocket.  Her Cellular.  Not 
quite remembering where she was, she ignored the arms around her and 
opened it.  "Hai...?" she whispered.

"Asuka." Misato's voice seemed tired and sad.  "W...we're ready to try 
something.  It might get EVA-01 out of the Angel, but we need both of 
you to help with your AT fields."

She nodded with a yawn.  "I'll be there in ten minutes.  How long does 
Shinji have?"

"Less than an hour." Misato replied.

"I'll be there." She said, closing her cell. 

That's when she remembered where she was.  Curled up on the chest of 
Kaoru Miyazaki as he slept soundly.  A soft smile crossed her lips.  
"Thank you..." she leaned over and kissed him softly.

His eyes jutted open and he blinked as Asuka stood up.  "Asuka??"

She smiled.  "Thank you, Kaoru-kun..."

He sat up and looked around sleepily.  "Oh...oh yeah...no problem." He 
yawned.  

Asuka grinned to herself, tempted to go in for another kiss, but...

Kaoru saw the look on her face.  Something familiar about that look.  
Suddenly...she leaned into him again and kissed him on the lips.  Kaoru 
was terrified.  He had no idea what to do.

There was a soft, wet sound as they parted, and Asuka suddenly looked 
terrified.  Her hand came up to her mouth, covering it. 

Kaoru just sat there, his glasses actually fell off his face.  

Asuka turned and ran for the door.  "Gomen..." she whispered, opening 
it and running outside. 

Kaoru blinked...frozen in place.







Asuka ran.

She ran faster than she had ever done so in her life.  She couldn't 
cry...she had cried enough already.  

When she finally did stop running, she found herself in the halls of 
NERV mobile HQ, rushing to the change room.  Ayanami was already 
changed, and so was not there when Asuka locked the door behind 
herself.

Completely out of breath, she collapsed against one of the empty 
lockers with a quiet bang.  Her hand still touched her lips.

"No..." she whispered.  "This can't be..."

There was a long silence as she lay down on the cold floor, feeling her 
racing heart.











"Am I unwanted?" Shinji asked himself.  His mind was showing the image 
of his father walking away.  A personal nightmare he would often bare 
witness to.  "Mother...was smiling?" he gasped as he remembered the 
accusations. 

Father bore them all.  He was called a killer.  A murderer.  How his 
mother disappeared.  How it was all so coincidental.  How she had been 
used like a guinea pig in an experiment they knew nothing about.

Still, his mother had been smiling that day.  Smiling at Shinji as he 
waved back through the thick, protective glass.  Smiling as she entered 
what he know knew to be an Entry Plug.

"Father...he left me..." Shinji cried...but then stopped.  "To protect 
me?"

Misato was standing in the doorway, wearing only towels from her 
shower.  "You did a very brave thing today..."

Gendo again.  "Shinji...you must NOT run away."

Was there regret in that voice?  At first, only cold.  Only death.

"Wake Rei." A long pause as the communication channel switched.  "Rei?"

"Hai?" came her voice.  So soft it could have been a whisper.  

"You will do it again, Rei." Gendo said.

A long pause.  "Hai." Rei replied, cutting the connection.

He had left.  He had left him.  Left Shinji to join this universe of 
Pain.  He had chose not to take him with him.  Not unless it was 
completely necessary.

"A spare has just been delivered." Gendo mocked.

Kaoru was there now.  "He does not now how to live, Shinji Ikari.  He 
does not understand the Shinji Ikari in his mind."

"Just as I do not." Shinji whispered.

Black.

"I hate this place..." he whispered.  "I am alone." 







Back in the LCL. 

It was cold.  His eyes could barely operate in the low light.  

"The heating and the oxygen circulation are already out." He whispered.  
"I'm cold.  And this useless suit is giving out too..."

Even the tiny LCD display on his left hand was out.  The suit had 
cannibalized it's last morsel of battery power in a futile attempt to 
keep it's host warm.  

Gently curled up in the Entry Plug, Shinji looked like a fetus inside a 
womb.  Cold.  Alone.  Dying.  Slowly dying.  The LCL would probably 
start degenerating soon.  He would pass out, then die a few minutes 
later.  

At least there would be no pain.  

"This is the end..." he whispered, eyes closed.  "I'm tired.  Tired 
of...everything."







Nothing.






Then, a light.





Shinji could feel a touch on his cheek.  Warm.  Like when Asuka had 
touched him like that...but this was not Asuka.  

This was...

His eyes opened as he felt himself falling, but gently held by someone.  

"Mother??"











Asuka could still taste the kiss on her lips as EVA-02 stood at the 
edge of the shadow, looking down into it.  She forced herself to focus, 
though.  Now was not the time to sort out feelings of the heart.  

Not when there was a chance Shinji was still alive.

"Evas are in position and standing by." She said into the intercom.  

This plan was anything but.  It was just like their initial attack 
strategy.  "God I hope this works...Plan Two"

Flying overhead were literally hundreds of UN bombers, each carrying 
one or more N2 mines that would be dropped at the exact same time into 
the Angel.  The resulting explosion would be large enough to make 
certain nothing on Japan's island would survive if something went 
wrong.  The two Evas, who were standing right on the edge, would 
survive...as was the hope of Shinji's Unit-01.  However, the pilot 
might already be dead.

Still, Ritsuko had been determined to pull this plan through.  If 
everything worked, the Angel MIGHT be destroyed.  IF everything worked.  
If AT Fields and N2 bombs were focused just right.

That was a lot of 'ifs'.

Misato hadn't been able to come up with anything better, though, and it 
looked to be the only option. 

"You're not leaving me, Shinji Ikari." Asuka whispered into the LCL 
around her.  "If I have to, I'll jump in there and get you out myself."

"T-Minus 60 seconds." Ritsuko's voice cut through her thoughts.  

Asuka closed her eyes.  "Fight, damn you..." she said.  "Don't run 
away, baka...you still owe me a drink on my birthday."






The thundering of the bombers engines overhead was suddenly shattered 
by another thundering. 

A horrible, bone-shattering sound.  Wet and sticky as it ripped through 
the air.

Collectively, everyone looked down at the shadow, shocked to see the 
black, perfect circle begin to shudder and crack like an egg.  Paths of 
red began to ooze out of it's wounds as chunks began to slide up and 
down in front of Unit-02's feet.  

"What's going on?!" Asuka asked quickly, concern evident on her brow 
despite her best attempts to stay calm.

She head the com traffic pick up from HQ.  "Is it Shinji?" Misato asked 
hopeful.

"Impossible!" Ritsuko replied.  "Unit-01's power level has to be at 
zero by now!"
  
Asuka knew, though.  Even before the massive fist punched it's way 
through the side of the sphere up in the sky.  It's colours flickered 
off, turning completely black as it's side began to bulge.  

SPLAT!

Everyone watched with wide eyes as blood began to pour out from the 
Angel's wound.  Inside, two glowing white eyes peered out into the air.  
A mighty roar sounded and the Evangelion Test Type's head ripped 
through the opening in some gory parody of a childbirth. 

It seemed to howl like a wolf, then stand suddenly.  Angel flesh was 
ripped apart under the stress, and the upper half of the sphere was now 
destroyed, falling to earth in a shower of red and solid black skin.  

Asuka watched as EVA-01 growled up at the moon like the monster it 
truly was.  Her eyes refused to close.  Shinji was alright...he had to 
be alright...but...at the same time...

"I...am I piloting a thing like that?" she asked herself, suddenly 
feeling very cold.  

The ground erupted from blood and the Evangelion landed in a crouch, 
standing back to it's full height.







Ritsuko watched in horror as the Evangelion stood over the glorious 
destruction it had caused.  

"My God...what kind of monster have we copied from?" she whispered.

Misato turned with narrowed eyes, glaring at her.  

EVA-01 glared out over the city of Tokyo 3 with glowing eyes.  It's 
armour was no longer purple and green.  It was blood.  Soaking wet with 
blood.






When the Entry Plug was opened, Shinji could hear his name being 
called.  "Misato-chan?" he wondered.  "What's she doing inside my 
head?"

"SHINJI!" she ripped open the hatch, not believing her eyes as he sat 
there, looking up at her like he had just gone to sleep and woke up. 
"Shinji?!  Are you alright!?!" she asked, crying in fear he might not 
be okay.

He blinked under the sudden light, and Misato took that to be a 'yes'.  
She collapsed on top of him, crying.

"I..." Shinji whispered.  "just wanted to see everyone again." He 
smiled slightly.  "You make me happy."

Misato sobbed against him, thanking the heavens.  She had been awake 
for over thirty hours at that point.  Over half of them had been the 
closest to hell she had experienced in a long time.

Asuka was outside the plug.  Her eyes half lowered as she watched 
Misato cry over her Shinji.  "Didn't you say you were going to PUNISH 
him?"

Shinji looked up and found her gaze.  She smiled softly, though her 
eyes betrayed much more than just a smile.    










Tenth Lesson:  The end of the day








	The door opened quietly.  Slowly and with finite momentum, 
echoing the mood and physical state of the imparter of that energy.  As 
Kaji stepped into the dark room, he let a long, tired sigh escape his 
lips.
	"Sleep." he whispered to himself.
	However, he knew sleep would not come yet.  Nothing ever came 
that easily to him.  Be it information or personal comfort.  Usually, 
one of these possibilities came at the expense of the other.  Kaji had 
been losing a lot of sleep lately.  Ever since Commander Ikari had 
given him this mission.  
	Kaji cursed himself for agreeing to take it.  What seemed like a 
simple job was now turning out to be quite an interesting little 
puzzle.  Normally, such a puzzle would be a good thing...but it had 
become so in depth that it was distracting him from other 'puzzles'.  

	Maybe the old bastard made this new one up to keep him busy.  
Kaji wouldn't have been surprised.  

	Still...he doubt even the all-knowing Commander would have 
sacrificed the Second Branch just to keep little old Kaji out of 
his hair.  It would be much easier to put a bullet in his head.  Less 
to cover up, too.
	A smile came across his lips as he upholstered his gun and popped 
out the clip.  "It's safe to come out now."
	It was a little known fact that the Commander was very rarely 
unarmed.  Tonight was no exception, as Kaji saw the dark, polished 
metal of a semi-automatic rested in Gendo's lap as he turned on the 
light.  
	"Agent Ryouji." he said simply.  His voice was somewhere between 
condescending and boredom.  "You are late."
	"Turbulence." Kaji yawned, walking over to his fridge.  "Can I 
get you a drink, Commander?"
	"No."
	"Ahh.  Suit yourself." the younger man smirked.  He never did 
trust a man who never drank.  His only comfort came from knowing Gendo 
still found him useful.  Until that changed, at least he could relax a 
bit.
	He returned with a bottle of beer and half of a sandwich he had 
been saving for a snack.  Gendo betrayed no emotion, but Kaji could 
tell his patience was wearing.  "I assume you know about the Second 
Branch." 
	Gendo nodded.  "The MAGI reported the event as soon as it 
happened." his glasses shimmered in the dim light.  "I was curious to 
see if you got out in time."
	"Barely." Kaji nodded, taking a large bite out of his snack 
before tossing over a small folder of photographs on the bed next to 
Gendo.  "But I did find out some rather...interesting...little tidbits 
the MAGI may have missed."
	"Go on." Gendo nodded, opening up the folder.  
	Kaji let out a long sigh.  "Well, you were right.  One of SEELE's 
people had corrupted the data.  Probably knew exactly how to trigger 
the Sea of Dirac too."
	"I expected this from the old men." Gendo let a small sigh past 
his normally impervious mood.
	"Still...it's a shame to lose all that data." Kaji grinned as he 
watched Gendo leaf through the reports.  "It would have been nice to 
get rid of those annoying extension cords.  One almost crushed me last 
time Asuka ejected her plug."
	A smile.  "The Second Child is a bit reckless."
	"Anyway...as you'll notice on the next few pictures the crater 
that the Second Branch was kind enough to leave for us."
	"I did not send you to Nevada to take pictures." Gendo stated 
flatly.  
	Kaji took a long drink of his beer before answering.  "Look at 
the fifth photo from the top."
	Gendo blinked slowly, taking in the image.  "Mmm..."

	It was of a footprint.  

	Not unusual in itself...until one considered the size.  A NERV 
SUV had been half-crushed by whatever made the footprint, indicating 
the mass to be quite extraordinaire as well.  Finally, as Gendo 
observed the next two photographs, there were more of these giant 
footprints leading off to the horizon.  
	"Evangelion Unit-04." Gendo hummed.
	"The strange thing is that nobody saw it leave, and the US has no 
sensor records of it due to most of the computer power in the area 
being at NERV." he took another sip of his beer.  "They're already 
stating that the Eva was lost with the explosion."
	"Good." Gendo nodded.  "It will give us time to find out if SEELE 
has completed their Dummy system."
	"It would seem interesting they would test it in such a way." 
Kaji shrugged.  "I saw no indication of a Dummy Plug while I was in the 
facility.  They may have found the Fourth Children."
	Gendo frowned.  "That would be very...interesting."
	"My thoughts exactly." Kaji paused to eat the rest of his 
sandwich.  "About that other matter."
	"What did you find?" Gendo looked up from the photos and held up 
a small data disk that had been added into the folder.
	"Nothing." Kaji admitted.  "At least not while I was there.  
Whatever they did was completely erased by the time I got there." he 
smiled.  "The Second Branch MAGI were not nearly as...sentimental...as 
ours seem to be.  A memory flense had just been finished.  Routine of 
course."
	"Of course." Gendo smirked. "But then what is on this disk?"
	"Personnel records for the last two months." Kaji explained.  
"Anyone who remotely had access to the MAGI, and more importantly, time 
enough to find the emergency Inter-MAGI links."
	"Do we know what was changed?" Gendo asked.
	"Still no way to find out." Kaji shrugged.  "For all we know, the 
event has already happened.  It could be as simple as someone at the 
other Branch wanting to move funds around before the accident.  Maybe 
they were just checking the system.  Maybe they changed traffic 
patterns in Berlin so they could get to work without running into red 
lights." he smiled.  "God knows I would.
	"Either way...that disk will have the names in question." he 
yawned.  "Of course, it's still a big list.  But I'm sure you and the 
Doctor can narrow it down.  I've done what I can to help, but I still 
gave you the complete list."
	Gendo nodded, pausing to collect the images and data.  "Once 
again, you've proved useful, Agent Ryouji." he stood, walking past Kaji 
as he finished off his beer.  "I trust you will keep on this case for 
the time being?"
	With a small smile, Kaji nodded.  "It seems to be an interesting 
puzzle, sir.  I'll see what else I can dig up."
	"Good." Gendo nodded, opening the apartment door.  "Have a good 
night."

	Kaji nodded as the door shut.  As he rolled his beer along his 
fingers, his other hand reached into his coat pocket and produced an 
identical optical disk.  He eyed it as he drank. 
	"Oops." he whispered.  "I forgot to give him the addendum."
	
	He sighed, finishing off the rest of his beer quickly.  Then, 
Kaji walked over his dresser drawer, opening it slowly...stopping to 
reach inside and press a switch on a hidden panel just above the seam.  
The sound of something metal scraped briefly along the sides, then the 
drawer opened by itself.  
	Inside was a small book in a lead-lined case.  Kaji lifted it up 
out of it's place and opened it to a blank page.  A small pen was in 
the crook of the spine, and he pulled it free to write the date at the 
beginning of the first page.  
	
	"Where to begin?" he whispered to himself and his book.  






	
	"Mother." 

	Shinji's voice was distant as he stared at the ceiling over his 
bed.  The feeling of bloody LCL around him was replaced with a soft 
afterthought of a familiar memory.
	He felt almost as if Rei was by his side.  That same kind of 
curious contentment.  Where he could just close his eyes and feel 
safe...even after the horrors of the day.  
	But this feeling now was so much stronger.  So undeniably true.  
How could he be feeling this now?  As he lay in messy covers, still 
smelling of blood and chemical waste...even after the many baths he 
had.  After he had been probed and tested at the hospital for hours, 
leaving him exhausted, but restless at the same time. 
	Such maddening thoughts were completely erased from his mind, 
however...replaced instead by a slow motion replay of those final few 
seconds.  

	"Mother..."

	And he had wanted to see everyone again.  Why did he choose that?  
When he had admitted he was sick of it all?  All the pain...all the 
memories that he had been fooling himself into thinking gave him 
pleasure.  
	But...when a simple shout of 'baka' made his day...?

	Shinji closed his eyes.  He wanted it all to go away.  He didn't 
want to think anymore...

	But...

	He had to.  His mind refused to stop.  He began to question 
himself.  Wondering what he had been talking to.  The Shinji inside his 
mind.  Was that himself, or his 'true self'?  

	And...

	Why was his teacher there?  Sensei Kaoru?  How did he fit into 
next to his father, Misato, Asuka, Rei and everyone else?  

	Asuka.

	Poor Shinji almost fell out of bed as he heard the knock on his 
door.  "AHHHH!"
	Asuka poked her head in suddenly, frowning up a storm.  "Well 
FINE!" she whispered.  "If you're going to be like that, I'll go!"
	"No!" Shinji recovered quickly, taking a deep breath.  "You...you 
just startled me..." he whispered back. 
	She looked him over.  "You weren't spanking the monkey or 
anything, were you?"
	"NO!  I WAS NOT!" he almost yelled.  
	"Good." she smiled, her frown turning upside down as she walked 
into the room and shut the door behind herself.  
	It was only then that Shinji realized she was in a pair of very 
silky, pink p.j.'s, and not her normal evening clothes.  However, that 
fact was overran by the harder-to-ignore fact that she only had a few 
of the buttons along the front of it fastened.  
	"A...a...a..." 
	"The name's Asuka." she smirked as she sat down on the bed next 
to him.  "Well?"
	"W...w...w..."  
	"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
	Shinji's brain finally caught ground long enough for him to say 
"please...?"
	"Mmm." she winked.  "With an invitation like that, who could 
resist?"
	Shinji shivered uncontrollably as Asuka lifted up the sheets a 
quarter and began to slide her legs into the covers.  "A...Asuka...what 
are you doing?"
	"Sleeping with you, baka!" she frowned.  "What does it look 
like?"
	
	Shinji's nose almost exploded in blood as she said that.

	Asuka frowned at his startled reaction...then smiled, rolling 
over on top of him and sitting on his stomach as he gasped, completely 
terrified.  "Mein GOTT!  Shinji, you DO know the difference between 
sleeping with someone and having sex, don't you?"
	"Ahh...yeah...but..." his mind registered what she was saying and 
he turned beet red.  "Oh...yeah...I guess so..." he swallowed hard, 
looking up at her...and trying not to react too noticeably to the warm 
weight on his stomach.  "Sorry..."
	She nodded stiffly, then grew a sly smile on her lips.  "I could 
show you the difference..." she drew her mouth closer to his.  "That is 
if you want me to."
	Shinji couldn't move.

	All of a sudden, thoughts of his mother were the furthest thing 
from his mind.  

	"Asuka!  Please don't tease me!" he squirmed under her.
	She was still grinning, though.  "Who says I'm teasing you?"
	"Eep!"
	"Poor Shinji..." she whispered with a grin.  "You look so 
helpless." she sighed and got off from on top of him.  
	She settled back into the covers next to him.  He blinked.  
"Asuka?  Why are you here?"
	"Do I need a reason?" she tried to fane being angry.
	He nodded. "Well...yes..."
	Asuka glanced away from his gaze.  "I was just making sure you 
were okay, baka."  she turned back to him.  "Everyone was going so 
crazy over what happened today...and I thought I might just see if you 
were REALLY okay." she turned her back to him.  "Those doctors didn't 
say anything.  I...well...I was worried about you."
	Shinji blinked.  That was the only response he could muster.
	"But, you seem to be okay.  If you want...I'll go..."

	"I saw you." Shinji whispered.

	Asuka turned around.  "What?"
	"I saw you..." he blushed quickly.  "I mean...in the 
angel...I...I started to see things."
	Her cheeks were turning red slightly.  "What did you see?"
	"N...nothing much...but..." he swallowed hard.  "...well, I saw 
the night that you...k...kissed me..."
	Asuka's eyes lit back up.  "Really?"
	He nodded.  The next thing he knew, her arms were wrapped around 
his torso, and he was being pulled into a rather nice embrace with 
their lips meeting somewhere in the process.  
	This time, Shinji wasn't so completely caught off guard, and 
began to use a little of his knowledge gained from last time for this 
kiss.  Asuka seemed to approve as she melted into him...on top, of 
course...but still at his mercy.  Shinji was a little surprised when he 
tasted something salty at the corner of his mouth.
	Before he could ask what was wrong, Asuka broke from the kiss and 
was sobbing softly against his shoulder.  "I'm sorry, Shinji..." she 
whimpered.  
	"What for?" he asked, not sure what to say or do.  
	There was a long pause as Asuka recomposed herself.  Her sobbing 
stopped finally, and her tears were brushed away by a sleeve of her 
nightwear.
	"I..." she sighed.  "I was just scared." she whispered...not sure 
what exactly she had been scared about.  
	Shinji smiled weakly.  "Me too."
	
	They lay there for a long time, looking at each other from across 
the distance of a single pillow.  After the first few minutes, it 
became rather comfortable.
	So comfortable that Shinji didn't protest as Asuka wrapped her 
arms around him again, and he did the same.  Their eyes never strayed 
so long as they were open...and it was only after an hour of their 
blinking becoming slower and slower Shinji fell asleep like that.

	Asuka stayed awake just a little longer.

	"I saw you too." she whispered against Shinji's mouth.  Then, she 
joined him in sleep.   

	







End of part 1









=======================================================================


Whoo hoo!  10 weeks!  Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?
I know it has for me!  And hopefully, I'll be able to keep up the pace
for Higher Learning's release.  I'm a little busy in real life, but
that might be changing, and I should have some free time coming up soon.
Even if that doesn't last, I'll at least be able to write a bit of 
Higher Learning in reserve for a rainy day.  

Thanks, of course, to all the readers out there who take time from their
surfing activities to read this, and indeed, all fan fiction in general.
One could not hope for a better audience! 

Special thanks to Alian Gravel, and congrads to him on TOILI, once more.
Also, to Tozetre, who's still waiting for me to write some WAFFy Rei
scenes.  ^_^  I'll try my best!  

Stay tuned.  There's a lot more to come. 

e-mail:  strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110


Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF. 

From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>


Neon Genesis Evangelion
Higher Learning

Strike Fiss, 2000






Eleventh Lesson:  Fly on the Wall







"Oh shit oh shit oh shit..." Kaoru literally ran down the halls with 
his books in hand.  Two dozen or more papers for the day's class were 
clutched perilously in his hands, but never fell despite his frantic 
movement.  

One could surmise he was late, as the clock that hung over his 
classroom door read nine-twenty am.  "Argh..." he sighed, opening the 
door.

He prayed that Hikari had kept everyone at bay for the time he was 
away.  His prayers were answered as he skidded into the classroom, 
completely out of breath, and the eyes of 35 patient students all 
turned to him.  

Hikari smiled proudly.  "Good morning, Miyazaki-Sensei!" her tone 
darkened slightly.  "You're late."

The class all laughed as he did as well.  "Yes...yes...I am.  Forgive 
me class.  My alarm chose last night to stop working." he relaxed 
noticeably and walked over to his desk.

Still, right away, one could see something was wrong.  Shinji noticed 
this right away, even though he was still half asleep.  Most 
noticeably, he looked the way Shinji felt at the moment.  Though he had 
been able to get to sleep last night, it was wasn't very deep.  Every 
he was about to go under, Asuka would shift slightly, and rub herself 
up against him in some small...but very noticeable...way.

"Poor guy..." Shinji yawned.

Toji leaned over.  "Man, what happened to HIM?"

Kensuke smiled and adjusted his glasses.  "I wonder if Asuka beat him 
up for assigning that one paper?"

Asuka, who had been fairly tired as well for the same reason Shinji had 
been, groaned inwardly as she saw Kaoru sit down at his desk.  His 
socks were not matching...his clothes looked at least a day old, and it 
was pretty obvious he hadn't shaven or had anything to eat that 
morning.  While the Stooges speculated all they wanted, Asuka had 
already guessed the right answer.  "Shiite..." she hid behind her 
computer, praying she wasn't already blushing.  It was bad enough she 
was acting like that around Shinji all that morning...even having to go 
so far to miss him at the breakfast table and the walk to school...she 
almost was convincing herself that the kiss with her new teacher was 
all a little dream.  A tiny fantasy in a moment of weakness. 

By the way he was refusing to look in her direction, she knew it 
wasn't.  

"Okay, class." he said, stifling a yawn.  "A very important subject we 
should talk about has just come to my attention." he smiled weakly.  
"Does anyone have any thoughts on sleep?"

Asuka sighed to herself.  "Yeah...I want to be home right now." she 
turned her head around on her desk.

Shinji was looking at her, though.  She blinked.  He looked worried.  
Even more than usual, she mused.  With a sigh, she quietly typed a 
question into her computer and sent it to him.

He noticed the question appear on his own screen, turned slightly red, 
and then typed in a reply.  

"You look really tired...are you okay?" 

Asuka blinked, then looked at Shinji a little harder.  He looked a LOT 
worse than she did.  His eyes were red and tired.  His hair was mussed 
and uncombed...

He looked a lot like Kaoru, actually.  

Asuka sighed and grumbled to herself.  She typed in:  "I'm fine, Baka.  
You look horrible too, you know.  I bet you can't stay awake till the 
end of class!  Ha!"

Shinji read the message and blinked.  "I was just trying to be nice!  
And I CAN TOO stay up till the end of class!" he replied.  "I bet YOU 
fall asleep before I do!"

She smiled and leaned back in her seat.  "Sweet baka...he always know 
how to make me feel better." she mused to herself.  At least this would 
give her something to think about till the end of class.








It turned out that the infamous Langley spirit indeed triumphed, and by 
lunch time, Shinji was collapsed at his desk, sound asleep.  Asuka 
glared at the clock as she watched the last minute SLOOOOOWLY slide by.  

RRRRRIIIIIIIIING!

The class put away their notes and began to file out to the cafeteria 
as per normal.  But just as Asuka was about to do the same, Kaoru 
cleared his throat.  "Asuka, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Toji grinned like a damn shark.  "Oooh!  Who did you beat up now?" he 
chided, sticking his head back in the doorway. 

"It will be YOU in a second, butt-head!" Asuka glared at him.  

"Hehe...OW!" he fell back outside the door as she kicked the door-frame 
with sufficient force to cause the paneling to jar against his 
shoulder.  

"That'll teach you." she grinned back, slamming the door behind him.
Kaoru sighed as Asuka walked over to the desk.  Besides a sleeping 
Shinji, they were alone.  "Yes, Sensei?" she asked, hoping she wasn't 
turning red.  

It all came out in one breath:

"I'm so sorry!  I shouldn't have...I mean...that entire situation 
was...bad idea...I should have just...I mean...If you want me to 
resign...I'll get outta here in a second...I don't want..."

Asuka almost fell over.  "What?"

Kaoru let his head smash onto his desktop.  "Asuka...thank you...but 
you know very well what I'm talking about."

She nodded silently, now fully red in the face.

"Say the words, and I'll resign.  Your old sensei will probably be out 
of the hospital next week anyway.  I don't want there to be anything 
weird between us."

"That's enough!" she frowned, crossing her arms.

Kaoru blinked.

She looked down at the floor, still embarrassed, but determined.  "You 
were there for me when I thought I was alone, Sensei...thank you...and 
nothing happened...really...so I don't know why you'd have to leave 
just because of that."

Kaoru groaned and leaned back in his chair.  A long pause echoed out as 
he collected his thoughts.   "You're right, you know.  I'm sorry, Miss 
Langley.  I keep forgetting how mature you are." he smiled slightly.

She fidgeted slightly, but a deep breath later, nodded.  "Good.  
Because I don't want that old crummy geezer to come back.  He keeps 
handing out stuff I can't read."

They both glanced around the room as the silence seemed to echo out.  
"Uh...well, I better get going for lunch." she smiled and bowed.

"I better go home and have a shower." Kaoru laughed.  "I just realized 
I put on two different socks."

"Good." Asuka smiled, then bowed slightly again.  "Sorry..."

"No, its okay.  Go on.  I'll be back to my old self by second period." 
he nodded.




They both neglected to see the wide-eyes of Shinji Ikari watching the 
scene as Asuka left the room, relieved to have the situation done with.  
Kaoru leaned back in his chair and ruffled up his hair once before 
finally picking up his case and leaving the room as well.

Shinji just lay there...head against his desk...listening to his heart-
beat.  

"It's all in my mind..." he whispered to himself out loud.  "It's all 
in my mind...It's all in my mind..." he closed his eyes, squeezing out 
a tear or two.  "Yeah...just like in my head..."

Silence did not add to the train of thought.

He began shaking.  A moment later his fist clenched around his computer 
terminal...

then promptly threw it out the window.  The classroom door threatened 
to break as well as it slammed shut behind him. 










Shinji was out of breath as he reached home.  Still, as he almost 
stumbled into the main hall, he called out his presence.  "Misato?" he 
huffed and sniffed as he kicked off his shoes.  "Misato-san?" 

Not home.  

"...Misato..." he begged out to the empty room.  "Help me...?"

His voice was small.  Weak.  He hated it.  Hated talking.  Hated using 
it.  

A small note on the table.  From Misato, written in haste.  

"Working late tonight, children!  Order up some food, compliments of my 
turn to cook!  You know the account number.  Shinji, please make sure 
to get the whites in the laundry.  Thank you!  Ja ne!"  A little heart 
and smiley-face added onto the bottom.

Shinji was shaking as he read it.  Laundry...something to do...yes...

His mind focused onto that one, single task.  It was the only way he 
could stop himself from imagining things...

Every memory of Asuka flying into Kaji's arms was now replaced with her 
flying into Kaoru's.  Every single one of the precious kisses he knew 
with Asuka were now no longer in the first person as he watched them 
slip away. 

All while he folded shirts and underwear...trying to do it fast enough 
that the images wouldn't torture him so.  His mind kept analyzing the 
conversation he overheard.  

"Nothing happened...really..."
"I'll resign if you want me to..."
"You were there when I thought I was alone..."
"Thank you..."
"No...it's okay..."

again and again...every hidden meaning came out in those words.  No 
matter how openly he tried to imagine their meaning, they were 
unmistakable in the theme.  

Then...

Even worse...

Shinji finally couldn't keep out the images in his mind.  It was too 
much.  Too soon after the angel.  His mind and mental capacity 
succumbing to the pressure.

And as he folded one last pair of Asuka's modest, white panties...he 
almost dropped them in horror...imagining her standing over Kaoru, 
sliding them down her legs for him.

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Shinji yelled.  The 
sound was horrible in the tiny apartment.  It echoed off the walls to 
maddening levels.  "AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!" his fists began to plough 
though the baskets of clothes.

All at once, he was back in Unit-01.  Back inside the Angel.  One last 
thought on his mind.  That Mother said it was okay to fight back.  
Fight.

Fight.

Rip.

Kill.

Punch.

Crush.

DIE!!!

DIIEEEEEEE!

LET ME OUT!  DIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE! 

I WANT TO SEE THEM!  LET ME OUT!!!!

Ohhhhhhhgodohgodohgod...please...just die!  DIE! 
RRRRRRRRRRRIIIIPPPPPP!!!!  DON'T TAKE HER!  DON'T TAKE ASUKA FROM ME!  
MOMMA!  HELP ME!  HEEEEEELLLP MEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!






Shinji sobbed quietly as he recovered.  His mind finally shivering back 
into place the best it could.  Every bit of fabric in the room was 
thrown.  The wet clothes from the washer stuck to the walls, slowly 
sliding off like they were gore from a dead Angel.  

He sat in the middle of it all, looking at his hands.  His knuckles 
were battered from where he almost punched through the wall.  

"Help me..." he shuddered to himself.  "Momma..."

But this time, he was not in Unit 01.

He stopped crying finally...looking at the mess around himself.  With a 
painful effort by his overused muscles, he lifted himself off the 
floor...and started slowly cleaning up; putting the clothes back into 
their neat little piles.








Asuka found only a quiet apartment when she came home that evening.  
Dead on her feet, she didn't bother noticing that there was no food on 
the table, and that the note Misato left had been crumpled up.  

"Tadaima, Shinji." she yawned, wondering past the laundry room where 
she usually found him if he was home already.  He wasn't there, though.  
"Mmm.  Baka must be asleep." she smiled to herself.  "That'll teach 
him."

As she walked past his room, though, a twinge came over her body.  
Almost as if she could sense something not quite right.  

She knocked softly on the corner of the door.  "Shinji?"

No answer.  Probably headphones.  She weighed the chances that he 
probably wouldn't be doing anything perverted with headphones on, and 
opened the door slowly.  

"Hey, baka!" she smiled as she saw him on the bed.

Shinji cringed as the light shone in on him.  His eyes blood shot.  His 
hands wrapped around fistfuls of his bed-sheets.  "A...Asuka?" he 
blinked.

The sight was very unsettling.  Asuka had never seen someone looking 
so...so...  "Shinji!" she covered the distance to his bed in a 
heartbeat, feeling his forehead.  "Are you okay??"

He wasn't burning up, though he looked like he had a fever.  In fact, 
he was in a cold sweat.  In some kind of shock.  She quickly looked him 
over for wounds, but found none.  

"W...why are you here?" he asked.  A hint of pain was in his voice.  
"You shouldn't be here..."

"Shinji...w...what's going on?!" Asuka begged, getting worried.  She 
almost couldn't bare to look in his eyes.  They looked completely 
lost...like...another time..."You look horrible..." she whispered.

"I..." he swallowed hard, but then quickly pushed away her hand.  
"G...get out of here..." he said with a sudden anger she hadn't been 
expecting.  

She backed away for a moment...but her brain screamed for her to do 
something.  "No!  Tell me what's wrong!  Do you need a doctor?"

"Fine..." Shinji began to crawl off his bed, straining under even that 
simple movement.  "You stay here.  I'm leaving..." he whispered, not 
looking at her anymore.  Instead, he tried to stand up.  

Asuka almost screamed as he collapsed into a heap...completely still.











To be continued...
----------------------------------------------------------------------

May you all forgive me.  <bows>  This is Eva, and it can not be 100% 
WAFF.  Please realize this is all part of the story.  Thank you.  ^_^

And now for something completely different:



---------The Secret Adventures of the missing Unit-04!!!---------------  

<Gendo Ikari is standing in line in a restaurant, waiting patiently for 
the man in front of him to pay for his taco and leave the line.  The 
food is greasy but smells good.  As he walks up to the counter, he is 
met by a pimply sixteen-year-old skinny man in an outfit that is 
probably more degrading to him than the job could ever be>

Young Man:  Welcome to Taco Bell-3.  Can I take your order?
Gendo:      <examining the menu carefully>  Yes.  Yes you may.
Young Man:  <blinks>  Ahh...okay.  So what would you like, pops?  
Gendo:      I will have one of your so-called 'crispy meat burritos'.
	    As well as one of your so-called 'taco supreme' meals.
Young Man:  <quickly pressing the cash register buttons>  Anything to
	    drink, pops?
Gendo:      <assuming 'pops' is soda>  No thank you.  I will have a 
            large water to drink.
Young Man:  <sighs>  Er...yeah.  Okay.  <looks down at the till>  That 
            will be...
Gendo:      <adjusting his glasses>  I was not done yet.
Young Man:  <sighs>  Okay, what else do you want?
Gendo:      <smiling slightly>  I will also take three dozen of your 
            'taco-kiddie' meals.  The ones with the toy.
Young Man:  <jaw drops>  Are you going to eat all of them?
Gendo:      <frowning>  Of course not.  A purely LCL diet is not good 
            while.  They seem to like playing with the toys as well.
Young Man:  <blinking>  You...y...you CLONE yourself??
Gendo:      ...Of course not.
Young Man:  <relaxing>
Gendo:      They are of my... <smiles> ...daughter...yes...
Young Man:  <almost passing out>
Gendo:      Is all this necessary to process my order? <frowns>
Young Man:  <hurrying>  Uh, no, sir!  That will be one hundred and 
            fifty-three dollars and two cents, please.
Gendo:      <reaching into his wallet> Excellent...

<Suddenly, the restaurant begins to rock violently.  Even Gendo is 
surprised as the walls begin to bend in and the entire floor rumbles as 
it's ripped free of it's supports.  The other customers are screaming 
as the entire structure begins to tilt on it's side.>  

Gendo:      This was not foretold in the Dead Sea Scrolls...Mmm...

<Cut to outside where a giant black and silver colored Evangelion is 
picking up the entire building.  It growls menacingly at the tiny 
restaurant as bits of metal, concrete and siding flake off it's sides 
and bottom.  Flames from the kitchen burst out as the cooking gas 
explodes under pressure.  Finally, the Eva lifts the structure to it's 
mouth in both hands and begins to savagely eat it!  

CRUNCH!  CRUNCH!  SLUSH!  CRACK!  

The sounds of the carnage cross out over the city as people run in 
terror.  Finally, the Eva swallows the last bit of the Taco Bell-3, 
burps loudly, and turns to the camera>

Unit-04:    "Yo quiero taco bell..." 


       The end...

=======================================================================

Oy.  ^_^  Sorry...

e-mail:  strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110




Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF. 

From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>
 
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Higher Learning

Strike Fiss, 2000







Twelfth Lesson: Stress Fractures






Cold, blue light filtered in from the windows outside.  White and grey 
steel were smooth and sterile around the only splash of colour in the 
entire ward.  One single flare of red.  

Asuka watched through the glass...the light making her reflection hazy.  
Almost dream-like.  Shinji lay on the other side in a hospital bed.  

His head the only part of him visible under the clean white sheets.  A 
small oxygen tube ran across his face, and a slow IV drip stood off to 
the side on a metal stand.  

She hated this place.

The footsteps of another echoed slightly along the hall; finally 
bringing Misato to her side.  She watched with softened eyes as Asuka 
stared through the glass.  Her mind whirling, but her eyes stark and 
unmoving.  I wonder what she sees...Misato thought to herself.

"If you're so worried about him..." she whispered, catching Asuka's 
attention.  "Why don't you go in and visit him?"

Asuka turned slowly.  Her eyes low and dangerous.  Her lips pursed in 
an angry frown.  As she walked towards the older woman, Misato stepped 
out of her path in reaction to the sudden hostility.

"I'll never be on that side of the glass." Asuka said simply, before 
walking off down the hall.  "Not for Baka Shinji...not for anyone."

Misato watched her all the way down the hall.  Words failed her for the 
longest time.  Eventually, she turned back to look into the hospital 
room.  

Shinji lay there, motionless, but alive.  His heart monitor showed 
perfectly healthy readings, but she knew it was a false calm.  Inside 
his mind, he was only now able to take a break from the pressures he 
had experienced.  

The doctors had induced a special kind of sleep, involving minimal 
brain activity.  Shinji would stay alive, would wake up normally, and 
would continue on as if nothing had ever happened.  But, dreams would 
also not plague him, and whatever had caused his mind to snap like it 
did would hopefully be leaked out.  

"Maybe if they'd check on his heart once in a while." she whispered to 
the glass, rehashing an old conversation with Ritsuko.  

Misato turned and left a moment later.









Shinji woke to a new presence beside him.  Familiar, still.  As he 
turned to his left, he saw Rei Ayanami sitting next to his bed, reading 
a book.  

"Hello, Rei." he whispered.

Rei blinked, surprised.  She put away her book and turned to him.  
"Good morning, Ikari-kun."

"Why are you here?" he blinked, looking around.  "Why am I here??" his 
mind raced, but couldn't remember fighting an Angel since the shadow.

"Stress." Rei stated simply.  "The doctors reasoned you had a mental 
breakdown.  You should be fine now, however."

Shinji turned red.  "Mmm...well, Toji always said it was just a matter 
of time..." he sighed and looked at his hand.  It was bandaged up 
slightly.  "I still feel a little strange..."

"You are free to go." Rei said after a moment.  "The doctors said your 
mind had calmed back down.  Doctor Akagi has us scheduled for a Sync-
Test at Twenty-One-Hundred-Hours." she paused.  "Your clothes are over 
there.  I will wait for you outside."

Shinji watched Rei leave, then stood, holding a pillow to his body as 
he found his clothes on a chair in a neat pile.  Something flashed over 
him as he picked up his underwear and put them on. 

"Sensei Miyazaki..." he whispered...angrily, as the memory returned.  
"Asuka-chan..."

By the time he had put on his clothes again, he was resolute.  He would 
ask Asuka about it tonight at the Sync Test.  He knew enough about it 
to make sure she was telling the truth, too...

His father wasn't the only Ikari who would be able to find out what 
people were hiding from him.  

A strange thought struck him as he slammed the door. 

That had to be the warmest thought he had of Gendo in a long time.  

It made him shiver.










Ritsuko leaned up against the back wall as Misato sighed.  "This is 
new..."

"Shut up, Ritsuko." the raven-haired woman snapped, then turned back to 
the screens.  She pressed the comm. channel button to both Asuka and 
Shinji's plugs.  "Are you two even TRYING?!?"

Shinji frowned, slightly annoyed.  "Sorry, Misato-san..." he nodded, 
closing his eyes again.  His mind had been wandering around all day, 
and he supposed it was probably not helping his sync ratio.  Still, he 
couldn't help it. 

Asuka fumed.  "What do you WANT from me?  You wake me up to perform a 
SYNC TEST, so we can see if Shinji's brain is fried?  Of COURSE I'm not 
going to be at my peek!" she growled, making little bubbles in the LCL 
around her.  "That does it!  I'm getting out!  Let me out of here!"

"End the test, Maya." Ritsuko nodded finally.

"Yes, Sempai."

Misato turned on heel to glare at her.  "You're just letting them go 
with these scores?" she turned to Rei's screen, where the blue-haired 
girl was quietly meditating.  "That is the first time Rei has ever 
outscored them both!"

"I'm sure Commander Ikari will be pleased." Ritsuko said dryly.  

"But..."

Ritsuko sighed and leaned forward.  "We've been here for an hour, and 
all you've done is yell at them.  We'll try again tomorrow." she leaned 
forward, though, and said the next part very quietly:

"Two pilots operating at half their normal sync rates is unacceptable.  
I am in charge of the Evas, and YOU are in charge of the Children's 
well-being.  I have never told you how to do your job before...but I 
would suggest that you un-FUCK whatever situation is between the Second 
and Third Children before we all die because of it."

Misato registered a look of complete shock as Ritsuko walked past 
her...much too close for comfort...and then out the door.  "Easy for 
you to say, Ritsuko." she smirked to herself.  "At least the Evas only 
get their limbs ripped off and their skin fried." she turned to the 
screen where Asuka was now poking her head into Shinji's plug and 
yelling at him at the top of her lungs about keeping them there so 
long.








Shinji sighed as Misato drove them back to the apartment.  So much for 
confronting Asuka. 

"AND ANOTHER THING!" she yelled in his ear.  "What the hell was wrong 
with you!  If you were having a mental breakdown, you could have SAID 
so, and not been all acting like a zombie!  You scared the shit out of 
me!"

"The married couple..." Misato whispered to herself.

Too loudly, though.  Asuka instantly turned to Misato and growled, face 
now bright red.  "I DIDN'T ASK YOU, MISATO!"

She said nothing, opting to drive. 

Shinji sighed as the wrath of Asuka turned back to him.  He would have 
given anything for his SDAT at the moment.  "I...I couldn't really help 
it, Asuka...I'm sorry..."

"You ALWAYS say that!" Asuka sat roughly back down in her seat.  "When 
it IS your fault, you say it isn't...but when it's NOT your fault, you 
say it is to try to make up for it!  AAAAAAAARGH!"

"AAAAAAAAAGH!!" both Asuka AND Shinji yelled as they flew out of their 
seats, impacting in a heap on the floor of the back seat.  Had the pain 
not been so amazingly intense, the position of them collided might have 
given even Misato some ideas about her next time out with Kaji.

Misato, however, slammed on the emergency break, then reached behind 
the back seat, grabbing Asuka's ear and hauling her off of Shinji.  
Then, she did the same for Shinji, hauling him back into his seat.  
"That is E-NOUGH!" she screamed. 

Both Children were dead quiet...scared for their lives.

"I have been listening to BOTH of you non-stop for the entire day!  
Shinji!  If all you can say is 'I'm sorry' then SHUT UP!  You should at 
LEAST know by now that it's not going to help!  And Asuka...LET IT GO!" 
she yelled.  "Whatever is up BOTH of your asses, you should both just 
LET IT GO!  NOTHING IS WORTH ALL THIS YELLING!"

Shinji looked up, dead serious.  "That's easy for you to say, 
Misato..."

That remark even surprised Asuka, who was unable to speak.  She had 
never seen Misato this angry before...and yet spineless Shinji Ikari 
just talked.  

Misato even looked shocked.  "P...what?!"

He was hiding his eyes from the two girls, but did not waver in his 
voice.  "I should have stayed in the Angel and died..." he sniffed.  
"Nothing's changed..."

Misato fell back into her seat, silent.  Asuka was shivering as a car 
honked and passed them, angry they had stopped in the middle of the 
road.  

"Shinji..." Asuka whispered.  "...don't say that..."

"Why NOT!?!" he yelled.  "Nothing's changed!  I'm better off drowning 
in LCL than staying here!  Every time I think anyone's being nice to me 
it turns out to be a LIE!"

Misato opened up the driver's side door and got out.  Asuka watched her 
leave, then turned back to Shinji.  "Shinji!  What are you talking 
about?" she whispered quickly.  "I...I mean...I like you!  I don't want 
to see you like this..."

She was cut off as Misato opened Shinji's door and hauled him out, 
almost throwing him onto the street.  "Get out here, Asuka." Misato 
demanded.

Asuka nodded quickly, not daring to disobey her guardian when she was 
like this.  The three of them were now standing in the middle of the 
road as cars honked and drove past them.  

"We're going to get this over, once and for all." Misato stated loudly.  
"I will not put up with either of you acting like this!" she sighed, 
gathering her thoughts.  "Ritsuko showed me your sync scores today.  
Rei beat both of you!"

Even Shinji looked a little surprised.  Asuka, downright horrified.  

"If we all get killed by an Angel because you two are constantly 
fighting...what a wonderful testament to the Human Race that would 
make!" Misato yelled.  "You both know Rei can't hack this by herself.  
It takes a will to live and skill to win against those bastards.  Rei 
only follows orders."

Shinji cringed like he was about to be hit as Misato knelt down in 
front of him.  "Shinji-kun.  You have to realize that we DO like you.  
I care for you like a little brother.  I'm sorry that every day, you 
are forced to fight for all of us...but that's something nobody can 
change.  It is your destiny."  she sighed.  "Just find what you need to 
keep going.  But do it soon..."

Asuka was staring at the ground as Misato turned to her.  "And you, 
Asuka.  If you're so damn perfect, maybe you should try HELPING Shinji 
for once...and not yell at him for every little thing!" she smiled 
suddenly.  "You have so much passion that you take it for granted."

"Hai..." Asuka whispered back.

"Now..." Misato sniffed.  "Shinji...come here."

Shinji complied weakly, but was suddenly dragged into a rough hug by 
Misato.  Before he could struggle free, Misato grabbed Asuka's arm and 
hauled her into the hug as well.  "Now, both of you, hug each other." 
she smiled.

Asuka and Shinji looked up at each other, then away quickly.  Finally, 
though, Misato forced them together, and they, mostly accidentally, 
hugged rather tightly, heads on the other's shoulder.  

Misato smiled happily with teary eyes.  "Now, both of you, please, just 
try to get along?  I promise once all these angels are gone, you can go 
your own ways...but...at least try not to kill each other in the 
meantime."

Shinji swallowed hard as Asuka pressed up against him.  "...okay..."

Asuka nodded slowly, trying her best not to shy away from his 
heartbeat...it had just doubled in the last three seconds, taking hers 
along with it.  "...okay..."

Misato let them go with a happy/proud look on her face, oblivious to 
the fact they were both still hugging.  "Well, come on, kids...tomorrow 
is Monday.  I don't want to keep you out too late." she sighed and 
walked back to the driver's door.  

Shinji wasn't sure what to do.  Asuka wasn't letting go...and 
therefore...he didn't want to either.  "Asuka-chan..."

"I didn't know..." she whispered.  "...that you felt like this...I'm 
sorry." she sniffled.  "I shouldn't be yelling at you...you've been 
through a lot..."

"J..." he swallowed hard.  "Just be kind to me...okay?"

Asuka finally let him go and held him out at arm's length.  She was 
smiling softly.  "Okay..."

They got back into the car and all drove home together.  At least the 
silence now wasn't forced.  









Ritsuko felt a shiver run all the way through her as she walked into 
the room.  The door labelled it as the "Dummy Plug production plant".  
She liked to think that the:  "Reiquarium" was a more fitting name.

Gendo was there...as he had been a lot lately.  Had the scenery been 
different, the small part of her mind that came up with such ideas 
suggested she sneak up behind him and wrap herself around his back, 
surprising him with an embrace.  But there was nothing romantic about 
the room with that....that...

Rei...

Rei's eyes opened and she smiled softly.  Gendo noticed and turned.  
"Good evening, Doctor..." he echoed Rei's soft smile. 

"You may be pleased to know that Rei-chan got the highest sync score 
tonight." Ritsuko smiled slightly at Rei.  Rei in turn looked very 
pleased.  

"Really...?" Gendo turned back to Rei.  "That is good news."  

"Unfortunately, it was mostly due to the Second and Third's inabilities 
to concentrate." she sighed.  "I think it's just stress.  I wonder if 
it would hurt to give them all a vacation?"

"It is irrelevant." Gendo smiled.  "If the dummy-plug works, we will no 
longer have to rely on them.  We shall be able to test the system 
soon."

Ritsuko's eyes went wide as she heard that.  "An Angel is on it's way, 
isn't it?"

"There will be more." Gendo said.  "Sooner or later.   We will be able 
to test it."

Ritsuko turned and began walking.  Sooner or later?  He knew...he had 
to know...

"Goodnight, Dr. Akagi."

"Goodnight, Ikari..."








To be continued......

From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning
 
  Strike Fiss, 2000

 



Thirteenth Lesson:  Setting the Stage







"Back to our original conversation." Kaoru said loudly, interrupting 
the number of conversations still going since the second bell ending 
lunch had sounded.  "Who can bring us back up to speed on the nature of 
Sound?"

The class was silent for a moment as their Sensei tapped his chalk on 
the board, waiting for a reply.  

Suddenly, the door opened, admitting Shinji and Asuka into the room in 
a huff.  Kaoru smiled warmly at them both, missing Shinji's slightly 
odd look.  "Glad you could join us, Children.  Rei was beginning to 
surpass your attendance records for the month."

Rei blinked a response as the class chuckled and gave her all warm 
looks.

Not giving them a chance to apologize, Kaoru continued.  "Since you two 
are already standing...would you both mind recapping the nature of 
Sound, as we discussed last month?" he handed them a piece of chalk 
each, then went to his desk to lean against.

Asuka frowned at Shinji.  "See?  I told you we should have came this 
morning!" she began to draw on the board.  "I don't know why you don't 
like school all of a sudden."

"I just don't." Shinji mumbled.

Asuka seemed to get a glimpse of something behind Shinji's attitude.  
"We WILL talk about this later." she demanded, turning her full 
attention back to the board, just before the whispering started at why 
they were talking.

Shinji sighed.

"Shinji." Kaoru said suddenly.  "You're writing slow.  How about just 
giving us a brief description."

Shinji cringed, then turned to the class.  "Uh...mm...well..."

The class looked back, not helping much by their impatient faces.  Only 
Toji and Kensuke looked ready to hear him...oh, and Rei.  She was 
actually facing the front again.  It was her look that gave him 
strength to ignore his feelings about the class.  

"Sound is the...physical vibrations that we detect in the ear." he 
swallowed hard.  "B...but it is also what we perceive in our mind as 
such."

Kaoru nodded.  "Can you give us an example?"

Shinji looked around for inspiration.  He found it in Asuka's turned 
back.  With a nervous little smile, he nodded.  "For example, when 
you're drunk.  They say you're 'buzzed'.  Isn't that because you can 
hear buzzing?" he swallowed hard when he saw everyone's surprised 
reactions.  Asuka had stopped writing on the board after her chalk 
snapped in half.  "But...it's not really sound...just your mind." he 
finished quickly.

The class was blinking.  Toji looked impressed.  "Well, I didn't know 
Shinji could hold his booze!" he mentioned loud enough for a few people 
to giggle at. 

"Well..." Kaoru lifted up his attendance papers.  "Ikari Shinji...late 
due to hangover."

Everyone laughed, except Asuka, who glanced around quickly, then 
glowered at Shinji.  "I...I just heard from people." Shinji shrugged 
nervously.  

Asuka had a twitch to her eye...but didn't really look like she wanted 
to kill him...maybe just hurt...but at least that was a start.  Shinji 
relaxed as Sensei told them to sit down.  

"That's actually a good point, Shinji.  After all, we can all 'hear' 
our inner voices when we try to solve a problem in our heads.  We can 
imagine and recall events, sometimes to such clarity that we can hear 
the sound again." Kaoru walked over to the board.  "Getting drunk, I 
can tell you, does seem to screw around with your mind a little." he 
eyed his students.  "So I don't want you all getting drunk. It is NOT 
homework."

Everyone nodded with big grins.

"How about you, Toji?  What does sound mean to you?" Kaoru asked.  
"What's one of your favourite sounds that you can recall at whim?"

"Mm, well." Toji scratched his head.  "I mean, I kinda like the sound 
of splashing water."

"That's because you peep at the girls swim team all through gym class!" 
Hikari interrupted angrily, ignoring the chuckles that resulted. 

"Uh..." Toji shrunk under the Class Rep's glare.  "No...I mean, when 
it's really hot outside, sometimes I can remember splashing water, and 
it feels as if I just dove into a pond.  It's really nice." his voice 
was now a squeak as Hikari was almost leaning over another student's 
desk to glare at him.

"Humph." Hikari conceded and sat back down.

"Splashing water?  Ha!" Kensuke smiled and set down his camera.  "I'd 
know the sound of a F-15J's afterburners anywhere!  That's what I think 
of when class gets really boring."

"Hopefully not my class." Kaoru smiled.

"Uh...of course not, Sensei-san!"

"Good." Kaoru nodded.  "Anyway, that brings up the next point of our 
discussion." he walked over to the board and began to write on a clear 
section.  "Some sounds can make you feel happy.  Others bad.  Others 
can annoy you."

"Like Red Devil's voice." Toji smiled over at Asuka.

Asuka promptly threw her shoe, connecting with the boy's face and 
knocking him out.  "Jerk." she snuffed. 

"Lovely debate." Kaoru coughed as Kensuke helped Toji up to his seat.  
"But the point is that while Sound is an external property, it affects 
things in our mind besides the mind's ability to simply 'hear' a 
sound." he smiled and turned around, revealing a small list of dates.  
"Our topic in this class, bar the usual drivel of daily work, will be 
emotion and mental states."

Everyone groaned, sensing hard work.

"Have no fear!  There will be no homework required." Kaoru adjusted his 
glasses.  "These dates provide an outline for practice...hopefully not 
interrupted by pesky Angel Attacks...of our new class project."

Everyone sat and blinked.  Hikari finally raised her hand.  "What is 
our new class project?"

"Not so fast, dear." Kaoru circled the last date on the board.  "Does 
anyone know what this day is?"

Kensuke thought for a moment.  "Parent-Teacher-Interviews?"

"Correct!" Kaoru smiled.  "And I was thinking, what better way to share 
with your parents what you all have been learning, by offering a small 
sample of our work."

Everyone blinked.

"We..." he smiled.  "Are going to host a concert."

Everyone blinked again.

"What would be the purpose of this?" Rei asked, finally shattering the 
silence.

With a nod, Kaoru opened up his text book, reading from some line he 
had book-marked.  "Music is the way the soul communicates.  It is both 
the language, and part of the soul.  With music, one may tell a story.  
One may share love and tragedy.  And, with music, one may help another 
see that same thing they have known." he paused.  "I know there is some 
musical talent amongst you.  And those who will not be playing an 
instrument will be able to sit down and enjoy...and decipher...what the 
music means.  Perhaps it will even help you to discuss what we have all 
been talking about to your families."

The class began to nod.  Save Shinji, who was still looking gloomy.  
Asuka was the only one who noticed.  She looked worried.  Since when 
was Shinji not excited about music?  







On the way home, the situation had not improved.  Asuka watched from 
just a few steps behind as Shinji shuffled his feet along the sidewalk, 
looking down at his own feet.  Normally, she'd be quite annoyed at 
this...but worry seemed to be winning out.  Ever since she heard him 
say that one line in the car last night.  That he'd rather have died in 
the Angel.  

"Shinji?" she asked as they walked.  "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." he sighed.  It wasn't very convincing, even if one did take 
the words to be the truth.  

"Soo..." she shrugged.  "You excited about the concert idea?" she 
smiled.  "It would give you a chance to play the cello again."

"Mmm." Shinji grumbled.  "The strings are old anyway."

Asuka frowned.  "You know, I DO play the violin." she said proudly, 
leaning forward.  "We could make beautiful music together..." she 
whispered into his ear, hoping for a reaction.

Shinji all but ignored her and kept walking without missing a beat.

"Humph." she crossed her arms.  "Well that answers that."

He stopped and turned.  "Answers what?"

"You must have forgotten how to play." she glared at him.  "With all 
the times you've been beaten up, it's no wonder...I suppose I can't 
really blame you."

Shinji shifted uncomfortably in his shoes.  "I...I still know how to 
play." he frowned.  "I can play g...okay...sounding."

Asuka leaned at him until she was uncomfortably close to his face.  
"Then why are you so scared, Third Children?  Scared everyone's goinna 
laugh at you when you play off key?"

"N...NO!" Shinji backed off.  "I am NOT scared!"

She smiled evilly.  "Good." she reached out and grabbed his arm...then 
drug him across the street, weaving in and out of traffic at a rather 
impressive rate.  Shinji ran to keep up and not get hit by cars.

"What are you DOING!?!?" he gasped as they made it to the other 
side...but then kept running.

Asuka stopped suddenly, catching Shinji with one arm before he fell 
past her.  "Silence, Third Child!" she demanded with a grin on her 
face.  "And don't you DARE think I'm taking you out on a date!  I'll 
have you know that is YOUR job."

"D...DATE?!?!"

She sighed and smacked him across the head.  "I just said that it 
wasn't, baka!" she began walking again, leading them to a small 
shopping plaza.  "I expect that if I ever give you the HONOR of taking 
me on a date, we will go to a much fancier place!"

"..." Shinji swallowed hard, but couldn't help but take the note down 
in his head.  "Okay..."

"Here we are!" she announced proudly, pulling Shinji past a few parked 
cars to...

"A music store??" Shinji gasped.  "B...but I don't have money for new 
strings!"

Asuka nodded.  "And that's why you're going to owe me BIG for what I'm 
about to do." she pulled him through the door roughly, to the surprise 
of the shop-keeper.  

"Uh...good afternoon, young children!" he blinked as the red-head 
yanked the boy around by the collar, looking at some cello strings.

Asuka couldn't make any sense of the different strings, so instead 
found a cello that looked to be the same size and kind as Shinji's.  
"Is this like your cello, baka?"

Shinji nodded.  "Y...yeah, but mine's darker colored..."

Asuka turned to the shop keeper.  "I would like to get a new set of 
strings for this kind of cello, please." she stated in a no nonsense 
voice.

The older man quickly found the right kind of strings and handed them 
to Asuka.  "That will be 4320 yen, miss."

She glared at Shinji.  "4300 yen!  You better be REALLY good with these 
new strings, Shinji."

Shinji cowered promptly. 

Asuka dug out the bills and a few coins and gave them to the shop 
owner.  "I trust these are good quality for that price." she grumbled.

"Of course, miss." the man nodded.  "They are used in orchestras across 
Japan." he handed her the change and receipt.

"Good." she grabbed the package of strings, and then Shinji's collar.  
"Come on, baka!  Now you have to play."

Shinji waved to the man goodbye, barely getting out "Thank you, sir." 
before the door was closed behind him.

The man behind the counter took a deep breath.  "What an incredibly 
intense young lady." he chuckled.  "Poor boy..."







Now halfway home, and the deed done, Asuka slowed down, and was smiling 
happily.  Shinji examined the package of strings in his hands 
nervously.  "T...thank you, Asuka...but..."

"But NOTHING." she snapped.  "I said you owed me big, and I mean it."

"But...I didn't ask you to get..."

"That shouldn't matter!" she explained loudly.  "When a girl does 
something nice for you, you shouldn't be questioning it all the time!" 
she sighed.  "Especially you, Shinji.  It's not like it happens all the 
time to you."

He blushed and turned his attention back to the strings.  "F...fine.  
Thank you...they do seem to be the nicest kind..." his voice trailed 
off as he read the package.  "How did you know there was a music store 
there anyway?"

"I told you." she yawned.  "I play the violin sometimes.  I needed new 
strings a while ago too, so I looked them up.  They're the only place 
in the city that hasn't been crushed by Angels yet."

"Really?" he blinked, now in the mood to talk about music anyway.  "I 
never hear you practice."

"That's because you always have your headphones on." she shrugged.  
"Maybe you should pay attention at night." she grinned sweetly.  "Maybe 
you'd hear something you'd like..."

"Asuka!" Shinji turned bright red and stumbled for a moment.

She smiled and sighed happily.  "That's better..." she whispered to 
herself as they walked back home, side by side. 


 






Late that night, Shinji had finished tightening his strings into place.  
Little tests with finger-plucking showed them to be reasonably in tune, 
though it would be a waste of time to accurately tune them now, while 
they were still being broken in.  

"Why am I doing this?" he whispered to himself.  "I don't want to play 
for school..."

His bo felt nice in his hand again.  It had been too long since he'd 
practiced, though, and he was hesitant as he touched the horse-hair 
against the strings.  

"But..." he sighed, very lightly bringing the bo across the strings.  A 
quiet, smooth sound was emitted from the instrument.  "Asuka asked me 
to..."

Shinji's brow lightened for a moment.  "She asked me to play.  She 
didn't say I had to...she...she's trying to be nice to me." he sighed.  
"Maybe I should.  Maybe I can..."

His hand pulled the hair back across the strings harder now.  A 
beautiful, crisp, deep vibration was heard.  

"And...maybe I can talk to Sensei about this..." Shinji wondered out 
loud.  There was a twitch in his voice.  Anger.  Frustration.  But at 
least it was having a voice.  

With a deep sigh, Shinji relaxed and let the music take him.  Slow, 
steady rhythms, not loud enough to wake his roommates, but lout enough 
to carry substance in the tiny bedroom.  








Across the hall...a tear escaped from the corner of Asuka's eye.  The 
music was just barely heard, but she could have sworn Shinji was right 
there with her.  Cello and all.  Though it invoked tears with it's 
soulful, strong sound...she also had a smile on her face.  









To be continued....

From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>

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.


From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

                      Neon Genesis Evangelion
                          Higher Learning
                          ===============

                         Teacher's Edition
                       Lessons 11 through 20



                         Strike Fiss, 2000












Eleventh Lesson:  Fly on the Wall







"Oh shit oh shit oh shit..." Kaoru literally ran down the halls with 
his books in hand.  Two dozen or more papers for the day's class were 
clutched perilously in his hands, but never fell despite his frantic 
movement.  

One could surmise he was late, as the clock that hung over his 
classroom door read nine-twenty am.  "Argh..." he sighed, opening the 
door.

He prayed that Hikari had kept everyone at bay for the time he was 
away.  His prayers were answered as he skidded into the classroom, 
completely out of breath, and the eyes of 35 patient students all 
turned to him.  

Hikari smiled proudly.  "Good morning, Miyazaki-Sensei!" her tone 
darkened slightly.  "You're late."

The class all laughed as he did as well.  "Yes...yes...I am.  Forgive 
me class.  My alarm chose last night to stop working." he relaxed 
noticeably and walked over to his desk.

Still, right away, one could see something was wrong.  Shinji noticed 
this right away, even though he was still half asleep.  Most 
noticeably, he looked the way Shinji felt at the moment.  Though he had 
been able to get to sleep last night, it was wasn't very deep.  Every 
he was about to go under, Asuka would shift slightly, and rub herself 
up against him in some small...but very noticeable...way.

"Poor guy..." Shinji yawned.

Toji leaned over.  "Man, what happened to HIM?"

Kensuke smiled and adjusted his glasses.  "I wonder if Asuka beat him 
up for assigning that one paper?"

Asuka, who had been fairly tired as well for the same reason Shinji had 
been, groaned inwardly as she saw Kaoru sit down at his desk.  His 
socks were not matching...his clothes looked at least a day old, and it 
was pretty obvious he hadn't shaven or had anything to eat that 
morning.  While the Stooges speculated all they wanted, Asuka had 
already guessed the right answer.  "Shiite..." she hid behind her 
computer, praying she wasn't already blushing.  It was bad enough she 
was acting like that around Shinji all that morning...even having to go 
so far to miss him at the breakfast table and the walk to school...she 
almost was convincing herself that the kiss with her new teacher was 
all a little dream.  A tiny fantasy in a moment of weakness. 

By the way he was refusing to look in her direction, she knew it 
wasn't.  

"Okay, class." he said, stifling a yawn.  "A very important subject we 
should talk about has just come to my attention." he smiled weakly.  
"Does anyone have any thoughts on sleep?"

Asuka sighed to herself.  "Yeah...I want to be home right now." she 
turned her head around on her desk.

Shinji was looking at her, though.  She blinked.  He looked worried.  
Even more than usual, she mused.  With a sigh, she quietly typed a 
question into her computer and sent it to him.

He noticed the question appear on his own screen, turned slightly red, 
and then typed in a reply.  

"You look really tired...are you okay?" 

Asuka blinked, then looked at Shinji a little harder.  He looked a LOT 
worse than she did.  His eyes were red and tired.  His hair was mussed 
and uncombed...

He looked a lot like Kaoru, actually.  

Asuka sighed and grumbled to herself.  She typed in:  "I'm fine, Baka.  
You look horrible too, you know.  I bet you can't stay awake till the 
end of class!  Ha!"

Shinji read the message and blinked.  "I was just trying to be nice!  
And I CAN TOO stay up till the end of class!" he replied.  "I bet YOU 
fall asleep before I do!"

She smiled and leaned back in her seat.  "Sweet baka...he always know 
how to make me feel better." she mused to herself.  At least this would 
give her something to think about till the end of class.








It turned out that the infamous Langley spirit indeed triumphed, and by 
lunch time, Shinji was collapsed at his desk, sound asleep.  Asuka 
glared at the clock as she watched the last minute SLOOOOOWLY slide by.  

RRRRRIIIIIIIIING!

The class put away their notes and began to file out to the cafeteria 
as per normal.  But just as Asuka was about to do the same, Kaoru 
cleared his throat.  "Asuka, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Toji grinned like a damn shark.  "Oooh!  Who did you beat up now?" he 
chided, sticking his head back in the doorway. 

"It will be YOU in a second, butt-head!" Asuka glared at him.  

"Hehe...OW!" he fell back outside the door as she kicked the door-frame 
with sufficient force to cause the paneling to jar against his 
shoulder.  

"That'll teach you." she grinned back, slamming the door behind him.
Kaoru sighed as Asuka walked over to the desk.  Besides a sleeping 
Shinji, they were alone.  "Yes, Sensei?" she asked, hoping she wasn't 
turning red.  

It all came out in one breath:

"I'm so sorry!  I shouldn't have...I mean...that entire situation 
was...bad idea...I should have just...I mean...If you want me to 
resign...I'll get outta here in a second...I don't want..."

Asuka almost fell over.  "What?"

Kaoru let his head smash onto his desktop.  "Asuka...thank you...but 
you know very well what I'm talking about."

She nodded silently, now fully red in the face.

"Say the words, and I'll resign.  Your old sensei will probably be out 
of the hospital next week anyway.  I don't want there to be anything 
weird between us."

"That's enough!" she frowned, crossing her arms.

Kaoru blinked.

She looked down at the floor, still embarrassed, but determined.  "You 
were there for me when I thought I was alone, Sensei...thank you...and 
nothing happened...really...so I don't know why you'd have to leave 
just because of that."

Kaoru groaned and leaned back in his chair.  A long pause echoed out as 
he collected his thoughts.   "You're right, you know.  I'm sorry, Miss 
Langley.  I keep forgetting how mature you are." he smiled slightly.

She fidgeted slightly, but a deep breath later, nodded.  "Good.  
Because I don't want that old crummy geezer to come back.  He keeps 
handing out stuff I can't read."

They both glanced around the room as the silence seemed to echo out.  
"Uh...well, I better get going for lunch." she smiled and bowed.

"I better go home and have a shower." Kaoru laughed.  "I just realized 
I put on two different socks."

"Good." Asuka smiled, then bowed slightly again.  "Sorry..."

"No, its okay.  Go on.  I'll be back to my old self by second period." 
he nodded.




They both neglected to see the wide-eyes of Shinji Ikari watching the 
scene as Asuka left the room, relieved to have the situation done with.  
Kaoru leaned back in his chair and ruffled up his hair once before 
finally picking up his case and leaving the room as well.

Shinji just lay there...head against his desk...listening to his heart-
beat.  

"It's all in my mind..." he whispered to himself out loud.  "It's all 
in my mind...It's all in my mind..." he closed his eyes, squeezing out 
a tear or two.  "Yeah...just like in my head..."

Silence did not add to the train of thought.

He began shaking.  A moment later his fist clenched around his computer 
terminal...

then promptly threw it out the window.  The classroom door threatened 
to break as well as it slammed shut behind him. 










Shinji was out of breath as he reached home.  Still, as he almost 
stumbled into the main hall, he called out his presence.  "Misato?" he 
huffed and sniffed as he kicked off his shoes.  "Misato-san?" 

Not home.  

"...Misato..." he begged out to the empty room.  "Help me...?"

His voice was small.  Weak.  He hated it.  Hated talking.  Hated using 
it.  

A small note on the table.  From Misato, written in haste.  

"Working late tonight, children!  Order up some food, compliments of my 
turn to cook!  You know the account number.  Shinji, please make sure 
to get the whites in the laundry.  Thank you!  Ja ne!"  A little heart 
and smiley-face added onto the bottom.

Shinji was shaking as he read it.  Laundry...something to do...yes...

His mind focused onto that one, single task.  It was the only way he 
could stop himself from imagining things...

Every memory of Asuka flying into Kaji's arms was now replaced with her 
flying into Kaoru's.  Every single one of the precious kisses he knew 
with Asuka were now no longer in the first person as he watched them 
slip away. 

All while he folded shirts and underwear...trying to do it fast enough 
that the images wouldn't torture him so.  His mind kept analyzing the 
conversation he overheard.  

"Nothing happened...really..."
"I'll resign if you want me to..."
"You were there when I thought I was alone..."
"Thank you..."
"No...it's okay..."

again and again...every hidden meaning came out in those words.  No 
matter how openly he tried to imagine their meaning, they were 
unmistakable in the theme.  

Then...

Even worse...

Shinji finally couldn't keep out the images in his mind.  It was too 
much.  Too soon after the angel.  His mind and mental capacity 
succumbing to the pressure.

And as he folded one last pair of Asuka's modest, white panties...he 
almost dropped them in horror...imagining her standing over Kaoru, 
sliding them down her legs for him.

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Shinji yelled.  The 
sound was horrible in the tiny apartment.  It echoed off the walls to 
maddening levels.  "AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!" his fists began to plough 
though the baskets of clothes.

All at once, he was back in Unit-01.  Back inside the Angel.  One last 
thought on his mind.  That Mother said it was okay to fight back.  
Fight.

Fight.

Rip.

Kill.

Punch.

Crush.

DIE!!!

DIIEEEEEEE!

LET ME OUT!  DIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE! 

I WANT TO SEE THEM!  LET ME OUT!!!!

Ohhhhhhhgodohgodohgod...please...just die!  DIE! 
RRRRRRRRRRRIIIIPPPPPP!!!!  DON'T TAKE HER!  DON'T TAKE ASUKA FROM ME!  
MOMMA!  HELP ME!  HEEEEEELLLP MEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!






Shinji sobbed quietly as he recovered.  His mind finally shivering back 
into place the best it could.  Every bit of fabric in the room was 
thrown.  The wet clothes from the washer stuck to the walls, slowly 
sliding off like they were gore from a dead Angel.  

He sat in the middle of it all, looking at his hands.  His knuckles 
were battered from where he almost punched through the wall.  

"Help me..." he shuddered to himself.  "Momma..."

But this time, he was not in Unit 01.

He stopped crying finally...looking at the mess around himself.  With a 
painful effort by his overused muscles, he lifted himself off the 
floor...and started slowly cleaning up; putting the clothes back into 
their neat little piles.








Asuka found only a quiet apartment when she came home that evening.  
Dead on her feet, she didn't bother noticing that there was no food on 
the table, and that the note Misato left had been crumpled up.  

"Tadaima, Shinji." she yawned, wondering past the laundry room where 
she usually found him if he was home already.  He wasn't there, though.  
"Mmm.  Baka must be asleep." she smiled to herself.  "That'll teach 
him."

As she walked past his room, though, a twinge came over her body.  
Almost as if she could sense something not quite right.  

She knocked softly on the corner of the door.  "Shinji?"

No answer.  Probably headphones.  She weighed the chances that he 
probably wouldn't be doing anything perverted with headphones on, and 
opened the door slowly.  

"Hey, baka!" she smiled as she saw him on the bed.

Shinji cringed as the light shone in on him.  His eyes blood shot.  His 
hands wrapped around fistfuls of his bed-sheets.  "A...Asuka?" he 
blinked.

The sight was very unsettling.  Asuka had never seen someone looking 
so...so...  "Shinji!" she covered the distance to his bed in a 
heartbeat, feeling his forehead.  "Are you okay??"

He wasn't burning up, though he looked like he had a fever.  In fact, 
he was in a cold sweat.  In some kind of shock.  She quickly looked him 
over for wounds, but found none.  

"W...why are you here?" he asked.  A hint of pain was in his voice.  
"You shouldn't be here..."

"Shinji...w...what's going on?!" Asuka begged, getting worried.  She 
almost couldn't bare to look in his eyes.  They looked completely 
lost...like...another time..."You look horrible..." she whispered.

"I..." he swallowed hard, but then quickly pushed away her hand.  
"G...get out of here..." he said with a sudden anger she hadn't been 
expecting.  

She backed away for a moment...but her brain screamed for her to do 
something.  "No!  Tell me what's wrong!  Do you need a doctor?"

"Fine..." Shinji began to crawl off his bed, straining under even that 
simple movement.  "You stay here.  I'm leaving..." he whispered, not 
looking at her anymore.  Instead, he tried to stand up.  

Asuka almost screamed as he collapsed into a heap...completely still.















Twelfth Lesson: Stress Fractures






Cold, blue light filtered in from the windows outside.  White and grey 
steel were smooth and sterile around the only splash of colour in the 
entire ward.  One single flare of red.  

Asuka watched through the glass...the light making her reflection hazy.  
Almost dream-like.  Shinji lay on the other side in a hospital bed.  

His head the only part of him visible under the clean white sheets.  A 
small oxygen tube ran across his face, and a slow IV drip stood off to 
the side on a metal stand.  

She hated this place.

The footsteps of another echoed slightly along the hall; finally 
bringing Misato to her side.  She watched with softened eyes as Asuka 
stared through the glass.  Her mind whirling, but her eyes stark and 
unmoving.  I wonder what she sees...Misato thought to herself.

"If you're so worried about him..." she whispered, catching Asuka's 
attention.  "Why don't you go in and visit him?"

Asuka turned slowly.  Her eyes low and dangerous.  Her lips pursed in 
an angry frown.  As she walked towards the older woman, Misato stepped 
out of her path in reaction to the sudden hostility.

"I'll never be on that side of the glass." Asuka said simply, before 
walking off down the hall.  "Not for Baka Shinji...not for anyone."

Misato watched her all the way down the hall.  Words failed her for the 
longest time.  Eventually, she turned back to look into the hospital 
room.  

Shinji lay there, motionless, but alive.  His heart monitor showed 
perfectly healthy readings, but she knew it was a false calm.  Inside 
his mind, he was only now able to take a break from the pressures he 
had experienced.  

The doctors had induced a special kind of sleep, involving minimal 
brain activity.  Shinji would stay alive, would wake up normally, and 
would continue on as if nothing had ever happened.  But, dreams would 
also not plague him, and whatever had caused his mind to snap like it 
did would hopefully be leaked out.  

"Maybe if they'd check on his heart once in a while." she whispered to 
the glass, rehashing an old conversation with Ritsuko.  

Misato turned and left a moment later.









Shinji woke to a new presence beside him.  Familiar, still.  As he 
turned to his left, he saw Rei Ayanami sitting next to his bed, reading 
a book.  

"Hello, Rei." he whispered.

Rei blinked, surprised.  She put away her book and turned to him.  
"Good morning, Ikari-kun."

"Why are you here?" he blinked, looking around.  "Why am I here??" his 
mind raced, but couldn't remember fighting an Angel since the shadow.

"Stress." Rei stated simply.  "The doctors reasoned you had a mental 
breakdown.  You should be fine now, however."

Shinji turned red.  "Mmm...well, Toji always said it was just a matter 
of time..." he sighed and looked at his hand.  It was bandaged up 
slightly.  "I still feel a little strange..."

"You are free to go." Rei said after a moment.  "The doctors said your 
mind had calmed back down.  Doctor Akagi has us scheduled for a Sync-
Test at Twenty-One-Hundred-Hours." she paused.  "Your clothes are over 
there.  I will wait for you outside."

Shinji watched Rei leave, then stood, holding a pillow to his body as 
he found his clothes on a chair in a neat pile.  Something flashed over 
him as he picked up his underwear and put them on. 

"Sensei Miyazaki..." he whispered...angrily, as the memory returned.  
"Asuka-chan..."

By the time he had put on his clothes again, he was resolute.  He would 
ask Asuka about it tonight at the Sync Test.  He knew enough about it 
to make sure she was telling the truth, too...

His father wasn't the only Ikari who would be able to find out what 
people were hiding from him.  

A strange thought struck him as he slammed the door. 

That had to be the warmest thought he had of Gendo in a long time.  

It made him shiver.










Ritsuko leaned up against the back wall as Misato sighed.  "This is 
new..."

"Shut up, Ritsuko." the raven-haired woman snapped, then turned back to 
the screens.  She pressed the comm. channel button to both Asuka and 
Shinji's plugs.  "Are you two even TRYING?!?"

Shinji frowned, slightly annoyed.  "Sorry, Misato-san..." he nodded, 
closing his eyes again.  His mind had been wandering around all day, 
and he supposed it was probably not helping his sync ratio.  Still, he 
couldn't help it. 

Asuka fumed.  "What do you WANT from me?  You wake me up to perform a 
SYNC TEST, so we can see if Shinji's brain is fried?  Of COURSE I'm not 
going to be at my peek!" she growled, making little bubbles in the LCL 
around her.  "That does it!  I'm getting out!  Let me out of here!"

"End the test, Maya." Ritsuko nodded finally.

"Yes, Sempai."

Misato turned on heel to glare at her.  "You're just letting them go 
with these scores?" she turned to Rei's screen, where the blue-haired 
girl was quietly meditating.  "That is the first time Rei has ever 
outscored them both!"

"I'm sure Commander Ikari will be pleased." Ritsuko said dryly.  

"But..."

Ritsuko sighed and leaned forward.  "We've been here for an hour, and 
all you've done is yell at them.  We'll try again tomorrow." she leaned 
forward, though, and said the next part very quietly:

"Two pilots operating at half their normal sync rates is unacceptable.  
I am in charge of the Evas, and YOU are in charge of the Children's 
well-being.  I have never told you how to do your job before...but I 
would suggest that you un-FUCK whatever situation is between the Second 
and Third Children before we all die because of it."

Misato registered a look of complete shock as Ritsuko walked past 
her...much too close for comfort...and then out the door.  "Easy for 
you to say, Ritsuko." she smirked to herself.  "At least the Evas only 
get their limbs ripped off and their skin fried." she turned to the 
screen where Asuka was now poking her head into Shinji's plug and 
yelling at him at the top of her lungs about keeping them there so 
long.








Shinji sighed as Misato drove them back to the apartment.  So much for 
confronting Asuka. 

"AND ANOTHER THING!" she yelled in his ear.  "What the hell was wrong 
with you!  If you were having a mental breakdown, you could have SAID 
so, and not been all acting like a zombie!  You scared the shit out of 
me!"

"The married couple..." Misato whispered to herself.

Too loudly, though.  Asuka instantly turned to Misato and growled, face 
now bright red.  "I DIDN'T ASK YOU, MISATO!"

She said nothing, opting to drive. 

Shinji sighed as the wrath of Asuka turned back to him.  He would have 
given anything for his SDAT at the moment.  "I...I couldn't really help 
it, Asuka...I'm sorry..."

"You ALWAYS say that!" Asuka sat roughly back down in her seat.  "When 
it IS your fault, you say it isn't...but when it's NOT your fault, you 
say it is to try to make up for it!  AAAAAAAARGH!"

"AAAAAAAAAGH!!" both Asuka AND Shinji yelled as they flew out of their 
seats, impacting in a heap on the floor of the back seat.  Had the pain 
not been so amazingly intense, the position of them collided might have 
given even Misato some ideas about her next time out with Kaji.

Misato, however, slammed on the emergency brake, then reached behind 
the back seat, grabbing Asuka's ear and hauling her off of Shinji.  
Then, she did the same for Shinji, hauling him back into his seat.  
"That is E-NOUGH!" she screamed. 

Both Children were dead quiet...scared for their lives.

"I have been listening to BOTH of you non-stop for the entire day!  
Shinji!  If all you can say is 'I'm sorry' then SHUT UP!  You should at 
LEAST know by now that it's not going to help!  And Asuka...LET IT GO!" 
she yelled.  "Whatever is up BOTH of your asses, you should both just 
LET IT GO!  NOTHING IS WORTH ALL THIS YELLING!"

Shinji looked up, dead serious.  "That's easy for you to say, 
Misato..."

That remark even surprised Asuka, who was unable to speak.  She had 
never seen Misato this angry before...and yet spineless Shinji Ikari 
just talked.  

Misato even looked shocked.  "P...what?!"

He was hiding his eyes from the two girls, but did not waver in his 
voice.  "I should have stayed in the Angel and died..." he sniffed.  
"Nothing's changed..."

Misato fell back into her seat, silent.  Asuka was shivering as a car 
honked and passed them, angry they had stopped in the middle of the 
road.  

"Shinji..." Asuka whispered.  "...don't say that..."

"Why NOT!?!" he yelled.  "Nothing's changed!  I'm better off drowning 
in LCL than staying here!  Every time I think anyone's being nice to me 
it turns out to be a LIE!"

Misato opened up the driver's side door and got out.  Asuka watched her 
leave, then turned back to Shinji.  "Shinji!  What are you talking 
about?" she whispered quickly.  "I...I mean...I like you!  I don't want 
to see you like this..."

She was cut off as Misato opened Shinji's door and hauled him out, 
almost throwing him onto the street.  "Get out here, Asuka." Misato 
demanded.

Asuka nodded quickly, not daring to disobey her guardian when she was 
like this.  The three of them were now standing in the middle of the 
road as cars honked and drove past them.  

"We're going to get this over, once and for all." Misato stated loudly.  
"I will not put up with either of you acting like this!" she sighed, 
gathering her thoughts.  "Ritsuko showed me your sync scores today.  
Rei beat both of you!"

Even Shinji looked a little surprised.  Asuka, downright horrified.  

"If we all get killed by an Angel because you two are constantly 
fighting...what a wonderful testament to the Human Race that would 
make!" Misato yelled.  "You both know Rei can't hack this by herself.  
It takes a will to live and skill to win against those bastards.  Rei 
only follows orders."

Shinji cringed like he was about to be hit as Misato knelt down in 
front of him.  "Shinji-kun.  You have to realize that we DO like you.  
I care for you like a little brother.  I'm sorry that every day, you 
are forced to fight for all of us...but that's something nobody can 
change.  It is your destiny."  she sighed.  "Just find what you need to 
keep going.  But do it soon..."

Asuka was staring at the ground as Misato turned to her.  "And you, 
Asuka.  If you're so damn perfect, maybe you should try HELPING Shinji 
for once...and not yell at him for every little thing!" she smiled 
suddenly.  "You have so much passion that you take it for granted."

"Hai..." Asuka whispered back.

"Now..." Misato sniffed.  "Shinji...come here."

Shinji complied weakly, but was suddenly dragged into a rough hug by 
Misato.  Before he could struggle free, Misato grabbed Asuka's arm and 
hauled her into the hug as well.  "Now, both of you, hug each other." 
she smiled.

Asuka and Shinji looked up at each other, then away quickly.  Finally, 
though, Misato forced them together, and they, mostly accidentally, 
hugged rather tightly, heads on the other's shoulder.  

Misato smiled happily with teary eyes.  "Now, both of you, please, just 
try to get along?  I promise once all these angels are gone, you can go 
your own ways...but...at least try not to kill each other in the 
meantime."

Shinji swallowed hard as Asuka pressed up against him.  "...okay..."

Asuka nodded slowly, trying her best not to shy away from his 
heartbeat...it had just doubled in the last three seconds, taking hers 
along with it.  "...okay..."

Misato let them go with a happy/proud look on her face, oblivious to 
the fact they were both still hugging.  "Well, come on, kids...tomorrow 
is Monday.  I don't want to keep you out too late." she sighed and 
walked back to the driver's door.  

Shinji wasn't sure what to do.  Asuka wasn't letting go...and 
therefore...he didn't want to either.  "Asuka-chan..."

"I didn't know..." she whispered.  "...that you felt like this...I'm 
sorry." she sniffled.  "I shouldn't be yelling at you...you've been 
through a lot..."

"J..." he swallowed hard.  "Just be kind to me...okay?"

Asuka finally let him go and held him out at arm's length.  She was 
smiling softly.  "Okay..."

They got back into the car and all drove home together.  At least the 
silence now wasn't forced.  









Ritsuko felt a shiver run all the way through her as she walked into 
the room.  The door labelled it as the "Dummy Plug production plant".  
She liked to think that the:  "Reiquarium" was a more fitting name.

Gendo was there...as he had been a lot lately.  Had the scenery been 
different, the small part of her mind that came up with such ideas 
suggested she sneak up behind him and wrap herself around his back, 
surprising him with an embrace.  But there was nothing romantic about 
the room with that....that...

Rei...

Rei's eyes opened and she smiled softly.  Gendo noticed and turned.  
"Good evening, Doctor..." he echoed Rei's soft smile. 

"You may be pleased to know that Rei-chan got the highest sync score 
tonight." Ritsuko smiled slightly at Rei.  Rei in turn looked very 
pleased.  

"Really...?" Gendo turned back to Rei.  "That is good news."  

"Unfortunately, it was mostly due to the Second and Third's inabilities 
to concentrate." she sighed.  "I think it's just stress.  I wonder if 
it would hurt to give them all a vacation?"

"It is irrelevant." Gendo smiled.  "If the dummy-plug works, we will no 
longer have to rely on them.  We shall be able to test the system 
soon."

Ritsuko's eyes went wide as she heard that.  "An Angel is on it's way, 
isn't it?"

"There will be more." Gendo said.  "Sooner or later.   We will be able 
to test it."

Ritsuko turned and began walking.  Sooner or later?  He knew...he had 
to know...

"Goodnight, Dr. Akagi."

"Goodnight, Ikari..."













Thirteenth Lesson:  Setting the Stage







"Back to our original conversation." Kaoru said loudly, interrupting 
the number of conversations still going since the second bell ending 
lunch had sounded.  "Who can bring us back up to speed on the nature of 
Sound?"

The class was silent for a moment as their Sensei tapped his chalk on 
the board, waiting for a reply.  

Suddenly, the door opened, admitting Shinji and Asuka into the room in 
a huff.  Kaoru smiled warmly at them both, missing Shinji's slightly 
odd look.  "Glad you could join us, Children.  Rei was beginning to 
surpass your attendance records for the month."

Rei blinked a response as the class chuckled and gave her all warm 
looks.

Not giving them a chance to apologize, Kaoru continued.  "Since you two 
are already standing...would you both mind recapping the nature of 
Sound, as we discussed last month?" he handed them a piece of chalk 
each, then went to his desk to lean against.

Asuka frowned at Shinji.  "See?  I told you we should have came this 
morning!" she began to draw on the board.  "I don't know why you don't 
like school all of a sudden."

"I just don't." Shinji mumbled.

Asuka seemed to get a glimpse of something behind Shinji's attitude.  
"We WILL talk about this later." she demanded, turning her full 
attention back to the board, just before the whispering started at why 
they were talking.

Shinji sighed.

"Shinji." Kaoru said suddenly.  "You're writing slow.  How about just 
giving us a brief description."

Shinji cringed, then turned to the class.  "Uh...mm...well..."

The class looked back, not helping much by their impatient faces.  Only 
Toji and Kensuke looked ready to hear him...oh, and Rei.  She was 
actually facing the front again.  It was her look that gave him 
strength to ignore his feelings about the class.  

"Sound is the...physical vibrations that we detect in the ear." he 
swallowed hard.  "B...but it is also what we perceive in our mind as 
such."

Kaoru nodded.  "Can you give us an example?"

Shinji looked around for inspiration.  He found it in Asuka's turned 
back.  With a nervous little smile, he nodded.  "For example, when 
you're drunk.  They say you're 'buzzed'.  Isn't that because you can 
hear buzzing?" he swallowed hard when he saw everyone's surprised 
reactions.  Asuka had stopped writing on the board after her chalk 
snapped in half.  "But...it's not really sound...just your mind." he 
finished quickly.

The class was blinking.  Toji looked impressed.  "Well, I didn't know 
Shinji could hold his booze!" he mentioned loud enough for a few people 
to giggle at. 

"Well..." Kaoru lifted up his attendance papers.  "Ikari Shinji...late 
due to hangover."

Everyone laughed, except Asuka, who glanced around quickly, then 
glowered at Shinji.  "I...I just heard from people." Shinji shrugged 
nervously.  

Asuka had a twitch to her eye...but didn't really look like she wanted 
to kill him...maybe just hurt...but at least that was a start.  Shinji 
relaxed as Sensei told them to sit down.  

"That's actually a good point, Shinji.  After all, we can all 'hear' 
our inner voices when we try to solve a problem in our heads.  We can 
imagine and recall events, sometimes to such clarity that we can hear 
the sound again." Kaoru walked over to the board.  "Getting drunk, I 
can tell you, does seem to screw around with your mind a little." he 
eyed his students.  "So I don't want you all getting drunk. It is NOT 
homework."

Everyone nodded with big grins.

"How about you, Toji?  What does sound mean to you?" Kaoru asked.  
"What's one of your favourite sounds that you can recall at whim?"

"Mm, well." Toji scratched his head.  "I mean, I kinda like the sound 
of splashing water."

"That's because you peep at the girls swim team all through gym class!" 
Hikari interrupted angrily, ignoring the chuckles that resulted. 

"Uh..." Toji shrunk under the Class Rep's glare.  "No...I mean, when 
it's really hot outside, sometimes I can remember splashing water, and 
it feels as if I just dove into a pond.  It's really nice." his voice 
was now a squeak as Hikari was almost leaning over another student's 
desk to glare at him.

"Humph." Hikari conceded and sat back down.

"Splashing water?  Ha!" Kensuke smiled and set down his camera.  "I'd 
know the sound of a F-15J's afterburners anywhere!  That's what I think 
of when class gets really boring."

"Hopefully not my class." Kaoru smiled.

"Uh...of course not, Sensei-san!"

"Good." Kaoru nodded.  "Anyway, that brings up the next point of our 
discussion." he walked over to the board and began to write on a clear 
section.  "Some sounds can make you feel happy.  Others bad.  Others 
can annoy you."

"Like Red Devil's voice." Toji smiled over at Asuka.

Asuka promptly threw her shoe, connecting with the boy's face and 
knocking him out.  "Jerk." she snuffed. 

"Lovely debate." Kaoru coughed as Kensuke helped Toji up to his seat.  
"But the point is that while Sound is an external property, it affects 
things in our mind besides the mind's ability to simply 'hear' a 
sound." he smiled and turned around, revealing a small list of dates.  
"Our topic in this class, bar the usual drivel of daily work, will be 
emotion and mental states."

Everyone groaned, sensing hard work.

"Have no fear!  There will be no homework required." Kaoru adjusted his 
glasses.  "These dates provide an outline for practice...hopefully not 
interrupted by pesky Angel Attacks...of our new class project."

Everyone sat and blinked.  Hikari finally raised her hand.  "What is 
our new class project?"

"Not so fast, dear." Kaoru circled the last date on the board.  "Does 
anyone know what this day is?"

Kensuke thought for a moment.  "Parent-Teacher-Interviews?"

"Correct!" Kaoru smiled.  "And I was thinking, what better way to share 
with your parents what you all have been learning, by offering a small 
sample of our work."

Everyone blinked.

"We..." he smiled.  "Are going to host a concert."

Everyone blinked again.

"What would be the purpose of this?" Rei asked, finally shattering the 
silence.

With a nod, Kaoru opened up his text book, reading from some line he 
had book-marked.  "Music is the way the soul communicates.  It is both 
the language, and part of the soul.  With music, one may tell a story.  
One may share love and tragedy.  And, with music, one may help another 
see that same thing they have known." he paused.  "I know there is some 
musical talent amongst you.  And those who will not be playing an 
instrument will be able to sit down and enjoy...and decipher...what the 
music means.  Perhaps it will even help you to discuss what we have all 
been talking about to your families."

The class began to nod.  Save Shinji, who was still looking gloomy.  
Asuka was the only one who noticed.  She looked worried.  Since when 
was Shinji not excited about music?  







On the way home, the situation had not improved.  Asuka watched from 
just a few steps behind as Shinji shuffled his feet along the sidewalk, 
looking down at his own feet.  Normally, she'd be quite annoyed at 
this...but worry seemed to be winning out.  Ever since she heard him 
say that one line in the car last night.  That he'd rather have died in 
the Angel.  

"Shinji?" she asked as they walked.  "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." he sighed.  It wasn't very convincing, even if one did take 
the words to be the truth.  

"Soo..." she shrugged.  "You excited about the concert idea?" she 
smiled.  "It would give you a chance to play the cello again."

"Mmm." Shinji grumbled.  "The strings are old anyway."

Asuka frowned.  "You know, I DO play the violin." she said proudly, 
leaning forward.  "We could make beautiful music together..." she 
whispered into his ear, hoping for a reaction.

Shinji all but ignored her and kept walking without missing a beat.

"Humph." she crossed her arms.  "Well that answers that."

He stopped and turned.  "Answers what?"

"You must have forgotten how to play." she glared at him.  "With all 
the times you've been beaten up, it's no wonder...I suppose I can't 
really blame you."

Shinji shifted uncomfortably in his shoes.  "I...I still know how to 
play." he frowned.  "I can play g...okay...sounding."

Asuka leaned at him until she was uncomfortably close to his face.  
"Then why are you so scared, Third Children?  Scared everyone's goinna 
laugh at you when you play off key?"

"N...NO!" Shinji backed off.  "I am NOT scared!"

She smiled evilly.  "Good." she reached out and grabbed his arm...then 
drug him across the street, weaving in and out of traffic at a rather 
impressive rate.  Shinji ran to keep up and not get hit by cars.

"What are you DOING!?!?" he gasped as they made it to the other 
side...but then kept running.

Asuka stopped suddenly, catching Shinji with one arm before he fell 
past her.  "Silence, Third Child!" she demanded with a grin on her 
face.  "And don't you DARE think I'm taking you out on a date!  I'll 
have you know that is YOUR job."

"D...DATE?!?!"

She sighed and smacked him across the head.  "I just said that it 
wasn't, baka!" she began walking again, leading them to a small 
shopping plaza.  "I expect that if I ever give you the HONOR of taking 
me on a date, we will go to a much fancier place!"

"..." Shinji swallowed hard, but couldn't help but take the note down 
in his head.  "Okay..."

"Here we are!" she announced proudly, pulling Shinji past a few parked 
cars to...

"A music store??" Shinji gasped.  "B...but I don't have money for new 
strings!"

Asuka nodded.  "And that's why you're going to owe me BIG for what I'm 
about to do." she pulled him through the door roughly, to the surprise 
of the shop-keeper.  

"Uh...good afternoon, young children!" he blinked as the red-head 
yanked the boy around by the collar, looking at some cello strings.

Asuka couldn't make any sense of the different strings, so instead 
found a cello that looked to be the same size and kind as Shinji's.  
"Is this like your cello, baka?"

Shinji nodded.  "Y...yeah, but mine's darker colored..."

Asuka turned to the shop keeper.  "I would like to get a new set of 
strings for this kind of cello, please." she stated in a no nonsense 
voice.

The older man quickly found the right kind of strings and handed them 
to Asuka.  "That will be 4320 yen, miss."

She glared at Shinji.  "4300 yen!  You better be REALLY good with these 
new strings, Shinji."

Shinji cowered promptly. 

Asuka dug out the bills and a few coins and gave them to the shop 
owner.  "I trust these are good quality for that price." she grumbled.

"Of course, miss." the man nodded.  "They are used in orchestras across 
Japan." he handed her the change and receipt.

"Good." she grabbed the package of strings, and then Shinji's collar.  
"Come on, baka!  Now you have to play."

Shinji waved to the man goodbye, barely getting out "Thank you, sir." 
before the door was closed behind him.

The man behind the counter took a deep breath.  "What an incredibly 
intense young lady." he chuckled.  "Poor boy..."







Now halfway home, and the deed done, Asuka slowed down, and was smiling 
happily.  Shinji examined the package of strings in his hands 
nervously.  "T...thank you, Asuka...but..."

"But NOTHING." she snapped.  "I said you owed me big, and I mean it."

"But...I didn't ask you to get..."

"That shouldn't matter!" she explained loudly.  "When a girl does 
something nice for you, you shouldn't be questioning it all the time!" 
she sighed.  "Especially you, Shinji.  It's not like it happens all the 
time to you."

He blushed and turned his attention back to the strings.  "F...fine.  
Thank you...they do seem to be the nicest kind..." his voice trailed 
off as he read the package.  "How did you know there was a music store 
there anyway?"

"I told you." she yawned.  "I play the violin sometimes.  I needed new 
strings a while ago too, so I looked them up.  They're the only place 
in the city that hasn't been crushed by Angels yet."

"Really?" he blinked, now in the mood to talk about music anyway.  "I 
never hear you practice."

"That's because you always have your headphones on." she shrugged.  
"Maybe you should pay attention at night." she grinned sweetly.  "Maybe 
you'd hear something you'd like..."

"Asuka!" Shinji turned bright red and stumbled for a moment.

She smiled and sighed happily.  "That's better..." she whispered to 
herself as they walked back home, side by side. 


 






Late that night, Shinji had finished tightening his strings into place.  
Little tests with finger-plucking showed them to be reasonably in tune, 
though it would be a waste of time to accurately tune them now, while 
they were still being broken in.  

"Why am I doing this?" he whispered to himself.  "I don't want to play 
for school..."

His bo felt nice in his hand again.  It had been too long since he'd 
practiced, though, and he was hesitant as he touched the horse-hair 
against the strings.  

"But..." he sighed, very lightly bringing the bo across the strings.  A 
quiet, smooth sound was emitted from the instrument.  "Asuka asked me 
to..."

Shinji's brow lightened for a moment.  "She asked me to play.  She 
didn't say I had to...she...she's trying to be nice to me." he sighed.  
"Maybe I should.  Maybe I can..."

His hand pulled the hair back across the strings harder now.  A 
beautiful, crisp, deep vibration was heard.  

"And...maybe I can talk to Sensei about this..." Shinji wondered out 
loud.  There was a twitch in his voice.  Anger.  Frustration.  But at 
least it was having a voice.  

With a deep sigh, Shinji relaxed and let the music take him.  Slow, 
steady rhythms, not loud enough to wake his roommates, but lout enough 
to carry substance in the tiny bedroom.  





Across the hall...a tear escaped from the corner of Asuka's eye.  The 
music was just barely heard, but she could have sworn Shinji was right 
there with her.  Cello and all.  Though it invoked tears with it's 
soulful, strong sound...she also had a smile on her face.  














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.  "Shit.  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.












Fifteenth Lesson: New Disguise







"Back when I was a child..." Kaoru said as he handed Shinji a cup "...I 
didn't really have anything else except my music."

They stood alone in the cafeteria, helping themselves to some of the 
vending machine drinks and snacks.  Luckily, they were always open, 
even on Sunday.  Both of them agreed that talking over food would be a 
nice change.  Asuka and Rei would probably just go home.

Shinji filled his cup up with water and they walked over to one of the 
empty tables.  He had only eaten here two days out of the year, often 
when the classroom had been busy, so the whole room had an unfamiliar, 
empty feeling.  He sat down, content to listen, though, ignoring the 
odd state of mind he was in.  

"You know, Shinji..." Kaoru took a sip of coffee.  "One thing every 
teacher is told is where to draw the line with a student's personal 
life, and school life.  However, I'm a little concerned how you never 
seem to talk much about the earlier in your free-writing assignments." 
he paused.  "Do you like doing those?"

Shinji perked up and nodded quickly.  "I do, Sensei.  They're a lot of 
fun, actually."

"I enjoy reading them." Kaoru smiled back.  "But most of the students 
talk about the usual stuff..." he shrugged, waving his hand around.  
"What they did for summer, how much they hate sitting at home or hiding 
out when the angels attack, blah blah blah." he smiled.  "Not that it's 
a bad thing, just compared to what you and Asuka write, it's a whole 
different class."

"Asuka-chan?" Shinji blinked, turning slightly pink.  "What does she 
write about?"

"Shinji..." Kaoru sighed.  "I really shouldn't tell." he took a quiet 
sip from his cup and shook his head.  "Really, you and Asuka spend 
enough time together, if she wanted you to know what she writes about, 
I'm sure she'd tell you."

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing." Shinji said quietly, 
staring into his cup.  

"Quite frankly, it is, Shinji." Kaoru said suddenly.  "Did you know 
that three of the stories I've received so far involve you getting 
murdered and then a big mystery springing up...eventually showing that 
Asuka was your killer?" he shook his head.  "How you two can live 
together is a point of amazement for me."

"If you actually got to know her..." Shinji grumbled under his breath.  

Kaoru blinked like he had been shot.

Shinji looked up.  "What?"

"...nothing." Kaoru sighed, shaking his head.  "No, you're right.  I'm 
out of line." he smiled.  "Though I must say, Shinji, you have the 
patience of a Saint to put up with her.  From what I've been told, you 
always have." he shook his head.  "I'm just scared it might not be in 
your best interests."

"What do you mean?" Shinji frowned.  

"Shinji..." he sighed.  "You two are both only sixteen years old, in 
the world's most dangerous profession, and have to deal with that 
lovely awkward time called Adolescence.  The last thing either of you 
need is to..."

"What?" Shinji interrupted.  "Be NICE to each other?"

Kaoru stopped himself in mid-sip.  "Pardon?"

"For the first time Asuka's been in my life I can actually talk to 
her." Shinji explained.  His voice was still coming on strong, though, 
not letting up for a moment.  "She knows things about me and piloting 
Eva that you could never HOPE to understand!  I can finally talk to 
her, and now everyone thinks that it's some horrible bad thing!" he 
glared up at Kaoru.  "Some even think that they might have a chance at 
her now that they know she's not a complete bitch.  How does that 
sound, Sensei?"

Kaoru blinked, completely unable to do much more. 

"Asuka is my music, Sensei." Shinji sighed, settling down slightly.  "I 
don't know if she knows that, or wants to be any more, but when I am 
around her, and I hear her, and she talks to me, I feel better.  She 
can be yelling at me, but I still enjoy it.  I like that she isn't 
afraid of anything, Sensei.  I like how she fights everything she 
doesn't like.  Sometimes I think I can be like that, even just a little 
bit, when I'm around her."

There was a long silence.  Kaoru slowly finished his coffee as Shinji 
stared into his water.  

"I didn't know..." Kaoru sighed finally. 

Shinji looked up, surprised to see him looking away.  

"I thought I knew you, Mister Ikari." he sighed, shaking his head.  
"But to tell you the truth, I'm still learning as well.  You, Asuka and 
even Rei.  You're all nothing like what I expected." he let loose a 
small chuckle.  "One can learn about a student only so much from the 
records, I guess."

Shinji nodded quietly to himself.  "I guess so."

"It's a compliment, I can assure you." Kaoru smiled, turning back 
around.  He took off his glasses, to Shinji's surprise, and wiped his 
eyes with a napkin.

"...Are you okay, Sensei?"

"I'm fine." he nodded sternly, sliding back on his glasses.  "I promise 
you I won't bring up this subject again.  But if you need any help on 
the matter of Miss Langley, or anyone else for that matter, you know 
you're free to talk to me about it, right?"

Shinji nodded with a shy smile.  "Okay." 

"Good." Kaoru sighed.  "Sorry..." he added after a pause.  "I'm no good 
at this kind of thing."

"Really?" Shinji blinked.  "You're probably the best teacher I've had."

"You're still not getting an A on that last report, Mister Ikari." 
Kaoru smiled. "So just forget it."

They chuckled for a moment, then relaxed and finished their lunch.









Asuka was bouncing.  

Well, that wasn't quite the correct term, but she wasn't exactly 
behaving normally anyway.  Not that Shinji considered her to be very 
normal to begin with, but she normally walked back home behind him.

Today, as they walked back to the apartment, Shinji found himself being 
glared at from all angles.  Asuka would be beside him, then suddenly on 
his other side, circling him like a shark with her sharp eyes and 
pursed lips.  

He let it continue for as long as he could stand, but finally broke 
down.  "WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled, coming to a stop.

"What were you two talking about?" Asuka demanded, glaring at him.  

"You." Shinji smirked.  Asuka's face went into a panic.  "Just 
kidding." he sighed, a split second before she launched into a barrage 
of questions.  

"Not funny." Asuka frowned.  Her face softened slightly.  "I saw you 
crying."

"I'm better now." Shinji blushed considerably.  Even redder than usual.  
He picked up his pace and passed her on the sidewalk.  "I just had a 
lot on my mind."

Asuka smiled.  "You always have a lot on your mind." she raised her 
finger in a scolding manor.  "You should learn to talk to someone so it 
doesn't keep building up."

"And since when have you told anyone anything???" Shinji countered.

Asuka blinked and shook her head.  "I don't count.  You see, I'm a 
genius, so obviously, my brain can handle pretty much anything!" she 
said proudly.

"How do you expect me to tell you anything if you don't tell me 
anything?" Shinji said as he walked.  "If you wanted me to say 
something, that might be a good way to start."

Asuka blinked then shrugged, catching up to him.  "Okay.  What do you 
want to know?"

"It doesn't work like that." Shinji sighed, keeping his eyes forward.  
He paused for a moment, then looked at her.  "Is there anything you 
want to tell me about?"

She actually seemed to consider the idea...before huffing in 
frustration.  "What could I possibly have to tell you?"

"I don't know." Shinji said dryly.  "That's why I asked."

Realizing she wasn't about to sneak out of the situation so easily, 
Asuka sighed and gave Shinji a long, steady glare.  "Very well.  I 
don't like being asked personal questions.  How's THAT for an insight 
into my mind??"

Shinji shrugged.  "I suppose it's a start."

Asuka raised an eyebrow.  "Now it's your turn."

"I heard you and Sensei Kaoru talking." Shinji said quietly, never 
slowing down.

Asuka, however, suddenly found it hard to walk.

"W...WHAT?" she gasped.  

"He seemed really upset about something." Shinji said.  His voice was a 
little more tense than before, but didn't seem to be ready to crack.  
"I guess with the school's views on student-sensei relationships it 
would be pretty..."

"WHAT!!!!!!!?" Asuka suddenly found speed again, and she raced up to in 
front of Shinji, stopping him with a look.  "What are you TALKING 
about?!?" despite her exasperation, though, her blush betrayed the fact 
she knew exactly what he meant.

"Oh...I'm not mad." Shinji said, walking past her like she wasn't even 
there.  "I mean, I was...but I thought about it.  I don't want to hate 
Sensei just because of this...and well, I suppose I'm used to you and 
Kaji...I don't see why I should be all worked up about this."

"Shinji!" Asuka gasped.  Something about that statement hurt a lot, and 
it threw her off guard.  "Wh...well, what about us!?!"

Shinji blinked and turned, surprised to hear that.  The moment he did, 
Asuka turned bright red and turned away.  "Us?"

"I mean..." she coughed.  "...Nothing's going on with me and Kaoru, so 
there's no reason for you to be worried about it."

"You can stop pretending." Shinji shrugged calmly.  His eerie smooth 
demeanour was beginning to worry Asuka.  "I told you.  I'm used to it."

To Asuka, Shinji seemed almost tired.  Like he had been putting way too 
much thought into it and finally accepted this 'situation' he had in 
his mind.  As she ran over the events of the last few days in her mind, 
she began to feel very guilty.  "Stop all this crap, Shinji!" she 
demanded.  "There is NOTHING going on between Kaoru and I!"

He just shrugged and kept walking.  

Asuka growled as she watched him walk away.  "Dammit, Shinji!" she ran 
up to him.  "Fine!  You want to know what's in my head?  You scare me 
to DEATH!"

Shinji blinked, not quite expecting it.  "W...what?"

"When you were inside that damn Angel, I thought I had lost you." Asuka 
said, grabbing his shirt and spinning him around.  "Misato had the 
NERVE to send Rei and I for a BREAK as they tried to figure out the 
best way to blow you to Kingdom Come!" a tear slid down the side of her 
cheek and she shook her head.  "Kaji wasn't home.  I needed someone to 
talk to." she chuckled softly.  "I even considered talking to 
Wondergirl," her scowl returned "but she went SWIMMING!"

He stayed quiet, watching her eyes for any sign of treachery, but found 
none.   

"So I ran to our Sensei's apartment, Shinji." she sighed, pulling him 
closer.  "I bawled like a little baby for ten minutes before I finally 
passed out on his couch." she sighed, pausing only to wipe a tear from 
her nose.  "And when I woke up, I gave him a kiss and thanked him for 
listening."

All of Shinji's brain did a double take.  

Images of some raunchy, deprived moment of passion were swept away.  
Hours of adolescent over-analyzing were destroyed.  All replaced with 
the simple image of a little Asuka leaning over and giving her teacher 
a simple kiss on the...

"Cheek or mouth?" Shinji asked suddenly.

"Mouth." Asuka admitted with a blush.  "But it was just a touch."

....A simple kiss on the mouth, then she rocked back on her heels and 
ran off to save the day, leaving the poor teacher blushing something 
terrible.  After all, it wasn't socially acceptable for a teacher to be 
kissed by a student...at least not on the mouth.  Maybe a cheek.  

Shinji slumped.

The sound was almost audible.  His entire body releasing the breath he 
had been holding for the last 3 days without his knowledge.  

"Oh..." he said simply, looking up at her with apologetic eyes.  

Asuka raised an eyebrow.  "You thought I did something perverted with 
him...DIDN'T you?!?!?!"   Of course she knew...but this was her revenge 
now.  She wasn't about to pass it up.  

"H...hai..." Shinji turned stoplight-quality red all over his body.

"BAKA!" she smacked him on top of the head.  "And you FORGAVE HIM?" she 
crossed her arms.  "But you still hated me for it!????  I would have 
expected you to avenge my purity for such a perverted thing!!!"

"Gomen!" Shinji cringed, now completely under her mercy.  He would have 
probably passed out from the sudden tension release, but luckily, Asuka 
was around to keep him on his toes. "I'm so sorry, Asuka-chan!  OW!  
Really!  I'm sorry!"

Asuka sighed and stopped smacking him.  "Shut up and kiss me before I 
change my mind." she grabbed him by his shirt and hauled him in before 
he knew what was happening.

"Gom...mmmmph!"














Sixteenth Lesson:  "Timing is everything"






Misato yawned.

She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.  Of course, she also wasn't 
getting much sleep.  Good Mother-Nature seemed to connect the two quite 
well, and therefore, one could be explained by the other.  

"Are you okay, Major?" the voice of Ritsuko floated over to her across 
the lounge.

The Major nodded.  "Just grab me a coffee on the way and I'll live." 
she turned around.  A smile slid across her lips as she saw her friend 
already bringing an extra mug over.  "Thanks."

"Why so sleepy?" Ritsuko asked, sitting down across from her.  She took 
off her glasses and started to rub her nose.  "Has Kaji been spending 
his weekends with you again?"

"WHAT!?!" Misato spluttered.  Ritsuko just grinned.  "Of course not!" 
she frowned.  "Actually, I haven't seen him in a while.  Normally he at 
least stops by..."

"Then who's the lucky guy?" Ritsuko pressed.  "I doubt it's work that's 
been keeping you up late.  We've been slow ever since the cleanup 
effort was finished." she smirked.  It sounded so mundane, but of 
course, a NERV cleanup effort usually involved several tones of gore 
and a river of water and industrial strength cleaners.

"No, it's not that." Misato finished another big yawn before trying a 
bit of the coffee.  "If THAT was the case, I wouldn't be complaining 
about it." she smirked.

Ritsuko shrugged.  "Then...what???"

"The Children." Misato grumbled.  "I don't know why someone didn't tell 
me before."

"Asuka and Shinji?" Ritsuko blinked.  "Why?  What are they..."

"I mean, far be it for me to ruin a party." Misato yawned.  "But 
they're at it EVERY night!"

CLINK!  Ritsuko nearly dropped her cup.  "Pardon?"

"Well, I'm not sure when they started.  But it sounds like they've been 
doing it for a while now." Misato took a long, grateful sip of her 
coffee as Ritsuko just blinked at her.  "I just wish they didn't do it 
when I was around.  Good coffee, by the way."

"But..." the scientist gasped.  "Don't you want to be there to stop 
it?"

"Why would I stop them?" Misato raised an eyebrow.  "I mean, I don't 
want to spoil their fun or anything."

"You don't try to stop them!?!?" Ritsuko blinked.  "Do they know you 
know?"

"Of course they do." she shrugged.  "Kinda hard for me not to.  They're 
at it all the time." she chuckled.  "They even asked if I wanted to 
join in one time, but I'd be too embarrassed.  It's been so long!"

Ritsuko turned white...then completely red.  

"Well, I mean, it's not like they're perfect either, but I'm probably 
even more out of practice." Misato continued.  "They sound really good 
together...but, well, especially Asuka, every once in a while she'll 
just let out this screech that just drives me nuts and..."

"YOU ARE A PERVERT!!!!!!" Ritsuko yelled, attracting the attention of 
the dozen or so others sharing the lounge with them. 

Misato blinked.  "Pardon?????"

"YOU!  THEM!  Just sitting back and...listening to them having...making 
out across the hall!??!" Ritsuko huffed.  "Commander Ikari is goinna 
KILL YOU when he gets the physical scan results this week!!!!!!"

Misato blinked again.  Then started laughing.

"This is NO laughing matter, Major!" Ritsuko slammed her cup on the 
table.  

"They're practicing for a concert." Misato laughed.  "A school concert.  
With music."

Everyone looked at Ritsuko.  Ritsuko promptly wished to die. 

"Oh..."

"Calm down already!" Misato chuckled.  "Well, I gotta thank you for 
yelling like that.  I'm awake now."

Completely red, Ritsuko tried to compose herself.  "Well...the way it 
sounded..." she coughed.  "So what's this concert thing?"

"Nice recovery." Misato added with a tip back of her mug.  "Well, from 
what I can gather, the kids are going to put on a concert for parent 
teacher interviews.  Should be a nice change from the usual boring 
chats."

"A concert?" Ritsuko pondered.  "Rei hasn't said anything about that."

"Well, I suppose it's not dealing with her normal work.  Maybe she 
didn't think it was important to bring up." she finished her drink.  
"Rei doesn't exactly inspire casual conversation."

"You'd be surprised." Ritsuko smiled cryptically.  "But yeah, I suppose 
you're right." she yawned.  "I wonder if the Commander would want to 
come?"

Misato blinked.  "The Commander?" she smirked.  "Since when does he 
live outside of NERV?"

"It's been a slow time for everyone, Major." she smiled.  "I'm sure 
he'd like to spend time with his son."

Her friend replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, at least once in a while." Ritsuko amended, then turned her 
attentions back to her own cup.

Misato started to snicker.

Ritsuko blinked.  "What?"

"You're lucky you stopped me when you did." she said with a groan.  "I 
was just about to say they're practicing their fingering tonight."

"Cut that out!"








"Shinji?"

Shinji blinked, looking up from his music sheet.  "Yes?"

"I'm bored." Asuka yawned, setting aside her violin.

Shinji blinked.  "Oh."







Kaoru sighed as he walked down the street.  The weekend was hard for 
him, as it always was.  Too much time alone to get caught up in stray 
thoughts.  Still, at least he had some essays to grade and dinner to 
make.  At least he wouldn't be completely bored that evening.  

That thought took on a whole new meaning as he opened the door to his 
apartment.

He smelled coffee. 

And cologne. 

"What the..." Kaoru closed the door behind himself and was about to put 
down his groceries when he felt the cold metal touch of a gun barrel at 
the base of his neck.

In a calm, cool voice, Kaji Ryouji walked out from behind his shoulder 
and said:  "You might not want to make any sudden moves." a smile.  
"Your coffee has a lot more caffeine than I'm used to, and I'm a little 
jumpy."

Kaoru breathed out a long sigh.  "I don't suppose I could offer you 
some decaf?"

"That all depends on what you say in the next ten minutes." Kaji stated 
flatly.  "If I like what you have to say, then sure, I wouldn't mind a 
cup.  If I don't, you'll have to worry about bloodstains on your carpet 
instead of coffee."







It probably would have hurt a lot if he had been paying attention to 
his back at that moment.  Losing your balance and being wedged against 
another body and the edge of the dining table would usually warrant a 
cry of pain.  

All Shinji said was:  "HmPH!" 

Of course, his mouth was slightly muffled by the mouth of Asuka Langley 
Sohryu.  She gasped, breaking free from the kiss with a worried look on 
her face.  "Are you okay?"  Her voice was almost drowsy, just over a 
whisper.  Shinji found it rather pleasant indeed.

Shinji nodded, propping himself up at a less painful angle...also 
serving to quiet the worries of Asuka, who found the situation again 
convenient for a kiss.  Her arms circled around his back, propping 
herself against the table as well, but just enough so she could lay 
against his body and kiss him harder. 

A bored Asuka, Shinji found, was a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, it was becoming so even more when he felt her arms slide 
around to his front and start to work on his belt buckle.  The warning 
signals in his mind told him he should start to panic now, but he 
reasoned it was only fair...

after all, Asuka was now leaning against him without a skirt, clad only 
in panties.  

He relaxed against her and tried not to shake too much, instead 
focusing on her mouth pressed against his.  Oh, and her tongue was 
rather nice as well.  "Mmm..."







With one final yawn, Misato gave up.  Ritsuko and Maya both looked over 
to her and shook their head.  

"Major, you should get home and get some sleep." the elder said, 
turning away from the projection screen.  "You're only allowed to pull 
in three hours overtime without authorization anyway."

Misato sighed and looked at her watch, then at the report board.  She 
wanted to get a head start on next week's paperwork, but it was 
beginning to fade in and out of her mind anyway.  "Maybe you're right." 
she nodded, rubbing her eyelids.  "Can you two handle it from here?"

Maya nodded with her usual spunk.  "Of course, Major.  You go home and 
get some sleep."

The Major rose to her feet and grabbed her coat.  "Okay.  Just put the 
reports under my door when you leave so I can look them over tomorrow 
morning." she yawned.  "I hope the Children play something quiet 
tonight."

Ritsuko smiled and nodded her head as Misato walked out of the door.  
Maya looked up at her.  "Sempai?"

"They're having a concert at school." Ritsuko explained with a chuckle.  
"I'm glad you weren't around this afternoon, though.  I was so 
embarrassed!"

Maya smiled brightly, eager to know.  "What do you mean?"

"Well, the way Misato put it..." she laughed.  "I thought she was 
talking about Shinji and Asuka having sex.  Very loud sex."

The younger scientist promptly blushed redder than a tomato.  
"T...That's disgusting!"

"I thought so too." Ritsuko laughed quietly.  "But then she explained 
why they were keeping her up all night.  Practicing for the concert." 
she shook her head.  "I should have known.  Asuka would probably kill 
the poor guy if he ever tried to lay a hand on her body."

Maya laughed and nodded.  "That sure does sound like Asuka, Sempai."






"N...no!" Asuka scolded Shinji as he reached around under her shirt.

Shinji paused, confused.

"It's not a snap-clasp..." she smiled softly.  "It's a button to the 
left..."

"Ahh...okay..." Shinji's fingers promptly found the right clasping 
mechanism on her bra.  A satisfying 'click' later and the strap was 
free.

Asuka purred her approval of his handiwork and smothered his mouth with 
her own once more.  "Mmm...you're good at this...have you been 
practicing on Rei again?" she teased as she slid his belt away.

"No way!" Shinji said, turning slightly pink around the ears.  Then, he 
smiled.  "She has the snap-clasps..."

"BAKA!" Asuka laughed and bit his lip playfully.






Kaji never let his eyes off Kaoru as he drug a chair into the living 
room area from the kitchen.  He twisted it around, making the back face 
forward and then sat down, hanging his gun in front of himself, ready 
in case it had to be used.  

"Do you know who I am?" Kaji asked firstly.

Kaoru sighed, shaking his head.  "I have no idea.  You know, I'm just a 
teacher.  If you're here for cash you picked a really lousy..."

"Miyazaki Kaoru." Kaji interrupted.  "Age 26.  Blood type A.  You are a 
teacher of second year middle-school classes A-1 and A-2 at Tokyo Three 
Marduke, and say your birth-date is June first, but I have records that 
state July first." he cocked his head to the side.  "Tell me, do you 
often get those two mixed up?"

Kaoru just blinked, completely stunned.  

"You can call me Kaji.  As you can guess, I don't care about money." he 
smiled grimly.

"Kaji?" Kaoru blinked.  

He frowned.  "I'm sorry...but have we met before?"

"N...no..." Kaoru shook his head, looking away quickly.  "I...just I 
used to know someone with that name..." he chuckled.  "Never mind."

Kaji searched his memories for anyone else with his name, but came up 
blank.  He made a mental note to check personnel files again.  "Now, if 
you don't mind, I think you are down to eight minutes."

"Eight minutes?" Kaoru blinked.

Kaji nodded, then leaned forward slightly to make his point.  "Yes.  
Eight minutes to tell me why you're stalking the pilots of the 
Evangelion."

Kaoru made every attempt he could to keep calm, but that didn't turn 
out to be nearly enough under the older man's glare.  

"W...what do you mean!?!?" he sputtered.  "I'm their teacher!  I'm not 
stalking..."

Kaji reached across to the coffee table nearby, retrieving an object 
that Kaoru hadn't noticed on his way inside the door.  

It was his cardboard box.  From the closet. 

Kaoru went completely white as Kaji turned the box upside down, letting 
the contents fall out.

A worn, slightly chipped and damaged, but still recognizable red 
synchronization headset hit the carpet with a soft bounce.

Kaoru looked up at Kaji to see the gun was now re-pointed at him.  He 
was finding it hard to breathe at that point.  "I...I can explain 
everything!"

The perpetually unshaven man nodded once and smiled.  "Seven minutes."







Misato's blue Alpine Renault A310 slid to a stop in her parking stall 
not too long after she left NERV.  Mainly because she drove like a 
maniac as usual, and missed a red light due to almost falling asleep at 
the wheel.  

"Ahh...home sweet home." she yawned, looking up at the apartment with a 
sigh to see the lights were still on.  "Damn...another practice 
session." she grumbled, walking up the steps to the door.







Asuka resolved to practice this more often.

To his credit, Shinji was an excellent kisser for someone who would 
usually get a nosebleed and pass out at the sight of someone else 
kissing.  Not that Asuka was any more learned on the subject, but she 
was definitely a more willing student.  

The whole exchange was beginning to get a little more involved now.  To 
let Shinji know she didn't mind his reactions to her, she was now 
pressing herself up against his pelvis.  Of course, it wasn't exactly a 
bad deal for her, and she was finding breath was a luxury at the 
moment.  

Poor Shinji's mind was completely fried at this point, of course, but 
saved himself from becoming a babbling puddle on the floor by kissing 
Asuka with all his might.  What little part of his mind was not focused 
on caressing her lips and tongue with his own was currently trying to 
solve the puzzle of how to remove her bra from under her shirt.  One 
final tug earned him his reward, coaxing a content little sigh from her 
as he let the white cotton restraint flutter to the floor.  







Misato cursed as she walked back out to the car, this time remembering 
to lock the doors.  

Then, she sighed, turned around, and walked back up to the apartment.  
"I am soooooo tired..." she grumbled to herself.







Shinji winced involuntarily as Asuka began to kiss neck.  "Ouch..."

Asuka paused, realizing her poor roommate was still propped up against 
the table after all this time.  "Oh, Shinji-kun...should we move?"

He nodded weakly.  "W...where to?"

The redhead looked into his eyes with a smile.  "I have an idea."

Shinji began to sweat.

"I..." she whispered into his ear...with her hand slowly descending 
down his chest.  "Am going to run a bath..."

"A bath?" Shinji swallowed hard.

"Yes." Asuka nodded, letting her hair rub up against his cheek.  The 
way he was shivering betrayed the fact he liked it more than he was 
letting on.  She smiled and continued.  "Oh yes.  And then I am going 
to get into the bathtub."

"Oh..."

"But..." Asuka pouted playfully.  "I'm so tired, Shinji...and I don't 
think I can make it out of my clothes..."

"Oh?" 

"So I want you to come in and help me take them off when I'm in the 
tub." Asuka smiled against his ear.

Shinji stopped breathing as Asuka finally backed away slowly, now clad 
only in her panties and her white school shirt, already without it's 
tie.  "Okay..." he nodded weakly.

"Good." Asuka winked, slowly backing away.  "Just wait until you hear 
the water stop." she grinned like a kitten who had just been tossed a 
ball of string.  "Nice shorts, by the way."

Shinji quickly covered himself, but smiled.  "Uh...thanks..."

"See you in a bit..." she said finally, before feeling her way around 
the corner. 

"Oh god..." Shinji shivered as he heard the water start up. 







"I told you already!" Kaoru yelled back.  "I don't HAVE all the 
answers!"

"That's not a very smart thing to say when you only have three minutes 
to live the rest of your life without holes!" Kaji growled, cocking his 
weapon to make the point.  "Actually, you have four...if I start 
shooting you in the legs and arms first."

"I TOLD YOU!" the teacher pleaded.  "I love those kids as if they were 
my own!  I would NEVER hurt them!  This is just something I found in 
the bloody garbage and..."

"Then what about the LCL, Kaoru?" Kaji never let up for a second.  "Do 
three canisters of Link Connect Liquid have some sentimental value to 
your sick mind as well?" he pushed aside the chair.  "I cared for Asuka 
for four and a half years, Mister.  If you think I'm letting you off 
with a 'I'd never hurt them' rap, you have another thing coming."

"If I told you," Kaoru said with accusing eyes "you'd never believe me 
anyway."

"Then make me a believer, buddy." Kaji said.  "Two minutes."








Misato started towards the door of the apartment building once again.  
She wasn't grumbling this time, though, since her delay was caused by 
beer.

"I'll have to thank the manger for staying open for me." Misato smiled 
to herself as she lugged the case of cans up along the stairs.  
"Though, I suppose I spend enough money there...he owes it to me." she 
already had a can popped open and in her hand.

"I wonder how the kids are doin?" she wondered to herself around a 
mouthful of Yebisu.

The elevator doors closed a moment later and she ascended. 






Shinji paced back and forth now.  He was only able to do so by taking 
off his pants completely, but walking around the kitchen in his 
underwear was the last thing on his mind at the moment.  

"Are we goinna do it?" he whispered to himself.  "What's Misato-san 
going to say?  What's Father going to say?  What am I goinna do if she 
gets pregnant?" he groaned.  "What if she laughs?  Oh god, what if she 
laughs?  Or doesn't like it?  I'm going to go crazy!" he stated to 
himself loudly.  

"What if I don't like it?" he wondered, but struck that out of his 
mind.  "What if she doesn't like it?  What if she doesn't want to do it 
again but I do?" he began to panic.  "What if I accidentally tell her 
that I..." he swallowed hard.  "A...and then she laughs or kicks me 
away or..."

He could hear splashing in the tub. 

"Oh god I want her..." Shinji whimpered.  "I...Maybe..." his eyes 
brightened.  "We don't HAVE to do it today...maybe I can 
just...well..." he pondered the other activities in his mind.  After 
all, hanging around Toji and Kensuke was more than enough sexual 
education to at least know what to do in times like this.  "...yeah...I 
mean...I want to, but I'm sure she'll want to wait till later too..." 
Shinji's eyes brightened.  "She keeps saying she doesn't want kids 
anyway...so she probably just wants to..." he turned red.  "...be naked 
and..." his frazzled mind couldn't bear saying anything more but:  
"...and stuff..."

He began to pick up his shirt and Asuka's bra and skirt, absentmindedly 
tucking them under his arms to bring to the clothes hamper in the 
laundry room. 

"I mustn't run away." he told himself, then thought with a smile.  "The 
Asuka in my mind doesn't want me to run away..."

The water began to slow.

Shinji fought the urge to pass out, and began the long, dangerous trek 
(15 steps) to the bathroom door.






"Thirty seconds." Kaji pressed his gun to Kaoru's temple, making the 
poor man stutter even more.

"I can't tell you because I don't know myself!" he begged, holding his 
hands up over his head.  "I wish I had the answers!  I DON'T!  I can't 
leave until it's finished, though!"

"Until WHAT is finished!?!" Kaji demanded.  "Fifteen!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" the teacher screamed.  "I don't KNOW what's going to 
happen!  Things have started to change!"

"Ten!  Nine!" the gun dug in harder.

"AAHGH!  PLEASE!  JUST LISTEN TO ME!"

"Five seconds!  I'm ALL ears!" Kaji demanded, his finger already 
pressing into the trigger, taking some of the 5 pounds of pressure 
needed away from the mechanism.  

Kaoru stammered, desperate on what to say.

"THREE!!"

"Oh god!"

"TWO!!"

"B..."

"ONE!!!!!!!!"

"SAMAEL!!!!!" Kaoru yelled back.







Shinji placed his shaky hand against the door frame as the water 
stopped flowing.

"Asuka?" he asked in a small voice.

"Mmm..." she replied with a soft moan that almost brought him to his 
knees right then and there in the hall.  "Come on in, Shinji...the 
water's perfect..."

The door slid open.

Shinji almost had a heart attack when he realized it was the front 
door.  His hand jetted away from the bathroom door and held onto the 
clothes in his hands just as Misato peered into the hall.  "Hey 
Shinji!" she yawned. 

"A...A...Misato-san!" he prayed he wasn't already beet-red.  
"Y...you're home!"

He heard a splash come from within the bathroom, as well as a gasp.  

Misato nodded, then paused, looking him over.  "Why do you have Asuka-
chan's skirt in your hands?"

"J...just do...doing the laundry." Shinji fumbled.  "B...But Asuka's in 
the bath so..."

Misato frowned, but her foggy mind didn't detect much more than 
Shinji's usual nervous banter.  "Oh, okay then." she took a long sip 
from her beer.  "Can you kids keep it quiet tonight?  I'm dead tired."

"S...sure thing, Misato-san." Shinji bowed his head slightly as Misato 
walked past him in the hallway.  "Oh, and remind me to tell you about 
Ritsuko tomorrow morning." she laughed.  "She's so much fun to 
embarrass."

Shinji nodded.  "Goodnight, Misato-san." he gave one last look at the 
bathroom door, then quickly turned and walked off to his room, pausing 
only to throw the clothes in the laundry.  






Asuka Langley Sohryu sat in a tub of steaming hot water up to her nose.

Her hair, now damp from the steam, hung frazzled around her neck as she 
glared at her knees...sticking out of the otherwise pristine water's 
surface.  

Her eyebrows were knitted together in such a way to suggest extreme 
frustration. 

Her clothes, being white and soaking wet, would have offered quite a 
view for a certain Eva Pilot...had not a certain NERV Major interrupted 
the events of the evening.  While it would have been quite sexy indeed, 
because of the sudden lack of fantasy and desire in her mind, she 
currently felt like a drowned rat.

"BRELABLBLLALABLALBLABLAAA!" she bubbled angrily, almost sending more 
of the water into steam-form.

Had there not been water in the way of her yelling, this fan fiction 
would have to be censored to keep it's Lime rating, because there would 
be no way to explain how a 12" diameter brass pipe, a grizzly bear, and 
Misato could possibly be in that situation without some kind of 
extreme, sexual imagery. 

Luckily, when Asuka did lean back far enough to expose her lips to the 
air, she simply added:

"And then...I...am going to KILL her..."












Seventeenth Lesson:  Digging Graves







Kaji swallowed hard in the dry air, shivering with the effort of 
holding on as the line retracted back into his grappling pack.  He 
clung onto the side of a double-helix of illuminated metal that 
stretched up and down for what seemed to be infinity.  What little 
light there was came from the shaft of 'DNA' he hung on to, and a 
similar glowing tunnel that spiralled around the edges of the cavern he 
was descending down.  

How it all hung like this in mid air, he dared not guess, because he 
was currently survived only by hanging on for dear life.  

"If..." he gasped.  "...This doesn't pay off...I'm goinna KILL that 
asshole!"

Finally, he heard a small 'thunk!'  His backpack shook slightly, and he 
reached around with his free hand and found the hook that had finally 
managed to reel itself up to him again.

It was the only way to descend the shaft without using the 
elevator...an action that was no doubt recorded, even with security 
clearance.  Kaji attached the hook onto the metal where he was, secured 
it with the electronics and magnetic lock, and then, for the sixth 
time, let himself drop off of the shaft, trusting his fate to the 
mechanics of his gear. 

After about twenty seconds of sheer acceleration, the backpack began to 
slow him down before the end of the line was reached.  A few seconds 
later, it stopped abruptly, and he swung himself over to the next part 
of his ladder, holding on as he disengaged the hook above thanks to the 
electronics.  

About twenty seconds later, the hook passed him, safely out of reach so 
as not to ricocheted off his head, and the backpack began to reel the 
line in so he could make another descent.  It was terribly time 
consuming...but really, the elevator would have probably taken longer 
anyway.

He had made this journey three times before, each time learning more 
about the systems so he could proceed deeper into Dogma.  To his 
dismay, the last leg of his journey had always been interrupted, as 
there was a solid-state computerized lock on the final chamber's 
entrance.  

Kaji cursed himself for leaving Kaoru.  He should have brought the 
bastard into Gendo and watched the fun.  Still...

If Kaoru was telling the truth...

Then that was worth the risk.  He had to know.  

"This is going to make a very interesting journal entry." he sighed, 
dropping the final leg of the route.

This time, the backpack sensed the ground coming up and began to slow 
him down early.  By the time his feet touched down on the ground, he 
was almost hovering.  The hook above disengaged and dropped with a 
muffled 'THUNK!' next to him before reeling back into his pack.  

Kaji took the climbing gear off and stretched his shoulders, finally 
able to relax until he had to go back up.  With the soft glow around 
him, he saw he was at the entrance to a hallway.  The door seemed to 
appear out of nowhere thanks to the strange light and darkness.  

He walked through the door...it only being guarded by an unlocked knob.  
The hall was short and dank.  Most of the florescent lights above had 
been long burnt out, and the floor was probably the dirtiest he'd seen 
in all of the NERV complex.

The other end of the hall, however, had a REAL door.  Polished 
stainless steel and whatever other alloys that composed it's structure 
spelled strength against even the most persistent intruder.  The 
computerized lock was also much different than the usual.  While NERV 
had these locks all over the place, often they would have diagnostics 
and programming ports that Kaji could use to bypass the codes or 
discover what they were.

This lock was a chip built into the door, filled with concrete to 
provide no access except for a keypad.  Last time he had brought a 
scanner, and almost gave up when he saw the structure of the door and 
lock.  If he destroyed the lock, the door would never move again until 
technicians arrived to replace it.  If he tried to hack into 
it...well...how would he be able to do that?  Even the keypad only had 
input...no I/O port to use.  

And so, it was with all this in mind that he wondered how Kaoru could 
possibly be telling the truth.  When only Ritsuko and Commander Ikari 
probably had access to this door.  

He walked up to it and typed in one word:

                               S-A-M-A-E-L
Samael.  A fitting password, he supposed.  Another name in a long list 
for Lucifer, the Devil, or whatever else you wanted to call him.  The 
programmers for NERV weren't without their sense of irony, he supposed.  
Fallen Angels to combat the enemy of Angels. 

He pressed 'enter'.

The door began to open.  

Kaji watched the door as if it was the most incredible sight he had 
ever seen.  In a way it was.  It meant that teacher had told him the 
truth.  Even if it was just a small part.  

The impact of that truth hit him as he peered into the next chamber and 
almost fell to his knees.  "Oh my god..."







"Today, I have a few new points to bring up in class." Kaoru yawned as 
he sat down on the edge of his desk.  The class listened patiently, 
sensing the poor guy had a rough night. 

"Guns are bad." he said with a smile.  "And always remember to get a 
home security system." 

The class blinked.

"Anyway." Kaoru laughed as he walked up to the board.  "As some of you 
may know now, the program listing of our concert is finally finished." 
he turned with a smile.  "I'm very impressed with your suggestions." he 
told the smiling students.  "You all chose some excellent songs." 

"I told ya he'd like 'Ride of the Valkyries'!" Kensuke smiled proudly.  
"Best war music ever made, in my humble opinion!"

"There's nothing humble about it." Rei stated quietly, prompting 
numerous chuckles.

She smiled briefly as Kaoru turned to her.  "Ladies and gentlemen!  The 
amazing Miss Ayanami just made a joke!" he beamed.

"And at the Stooge's expense." Asuka added with a smile.  "Good job, 
First Child." 

More chuckling, of course, Kensuke was now curled up in a ball.  "Now 
Rei's picking on me...I swear this is a conspiracy..." he grumbled. 

Shinji patted his friend on the shoulder.  "You'll get used to it." he 
smiled.  "At least Rei insults you quietly."

"We will be setting up the school's sound system to play any parts of 
the tracks we don't have instruments for." Kaoru continued, writing 
down some of the information on the board.  

Ride of the Valkaries
Symphony no 9 (9 minute edit)
Parita III fur Violino Solo
Kanon D-Dur
Air
Suiten fur Voiloncello


"Also, I'm going to give you each a copy of the songs we'll have 
playing or be playing.  That way, you all can do the next assignment."


A collective grumble erupted.

"You should know by now not to worry about my assignments." Kaoru spun 
on his heel with a smile.  "You kids have done MAYBE three essays in a 
month.  Don't complain or I'll triple that number."

The complaining stopped.

"Better." he laughed.  "Now, Shinji, Asuka and Rei will be in the 
concert, as well as whoever still wants to play the non-lead 
instruments.  I know Keiko, Hikari, Tiobie and Kenada have been 
practicing as well." he turned to the board.  "But since you all can't 
be playing instruments, I want everyone else to help out with the 
visual aspects of the concert."

Kensuke was promptly sitting in his seat, ready for anything.  

"I'm going to get one of the multimedia projectors for the concert to 
display your projects during the music." he wrote down the list of 
songs.  "You'll each get into groups and work on your favourite song, 
or help out with another group if you have any ideas." he smiled at 
Kensuke.  "Yes, that means you can have war-footage."

"YES!!!!!!"

"I want you all to use your graciously-provided computer terminals to 
compose short graphic and movie clips.  Even if you just want still 
pictures, that would be okay, so long as they fit the songs." Kaoru 
said, moving over to his desk to sit on the corner again (ignoring the 
odd grins of 2 or 3 of the girls in the front rows).  "You should all 
listen to your songs until you get a nice, clear mental image of what 
you want.  Let them inspire you." 

Shinji raised his hand.  "Sensei?"

"Yes, Shinji?"

"What if we have different ideas about the same song?" he turned pink. 
"I mean...if it's just our own personal views on the songs...they might 
be...conflicting."

"Excellent question." Kaoru smiled to Shinji's relief.  "I don't mind 
if one song makes you think happy things, while another person may get 
depressed...I want you all to put your personal ideas into these 
projects.  We'll display them at random, and they'll all get some time.  
That way, our audience can see what we've been trying to show them, and 
consider the music only as inspiration...not just as is."

Toji raised his hand.  "Can we have clips of other students in our 
presentation?"

"So long as they're tasteful." Kaoru said carefully.  "Try not to get 
any butt-crack this time, okay?" 

Everyone laughed out loud, but Toji just nodded with a smile. 

"Everyone write down the songs you'd like to add to, and I'll tell you 
if you can do it or not.  Remember, we have five songs to fill up." he 
pointed at the board.  "We have to make sure everyone doesn't just 
choose one or two."

Asuka blinked, not even raising her hand. "But there are six songs."

Kaoru nodded, looking at the board.  "Yes.  However, the last song will 
be a music-solo." he smiled at Shinji.  "Mister Ikari and I will play 
the Cello piece."  

Shinji looked up at his teacher nervously, but nodded.  

Rei suddenly raised her hand.

"Yes, Rei?" Kaoru asked.

"May we also add to the presentation?" she asked quietly.

Kaoru blinked, not expecting it.  Rei, however, was obviously practiced 
enough with her instrument...  "I don't see why not...so long as you 
think you're ready to play the music first."

"Hai." she nodded.

"Anything else?" Kaoru looked out over the class.  "Good.  Remember!  
Only a week away!  This will be the only homework you'll have." he 
smiled and erased the blackboard.  "And now, math."

Everyone groaned. 







Asuka and Shinji walked home that afternoon, watching as the sun 
started turning the sky pink and red, instead of the pure blue 
overhead.   

"Sorry about last night..." Shinji said suddenly.

"It wasn't your fault." Asuka smiled quickly.  "I...we shouldn't have 
been moving that fast, I guess.  Maybe it was all for the best."

He nodded solemnly.

"Of course," she grumbled.  "I'm still goinna KILL Misato for that.  I 
was having fun!"

Shinji laughed, earning the same from Asuka before turning completely 
pink again.  "Uhm...thanks." he smiled.

"Tell ya what." she said with a determined nod.  "You promised to get 
me drunk on my birthday, right?" 

Shinji nodded with his blush getting deeper.

"We'll behave till then." she winked.  "But if we decide to, I'm going 
to invite you into the bathroom with me again."

"T...t..." he swallowed hard.  "Okay..."

"That's a good boy." Asuka smiled brightly as she put a little bounce 
in her step.  "Of course...that doesn't mean you're goinna get away 
from your duties in the meantime."

"D...duties???" Shinji almost passed out. 

She chuckled and grabbed his hand.  "Relax, baka.  All I meant is that, 
well, if you're trying to seduce me, you can't be completely boring." 
she smiled coyly.  "You still have to obey me without question." her 
voice softened.  "But I also expect you to be able to kiss me now and 
again..." she leaned over to him and gave him a peck on the cheek.  

Shinji nodded quickly, trying to keep calm. "O...Of course, Asuka-
chan!"

"And stop getting all nervous." she sighed.  "You make ME nervous when 
you get like that!" she winked.  "You weren't too nervous last 
night..."

"Asuka!"

"Hehe.  Sorry."  

Shinji watched her skip ahead with a sigh, but a smile on his face.  
"Maybe she's right.  I just gotta rel..."

"SHINJI!  Hurry up!"

"Hai!" 







When Kaoru opened the door to his apartment, he wasn't surprised to see 
Kaji sitting on his couch, having a cup of coffee.  Still, he sighed.  
"Make yourself at home."

Kaji looked up, but didn't smile.  

Kaoru smiled, though, as he hung up his coat and put his briefcase down 
on the table.  "I assume the password worked?"

"Yes." Kaji said simply.  His thoughts were still very distant.

"You know..." Kaoru said, walking back from the kitchen with a coffee 
of his own.  "I never did have a chance to see them in person." he took 
a sip and sighed contently.  "Was the Eva Graveyard as spectacular as I 
told you?"

"...you...you could say that." Kaji nodded weakly.  "Though I 
personally would say it freaked the hell out of me."

"You haven't seen anything yet." Kaoru sighed as he sat down across 
from the older man.  "Unfortunately."

"What do you want?" Kaji asked, looking up.

"The same thing as all of us." Kaoru smiled grimly.  "And I need your 
help, Kaji."

"But can you do anything?" Kaji frowned.  "A password or two doesn't 
change the situation or anyone's plans.  Especially the old men.  You 
could have fucked Ritsuko and gained that information for all I know."

"I can assure you, I did not." Kaoru nodded, taking a sip.  "And I know 
more than passwords." he shook his head quickly.  "But I can't tell you 
everything, my friend.  If I did, then everything we're working for 
could be in jeopardy."

Kaji regarded the man with a long, hard glare, but finally nodded.  
"Can you tell me one thing?"

"That depends." Kaoru nodded.  "But ask."

He smiled tiredly.  "Does Misato survive all this?"

Kaoru looked up from his coffee.  His eyes seemed haunted.

Kaji said nothing for a long time, then nodded.  "And will she if your 
plan works?"

"I hope so." Kaoru nodded.

"Then what do you need me to do?" Kaji said without hesitation.  

Kaoru sighed, then stood, walking over to his briefcase.  A moment 
later, he returned with an envelope.  It was sealed, and plain looking.  
He handed it to Kaji and smiled.  "Nothing much yet..." there was a 
sudden smile on his face.  "But you can run this little errand for me."

"An errand?" Kaji frowned, looking at the envelope.

Kaoru nodded.  "Yes." he looked up and out the window, taking in the 
sight of Tokyo 3.  "Get the Commander to come to parent teacher 
interviews."

"Are you crazy?" Kaji almost laughed.  "He'd never come.  That bastard 
is colder than..."

"Give him the envelope the night before.  Mention the interviews in the 
same breath." Kaoru explained, looking back at Kaji as he edged his 
glasses up on his node.  "He'll come."

"One week from now?" Kaji sighed.

Kaoru nodded.

"Okay." he stood and walked over to the kitchen to put his cup in the 
sink.  On his way out he turned to Kaoru.  "You better not be fucking 
with me."

He shut the door softly on the way out.

Kaoru sighed and nodded to himself.  "Don't worry, good man." he walked 
back over to the window.  "I have more important things to do."










Eighteenth Lesson: Hitting a NERV







"Tell me why we have to do this again?" Asuka yawned as they walked 
down the isles of food.  

"Because if we don't, Misato will." Shinji said wisely.

Asuka nodded.  "Oh yeah.  I remember last time she went grocery 
shopping." a cringe appeared on her face.  "I...I didn't think I'd ever 
have anything that looked like THAT put on a plate in front of me."

Shinji smiled slightly and then put a few packs of ramen into the cart 
as they walked by.  

"So..." Asuka said, walking behind him as usual.  "You nervous?" 

He paused, looking at her. "About what?" he instantly turned pink.

"About the concert." Asuka said, using her height advantage to pick up 
a tin of wasabi from the top shelf.  "After all, you'll be doing that 
solo."

Shinji shook his head.  "Not really.  I know that song off by heart.  I 
won't make any mistakes."

She smiled and winked.  "Oooh, such confidence!"

He turned completely red.  "Uh...t...thank you." he looked up at her.  
"How about you?"

Asuka raised an eyebrow.  "I'm only worried that Wondergirl or you 
might screw up and make me look bad." she grinned evilly.  "And I know 
you wouldn't DARE screw up..."

Shinji swallowed hard. 

"Still..." she shrugged.  "Rei wouldn't screw up.  Especially if the 
Commander is there."

Shinji almost...almost...smiled.  "My father?  There would be a better 
chance of Misato actually paying us for once."







Rei sat alone in her apartment, on the edge of the bed...looking at the 
violin in her hands.  Besides herself, it seemed the only thing alive 
in the entire room.

And even then, Rei almost seemed to blend into the background 
sometimes.  

The pale blue light shimmered off the polished red surface as it gently 
rocked in her hands to her breathing.  Red.  

This is not part of school. 

  It is.

Ikari does not know of this.

  It is under his authorization. 

Images of the concert hall flooded her mind in an echo.  Images of the 
other Pilots sitting across from her with their music in front of them.  

Asuka...the one in red...always red...but laughing for once. 

Ikari-kun...smiling.  Like before.  At her too.  

"Good job, Ayanami!" he said to her brightly.  "That sounded great!"

"Yeah, not bad, Wondergirl!  For a while I thought you were deaf or 
something!" Asuka added with a sigh...but still a smile. 

"Outstanding!" Sensei Kaoru clapped as Rei finished her solo.  His 
glasses shimmered in the light like the violin in her hands.  

He smiled.  So brightly.  His hands clapped for her.  A sign of 
appreciation.

Ikari appreciates you.

  "She's not dead...yet.."

Ikari appreciates you.

  "You will do it again, Rei."

Ikari appreciates you.

  ...

"You've added so much to class!" Kaoru said.  "You may not realize it, 
but even though you've only talked once in a while, the other students 
learn from that." he smiled and took off his glasses.

It's only his job.

"You've done so much for the others!  And you've made my job a 
pleasure!"

He was only being kind.

"Ladies and gentlemen!  The amazing Miss Ayanami just made a joke!" 

He smiled.  The class smiled. 

"Thank you, Rei."  Kaoru smiled as he looked up from the music.  "That 
was beautiful."


A lone tear hit the otherwise dry surface of the instrument. 


Rei put the violin away, then opened up her laptop.  Normally, she 
would never bring it home with her...but today she had a purpose for 
it.  









"You wanted to see me, sir?"  Kaji strolled into the office, admiring 
the patterns on the floor as he always did.  Though he would never say 
so, the Commander did fascinate him; he was always looking into the 
scrolls around the office to insights on the Commander's mind. 

Even if just out of some sense of self-preservation. 

"Where is the list." Ikari said flatly.  Something was putting him on 
edge.  He was never this...

dangerous...

at least not in the way he spoke. 

Kaji had been expecting it and casually flicked a copy of his disk onto 
the desk a few feet away.  Ikari made no effort to catch the disk, 
letting it slide to a stop by his elbow.  

"Will that be all?" Kaji yawned. He was terrified...but if he gave the 
bastard even just an inch...that would be more than enough for him to 
hang by. 

Ikari stood.  

Oh shit.

"You should watch your tone with me, Agent." the Supreme Commander said 
as he picked up the disk.  "I only tolerate your attitude when you 
deliver what you promise to me."

"Would you like to continue your..." he smirked.  "Attempts...at 
intimidating me, or would you like me to get down to business."'

Ikari sat down.  Slowly.  "Continue, Agent."

Score one for the Kaj-ster, he sighed in relief to himself.  

"I believe I was contacted by the party in question." he smiled 
innocently, noting the way Ikari's glasses flickered at the news.  
"Nothing to report on that end.  I'm afraid he left before I could do 
any questioning."

"Mmm."

"That list might have his name.  If you are wondering WHY I didn't give 
it to you earlier it was because the data was corrupted, and I had to 
reconstruct it." he yawned.  "Now do you understand?"

Ikari was not having a good day.  He said nothing...unable to disprove 
this. 

"Enjoy the list." he said, turning.

"You have not been dismissed."

Kaji smiled, stopping.

"You are dismissed." Ikari sighed, turning his focus to the new disk.  
"Be sure to include this kind of information next time."  The dangerous 
tone was back.  "I would hate to misunderstand your incompetence as an 
act of treason." a smile. 

"Oh, there is just one more thing." Kaji nodded, pulling out an 
envelope from his pocket.  "Did you know the Children are having a 
concert on Friday?"

"It is of no concern." Ikari nodded.

Kaji prayed Kaoru wasn't bluffing...or this wouldn't sound nearly as 
dramatic.  

"Oh...is it now?" he passed the envelope onto the desk.

Ikari looked at it with a strange frown.  Kaji just walked on out 
without another word.






Gendo picked it up and used his gloved hands to silently pick away at 
the paper seal. 

A moment later, he pulled out a single white piece of paper with bold, 
black handwriting on it.  He read it.  

"Mmm."

His hand came up and pushed his glasses up along his nose. 

"Fuyutsuki." his hand pressed the comm. button on his desk. 

A moment later.  "Yes, Ikari?"

"Cancel the meeting on Friday."

A shocked pause.  "B...but, sir!  We might not be able to re..."

"Something's come up." he said simply.  "Handle it."

"...Y...yes sir."

Gendo looked down at the paper once more, still not quite sure what to 
make of it.  





   EVANGELION UNIT 03
   SUZUHARA TOJI (Fourth Children)

   Activation Test:  SUCCESSFUL.









Nineteenth Lesson:  "All the World's a Stage"







Miyazaki Kaoru stood at the window, looking out over the buildings of 
Tokyo 3.  The sun was just beginning to rise, casting the incredible 
oranges and yellows across the white cityscape that were the norm for 
the season.  Even in this endless summer, one could see the 
differences.  Cicadas and color were the only change, yet it was still 
change.  

Earth was fighting back against this war.  Trying to regain it's 
climate and it's stability.  Heaven and Earth were not meant to battle.  
It was only the stupidity of mankind that had brought this war to such 
a level.  

"Father..."  he took a deep breath and sighed.  "You taught me so 
much..."

Hid fist began to clench.  

"And now is my chance to repay you." he gritted his teeth, turning away 
from the window.  "Time to get this show going."









Across the city, Shinji Ikari lay in bed, gazing up at the ceiling as 
his SDAT played music for his ears.  They were the songs they were to 
play at the concert in just a few short hours.  

As he listened to them, his mind raced.  So much more than usual...this 
was odd.  Almost as if he was listening intently to the music, but at 
the same time, had his entire brain free to ponder other things. 

He wondered if Misato would enjoy the performance.  If Asuka would 
congratulate him afterwards.  If maybe...his father would be there...

Would he make everyone proud?  Would he show them that he could do 
this?  Just this one thing besides Eva?  Something he had prayed would 
give his life direction and purpose since he was but a small boy 
playing in sand boxes and running from cicadas.  

What if he failed?  He knew he had no choice but to succeed.  

Asuka would help him.  She would lend him strength.  She always 
did...even without her knowing it.  Her angry frowns...and sometimes 
scary smiles...were more encouragement for him to do his best than he 
could ever thank her for.

Misato was his friend...his father was so out of reach...but Asuka?  
Even if she wasn't always friendly, she was always his partner.  

A blush crept up on his face as that thought passed over his brain.  

Maybe...if he didn't screw up, she'd kiss him.  That...that alone would 
be worth the days of practicing they've done.  Not that they were very 
unpleasant.  It was always great to spend time with Asuka, but she had 
insisted (for the most part) that they do everything perfectly.  

No wonder Kaoru thought she was such a great teaching aid.  

He glanced over to his clock and smiled.  

"Time to get up..." he sighed.  "Yosh..."






 

It was just a small garden salad and some whole wheat toast and 
water...as she usually ate.  Rei wondered if she should pick up some 
kitchen utensils besides the microwave, small fridge, and the toaster 
she currently owned.  After all, the soup Sensei had made that one day 
was excellent.  She was sure she could emulate it with practice.  

As she was busy mentally listing the ingredients she would need, the 
door opened, startling her out of her toast-munching trance.  She 
wasn't expecting anyone...but since only NERV personnel knew she lived 
here, she wasn't concerned.  

When Gendo Ikari walked into the small room, she smiled.  He returned 
the smile in his own curious way, then sat down across from her, 
opposite to the small end-table she always ate off of.  

"Hello, Rei." he said simply. 

"Good morning, Commander." she stated after chewing and swallowing her 
toast.  Even with the delay, though, their conversations were fairly 
common to start out like this. 

"Are you going to school today, Rei?" he asked, looking around the 
musty apartment.

"Hai." she nodded.  "There is a concert today.  I will be expected to 
play."

Gendo nodded simply.  "I will come to watch."

Rei's eyes lit up, and her mouth dared a small smile.  She only nodded 
crisply as a reply, though.  

"Are you finished with breakfast, Rei?"

She paused, looking at the toast, not sure what to reply with.

"Take your time, Rei.  We have transportation." Gendo offered.

Rei nodded again, and returned to her food.  Gendo watched her behind 
his glasses as he always did...but his mind was already boiling with 
questions about the concert.  He would find out, soon enough, though.  

Unit 03.  

The Marduk reports had still not found the Fourth Child...but this 
'Toji' was part of Rei's class.  Gendo had already instructed Doctor 
Akagi to set up testing for him. 

Gendo hated being toyed with. 

A dangerous smile crossed his lips, however.  This would be 
interesting, regardless.









After the month of somewhat 'relaxed' classes, Hikari was starving for 
this.  She needed it like some men needed water...craved it like some 
kind of drug.  

"OKAY PEOPLE!  LET'S MOVE IT!" she demanded, rolling up her sleeves.  

Toji and Shinji both groaned as they were forced to push one of the 
speakers into the corner.  "We're moving as fast as we can!" Toji 
gasped.  "Give us a break!"

"You'll have a break when we're DONE!" the Class Rep said in a gruff 
tone.  Before the two could say anything else, she whipped around and 
pointed at a group of girls who were gossiping in the corner.  "GET TO 
WORK!!!"

They all jumped and scrambled back up to the seats, getting them ready 
for the concert.  "Yes, ma'am!" they said collectively. 

Shinji shook his head and patted Toji on the back.  "She needs this, 
man.  Let her have her fun."

"Shinji!  Hurry up with that mop!"

"Ahh!  Yes, ma'am!" 

Toji sighed as he watched everyone scurrying around at Hikari's orders.  
"Well, at least she's not as loud as Asuka."

"SILENCE!" Asuka promptly slammed her water-bucket into Toji's side, 
knocking him over.  "Stooges like you will never know the honor of 
being in MY presence!"

"I never knew honor and pain were synonyms." Toji groaned as he 
twitched on the floor.  

"Smart ass." Asuka grumbled before returning to cleaning the stage 
lights.  

Sensei Kaoru watched with a smile as he helped Kensuke set up the 
multimedia equipment.  "If she wasn't so good at being class rep, I'd 
say she enjoyed being a sadist."

"Asuka or Hikari?" Kensuke smiled.  "I'd say that's why they're both 
friends." he looked around for eavesdroppers.  "You don't suppose 
they..."

"Don't even start, ecchi." Kaoru chuckled.

Kensuke looked around again.  "Oh, come on, like you haven't 
noticed..."

"I happen to be on good authority that Hikari would sooner cook for 
Toji than want to sleep with Asuka." Kaoru said with a chuckle.  

"Beh!" Kensuke sighed.  "Food over sex.  I'll never understand women."

"NO man understands women." Kaoru said, shaking a wise finger into the 
air.  "But, conversely, I doubt they understand us men all the time 
either, so it's a fair trade."

"You are a wise man, Sensei." Kensuke grinned. 

"That's what my resume says." he grinned right back, then frowned as he 
looked at his watch.  "Well, we better get this finished.  Only two 
hours left."

"Don't worry, sir!  We'll get this done in time!" Kensuke said proudly.

Kaoru smiled.  "Good man." he looked around.  "Though I do hope Miss 
Ayanami shows up soon..."








Gendo studied Rei as the city slid past them outside of the limo's 
windows.  She had been acting oddly ever since he arrived.  It was 
strange to see her like this.  In her arms she held her violin case, as 
well as a small media disk in a case.  

"Rei."

"Hai?"

"What is that disk?" he asked, curious.

Rei blinked, looking down to it.  "It is homework."

Gendo considered letting it slide, but that was not the first time he 
had heard her say 'homework', and it was standing out in his mind.  "Of 
what?"

"Music." Rei stated flatly.  "It is difficult to explain..."

"Will I be able to see it later?"

"At the concert." she nodded with a brief smile.  

Gendo nodded.  "How is school, Rei?"

Her eyes brightened.  "Good.  We have been learning about Socrates."

"Ancient nonsense." Gendo commented idly. 

Rei blinked, then thought for a moment.  "Also, more recently, Timothy 
Leary."

"Mmm.  I have not heard that name for a long time." Gendo thought to 
himself.  He had only heard Yui and Ritsuko refer to that particular 
philosopher.

"We have a very good Sensei." Rei said with a nod. 

"I'm sure you do." Gendo nodded.  

The car slowed and turned, finally coming to a stop outside of the 
school.  Already, a few of the eager parents who had not been busy 
working were milling around the front area as he and Rei exited the 
vehicle and made their way inside.  

Not surprisingly, they found Misato already raiding the complimentary 
food table that had been set out for the concert/parent-teacher-
interviews.  

The Major looked up from her plate to see the Commander and Rei walking 
in...

and almost had a heart attack.  

"Sir?" she gasped over a mouthful of rice-crispy-square.  

"Major." he replied crisply, walking past. 

She almost fainted.  "I must be dreaming...it's all a dream..."

"What a strange woman." Gendo thought to himself as they walked down 
the hall.  

Even in the short time it took them to cross the school, the crowd had 
increased.  This being the first real event in Tokyo 3 besides an Angel 
attack, parents were excited, and many brought their friends.  It was a 
very heart-warming sight to see Tokyo-3 so alive and...dare 
say...normal.  

Gendo ignored it completely.

"Sir." Rei said suddenly.  "I must go prepare for the concert." 

"Very well." he nodded.  "You may go."

She nodded.  "It will start in half an hour.  The Major should be able 
to tell you anything you need to know."

"Thank you, Rei." he allowed a small smile.  "I'll see you then."

She smiled and walked off trough the backstage entrance. 

Gendo looked around with a sigh.  He hadn't been in a school in years.  
Since just before Yui's...accident.  Back then, they would often visit 
Shinji's Godparents.  One had been a professor in the local community 
school then.  Sensei had been the one that offered to take Shinji in 
when NERV had needed his attention.

Last time he had been in a school was for Shinji's first recital.  

It was horrible.  The boy and his class...just children back 
then...even compared to now...made the most horrible, squeaky racket 
with their instruments.  

But he remembered watching Shinji.  How the boy wouldn't give up.  He 
just gripped the bow tighter and held onto the cello with all his 
might.  At the end of it all, he played one entire verse without making 
a mistake.

Even as his class continued to screech around him.  

But Gendo had noticed.  He had picked out the sounds and stood, as the 
other parents did.  But, when they clapped in humouring gasps and 
chuckles over how bad the music was, he had stood there, clapped for 
only a moment, and then smiled.

And Shinji saw this, and smiled back brightly.

A hand came to rest on his shoulder, and he turned to his wife.  Yui 
smiled.  "I told you he'd do fine."



Brought back to the present by the sight of the Major approaching, 
Gendo sighed and buried the memories once more.  "I didn't expect to 
see you here, Commander." she said, not bothering to mask the surprise 
in her voice. 

"Is it not a parent-teacher interview?" he said simply.

"Yes...but..."

"Shinji is still my child, is he not?"

Misato conceded with a sigh.  "Yes, sir." 

The doors to the auditorium opened finally, and people began to file 
into it excitedly.  "Shall we, Major?"

She nodded and followed.  They found seats in the middle of the rows, 
blending in with the crowd nicely.  Misato wondered if maybe Gendo 
didn't want Shinji to know he was there.  It wouldn't surprise her.  
A few minutes later, the lights dimmed, and the small stage that the 
seats were arranged around lit up by a spotlight.  The crowd, now 
completely filling the seats, hushed quickly.

A very nervous, but smiling class rep walked onto the stage and bowed.  

"Welcome, everyone, to Class A-2's concert." Hikari announced.  "For 
your enjoyment this evening, we have composed a short selection of 
music, as well as a multi-media presentation to compliment it." she 
turned and pointed to the projector-screen.  "These images reflect our 
classes ideas about the songs and the feelings they represent.  We 
encourage you all to make note of each song, and talk with your 
children about them." she smiled brightly.  "It's been a lot of fun to 
do.  So, without any further delay..." she bowed and walked off the 
stage after a short round of applause.  

The lights dimmed again...until the screen lit up with projector light.  

A slow fade in revealed a peaceful sky.  

And then Ride of the Valkyries began to play.  The Aida family all 
began to laugh as the screen started to show bomber aircraft begin to 
fly around.  

Gendo watched in amusement as, to the soaring, humming strings and 
horns, several WWII sequences were displayed on the screen in a 
glorious fashion.  

Next, (again, to the music) there were several buildings being 
demolished and exploding.  Parents and spectators alike loved it, and 
many began to laugh out loud.  

And now, as the song was just nearing it's climax, BEES!  Swarms of 
bees began to fly around on the screen.  Then, marching ants.  During 
the last major orchestra hits, scenes of mushroom clouds and N2 mines 
again dominated the visual.  Misato groaned as she realized most of the 
song was probably Kensuke's idea.  Still, she had to admit it, it was a 
great combination.  

A surprising final image, as the song drummed and clashed to an end, 
was the scene of Evangelion Unit 00 and 01 rising out of the mountain 
on their elevator to battle the Fifth Angel.  

Everyone 'oohed' and 'awed'.  Gendo just smirked and pushed his glasses 
up on his nose.  

As the lights came back on half-power, the assembled crowd all stood 
and clapped.  Kensuke, though he was back stage, now had an ego the 
size of the moon.

The clapping continued as people walked out onto the stage in the dim 
light.  Gendo could see Shinji, Rei, and Asuka, as well as three of 
their classmates, all lining up along the edge of the hardwood stage.  
Each brought sheet-music and their instruments.  Two other students 
quickly scurried back and forth to get their chairs and music stands 
ready.  

Finally, as the movement died down, there was one last figure to walk 
up onto stage.  Gendo assumed it was the Sensei, but did not get a good 
look in the light.  "Mmm."

He raised his hands as the lights dimmed, showing to have a conductor's 
wand.  Tiobie, one of the students, was stationed at the drums, and 
with a quick wave of the Sensei's wand, the song began in a glorious 
combination of drums and a thick trumpet from Kenada and the speakers 
nearby, filling in the background instruments that were unavailable to 
the small orchestra.  

Beethoven's Symphony Number 9 Choral, Forth Movement, An Ode To Joy.

The crowd listened in amazement as the six began to play...very 
well...into the first half of the song, slowly winding their way up to 
the main chorus.  As they did, Shinji's cello, and the two violins were 
crisp and distinct.  Every note was right on the mark, flowing 
perfectly with the background tones, and with each other.  The only 
other noise in the room was the occasional whisper by an astonished 
parent or friend.  

The screen showed patterns and art along with the music, but most of it 
blended into the sound.  And finally...the chorus.  

Together, the Children played.  The familiar tune that so many knew, 
but often, never appreciated, took on a whole new light to the ears of 
the audience.  The music soared!  As it did, the images began to get 
more distinct.  Scenes of thunderclouds and volcanoes.  Oceans and 
leaping dolphins.  Such a wide variety, yet, they all seemed to fit.  

Misato was completely taken by the experience, not being used to such a 
moving scene when she was sober.  Gendo watched silently, but it was 
easy to tell he was leaning forward in his seat, enjoying the 
experience as well. 

The final chorus!  The Sensei's wand moved with power to the music, and 
the players played in sync.  

And the final scene shown on the screen was something few would be able 
to recognize, yet was amazing in any respect.  Gendo knew it to be from 
inside the Geofront, in a small swimming pool Rei would often go to.

The scene itself was simply looking up at the artificial sky, and the 
inverted city of Tokyo-3...and yet...it was breathtaking.  Stories of 
the Geofront could never show how truly massive and amazing it was, and 
the entire crowd...including the people who worked down in the Front, 
were awed.  



The standing ovation came before the last note rang out from the 
strings, and the ecstatic smiles of the six children showed how proud 
they were.  

The lights came back on, and Sensei Kaoru turned around, a huge smile 
on his face.


Misato almost swallowed her tongue. 


Gendo blinked once.



Sensei Kaoru clapped along with the audience, allowing the students an 
extra bow before talking.  "Thank you again for coming!" he said above 
the lingering applause.  

He zeroed in on Gendo Ikari and smiled...but not before pushing his 
glasses up on his nose in such a way that made the Commander's mood 
darken considerably.  

"And now..." Kaoru continued, addressing the crowd once again.  "On 
behalf of the class and I, sit back and enjoy." he tuned to Gendo, 
right in the middle, and raised his chin slightly.  Their eyes 
connected across the crowd with such ease that Gendo, all at once, knew 
this man had been expecting him.

"Mmm." he hummed to himself.

Kaoru smiled and nodded.  "The show is just starting."













Twentieth Lesson:  "Interviews"









Something that Shinji never quite noticed during their practice 
sessions came to his mind as Asuka stood and bowed to the audience, 
readying her violin against her neck.

When the hell did she have time to learn Parita III fur Violino Solo?

It wasn't exactly a long piece...something that, to a skilled player, 
could be learned in a relatively short amount of time, compared to how 
long it took to practice Symphony 9 and the choruses to the other 
songs.  Shinji had never bothered to keep it in mind, since he would 
not be playing this piece, he would be able to sit back and listen with 
the rest of the audience.  

The first sharp, crisp notes danced out across the room as she pulled 
the bow across the strings.  It was a fast, almost 'dancing' song.  
Light and bouncy, yet the sound was also high and exact.  Shinji found 
himself...and everyone else who knew Asuka (besides Gendo)...staring at 
her in amazement as she played the piece flawlessly. 

Behind them, Shinji glanced over to the screen and was surprised to see 
Toji's presentation playing.  

Scenes of desperation.  Collaged together were images of some unknown 
girl at a hospital somewhere, trying to walk again and not giving up 
when she fell again and again.  A blurry, but instantly recognizable 
scene against the Fourth Angel...as the view from inside Unit 01 showed 
them rushing towards either fate or death...progressive knife first.  
All the while, one could see the screaming face of Shinji Ikari as he 
piloted, even when the pain of the Angel's attack hit him.  He would 
have thought NERV would have destroyed that footage, but leave it to 
Kensuke to be able to retrieve it from his erased data-disk.  Mixed 
into the chaos, however, were also small scenes of peace...however 
small...that kept the whole thing from overwhelming the imagery.  

Oddly enough, it fit perfectly.  

But, halfway through the song, Shinji began to watch Asuka instead.  As 
he hands danced across the instrument, at first, impressed with her 
skill.  However, then he saw the look on her face.  It was not an echo 
of the happy...if slightly odd...music.  In fact, Shinji found her 
grim, concentrated look to be an almost perfect copy of the images on 
the screen.  

There was something more, though.  Something just beneath the surface.  
A quiet, contemplative madness that showed through the music in angry 
pitches and drawing wines...at first just part of the song...but 
distinct now that he was listening to them.  

"No wonder she never needed to practice..." he thought to himself as he 
watched her with sad eyes.  "This is her song..."







Misato was beginning to think of an excuse to leave.  

The music and the show were great, but as Asuka was finishing up her 
song, and the clapping began, she could FEEL the Commander's glare.  

"I was not aware classified images of the entry plug were public 
knowledge, Major." he said as everyone gave their applause. 

"Oh boy..." Misato sighed to herself.  

Not far away, Kensuke and Toji sat.  "That was really good!" the 
freckled of the two mentioned happily...glad his footage came to good 
use. 

Toji nodded and smiled slightly.  "Yeah, I suppose so...kinda worked 
out."

"Who was the girl?" Kensuke asked suddenly.

"Who?"

"The one in the hospital."

Toji smiled and shook his head.  "Oh, that's right...you've never met 
my sister."

Kensuke blinked.  "Oh...I'm sorry, man..."

He shook his head.  "Don't worry man...I wanted to have that footage." 
he shrugged and smiled.  "Maybe now you'll all see why I'm such an 
asshole."







Shinji leaned over to Asuka as the crowd was beginning to finish.  
"That was amazing, Asuka-chan!"

She didn't turn back to look at him...probably lost in the moment of 
her song, but she did nod and he could see the corner of her mouth let 
a small smile escape.  "Thanks, Shinji."

He let it alone at that; but resolved to ask her later.

Rei interrupted his thoughts.  

"We are ready for the next song." she said.  The other players in their 
little orchestra all nodded, ready to provide backup.  Luckily, this 
would be one song that they had all practiced. 

Kanon D-Dur.

Asuka winked at Shinji, suddenly back to her old self.  "You're lucky, 
you know.  You only have to do the background harmonics."

"Yeah, I guess." Shinji smiled.  

"Screw up and I'll kick your ass." she advised with an evil grin, 
before motioning to Kaoru that they were all ready.  

The Sensei smiled proudly and raised his baton, letting the song start 
at Shinji's digression. 

The cello started, playing long, sweet notes that rocked back and forth 
in a soothing manor that the instrument was famous for.  As the screen 
flickered into life, and the violins joined in for the chorus, the 
audience all smiled. 

Images of classroom life.  

While some of the other songs explored the darker, odd meanings and 
feelings behind them, this song was so perfectly representative of a 
more happy mindset that it was no surprise for the choice of images to 
accompany it.  As the instruments worked together in sync, each 
exchanging solos and backgrounds, all with the steady harmonic tempo of 
the cello behind them, one could really get the sense of togetherness 
that this group emanated.  

Shinji...a powerful presence, even though he always preferred to be in 
the background helping others.  Asuka...often taking the lead with her 
precision and skill, but without the others, would be lost to her own 
perfectionist urges.  Rei's violin was close behind...never stepping 
higher than was necessarily, but also closer to Asuka's than either 
would probably admit.  It was together, however, that they all balanced 
out.  Even if it was just for a few minutes of song.  

Misato found herself enjoying the music much more this time...even 
forgetting the strange cold air that was sitting next to her.  

She was proud of them.  No...more than that.  She was happy they were 
able to do this...have this chance at being the children they were.  In 
a school concert instead of a battle.  They were the stars of the show, 
instead of the tools of humanity.  

All too soon, the song was over, it's echo still reverberating as the 
crowd stood and applauded once more.  Cheers and bright smiles were one 
in the same as the children, nervous, but excited, bowed and smiled.  
Even Rei...which was event in itself.  

"That was not a hard song." Gendo mentioned to himself.  

Misato, as she sat down, had to fight not to say anything that would 
probably get her fired.  

Sensei Kaoru turned and addressed the audience once more.  "Now, ladies 
and gentlemen, we're going to be switching lead violins for this last 
group song of the evening.  I would first, however, ask you all to give 
our amazing Miss Sohryu a big round of applause!"

Asuka blushed and bowed as the entire crowd erupted in a wonderful 
chorus of clapping and whistles.  As she sat back down, she smiled back 
at Shinji.  "They know REAL talent when they see it.  And I thought you 
Japanese didn't usually go to these kinds of concerts?"

Shinji just shook his head and sighed. 

Rei stood on cue and nodded to the Sensei that she was ready.  

"Performing the lead on Air, I give you Miss Rei Ayanami!" 

The quartet of violins readied themselves for the next song.  Air was a 
difficult piece to play...requiring a level of synchronization to sound 
nice, but also, the 'lead' had to effectively blend into the background 
so as not to sound too forced.  

By the end of the first chorus, however, it was clear they had 
succeeded.  Everyone watched, stunned, as the mysterious Rei Ayanami 
played one of the most haunting, beautiful songs in existence.  

The multi-media screen showed scenes of stars and sky, but nobody was 
paying much attention to it.  In fact, it was simply background for the 
music being played.  Misato looked around to see some of the audience 
simply smiling, eyes closed, listening to every note.  For once, brief 
moment, she could swear Gendo's face changed.  The hard mask of dark 
mystery had melt away...if only for a moment...

....okay, it was about 2 seconds...but she swore she didn't imagine it.  

Rei seemed to be simply at one with the song.  A soft smile was set on 
her face as she and the others played.  

Suddenly, the song was over...the last notes ending finally, 
reverberating in everyone's minds for a long, long moment of silence.  

Rei looked up to Kaoru, worried that she might have done something 
wrong.  Kaoru just smiled and waited.  

Sure enough, the crowd began once more.  A standing ovation unlike any 
other that night, instantly re-doubling in intensity and joy.  Gendo 
Ikari even stood, clapped his reasonable amount of clapping, and then 
waited for the rest to die down.  

He was about to return to his seat when time slowed down...

....Rei Ayanami burst into the biggest smile she had ever known, and ran 
over and gave her Sensei a giant hug.

He could almost see the Sensei's lips mouth:  "I'm SO proud of you, 
Rei!"

Misato didn't dare look at the Commander as she returned to her seat.  
The air next to her had turned deathly cold. 

Kaoru turned to the crowd with a bright smile.  "Everyone!  One more 
round of applause for these amazing young musicians!" he motioned for 
everyone to stand, and they did, bowing happily to the applause.  

Misato clapped in earnest as she saw her kids laughing and bowing.  It 
really was great to see them like this.  "Ahh, I'm glad I came." she 
said out loud...then almost choked, hoping Gendo hadn't heard it.

She turned, ready to see his icy glare.....


....But he had already gone.  She turned to the exits and saw his tall 
figure leaving through the door. 

"Oy...there's goinna be shit to pay..." she decided to herself.  Then 
smiled.  "And I got tomorrow off work!  SCORE!"

People around her began to edge away nervously. 

Kaoru interrupted further ranting by the Major with a tap of his 
conductor's baton on the edge of his music sheet.  "And before you all 
scurry off to talk to myself and the other teachers about your 
children, we present to you the last song of the evening."

He motioned to Shinji and the crowd settled down, waiting in 
expectation.  

"Mister Ikari will play for you, Suiten fur Violoncello.  One of my 
personal favourites, and I'm sure his as well." he smiled and motioned 
for Shinji to take the centre seat.

Shinji looked around nervously.  "Sensei?" he whispered.

Kaoru leaned forward. "What is it, Shinji?" he asked, keeping his voice 
down.

"You said you'd be playing along with me?" the boy asked, nervously.

"I lied." Kaoru smiled.  "You'll do fine.  Besides, it's a solo.  We 
wouldn't want to disgrace the song, would we??"

With a small nod, Shinji agreed.  "Hai..."

"Good-good." Kaoru nodded and turned to the crowd as Shinji took the 
seat and prepared his instrument. 

Asuka leaned over his shoulder suddenly.  "Hey, Shinji...If you do this 
perfectly, I'll consider it your asking me out on a date."

Shinji almost fell over.  "A...Asuka?"

She winked and nodded.  "Don't disappoint me, Third." Then, she 
returned to her seat and waited ominously.

The young Shinji Ikari just sighed.  "No pressure, Shinji...no 
pressure..."

Kaoru pocketed his baton and moved off the stage, knowing he wouldn't 
be needed.  Shinji was forced to stare down the hundred-plus people who 
were waiting for him to begin.

"I mustn't run away..." he whispered to himself.

And then put his bow to the strings.










Kaoru looked up with a tiny sigh as he saw Misato walk into the room.  
"Hey..."

"Hey..." she nodded and echoed, walking over to his desk, eyeing the 
children's desks around them.  It must have been three hours after the 
concert, but he had just finished with most of the interviews now.  
"That was a great show, by the way."

"Thank the kids." he smiled and nodded, pretending to file papers to 
look busy.  

She laughed out loud.  "You had to be their teacher." she groaned.  
"I'm never goinna live this down.  I should have guessed or something."

"Sorry about that." he nodded.

"Don't be." Misato sighed, sitting down on his desk, legs crossed.  "If 
anyone should be sorry, it's me."

He turned slightly pink.  "No, really, it's okay..."

They were silent for a long time.  

Finally, Misato nodded, standing up again.  "I better go before the 
kids think I'm in here trying to seduce you." she winked. 

He gave a weak nod and smiled.  "It was nice seeing you again, Misato."

"How about tomorrow?"

"P...pardon?"

"I'll pick you up.  Around eight." she winked.  "How does that sound."

"I...I really shouldn't..." Kaoru replied nervously.

"Seven-thirty, then?" she pressed, walking back over to him with a 
smile.  "I have promised myself I'd make my bad behaviour up to you, so 
you're not getting rid of me."

He swallowed hard.  "Seven-thirty sounds great." 

"Good." she smiled then turned.  "You can tell me how the kids are 
doing then.  Ja!"

The door closed and Kaoru sighed...then groaned to himself.  "I'm 
getting too old for this..."  His watch began to beep suddenly and he 
looked at it.  "Oh shit...I'm goinna be late!"

He rushed out the door, already calling for a cab on his cell phone.








"I still can't believe Wondergirl got louder applause than I did." 
Asuka mumbled to herself as they walked home in the late evening sun.  

"She played very well." Shinji commented.  "But if would have sounded 
horrible if you weren't playing to, Asuka-chan."

"Don't Asuka-Chan me!" she crossed her arms in a huff.  "Maybe I should 
rent you two a room so I don't have to hear how much you admired her 
performance."

Wisely, Shinji decided not to say anything. 

"Just because we work with her, that's no excuse, Third Child." she 
leaned over his shoulder and growled into his ear.  "You're no longer 
allowed to ogle over that doll."

"I wasn't ogling!" Shinji defended, uselessly. 

"Hmph!  BAAAAAD Rei..."

"I swear!  I was just impressed that she played so well!"

"You were looking at her boobs!"

Shinji almost fell over.  "NO I WAS NOT!"

"We may be going out now, and I may have to be nicer to you now..." 
Asuka whispered into his ear.  "But if I see you looking at another 
girl, I'm raking you over the coals, buddy.  You got that?"

Shinji smiled at the realization that she said they were now, 
officially going out...then swallowed hard as the mental images of her 
dragging him across flames came into mind.  

"Hai-hai!" he agreed quickly.

"Good.  After all, you played so well, I would hate to have to rid the 
world of your talents!" Asuka smiled and quickly returned to his side, 
entwining herself around his arm.  "So where should we go for our first 
date?"

"Uhm...your choice?" Shinji shrugged.

"Good boy." Asuka beamed.  "I know this one place..."








In an icy cold room, decorated by etchings and a small desk in the 
middle of the otherwise barren expanse, sat Gendo Ikari.

He sat, as he always did, with his elbows on the desk.  His gloved 
hands were folded in front of his lips, and his glasses were edged up 
on his nose.  Unless one was able to approach and study the scene 
closely, Gendo Ikari could have been mistaken for an ice-sculpture.  

He barely breathed.  His mind raced, though.  

And, with the first use of that breath in three hours, he muttered a 
single phrase.

"This is not part of the prophecy..."






End of part 2

===================================================================

Good day, and welcome to the author's notes!  Wheeeeee!

First of all, you'll be glad to know I'm going to be compiling a list of all the 
omakes and "Adventures of The Missing Unit 4" together into one file at the end 
of the series.  ^_^  So just sit tight, and you'll get the whole meal deal.  For 
now, though the Collected Editions won't have anything special added in.  
They're basically just to bring people up to speed without having to link to 10 
separate files at a time.  

Damn...has it been 20 weeks already????????

That's coming up on half a year!  It has become painfully obvious that this 
fiction takes up a lot of my time.  But it's good experience for when I start to 
write for cash, so don't worry, I'm keeping at it.  ^_^ 

I may have to switch to a biweekly or monthly schedule soon, however, as I 
intend to someday be called Doctor Fiss, and I need to start cracking back in 
school soon.  It's been a lovely vacation, but I don't want to be an old geezer 
by the time I have my BCS degree.  I'd LIKE to keep it weekly, and I intend to 
strive for it, even if I have to miss a due-date once in a while.  But if it 
becomes too common, I'll let everyone know my new schedule.  

Some extra information about HL and Eva stuff in general:

-Not sure how many Lessons there will be, but I'm guessing it could run up 
around 50 or 60.  So this is kinda an entire year planned.  

-I'll try to get each Lesson past an 8 page limit.  Currently, I have an 
unofficial bare min of 5 pages.  If I can get to 10 in a regular rotation, I'll 
easily be able to get HL done in 50 or so.  

-Expect a few more missed weeks coming soon.  I may be moving, and like I said, 
school is coming up.  Lots of stuff to do.  Sorry. 

-Holding Hands 2 is in the works.  It's around 1/3 done, but those extra 2/3's 
might take a while.  (and yes, it will have at least 1 lemon scene)

^_^  So, before I keep rattling on about unimportant things, I shall say 
farewell, and thanks for reading!




e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110

Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.


From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning

  Strike Fiss, 2000






Twenty-First Lesson:  "Aftermath"








Ritsuko watched with faked interest as the view screen showed the=20
events at hand.  The footage was already a week old, yet only she and=20
Commander Ikari had seen it sooner than this 'emergency report' issued=20
by the MAGI. =20

Maya recited the 'T-Minus' seconds as an overhead camera shot of the US=20
Nevada NERV facilities sat peacefully on the Earth's surface.  As the=20
countdown reached 'zero', a red and white fireball spread out and=20
engulfed the entire structure...before causing the camera view to short=20
out due to the EM pulse. =20

As Misato and the others gasped and then began asking questions, she=20
sighed.  It was getting tedious...keeping the others up on secrets that=20
were already censored and filtered to the point of harmlessness.  She=20
had once asked Gendo why they bothered.

"It will keep them happy." he had smirked.=20

And true enough, it did.  Though Misato would occasionally notice a bit=20
too much for her personal comfort, Ritsuko saw that everyone was filled=20
with a sense of awe and purpose when given these little tidbits.=20

If they knew the whole truth, it might crush them.  At least this way,=20
they had only the motivation.=20

She wondered briefly how much the Commander was keeping from her. =20
After all, no matter how she tried to fool herself into thinking=20
otherwise, the only person on this planet that knew Ikari's plan was=20
Ikari.

And he did not offer much up during pillow-talk.  That was certain.=20

"Unit 04...missing." Misato sighed as she scratched her head.  "Well, I=20
suppose we won't have to hurry up to find the Fifth Children anytime=20
soon."

"Always look on the bright side, eh, Major?" Ritsuko smiled across the=20
dull glow of the display panel.

"Steps are being taken to ensure we no longer have to rely on that=20
method." Gendo mentioned suddenly.  "Unit 04 does not concern us.  I=20
expect you all to be ready for Unit 03 when it comes this week."

The bridge crew all nodded crisply, though Ritsuko could see the=20
tension in Gendo's features.  Tension replaced his cool, icy=20
manor...though the change was subtle, it was noticeable by anyone who=20
had spent so much time in his presence.

"That will be all." Gendo dismissed everyone, snapping the doctor out=20
of her reflective mood. =20

As the rest of them shuffled out, discussing things that they would=20
have to prepare for in the upcoming Eva transfer, Ritsuko dared to=20
linger on a bit, walking up to the Commander as he rubbed the bridge of=20
his nose lightly. =20

"Ikari-kun." she said softly.  "You're tired."

"Mmm." he hummed.  It was his patented 'no comment' reply. =20

She raised an eyebrow and took the glasses off her face in a futile=20
attempt to get them cleaner than they already were.  "The dummy plug is=20
almost finished.  You said yourself that Unit 04 is of no concern to=20
us." she put her specs back on and crossed her arms around her note-
pad.  "I doubt you're losing sleep over those things."

"I'm not losing sleep." Gendo grumbled. =20

She sighed.  "Well, how was the concert then?"

The twitch in his face was almost audible.  Ritsuko jumped in surprise. =20

"Mmm."=20

"Did Rei play?"

"Mmm."

She smirked to herself.  Rei.  Should have known it was something about=20
Rei.  God knew he'd never get this dishevelled for anyone else. =20

"She played Air." Gendo finally offered.  "It was very good."

The way he said it seemed forced.  Ritsuko's curiosity got the better=20
of her.  "Then what happened?"

"I am not sure." he said finally, standing before the cryptic comment=20
could be questioned. =20

Ritsuko sighed and followed him out.  "How about Shinji and Asuka?"

"They played well." Gendo said after a moment, letting the door close=20
behind them. =20

She sighed, knowing the conversation was about to revert back to=20
'mmm's.  "Well, that's good."

"Mmm." Gendo agreed. =20

They rode the elevator in silence for a moment.  "Will the plug be done=20
in time?" she asked.=20

"Of course." he nodded.  "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just wondering if we should bother to notify the Forth Children."=20
Ritsuko said.=20

Gendo smiled slightly.  "I suppose it couldn't hurt to have a...spare."









Kensuke sat in his desk, idly watching the class for interest to spark,=20
but not really expecting it to.  Toji wasn't in class yet...visiting=20
his sister at the hospital overnight again.  He probably wouldn't show=20
up till second period.  Sensei hadn't arrived yet, nor had Shinji and=20
Asuka.  Rei sat in her corner, typing on her laptop, but otherwise=20
keeping with her morning quietness. =20

Hikari walked up to him as she often did when his fellow Stooge wasn't=20
around.  "Mister Aida." she announced crisply.  "Do you know where=20
Suzuhara is?" she glanced at the clock.  "He's usually here with you=20
around this time."

"Probably visiting his sister." Kensuke yawned, then smiled.  "Why do=20
you ask?"

She faltered for a moment, trying to come up with something.  Finally,=20
the good ole standby...  "I'm the Class Rep!  I'm supposed to ask!"

"Really?" Kensuke shrugged.  "Well, as the Class Rep, I would thing=20
you'd be more concerned that the morning bell is about to ring and=20
Sensei hasn't showed up yet."

She gasped, just as the bell rang and the rest of the students filtered=20
into the class.  Asuka and Shinji showed up finally, while she was=20
discussing the merits of him always making lunch for her. =20

"Has anyone seen Sensei?" Hikari asked, running up to the two Pilots. =20
"Normally he's here by now!"

Asuka flipped her hair away from her eyes.  "I'm sure he's just got a=20
late bus or something." she beamed.  "Relax!"

"Remember last time?" Shinji nodded. "I'm sure he'll show up."

Kensuke was promptly taping the rare incident of them agreeing on=20
something for his "Wedding archives". =20

Hikari wasn't satisfied and huffed to the front of the class so she=20
could adequately yell at everyone for not behaving like stone statues=20
while the Sensei wasn't around.

As Shinji and Asuka sat down in their seats and got comfortable, he=20
frowned.  "I hope he didn't oversleep like last time."

Asuka grinned.  "You KNOW where I was last night, so don't blame me."

The young Mr. Ikari promptly turned red and smiled sheepishly.=20

"Hey, Shinji!" Kensuke leaned over, scaring his friend almost out of=20
his seat.  "Did you hear?"

"Hear what???" Shinji blinked, regaining his balance.

Kensuke looked around for the spies that always seemed to plague him. =20
"I hear that we're getting a new Evangelion tomorrow."

Both Children's jaws dropped.  "Why do we need another one when they=20
have me and my Unit-02?" Asuka said.

The boys shook their heads silently.  Shinji, testing out his=20
diplomatic talents, cleared his throat.  "Maybe they're just preparing=20
in case two or three angels attack at the same time, Asuka-chan."

That seemed to lighten her grumbling somewhat.  "Mm, I suppose, after=20
all, I can only handle three or four myself...you never know..."

"And they can always use it for spare parts." Shinji offered wisely.

"Of course!" Asuka smiled.  "After all, you never know when your Test=20
Type or Rei's little bundle of bolts might drop an arm or a leg."=20

If anyone was watching Rei, they would have seen a sweat drop form on=20
her forehead...briefly.=20

Shinji sighed.  "...I suppose..."

"Besides, it's not like they have a pilot for it yet." Asuka said, then=20
looked over to Kensuke.  "Do they?"

"I don't think so." he said, looking at a print-out from his computer. =20
"I can only access a few of NERV's records, but it doesn't even look=20
like they have any spare access-cards made yet.  They could do it at=20
the last minute, but that's doubtful."

"Mmm.  I haven't heard anything about it." Shinji shrugged.  "Misato=20
would tell us, right??"

"I don't know." Asuka said, switching into 'pilot' mode.  "I'm not sure=20
if our security clearances are high enough.  Maybe even Misato won't=20
know ahead of time.  We might not meet him or her till they are in the=20
change rooms putting on a plug-suit."

"Of course, there is a chance that nobody suitable has been found yet."=20
Kensuke said...then began to smile, looking up at them.

Both Children blinked.

"Would you two be able to put in a good word for me?" Kensuke grabbed=20
both their hands and bowed his head.  "PLEASE!  At least get me a=20
chance to prove myself!  Just once!  Even if I can't sync or something,=20
at least then I'll KNOW!!!"

"Eww!  Stooge-cooties!" Asuka ripped her hand free.

"I...I really don't think it's up to us." Shinji said. =20

Kensuke looked up at them with what would be an amazingly accurate=20
'puppy dog look' if it hadn't been for his glasses squished crooked on=20
his nose.  "Pleaaaaaaaaase?"

Shinji turned to Asuka.  "I guess it couldn't hurt, Asuka..."

She sighed and looked down at the grovelling boy.  "Well, as long as it=20
isn't Toji." she conceded.  "Sure.  We'll ask Misato if she can get you=20
in."

Kensuke almost burst into song he looked so happy.  "Arigato!" he bowed=20
quickly.  "Both of you!  Did I ever tell you I love you guys?"

"No." Asuka grimaced.  "And don't start."

Kensuke nodded happily.

"And if you peep at me when we're in the changing rooms, I swear I'm=20
jamming my Prog Knife into your Eva's crotch."

Both boys cringed promptly.







Not too far away, Toji Suzuhara walked towards class.  His face was a=20
mix of determination and anger, as was customary for his day after=20
visiting his sister.  Though his anger had shifted away from Shinji and=20
Unit 01, it still existed every time he saw his sister injured like=20
that. =20

It had shifted towards NERV.  Enforced also after he saw and heard how=20
Shinji suffered at their hands.  How he had come close to losing his=20
friend many times...and yet it was considered okay because he had saved=20
the rest of them.  That kind of responsibility was something he=20
wouldn't wish upon his worst enemies, let alone Shinji Ikari...or even=20
Asuka. =20

Fate, it would seem, not only had a sense of irony...but a rather sharp=20
whit. =20

He regarded the tall blonde woman with mild interest as she came into=20
the hallway from the principal's office just ahead of him.  She wasn't=20
particularly young, but did have an air of attractiveness around her. =20
If it wasn't for her lab-coat, Toji assumed he might have a nice view=20
of her butt.

Toji cleared his throat, wondering what she looked like.  "Hey, lady."=20
he announced, catching her attention.=20

Dr Akagi turned and blinked at the young man.  "Yes?"

"You looking for any room in particular?" he said, a little=20
disappointed now that he saw her hair to be bleached.  "You looking for=20
anyone?"

She smiled.  It was then he noticed a small picture of...himself...in=20
her hands.  "Actually, I was just coming to see you." she offered her=20
hand over back along the hall towards the principal's office.=20

Toji blinked.  "Listen, I didn't do anything to that cat.  It was like=20
that when I found it!"

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow.  "Uhm." she shook her head.  "Actually, I'm=20
here to talk to you about something a bit more important."

Toji immediately wished he stayed at home in bed today as he noticed=20
her little NERV ID tag.  "Oh..."

"If you'll just come this way, Mister Suzuhara." she lead.

He nodded and sighed, following her.  "It's your dime, lady."








With the threat of Hikari The Butcher hanging over their heads, the=20
class actually behaved quite well while Sensei Miyazaki was gone. =20
Still, when he finally poked his head in through the door, Hikari shot=20
him a look that could have killed a lesser man. =20

"Hey class." he smiled brightly, bowing to Hikari in thanks.  "I see=20
the good Miss Horaki has kept you all in line while my car decided to=20
die?" he chuckled.

"Does the Principal know of your tardiness, sir?" Hikari grumbled. =20

"Actually, no, the office staff seemed very busy today.  But I promise=20
I'll tell them of my absence so they dock me some pay." he reached into=20
his briefcase and pulled forth a small grocery bag.  "And I brought you=20
all food as a peace offering."

The class immediately crowded around his desk, drooling as the smell of=20
fresh baked cookies filled the air.  Shinji gasped as he recognized the=20
smell.  "I LOVE these!" he surprised Asuka by almost leaping over three=20
other students in order to get a handful. =20

"Now, now.  Everyone behave." Sensei laughed as Asuka took Kensuke's=20
share...curiously without complaint on his part...  "There's lots more. =20
Today, we're going to have to do some REAL school work, so I thought=20
I'd make it up to you by buying lunch."

Asuka gave him a thumbs up.  "Well, it's better than what Baka here=20
makes.  You're forgiven."

The class settled back into their desks, still munching on their=20
cookies as Kaoru began to pass out work sheets.  "Just a review of the=20
math chapters.  I got word that your regular Sensei got ill just before=20
you could complete the test, so this will have to do."

Everyone sighed, but didn't complain much, considering the day. =20

Hikari sighed as she looked around, still not seeing Toji.  "I hope=20
he's okay." she whispered to herself, no longer busy with the task of=20
controlling the class. =20




Shinji finished most of his work sheet when Asuka messaged him. =20

"Hey, baka...what does that little squiggle that looks like a railroad=20
track mean again?"

He looked down at his computer and sighed.  "It's a not-equal-to sign."=20
he typed back with a smile.  "I thought you said you were studying your=20
kanji?"

"Oh, well, that explains it.  It's not even kanji." she replied with a=20
little smiley-face next to the words.

Shinji smiled and was about to turn back to his work, when a stray=20
thought hit him.=20

"Didn't Rei say that Sensei didn't have a car?"

Asuka frowned from her desk, then shrugged.  "Yeah, so?" she typed=20
back.

"Then why did he say his car broke down?" Shinji looked up from his=20
computer to Kaoru, who was busy marking a few papers.=20

Asuka sighed.  "Maybe he's just making up an excuse for sleeping in. =20
That's what I always do."

"Mm, okay."

The door opening and closing interrupted further speculation.

The class looked up to see Toji walk over to Kaoru's desk, handing him=20
a note, and the walking over to his seat.  "Sorry, teach.  Did I miss=20
much?"

"Not really." Kaoru nodded.  "Actually, you're just in time." he turned=20
to the class.  "Everyone, I'm just goinna take these last few minutes=20
before lunch to dive back into discussion with you all."

Everyone happily put down their pencils and pens. =20

"Does anyone remember World War Two?" Kaoru said, standing up and=20
circling his desk to sit against it as was his custom.=20

"Do I!" Kensuke raised his hands happily.

Everyone groaned.  "Okay, more specifically, what HAPPENED during World=20
War Two?" Kaoru chuckled.

Rei nodded and raised her hand.  "Europe was at war, with Nazi Germany=20
being the leading aggressor.  North America was pulled into the war=20
with Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbour, eventually leading to the=20
nuclear drops."

"Very good." Kaoru nodded, then turned to Asuka.  "How about you,=20
Asuka?  What happened over more on the German front?  We all know about=20
the Japanese side, but it would be good to get your point of view."

Asuka shrugged.  "Well, Hitler got everyone all nuts and the Nazis=20
killed Jews until the war was over.  It was a very embarrassing and=20
retarded time for my lovely country." she sighed.

"I'm sure we'd feel the same way." Kaoru nodded.  "After all, Hitler=20
and his group of generals were responsible for many war crimes.  Things=20
that we consider to be in the dark ages, even though they were less=20
than 100 years ago."

The class nodded solemnly.=20

"Now, here's an interesting question I want you all to ponder over as=20
you eat your lunch." he walked over to the front of the room and rocked=20
back on his heels.  "What if you could kill Hitler?"

Kensuke shrugged.  "Like a time machine?  Go back and kill him?"

"Exactly.  What if you could go back and get rid of Hitler before he=20
could cause all that bad stuff to happen.  Millions of deaths and=20
horrible things that most children your age can't even imagine used to=20
exist." Kaoru said.  "Do you think it would be worth it?"

"What do you mean?" Hikari said quickly.  "That's no question!  I'd say=20
do it!"

Kensuke shook his head.  "But what about all the stuff that happened=20
because of Hitler?" he said, raising his hand to count off points on=20
his fingers.  "We might not have nuclear power, or jet engines, or even=20
computers and Evangelions if it wasn't for WWII."

Shinji raised his hand timidly.  "And you never know...what if someone=20
else took Hitler's place?"

Toji nodded as the class murmured the ideas.  "Yeah, and who needs=20
Hitler when you have Asuka??"

"WHAT WAS THAT?!?!!?!?!" Asuka stood and lifted her chair up over her=20
head before the neighbouring students could hold her back.

Kaoru laughed and motioned for everyone to calm down.  "Relax people,=20
it's just a discussion.  We don't need a recreation of the Second=20
Impact in my class."

"Grrr." Asuka grred at Toji who just smiled at her.=20

"What do you think, Shinji?" Kaoru asked.

Shinji looked around nervously.  "Um, well, I dunno...I mean, Evas and=20
stuff are pretty important...but a LOT of people died in that war...and=20
that wasn't even part of the fighting..."

"How about you, Kensuke?"=20

"Oh, I agree.  Who needs Hitler when you have Asuka!?!" he smiled=20
happily, before being glared into the ground by the Red Devil herself. =20

The lunch bell rang, interrupting the growling and cowering.  Kaoru=20
chuckled.  "Well, anyway, I want you all to write a paper, due=20
tomorrow, about your thoughts on the subject.  It can be as long as you=20
want it to be, or as short as one paragraph.  I don't mind.  The best=20
will get more of these cookies."

Everyone nodded, and with Hikari's instruction, stood and bowed before=20
leaving.  On the way out, however:

"Mister Suzuhara." Kaoru said after a moment.  "Can I see you for a=20
moment?"

Asuka promptly made a face at Toji and laughed.  "Ooh, detention!"

Shinji and Kensuke shook their heads and followed her out of the room=20
as Toji stayed seated.=20

After everyone was gone, Toji looked up to the Sensei.  "You know,=20
don't you?"

Kaoru nodded.  "You are to be the Forth Children." he sighed, then=20
smiled.  "Ever wonder why they call it 'Children'?  Maybe NERV has bad=20
English instructors."

Toji smiled slightly.  "I guess."

"I can see the look in your eyes you'd rather not be." Kaoru said,=20
sitting down in the seat next to his student.=20

"Mmm...I still have to decide if I like it or not.  All I know is I=20
have to." Toji shrugged. =20

Kaoru nodded and leaned back in his seat.  A pause passed between the=20
two. =20

"Would you do it?"

Toji looked over to him.  "Nani?"

"Kill Hitler." Kaoru said.  "Go back and shoot the fucker in the head."

Toji sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.  "Well...Kensuke's=20
right...a lot of things happened because of that.  But I suppose that=20
could have been any point in history you were trying to change.  It all=20
becomes big later on." he looked up and clenched his fist with a smile. =20
"I'd kill the fucker."

Kaoru smiled.  "Why?"

"Mm...well, I guess, it's like you said.  Someone would have probably=20
replaced him...but at least then there would be less of a chance of=20
that holocaust happening...and maybe the war wouldn't have been so=20
bad." he shook his head.  "And even the Evas aren't worth all the=20
people who died because of Hitler."

Kaoru nodded to himself.

"Well?"

"Pardon?" Kaoru blinked.

"Did I answer right?" Toji smiled.

Kaoru shrugged.  "Let's hope so." he smiled.  "Go on.  Have a good=20
lunch."

Toji stood, nodded, and walked out of the class, leaving the Sensei to=20
his thoughts.=20

"Let's hope so." he sighed to himself, then walked over to his desk to=20
retrieve an extra cookie to munch on. =20







To be continued...







-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's notes time!  Whee! =20

Well, it's official.  I'm not going to get JACK SHIT done during July=20
and August, so I'll try my hardest to start writing some Higher=20
Learning buffer material, so even if I'm slacking off, you'll all have=20
fresh episodes to read.  ^_^=20

Well, that's about as likely as the million other things I have=20
planned, but I can hope, can't I?  ^_^ =20






Guest Omake by KatarnX2B!
-------------------------

SCENE: Shinji and Kaworu are sitting in chairs, with a monitor. The=20
Words "Men On Fics" are stencilled on a sign above them. Kaworu is=20
wearing a very revealing cowboy costume (neon pink chaps, matching=20
thong and vest, and a small pink cowboy hat strapped to his head),=20
while Shinji is wearing a Sailor Scout outfit (namely Uranus). They=20
both sit with their legs crossed in a very effeminate manner.


Shinji: (In a perky voice) Welcome to "Men On Fics"!

Kaworu: (In an equally perky voice): Tonight's first fic is made by=20
Eyrie
Productions.

Shinji: Yes, the story of DJ Croft, his adventures through the=20
supernatural world of Evangelion.

Shinji/Kaworu: (with a simultaneous, broad finger snap) Hated it!

Kaworu: They spent the first third of the series hinting at a DJ-Jon=20
relationship, then they brought in all those floozies!

Shinji: You should have known, Dj's too short to be gay!

Kaworu: (Pushing Shinji's shoulder) Oh stop! You're so bad!

Shinji: I know! I need a spanking!

Kaworu: Anyway, did you see how they had me dressed! No coordination at=20
_all_!

Shinji: They need to stop by Fran=87ois' and get some advice because they
need it bad! *SNAP*

Kaworu: You go girlfriend!

Shinji: Our next fic is "The One I Love Is..." by Alain Gavel.

Shinji/Kaworu: Loved it!

Kaworu: Now this is a man who knows his fashion!

Shinji: I guess we finally got together!

(Both... err... boys laugh.)

Kaworu: Unfortunately, that's all the have time for today!

Shinji: Come back next week when we'll review "Child of Love" by Axel=20
Terizaki, and "The Death of One" by Godsend777.

Kaworu: Until then...

Kaworu/Shinji: Save a seat for us!


(No characters were harmed in the making of this [though we did poke=20
one with a stick until they cried].)
---------------------------------



^_^  Till next time, gadget...next time.  Meow.

Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110
e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com


Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.

From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning

   Strike Fiss, 2000








Twenty-Second Lesson: "Compassion and Pressure"




Misato grinned as she snuck up behind Ritsuko, holding one of her 
larger stuffed cats in her hand.  

Ritsuko did nothing, completely focused on her computer screen.

Just barely resisting the urge to say 'heh heh heh' out loud, she 
raised the little black kitty to shoulder-level, about to make it 
'pounce' onto her friend's shoulder. 

"Do that, and you'll wish you disappeared with the Second Branch too." 
Ritsuko said suddenly.

Misato pouted, tossing the cat onto the desk.  "Mmph.  You're no fun!" 
she smiled and leaned over Ritsuko's shoulder.  "Whatcha working on?"

The blonde sighed and turned to the Major.  "Why are you so happy?  
Normally you just come in here and drink coffee, standing over my back 
and hoping to catch some secret that flashes up on my screen."

Misato gasped.  "I do NOT!"

Ritsuko smiled.  "I must congratulate Maya on her excellent coffee 
then, since you hang around so much." she raised an eyebrow.  "So?"

"So what?"

"Why are you so happy?"

Misato got a grin on her face.  It began to spread, too.

"Ahh, a date." Ritsuko deduced.  "I didn't know Kaji was back in town?"

Misato's grin got bigger and she started whistling.

"Someone else???" Ritsuko blinked, then suddenly got caught up in the 
Major's mood.  "Who is it?  Is he hot??" she grinned back.

"He's really nice." Misato nodded lecherously.  "REALLY nice.  We met 
at the bar by accident.  Turns out that he's a teacher at the school 
the Children go to." she smiled and raised her hand to make a point.  
"He's got brains and looks.  That always means the most imaginative 
lovers."

Ritsuko blinked, then chuckled.  "I never knew you went for the older 
type..." she went back to her computer typing.

"Older?" Misato blinked.  "Actually, I think he might have a year on 
me, youth wise.  I didn't bother asking." she grinned again.  "So long 
as he knows what to do with his tool, I don't care."

Ritsuko sighed.  "I just KNOW this is another misunderstanding like the 
children's concert practice...so I'll ask now.  Is this guy balding?" 
she turned to Misato.  "Because all of their teachers are over forty 
nine years old.  I know their home room teacher doesn't even have a 
straight back, let alone a useful tool." she chuckled.  

Misato shook her head, leaning on her friend's desk.  "Oooh no.  Must 
be a new teacher or something, because damn...I'm wondering why I don't 
go back go get an 'education' because of him."

"A new teacher?" she blinked.  "Mm.  Must not have noticed the report." 
she sighed, turning back to the screen.

"And so why are you so moody?" Misato said finally.  "Normally you at 
least PRETEND to let me sneak up on you...damn reflective glasses..."

"The Unit-03 test." Ritsuko sighed.  We'll be using the Forth Children.  
Not much time to get things done.  It starts tomorrow.  Not to mention 
we have to move some of the equipment to the alternate test site at..."

"Forth?" Misato blinked.  "You found the Forth?"

"Mm mm." Ritsuko nodded, pointing to the screen.

"HIM????" Misato gasped as she saw Toji's face looking back at her from 
his ID screen.  

Ritsuko nodded.  "There's no choice.  You know that.  The reports never 
lie."

"...but I haven't even received the report!" 

She cursed herself for letting her mouth get too far ahead.  "It's tied 
up in the Commander's office at the moment.  You'll probably get it in 
a day or two."

Misato sighed.  "Well...I'll tell you right now, I'm not looking 
forward to this."

"Why not?" Ritsuko asked.

"Well...Asuka?" she smiled slightly.  "She won't care...she'll be mad 
at first, but probably love the chance to prove herself better.  Rei 
doesn't seem to worry about much..." she sighed.  "But...Toji is one of 
Shinji's friends..." she shook her head.  "I don't want Shinji to 
suffer anymore.  What if something bad happens...?"

"It doesn't matter." Ritsuko stated simply.  "We need them to pilot.  
This isn't a game.  It's everyone's survival.  If they don't, they die 
along with us."

Misato regarded her friend coldly.  "Makes it easier to take when they 
get splattered by an A.T. Field, doesn't it."

Ritsuko nodded silently, taking a sip of coffee.  "You might want to 
try it sometimes.  It's called 'reality'."

The Major sighed and stood, turning to leave.  "Really?  I thought it 
was 'humanity' we were trying to save."

"Have fun on your date, Major.  Don't be late for the arrival this 
evening." Ritsuko sighed, hearing the door close a moment later.  









"Suzuhara?" Hikari said sternly as the lunch bell rang out and the 
class broke into the usual gossip, eating, and relaxing.  

Toji looked up from his thoughts to see the class Rep standing next to 
him.  "Hey, Hikari-san."

She shifted nervously in her stance.  "Uhm..." her mind wandered 
around, trying to think of something to say?  Finally, she smiled and 
got an idea.  "Have you noticed Shinji acting any different lately?"

"Has he?" Toji blinked, looking over at Shinji...who was actually 
TALKING with Asuka over their bento-boxes.  I.E., not yelling.  "Yeah, 
I suppose he is a little different lately." 

"I've noticed the same thing with Asuka." Hikari smiled.  "Do you think 
they could be in love?"

Toji just shrugged.  "I doubt it...but I suppose people sometimes get 
into strange situations."

Hikari nodded and sat down in an empty seat next to him.  "I...oh my!  
I hope I'm not keeping you from lunch..." she blushed terribly as she 
realized he might be politely trying to cut the conversation off so he 
could eat. 

Toji just smiled.  "Naw.  It's okay.  I forgot my lunch today, and I 
don't really want to waste any money on the so-called-food that the 
vending machines give out."

She smiled, but shook her head.  "You should eat something, though.  
It's not healthy to go all day without food." she turned slightly red 
but didn't hold back.  "If you don't mind sharing, I brought kind of a 
bit too much lunch for just me today..." she picked up her pack from 
the floor and opened it up, revealing a rather large bento box.

Toji blinked and sat up straight.  "Really?" he smiled.  "You wouldn't 
mind??" he subconsciously began to drool.  The food smelled REALLY good 
to the hungry future pilot, since he had pretty much forgotten to eat 
since he was 'drafted'. 

Hikari smiled and began setting out the food.

Shinji and Asuka watched the exchange with surprise.  "God that woman 
is nuts." she sighed.

"Oh?  They're just having lunch." Shinji shrugged, picking up a roll 
with his chopsticks and eating it happily.  

"Baka!" she smacked him on the head with her chopsticks.  "What do you 
think we're doing?"

He blinked, then turned red.  "Uhm...we're having lunch..."

"Exactly.  To all you stooges, it looks harmless." she glared around 
the room.  "But if everyone didn't think we were just roommates, the 
women here would know we were...well...together!"

Shinji considered the theory.  "But...I mean...I never really 
noticed..."

"That's cause you're a stooge." she smiled.  "My sweet little baka 
stooge, but still, you're a boy."

"T...thanks, I guess." Shinji smiled.

Asuka nodded, then turned to Natsume, one of their classmates who was 
chatting with another of her girlfriends.  "Hey, Natsume-chan, did you 
see Hikari?"

Natsume turned to Asuka and chuckled.  "No doubt.  She's almost all 
over Suzuhara!  I had to turn away to be able to eat.  It's too damn 
sweet." she giggled.  

Shinji blinked as Asuka turned back to him and smiled.  "Now watch 
this..." she turned to Kensuke, who was busy typing on his computer.  
"Hey, Stooge!"

Kensuke sighed and looked up from his terminal.  "Yeah?  You wanted 
something, Red Devil?"

Asuka's facial twitch betrayed she wanted to kill him for the comment, 
but she restrained herself for the moment.  "Yeah.  I was wondering 
what Toji is doing.  Any ideas?"

Kensuke blinked and observed his friend.  "He's having lunch.  So?"

"With Hikari." Asuka pointed out.

"So?" Kensuke shrugged.  "Is that not allowed or something?"

Asuka turned back to Shinji who had observed the whole thing.  "See 
what I mean?"

"Wow...!  I never even noticed!" Shinji nodded, looking at Hikari and 
Toji, who were still eating together.  "But...the more I think about 
it, you're right!"

"Good boy." Asuka smiled.  "You're learning already." she pointed out 
with her fingers.  "See, that's like Sensei was talking about.  
Everyone sees things different...even plain and obvious things.  Girls 
are naturally intuitive when it comes to this kind of thing, while boys 
are idiots about pretty much anything." she grinned.

Wisely, Shinji decided to keep his mouth busy with food, instead of 
defending the Male Species.

"So, anyway." Asuka said  "We should do something about this."

"Why do we need to do anything?" Shinji blinked.

"Well, Hikari, for whatever reason, likes Toji." Asuka sighed tiredly.  
"And although I think she's being a little hasty with falling for such 
a hentai, I think we should at least get Toji to realize it."

"So, even if he doesn't want to go out with her," Shinji reasoned "then 
he'll know not to hurt her feelings and break her heart?"

"Exactly." Asuka smiled proudly.  "I'd rather have my friend not get 
hurt.  That's more important than even her going out with Toji, so I 
suppose it's worth the effort."

Shinji smiled.  "That's very noble of you, Asuka-chan."

"Yeah, yeah." she smiled uncomfortably.  "You can nominate me for a 
peace-prize later.  Any ideas?"

"Why don't we just say to Toji that she likes him?" Shinji shrugged.  
"I can invite him over tonight and we can all talk or something."

"That might work." Asuka nodded.  "But we need a more direct way to 
tell him.  Maybe even so he'll..."

A shadow crossed their desks.  They looked up in surprise to see Rei 
standing there.   "Ayanami!" Shinji smiled.  "How are you?"

Rei nodded.  "Ikari-kun.  Sohryu-chan." she paused for a moment.

"What do you want, Wondergirl." Asuka sighed.  "We're eating."

"I believe I can help." Rei smiled slightly. 

Asuka stared blankly.  "P...pardon?"

Rei nodded.  "I believe I can help you protect your friend Hikari from 
Toji's ignorance of her feelings."

Shinji smiled.  "Wow, Ayanami!  That's really nice of you!" he blinked.  
"Uhm...how?"

"Do I have your permission to try?" she said to Asuka.

Asuka really wasn't too used to this much Rei interaction, and had to 
take a few moments to come up with a response.  "Uhm...why are you 
asking me?"

"Because she is your friend." Rei replied simply.  "I wish to use my 
observations of the class to help out if I can."

Asuka blinked, then shrugged.  "Sure.  I don't see why not.  I mean, 
it's not like you're goinna start spinning your head around or 
something...are you?"

"I am not able to spin my head around in such a manor." Rei replied.

Shinji smiled back at Rei, who joined in. 

"God help us...Rei making jokes." Asuka sighed then shrugged.  "Sure.  
Knock yourself out."

Rei chose not to make another joke about self-inflicted 
unconsciousness, and nodded simply, walking over to Hikari and Toji.

"I wonder what she's going to do?" Shinji wondered aloud.

Toji was about to stuff another rice-cake into his mouth when he 
noticed Rei walking up to them.  Hikari smiled a greeting.  "Hello, 
Ayanami-san."

Rei ignored Hikari and turned to Toji.  "Hello, Suzuhara."

Toji blinked, looking up at her.  "Uhm...Hi?"

"I would like to announce I am no longer interested in you." she stated 
in a plain voice. 

A gasp or two came from around them in surprise.  Toji blinked, 
dropping his rice-cake.  "Huh?"

"It is clear to me that Hikari-san has romantic intentions toward you, 
and I do not wish to get in the way." Rei announced officially.

Hikari promptly fell over in her seat, but not before turning tomato-
red.  "Ahhhh!"

"I wish you two the best of luck." Rei said, extending her hand for him 
to shake.

Toji was frozen.

She took back her hand and bowed slightly instead.  "I apologize for 
interrupting your lunch.  Ja." she turned and walked back over to her 
seat.  

Toji was still frozen as Hikari finally managed to crawl back into her 
seat, gasping in embarrassment.  Shinji and Asuka both blinked in 
unison.  "Well...that's one way to do it..." Shinji whispered. 

"Wondergirl isn't one to mess with." Asuka restated an old thought.  
"She's very direct."

The entire class was looking at Toji and Hikari at this point.  Both of 
them were VERY nervously trying to look like they were eating.  Toji 
was turning a shade of red that seemed to match Hikari's blush.  Shinji 
smiled.  "I think he realizes it."

Asuka smiled.  "See?  I was right.  Even Wondergirl saw it.  She's a 
woman after all."

Rei just smiled from her seat.  "Excellent..." she folded her fingers 
together in front of her mouth and gazed out the window.  

At that moment, the principal came into the class with a bright smile 
on his face.  "Good afternoon class."

Everyone snapped to attention, except Toji and Hikari, who were 
desperately trying to remain focused on their food.

"I just wanted to let you all know that your sensei called in sick for 
this afternoon." Yamamoto said with a sigh.  "Anyone who wants use of 
the study hall may use this afternoon's time there...but besides that, 
you're all free to go home for the day."

The class cheered.  

As the principal continued rattling on more information and what tests 
were coming up, Toji turned to Hikari. 

"Uhm...Class Rep?"

"H...hai...?" Hikari grimaced to herself.  

"Can..." Toji frowned, thinking about the words.  "Would you like to 
hang out with us this afternoon?"

Hikari looked up from her bento box and blinked.  "H...hang out with 
you and the others?"

He nodded, turning even redder.  "I...I mean, I know you don't 
normally...but I thought if..."

She nodded quickly.  "Okay!"

Toji smiled nervously.  "Okay."






Asuka shook her head.  "Now it's our turn to make sure they don't do 
anything stupid." she sighed.

Shinji blinked.  "Like what?"

"Like Toji to show what a stooge he is." she grimaced.  "This will be 
quite a challenge."

Wisely, Shinji decided not to refute that statement.  "Hai."









To be continued...



-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes! 

Believe it or not, I'm actually getting some advanced work done on 
Higher Learning this week!  Oooh!  Hopefully that means better quality, 
and no interruptions for you, the valued reader.  

July and August will be very busy for me, so I'm hoping you all will 
bare with my somewhat hectic schedule.  Being a slacker, I was hoping 
to have a year of general vedge-ness to do Higher Learning in.  (and 
it's probably going to take a year...damn...) 

And to show you I'm not slacking off, I also included an Omake for you.  
^_^  Special thanks to Tozetre for the idea, and I hope he's enjoying 
his summer vacation!  




Omake!
------

SCENE:  Sensei Kaoru stands at the front of the class, trying to keep a 
straight face as he looks over all the students assembled around him.  
He is dressed in a white lab-coat, and has oddly reflective (even for 
Eva), thick-lensed glasses, framed by wild hair that's much more-so 
than usual.  

Sensei:     <chuckling to himself>  Good morning class!  I see you all 
            finished your homework!
Class:      <grumble grumble>
Kensuke:    <raising his hand...showing it to be...green???>  Can I be 
            first, Sensei?
Sensei:     <nodding>  Of course!  <writing on the board as 
            Kensuke...waddles up...>  As you all can see, Kensuke chose 
            'Godzilla', the Anime Series. 
Kensuke:    <jumps up onto Kaoru's desk and roars, dressed in a rubber 
            'Zilla costume!>  I AM GODZILLAAA!  I am indestructible, 
            radioactive, and able to shoot fire from my mouth!
Class:      YEAH!  GO GO GODZILLA!!!!!!!!!
Asuka:      <to herself as Kensuke sits down>  Oh god...please don't 
            let me get picked next...
Sensei:     <smiling brightly>  Asuka, why don't you come up next?
Asuka:      <mumbling as she walks up to the front...in a Totoro 
            costume>  Gwaaar...I am the giant Totoro.  I live in an
            enchanted camber tree and eat acorns.  Sometimes I like to
            steal umbrellas and fly around on a spinning top.  Then I 
            go back home and hoot on a rock flute that I'm sure is some 
            kind of a bong in disguise.  I usually invite little kids 
            to join me, because I'm a sick...
Sensei:     <coughing>  That's fine, Totoro-chan.
Class:      <laughing hysterically as Asuka sits back down>
Shinji:     <smiling timidly>  I think Totoro is pretty cool, Asuka...
Asuka:      <grabbing him by his...dress...>  Tell anyone of this and
            you DIE, Third Child! 
Sensei:     <starting to laugh like a mad scientist>  WHOO HOO HOO HOO!  
            Who wants to come up next???  I see Shinji is ready!
Shinji:     <walking up, with his broom and stuffed cat>  Who are you 
            supposed to be again?
Sensei:     <mock-offended>  Why, I'm Professor Tomoe from Sailor Moon!
Shinji:     Oh yeah!  Cool!
Sensei:     You may continue...Kiki.
Shinji:     <turning around in his dark purple dress with a blush>  
            Uhm, Hi!  I'm Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service.  I fly 
            around on my broom helping old ladies cook and delivering 
            bread and stuff to people.  My cat sounds like Phil 
            Hartman.
Class:      <blinking>
Shinji:     <pouts and sits back down>  Nobody watches the classics 
            anymore...
Sensei:     Uhm...very good Shinji.  <looking around class>  Okay, how 
            about you, Hikari?
Hikari:     <sighs and walks up to the front of the class, wearing what 
            looks to be a Ninja-Mask over her face, a small gee, and 
            carrying a large sack of panties and bras over her 
            shoulder>
Class:      <scared> ...
Hikari:     <sighs...again...then enthusiastically:>  SWEEEEEEEEEEEETO!  
            I am Happosai, the perverted, dirty old man from Ranma 1/2!  
            I run around getting into stupid fights and stealing nubile 
            young women's underwear for my massive collection!
Sensei:     <stepping away carefully>  Hikari...did anyone tell you 
            that you are a natural Happosai?  I'm impressed!  ...  and 
            scared!
Toji:       <smiling>  HEY!  I LOVE HAPPOSAI!  He's my HERO!
Hikari:     <fuming, and using her panty-sack to club Toji on the way 
            to her seat>  HENTAI!
Sensei:     How about if you come up next, Toji?
Toji:       <immediately cowering>  Uhm...no...actually I was just 
            goinna stay here and hide...
Hikari:     <still mad>  GET UP THERE NOW, PERVERT!
Toji:       <jumps out of his seat, receiving many whistles from the 
            girls in the class as he sighs, accepting his fate, and 
            walks up to the front as...>  I AM SAILOR MOOOOOOOOOOOOON!  
            And in the name of the Moon, I will punish YOU!
Girls:      <whistling>  Oh yeah!  Show us them legs!
Toji:       <standing in his little Sailor Moon pose, showing off his 
            hairy legs under a WAAAY too short skirt>  Yeah, uhm, I'm 
            Sailor Moon...I take orders from talking moon cats, use 
            weapons I pull out of my ass, and run around chasing
            monsters that show up one every day.
Sensei:     <sternly>  And.....?
Toji:       <remembering>  Oh yeah!  And I lust after men in tuxedoes.
Sensei:     <nods>  Good.  I was about to dock you marks.  You may sit 
            down.  HOO HAAA HAAA HOO HOAAAOOAAA!
Class:      <sweat-dropping>  ...
Sensei:     <smiling>  Well, now that concludes our Anime-Character 
            unit on media and...
Rei:        <raising a 'hand'>  May I present my costume too?
Sensei:     <nods> Oh!  Of course, Rei!  I forgot you picked a 
            character too!  Go ahead!
Rei:        <nodding and standing up, walking over to the front in a 
            Cat-Girl costume>
Class:      <drooling> ...
Asuka:      <mad>  How come she picked the cat-girl!?!
Shinji:     <trying not to nose-bleed over his desk>  Uhm...but a 
            Totoro kinda looks like a cat...
Asuka:      <grabbing him again>  I LOOK LIKE A LAND-OWL!
Class:      <completely ignoring Asuka, watching Rei 'slink' up to the 
            front of the class>
Sensei:     <sighing>  Oh dear...I'm going to have to pick up more
            tissues tonight.
Hikari:     <sighing>  Me too... <gasps and blushes>
Toji:       Sweeeeeeeeeto!
Kensuke:    <taping the scene>  Godzilla HAPPY!  Godzilla STOMP TOKYO 
            TONGIGHT!  
Shinji:     Uhm...I'm going to bleed to death...<gurgling on his own 
            blood>

Rei:        <decked out in a light-brown-fur, skin-tight cat-outfit 
            with a tail and perky little ears.  She smiles, then licks 
            her paws>  Meow.


DEDICATED TO CAT-GIRL LOVERS EVERYWHERE.  ^_^  You're welcome, Tozetre.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110
e-mail:   strikef@bigfoot.com

Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.

From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning

   Strike Fiss, 2000








Twenty-Third Lesson: "Learning Nothing"






Asuka stood proudly.  One hand was on her waist, while the other held a 
clipboard full of German text.  This was an important moment, and if 
everything was to go well, she would have to read the list perfectly.

"Are you ready, my kawaii baka-Shinji?" she smiled down at him from her 
vantage point on the couch.

Shinji's knees became weak at her calling his name with such affection. 
(for Asuka, anyway)  But he bowed crisply and thudded the end of his 
mop on the ground like a sceptre.  "Hai!"

She nodded, looking at the list.  "FOOD!"

Shinji gasped, running over to the kitchen table and checking what was 
there.  Potato chips a plenty, three kinds of Poky (tm) in quantities 
enough to make a forest green with envy (as well as chlorophyll), a 
veritable STATUE of beverage-container of every liquid refreshment 
known to science, and a large tray of cracker-meat-and-cheese snacks 
that they had hand-made for the occasion. 

He counted all the items and turned back to Asuka with a nod.  "Check!"

Asuka continued.  "ENTERTAINMENT!"

Shinji gasped and sprinted over to the living room.  Asuka had dug out 
her stereo system, magazines and manga, putting most on the little 
coffee-table.  Shinji had added his impressive music collection to her 
own, and set up the Sega system on the T.V..  He even checked it's 
connections before reporting "Check!"

"BATHROOM!!"

It wasn't a dumb thing to check on, considering the amount of 
preparation that usually went into just getting the apartment THIS 
nice.  (i.e., no garbage laying around)  Shinji hustled over to the 
bathroom with his mop.  Asuka waited with a official looking frown as 
she heard the toilet flush once.  Then, he scampered back out.  
"Check!"

"And now..." Asuka nodded with a sigh.  "Don't be shy..." she pointed 
at him.  "BODY ODOR!"

Shinji sighed and raised his arms to do a quick 'pit check'.  "Check."

She did the same and smiled.  "Perfect!  We're all done.  Anything else 
we need, Shinji-kun?"

He shook his head.  "Nope!  That seems to be about..." 

They both gasped as the door opened.  "ROOM-MATES!!!"

Pen-Pen squawked angrily.  Little did they know he helped fix the 
toilet!  Ungrateful humans...

Misato, on the other hand, entered the living room.  "Tada..." she 
blinked, looking around at the children.  "Uh...what's going on?"

Both blinked, looking at the food, music, and mop (that Shinji quickly 
hid behind himself)  

"Nothing, Misato-san!" they echoed in a spooky 'sync-training' 
flashback.

She blinked, looking at all the evidence, but then regarded Shinji's 
innocent little look on his face.  

It was a bit TOOOOOOO innocent...

And Asuka was known to 'convince' Shinji into doing things sometimes...

"Are..." she frowned.  "Are you two planning a party?"

They shook their heads quickly.  Shinji promptly folded under Misato's 
glare.  "We're just having Hikari, Toji and Kensuke over for..." he 
fell over as Asuka whapped him on the back of the head.  

Misato looked around.  "Great...now I'm going to have to find a 
babysitter." she sighed, crossing her arms.

"BABY-sitter?!?!?" Asuka all but yelled.  "WHO do you think you are 
TALKING to!?!?  We're..."

"Still kids, as far as I'm concerned." Misato frowned, glaring down the 
younger female of the house.  "And this is MY apartment, I might add."

Both children sighed.  Shinji tried to atone for his slip-up.  
"But...Misato-chan.  We've had friends over before...it's not like it's 
a big party."

Asuka nodded eagerly.  "That's the truth, Misato!  We were just goinna 
eat junk food and play video games and music!"

She sighed and walked past them.  "I'm sorry, but I'll be out tonight.  
I'm going to see if Kaji can come over and look after you guys."

"Kaji!?!" Asuka beamed, then caught herself quickly as she sensed the 
air around Shinji get colder.  "Uhm..."

Misato picked up the phone and started dialling.  

Asuka smiled sheepishly at Shinji.  "Gomen...habit."

Shinji sighed and nodded.  "Hai.  I understand."

Determined to make Shinji relax about it, she leaned over and kissed 
him on the corner of the mouth while Misato wasn't looking.  "I 
promise...just habit."

He nodded, blushing terribly, but not very convincingly.  "Hai."

Asuka was about to get more offensive when Misato came back into the 
room.  "What time is it?" she gasped, looking for the clock.  

"Six-Twenty." Asuka pointed to the stove-top clock. 
 
"AHH!" Misato gasped, ripping off her work clothes as she ran into her 
room.  "I'm goinna be LAAAAAAAAAATE!"

"Where are you going?" Asuka blinked, realizing that if Kaji was coming 
over...

"I gotta date." Misato smiled, poking her head out from around the 
corner.

Both children produced large sweat drops on their respective foreheads.  

"Anyway, Shinji, we're running low on milk...and if your friends are 
coming over, make sure Kaji has enough to eat.  He said he'd be over in 
a bit.  You might want to meet him downstairs." Misato said between 
moments of clothing-muffled speech.  "Asuka, behave.  He said he's been 
really busy, but he owed me a favour.  He might need to get some work 
done here.  I'll might have to run off early in the morning, so I don't 
have much time to shop.  Kaji will make sure you guys are alright for 
the next few days."

"Just what kind of 'favour' was that?" Asuka smirked as Shinji was 
getting on his shoes.  

He was just about to open the door when the bell rang.  Outside stood 
Toji, Kensuke and Hikari, who was nervously tagging along behind them.  
"Konbanwa, Shinji!" Kensuke greeted happily.

"Forgive the intrusion, Ikari-kun." Hikari blushed.  "I hope we're 
not..."

"Oh!  Not at all!" Shinji smiled, remembering the evening's plans.  "I 
just have to go get some things from the store.  Uhm...please, come in!  
Asuka's here, and Misato's just getting changed."

Toji and his friend's jaws opened in glee.  Kensuke immediately whipped 
out his camera.  "Misato-san!"

In a movement that would be praised by Asuka later on, Shinji almost 
leapt over to Toji and tossed him inside before he too could drool in 
the thought of Misato changing.  Hikari just blinked as Shinji smiled 
innocently.  "Ah, gomen...I thought I saw a bee."

Toji picked himself up from the floor.  "A bee?  I didn't hear any..."

Asuka bounced over to the group.  "Everyone!  Come on in!  Make 
yourselves at home!" she smiled over at Shinji.  "And don't forget the 
milk, Third Child."

"Hai." he smiled, walking out of the door.

"That was close." Asuka mumbled to herself, then turned to her guests.  
"So..." she sighed, wishing they didn't show up so early.  "Anyone for 
some food?"






Shinji was just bringing his groceries up to the counter to pay for 
when he saw Kaji walk by.  He quickly waved, catching the older man's 
attention.  He smiled as he entered the store.  "Hey, Shinji-san.  
Misato making you do all the shopping again?"

He smiled and nodded.  "Actually, Asuka-chan and I have to insist, or 
she'd only buy instant ramen."

Kaji noticed some of the items in Shinji's basket, including a lot of 
party snacks.  "A party?"

"Well...not really." Shinji said.  "We just wanted to...Uhm...well, you 
see, Hikari and Toji like each other, and..."

"You wanted to get them together." Kaji chuckled.  "Cute.  I must 
admit, I never thought you'd be playing matchmaker, Shinji." he looked 
around.  "So I'm going to be the 'responsible role-model' for your 
gathering, am I?  Misato's working late?"

"Actually, I think..." he turned pink.  "I think she's going on a 
date."

Kaji blinked, not expecting that.  "Mm...well." 

"I hope you're not mad." Shinji apologized as he paid for the food.  

Kaji picked up one of the bags and shook his head.  "You know we 
haven't been going out for a while.  It's okay.  Just sometimes it 
brings back old memories." he shrugged.  "But, that's life." his smile 
returned.  "Anyone tells you differently, and I'd be surprised."

Shinji nodded as they got into the elevator.  "Can I ask you something, 
Kaji-san?"

"Of course."

"Can you tell me about Asuka?" he shuffled his feet.  "I...I mean, 
before she came here?"

Kaji said nothing for a moment, regarding the young man.  "That..." he 
smiled.  "That is a conversation we'll have to have later.  But sure, 
I'll tell you."

Shinji smiled a thanks as they got out and went to the apartment.  

"Tadaima." Shinji announced as they walked in, kicking their shoes off 
as they went.  

Asuka, for her credit, did very well.  "Welcome back.  Konbanwa, Kaji-
san!" she walked over and took Shinji's bag for him.  "Here, I'll help 
you with that..."

Kaji's jaw was almost dropping to the floor.  "Asuka...helping to carry 
groceries?" 

Shinji shrugged and took Kaji's bag to help.  "It's no big deal.  We 
have to do most of the chores here anyway."

"Still..." Kaji nodded.  "The girl's changed..."

Toji, Hikari and Kensuke were already digging into the chips and sodas 
as Kaji walked over and joined them at the table.  "Hey, Kaji-san!" the 
boys bowed.  "Pull up a seat!" 

"Why thank you, kind sirs."  Kaji chuckled, helping himself to some of 
the crackers.  "So, anyone bring any cards?"

"Hey, Kaji-kun." Misato appeared from the hall with a big grin.  "What 
do you think?"

The boys all turned (even Asuka and Shinji couldn't stop Toji in time 
anyway) and gasped as Misato struck a little pose.  She was dressed in 
a flowery-purple sun dress, long, and modestly cut.  On most people, it 
would be very cute.  On Misato's impressive 'endowments', it was 
downright sexy.  Her hair was tied back and wisps of it fell over her 
shoulders, framing her neckline.  

"I..." Kaji blinked, then smiled.  "That's a very nice dress, 
Katsuragi-chan."

The boys all just nodded.  Luckily, Toji didn't say anything 
incriminating, while Kensuke did for him.  "Damn..." he gasped and 
remembered to get a shot of the Major for his camera.  

"Glad you like it." Misato nodded, grabbing her shoes and looking at 
the clock.  "Oy...almost Seven.  You sure you can handle everyone here, 
Kaji?"

Kaji smiled at the children.  "I'm sure they won't be too much 
trouble." Toji, Kensuke and Shinji smiled their official 'stooge' 
smiles.  

"Famous last words." Misato winked.  "Don't wait up, boys and girls!"  
she put on her shoes and was out the door without another word.  

Kaji sighed and stretched out.  "Well, I can't say I don't feel a bit 
envious toward whoever she's wearing that dress for..."

"You and me both." Kensuke sighed.

Hikari and Asuka grumbled.  







"Well, I can't say I envy NERV HQ." the captain sighed as he and his 
three co-pilots walked around the aircraft.  

"You and I both, sir." one of them said.

The customary check of the wings and control surfaces was almost done, 
and the fuel was almost finished being piped into the massive 
Supercarrier Jet.  Two dozen men and women in lab coats were off to the 
side, performing their last, pre-flight checks on the cargo.

Under the massive shadow that the aircraft wing's cast down, the 
irregular glints of metal and white paint on a black background hinted 
at something very dangerous being loaded.

Evangelion Unit 03.  With it's dark colors and grimacing, pug-like 
face, it looked like a baron of hell...ready to swallow them up like 
the Second Branch had been.  Luckily, this unit didn't have an S2 
engine system, and so, the tension around the aircraft was only 'mind-
numbing' and not 'unbearable'.  

"Ugly mother fucker isn't it?" One of the techies mentioned as he 
handed the captain the last scanning report on a personal computer-
palm-top.  

He nodded, signing the report and sighing.  "I'm not going to relax 
until this sucker is in Tokyo, and we're back out over the ocean." he 
turned to his crew, who were all still staring at the beast.  "This 
mission is a no-shit.  Do you remember what that means?"

His chief co-pilot nodded and smiled.  "No shitting around, no causing 
shit, and avoiding shit at all cost, you shit us not." she stated 
crisply.

"Exactly." he nodded.  "Now, I have the words of honor from fifty 
people that this thing is as harmless as a rock without power.  
However, despite the fact that they have no fucking idea what this 
thing might do, we're also going to be on the look out for any external 
trouble.  That means terrorists, missiles, other Evangelions, hell, and 
if an Angel attacks I wouldn't be surprised.  Anyone sees ANYTHING out 
of the ordinary, you tell me immediately."

The crew of Neo Path 400 saluted under their aircraft's shadow, still 
looking up at the monster hung beneath it.  

Unit 03 grimaced back with an unblinking stare. 







Hikari and Asuka sat off to the side, watching Toji and Kensuke battle 
it out with a flight-simulator game on the TV.  The volume was turned 
up and they were shouting and hollering, so it was pretty safe for the 
girls to talk.

"I...I didn't know Ayanami liked Toji..." Hikari said suddenly, just 
loud enough to be heard by Asuka.

Asuka groaned inwardly, wondering how anyone could be fooled by 
Wondergirl, but kept face for her friend's happiness.  "Well, you never 
know...she is pretty quiet.  Nobody pays much attention to her."

"Well...I wonder if I should let them..."

"What?!?!" Asuka groaned.  "No!  She said it was no problem..." she 
leaned into Hikari's shoulder.  "You would be a fool to pass up this 
opportunity!  How many times have you heard of a rival girl actually 
stepping down honourably?  You'd better grab hold quickly before 
someone else rises up to challenge you!"

"I...I guess..." Hikari was completely red.  "Still, that sounds so 
aggressive!  I'm not like that..."

"You should be!" Asuka smiled, wagging a finger in front of her 
friend's nose.  "Boys like that."

Hikari wondered if Asuka knew exactly what all the boys thought of her 
at school...but then realized that, even with their low opinions of the 
redhead, they still yearned for her.  "Well...maybe a little."

"Any boy that can't handle a strong woman is exactly that." she nodded.  
"A boy.  Not a man." she grinned.  "If Toji can't handle you as a 
woman, then you don't need a little boy like him anyway."

Hikari turned completely red.  "Asuka!!"





Shinji and Kaji were in the kitchen, washing up the dishes.  The young 
Ikari was watching the living room again, trying to figure out what the 
two girls were talking about.  Hikari was blushing terribly and Asuka 
was smiling in that way that half frightened him...half excited him.  
It was a dangerous mix...they could be talking about anything!  Maybe 
even him... 

"Shinji...plate." Kaji smirked, watching the boy jump back to 
attention. 

"Hai!" he grabbed the dish and dried it, putting it with the others in 
the cubboard as Kaji reached for another with a soapy cloth.  

"Women..." Kaji smiled.  "No greater mystery exists."

"Nani?" 

"Look at them." Kaji said, peering around the corner with Shinji.  "The 
boys don't even realize the plotting and scheming that's happening 
behind their very backs.  I have always maintained that women make the 
best spies, since they have many natural talents in that area."

Shinji smiled.  "Asuka was pointing that out to me too.  I didn't 
realize it before, but I think I'm beginning to see."

"Asuka's teaching you the ways of the opposite sex?" Kaji laughed.  "I 
pity you." he paused, then shook his head.  "However, if you survive, I 
doubt you will have found a better teacher."

"I think I'll survive for now." Shinji stated proudly.  

"I think you will too."  Kaji smiled, then sighed, turning to the 
dishes.  He finished up washing two glasses.  "Shinji, will you join me 
for a drink?"

Shinji blinked.  "But...I'm a boy."

Kaji chuckled.  "Not like that." he paused to regard the glass as he 
held one up.  "Drinking is the oldest form of male bonding.  For 
countless years, our kind has told stories and tales over glasses of 
ale and liquor.  Sometimes, even a bit of wisdom leaks out from time to 
time."

Shinji smiled brightly.  "Oh, in that case, sure!"

Kaji raised an eyebrow.  "You agreed a little quick.  You've gotten 
drunk before?"

With a dry grin, Shinji nodded. 

"Oh...that's right." Kaji laughed.  "You live with Misato." he walked 
over to the fridge and pulled out four beers, setting them on the 
table.  "Stupid question." 

"Won't Misato mind?" Shinji asked, sitting down across from him.

"We'll re-stock for her." Kaji nodded, and popped the tab on his can.  
Shinji followed suit and they paused.  "What should we toast to?"

Shinji took one last look out into the living room and then smiled.  
"How about to someday figuring out women."

"My my..." Kaji laughed, tapping his can to Shinji's.  "You really have 
done this before."  he bowed his head and took a long sip.  

Shinji followed suit, and managed to get down a large gulp before 
having to come up for air.  "I liked the sake better." he shrugged, but 
then took another sip.

"So what should we talk about?" Kaji asked, already knowing the answer.

Shinji looked up.  "What was Asuka like in Germany?" he beamed.  "I 
wanna know."

Kaji took another drag of ale and smiled.  "Well...I first met her 
when..."









To Be Continued...


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Good day!  Once again, the authors notes:

I'm going to try to keep this short, as I'll be trying to get Lesson 24 
done tonight as well, but there's a few things I'll point out before I 
leave with an Omake.

-This is where the story starts to diverge from the Eva series.  I know 
it's been bouncing back and forth a bit here N there, but you'll start 
to notice major changes soon.  
-I'm trying not to make Shinji's maturing attitude and mind too OOC, 
but I also saw a perfect opportunity to expand the 'talks' that he and 
Kaji share in Ep 17-18.  I hope it's not too much/too little.  Any 
comments would be wonderful!  Lesson 24 will have more.
-Thank you Power DVD!  While Episode 18 isn't out on a region 1 encoded 
DVD disk yet, it IS out on VCD...and I happen to have the set.  Power 
DVD has a handy dandy little 8X feature (my ROM is an 8X, so I don't 
know if others will do it too) and I can swiftly go through the eps, 
looking for subtitled info.  If anyone's wondering, the Supercarrier 
Jet that is transporting Unit-03 IS actually called the Neo Path 
400...at least in designation.  Tee hee!  Silly American names.  

OMAKE-------------------------

SCENE:  Asuka's room.  Dark outside, but the soft glow of candle light 
eminates from within.  Clothes are strewn about in an amazing mess, 
including a boy's school outfit.  The trail leads over to the bed, 
where two figures are resting after vigorous sex.

Asuka:      Oh my...that...that was very....wow....
Kaworu:     <wiping his gray hair away from his eyes and lighting up a 
            cigarette>  You said it, babe!
Asuka:      ...
Kaworu:     <blinking>  What's wrong?
Asuka:      Uhm...well...<embarrassed>  It's just that...
Kaworu:     It's okay, you can tell me! <grinning his standard Angel-
            Boy grin>
Asuka:      Well...it's just that I thought you were...GAY!
Kaworu:     <chuckling>  Gay?
Asuka:      <frowning>  Yeah!  You and Shinji!  You were always hitting 
            on him!
Kaworu:     Ooooooh!  THAT!  <smiling>  Naw, I'm not gay, I just 
            pretend I am to get chicks!
Asuka:      <wide-eyed> ...
Kaworu:     <shrugging>  Don't look so surprised.  Shinji's the one who 
            taught me!  He's down at NERV right now boning Maya and 
            Misato!
Asuka:      <blinks, then passes out>
Kaworu:     <turning to audience and winking>  It always works.
-------------------------



e-mail:   strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110

Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.


From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning

   Strike Fiss, 2000









Twenty-Forth Lesson: "Barriers of the Soul"









"So you two are going out?" Kaji said, sucking back another burp as 
they watched the slow sunset.  

"Yup." Shinji said, throwing his empty beer can out over the pavement.  
He was rewarded with a hollow 'thunk!' sound a moment later.  "She's 
nice to me now...but..."

"You still don't understand her?" Kaji nodded. 

"Exactly." Shinji sighed.  "I mean...it's almost like there's two of 
her always fighting...one is mean and pompous and a total...bitch..." 
he giggled.  "But...well, the other half of her is really nice.  I 
think I'm falling in love with her..."

"Whoa there, Shinji." Kaji shook his head.  "Don't be in a hurry.  The 
road to a woman's heart is not one you can just stroll down.  And the 
faster you go, the easier it will be to trip over a beer can..." he 
illustrated by hurtling his off the balcony.

Each popped another. 

"Mm, I guess..." he looked up at his friend.  "Asuka did 'fall' for you 
pretty quick."

Kaji said nothing, looking out over the distance with a slightly stark 
expression.

"Gomen..."

"No, it's okay, Shinji." Kaji shook his head.  "I just feel bad for the 
girl...I could tell her to back off and she'd just try twice as hard.  
In fact I have told her to back off.  I suppose it just proves that 
it's impossible to understand anyone any more than yourself."

"Nani?" Shinji blinked.

Kaji sighed and leaned against the rail.  "Do you know why people have 
so hard of a time trying to figure each other out?"

"No..." the boy admitted.  "Not really."  

"It's impossible to know someone else unless you know yourself." Kaji 
said cryptically.  "That is why.  The world is full of people who are 
longing for another person's touch, yet they don't even know who they 
themselves are."

"Mmm.  Self-discovery, I guess." Shinji nodded.  "It's hard, since you 
don't have a reference point that's unbiased."

Kaji smiled.  "Very good.  You read that somewhere?"

Shinji blushed and smiled.  "No, we've been taking philosophy in 
school."

"Ahhh." Kaji smiled.  "That new Sensei, right?"

"Hai!" Shinji nodded.  "Do you know him?"

"A little.  We used to be friends...way back." Kaji said, taking a chug 
of beer.

"Mmm." Shinji nodded.  "So...how do you get across all that?"

"I'm still trying to find out myself." Kaji chuckled.  "With women 
especially.  Some guys I can read pretty well...and most ladies would 
say I know my way around their heads too..." he shook his head.  "But 
women are a great mystery."

They nodded in silent reflection together, downing another few sips of 
beer.  

"I..." he sighed.  "I just want someone to..." Shinji shook his head.  
"I don't know."

"Make you happy?"  Kaji wondered out loud.  "Or for you to make happy?"

Shinji looked up at him.  "Both, I guess."  he took another sip.  
"But...well...it seems like everyone's just my friend because of 
Eva..."

"Asuka's different, though." Kaji smiled and nodded.  "Isn't she."

"Mmm." Shinji nodded quickly.  "She's a pilot too...so it's not like 
she's just depending on me to pilot.  And she's sometimes nice to 
me...and when she is, I know she's not faking it because she would just 
as easily yell at me."

"She's a very honest young lady." Kaji admitted with a chuckle.  "A bit 
too honest sometimes.  I hope she hasn't tried anything with you 
yet..."

Shinji turned bright red. 

"Ahhh.  So she has." he smiled and turned.  "So, did she succeed?"

"N...no...but..." he swallowed.  "I think we're going to..."

Kaji considered his response carefully.  "Well...just don't get her 
pregnant, okay?  That's the last thing you two need at the moment.  
Wait till all this Eva stuff is settled and done with."

"Mmm." Shinji nodded, then looked back through the window, seeing Asuka 
and the others laughing and chatting away, completely oblivious to the 
two men outside.  "What's it like, Kaji-san?"

"Sex?"  Kaji shrugged.

"Hai."

"Well...it's different for everyone you talk to..." he smiled.  "Just 
like love."

"Oh." Shinji nodded and sighed. 

"But it's usually a lot of fun." he grinned goofily.  "Just remember 
one thing, Shinji..." he leaned closer.  "Don't do it in the water."

Shinji blinked.

"It takes away all the lubrication." Kaji advised.  "Best try it out on 
dry land first."

Shinji's nose began to bleed.  "L...lubrication...?"

"Yup." Kaji nodded.  "Oh, and since you two are both clean...as far as 
I know...you might want to try it out with her on the pill.  It's more 
convenient than a condom, and then you don't have to worry about 
anything breaking or slipping or spilling..."

Shinji fell on his ass.  "uh...okay..."

Kaji laughed and picked him up by the hand.  "Sorry...what I mean to 
say is everything will go fine.  Just don't rush anything."

"Hai." Shinji nodded, dazed. 

"So...you have Asuka...a woman who is in the same boat as you...the 
same class, so to speak." Kaji said.  "And she has you.  You two are 
more alike than you will ever know...and that..." he smiled.  "That 
just might be enough for you to overcome all this unknown that 
separates most everybody."

Shinji smiled brightly.  "You think so, Kaji-san?"

He nodded, then finished off his beer.  "And if not, chances are you'll 
get a few rolls in the sack for your trouble." he grinned as Shinji 
promptly spit up all over the deck in surprise.  

"Kaji!" he coughed, trying to remember to breathe. 

Suddenly, the glass door opened up behind them.  Asuka was standing 
there, hands on her hips.  "And just WHAT are you two doing out here?"

Shinji gasped and promptly threw his can over the edge.  "N...nothing, 
Asuka-chan!"

"He's right." Kaji nodded.  "Just talking.  You know, male-bonding 
stuff."

They both hiccupped.  Asuka eyed them suspiciously.  

"Mm.  Well, get inside.  We're going to watch some Godzilla.  Kensuke 
was..." she cringed "'nice' enough to bring his collection."

They smiled and followed her back in.  "Thanks, Kaji-san."  Shinji 
nodded as he tried to walk straight. 

"No problem, Shinji.  Anytime." 

Asuka suddenly grabbed Shinji and pulled him off to the side.  "You 
guys start.  We're going to bring out some more snacks." she said, 
yanking him by the arm.

"Yup." Shinji agreed wobbly. 

Once they were out of view of the others, Asuka frowned and looked him 
over.  "You smell like beer."

"I do?" Shinji hiccupped.  "Uhm...Well, Kaji and I were just 
talking...and I guess it's a really old tradition to..."

She leaned forward and shut him up with a kiss.  A rather...intense 
kiss.  She was still scowling as she let him go, though.  "And you 
didn't invite me?"

Shinji blinked.  "Uh, gomen!  I will next time!"

She nodded crisply and turned to the fridge to retrieve more snacks.  
"You'd better." she winked, then walked out to the others.  "Now grab 
the dip, baka." 

"Hai!" he wobbled.  








Toji and Hikari walked home together that night.  While the street 
lights provided enough illumination, their conversation was dead 
silent.  

"Nice party." Toji said gruffly. 

"Yes.  We'll have to thank Asuka and Shinji again for letting us come 
over..." Hikari responded quickly.

Toji smiled and nodded.  "I still can't believe they weren't fighting 
the whole time."

"Well, Shinji was out of the room most of the night." Hikari giggled, 
then blushed as Toji joined in.  

They walked in silence for another block or two, knowing they would 
have to split up soon.  "Hikari?" he asked suddenly. 

"Hai?" she beamed.

"I..." he looked down at his feet for a moment.  "I might be absent 
tomorrow...I have some stuff to do..." he looked up at her.  "Would you 
hold onto my print-outs for me?"

She nodded quickly.  "Of course, Toji-kun!" she gasped when she 
realized she said that.  They both blushed terribly.  "Uh...I mean..."

"It's okay..." Toji said quietly as they walked.  "I...I guess I don't 
mind."

She nodded, taking deep breaths to try to remain calm.  "Hai..."

"If..." he shook his head.  "Maybe later this week, though..." he 
stopped in his tracks.  Hikari stood next to him, still facing forward.  
"If you're not doing anything important...would you like to visit my 
sister with me?"

Hikari gasped, then bowed her head.  "I...I would be honoured!" she 
said worriedly.  "But...are you sure you're okay with that?  I mean, 
I'm not part of the family and..."

Toji took a deep breath and smiled.  "No...actually she's looking 
forward to meeting you."

"Pardon?" Hikari blinked.

"Well...I've...kinda..." he coughed.  "Told her about 
you...and...well...that I was..." he grumbled at his own lack of 
poetry.  "Well...that I like you..."

Hikari's heart went into overdrive and her face lit up.  "I...of course 
I'll come!"

He scratched the back of his head absentmindedly.  A goofy smile was on 
his mouth.  "Gomen...I'm no good at this kind of thing..."

Hikari shook her head.  "You're doing fine." she smiled, ignoring her 
urge to turn an even deeper shade of red from that comment.

They started walking again, reaching an intersection.  "I suppose I 
should say goodnight..." Toji nodded, mustering up all his courage for 
a proper romantic moment.  

"Me too..." Hikari sighed, looking up at the night sky.  "I'm just a 
street down this way..."

"Okay..." Toji nodded, extending his hand for a handshake.

Hikari blinked, but went with it, letting her hand into his.  
"Goodnight..." she gasped as he bent down to her hand and kissed it 
gently.  

Toji stayed like that for a moment, then looked up at her with a 
nervous smile.  "Goodnight, Hikari-chan.  Thanks again for the lunch, 
too.  It was very good."

She nodded, blushing impossibly deeper, but smiling with all her heart.  
"N...no problem..."

And with a final bow, Toji walked off towards his house...desperately 
resisting the urge to skip or something equally stupid looking.  

Hikari just stood there with a funny little smile on her face as she 
looked at her hand.  "Suzuhara, a romantic...I always knew." 










Misato sighed as she thumbed the piece of paper between her thumb and 
index finger.  In her other hand was a clear glass with a dark amber-
colored liquid in it.  Half an ice-cube was left floating in the drink 
since she had been absentmindedly gnawing on it's brethren.  

It was a card.  

A nice card, too.  Probably bought at a nice shop for people who needed 
to make an apology look sincere.  

"Dear Misato-chan.

      Emergency work came up.  I'll try to catch up to you at the bar.  
I've made reservations for us.  If I'm not there by midnight, I'll make 
it up to you some other time.  Hope to see you soon,

                                                -Miyazaki Kaoru"

she read it for the twentieth time, then sighed, and slammed back her 
drink.  "Men..." she sighed.  "Wear a fancy dress and they don't even 
show up..."

It was already coming on 11 pm.  

"What the hell is he doing?" she grumbled.  "School isn't THAT damn 
important."










"This is Ecta 64 calling Neo Path 400..." the radio crackled to life 
for the first time in three hours.

The commander sighed and lazily picked up the comm. unit as Ecta...a 
small weather monitoring station off the coast of Hawaii...continued 
their report about some clouds that they were about to enter.  

"This is Neo Path 400." he replied, doing another scan of the sky.  
"Cumulonimbus clouds confirmed.  Barometer indicates no hazard.  Will 
maintain course..." he checked their ETA "...expect to arrive on 
schedule." he smiled.  "Tell the Major that we won't keep her waiting."

"She'll be happy to hear that, Neo Path.  Ecta 64 roger and out." the 
reply answered.

The captain chuckled and hung up the radio set.  A curious look from 
his co-pilot prompted an explanation.  "Major Katsuragi is notorious 
for being a major bitch in the early morning.  Mostly due to hangovers.  
She wasn't too happy to hear we were arriving so early on Tokyo time."

"Ahh.  My kind of woman." chuckled one of the bridge crew. 

They watched the massive white puffy cloud come closer.  "Hopefully 
this will be the only thing of interest we encounter on the flight." 
the captain sighed, doing another sensor sweep.  

As the white vapour engulfed the giant winged structure, they were 
surrounded by a brief period of darkness as the sun slid behind the all 
encompassing clouds.

If he had blinked just a moment earlier, he would have missed it.

A bright, sun-yellow flash lit the cloud.  The captain gasped, bracing 
himself for something...anything...

but nothing came.

A moment later, the clouds dissipated and the sky reappeared.  His co-
pilots looked at him with worried expressions, noting their captain 
looked shocked.  "What is it, cap?"

"Run another scan..." he said quickly.  "Check that blasted monster 
we're carrying too!  Someone get down to the observation room and LOOK 
at it.  Make sure nothing's wrong." he turned to his second-in-command.  
"I saw some kind of a flash.  I don't think it was lightning..."

Everyone jumped into action, checking every system on board and then 
double-checking.  The bridge crew closest to the door ran out, grabbing 
their tool kit as they left.

He ran down the narrow hall that existed in between the crew-bunks and 
giant fuel tanks that comprised most of the wings.  Then, he jumped 
onto the oil-rig style ladder and slid down the rungs that lead down to 
the lower cargo decks.  

The captain wasn't about to be seeing things, and this was exactly what 
he meant by keeping an eye out for ANYTHING.  With a racing heart and 
unsteady hands, he used the power-drill to physically open one of the 
emergency escape ports half way, using it as a window to the underside 
of the aircraft. 

He carefully put his head down the hole, bracing against the sudden 
wind.  Almost right next to him was the grimacing head of Unit 03, 
staring mutely into the space ahead of the aircraft.  

The pilot sighed and nodded, quickly re-fixing the hatch, then going 
over to three more to check all angles of the beast.  

Unfortunately, as his focus was on the Evangelion...he failed to notice 
the dark shapes under the cloud they just flew through a moment ago.







The Angel howled in anger.  It's tiny, twisted 'mouth' was agape and 
outstretched for the escaping Unit 03.  Every time it tried to snap 
it's jaw's, however, the bright, flickering yellow flash held it back.  
While it looked almost as a leach, all along it's back were feathery 
outcroppings and four 'pods' that gave it the look of some kind of 
plant...perhaps a snaking vine.  It's dark purple and black flesh 
pulsed in anger as it tried to escape once more.  Vein-laden 'hands' 
lashed out, but were nowhere near as long enough to threaten Neo Path 
400's flight.  

Finally, as it realized it would not have a chance to fulfill it's 
mission, the Angel turned it's snake-like body to it's captor.

White, glowing eyes were narrowed in an evil looking frown.  The 
beast...almost three times larger than the Angel...opened it's angry 
jaws and growled a deep, animalistic rumble that could have rivalled 
the thunder from the nearby clouds.  

The plain of orange-yellow light flickered off, releasing the Angel's 
path; but even with the A.T. Field gone, it would be useless to chase 
after Unit 03.

Unit 04 reached up to it's shoulder, unconsciously drawing it's Prog-
Knife.  Much like Unit 02's, it was based on a disposable-utility knife 
design.  If the blade broke, it could easily be extended to expose more 
useful edge.  

It stood on it's own A.T. Field, a few metres above the water.  The 
Angel would have easily escaped if only it could fly away, but Unit 04 
had appeared even higher in the cloud, almost as if it had been 
waiting.  

The battle resumed without more than a moment's rest.  With a primal 
shriek, the Angel shot forward with it's 'hands' and branches extended.  
Most looked sharp enough to slice rock.

The Evangelion leapt at the Angel with it's own wolf-like howl, 
extending the blade of it's knife to maximum, and swinging at one side 
of the attacker.  

The Angel's head ducked under the blade, and it's jaws melted into the 
Eva's right shoulder with a bloody CRUNCH!  However, the blade slid 
into the Angel's body, producing a clean, razor-cut all the way 
through.  

Now that the Angel was off balance, Unit 04 ripped it away from it's 
armor, ignoring the bloody mess dripping down it's arm.  Screaming in 
pain, or anger, or both, the Angel raced forward again in desperation.  

Unit 04 was ready this time, however, and swiped it's good arm up at an 
angle with a massive GRRRRRRROOOOOOOOO! sound.  The air split on it's 
very atoms as a new A.T. Field deployed, slipping into the Angel's 
mouth on it's side.  The sub-atomic width of the field was sharper than 
any man-made blade by a factor of twenty.  The Angel's core, while 
usually being fairly durable and withstanding to the elements, was 
completely ripped in two.

The Angel barely had time to bounce off of the Eva's chest when it was 
engulfed in an explosion.






As the fire dissipated, Unit 04 replaced it's knife back into it's 
holster, then let it's A.T. Field collapse under it's feet.  A moment 
later, it was sinking back down into the ocean, out of sight










To Be Continued....


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

<Chibi Writer Fiss does the author's notes jig>

Welcome to the end of Lesson 24!  It's 7:12 am and I've been up all 
night.  :P  Whee!  There are two empty Jolts next to me, and the 
sunlight is getting fairly bright.  

Accursed Day Star!

Anyway, I'm off to sleep in a moment (I hope) before my room gets too 
warm to sleep in.  I really need better air conditioning.  So, I'll 
keep this brief.  

-Time Discrepancies:  The arrival times, test times, and hell, even the 
2nd Branch's disappearance, were all a little muddled in Higher 
Learning compared to the series.  I explain any problems with the fact 
that things ARE changing... so live with it.  ^_^  
-Whee!  I got to make up an angel!  Anyone (read as: begging) wanna 
make fan-art of what you think the mysterious angel that Unit 04 fought 
looks like?  I tried to keep it vague, but also added reference to that 
cool pod-thing that popped out of Unit 03's back in Ep 18. 
-Everyone say hi to Unit 04!  
-Did Kaji tell Shinji about Asuka's past?  Nope.  Just some tidbits 
about her life as he saw.  Nothing about the suicide and her mom.
-Dual A.T. Fields.  Unit 04 was standing on one, and manipulating 
another/extension of the first.  I think this is agreed upon in End of 
Eva.  Any other times an A.T. Field was used on two 'plains' by one 
eva/angel?
-mmm, that's about it.  ^_^ 

And now...


-------THE ADVENTURES OF THE (not so) MISSING UNIT 04!!!!!!!!--------  



Major Katsuragi sighed as she looked out the window. 

The destruction was horrible and vast.  A deep trench had been cut from 
the ocean all the way to the city.  Powerlines lay scattered and 
fizzling useless on the ground, cut down by some impossibly massive 
force.  Trees were uprooted and crushed; their remains peppered the 
landscape.

One of NERV's reserve power generators that operated in the suburbs of 
Tokyo 3 had been cut almost in half by a huge foot-print.  The smoke 
from it's fire was already trailing high into the sky for miles.  Not 
too far away, two armament buildings had been cut down like they were 
nothing but traffic pylons.  

"This is horrible." Misato grumbled, turning to Asuka and Shinji, who 
were looking very guilty, hanging their heads.  

"We know, Misato-san..." they both said in unison.  "It's...it's not 
our fault!"

"HOW is this not your fault!?!" Misato grumbled, pointing at the path 
of destruction.  "If you two would stop goofing around instead of 
WORKING, this wouldn't have happened!!!"

They hung their heads in shame. 

"But..." Asuka pouted.  "...he just kinda...followed us home."

Unit 04 raised it's head to the apartment window, doing it's best to 
look 'cute' by smiling.  It began to pant after a moment.  

"You KNOW this apartment doesn't accept pets!" Misato yelled. 

"What about Pen-Pen?" Asuka yelled back.

"Er...he's different!" Misato defended, not noticing as Unit 04 ran off 
for a moment.

"But...we found him at the beach!" Shinji whimpered.  "He doesn't have 
a home!  We checked...he doesn't have a collar...and...he's so cute!"

Misato sighed, closing her eyes to think for a moment.  Suddenly, a 
loud "CRASH" echoed outside.  They all ran to the window.  "Now what 
did it do..."

Unit 04 sat next to the beer-factory it had just carried over and 
placed next to the apartment.  It had a pitifully cute smile on it's 
face.  

Misato blinked.  "Uhm...Is it house broken?"

The Children nodded happily.  "Hai!  Can we keep him?!??!?"

"Well..." Misato sighed.  "Maybe just for a while..."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!!"

-------------------------------



e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110

Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.

From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning

   Strike Fiss, 2000







Twenty-Fifth Lesson: "Activation"







It was one of those things that made Misato believe firmly in God.  And 
that He was out to get her.  

The ten or so seconds (depending on how you counted) from 11:59:50 to 
Midnight that night were filled with the sound of someone walking into 
the bar in a hurry. She sighed, nursing her drink between her thumb and 
index finger, and watched Kaoru run up and sit down next to her.  

"Sorry I'm late." he groaned, ruffling his hair.  It was even messier 
than usual.  

That, and the truly apologetic look on his face won him some points.  
"Ten seconds to spare.  You're lucky I waited." Misato advised.  

He relaxed and leaned back in the seat.  The bartender came by and he 
asked for a rye and coke, and three shots of tequila...one for Misato.

"How did it go?" she blinked as Kaoru downed the two shots without even 
wincing, then started on his rye.  "Rough night?"

Kaoru smiled, then cringed as the mixing tastes caught up to his 
throat.  "You could say that." he shook his head.  "I want to 
apologize.  I shouldn't have kept you waiting so long.  It didn't go as 
well as I expected."

"What didn't go well?" Misato finally asked as she watched him nurse 
his drink, downing half of it in a steady sip.  

It was a moment before he spoke, ruffling up his hair as he did.  "Ex 
girlfriend dropped by.  I politely told her to go, and she didn't until 
we had a nice long talk."

Misato shook her head.  "I hope I'm not keeping you..."

He smiled and shook his head.  "No no...it's been over for years." His 
face turned apologetic again. "She had the worst timing, though.  This 
humble man begs your forgiveness." he bowed his head.

Misato chuckled to herself.  "Now how can a woman stay mad with an 
apology like that." she straightened up in her seat.  "Very well, it's 
forgotten.  Now keep drinking, humble sir, because you have to catch up 
to me." she hiccupped with a playful smile.

Kaoru smiled and nodded.  "That sounds perfect right now...I have such 
a headache."








Misato groaned as the cheerful daylight hit her eyes.  "I hate 
mornings."

Ritsuko watched her friend exit the NERV transport with a smile.  "Let 
me guess, you're allergic to sunlight?"

"Hey...that can actually happen, you know." the Major grumbled, putting 
on her 'hangover' sunglasses as she walked past the Doctor, looking at 
the reports.  "Is it here yet?  Can I go back to bed?"

They stood adjacent to one of the innumerable NERV controlled runways 
at the Bay Airport.  Able to scramble half the bombers and fighter 
craft in a two thousand mile radius, it was indeed a huge airport.  
However, for today, it had been emptied of all traffic for the sole 
expected arrival.  

And there they saw it. 

At first, it was just a black dot on the sky, descending in what looked 
like a leisurely rate.  Misato knew they were probably dropping 
altitude faster than a rock, however.  Larger craft like the Neo Path 
series could drop out of the sky at a pace that would make comets 
jealous...yet still have enough lift to pull up if there was a problem.  

With the Evangelion under it's wings, however, the giant plane looked 
almost like a personal hang-glider for the beast.  

"Well, at least he's not late." Misato yawned as she watched the 
descent. 

"Oh?" Ritsuko blinked.  "Do many men stand you up?" she smiled.  "Or do 
you even wait around to find out?"

"Normally I don't." she smiled back, but then winced.  "But I suppose 
there are exceptions to the rule."

"Well, it looks like today will be good." Ritsuko said.  "The Forth is 
already at the base, and everyone looks ready.  This should go 
smoothly."

"I hope so." Misato yawned.







"Okay, now I need a bobby pin or something." Kaoru said as his slightly 
clumsy fingers worked on the match. 

Misato laughed and started rooting through her purse.  "You learned 
this all from school?"

"Hell yeah.  Even us teachers get to goof off." he chuckled.  "We were 
students once too, you know."

"Strange." Misato said, passing him the bobby pin that she found.  "I 
would have thought you the kind that always did their homework and 
never goofed off." 

He looked up with mock offence.  "I may have done my homework, but 
there was LOTS of time to goof off." he slurred back.

Misato erupted into a fit of laughter, then calmed as she watched him 
continue working on his little 'project'.  The conversation had been 
centred around bar-tricks, when he had suddenly gasped, exclaiming he 
had the COOLEST trick, and asked for a deck of matches and a cigarette 
pack.

So far, the Sensei had constructed some kind of a hood around the 
match, using tin foil from the smokes, and was shaping it with his 
fingernail.  Misato was watching in fascination, as was the bartender 
and three of the other people nearby.  

"Just don't burn down the place, buddy." the man had laughed, and 
handed him the matches.  

Finally, with the bobby pin, he had the entire thing rigged up.  It was 
fairly unimpressive, but consisted of a foil-wrapped match propped up 
against the bobby pin like a ramp.  Finally, he pointed it down the bar 
and lit up another match.  Misato, in order to see, and a little tipsy, 
decided to rest her head on his shoulder to watch.  He didn't seem to 
mind, although she could feel his cheek get warmer with a blush. 

"Stand back, everyone!" he announced, lighting the second match and 
holding it under the foil-wrapped tip of the other on the ramp.  

A few seconds later, and the match ignited, sending out all it's flame 
down the tiny lump he had crafted in the foil, and propelling the match 
like a tiny bottle rocket up and across the bar.  

Everyone laughed and clapped.  Most were drunk enough that it was quite 
an impressive feat to behold.  Misato smiled and gave him a kiss on the 
cheek for his troubles.  "Why is a guy like you teaching here when he 
could be at NASA?"

"Beautiful women." he smiled, blushing terribly.  "Those NASA chicks 
don't compare."

She smirked and returned to her drink.  "I bet you say that to all the 
NERV chicks."

"So far, yes." he smiled.  "Of course, you're the only one I know of."

"We're sneaky ones, us NERVs." she cautioned around the rim of her 
glass.  "You'd better watch out...we could be anywhere.  Devious little 
buggers we are." 

He shrugged and cleaned up his little rocket-experiment.  "Maybe, but 
I'm guessing you're worth the trouble." 

She grinned.  "Do you now?"






Everything in Project E was big.

Big guns.  Big airplanes.  Big bullet.  Big knives.  Big trucks.  And, 
unfortunately for Misato, big BIG engines to drive those big trucks.  

Now, with Eva-03 in tow, the pilots and crew of the aircraft long gone 
(and damn glad to be rid of that 'ugly fucker' as they put it) NERV had 
official control over it's newest Evangelion.  All that was left was to 
test it's compatibility with it's pilot and pray the thing didn't turn 
his mind to Jell-O.  To tow this massive weapon, however, they were in 
what Ritsuko liked to call her "REALLY big truck".  Several thousand 
horsepower and more wheels than Detroit City moved this monster truck 
down the road at an impressive pace considering it's cargo.  

Misato had been gritting her teeth for most of the ride back to the 
research centre when Ritsuko looked over and sighed.  "Would you like 
me to turn off the engine and put it in neutral?  I'm sure we could 
just coast down the hill..."

"That would be lovely." Misato grumbled back, now trying to rub her 
temples and the bridge of her nose.  

"How much did you have to drink last night, anyway?" the blonde smiled.  
"Oooh, that's right...your date must have been treating you."

Misato cocked her head to the side with a sigh.  "Actually, we didn't 
really drink that much."

Ritsuko almost hit her head on the steering wheel in surprise.  "You 
didn't drink that much???"

Misato frowned, crossing her arms in her best attempt to look mad.  
"I'll have you know that I don't drink nearly as much as you probably 
think I do."

The scientists' dry look told her she wasn't buying it.  Misato sighed 
and turned away.  

"So what were you doing, then?" Ritsuko blinked.  

"...philosophizing?" Misato smiled weakly.






"You know, some say a kiss is far more intimate than even having 
sex...or anything else..." Kaoru said as they walked down the street, 
enjoying the dark, cool air.  

"Mmm...depends on the kiss..." Misato hummed against his neck, firmly 
deciding not to move as they stumbled down the sidewalk.  

"I'd have to agree with you." he said with a hiccup, but was caught as 
the dark haired woman leaned up and pressed her lips to his.  "Mmph!"

She used the surprise to get a better angle on him and soon, they were 
wrapped in each other's arms, engulfed by a deep, long kiss.  The light 
from the street lamps was low enough that they were secluded in a 
twilight shadow, with Tokyo 3 oblivious around them.

It was only when a passing car's headlights shone over them for a brief 
moment was the spell broken and they parted.

"How about that kiss?" Misato asked with a tiny, sheepish smile.  It 
did nothing to lower the completely adult and completely inviting look 
on her face, however.

Kaoru looked at her with groggy eyes.  She was certain his brain was 
trying to come up with an excuse, but it looked like desire (with the 
help of the booze) was winning.  "That..." he swallowed hard.  "That 
was very..."

She interrupted him with another kiss.  He didn't seem to complain in 
the slightest.  His arms came down around her waist and held her close 
as she reached up around his shoulders, making sure they wouldn't fall.  

"Maybe we should..." she gasped, finally breaking for air.

He nodded, now completely under the spell.  "Your place or mine?"

She gave him a very hungry smile.  "Yours.  It's closer."






Ritsuko sighed as she looked over and saw that same silly grin on her 
friend's face that had been appearing and disappearing for the last 
hour now.  "Earth to Misato.  Come in, Major."

Misato shot her friend a growl.  "I'm here, I'm here!"

It was hard not to be.  The control room rushed around them as they 
waited for cues that the test could begin.  While they were more than 
adequate, the crew that had been stationed for this activation test was 
nowhere nearly as efficient as Maya and the others.  The two senior 
officers had opted to stare at the inert Unit 03's ugly face in the 
meantime. 

A quick flick of her finger commanded the computers to bring up a video 
screen to the inside of the entry plug.  "Hey, Toji-kun.  How you doing 
in there?" Misato asked, trying to seem busy under Ritsuko's attention.  

With a flash, the yellow communications box came up on the screen and 
showed a meditating Toji seated in his chair.  He sighed, causing a 
bubble or two to float up from his mouth.  "Well, I don't feel like 
puking anymore."

"Told ya it would just take you a minute to get used to the LCL." 
Misato smiled.  

"Yeah." Toji grimaced.  "It smells like a locker room in here, though."

Misato nodded and bowed her head apologetically.  "Well, don't worry.  
We're almost ready.  All you have to do is sit in the seat for five 
minutes like the sync test yesterday...then we can all go out for 
dinner or something."

"Hai, hai." Toji nodded, looking at his plug-suit.  "Hey, how come I 
get the cool colors??  Why doesn't Shinji get these?"

Misato turned to Ritsuko with a shrug.  Ritsuko smiled.  "Wardrobe has 
a sense of humour.  They were going to make his suit purple and green 
originally..."

Toji laughed.  "Oh, okay, never mind.  Blue and white is fine."

Misato chuckled as she cut the comm. link.  "Purple and green?  God..."

"Hey, we could have just had them start off piloting naked..." Ritsuko 
grinned.  "But we knew that would be a little too much."






Misato breathed out in surprise as she lifted his shirt up over his 
head.  For a teacher, he was fairly well built.  She had been almost 
expecting either a skinny little man or someone with too much meat on a 
lanky little frame when she first met him.  However, she figured, he 
would do very nicely.  

Kaoru raised an eyebrow as he saw her look.  "Disappointed??"

She grinned and responded by kissing along his chest, up to his neck 
before nibbling playfully all the way up to his lips.  The way his 
hands were working to rid the obstacle of HER shirt, she knew he 
understood she was NOT disappointed. 

And he paid her back in spades by not even slowing when his hands 
brushed up against her scar.  The thought that he might be freaked out 
only shimmered into her brain for half a second...then out when his 
hands moved down to her pants. 

"Oh my..." she shivered.  "...you're rather good at this..."

"I'm a fast learner." Kaoru nodded, bowling her over into the blankets 
with a hard kiss to the flesh between her breasts.  Misato just enjoyed 
the ride, trying not to lose breathing control too early in the game.

Well...that didn't last too long, she mused as he started to...






"Major?" Ritsuko said...a little too sternly for her tastes.

Misato snapped out of her little gaze and focused.  "Hai!  Fine.  
Fine." she grumbled.  "Station report!"

"All boards green."  "Circuits 2011 and up all within tolerances."  
"Power is synced and we're receiving no signal echoes."  "Pilot is 
ready."  "Evangelion Unit 03 is standing by."  "Recovery teams in 
position.  All restraints show nominal and green."

"Magi all show a go, Major." Ritsuko said at the terminal.  She 
shrugged.  "It's your call."

She sighed and nodded.  Her heart was a little...fast...but she knew 
that was because she was in her little daydreaming mode.  She groaned 
inwardly and scolded herself.  Sex always screwed up her woman's 
intuition.  Still, everything looked to be green, so....

"Start the activation test." she ordered.

All thoughts of last night with Kaoru were gone as the entire control 
room watched the board of nerve connections light up green in sequence, 
nearing the ever-fateful borderline.  

The point that made or broke the test.  Where the Evangelion became 
'alive' with the mind of it's pilot and was able to function as an 
entity.  It was also the moment where all hell could break loose.  

And sometimes did.

Misato prayed her intuition wasn't needed on this day.

The green progression flickered slightly around the borderline 
mark...but then, in one final push...the later half of the board turned 
green, and a dull glow emanated from Unit-03's eyes.

Misato sighed in relief, turning away from the window.  "Well, I'm 
goinna go grab a beer."

"Misato!"






Inside the Entry Plug, Toji watched in awe as patterns of light, 
sparks, nerve-like-projections, and finally, a spectrum gave way to a 
view outside his cockpit.  

"Is this what you see, Ikari?" he smiled, looking out over the holding 
cage with his new eyes.  "Eva's world?"

"Good work, Toji-kun." the blond scientist's voice came over the comm..  
"The test is successful, and your sync rate is holding at twenty-five 
point three percent.  You'll be happy to know that's above your 
projected values!"

Toji just nodded.  "Hai.  So can I help beat up some Angels now?"

"Not yet." Ritsuko laughed.  "You'll be lucky if you can walk for 
another week or so.  But don't worry, we'll get you out there helping 
in no time flat."

"Hai." he nodded with a sigh.  He knew what that meant.  A week of 
solid tests.  He'd be breathing this LCL crap for another week or 
more...all just to get used to the Eva.

It was a strange feeling.  A kind of friendly echo of his thoughts and 
feelings.  If it hadn't felt so...natural...Toji would have thought it 
felt like his skin was crawling.  But it wasn't like that...it was 
almost like wearing a new shirt.  A barely noticeable addition to ones 
self.  

Before he knew it, five minutes had passed, and the scientist's voice 
came back on.  "Okay, Toji.  We're going to de-sync now.  Retrieval 
will occur in another two minutes after we make sure everything shuts 
down okay.  Just tell us if you feel anything strange."

"Yes, ma'am." Toji nodded as he watched the colors return and 
everything fade to the gray metal walls of the plug.  

He sighed and leaned back in his seat, letting a bubble of real air 
escape his mouth. 







The Sub-Commander sighed as he entered Gendo's office.  It was colder 
than usual...or maybe it was just his imagination.  

Maybe both.

"The Doctor just contacted us." he said, not wanting to stay in the 
room any more than was necessary.  

Gendo nodded.  "Mmm."

"Unit-03's activation test was successful." he said.  "They'll be 
transferring the new unit to holding cage twelve by tonight.  The Magi 
will be busy compiling the data all night, but it looks pretty straight 
forward."

"Mmm." Gendo nodded again, then turned to the windows behind his desk.  
"Dismissed."

With a sigh, the gray-haired man turned and left.  "SEELE's going to be 
pissed..."








To be continued...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

<bows>  Thanks for tuning in.  I apologize again for the day lateness 
of this Lesson.  I hope to keep up if I can.  

Notes!
------
-Yup.  Kaoru and Misato did it.  It wasn't JUST a daydream.  :P
-More on that as I get the chance.
-Will Kaji show Shinji his melons? ^_^  Stay tuned!
-Hey!  No Unit-03 Explodeee!  All you people who were asking me, now 
you know.  ^_^  
-Blah.  I'm tired.  It's 5:30 am.  


Omake!  (by, yes, you guessed it, Jonathan Gaters!)
-----
SCENE: Shinji and Kaworu are sitting in chairs, with a monitor. The 
Words "Men On Fics" are stencilled on a sign above them. Kaworu is 
wearing a very revealing cowboy costume (neon pink chaps, matching 
thong
and vest, and a small pink cowboy hat strapped to his head), while 
Shinji is wearing a Sailor Scout outfit (namely Uranus). They both sit 
with their legs crossed in a very effeminate manner.


Shinji: (in a perky voice) Hi! And welcome to "Men on Fics"!

Kaworu: (in an equally perky voice) Only when we're not on each other!

Shinji: (giving Kaworu a friendly push) Oh, stop it! You're -so- bad!

Kaworu: Yes I am!

Shinji: (getting serious) Our first fic tonight is "Last Embrace, My 
Angel". A tale of love that could never be.

Kaworu/Shinji: Loved it!

Kaworu: This one gets an around-the-world-and-back snap!

(Both Shinji and Kaworu move their arm in a large circle, and snap at 
the
end of it.)

Shinji: I just love how this author...

Asuka: (bursting on stage) STOP!! What have you done to my Shinji!?!?!?

Kaworu: (in an aloof manner) I've set him free, girlfriend! *SWAP*

(Kaworu now has an imprint under his right eye in the shape of Asuka's 
fist.)

Asuka: (grabbing Shinji and dragging him offstage)  Come with me! I'm 
going to undo whatever that pervert did to you!

(Time passes and suddenly Shinji's voice rings out.)

Shinji: (yelling at the top of his lungs) OH GOD -YESSS-!!!!

(Asuka leads Shinji back on stage, his hair slightly mussed. Asuka 
herself is slightly mussed. Shinji is no longer in his Sailor Uranus 
outfit, but in his normal school uniform.)

Kaworu: (near crying) Shinji! What did she do to you?!

Rei: (walking on) The same thing I'm going to do to you.

Kaworu: (trying to get a handhold on anything as Rei drags him off) 
No!!
Let me go! HELP! NOOOOOO!!

Rei: (in her same monotone) Do not worry, we are the same. You will 
enjoy becoming one.

(Time passes then Kaworu's voices rings out.)

Kaworu: SCREW THIRD IMPACT!!!! I WANT MORE OF THIS!!!!!



(No characters were harmed in the making of this fic, though one was 
tied up with leather and spanked till his bottom was red, at his own 
request.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
^_^




e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110


Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.


From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning

   Strike Fiss, 2000












Twenty-Sixth Lesson: Normal Blood








Day broke as it had every other day.  The peaceful night crickets 
eventually fading to the noisy day cicadas.  Only a few in the city 
even noticed them anymore.  What some would consider an annoying sound 
was music to the ears of Tokyo-3.  

They never chirped during the Angel attacks it seemed.

A newer tradition was witnessed, however, as Asuka Langley slept next 
to Shinji Ikari.  While the redhead seemed very content in her slumber, 
however, the boy seemed wide awake.  His mind already active and his 
eyes wide open as he stared at the ceiling.  

He wasn't all that concerned about the young woman in his bed...they 
had only snuggled up together for the night...in full dress.  And it 
had been very pleasant to sleep next to her warm body once again.

A tiny 'click'! signalled the side change of his SDAT.  His eyes never 
wavered.  They seemed focused on something.  Thoughts of the moment and 
the past that were rushing through his mind.  

Though he was shielded from the cicadas outside by his ear buds, his 
sleeping companion was not, and she stirred with a grumble as the sound 
began to grow in the morning sun.  

"Gott in Himmel!" she said groggily into the side of Shinji's chest.  
"Don't they ever shut-up here?"

He blinked and smiled, taking out his headphones and turning off the 
music.  "Good morning, Asuka-chan."

In a stir, she raised her head and looked around quickly.  She did this 
every morning with him...probably wondering why he was there with her.  
"Oh..." she smiled.  "'Mornin, Shinji." she yawned, then gasped as she 
realized she had morning breath, holding her hands at her mouth.  
"I...I'm goinna get washed up." she groaned, then ran out the door in 
her rumpled clothing.  

Shinji said nothing.  She always did this.  He never minded, but Asuka 
was always afraid of letting any weakness or imperfection show to 
him...even if it was just morning breath.

He did smile, though.  Completely content.  "I suppose I'll get 
breakfast ready." he said to himself, then got up to get fresh clothes.










"Wuaagh!" Pen-Pen replied happily as Shinji opened up the can of fish 
he had left to thaw from the freezer last night.  To this day, he still 
maintained Shinji knew how to get the fish to taste the best.  He must 
have had a gift.  Misato could follow Shinji's instructions exactly, 
and he'd still have to work to keep the fish down.  Asuka was a bit 
better, making his meals at least edible, and Kaji even did a good job 
when he was over.  But when Shinji made breakfast?  It was a meal, and 
not just food.  

"Here ya go, Pen!" he smiled, setting the tray on the floor.  "I think 
the newspaper just came, so I'll grab that too."

Pen-Pen dug in gratefully and reminded himself to do something special 
for the boy on Christmas.  Maybe he would appreciate the inflatable 
mail-order Pingu?  Naw...maybe not.  

After much steam and cursing at her clothes, Asuka emerged from her 
room completely refreshed and clad in her school clothes.  To the 
penguin's amazement, she actually had a smile on her face.  "Hey Pen-
Pen." she greeted the bird before sitting down at the table with a 
mighty yawn before helping herself to the orange juice that was set 
out.  

"Wuaagh!" he replied, pointing that the toast was ready.  

"Thanks." she got up and began setting the table.  Shinji returned a 
moment later and she smiled.  "Hey, sleepy head.  I didn't keep you up 
all night, did I?"

"Don't ask questions you might not like the answer to, Asuka-chan." he 
smiled innocently, catching her off guard. 

"Hentai." she chuckled, throwing a piece of toast at him.  He caught it 
clumsily and sat down across from her with a wide smile.  She regarded 
him with an odd look.  "Seriously, though...How come you're so happy 
today?"

"No reason." he smiled.  "I've just been thinking."

She took a bite out of her toast, waiting for him to reply.  When he 
didn't offer up any more information, she pressed.  "About what?"

"I don't know..." he shrugged.  "About...well...us..."

She nodded slowly.  "And?"

"Have you..." he sighed, trying to find the right words.  "Have you 
ever wondered what our lives would be like without Eva?"

Asuka shrugged.  "Not really."

"Not even just a bit?" Shinji pressed.  "I mean...what happens after 
all the Angels are gone?  What are we going to do then?"

"I haven't bothered thinking about it much." Asuka said confidently.  

Shinji blinked, not quite expecting a reply like that.

"It's not a good idea to focus on things that are too far away, 
Shinji." she said in her best 'wise' tone of voice.  "If we do, we get 
distracted from the dangers that we face.  And then the Angels get in a 
lucky shot, and I'll have to come and save your ass again." she smiled.

Wisely, Shinji kept his mouth shut.  

"Why do you ask, though?" she continued.  "Why are you thinking about 
all this now?"

"I..." he sighed.  "I don't know.  Just hoping for a future, I guess." 
his eyes brightened.  "Sensei was telling me about this one university 
he knows, and says that all our grades are good enough so far...if we 
keep it up we should be able to get in.  And Kaji was telling me more 
about what he did after school, and I was thinking maybe about doing 
some traveling."

Asuka blinked.  "Oh?"

"Well, he was telling me a bit about Germany." he blushed slightly.  "I 
was wondering...maybe I could come visit you or something once this is 
all done."

"Well, of course you do!" she smiled.  "Germany is a beautiful 
country!"

He smiled and nodded, helping himself to some coffee.  

"But..." she said suddenly.  "What did you mean about 'without Eva'?" 
she asked.  "You mean like...what would we be like if Eva never 
existed?"

He nodded.  "Something like that."

"I...I really can't imagine." she sighed, taking another bite.

Shinji looked up at her and shook his head.  "What about this?"

"What?"

"This." he raised his arms and gestured to the apartment.  "This is 
normal...right now."

"Wuaagh." Pen-Pen agreed.

Asuka shrugged, looking around.  "But...it's just a house."

"Exactly." Shinji nodded.  "Four walls...er...more or less...and a 
roof." he pointed at the food on the table.  "Here we are, two normal 
kids, who are eating breakfast and are about to go to school like all 
the other normal kids." he was smiling slightly.  "That's all.  And 
after school, instead of going to have Sync Tests, we'd go out to the 
arcade or something and play videogames."

"And I'd kick your ass at Tekken." she smiled.

"That's not the point." he interrupted, but his tone of voice was still 
happy.  "The point is it wouldn't be at NERV.  We'd have a normal 
life."

She shrugged.  "What's so special about that?"

"What's so special about piloting Eva?" he retorted.  "Ninety percent 
of our job is sitting in goo that smells like blood for hours on end.  
The other ten is facing death and pain at the hands of things we aren't 
even sure are our enemies."

Asuka sighed, but didn't say anything, content to eat her toast.  

Shinji settled down, returning to his coffee.  "Sorry..."

"I...I suppose it wouldn't be too bad." she admitted.  

He beamed.  

"I mean...especially if we didn't have Eva in the first place." she 
smiled softly.  "Who knows...I could have been an exchange student 
visiting here." she shook her head.  "But that's just a dream, Shinji."

He sighed and nodded, returning to his breakfast.

Asuka watched his mood drop, then sighed to herself, realizing she had 
best do something to prevent a grumpy Shinji all day.  "Of 
course...maybe after all the Angels are done..."

He looked up.

"I mean...it might not be so bad." she smiled.  "We'd be able to go on 
tour and let all the people thank us for saving them."

"We could sign autographs." Shinji added with a smile.

"That's the stuff." she gave him a wide smile.  "We'd be famous!  And 
rich!"

"Rich?"

"I don't see why not." Asuka nodded.  "If NERV doesn't pay us, I'm sure 
we can get top-dollar for our first-person accounts of the battles."

"Mmm...I suppose so." Shinji nodded.  

"And then, when we don't have to worry about all that, we can just live 
like normal people." she continued.  "You know...traveling doesn't seem 
like such a bad idea, Shinji."

He smiled, then slowly turned red.  "And maybe I can come along...once 
in a while...I mean, if you don't mind."

She smiled softly.  "Well, of course!  After all, we're a team, right?"

Shinji nodded happily.  "Well...only if you want me too..."

"Of course I wouldn't mind." she sighed.  "After all, we ARE a couple, 
right?"

They hadn't quite noticed it, but the lights were dimming, leaving only 
the gentle sunlight streaming in from the windows.  Pen-Pen waddled 
over to the stereo system and carefully manipulated the volume on the 
"Romantic Piano Songs" CD he had ready.  He had been planning for just 
such a thing for a long time.  After all, Pen-Pen takes care of his 
friends; and Shinji definitely qualifies. 

It had the desired effect already, and Shinji found himself suddenly 
closer to the object of his affections.  Asuka watched him, oblivious 
to anything else but him and the cozy mood that was suddenly created 
around them.  "We've been together for so long...it would be a 
shame..."

"...if we drifted..." Shinji filled in, finding breath on his lips as 
they came closer.

"...apart..." Asuka said lazily, giving herself over to the moment.

BBBBBBBBBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPP!

Both Children promptly fell on their faces, the music skipped and 
turned off, and the lights came back on at full force.

"YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Misato cheered as she slugged back another 
belt of beer.  "Now THAT's part of a nutritious breakfast alright!"  
She turned away from the light switch, for the first time noticing her 
roommates in a heap on the floor.  "Hey kids.  Got school today?"

Shinji promptly nosebleed himself to unconsciousness.  Asuka sighed and 
picked him off of her chest, trying to untangle herself from the chair.  
"Don't you ever wake up like a NORMAL person, Misato?????" she 
grumbled.

"What would be the fun in that?" Misato shrugged and walked over to the 
sink.  

Pen-Pen gave her an unseen middle-flipper and stormed off to his fridge 
to plan a Misato-proof romantic situation.  "Wuaagh."

"Come on, Baka." Asuka sighed, then helped Shinji's dazed form off of 
the ground.  "Time for school." 

"B...w...Later, Misato-san!" Shinji finally burbled as they left, 
holding a napkin to his nose. 

"Strange kids." Misato sighed, then popped open her second beer.










Maya followed behind Ritsuko like a loyal puppy, typing silently on her 
palm-top computer as they surveyed the Eva cages.  It seemed much too 
quiet in the huge bay.  The only sense worth noting was the smell of 
the liquid coolant.  Enough to fill several thousand swimming pools.  
The pinkish liquid kept the Evangelions at prime biological 
reconditioning temperature, and prevented any stray radiation from 
effecting the systems.  

For some reason, Ritsuko always thought it smelled like ice cream.  
Vanilla ice cream.  

"Sempai?" 

Her musings were cut short and she accepted the readouts.  "Everything 
looks good." she sighed, tapping once on the 'page down' button.  
"Unit-03 seems to be handling the environmental changes without a 
hiccup...Unit-00's scar-tissue-removal seems to be complete...Unit-02 
and 01 seem well within tolerances..."

"When will the Dummy Plugs be ready?" Maya asked eagerly, knowing it 
was the purpose for the systems check on the Evas.  

"We'll be installing them within the hour." Ritsuko smiled.  "I've 
scheduled a sync test for this evening to see how the new plugs accept 
their pilots.  We might even get the go-ahead to test them out 
tonight."

"That's great, Sempai!" Maya smiled.  "You've worked so hard on the 
project, it would be a nice addition.  Especially if it will be a while 
before we get S2 engines installed."

They walked over to Unit-01.  The massive purple beast stared blankly 
out at them, locked in an endless staring contest with Unit 02 and now, 
Unit 03 across the bay.  Ritsuko felt a kind of sympathy for the thing, 
all of a sudden.  "I just hope they won't mind us taking their Children 
away."

Maya just blinked, not sure what to make of the comment, then smiled.  
"I'm sure if the Evas cared, they'd be more happy that we'd try to keep 
the Children out of danger, Sempai.  They'd probably thank us."

Ritsuko turned to Maya with a tiny smile.  "Maya...have you ever had 
children?"

She blushed furiously.  "O...Of course not, Sempai.  You know that."

The Doctor nodded.  "Then you don't know the bond a mother has with her 
children." she smiled sadly, then turned back to Unit 01.  "Sometimes 
mothers are blinded by their desires and emotions.  They might not 
always do the right thing for their child."

"But...you've never had a child..." she blushed even more.  "Have you, 
Sempai?"

Ritsuko laughed.  "Only my cats." she sighed.  "But I know from 
personal experience that mothers can sometimes act irrationally."

"Are you saying the Evas are like mothers?" Maya asked, confused.

"No...no..." Ritsuko sighed and kept walking.  "Just...just that I hope 
the Dummy Plugs work."  she handed the computer back to Maya.  
"Schedule Unit 01 and 02 for dummy plugs as soon as the work crews are 
done transporting them from the Dummy Plug Plant.  We'll wait until 
Unit 03 can pilot under its own power before installing experimental 
equipment.  I don't think the Fourth Child would like us wasting his 
time."

"Hai." Maya nodded, making the orders for the work to begin.  

The ice-cream scented staring contest continued uninterrupted.  Unit 00 
seemed to be winning.  Unit 02 always complained it wasn't fair...one 
eye was easier to keep open than four.










"Each of you will be worth a small fortune by the time you graduate." 
Sensei Miyazaki smiled as he drew the graph on the chalk board.  The 
students of his class all blinked.  

"You mean the Eva Pilots, right?" someone asked.

"No no.  Everyone here will be worth at LEAST that much." he said, 
turning away from the board that prominently displayed 'University 
Planning'  "As you all may have realized, the next two years of your 
lives in school will determine how far you get after school.  It's a 
bitch of a truth, but the truth nonetheless." he walked over to his 
marks.  "All of you are fairly bright...and unless you all run off to 
join the circus, I think each and every one of you will be able to 
graduate with a wonderful future ahead of you."

Shinji was listening intently, as well as half the class.  Toji and 
Asuka seemed slightly less interested, off in their own trains of 
thought.  

"The government pays for most of your schooling." he wrote down the 
figure.  "Approximately a quarter of a million yen every year of your 
grade-schooling, plus, the money your poor parents and scholarships 
will fork over towards your higher education." he smiled.  "Not to 
mention all the anguish you cause your poor teachers along the 
way...that's goinna cost them a lot in mental health."

The class chuckled.

"The University of Tokyo 2 is rated one of the best in the world." he 
started writing facts and figures on the board.  "While they specialize 
in math, pretty much anyone can study there and get a world-wide 
recognized degree." he turned to the class.  "Now, the lunch bell is 
about to go, but while you're all enjoying your meals, I want you to 
discuss what kind of career you'd be interested." he smiled.  "And it 
has to be something good.  I will not accept any truck-drivers or 
burger-flippers in my class.  Is that clear?"

"Hai!" everyone nodded happily, just in time for the bell.  

As the Sensei packed up his papers and cleaned the board, assisted by 
Hikari and another classmate who were on lunch duty that day, the usual 
groups assembled.  Along with the Three Stooges, however, Asuka joined 
them for lunch, to the obvious discomfort of Kensuke.  Toji, however, 
like Shinji, seemed to have something on his mind. 

"So, what are you guys goinna be?" Asuka yawned as she opened up her 
bento box.  

"I'm applying for military training the moment I'm old enough." Kensuke 
smiled.  "Besides, they'll pay for university, so even if I do want to 
do something besides blowing stuff up, I'll have the chance to learn."'

"Really?  I don't think they teach Stooge 101 at Tokyo 2." Asuka smiled 
sweetly.

Kensuke shot her a look and grumbled around his sandwich.  

Hikari interrupted Asuka's questions, pulling up a chair next to Toji 
with a light blush around her freckles.  "Hey everyone." she smiled and 
blushed more as she turned to Toji.  "Suzuhara, I brought you lunch."

He smiled a polite thank you and bowed his head.  "Thanks, Class Rep." 
his eyes widened as he opened it.  "Uhm...isn't this a bit much?"

The group all blinked as they saw the feast prepared.  Freshly rolled 
and ice to keep the nori crisp on the maki-sushi.  The nigiri looked 
amazing, too.  Perfectly pressed rice and three kinds of fish.  There 
was enough to feed three Tojis, and Kensuke was now salivating over his 
own sandwich, long forgotten even in his mouth.  Shinji looked to 
Hikari with a awed expression on his face.  "Uhm, Hikari-san?"

She smiled brightly.  "Yes, Ikari?"

"Can we exchange recipes someday?" he bowed his head in honor.  

"Oh, it's nothing really..." she turned even brighter red at the 
compliment. 

Asuka, despite her heart being far away from sushi, felt insanely 
inadequate with her simple pork and rice lunch.  "You'd better, Hikari.  
Shinji needs cooking lessons."

Toji finally had a piece of the sushi, and his eyes lit up.  "Hey!  
This is great!" he beamed at Hikari.  "Domo, arigato, Hikari-chan!" he 
said in an uncustomary show of politeness.  Everyone else but Hikari 
blinked in surprise.  The poor Class Rep almost passed out from the 
attention.

"Y...a...you're welcome...To...er...Suzuhara-kun." she finally managed 
to say, barely able to breathe at that point. 

Asuka and Shinji sweat-dropped...both glad they weren't this sappy...at 
least in public.  Kensuke would have probably done the same, but the 
army brat had already begun to leach off of Toji's amazing lunch, not 
bothering with his own anymore.  Toji didn't seem to mind...though he 
was busy...blushing...and looking at Hikari. 

"Soooo...anyway..." she turned to Shinji.  "What do you wanna be, 
Baka?"

"I..." he shrugged it off.  "I don't know."

"Eh, you're no fun." She sighed and took her fork to her lunch. 

"How about you, Asuka-chan?" he asked.

"Don't know either." she shrugged, then smiled.  "Like I told you, I 
never gave it much thought."

"Mmmm." he nodded, back into thoughtful mode. 

The group finished their lunches (or helped finish Toji's lunch), and 
enjoyed the remainder of the break with idle chat.  







After the final bell rang, and Asuka was ready to go, she found Shinji 
hadn't packed up yet.  He looked up at her waiting expression with a 
smile.  "I'll catch up to you."

"Okay, but remember, we have the sync test today." she winked.  "You'd 
better show up so I can beat you."

He nodded with a bright smile.  "Hai.  I'll catch up."

She sighed and nodded, heading out the door with Rei, who had been her 
usual quiet self that day.  Toji walked past him...pausing for a 
moment, but then decided to leave before he said anything.  "See you 
later, Shinji."

Kaoru saw this and leaned back in his seat, waiting for the other 
students to pack their things and leave.  "Have something on your mind, 
Mister Ikari?"

Shinji walked up and stood at the front of the Sensei's desk.  "Hai." 
he sighed, waiting for everyone to leave before he said anything.  
"It's...it's about the future."

The older man nodded and smiled.  "Anything in particular?  Or just 
wondering about the state of humanity a thousand years from now?"

Shinji smiled.  "Well, I suppose just me." he paused.  "And 
maybe...Asuka too..."

The Sensei raised his eyebrows and nodded.  "Ahh, go on?"

"Well..." he sighed.  "I asked her what she thought of life without 
Eva."

"After you're done piloting, you mean?" 

"That's it." Shinji nodded.  "And...well...she seemed not too worried 
about what happens after Eva...but she seemed interested in maybe..." 
he realized he was blushing furiously, and tried to make the reaction 
stop.  "Maybe that we could be together, even if we weren't pilots 
anymore."

Kaoru laughed warmly.  "Well, you two are going to be adults 
eventually...I suppose it can't hurt to have a few long term plans, can 
it?"

"Hai." he nodded, glad he was being taken seriously.  "But...I was 
wondering..." he sighed.  "I still don't know what I'd do after Eva."

Kaoru nodded, regarding the boy with a careful eye.  "And is that a bad 
thing?"

Shinji frowned.  "Of course it is!" he sighed, shaking his head.  "I 
mean...Asuka...she doesn't know either...but she already has a degree!  
She can do anything she wants!  She just has to pick something and off 
she goes."

"But...you..." Kaoru shrugged.

"Before I was an Eva pilot..." Shinji said sternly.  "Do you wanna know 
what I was doing?"

"What?"

"Existing." Shinji said...spitting it out like it was a bad word.  
"Just existing.  And not very well."

Kaoru sighed and nodded.  "So...you're scared...after seeing and doing 
all this...that you'll have to go back to it?"

"Hai." Shinji nodded, clenching his fists.  "But...the thing is...I 
would rather be doing that than piloting Eva." he sighed, the 
frustration in his voice showing.  "But...when I pilot Eva..."

Kaoru smiled.  "It's a purpose.  It gives you a purpose." 

Shinji nodded, defeated.  "Hai..."

Kaoru stood up and walked over to the chalk board.  He casually picked 
up a piece of chalk and handed it to Shinji.  "Here."

"What's this for?" Shinji examined the little stub.  

"Look at this chalk board." Kaoru said, pointing to the wall.  "What is 
it doing?"

"Existing." Shinji said in a tiny voice.

"Exactly.  There is nothing on it...there is nothing special about it, 
and for all intensive purposes, it doesn't need to be there." he rapped 
his knuckles on the bricks behind the board.  "There's already a 
perfectly good wall...why would anyone want this ugly piece of black 
board?"

"Exactly." Shinji nodded.

"Wrong." Kaoru took Shinji's hand and firmly yanked him over so the 
chalk hit the board.  Shinji stumbled, but caught himself.  "This is 
existence.  But it is also the start of your life."

Shinji looked at the chalk, now leaving a tiny white mark.  "But...it's 
just a dot."

"Move it." Kaoru offered with a light shrug.

"But...I don't know where?" Shinji frowned.  "I can't even draw!"

"Draw a line." Kaoru offered.  "Draw the ground you're standing on."

With a drawn out sigh, Shinji Ikari drew a line. 

"Now what?" Shinji asked.

"What would you like to do?" Kaoru shrugged.

Shinji turned to the board and whispered:  "I want to get as far away 
from Eva and my father as possible."

"Then draw a destination."

"I...I don't have one." Shinji said, the frustration cracking through 
again.

In a perfectly calm voice, Sensei Kaoru said:  "Then draw a road."

Shinji blinked.  At first he wasn't sure what that meant.  It...it 
seemed so simple, yet so silly.  And still...it seemed to be the right 
idea.

He drew a road.  It veered off the line, using it as a base, a point of 
origin.  It was a simple highway, snaking off into the distance with a 
little help from perspective.  At first, it was just a simple dirt 
thing.

Then...he started drawing horizontal lines.  And two more snaking lines 
that followed the outline...turning it into a railroad.  Kaoru watched 
silently as Shinji finished off the drawing before saying anything.  

"Now...what do you see?" he said as Shinji put down the chalk and took 
a step back.

"I see..." he sighed.  "I don't know what I see."

"You just made this railroad exist, Shinji." Kaoru said, sitting on the 
corner of his desk.  "You have all this blackboard to play with...that 
is your life.  Before, you were just letting it stay blank.  But that 
doesn't mean you can't start drawing at any time."

Shinji just stared at the rails, willing them to become real.  These 
rails did not loop.  They started here...and stopped only very far 
away.  They did not come back to Eva.  They were after Eva.

"Eva has given you a big chunk of this chalk." Kaoru said.  "You have 
met Asuka...met friends...and seen things that make you so much more 
than most people could ever hope to be.  Even if those things are bad, 
they will help you in the long run.  All you must do is survive." he 
smiled sadly.  "Don't die out there, Shinji...then the blackboard is 
gone."

Shinji turned to Kaoru and nodded.  "I'll try not to."

"Good." Kaoru smiled and pointed at the board.  "Shinji...we were 
talking about things you don't even have to worry about until you're 
eighteen or older.  This railroad can lead anywhere...and it never 
needs to stop." he sighed.  "There are people who go to university all 
their lives and never find out what they want to do.  And there are 
people who wander the earth, and find everything they could ever ask 
for." he took the chalk from the board and placed it again in the boy's 
hand.  "All you need to do is try.  To live." he smiled and pointed to 
the other half of the board.  "Just existing is boring."

Shinji nodded, looking at the chalk in his hands.  "Thank you, Sensei." 
he looked up, smiling again.  "Honestly...thank you..."

Kaoru shook his head.  "Thank me by becoming the lead cello in an 
orchestra or something." he laughed, patting Shinji on the shoulder.  
"Now, come on, I'm sure your darling Asuka is waiting to clobber you in 
sync rates."

Shinji nodded and smiled, bowing deeply before grabbing his books.  
"Arigato.  See you tomorrow, Sensei-san." 

Kaoru let out a long sigh as he watched his student leave.  "Anytime, 
Shinji.  Anytime."

He turned to the board, holding the eraser in his hand.  After a 
moment, though, he just put it down and left the drawing on the board.  
It didn't seem right to erase it.  At least not yet.










To be continued...










-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's notes!
---------------

A few interesting tidbits from this Lesson.  Kaoru's speech about all 
the children being worth a small fortune was actually given to me.  I 
tried to get the Yen number right.  About 3 and a half grand (Canadian) 
a year per child...with inflation at the time sounds about right.  
Especially considering the 'special' nature of their school, and the 
city they're in.  By the time a current US/Canadian student is 
graduating with a degree, he or she is worth about 300 grand, more or 
less, depending on what kind of education they got.  

The sushi Hikari gave Toji was a little fun personal touch I'd like to 
thank Tozetre and the PSDF for introducing me to.  A special thanks to 
Shino Sushi in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  Trust me...these guys know 
their stuff.  3 of the top 5 meals I have ever eaten have been at this 
place.  Nori is the black, crisp seaweed used to wrap the Maki-sushi.  
(my personal fave).  The Nigiri-sushi is basically a strip of fish laid 
across a handful of rice, and looks like a tiny oval.  Anyone wanting 
more sushi info, check out this page:

http://nmd.hyperisland.se/studentzone/crew2/martin_ragnevad/intro.html


I'd also like to apologize to and thank everyone for bearing with me 
this month.  Unfortunately, it's going to continue for a while yet, but 
I'll keep trying my best to get Lessons out.  For anyone wondering, 
yes, I'm actually busy.  I've been driving lots, had visitors from 
around the world, have my wonderful girlfriend coming up for a while, 
and also, probably the biggest disruptor, I have to move.  ^_^  
Hopefully all this and whatever else gets thrown at me will give me a 
few hours to work on HL, but seriously, I'm not counting on it.  That's 
why I'm trying to cover more ground with each lesson.  So I'm not 
falling behind my '50 or so' Lessons mark.  

Look on the bright side...it's summer.  You should be outside enjoying 
the weather, not sitting around at the computer anyway. ^_^  Use this 
as an excuse to get some exercise.  Lord knows I need it.  :P





Well, that's about it....OMAKE TIME!  WHEEEEEEEE!

-------------------------------------------------

The two stood next to the chalk board, currently blank.

"Wrong." Kaoru took Shinji's hand and firmly yanked him over so the 
chalk hit the board.  Shinji stumbled, but caught himself.  "This is 
existence.  But it is also the start of your life."

Shinji looked at the chalk, now leaving a tiny white mark.  "But...it's 
just a dot."

"Move it." Kaoru offered with a light shrug.

"But...I don't know where?" Shinji frowned.  "I can't even draw!"

"Draw a line." Kaoru offered.  "Draw the ground you're standing on."

With a drawn out sigh, Shinji Ikari drew a line. 

"Now what?" Shinji asked.

"What would you like to do?" Kaoru shrugged.

Shinji closed his eyes, concentrating...then began to move his hand, 
dragging the chalk around on the blackboard.

Kaoru smiled, nodding approvingly...but soon his smile began to fade.

"Uhm...Shinji?"

Shinji was lost in the moment, however, and kept drawing.  "Mmm..."

Kaoru began to get a nosebleed as Shinji began to draw what looked like 
a sheep.  "Uhm...Shinji?  You can stop now..."

Shinji started giggling, still drawing with his eyes closed and letting 
his mind control the chalk.

Kaoru would have said something after the third butt-plug and the 
midget were drawn, but he was having a hard time not passing out, 
wondering if indeed, could Asuka bend like that?

-------------------------



The end! ^_^




homepage:  http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110
e-mail:  strikef@bigfoot.com



Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF. 


From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning


   Strike Fiss, 2000









Twenty-Seventh Lesson: "Catching Up"










"Well well, look who decided to join us." Asuka chided as Shinji rushed 
to catch the elevator before the door closed. 

"Gomen!  Just had to ask about some homework." Shinji smiled as a hand 
kept the doors from closing.  The NERV elevators were made to be high-
capacity, since often, you could wait up to a full minute for the next 
car to come around.  Though they were the fastest way to get around 
inside of NERV, the sheer size of the underground complex made it a 
challenge to do without the transportation reaching supersonic speeds.  

Shinji took a double take as he realized the hand holding open the door 
belonged to Toji.

Toji just nodded his usual greeting.  "Hey, Shinji.  We were afraid you 
got lost."

Rei bowed her head slightly.  "Ikari-kun."

Shinji was still blinking at Toji, though.  "Y...y..."

The other boy suddenly looked embarrassed.  "Yeah.  They drafted me 
last week."

Asuka, impatient, grabbed Shinji by the collar and dragged him into the 
car, letting the doors close and their descent begin.  "Jeez.  You act 
like you've never seen another Eva Pilot before."

The ticker began to click away and they felt the rapid reverse-gee-
force that came with the ride.  Shinji spent a good part of the trip 
just stunned.  

"But...I thought you hated Eva?" he said, as the half-way mark ticked 
away.

Toji was solid as a statue, unmoving.  "I thought I apologized." he 
smiled slightly.  "If you want to hit me again, though, I wouldn't 
mind.  You still owe me one."

Asuka blinked, not sure what that meant, but watched as Shinji shook 
his head. 

"No...but...what about...your sister?" he said, slightly flustered 
under the watchful eyes of the two girls. 

"That Doctor lady gave me a deal." Toji explained, arms crossed as he 
watched the ticker.  "Me in the pilot's seat in exchange for my sister 
in NERV's best hospital ward." he looked to Shinji.  "They can hack me 
up and put me in the blender.  I don't care so long as she gets 
better."

Asuka shuddered to herself...okay okay, so Hikari wasn't blind...the 
boy did have a bit of compassion in him.  Still...it was eerie to hear 
such noble thoughts coming from a Stooge.  

"Oh..." Shinji nodded.  "But..."

"I know." Toji cut him off.  "Remember?  I was there.  Kensuke and I 
saw.  It doesn't matter.  I'd march into that Eva and live through hell 
so long as I got to see my sister walking around back at home with a 
smile on her face."

Shinji looked up at him, slightly embarrassed at how right his friend 
sounded.  He had a good reason to pilot.  He should be happy for Toji.  

"I'm glad you're here, then." he finally said with a smile.

Toji nodded, letting a smile out as well.  "Me too, Ikari.  I'll keep 
an eye out for you if I can too."

"That's okay, Toji." Asuka said with a smug smile.  "Rei here loves 
being the human shield.  We don't need two."

Toji blinked at Rei.  Rei just blinked back.  "I will watch out over 
Ikari-kun and both of you." she said simply.

Any reply Asuka had to that was cut off as the doors opened, now 
revealing the hallways of NERV HQ.  Misato was standing just down the 
hall, kicking one of the vending machines, trying to get her yen back.  
"Grrr!  Damn cheatin...ARGH!  MY FOOT!"

The four children all sweat-dropped.  (nobody noticed it on Rei, 
though, as she is much more practiced at hiding her surprise)

She turned, noticing them, then smiled brightly, her mood doing a 180 
degree turn.  "Hey kids!  I see you've all met the Fourth."

"At least you didn't pick Kensuke." Asuka mumbled as she shot Toji a 
look.  He just ignored her.  

"Asuka, you know I don't pick the pilots." Misato said, kicking the 
machine behind her once more for good measure.  Finally, her can of 
soda fell into the retrieval bin.  "Ooh!  Finally!"

The four all sighed.

"So how was school?" she asked as they began to walk down the hall 
towards the change rooms and testing facilities.  

"Boooooring." Asuka sighed as they walked.  "Sensei Kaoru was telling 
us about the universities.  I've already been there, so it was just a 
waste of my time."

"You should listen to your Sensei, Asuka." Misato remarked, hiding a 
small, thoughtful grin with her beverage can.  "He knows what he's 
talking about."

"Bah." Asuka sighed.  "I've met smarter sensei's.  Sure, he's a bit 
easier on the homework..."

"And you keep staring at his back side." Rei added helpfully.

"Ye..." the redhead blinked.  "I DO NOT!!!"

Misato spat out a good mouthful of drink.  "Asuka!  You haven't 
been!?!"

Toji and Shinji watched the exchange from afar, enjoying it thoroughly.  

"No I haven't!"  Asuka defended.  "You'd better be making jokes, 
Wondergirl..." she growled at Rei, rolling up her right sleeve.

Rei just turned to Misato.  "And the Major is mad because she has her 
sights set on him."

Misato almost fell over.  "W....b...REI!?!  Stop that!"

Asuka's eyes were wide and she turned to Misato.  "No way!  I thought 
you were all about Kaji-san!  What's with..."

"Now wait just a second here!" Misato yelled back, turning red.  "This 
is none of your business, Asuka, and I must say, hardly very..."

A cough interrupted the two, just as Rei was beginning to enjoy it 
herself.  Damn, she thought.

Ritsuko sighed, arms crossed.  "Can't I leave you kids alone for five 
minutes without you fighting?"

Misato and Asuka both blushed terribly and turned away from each other.  

"Assuming the Major didn't quite have a chance to...brief...you..." 
Ritsuko edged on the word, making Misato squirm slightly.  "...today 
we're testing a few new refinements to the Eva's systems.  Shinji and 
Asuka get to try out the new plugs first.  It should be a seamless 
test.  You both won't notice a thing."

"So long as everything works." Misato added helpfully.

Ritsuko sighed.  "Yes, but everything WILL work." she turned to Toji.  
"As for the new member of our group, we've configured Eva 03 to you, 
and we should get a much better sync ratio than last time.  You might 
even be able to move an arm today, Toji-kun."

"Yuppie." Toji smiled grimly.  "Can't wait."

"Now now, Stooge." Asuka said in her best 'wise' voice.  "We can't ALL 
be invincible Shinji's at the start."

Shinji blushed terribly.  "Asuka!"

"Well, I'll be in the control room.  No peeping in the change room, 
Toji.  Asuka has a mean kick." Ritsuko smiled and walked off.  "You 
coming, Major?"

Misato sighed.  "Hai hai.  Right behind you." she hurried after her 
friend.  

When out of earshot, Ritsuko smiled.  "So what was that about?"

"I swear...that girl has it out for me..." Misato sighed wearily.  
"Every man I find, she sees too, and clings to him until he goes away."

"Now now, it can't be THAT bad." Ritsuko smiled. "Besides, you've only 
just started dating Kaoru.  She couldn't have clung to him THAT fast."

"You'd be surprised." Misato groaned.

"Well, maybe you'll be lucky and she'll cling onto Shinji for a while." 
Ritsuko smiled.  

"Very funny." Misato grumbled.  









In the false calm of the entry plug, Shinji always found time to think.  
Often, hours at a time.  Sometimes, that time was filled with calm, 
repetitive ideas...such as piloting Eva was right, and he must not run 
away from it.  That he should try to forget how much everything smelled 
like blood.  How he should forget the pain and focus only on the calm.  

This time, however, his mind was racing.  

Once in a while, Ritsuko would interrupt his thoughts, saying he should 
try to focus on syncing and clear his mind of unwanted thought.  He 
would comply, but his mind always returned to his previous train of 
thought. 

The blackboard and chalk. 

The train tracks.  The fact that...sooner or later...he was going to 
see those tracks.  Going away from here.  Away from Eva.  Away from all 
the pain.  

It didn't matter where.  He would finally be free.  

Free.  Such a thought used to be frightening to Shinji Ikari.  Where 
freedom had only meant more pain in varying forms.  Where every 
blessing eventually turned into silent torture.  

Not anymore.  

Freedom now meant a future.  He never used to think about the future 
before.  He never considered he deserved one.  He never needed one.  He 
needed only to exist and feel pain.

But...university sounded very nice.  People were beginning to enjoy his 
music.  He felt a sense of closure with his father just around the 
corner...his chance to finally say goodbye if that was his father's 
wish.  And...he had love...even if it was just in the initial stages, 
he knew it had to be true.  Asuka would never holt back the truth from 
him.  She would just as easily tell him to go away if she meant it.  

For the first time...he had something to look towards.  Even if it was 
just a road.  A way that was paving itself if he wanted to take it.  
Somewhere else to go.  Somewhere to aspire to be.  

They had a new Evangelion, and a new pilot.  It was no longer on Asuka 
and Rei's shoulders.  Toji was a good man.  Strong and dependable.  A 
natural fighter.  Despite the circumstances, he was probably a natural 
pilot.

"Shinji-kun." Misato's voice interrupted his musings.  "Is there 
something on your mind?  Your sync-rate is a good ten points below 
normal."

"Just a bit tired, Misato-san." Shinji said.  "I'll try harder."

"No need.  We're going to end the test for now." Misato said.  "We'll 
pick it up tomorrow morning so you all can get a good night's sleep.  
Ritsuko says she wants to do some fine tuning with the new systems 
anyway."

"Hai." all the Children replied.  

Shinji relaxed as the view around him un-synced and his thoughts were 
again his alone.  










"You seem aloft today, Ikari." Toji yawned as he straightened his 
jacket.  "Asuka beat you in the head too hard this morning?"

Shinji found himself staring at his shoe.  His fingers still hooked 
around the laces.  "Pardon?"

"Listen...if this is about me..." Toji sighed.  "You know my reasons.  
You can't talk me out of it."

Shinji smiled slightly...a reaction the other boy hadn't quite 
expected.  "No...it's not that.  I'm glad I have someone to talk to in 
the change room now."

Toji smiled.  "Yeah, I guess it must have been weird.  Outnumbered by 
the ladies." he chuckled.  "Half the guys in class would kill to have 
our jobs, I suppose."

"We used to share one room." Shinji said.  "They had a curtain between 
Rei and I.  It was nice to have her to talk to before getting into 
Eva." he looked away.  "Once Asuka came, she demanded separate changing 
rooms, so then, it was just me."

Toji smoothed out his hair and looked in the mirror, checking to see if 
he missed anything.  "If it means anything to you...I think I 
understand you better now."

Shinji blinked.  "Oh?"

"I know how hard it must have been for you." Toji said with a sigh.  "I 
mean...I'm not even having to fight right away, and every time I get 
into the damn seat I get nervous." he admitted.  "Honestly...I don't 
know how you pulled off fighting the first angel that came here."

"I...it was nothing...I kinda...blacked out."  Shinji said.  "I was 
lucky."

"I don't believe that for a second." Toji said gruffly, startling 
Shinji.  "I see how you fight.  You just don't realize your own 
strength.  You don't think you can do it, but you can." he sighed and 
then smiled.  "Me?  They have to run me through more training programs 
in a week than you've probably had to do in months." he walked past 
Shinji and sighed, patting him on the shoulder.  "You're a natural, 
Shinji.  Face it."

Shinji just blinked, not quite sure what to say.

"I say I'll try to help and look out for you...watch your back..." Toji 
smiled.  "But in reality, I'll just be trying to keep up to you."

"A...arigato, Toji-san..." Shinji said, trying not to sound too 
embarrassed.  It was strange, but he actually felt complimented by 
this...even when normally he would despise his position.

Toji nodded and motioned to Shinji's shoes.  "If you hurry up, do you 
want to come with me to visit my sister?" he smiled.  "She's only a few 
floors up in the medical ward."

Shinji smiled brightly.  "Really?  You wouldn't mind?"

"Not if you hurry, slow poke." Toji nodded.  "Meet you out in the 
hall?"

"Hai!" Shinji nodded and quickly finished getting dressed to follow his 
fellow pilot.










Ritsuko placed the documents on Commander Ikari's desk, hoping to 
startle him out of his seemingly endless silence.  The old man wasn't 
about to give anyone that satisfaction it seemed, and he just looked up 
at her with those same calm, intense eyes.  "Report." he said, as if he 
had all but ordered her to his office.  

"The Forth is adjusting well." Ritsuko said, pausing to let Gendo look 
over the sync test results.  "He should be ready for combat when the 
next angel attacks."

"And the Dummy System?"

Ritsuko nodded.  "No installation problems, and it is probable that 
they are working perfectly."

The Commander looked up with a small smile.  "Only probable, Doctor?  
You haven't ran this through the Magi?"

Ritsuko sighed and pointed to Shinji's test scores.  "The Third's sync 
rate was less than usual.  It could be the new plug system.  I ordered 
another test for tomorrow before we run active simulations."

Gendo seemed tired of the conversation.  "It will be nice not to have 
to rely on them." he said.  "We have no time for childish things."

Ritsuko wondered if that was Gendo's way of saying he didn't want to 
hurt Shinji.

Probably not. 

"Run Unit 01 and Unit 03 in the tests tomorrow." Gendo said.  "Prepare 
test-ground three."

Ritsuko blinked.  "Y...you mean out in the Geofront?"

"That is correct.  We will eliminate the simulations and try a real-
life test.  We both know a simulation might not be the same thing to 
the Dummy Plug, and we must see what it is capable of."

"Hai." Ritsuko nodded, turning to leave.  

"Doctor."

She sighed inwardly as she noticed the tone of voice.  "Not tonight, 
Gendo.  I'll have to prepare the test."

A long pause, but finally:  "Very well...dismissed."

Ritsuko shut the door behind herself and scolded herself for almost 
saying 'yes' to his request.  As she walked down the hall, knowing an 
apartment full of cats awaited her...his offer was looking much more 
appealing.  Misato...the lucky bitch, had at least the possibility of a 
romantic night planned.  Not just "Are you free?" and a roll in the 
office chair.

"Damn Misato..." she wined to herself, then sighed.  Maybe Maya would 
be up for a few sappy movies tonight.  At least it was company.  










To be continued ...



-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Gomen!  Not much time to stay around and chat.  

<grins like a Totoro> 

I'm going to see the Smashing Pumpkins.  Whahaha!  COWER BEFORE MY 
SPOOKY PUMPKIN-CONCERTING ASS!  AHAHAHAA!

Uhm...I mean, expect e-mail lags, and the usual non-contact stuff while 
I'm gone.  ^_^  Should be back with plenty of time to finish HL 28 on 
time.  Amazing, neh?  

I was going to have this lesson a bit longer...but then I realized I 
don't know Toji's sister's name.  So I'm goinna do some research on 
that tonight or when I get back, so Lesson 28 should have lots of 
kawaii-chibi-sister stuff.  As we all know, the toughest brothers 
usually have a kid sister that knows exactly how to embarrass or get on 
their nerves. ^_^  So it should be lots of fun.  

Havin a bit of fun with Ritsuko and Maya.  Who knows, might keep going.  
:P  The good Doctor has to compete with Misato somehow, eh?  

And as for this live-action test?  Hehe.  What will happen...will Unit 
01 rip apart 03?  Will Toji go berserker and kill Shinji?  (oooh, that 
would be fun...heheheh...how many people would be expecting THAT?) And 
what about 01 and 02?  :P  Lots of fun up next on Higher Learning!  
Hehe.  Stay tuned.  





e-mail:  strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110



Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.


From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

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...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
<Chibi Fiss bows to the audience>  

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. 

From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning


   Strike Fiss, 2000








Twenty-Ninth Lesson: "Run Like Hell"








He didn't care.

That was the only conclusion Shinji Ikari could draw against his 
escape.  Last time he did this, even NERV's so-called 'finest' security 
officers took over two days to bring him back.  Even then, they would 
never have been able to keep up with him until he stopped to visit 
Kensuke that one misty early morning.  

It was ridiculous and insulting to those in the agency.  Finding one 
lost little boy was more than within their power.  Combine that with 
the natural good Japanese work ethic and it was easy to see why things 
happened as they did. 

Like everything else in NERV, Commander Ikari controlled them all.  

A grumble from the man could make or break a mission.  Launch a 
thousand missiles to destroy an offender, or sit back and let an enemy 
kill their fighter pilots until an N2 mine was ready for deployment.  

Commander Ikari did not give a rat's ass that his son was escaping.  

At least not until he was needed again.  That's when the guards 
'suddenly' started noticing him and would pick him up in their black 
limos; complete with their stoic atmosphere of 'fight us and you'll 
wish you hadn't'. 

Shinji Ikari, however, was not worried as he strolled down the deserted 
streets of Tokyo-3.  It was only now becoming a lazy, blue dawn over 
the cityscape.  Half of the people here wouldn't wake up until he was 
already on the train.

He was no longer needed. 

He was a nuisance. 

He was happier than a clam in mud to know this, too.

His Father would not take him back this time.  

He was free.

These were the things that occupied Shinji Ikari's thought processes as 
he imagined how the train tracks would soon be speeding by his eyes.  
Perhaps he could request a window seat.  It wouldn't really be a big 
problem, considering the usual morning crowd was so light along this 
section of the monorail.  

Shinji wore neither a sad look, nor a happy one.  Only determined.  
Focused.  He had to be strong.  Stronger than he realized, or planned 
for.  Running away had always been so easy...just escape when reality 
became too much.  

Not this time.

Not when he was leaving Asuka behind.

He knew that one day, he could come back.  Maybe save her from Eva when 
he was sure he could save himself.  Still...those were uncertain terms.  
Eva may have her trapped forever.  Shinji realized he couldn't fight 
that...at least not yet.  

He had to become strong.  Find his way in life.  Find his own reasons 
to fight.

All of these were things he could not do at NERV.  Not with his Father 
watching behind his desk...controlling it all.  

He was not running away.  He was running like hell to find himself. 

Or so he hoped. 

"Mama..." he whispered out loud, re-slinging his pack up on his 
shoulders.  "Please watch over Asuka."

The next crosswalk light showed the white 'Walk' symbol, and his feet 
kept moving.  He had to keep going.  If he stopped now, it was all 
over.

Father would have won.








Misato yawned as she unlocked the front door and stepped inside.  
Though she had wondered if she should stick to dating only on the 
weekend, those thoughts were always vetoed when Kaoru was around, it 
seemed.  Luckily, he never seemed to mind her sleeping over, or she'd 
never get any.

The Misato inside Misato Katsuragi's head that had received most of the 
benefit of sleep: the logical, thinking Misato (who usually needed 
every bit of sleep it could get, thanks to all the hangovers that 
Drinky-Tipsy-Misato had) noticed that Shinji's shoes were gone from the 
door-well.  

However, still nursing the lack of sleep caused by Happy-Hentai-Misato 
last night, Logical-Thinking-Misato didn't voice it's concern too 
loudly, opting to grab an aspirin instead. 

"Tadaima." She called out, looking around for the usual signs of 
morning activity that accompanied the morning fiasco.  


Silence.


"Shinji-kun!  Asuka!  You kids here?" she called out down the hall as 
she put away her coat.  Misato sighed as she heard nothing, wondering 
if the two had another fight or something last night and were avoiding 
each other.  

On that thought, she realized they hadn't fought in quite some time.  
"Oh well...I suppose they're due for one." She mused, grabbing a beer 
from the fridge.  

"Wuaaagh!" Pen-Pen announced suddenly, startling Misato.  

"Hi, Pen!" she smiled, bending down and patting the little penguin on 
the head lightly.  

Pen-Pen rubbed against her hand affectionately, but then looked at her 
expectantly.  "Wuaagh!"

Misato blinked, then looked at his food dish.  "Hungry, boy?"

"Wuaagh!" Pen-Pen waved his flippers happily as Misato got him his 
breakfast.  Luckily, Shinji had left out a can of sardines, and 
therefore, Misato wouldn't poison the poor bird this morning.  

Logical-Thinking-Misato woke up enough to finally register that Shinji, 
even if he was avoiding the redheaded devil, would at least feed Pen-
Pen on the way out.

"Shinji?" she blinked, walking over to his door, beer still in her 
hand.  A soft knock later and she opened it herself.

PLUNK!

The beer-can dropped and spilled over her foot, though she didn't even 
notice. 

Asuka Langley Sohryu was on Shinji's bed, rather knelt against Shinji's 
bed, crying softly.  She was completely oblivious to the intruder in 
the room, never missing a sob.  A large, dark stain from her tears had 
spread out over almost all of the sheets, matting her hair down to the 
bed.

"A..." Misato had to swallow back the whirlwind of feelings that were 
submerging her heart just in order to speak.  "Asuka?"

Pen-Pen poked his head in the door, past Misato's legs, and stopped in 
shock, having never seen anything like this before.  Half of a sardine 
plopped out of his mouth.  

Asuka raised her head slowly, only now noticing that there were people 
here.  Her eyes were red and her face was swollen from crying so much.  

"He's gone..." she whispered, standing up on shaky legs.  

Misato gasped and rushed over to her, picking her up in her arms just 
before she fell.  "Asuka!  Shinji's gone??"

She nodded, looking up at her in desperation.  "I...I couldn't go..." A 
sudden sob wracked her body, forcing Misato to pick her up like a baby 
in her arms.  

"Asuka..." the older woman whispered; her eyes were wide as the reasons 
presented themselves to her.  "You love him..."

Asuka just cried as Misato carried her out of Shinji's Lovely Suite.









"What do you mean you're too busy!?!?"

Ritsuko had to hold the phone out away from her ear as Misato broke 
into yelling once again.  "Major, get a hold of yourself." She sighed, 
leaning back against her chair, illuminated by the dull glow of the 
computer screens around her.  It had been a long night, and while she 
wasn't exactly surprised to hear that Shinji had ran away, it was 
grating on her nerves nonetheless.

"I DO have a hold of myself!" Misato insisted.

"He's done this before." Ritsuko said as she mixed some more sugar into 
her next batch of coffee.  "He always comes back safely.  You said it 
yourself that he probably just rides the monorail for a while to blow 
off steam."

"That's all fine and dandy." Misato chided.  "But I don't think it's 
too much to ask for a security team to find him in case he's in 
trouble." She grumbled.  "From what I understand, that was supposed to 
be an outstanding order."

"Commander Ikari recalled that order a while ago." Ritsuko said.  
"We've needed all available personnel at Headquarters.  I know you 
think that we've just suddenly installed some new fancy equipment in 
the Evas, but it's a LOT more involved than that.  Security has been a 
major issue since the Second Branch's accident."

"But...they're our PILOTS!!" Misato yelled.  "They are the reason NERV 
exists today!"

"Might I remind you that it is the Operation Co-ordinator's duty to 
oversee such matters." Ritsuko smiled to herself as she heard Misato 
almost choke on her tongue.  "A duty that you have insured us that you 
were handling personally." 

"But..."

"Tell me, Major...where were you last night?" Ritsuko asked coldly, not 
willing to give an inch. 

"Fuck you, Akagi." Misato slammed the receiver down, ending the call 
with a loud, ringing click.

Ritsuko sighed and hung up on her end as well, pressing in a new number 
right away.  "The Third is gone again."

"Understood." Came the cool, cold voice.  "Reconfigure Unit-01 for Rei.  
Erase the current profiles.  Keep the Dummy Plug in as backup.  I 
expect the next battery of tests to be scheduled right away.  I want 
this to be flawless."

"Yes, Commander." 

He hung up without another word.







Sensei Kaoru idly checked off the attendance list as the class was 
reading an essay he had picked out for them to do a report on.  As he 
got to Shinji and Asuka's names, he looked up.  "Has anyone seen the 
married couple?"

"Probably off on a honeymoon." Toji offered, to the amusement of the 
class.  

Kaoru smiled, but persisted, turning to Rei, who was surprisingly 
present considering the Eva pilots often disappeared from school 
together at the same time...usually due to hospital stays.  "Miss 
Ayanami?"

"Hai?" she looked up from her essay, already half way though and taking 
notes as she went.  

"Do you know where Shinji and Asuka are today?" Kaoru asked.

"No." Rei shook her head slightly.  "But I would imagine they are in 
need of many lubricating fluids if they have been absent this long."

Everyone blinked.

"Or so I've been told." She smiled innocently before going back to her 
essay.

Kaoru was just about to move on when he heard a knock at the door.  The 
class all turned to see a very nervous looking Misato Katsuragi looking 
in through the window.  

Toji blinked.  "Hey, that's Misato."

Kensuke nodded, nudging his glasses up on his nose.  "Maybe she's here 
to recruit me?"

His friend sighed.  "I told you, they already have enough pilots."

Kaoru smiled and stood.  "Just a second, class.  Carry on with your 
essays." Of course, that received many cat-calls and 'Oooooooooooo's 
and 'Awwwwwwww's from the class...not to mention a few jealous looks 
from some of the girls. 


Misato waited patiently until he had opened the door before hauling him 
outside and slamming it shut behind them. 


The class blinked, then returned to saying a collective: 
"Ooooooooooooooooooh!"






"He's gone." Misato said quickly, letting him down from her grasp now 
that they were away from the door.  "Shinji is gone."

Kaoru blinked.  "G...gone?"

Misato looked very dishevelled.  While Kaoru had managed to pull in a 
few hours of sleep, she had not.  She shoved a piece of paper into his 
hand and waited expectantly for him to read it.  He sighed and opened 
the carefully folded letter, recognising Shinji's hand-writing 
immediately.

"Dear Major,

  Thank you for everything these past few months.  I am sorry for any 
trouble I have caused you and the fights we had.  I..."

"I know all that part.  Skip to the last." Misato interrupted. 

Kaoru blinked, then scanned down.  "Please respect this as my final 
wish with NERV.  Do not follow me.  NERV does not need me anymore.  You 
have the new auto-pilot systems, and Pilots who have a reason to fight 
for you.  I cannot live here, where my only reward is a lie I've been 
telling myself for years.  I must find out where the tracks take me.  I 
wish to be free.  Please tell my Father I said goodbye, and I wish for 
us never to meet again.  Take care, Misato-san.

           Your friend, Ikari Shinji."


Misato nodded.  "Tracks."

Kaoru blinked.  

"What did he mean by tracks?" she pressed into him, arm first, back 
against the wall.  "What the HELL have you been teaching him???"

Kaoru sighed, but did not resist.  "Train Tracks." He said.  "Shinji 
wanted to leave." His face was apologetic where his words could not be.  
"I didn't think he would actually leave right away, though."

"And you didn't TELL ME?!?!" Misato yelled, making Kaoru wince.  
"Dammit!  I mean, I know you're just a teacher to the Children, but you 
knew about this and didn't even THINK to tell me when I was around last 
night?!?"

The Sensei nodded.  "Misato, you have to understand, that boy was 
suffocating here!  I didn't want to crush any dreams of his that he 
might have a future!" he stood up tall, making Misato back off a bit.  
"You would have done this if I told you.  Pushed him back down."

SLAP!

Kaoru held his face as Misato re-pinned him up against the wall with a 
sound 'crack'!  

"You sonofabitch!" she growled.  "Who do you think you are?!?  You KNOW 
what Shinji...what every one of them means to us!  You have no IDEA 
what this means if an Angel attacks.  You don't even KNOW Shinji...or 
Asuka...or Rei for that matter!  You're treating them like they're some 
worthless group of kids who you can afford to test out third-rate 
psychology on!"

"I'm treating them like normal people." Kaoru defended.  "Do YOU know 
them?" he pushed off her arm to her surprise.  "Each of them are still 
kids, Misato!  And you're treating them like the fucking Evas that NERV 
tosses around like dolls!"

Misato growled.

"I never put ANYTHING into Shinji's head.  I just told him he should 
follow his heart."  Kaoru said sternly.  "I know how important these 
kids are to you...and to all of us.  But I'm not about to condemn them 
to a second-rate life just because they're so damn priceless.  I'm 
going to teach them like I would any other normal young student."

"No." Misato said.  "Don't you do this.  Not fuckin now." She growled.  
"Don't you twist this into something it's not.  The fact is that 
Shinji's running again.  Do you really think that's going to help him?"

"When he's running away from NERV?" Kaoru smiled sadly.  "I'd tie his 
own running shoes for him."

"NERV?!?" Misato yelled.  "What the HELL does this have to do with 
NERV?!?  Do you think I just treat him like some kind of guinea pig?  
That little man means more to more people than a thousand teachers or 
Majors combined!  There isn't a day goes by where every person I meet 
or deal with at work doesn't ask how Shinji-kun is doing.  If he's okay 
and feeling better from the last attack or whatever.  Not an attack or 
emergency goes by where I would give my life if it meant he could be a 
thousand miles away instead of inside that fucking purple monster!" 
tears were now evident on her face, but her voice was strong.  

"Misato..."

"SHUT UP!" she yelled.  "There isn't a moment where I don't wish he was 
a safe, happy, normal boy!  He's given us so much, and asked so little 
in return." She leaned forward.  "But that's not the way things are.  
That's not reality.  I don't know what you think reality is, but it's 
life or death out there.  We're all just hanging on by the tips of our 
fingernails just to keep alive!  This is NOT a fucking classroom, you 
pompous, self-righteous asshole!  Things don't work on tests and pop 
quizzes!  You do NOT get time to study and review.  You will either 
live or die."

Kaoru was silent.  Words were long since escaping him.

"Shinji is that one thing that lets us have any CHANCE of survival." 
Misato whispered dangerously at him.  "He's not going to have any 
future if we all die tomorrow in an Angel attack.  It doesn't matter 
how long the train-tracks are...they'll lead to the same place.  The 
only difference is that you've given him a false hope...something to 
pretend and play up to.  He's still running away, though, and we may 
all die because of this.

"And I'm sorry if you can't accept this, but I have more love toward 
that little boy than you will ever know from me, and the only reason 
I'm not putting a bullet in your head is because I know he'll be back." 
Misato released his shirt and pushed him away.  

Sensei Kaoru, dazed slightly, finally managed to retain a bit of his 
analytical mind as Misato was walking off.  

"W...why do you think he'll come back?"

She turned and frowned.  "Don't expect Asuka in class for a few more 
days.  I think they're in love."

Kaoru was silent as he watched her leave.  When he opened the door to 
class, he was greeted with the wide-eyes of his students.  He swallowed 
hard, wondering just how much they heard.

"PMS." Rei offered quietly.

The class all blinked, then returned to their assignments nervously.

Kaoru slumped into his chair.  They were in love.  "This is not 
good..." he thought to himself.  







Shinji was looking at his travel pass as he sat on the bench, waiting 
for the next train.  As he had been walking along the streets, he 
wondered what it would be like to live in a cooler place.  Away from so 
many noisy cicadas and the unending summer.  Asahikawa was on the 
Northern island of Japan, and far enough inland that it wasn't flooded 
out by the Second Impact.  

"I wonder if they have cicadas up there..." he asked out loud.

As if to answer him, the cicada's chirping suddenly stopped.

Shinji looked up and around, wondering what happened.  That was right 
about the same time the sirens started.

"A...an Angel?" he blinked.  The fear that he might be brought back to 
Eva suddenly reclaimed his mind.  

A sudden voice echoed out over the almost deserted train station:

"A state of emergency has been declared throughout all Tokyo-3 Sectors.  
All non-combat personnel please report to the nearest shelter 
immediately.  Thank you!"

As he turned back to the train tracks, he saw the green lights had all 
shifted to red.  "All Trains Delayed"

Shinji Ikari was trapped in Tokyo-3. 





Misato swore to herself as she and Asuka drove.  The buildings were 
already being retracted down into the Geofront, creating an eerie 
illusion of flying as they sped by.  "Why, oh why, do these fucking 
things attack us NOW?"

Asuka looked lazily out of the window.  Her features seemed so delicate 
and fragile at the moment.  She had gotten a bit of sleep that morning 
after Misato had escorted her to bed, but her emotions were sill 
playing havoc on her body.  "They are the enemy." She said simply.  
"They come when they want to."

"I'm going to take you to the NERV's hard-shelter." Misato said. 
"You're in no condition to fight right now."

"No." Asuka said, this time much more forcefully.  "I have to fight.  
Let me pilot.  I'll be okay."

Their world lit up in a bright flash as the first attack hit only a 
block away from the car.  Misato cried out and struggled to keep 
control of her vehicle as it took to the air and landed hard from the 
shockwave.  

Asuka looked out of the rear window at the tiny white-and-black speck 
in the sky that was descending upon them.  "I will kill it."

Misato prayed Asuka was right.  The next cross-shaped explosion would 
have hit them if it wasn't for the tunnel that enveloped the car, 
taking it down to the Geofront.







To be continued...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey everyone!  Sorry for the slight delay as usual, but hell, I'm sure 
you're all used to it by now. ^_^  

No Omake, as I have lots of things to do (as well as start working on 
HL 30 right away, since it will be long). 

As always:

e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110



Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF. 


From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning


   Strike Fiss, 2000








Thirtieth Lesson: "Moved"









"There's no time." Misato said urgently, startling the bridge crew, who 
had thought her to be still in transit.  "As soon as Asuka is in Unit 
02, launch it to the Geofront ground level."

"Hai!" Maya replied, checking the systems.

"Status on Unit-00 and 03." Misato demanded.

Ritsuko checked her own readouts as another crashing explosion rang out 
overhead.  "Unit-03 is ready, and the pilot is standing by.  Rei is in 
transit to HQ, Unit-00 ready."

"Sortie Rei in Unit-01." Gendo ordered suddenly.  "Have Unit-00 standby 
in the AT Field neutralization zone as backup."

Misato forced herself not to glare at the commander.  He acted like 
Shinji's leaving was just another phase of his plan.  "Launch Unit-03 
immediately after Unit-02.  He can act as back-up, but I don't want his 
first battle to be a solo."

"Rei will be ready in T-Minus sixty seconds."  Ritsuko sighed and 
looked up at the monitor. 

The angel was huge.  As it hovered towards the centre of Tokyo-3, it 
seemed to ride on the wake of it's destruction.  Entire batteries of 
missile silos and armament buildings had been nearly vaporized in it's 
advance.  Every new obstacle it came across was promptly ripped down by 
it's beam.  The same, eerie, cross-shaped pillars of light that the 
Third Angel had made were the signatures of each hit.

This time, they were bigger.  Each explosion, while damaging the 
superficial Tokyo-3, was now also eating away at the Geofront's 
defence.  

The Angel seemed to grimace at them.  It's mask was a solemn, mocking 
face.  Had it a hood and scythe, it would look very much the part of 
Death, with it's twin eyes sparking their obliteration.  

"I'm counting on you, Asuka." Misato whispered to herself, then:  
"LAUNCH!"





Unit 02's red, angry mass became ballistic as it was shot up through 
the catapult.  It's four eyes glowed with awareness, yet it seemed 
almost immobile.  Deep inside it's chest, Asuka sat, hunched over in 
her seat, clutching the controls tightly.  

She watched the lights and colors whiz by her with a strange, detached 
look on her face.  

"This is who I am..." she whispered to herself, looking around the 
plug.  "I can't leave it.  Not yet."

Her last conversation with Shinji kept replaying in her mind.  She 
remembered saying the words, yet she couldn't remember why.  Why Eva 
was so important to her.  She remembered wondering why Shinji didn't 
feel the same way.  How could he walk away from Eva?  

Unit-02 reached the surface.  

"I am the pilot of Evangelion Combat Type Unit-02." She whispered to 
herself.  "I can not run away."

The Evangelion reached down and picked up two combat assault rifles.

"I can NOT run away." She looked down at her guns.  "This is all that's 
left." Her eyes steeled to the hanging city above.  "So hurry up, you 
lazy Angel." A tear dropped through the LCL, reaching her chin before 
it was absorbed in the liquid atmosphere.  

"Let's finish this so I can go home and cry."




Rei felt the gentle twist of the Entry Plug as it was inserted into the 
spine of Evangelion Unit-01.  The comm. began it's usual rattle of 
commands and statements that were mostly just issued by the three Magi 
faster than any human could do it.  

She found herself surprisingly calm.  While she was about to go into 
battle, she was also fulfilling her purpose.  A purpose that Ikari-kun 
chose to leave behind.  

She wondered what else there was.  Oh...Rei knew of other things, and 
she found in her heart a growing joy for things besides Eva...but they 
were still simply 'other things'.  They were not Eva.  Eva was the 
reason they were here.  Nothing else.  

And Shinji ran away from it.  Seeking something else??  Why would he 
wish to seek anything?  

"He does not like Eva." She thought to herself.

....

A voice.

"There is no choice..."

Rei's eyes opened wide as the neural patterns skittered around the 
plug's walls.  

"No choice?" Rei though, startled at the clarity of the new voice in 
her head.

Flash.

Her mind was tossed into...something searching it...something seeing 
through it...accessing her memories...viewing her soul as it was 
accepted into Eva.

"Shinji is gone." She found herself thinking.  As she did, every sense 
and neuron in her body screamed.  

Unit-01 screamed into her:

                          "G E T   O U T !"

The shock was so hard it was physical.  The walls turned blood red in 
anger.  Waves of nausea and pain swept over the blue haired pilot, and 
she had to keel over, holding her mouth so as not to vomit in her own 
LCL.  

Every sense was ripped from her.  The Evangelion savagely threw Rei's 
soul away from it's own, breaking off any connection she did have.  Rei 
found herself too stunned to fight it, and before she knew it, the 
Evangelion was dead to her mind...yet still shrieking in protest.

As the bridge crew exploded into a flurry of activity, alarmed by the 
sudden refusal, Rei just held herself, still jarred from the 
experience. 

"It's not going to work this time..." she whispered to herself.

Unit-01 screamed around her.





Gendo Ikari watched it all from behind his tinted sunglasses.  

The gray haired Sensei turned to him.  "Ikari..."

"Yes..." Gendo agreed.  "It's refusing me."

He lowered his hands and turned to Misato.  "Abort activation.  Rei 
will take Unit-00.  Re-activate Unit-01 with the Dummy Plug."





The black, hulking mass of Evangelion Unit-03 arrived just a few blocks 
away from Asuka's position.  

She sighed, noticing for the first time she wasn't alone on the battle 
field.  "What are you doing here, Stooge.  This isn't a training 
mission."

Toji's little communication's box appeared in her field of vision.  
"Hey, relax Red Devil." He smiled in an odd way.  If Asuka didn't know 
better, she would think he looked almost sorry.  "I'm just here to 
watch your back.  That Angel is all yours."

Asuka paused, at first not really registering his words.  Then she 
nodded, and smiled.  "Okay.  Just don't expect to be much use.  I'm 
taking this bastard down in one shot."

"Good.  These legs feel like jelly." Toji nodded, then smiled again.  
"Besides, you might need help tracking down Ikari after this is over.  
I know where he likes to hang out.  The sooner we get this done, the 
sooner you can drag his ass back home where it belongs."

All at once, every sappy, sentimental, and lovey-dovey word that Hikari 
had ever said about the stooge seemed true.  She could only nod.  
"Thank you, baka."

He sighed. "Well, I suppose that's the best I'm goinna get out of you." 
He smiled.  "No problem, Devil."

And then, a thundering crash came.

Glass and steel exploded down from the high ceiling as two city blocks 
of Tokyo-3 were vaporized to gain passage into the Geofront.  The 
iridescent sky-blue glow of the dome was suddenly overshadowed by the 
resulting mass of yellow and red fire that shot down, then billowed up 
as black smoke along the inside of the half-sphere.  

Asuka and Toji braced themselves, but now, Asuka had an angry, 
determined smile on her face.  

"It's all your fault...you bloody Angels have been hurting my Shinji-
kun." Her A.T. Field roared to life, seeking out and neutralizing the 
new Field that was already entering her vision.  "Here's where I pay 
you back for all that pain."

The Angel...a massive, stocky shape...had not even cleared the first 
building before Unit-02 opened fire.

Toji had to hold himself back in surprise as the shockwave from each 
bullet hit his senses.  Each one was the size of a large bus or train-
car, and yet they seemed to fly through the air at the speed of a 
bullet less than one thousandth the size.  

When he noticed that Asuka was holding both rifles ablaze, and yet was 
barely even jarring from the kick each round left, he found himself 
hoping never to get into a fight with her.

The Angel, however, seemed less impressed.

With explosions erupting in the air around it's body, the massive thing 
seemed to be in no hurry...descending and landing at it's leisure.  

"Damn you!" Asuka yelled, firing off the last few rounds.  "Toji!  
MORE!"

Toji had been ready, and his Evangelion threw Asuka two new rifles.  
She caught them with deadly accuracy and was already letting the 
barrage commence before he could blink.

"Cover me!" Asuka demanded.  "I don't think it's AT Field is all gone!"

Toji picked up the nearest weapon.  A huge rocket launcher that had an 
under-arm indentation.  He slung it under his right arm, leaving one 
arm free to pick up a spear.  "Ready!!"

"FIRE!" Asuka yelled, pausing only to grab two smaller, yet hand-held 
rocket rifles.

Toji aimed and pressed the switch.  A blaze of red and black smoke 
whistled out from under his arm.  The kick was so great that he 
wondered if his waist would twist clean off from the jolt.  The 
missile, though, was nearly as long as the rocket launcher, and 
screamed towards the Angel with a furry matched only by the charging 
Unit-02.  

As the first missile hit, Toji saw something strange.  The Angel's arms 
began to unfold.  Like paper ribbons.  Only they did not look like 
paper. 

He remembered the Fourth Angel.

It's energy tentacles ripping through Shinji's Eva and mind.
 
"ASUKA!  PULL BACK!  PULL BACK!!!!!" he screamed.  "IT'S GOING TO 
ATTACK!"

"I WON'T LOSE!" Asuka screamed back, now getting dangerously close to 
the Angel.  "COLLAPSE, DAMN YOU!"

Unit-02 ran head-first at the Angel, finally erupting in propelled 
grenades from it's twin cannons when she reasoned to be sufficiently 
close.  

That's when she saw the two ribbons whipping towards her.  "No!" she 
gasped.

And then the pain slashed through her shoulders.

Each ribbon slid cleanly through the armour's joints, then right 
through the bones and nerves.  They kept going, sliding through the 
Evangelion with a new shade of red adorning their normally gray-silver 
metal.

Toji watched in horror as, with a simple 'flick' of the ribbons, each 
of Unit-02's arms fell cleanly away from it's body.  The sounds of 
Asuka's pain registered over the comm. channel.  He was amazed that she 
did not scream as dark red sprayed out from Unit-02's shoulders, 
coating the trees and staining the water with the gore.

"ASUKA!  GET DOWN!"  Toji threw away his missile launcher and focused 
on his spear, remembering how Shinji defeated the Fourth.  His mind 
automatically pulled up the new targeting display, and with three quick 
steps forward, he threw the blade towards the Angel's core.

The spear rocketed through the air, yet the Angel had already retracted 
it's ribbons for a new attack.  It's right lashed out and cut through 
the length of the spear with the same precision that Toji had thrown it 
with.

He wasn't quite prepared for the ribbon when it kept advancing.

A sharp pain rocked through his leg as the ribbon wrapped itself around 
his thigh.  Toji found himself taking a deep breath as he prepared 
himself for the pain.

With a twist, the ribbon's razor edges crushed and slid through the 
Eva's skin, ripping it's leg right off with a horrible shattering 
sound.  Toji would probably have felt it more, but he had fallen 
unconscious from the shock.  

Asuka gasped as she saw more blood on the Angel's ribbon as it 
retracted from attacking Unit-03.  "No!" she scanned around, seeing the 
fallen Eva.  Her anger re-focused, despite the pain, and she raged 
towards the Angel once more, ignoring the pleas from Misato on the 
comm..  "DIE YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

The Angel's ribbon unfolded once again...then shot out for her neck.






Shinji would remember that moment for the rest of his days.





How he had been sitting in Shelter number 2, listening to the soft 
giggles and talking from babies and the assembled students and 
civilians.  How he remembered wondering why they all felt so safe when 
a fallen Prog Knife would be able to rip though the roof and gut them 
all.  Or a cross-shaped explosion even a block away would uproot the 
entire room from it's foundation and throw it into the Geofront's wall 
with fatal force.  

Not to mention the fact that if an Angel actually wanted anyone inside, 
the small shell of metal wasn't about to stop it.

Only the Evangelions could do that...and they were monsters in their 
own right

Shinji would remember the sudden crash.  How the lights all turned 
black the second before it hit.  As the rumbling stopped, he looked up 
from his cowering hands.

And saw the disembodied head of Evangelion Unit-02 as it lay, lifeless, 
on the wall that used to be part of the shelter.

Shinji's world tumbled.

"Asuka..."

Every word flew into his head.  Every smile crossed his eyes.  On his 
lips, the touch and taste of Asuka's burned like fire.  His hands began 
to shake as every touch and gentle embrace was remembered.  In his 
ears, he could remember their concert together.  How amazing and 
perfect Asuka played.  How beautiful it sounded to hear her feelings 
through the music.

"I love you, Shinji."

"Asuka..." he stood...running before he knew where he was going.  
"ASUKA!!!"  Shoulders slid out of his backpack, letting the green hulk 
tumble free as his speed shot him forward faster.  

His heart and mind competed for who was racing faster.  The body simply 
tried to keep up.  

And he ran.  

Right towards the battle.  All at once, the train tracks shifted and 
curved.  He did not care.  At the end of the line, he saw his reason.

"ASUKAA!!!!"

He would have kept running, but a sudden voice stopped his blind rush.

"You're going the wrong way."







"REPORT!" Misato yelled, desperately trying to keep her head about her.  

"Neural connections secure!" Hyuuga announced.  "Asuka's alive!" he 
pressed a button.  "Fourth Child is in shock, but alive as well!"

Aoba turned to the screen.  "The Angel's moving past the two Evas!"

Misato turned to Ritsuko.  "Status on Unit-01?" she cringed as the wall 
of pattern lights turned a deep red.  "The Dummy Plug??"

"Connection refused!" Maya said.  "Unit-01 will not activate!"

"This is impossible!" Ritsuko said...then her eyes widened.  "The 
Dummy...Rei...is being refused."






"Fuyutsuki." Gendo said quietly, standing up in his seat.

The old professor turned to the Commander. 

"I'm leaving you in charge of this."

Fuyutsuki just sighed and nodded as the Commander walked past.  
"Understood."






"That's you, isn't it, Shinji-kun?"

Shinji was still gasping, trying to catch his breath.  He looked up and 
saw the oddest sight.  "Kaji-san?"

Sure enough, the older man was standing not far away, holding a 
watering can over some plants.  Such would have been a very pleasant, 
normal scene, if it wasn't for the hunched over and gored form of Unit-
02 in the background, and the explosions of weapon fire all around it 
as NERV desperately tried to stop the Angel with conventional weapons 
while the other Evangelions were being prepared.  

"What are you doing out here at a time like this?" Shinji asked, 
walking over to him.

"That's my line." Kaji smiled.  "I thought Pilots didn't go to the 
Shelters during angel attacks."

"I..." Shinji suddenly felt very out of place.  "I was running away.  I 
didn't think they needed me anymore."

"Is that so." Kaji nodded, stretching his free arm lightly as he 
watered his plants.  "Well, I've been too busy with other assignments 
to help fight." He looked over to Unit-02's form.  "Though, I doubt I 
could really do much with my pistol and charm.  So here I am, 
sprinkling."

Shinji peered over and finally noticed.  "Watermelons?!?" he looked up 
at Kaji.  "At a time like this?  When an Angel is attacking?"

"What better time?" he said with a calm smile.  "Of course, if you 
think that Misato would let me attend to her melons, that would be 
preferable."

Shinji blushed.  

"Though..." Kaji looked around him.  "This is a nice place to die.  I 
will have no regrets."

"Die?" Shinji blinked.  "W...why would you die?" he saw the Angel off 
in the distance.  "You can easily get away from here!  You don't have 
to be in danger...not like I should be..."

CHOOOOM!  Another explosion crashed through their ears, this time 
taking with it a large portion of the HQ pyramid's top.  

"It doesn't matter." Kaji said, looking towards Shinji again with his 
usual calm face.  "The reason, Shinji, that Misato and everyone thought 
it was so important for you to pilot is not just because of NERV." He 
shook his head.  "It is said that if an Angel reaches the very centre 
of NERV, and finds Adam...humanity will suffer to the Third Impact."

"Th...Third Impact?" Shinji's skin ran cold.

"That is the purpose of the Evangelion." Kaji said.  "To stop the 
Angels from doing this.  They are the only thing with equal power to an 
Angel."

As if on cue...

Evangelion Unit-00 rose from the ground.

In it's arms, cradled like an infant, was an olive-green and red 
cylinder.  The characters "N2" were painted on the side.

"Ayanami?" Shinji gasped.





"Go." Rei whispered.

Unit-00 charged at the Angel.  Just as the Eva reached it, the Angel 
turned it's grimacing mask and met the blue beast with it's AT Field. 

Even with Rei's Eva, the field was strong.  No wonder Asuka and Toji 
had no luck at all.  A wall of yellow-red light erupted between the two 
combatants, cutting the ground and air like a knife.  As it spread out 
over the Geofront's lake, the water seemed to part and scurry away from 
the invader's power.  

"AT Field...Full." she commanded her Eva to be stronger; focusing it's 
relatively outmatched AT Field into the very centre of the 
Angel's...all while pushing the N2 Mine through.

It was just enough...just barely enough.

And just before Rei's world exploded around her, she saw a rock-like 
shield snap shut around the Angel's core.  




The gray shockwaves passed out over Shinji's head as he watched in 
horror; the Angel quickly dispatching what was left of Unit-00 with a 
ribbon to the chest.  

Heat and sound was unregistered in his mind...only the dull despair 
over watching his fellow Pilot fall was allowed.

"Shinji."  Kaji said, bringing him back to reality.  "All I can do is 
sit here and water my melons.  I know you hate Eva...I know you thought 
that...with so many others...you were not needed." He shook his head.  
"But that's not true."

"Kaji-san..." Shinji nodded.  

"You have a choice." He said.  "You have something inside of you that 
lets you fight when other people can't.  You have the power to change 
what you think is wrong.  And, most importantly..." he set his watering 
can on the ground and knelt down to examine his plants.  "You have the 
power to protect those who you love."

Shinji could feel his courage returning.  Seeing Asuka's Evangelion 
broken and dormant.  Rei's bleeding on the ground.  Just over the 
treetops, he could see the bloody stump of Unit-03's leg.  

"This is important, Shinji." Kaji warned him.  "If you go back, you 
have to do it for the right reasons.  Nobody is forcing you, and you 
now know most of the facts as I know them.  Do what is in your heart." 
He smiled calmly as more explosions rocked around them.  "Think about 
no longer having regrets.  Know that you're doing the right thing."

Shinji looked up from his daze, then nodded. 

Without another word, he was off.  This time, headed right for NERV.

He ran towards Eva.







Somehow, he was not surprised to see his Father there...standing in the 
control room so high and mighty above the Eva's cages.  It was just 
like him...to leave the others like that...needing only himself.

But this time, he was no longer adequate.  

Shinji would have said something cutting to that effect, but he knew he 
was already running out of time.

"LET ME PILOT IT!"

A long pause as he caught his breath, desperate for oxygen and life.  
His body aching to be replaced by the Evangelion, desperate to let the 
beast's muscles and power be it's own.  

Gendo Ikari looked down and saw his son.  "Why are you here." He 
demanded.

"I..." Shinji gasped.  "I...I AM THE PILOT OF EVANGELION UNIT ONE!"

Gendo did not smile.  The flashing red of the refused dummy plug still 
reflected off his glasses.

"I AM SHINJI IKARI!  Now LET ME PILOT!"






The final explosion was horrible.  It shook the control room like an 
earthquake.  The four massive three-dimensional holograms of the Toko-3 
area all shivered out of existence, leaving a dull, cracked green 
display screen.

"It's coming HERE!!!!"  Maya screamed, almost as Misato noticed the 
first ribbon cutting through the wall.

It was like some mockery of birth.  The screen parted to give life to 
the massive Angel's grimace as it slid through the tones of rock, metal 
and plastics unopposed.  

Hunched over, even under the high ceilings, the Angel reared up and 
glared at them.

These tiny humans.  So small, yet the creators of such might.  Such 
power and design.  Such pain and hopelessness. 

Misato found herself clutching her cross as she watched the Angel's eye 
sockets begin to spark...only a heartbeat away from obliterating them 
all.

The wall exploded.

At first, Misato imagined it to be her own demise...until she saw the 
avalanche of debris was propelled, not by a cross-like explosion...

But rather a purple and green fist.

"Eva One?!?" Misato gasped, seeing it's eyes bright yellow, angry and 
driven.  "Shinji-kun!!"





"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHGGGHH!!!!"  Shinji yelled with all his 
force as he drove the Angel into the ground.  His body replenished by 
the fury and power of the Evangelion, even the Angel of Might could do 
nothing but fall.  

And fall again.  Unit-01's arms grappled around the invader and threw 
it in a tumbling crash through the opposite wall, not willing to give 
up any measure of momentum.  Not offering any sign of mercy or 
weakness.

The world fell apart into thick blankets of choking dust.  Walls 
designed to ensnare and cage even the Evangelion itself fell down like 
a house of cards.  Green metal was pierced by the thundering struggle 
these two giants produced.  

A chance!  

Unit-01's fist reared back, the muscles and armor straining under the 
sheer effort Shinji demanded from them.  

SSSSSSEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!! The Angel's eyes exploded into activity, not 
willing to fall so easily again.  With the blast, blood showered the 
far wall and Unit-01's arm slapped dead to the ground, witnessed by 
Gendo Ikari as he watched under the blood of his work.  

Shinji clutched his left shoulder in nerve-shattering pain, but 
demanded obedience from his mind and machine over it.  
"EEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!" 

The yell seemed to echo though the Evangelion, and it's mass launched 
forwards at terrific speeds.  Every thought was it's command.  

Shinji Ikari was the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01.  Once again, and 
forever.

The remaining arm came around and silenced the Angel's next attempt at 
attack, ripping it off balance and tossing it over it's own body.  
Unit-01's feet dug trenches and crushed the metal floor as it fought 
the Angel's every resistance.  The same foot came up and bludgeoned the 
'waist' of the Angel, kicking it backwards even as the purple demon 
punched in with it's torso.  

Both of them fell past the last Eva cage, into the catapult grounds.  
For the first time, the Evangelion made it's own sparks as it ploughed 
the Angel into the shaft's wall.  All the while, Shinji screamed in 
undying determination.  You will die!  You will die!  DIE DIE 
DIEEEEE!!!!!!!

"MISATO-SAN!" he yelled, remembering himself.  He never heard her 
answer, but felt the results as the catapult sparked to life and roared 
upwards, taking the beasts with it to the Geofront.  

The clouds of dust were now replaced by the bright shower of sparks as 
Unit-01's grip shoved the Angel's face into the wall for the entire 
journey.  As the two exploded out of the catapult and into the 
Geofront, Unit-01 held on tight, using the Angel to break it's fall.  
"HHEEEEEEYYYAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

CRAAAANG!  CRRRAANNNG!  Shinji willed his fist to punch.  Every 
movement creating thunder as it impacted against the Angel.  Each time, 
the pain lessened and the rage increased.  Images of Asuka fuelled his 
mind as it long since passed the breaking point.  "You sonofabitch!  
DIE!  DIIIEEE!" he screamed, now plunging his hand around the Angel's 
mask and pulling...ripping it off...




Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee




Shinji's eyes snapped open as he saw the control panel turn red and 
Evangelion Unit-01 hunch forward just before taking away his view of 
the outside world.

"Out of energy...!?!"

The Angel did not take long to realize this.  What little awareness 
Shinji had of the outside world...now replaced by his coffin-like plug, 
was tossed about as the Eva was lifted up and thrown.

CRASH!

Shinji desperately pulled on the controls.  "Move!  Move!  Move!  Move!  
Come on, move!  Move now or there's no point to this!!!"

The sound of a cut...probably just around the chest...left a sickening 
sound in his ears, and he gasped as the residual pain hit him, even in 
the mostly dormant Eva.

A final crashing sound signalled the exposure of more of his 
Evangelion's innards to the Angel.  

Then came the ribbons.  CRACK!  CRACK CRACK!  Each one hit the same 
point...and each time, Shinji saw his world break a little bit more.  
Cracks began to form in his vision as Unit-01's core was hit.  Each hit 
echoed out over the Geofront like a cannon-shot.  

"Move!  Move!  Move!  Move!" Shinji begged the Eva, pulling harder and 
harder on the handles.  "Move!  Move!  Move!  Move!  Move!  Move!  
Move!  You've got to move!  Or everyone will be killed!"

The sounds of a cracking egg continued...each hit bringing him closer 
to the edge.  Desperation leaked into his voice as he realized there 
wasn't much time left.  "I'm sick of it already, so...COME ON!  
MOVE!!!!"





Move.





Shinji looked up as he heard it...

A heartbeat.

And then...Unit-01 moved.






It's eyes lit up in a screech, turning blazing white.  It's hand came 
up to meet what would have been the Angel's final blow...ripping the 
ribbon to shreds with it's fingers,

The Angel seemed almost surprised as it found itself face-to-face with 
a growling Evangelion Unit-01.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

CRACK!  The Eva kicked the Angel away, ripping off it's ribbon and 
throwing it to the ground in one motion.  

The ribbon became the Eva's new arm, as the beast, now fully lost in 
it's own madness, cannibalized the Angel's flesh to replace it's own.

The Angel, never giving up, shot out it's last remaining ribbon, hoping 
to finish Unit-01 before it was too late.

With a low growl, the Eva swept forth its AT Field, not only severing 
what was left of the Angel's arms, but also moving back and cutting 
into the Angel's body like a knife.  

New arm attached, it crawled it's way over to the Angel.  As a final 
death rattle, the Angel tried using it's particle-beam once more, but 
was interrupted...

....When Unit-01 began to eat it's face.







Kaji watched from his watermelons, crouched down next to them.  
"So...the Evangelion has awakened." He chuckled.  "I suppose SEELE 
won't stay quiet about this for long."

A footstep sounded as someone walked up next to him.  

Kaoru nodded, watching the spectacle.  "That's what I was afraid of."

"Don't you trust me?" Kaji looked up and rubbed his chin.  "I think I'm 
entitled to a bit of trust after the leaps of faith you put me 
through."

The Sensei regarded Kaji with a sigh, then smiled.  "I suppose you're 
right."

The two men stood and watched Unit-01's feast with grim fascination. 

"I just hope you did the right thing." Kaoru mentioned out loud.

"I did." Kaji said.  "Shinji is our only hope." He turned back to his 
melons.  "You, of all people, should know that by now.  Besides, he 
would have gone back anyway."

Kaoru just stood and watched.  Unit-01 raised it's head to the heavens 
and howled.  

"That's what I was afraid of." 









To be continued.








-----------------------------------------------------------------------

<insert Fly Me To The Moon here.  Your choice of artist and style.  I'm 
voting for an instrumental version myself.  ^_^  They're so much better 
than the vocal ones after these cool episodes>

Thank you all for staying with Higher Learning this far.  ^_^  I know, 
especially for new readers, that 30 files in a row can be a daunting 
enough read to tackle.  Though, everyone has been wonderful in their 
support (sometimes...rather constantly...pestering me outright to get 
the next Lesson done), and it has been a true pleasure to know that I 
can at least help a reader or two waste some spare time reading about 
Eva.  ^_^

As of late, Higher Learning has been harder to keep on it's weekly 
schedule, now shifting to weeks and a half at a time.  I shall 
endeavour to keep up to my original schedule, but unfortunately work 
and real life have been taking their toll.  Nothing bad has been 
happening...rather many good things, however, they still are taking up 
my free time.  I apologize to you all, and hope you'll forgive me and 
keep a little extra patience in your heart for me.  ^_^  Arigato!  

I'm still aiming for about 40-50 lessons.  As you may have noticed, to 
make up for the time loss, I've been making them a bit bigger.  Even if 
it looks like I'll be running out of year to do them, I will gladly 
sacrifice time for quality, and keep Higher Learning going as long as 
it needs to.  However, I'm also thinking I might wrap it up in one big 
spectacular Lesson at the very end.  ^_^  I think I'll have to, since 
it will be the only way of me surviving all the death threats.  

People get fussy when I end things in a cliff-hanger.  ^_^ 

But, for now, enjoy, and thank you all for reading!




OMAKE!
------------------------------------------------- 

"LET ME PILOT IT!"

A long pause as he caught his breath, desperate for oxygen and life.  
His body aching to be replaced by the Evangelion, desperate to let the 
beast's muscles and power be it's own.  

Gendo Ikari looked down and saw his son.  "Why are you here." He 
demanded.

"I..." Shinji gasped.  "I...I AM THE PILOT OF EVANGELION UNIT ONE!"

Gendo did not smile.  The flashing red of the refused dummy plug still 
reflected off his glasses.

"I AM SHINJI IKARI!  Now LET ME PILOT!"

Gendo sighed, then realized he must concede to his son, even if it was 
just this one time.  "Very well.  I admit...I need you, Shinji.  You 
must go out there and prove yourself."

Shinji's eyes glittered.  "Father??"

"Yes..." he sighed.  "I admit, I've been short-sighted...I have failed 
to see your value and your inner abilities."  It was obvious Gendo was 
telling the truth.  There was no way he would allow himself to squirm 
so much under anyone's eyes...especially his own son's.  

"You...you mean this...don't you, Father!" Shinji's eyes were tearing 
up with joy.  "Papa!"

Gendo felt his heart lose itself to the moment, knowing he may never 
get another chance to say these things...so he continued.  "You have 
always made me proud, Shinji...every time you've gone into Eva, I knew 
you were worth all this trouble.  All the pain.  The torture of having 
to be away from you for so long.  A father never forgets how much they 
love their son."

The elevator activated, letting Gendo descend down to Shinji's level on 
the walk-way.  Shinji watched with glittering eyes and a smile so wide 
he could have made a believable Pac-Man stand-in. 

They ran to each-other and embraced in a warm, fatherly-son hug that 
was so long overdue.  "I love you, my son.  I'm so sorry for everything 
I've done." Gendo wept openly against Shinji's hair.  "Your mother 
would have been so proud too...I know she can see you now."

"Thank you, Father." Shinji whispered, hugging his dad tightly.

A moment passed, and they were interrupted by an explosion somewhere in 
Headquarters.  

"I guess you'd better get going, son." Gendo smiled, taking off his 
glasses so he could dry his eyes.

"Hai!" Shinji beamed, raising his fist.  "I'll make you proud, Father!" 
he extended his hand expectantly. 

Gendo blinked.

Shinji blinked back.  "Dad?" he kept holding out his hands.

"What?" Gendo asked, honestly not knowing.

Shinji shrugged.  "Well, I need the keys to pilot Unit-01."

Gendo blinked.  "But...you took them with you.  That's why we couldn't 
get Rei or the Dummy Plug to work."

Shinji's eyes went wide.  "Uh...you mean...I didn't give them to you??"  
he gasped as he realized they were still in his other pants...in the 
green backpack he dropped on the way.

Gendo looked down at Shinji, then smacked him upside the head.  "Anta 
baka!?!?  I take back everything I said.  You're a fucking moron."



The Third Impact was very pretty at such close range.  ^_^ 

----------------------------------------------------------------------









e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110



Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF. 
From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning

   Strike Fiss, 2000







Thirty-First Lesson:  Tadaima









It was a wonderful feeling.

He decide it was so.  It had to be so, since he felt to desires.  No 
hate, no pain and no wish to be elsewhere. 

At first, he wondered if the light around him was a pool of water.  If 
he had slipped in the bath and hit his head.  Perhaps, he was in NERV 
Headquarters.  After a long day, he had decided to go to the Men's 
Lockers.

Shinji had always been afraid to do so.  The small, out of the way 
'Boy's' locker room was always there.  Closer to the routes he would 
take to and from Eva.  He had only ventured into the Men's lockers 
once, by accident.  People had always been there.  A hundred older men 
who were always enjoying the public bath and laughing and chatting 
their cares away.  

He had never been comfortable with that.  Nakedness.  Sharing space 
with someone else while being so vulnerable.  Be it in good nature or 
not, Shinji had never wished to become that naked...both emotionally or 
physically...with anyone before.  Let alone dozens of guys who would 
probably just laugh at the 'little boy' trying to play with them in 
their domain.  

But...the one time he did accidentally peek inside, he had seen the 
Bath.  

A giant, swimming-pool like tub.  It could have easily been one, except 
it was only deep enough to sit in the middle, up to your chin in the 
luxurious, hot water.  On the sides, there were seats so you could 
relax even a small, Shinji-ish body up to your chest and lay against 
the side, letting your cares soak away. 

Just once, Shinji wished he could find a time when it would just be 
him.

Just him in all that wonderful water.  Let the steam boil his cares 
away, instead of the biting cold shower in his own locker room, or the 
tiny little tub back at the Katsuragi residence. 

Yes, he assumed he must be there now.  

His body felt warm.  Tingling with sensation, and yet, relaxed like he 
felt nothing at all.  The light film of water hugged his face in a 
line, and he watched the ceiling while suspended in the bath.  

"Feels like..." he whispered to himself, his voice echoing impossibly.  
"Feels like home."

"Welcome home." Came the whisper.

Something inside of it, though, seemed tired.  Worn and ragged.  

He turned his head and saw an entirely new scene.  The vague lights now 
transformed to the outside.  A small park.  A man and a woman with a 
baby carriage stood there, shadowed and protected by a massive camphor 
tree.  While the tree easily shaded them both, it was probably only a 
third of it's potential size.  The atmosphere smelled of a crispness 
that Shinji had never known to be in this unending Tokyo-3 Summer. 

Fall, he assumed.  The tree seemed to be growing yellow around a few of 
it's leaves.  Yes...it must have been Fall...before the Second Impact.

The voice came again.  What he assumed to be the female figure looked 
up at him with a shadowed face.  "I don't like doing this..." she 
whispered to the other figure.  "It seems so...evil...to be playing God 
like this..."

"And yet," came the other voice...he seemed much older...wiser...yet 
soft spoken and tired.  Not like Father.  Like someone else.  "And yet 
you say this is to replace God." He chuckled softly.  "What else would 
you have us play?  Demons?"

"What scares me..." she said softly.  "Is not if we will succeed or 
not...Eva must succeed." A long pause.  "But will he know what to do 
with it?"

Eva.  Familiar words.  Familiar feelings.  Pain, but also warmth and 
something else...

"Would anyone know what to do with it?" the male's voice asked.  His 
shadow walked over to the woman, yet seemed to force itself to stay 
way.  "What we plan is something mortal minds are not capable of.  What 
we say is taken and twisted from words not our own."

"But Eva is our future.  It must be adopted as ours." She said, turning 
to the carriage.  A baby boy's tiny arms reached out to his mother, 
enjoying her familiar smile.  "Suppose, five billion years from now.  
The Earth, the Moon, and even this Sun will be gone." She shook her 
head.  "Eva can survive, however.  She can survive on the power of a 
Human Soul.  It will be a lonely existence, but humanity will be 
remembered forever."

A small laugh from the man.  "Yui...but what of after this?"

Yui...mother...

"What human Soul would survive without others.  What Soul would wish to 
be alone."

"Would they really know the difference, Sensei?" Yui turned to the 
older man.  "You know what the Old Men will do with this.  But it will 
be pointless.  You know what other men might do...and it will be the 
same."

"But would we really know the difference, Yui?" he sighed.  "What of 
these moments...things before this...things before Eva.  Will they 
still exist?  Or will we all just be a memory."

Flash.

Flash!

FLASH!

Walking.  The sensation of walking washed over him.

"Where are you going?" a voice asked.  It took him a moment to realize 
it was his own. 

"I am leaving." He answered.

"Where will you go?"  

"Away from Eva." Shinji said solidly.  "Away from this pain."

"What pain?" the voice asked.  "You feel no pain here."

"You can not say that." Shinji said, looking around the empty city 
blocks for the source of the voice.  "Pain can be internal.  Pain can 
be caused by external things.  Even things that do not seem to cause 
pain."

"When why do you run away from pleasure?"

"Eva did not bring pleasure." Shinji said.  "Eva brought only pain."







Two of the most argumentative people in the city watched in silent 
agreement as Unit-01 was cleaned off.  

Toji had been hoping mad to hear what happened to Shinji.  Some kind of 
bullshit story how he was 'stuck' inside Unit-01.  The only thing that 
was keeping him in check was the fact he needed a crutch to walk at the 
moment.  His leg, while the nerves had been intact, had suffered a 
backlash from his experience in his Eva, and his bones received a few 
delicate fractures due to the strain.   

Asuka had faired much better, though looked much worse.  While she had 
only suffered a stray bruise and a cut to her cheek from the messy and 
hasty rescue attempt by NERV's emergency crews, her mind had pretty 
much stopped moving.  It showed on her face as a kind of eerie calm 
that did not suit her in the slightest.  

"Where do you think he is?" Toji asked finally.  He had been aching to 
ask that for the twentieth time that day, but Asuka looked like she 
wasn't in the mood to talk. He finally got tired of it, though, and 
risked conversation. 

Asuka looked up at Unit-01's face.  The armor had been almost 
completely peeled off, and had to be completely removed as it was 
repaired elsewhere.  White bandages the size of newspaper-press rolls 
had been slung over the 'skin' beneath.  Unit-01's lipless mouth was 
frozen in a mocking smile.  It's eyes were staring forward, unblinking, 
though they looked almost alive and active.  

"She has him." Asuka said finally.  

"What do you mean?" Toji blinked, not really expecting that...or 
any...response.

She turned to Toji with a small, knowing smile.  

It scared him.  

"Eva has Shinji now." The redhead whispered.  "He tried to leave, so 
Eva pulled him back, and won't let go."

He watched, thoroughly spooked as a tear rolled down Asuka's cheek.  
"A...Asuka...it's not like that.  He'll be fine."

She shook her head, then turned back to the window, watching Ritsuko 
and Misato a few levels down, talking in front of the massive mummy-
like head.  

"No.  He's not going to be fine." She whispered sadly.  "Eva won't want 
to let him go."

Toji sighed, then turned, using his crutch to hobble off.  "Just 
because Eva won't let go of you doesn't mean it's going to trap Shinji 
too." He looked back with a stern, proud glare.  "And it's not going to 
get me.  That's for damn sure."







Class. 

It seemed too late for class, though.  Shinji had rarely found reason 
to stay so long after class.  The evening sun burned a red tint into 
the walls and desks, and he wondered why he was there for a while. 

A shadow was cast against the chalk board, and he recognized it to be 
too thin to be his father.  Sensei Kaoru.  Yes, it must have been.  He 
was not as tiny or frail as the old Sensei either.  

"Why did you come back." He demanded in a voice that, all of a sudden, 
reminded Shinji way too much of his Father. 

"I am the Pilot of Unit-01." Shinji stated simply.  

"Why did you come back." Kaoru asked again, walking over to Shinji and 
sitting down next to him.  "You did not have to come back.  Why did you 
come back when you had no regrets about leaving?"

"I have no regrets about coming back, either." Shinji said softly.  "I 
made a decision of my own free will.  I have no regrets."

"But you also had no regrets about leaving." Kaoru said.  

"True." Shinji nodded.  "Because I was not forced into leaving.  I was 
not forced to leave, or stay.  I chose."

"Then why did you come back?"

"Everyone will die if I do nothing." Shinji whispered.  "I don't want 
that."

"Why not?" Kaoru asked, his tone a bit more cynical.  "All around 
you...pain.  These people around you only serve you up to their own 
means.  How do you know they don't plan your so-called free-will?"

A pause.  Shinji could only answer with:  "I do not know.  But what I 
do know is that I am happiest when I can chose."

"What of the others?  They cause you pain." Kaoru demanded.  

"Misato-san is my friend and guardian." Shinji said proudly.  "She does 
not cause me pain on purpose."

"Yet she does still cause you pain.  She is only acting out of kindness 
because she is required to do to."

"Toji-san and Kensuke-san are my friends." Shinji maintained.  "They 
are my classmates and they do not cause me pain."

"They are mates with you only out of desperation." Kaoru said.  "The 
lonely veterans of a dying classroom."

"Asuka-chan." Shinji said.  "She cares for me, and I love her.  She 
tells me only the truth, respecting my views and my abilities."

"A silly crush." Kaoru maintained.  "One that will die in time.  One 
that will die and leave your heart broken."

"Sensei...you mean much to me as well..." Shinji said.  "You taught me 
I can think for myself and have a future.  I can have a future."

The shadow looked down at Shinji with a sinister glare.  It's glasses 
shimmered red in the sun.  "My job only.  You have no future, Shinji 
Ikari.  A hopeful lie."

Shinji found himself strangely calm.  "Yet, I have no regrets.  Your 
lies and deception are my reasons.  My truth."

"Baka."

The shadow grew.  It grew in a flash, enveloping him and the class 
around him.  All that was left was the cold plastic seat under him.  

"Then stay here.  Stay here in your perfect world." The voice growled.  
"Stay and rot in this pool."

Shinji's eyes widened.  "I can't."

"Why not, Shinji Ikari?  You have nothing you need to run from here.  
You are in your own fool's paradise." Kaoru's voice said, enveloping 
him and coming down from all around.  "What does it matter?"

"You misunderstand!" Shinji yelled.  "This is not what I want!"

Voices.  All of them this time.



What do you want?



FLASH!

"I want to protect." Shinji whispered.  The sensation of the wall 
crumbling beneath his fist washed over him.  All of a sudden, he was 
back in Unit-01.

It happened so fast.  The dust hadn't even cleared.  His rage 
instinctively found the Angel.  The Angels.  All of them.  It lashed 
out...ripping into the Angel's barriers...dissolving them so he could 
kill them. 

Kill.

Kill.

Enemy. 

Kill the enemy.

Destroy the enemy.

Protect.

"Mother..." Shinji whispered as he watched the images in his head 
replay.  "Help me...help me fight..."

"What are you protecting?" came her voice.

"What are you protecting?" came Kaoru's voice.

"What are you doing here?" came Father's.

"I AM SHINJI IKARI!"

Self.

Fight.

Kill.

Fight.  Fight.  Fight.  Fight.  Kill.  Destroy.  Crush.  Punch.  Punch.  
Punch.  Punch.  Die.  Die.  Die!  DIE!  DIEE!  DIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!

Curled up in the corner...his mind swirled around him.  "Nobody 
cares...they should all...

Die.

Die.

Just die.

Leave me alone."

And then...he saw Unit-02's head fall through the shelter.

Eva.  Eva called for him.  Wanting him back.  Please.  Please come 
back.

Fight with me, Shinji.

Fight with me, Mother.

Help me, Shinji.

Help me, Mother.

They can not win.  I won't let you die.

He can not win.  Please help me protect her.

Protect who?

Asuka.

Why?






"I love you."



FLASH!

Shinji opened his eyes, blinded suddenly by the light, returning from 
the shadows that had been his view for what seemed 
like...minutes...hours...days....

A small boy, playing in the sand.  

A mother, smiling down at him as she watched.  "Shinji...do you know 
what you're doing?"

The boy echoed his thoughts...no...he was that boy.  Just seemed 
older...

"I do, Mother." Shinji whispered, looking up at her.  "I love her."

"Together, we will protect her." Yui whispered.

"But I can not stay here." Shinji pleaded.  The birds chirped off in 
the distance.  

"Outside, you will have pain."

"Outside, I will have love." Shinji smiled softly up at his mother.  
"As well as here."

A long sigh. 

"Then you have made up your mind?" she asked.

"I have." Shinji nodded.  "And I will help you when I can.  I will not 
run away."

She smiled.  Then, nodded.  "Will this be enough?"

"It is my reason." Shinji nodded, reaching up with his arm suddenly 
gloved in a plug-suit.  "It will be enough."

"Even with the pain?"

Shinji nodded.  "Even with the pain." He sighed.  "I would gladly risk 
it all to see her again." A soft smile.  "To see them all." He amended 
after a moment. 






Water.

Light.

Not quite away.  Not quite yet.  Still waiting.

Shinji Ikari lay in the bath, looking up at the ceiling.  It was a 
familiar thing...though he had only seen it once before.  Warm with the 
glow of steam.  

A soft hand lay on his shoulders.  While he imagined he should have 
been startled by it, he was not.  It felt familiar.  Almost as 
Ayanami's hand did on the few times he had been near her.  

He was, however, very surprised to see another young man there, sitting 
next to him in the bath.  He had strange, gray hair.  Eyes like 
Ayanami's in their sharp, un-wavering red. 

Shinji blinked, watching the boy with a detached fascination.  His 
mouth was moving...talking about something and motioning to the air 
around them.  

Shinji did not hear it, though.  He did not hear the words, and yet, he 
knew them.  

And all of a sudden, he remembered.

"Shinji."

"Shinji-kun." 

"SHINJI-KUN!"

"SHINJI!!!!!!"

He gasped.  LCL exploded from his mouth and nose as his body demanded 
the oxygen it needed.  The icy cold feeling of metal and light washed 
over him.

He tried.  He held onto the truth and the memories as hard as he dared 
grasp onto them.  He tried so hard.  

But as Misato wrapped her arms around his naked, wet skin, holding him 
and sobbing softly at his messy return to her...Shinji found the truth 
slipping away.  It melted as the warmth returned to him.  

A moment later, he was only a smiling, unconscious boy in Misato's 
arms.

Unit-01's eyes stared blankly out at the two.  It's pilot now recovered 
from it's belly, for better or worse.






To be continued....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


<bows>  Welcome to the author's notes!

First of all, this is a Mindfuck episode, so I really can't give too 
much away. ^_^  It's supposed to be like this.  Hehehe.  But yes, the 
first scene with Yui was from End of Evangelion, where she and the Sub-
Commander are discussing the true nature of Eva.  As for how long 
Shinji was in Unit-01, it will stay true to the series, and we'll see 
in HL 32 the changes that happened over the month. 

Watch the movie if you want more.  ^_^  Otherwise, you'll have to wait 
for Higher Learning 50.  Hehaha!

Ooh, by the way, I'M ON TIME!  WhaHAHAH!  Suck my butt!   Now, this is 
important people...don't get me wrong...I do LOVE your support, and 
encouragement is wonderful when I've been having a bad day and a 
writer's block.  However, you all must remember 3 things:

1.)  Do NOT ask me to tell you how far I'm done on the upcoming Lesson.  
This is such a random thing.  First of all, I never know how long it 
will take to finish a Lesson, I don't know how big it will be 
(usually), and I don't know when I will be finishing it compared to how 
far I am done on it already, or when I will start on it.  If I DO tell 
you a time or date, it will 99% of the time be WRONG!  I am an editor's 
worst nightmare.  I work on my own spooky whims.  Don't ask me for a 
schedule that I don't have.  ^_^

2.)  Do NOT think that any kind of negative commendation about my 
missed Lessons or missed Posting Dates or general laziness will do 
anything to speed me up.  <laughs>  If you say "Grr...how come Lesson 
32 isn't up yet?!??  It's already TUESDAY!"  I will say:  "Because it's 
not done yet.  Ha!"  Forgive me, but quite frankly, I'm nobody's fanfic 
bitch.  ^_^  This is a purely recreational thing for me, and I'm not 
about to sweat too much about it because someone's displeased with me.  
Not to mention, sadly, I DO have somewhat of a life, so I may be busy 
with things I did not plan on, and these things might be taking up time 
I had planned to write in.  Such is life.  :P  

3.)  Do NOT ask me what the next Lesson(s) is/are about.  Not only am I 
having fun with keeping the core ideas in Higher Learning a secret, and 
plan to leave many of these secrets unanswered until the very end...or 
even leave them unanswered in true Eva style...but half the time, I 
don't even know what the next Lesson will be about!  I write them as I 
go.  ^_^  Sure, I have plans and designs, but that's just general.  And 
even then, I've changed them many times since HL's beginning.  Hang on 
and enjoy the ride. 




Omake!  (for those who don't know...that means an extra bonus)
-------------------------------------------------------

Misato:  "I...I still can't believe he's been in there so long."

Ritsuko:  <sighs>  "Misato...you knew that this would be a very hard 
thing for him to recover from.  He might be in there much longer."

Misato:  "But the Magi have all agreed that Shinji won't be in there 
much longer, right?"

Ritsuko:  "Yes, but even the Magi have been wrong from time to time.  
Especially involving matters like this.  It's just too soon to tell..."

<the two women pace around the hall, looking very grave.>

Misato:  "I should have never..."

Ritsuko:  "You know Shinji...he would have willingly done this, even 
without your encouragement.  And now, because of his own foolish 
nature, he's been stuck in there for a month now!"

Misato:  <looking to the door>  "I feel horrible...what if the Magi 
were wrong and he's stuck in that place FOREVER?!?!"

Ritsuko:  "Well, he'll either be okay soon...or dead.  His soul will be 
lost to the horrors of..."

<the toilet flushes>

Ritsuko:  "Your cooking."

<Misato blushes>

<The door opens slowly...Shinji Ikari crawls out of the bathroom on all 
fours, no longer able to stand correctly.>

Shinji:  "Misato-san...forgive me...but I'm never eating your re-fried 
bean-salad again." <collapses on the deck>

Ritsuko:  <sighs>  "Well, at least he didn't get swallowed up by Unit-
01 like last month."




End!
-------------------------------------------





e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110



Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.
From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning

   Strike Fiss, 2000







Thirty-Second Lesson:  Depth












[three weeks ago]


In the dark, the memories always come.  There were no overriding images 
to stop them from flooding her mind's eye.  The hallway was empty as 
Asuka walked through it.  All the lights were off, leaving only the 
echoing illumination from her destination and the emergency lighting.  

She felt numb.  Cold and empty as she walked down the tile.  Every 
three steps, she wondered what it would be like to just curl up in the 
darkness and die.  Stop existing so she wouldn't have to feel like she 
didn't want to exist.  

NERV security had probably been ordered to tail the pilots, making sure 
they didn't talk to anyone they shouldn't, to protect them from outside 
harm at such a crucial time...and to protect Asuka from herself.  
Misato was no fool.  She was not left in the dark.  Hell, Toji probably 
suggested a suicide watch to the Major. 

Asuka sighed as she realized that, if she did not appear quickly 
enough, the Security Agents would probably ignore any regard for 
humiliation and come looking for her.  Probably not enough time to 
bleed to death...and anyway, she didn't have anything sharp enough to 
cut flesh.  

The hall opened up to revile her destination...the NERV indoor pool.  
An Olympic sized one at that.  While it was after hours, and the lights 
were dimmed, this pool glowed with a warm blue hue that lit up the room 
in shimmering echoes.  The air was damp and life-giving.  The water 
warm and fresh.  Only the tint of chlorine in the air gave away it's 
man-made nature.  

She wondered why swimming appealed to Ayanami so much.  The three of 
them were in and out of liquid almost constantly anyway.  It wasn't 
until Asuka found herself sliding into the shallow end of the pool that 
she remembered.

This wasn't LCL. 

Not some bloody, organic slime that they had to choke on three or more 
times a week.  This was water.  Beautiful and clean.  Simple, unspoiled 
and soothing to both the touch and mind.  

A small smile crossed her lips...one of the first in many days...

"Well?  Do you think my breasts would expand if I heated them up?"

Shinji had looked so embarrassed.  It had been priceless!  Even back in 
that time where he was nothing more than Baka Shinji to her, she had 
loved the way he tried not to look at her body.  Wanting to view, yet 
scared he would get beaten for it.  

Her smile slowly slid away.  They had been happy back then.  More or 
less.  They had been such a great team!  Even Rei had helped out.  But 
now?  Shinji was gone...swallowed up in his own machine.

The tapes.

The tapes had haunted her the moment she saw them.  Central Dogma's 
cameras...even as the main systems had been smashed to dust...witnessed 
the whole attack of the Angel.  

Misato had told her what she saw, but it was so much more frightening 
when they had witnessed it for themselves.  Shinji exploded through the 
wall, ripping into the Angel with a furry that Asuka had never known 
from him.  An echo of the power she had heard of him having during the 
Third Angel Attack.  

But that was his mind lost.  Again, she had assumed some kind of 
trance...a mental breakdown that somehow linked to the Eva on some 
primal scale.

Then...Shinji had spoke.  Not just screamed.  He had asked Misato to 
fire the catapults.  Shinji had been aware through the entire 
fight...not even seeming to care as his arm was ripped away from it's 
host.

Asuka had realized then that the Third Child was indeed amazing.  The 
first time had been no accident.  No sudden loss of sanity.  

Shinji had ripped apart his opponents.  

And...yet...he was so gentle with her.  Never raised an angry fist or 
yelled at her when she probably hurt him more than an Angel ever could.  

She sunk into the water, letting out a trail of bubbles...staying 
submerged for a moment before coming back up.  

For his troubles, Unit-01 ate him.  

Oh, they could glorify it all they wanted...say he was still alive and 
just 'absorbed'.  But the fact was that Unit-01 wanted it's pilot.  It 
wanted Shinji to stay.  Stay forever.  The one chance he had to get 
away made the beast realize it had to keep him...by force if necessary.  

It made Asuka angry.  It was unfair.  She...she had to stay.  It was 
who she was.  But Shinji was being forced by Eva.  Even when he had 
gotten enough nerve to leave his Father and it all behind...

The water around her body did nothing to sooth her mind.  It made 
things worse.  Every thought was amplified by the echoing rhythmic 
tones of the water hitting the sides of the pool.  Breaths and splashes 
from the day's patrons still living in the seemingly unending ripples 
and waves that were filling the pool.  They wouldn't leave her be.  

Why couldn't they just leave her alone.  All of them...just...die.

Die.

Perhaps she could just drown in the pool.  Maybe nobody was watching, 
and would just assume she'd be okay for half an hour or so.  By then, 
it would be too late.  

It would be easy.  She had trained her lungs to expect liquid...and 
after the first three or four breaths of water, it would already begin.  
A fitting death.  So much like how she imagined it would be to die in 
Eva.  Slowly cool in a tomb of LCL, while the world falls apart outside 
of the hallowed shell.  

She knew that was the only way Eva would let her go.  Death.  Just like 
her mother...she would torture Asuka until she wanted to die.  Just 
like her.  

Asuka wondered why that thought didn't scare her now.  Why it didn't 
startle her and cause her to fight these thoughts.  

Even as she let herself slip into the water.

Nothing mattered.  Shinji had left her...then had been taken away as if 
to say a second time 'you lost your chance'.  She had been 
destroyed...her pride once more ripped from her mind as the Angel came 
just milliseconds from slicing into her throat.  Alive, only because 
Misato knew she would fail.  Alive to be rescued by men in containment 
suits who treated her like a baby as they carried her out of the Plug.  

Mama...Shinji...even herself had left.  There was nothing else.

She smiled as the water became deep enough around her...almost sinking 
to the bottom...wanting to wait until it would be too late to take that 
first breath of airless water.  The roof echoed in waves of 
light...peaceful and calm. 

It would be a nice death, she decided.  Much better than to be 
humiliated again in her poor, broken Eva.  Or to remember all the love 
she threw away...love she had just a week ago.  Thrown away for what? 
So she could die in a puppet? 

No.  

This would be better.

She almost took that breath...

when a shadow passed over her.  A long, graceful dive, sliding first 
through the air, then seeming to enter the water just as flawlessly.  A 
streak of white skin and blue hair.

Her eyes twitched as Rei Ayanami noticed her in the pool, and swam down 
to the bottom to meet her.

"Why did Rei have to come here?" Asuka grumbled to herself.  "My nice, 
perfect little death, ruined by Wondergirl."

Rei swam down until she was parallel with Asuka.  Her red eyes 
shimmered in the water, looking at the redhead with an odd curiosity.  

Asuka tried to stare back, but it was about that time that she realized 
her entire body was screaming for oxygen.  Her eyes went wide, and she 
scrambled back up to the surface...her original intent ignored under 
the worry of her audience.  

Rei followed, surfacing as Asuka was coughing and gasping in a hurry to 
feed her muscles with air.  

"It is not wise to hold your breath for that long." The albino said 
quietly, waiting for Asuka to finish coughing.  

She growled.  "Did they teach you that in school?  Good work, 
Wondergirl!"

The two girls paddled slowly, glaring and staring respectively at the 
other. 

"Can you be replaced?"

Asuka blinked, not quite expecting that sentence.  "What?" she coughed, 
brushing the hair away from her eyes.  "What the hell is that supposed 
to mean?"

To add to her confusion...Rei suddenly looked very embarrassed.  The 
girl turned a dark pink color, as if she had said something that she 
shouldn't have.  "I...I am sorry." She turned around in the pool and 
began to paddle off slowly.  "Please excuse me..."

Asuka blinked, completely confused.  "Wait!" she frowned, then swam 
after Rei.  "No!  Wait!  I wanna know!"

"It is nothing.  I made a mistake." Rei said calmly as she moved 
through the water effortlessly.  

"About WHAT?!?!"  Asuka demanded.  "You just asked me 'Can I be 
replaced'!  How can you be mistaken when you were asking a question?!"

"I asked for the wrong reasons." Rei said cryptically.  "I apologize."

"I already know that.  But I want to know what it is you meant!" Asuka 
continued, not letting Rei get too far away, easily keeping up, though 
not nearly as gracefully.  

Rei was an excellent swimmer.  Mostly because of the sheer amount of 
time she spent in the pool.  Asuka cursed herself for not expecting her 
to show up. 

"I am sorry." Rei shook her head.

"Stop apologizing!  You're sounding like Baka Shinji!" Asuka yelled.

The echo stopped them both.

Rei conceded and turned to her.  "You are sad.  Ikari-kun is not here."

"Yes..." Asuka said reluctantly.  All the fight in her voice was gone 
again and she found herself looking away from the blue-haired girl.  "I 
miss him."

Rei's eyes looked softer all of a sudden.  "You no longer wish to 
live?"

Asuka looked up at her.  "What?"

"You do not want to live?" Rei asked again.

There was a long pause.  All the thoughts that Asuka had been feeling 
swelled back into her mind with a frightening torrent.  She had 
been...not only close...but ready.  Ready to do it.  

Rei took her silence as a yes.  "I asked if you could be replaced as 
well..." she whispered.  "I have no joy in life.  Nor hatred of it.  I 
know I can be replaced if I die." She looked at Asuka with a small 
frown.  "Can you?"

"I...I suppose so...Toji is..."

"No." Rei interrupted.  "Can YOU be replaced.  That is what I asked."

"W...well...I guess not..." Asuka replied, teetering between confused 
and horrified at the thoughts that were still swirling in her mind.

Rei turned and swam away.  "Then your life still has a purpose." She 
said softly.  Almost as an afterthought:  "I would advise against 
ending it while this is so."

Asuka watched as Rei moved laterally to her a few metres, then began to 
swim at a full pace along one of the provided swimming lanes. 

"How did she know?" Asuka whispered to herself.  "She...just looked at 
me and knew..."

An image flashed in her mind.  Of Rei's eyes as they saw her under 
water.  They looked so sad...yet...understanding.  Almost as if they 
knew...

Almost as if they felt the same thing.  

"Rei..."

The First continued with her laps, even after the Second decided to 
leave.  She did not pause to say goodbye, but managed a small sigh of 
relief somewhere in between backstrokes.  

She continued swimming well into the night. 









Asuka arrived home, completely exhausted.  

It was actually a fairly long walk from Headquarters to the apartment.  
Not exactly a bad thing...considering the apartment's distance kept it 
safe from most Angel attacks.  

Following her recent bout of mind-and-body miss-sync, while her body 
felt like lead, her mind was racing.  Angry.  At everything.  

Angry at itself.  

"Have you forgotten?  Already?" she asked herself as she trudged up the 
steps.  "Are you so low that you need Ayanami to knock some sense into 
you?"

The stairwell echoed the punch she gave the wall...not flinching one 
bit as her knuckles threatened to crack.  "DAMMIT!  DAMMIT!" she yelled 
out loud into the darkness.  "WHAT THE HELL AM I!?!"

Her knees threatened to give out...she wanted to sit on the steps and 
cry...but she wouldn't let herself.  

"Everyone leaves me..." Asuka growled at herself.  "Why should Baka 
Shinji be ANY different.  Momma loved me too...that doesn't mean I 
should kill myself.  She left me...HA!  Good riddance!"

Asuka felt the tears. 

"Ahh!  FUCK!" she screamed.  "Stop CRYING!" her hands came up to her 
face, trying to block the tears.  "This is no different.  Shinji had to 
leave.  It's not even his fault...There's no need to cry." She managed 
a small smile, finally confident the tears would stay as a choked 
voice.  "It's not like he said I had to come...he didn't ask me to 
die..." a smaller voice.  "He...still loves me..."

Her footsteps were soft and silent as she walked up the stairs. 

"At least I still have that..." she sniffed.  "I'm glad.  Baka 
Shinji...at least he didn't just dump me..."

With a determined edge on her jaw, she walked up to the door and 
sighed.  "I'll handle this.  I'll train harder...sync better...Teach 
Toji not to screw up..." a small voice.  "...thank Ayanami..." a sigh, 
then she looked up with her fiery blue eyes.  "I'll make them all proud 
of me again.  I'll make damn sure they never forget Asuka Langley 
Sohryu...even if they DO dump me off to the side."

She smiled at the thought.  "Yeah...that's it." She took a deep breath 
and opened the door.  "I'll make Shinji sorry he left."  All of a 
sudden, arms were around her.  "BMMPH!!!!"

Misato pulled her into the apartment, hugging the redhead tightly.  She 
had tears running down her cheeks, though it was clear the emotion was 
not beer-amplified.  "Asuka...thank goodness you're back..."

She snorted a greeting and pushed Misato off of her.  "Of course I'm 
back.  Why wouldn't I be??" she said, trying not to think of the 
reasons she wouldn't be.

"Asuka..." Misato leaned down and looked up at the younger girl's eyes.  
"We can get Shinji out."

Asuka's eyes widened slowly.  "W..."

"It's going to take time..." Misato said, tears still running down the 
sides of her face...but it was obvious they were ones of happiness.  
"But I think Ritsuko found a way."

"Shinji..." Asuka swallowed hard.  "Shinji's coming back?"

Misato nodded happily.

"S...h...Shinji's coming back...???" Asuka fell to her knees, already 
in Misato's arms, hugging back tightly.  

"I know he is." Misato nodded, holding her tight.  

"My Baka Shinji is..." All her pride finally cracked, letting a 
heartfelt sob escape.  "He's...coming back to me??"







Misato held Asuka as she cried, hearing only the words "thank you" 
between the sobs. 












[current day]




Shinji woke with a start.  Light flooded in over him, and he had to 
shield his eyes from the painful burst.  For once, however, he was 
greeted by the soft blue linen of his own bed; not the sterile semi-
nylon sheets of the hospital.

His room was clean...no dust had accumulated in his absence.  
Odd...since he had imagined at least a few days in the hospital 
after...whatever had happened.  

Maybe it was all a dream?  

A twinge of remembered pain in his left shoulder, however, reminded him 
quickly enough that it had been real.  Yet another odd memory that his 
arm had been shot off...his poor brain and nerves must have been 
getting very confused at the sensations of limbs suddenly coming back.  

He looked over to his nightstand.  His SDAT sat patiently nearby.  
Shinji let out a groan as his body creaked into automation once more, 
but saw the date and time readout on the playback window.  

"A...a MONTH!?!?" 

he promptly fell out of bed with a CRASH!  All of a sudden, the door 
whisked open, revealing Pen-Pen and Asuka in the late morning light.  
Asuka gasped, dropping the plate of breakfast she had in her hands so 
she could rush over and help him to his bed again. 

"Shinji!  You shouldn't move so fast!" she worried, dragging the 
confused boy up and sitting him down on the bed.  

"W...what..." he blinked, looking up at her face.  The image of Unit-
02's head filled his mind, and he gasped, falling back on the bed.  

Asuka shot back, unsure of what had happened.  "A...are you 
okay...Shinji-kun?"

His mind whirled, remembering everything...remembering the fear he had 
felt as he ran back into NERV...

Asuka hadn't quite been expecting him to suddenly launch back up to his 
feet and wrap around her with such force.  "ASUKA!! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!!!!" 
he cried out with such happiness.  "W...WAOOAAAHH!"

Despite her best efforts to stop falling, they lost balance and fell 
back down on the sheets.  

Pen-Pen decided he'd better not stare, and made a strategic 
retreat...but not before pulling the tray of breakfast behind him with 
a hungry smile on his beak.

"BAKA!" Asuka coughed, wheezing from his strong hug.  "Of COURSE I'm 
okay!"

Sheepishly, Shinji released his grip, but then realized Asuka was 
laying on top of him, frowning right into his face.  "Ahh...gomen...I 
just saw...y...Unit-02...and..."

Her frown finally softened.

"Y...you did all that for me??" she blinked.  

Shinji couldn't have blushed harder if he tried.  "Hai..."

"You came back to save me?" Asuka leaned back slightly.  "I..."

"I chose to." Shinji said firmly.  His hand was wrapped around her arm.  
His eyes enforced the thought.  'I don't want you to leave...'

Asuka blinked, suddenly feeling a blush on her own cheeks.  "You...you 
came back to Eva for me?"

"If I didn't..." Shinji swallowed hard.  "I wanted to help...I didn't 
want to let you get hurt..."

A tear hit his chest as Asuka blinked it away.  "But...I thought you 
decided that...you could get away...?"

Shinji sat up, taking her up with him.  She moved, sitting on the bed 
besides him.  "I...decided that I would rather be with you." He said 
with a small, embarrassed voice.  "That it was worth staying with Eva.  
Worth having to see my Father." He smiled softly.  "I'd rather be with 
you."

Asuka looked up at him with shimmering eyes.  Partly because of the 
tears, but they also held such joy.  "Really?"

Shinji didn't even have a chance to say 'hai!' because she had already 
flattened him onto the bed with a long, deep kiss.













To be continued...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------


Hai hai!  (I know what that means...I just find myself saying that as a 
greeting lately. ^_^  Don't mind me)

Hope you all enjoyed Lesson 32.  I might add a few more "while Shinji 
was in the LCL" tidbits later on, but Rei's brief encounter with Asuka 
was the only thing really crucial to the plot. 

I always thought that...someone who thought so little of 
herself...might just be able to recognize that feeling in other people.  
If anyone can recognize that kind of existence, it's Rei.  More on that 
later.


Well, I just want to say thanks for reading, and also, a BIG thank you 
to everyone who voted in the 2000 Tako Balls awards.  ^_^  Higher 
Learning received the Best Longer Series award!  (as well as a few 
other goodies, but I won't brag.  ^____^ ) 

No Omake tonight...forgive me, but it's been a long week. ^_^ 

Some new changes are happening with my website.  As always you can 
reach it here:

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110

But NOW, I also have a nice mirrored site for when Geocities is being a 
bitch.  :P

www.studioshinnyo.com

That's right!  Oooh!  My own www URL!  I figured with 70 thousand hits 
on the page that it was time to do something nice.  

Well, that's about it.  Comments, as always and forever, can go here:

strikef@bigfoot.com

Ja!



Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.

From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning

   Strike Fiss, 2000









Thirty-Third Lesson:  Perfect Attendance





Shinji panicked slightly when he tried to sit up...and couldn't.  His 
world came rushing into his eyes and mind.  Back at home...looking up 
at the roof...but he felt too warm.  Heavy.  

It wasn't until a soft, sleepy moan escaped from his chest that he 
realized Asuka was sleeping half on top of him.  

"A..." he swallowed hard.  "Asuka..."

She continued sleeping peacefully, but rolled off him a bit, letting 
him breathe again.  "Mmm mmm..."

He sighed and lay back against the bed, looking back up.  Another 
peaceful night.  One more he didn't have to drown out his thoughts with 
music.  A smile escaped his lips as he realized he could get used to 
this.  

This...what was this?  He looked down at the silky mess of red hair 
against him as she cuddled up to him for warmth.  Was this love?  Was 
there more?  Was he wise in his decisions?  He remembered being so 
ready to leave it all behind...ready to leave, even without Asuka.  But 
that seemed like a lifetime ago.  So much had changed.  Would he leave 
now?  He wondered.

No.  

He would stay and protect the ones he loved.  Asuka most of all...but 
he thought of Toji and Kensuke.  Rei and Misato.  Kaji, Sensei Kaoru, 
even his Father...

Without his help, they would all die.  He couldn't pretend that wasn't 
the case anymore.  Not after what he had seen and heard and felt.  And 
he knew he might forget this...but for now...as his mind was clear and 
fresh...he knew he had found his reasons. 

The reason that was humming softly in a dream against his chest right 
now.  

He looked up.  Her birthday would be coming soon.  He would have to get 
her something special.  Maybe he and Pen-Pen and Misato could pitch in 
and cook her an authentic German dinner for the night, and they could 
all have a big party.  

Asuka was always complaining about Japanese food...yes...he decided 
that would be a wonderful present. 

But...

What about...

A warm feeling washed over his body as he remembered Asuka kissing him 
that night after his birthday.  He realized, though, that it might not 
be limited to that next time. 

What about...what Kaji had talked about?  His eyes widened as he 
remembered some of the conversation.  No water...?  Images of Asuka in 
the bathtub, however, washed over his mind, and he instantly 
disregarded that information in light of the effect it had on his mind. 

A small grumble from Asuka wasn't heard as Shinji realized just what 
all this meant.  The consequences, the ideas, the problems already 
rushing into his worrying head...but also the unmistakable attraction 
he had to the idea.   

It wasn't until the object of his desires blinked herself awake and 
frowned up at him that he noticed.  "Shinji..." she yawned.  "What the 
hell is so lumpy in your bed?"

Shinji blinked, looking down.  "Er..."  
 
Right about the same time, Asuka realized she was snuggled around his 
torso, with her stomach pressed against his...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

The two of them fell out of the bed on opposite sides.  Shinji was 
already apologizing before he hit the ground. "ARHG!  Gomen!  Gomen!  I 
didn't..."

Asuka gasped, poking her head up from behind the bed.  
"Uhm....no...it's okay...just..." she blushed.  "You mean that happens 
even when you're just sleeping?"

Shinji nodded quickly, even though he was perfectly aware that he had 
not been sleeping.  "Uhm...yeah...we just call it morning wood." He 
swallowed hard.  "Sorry..."

Asuka smiled softly and slid back under the covers.  Shinji finally 
noticed that she was only wearing her underwear, and his blush 
returned.  "Well, okay, so long as you weren't trying to hump me in my 
sleep." She frowned playfully. 

He swallowed hard and slid back in as well...the 'problem' no longer a 
problem.

"Besides, I want to be awake when you do." Asuka winked.

Shinji promptly fell out of bed again.  

"BAKA!" she sighed.  "I was just kidding."

Shinji, however, was promptly passed out on the floor with a huge nose-
bleed. 







Luckily, to Shinji's credit, they managed to get to school on time, but 
only after he made Asuka promise not to tease him like that when he 
wasn't expecting it.  

Asuka did not promise.  She seemed to be smiling a lot, actually.  This 
made Shinji nervous.  

But, they did get to school in one piece, and were greeted by some of 
the widest eyes they had ever seen.  Shinji wondered why everyone was 
so surprised, but then he realized he had missed a month of school. 

What really puzzled him was the way that Hikari acted.  She ran up to 
Asuka, broke into tears half the way over, and literally jumped at her 
in a running hug that almost toppled them both over.  Almost like Asuka 
had been missing too...

Toji's friendly bear-hug knocked Shinji out of his reflective mood, and 
he gasped.  "HEY!  Shinji!  The man!  How does it feel to be back in 
the land of the living again?"

He smiled weakly.  "Uhm...it's good!  Though it really didn't seem like 
I was gone for so long."

Kensuke walked over and gave his friend a hug as well.  "Don't worry, I 
taped all the interesting bits while you were gone!  You haven't missed 
much.  Most of this month has been book reviews anyway.  The Sensei 
told us that we had to get some work done for the start of the new 
school year coming up, but said we should be back to the fun stuff 
soon."

Shinji smiled.  "Good!  I'd like to get back to work, I guess." He 
turned around to Rei's seat.  "Where's Ayanami?"

"Not sure.  She hasn't shown up for the last week." Toji shrugged.  
"Probably off helping NERV get your ass back out here." He smiled. 
"Ooh, and my Sync Ratio is much higher now!  I hear I'll be able to 
spar with you soon!" he punched Shinji in the shoulder.  "Think you're 
up to it?"

"Hai hai!" Shinji smiled enthusiastically, though he rubbed his 
shoulder painfully.  "So how has Hikari been?"

Toji turned bright red.  Kensuke grinned.  "Oh, they're doing JUST 
fine.  Sensei Kaoru caught them making out in the..."

Toji's hand came around Kensuke's neck and squeezed.  "If you value 
your life, you'll shut up." He grumbled.  

Kensuke smiled and nodded, even though he couldn't breathe.  Shinji 
laughed, knowing he'd probably want to show him the video later.  
"So..." he looked over at the two girls.  "How's Asuka been?"

Toji blinked, and then sighed.  "Man...she didn't show up for school 
all last month.  I only saw her once or twice even inside of NERV."

Kensuke's smile faded and he put on a genuine look of friendship.  "She 
was worried about you, man.  I think that's probably the only time I've 
seen the Red Devil show so much concern for someone else."

Shinji blinked.  "She...just stayed at home?"

"I wouldn't even say that, man." Toji sighed.  "It was like she wasn't 
even herself when I saw her.  She just seemed so...calm.  No spark in 
her." He smiled though.  "But it looks like she's back to normal." He 
motioned over to the current laughing and giggling fit that Asuka and 
Hikari were sharing.  He turned bright red.  "I bet they're talking 
about me..." he grumbled.

Shinji smiled a bit, but was still surprised.  "Well, that's good...so 
long as she's okay."







---
two weeks earlier
---





Maya rubbed her temples, lying back against the chair back that was 
still cold, despite the fact she had been there all day.  She hadn't 
had an opportunity to rest yet...only now allowing her critical habits 
to take a small breather.  

Ritsuko had gone home long ago, thanking her on the way out for staying 
and helping with the work, and assuming she would leave a few moments 
later.  

The younger woman sighed to herself.  Why did she work like this when 
Sempai wouldn't even notice?  What did it matter that three hundred 
lines of bug-free code were written now, or later?  Sempai could 
probably do that level of work in minutes.  Not the hours that she 
took.  

She looked up at the monitors.  Unit-01 stared blankly back at her.  
It's face covered once more with it's purple grimace.  She assumed it 
was because she worried about Shinji too.  That the extra effort each 
day would save him a week trapped inside of Unit-01.  

Maya just wished that Sempai was there to appreciate it too.  A small 
smile crossed her lips as she looked around the office.  Ritsuko would 
often let her student use her office when it wasn't too much of a 
burden.  She looked up, then around the office, looking 
for...something...that might be watching.  

With a guilty little smile, she put her laptop on the desk...stood up, 
and walked over to the other side of it.  Ritsuko's chair was 
nice...cold, but soft leather and nicely padded and conforming.  A 
brilliant design.  Professional and proper, just like the woman 
herself.  Maya hesitated only for a moment before silently sliding into 
the chair, relaxing against the back as it tilted just enough to add to 
the comfort.  "Ahhh..." she sighed, out of genuine exhaustion.  "This 
is nice..." 

It was still warm from her Sempai's stay.  She sighed and melted into 
the feel of the material, letting all her cares dwindle away to the 
fantasy.  What if it was Her who was holding her right now...

"Mmmm...." 

"Doctor Akagi?"

Maya yelped and jumped out of the chair at the sound of someone else's 
voice, gasping in horror.  Luckily, it was only Asuka...not the 
commander or...heaven forbid...Sempai herself.  

The redhead blinked as she came into the room, seeing a very startled 
looking Project Vice-Supervisor.  "Uhm...Ibuki-san??  Why are you 
here?"

"I...I..." she forced herself to calm down.  "I was just helping with 
Sempai's work load." She smiled, pointing at her laptop.  "How can I 
help you, Asuka-chan?"

Asuka let herself into the office and sighed, looking at one of the 
monitors.  "Oh...I was just wondering how that extraction program 
thingy was coming."

Maya blinked, then looked over at the clock.  "But...it's Oh-Two-
Hundred Hours.  Shouldn't you be at home?"

Asuka blinked, a little surprised to hear the time.  "Uhm...well...I 
guess...but..." she shrugged.  "I dunno...I've just been restless."

The older woman smiled softly, knowing exactly what that was like.  
"Well...I'm done here...did you want to go down to the Eva cage with 
me?  I have to do some readings before I go home tonight."

In reality, she would probably just sleep in one of the lounges 
tonight, get freshened up and wear with the last of the three fresh 
uniforms she had in her personal locker when it was the next afternoon; 
but that seemed like a nice enough thing to say to the poor girl.  
Asuka smiled slightly and nodded her head.  "Sure!" she paused.  "You 
don't mind?  I know that Commander Ikari said that..."

"Forget what that old dirt bag said." Maya grinned evilly.  "Come on, 
it's the least I can do.  You've helped us with so much testing.  It 
wouldn't be fair if you didn't have a chance to visit Shinji-kun."

Asuka smiled and nodded.  "Thank you...uhm..."

"Ahh, you can just call me Maya.  Everyone does." Maya smiled happily, 
grabbing her stuff and turning off the lights as they walked out the 
door.  

"Why are you here so late anyway?" Asuka asked as they reached the end 
of the hall and boarded the elevator.  "I saw you here when I got here 
this morning...but I had a nap back at home." She frowned.  "Don't you 
get tired?"

"Not really." Maya smiled...then betrayed herself by yawning.  

Asuka raised an eyebrow.  

"Uhm...okay...sometimes." Maya smiled nervously.  "But it's really not 
that bad.  You children have to do a lot of physically exhausting 
things at NERV.  I mostly just sit and type, so long days aren't bad."

"Yeah...but don't you get sick of it here?" Asuka sighed, looking at 
the elevator ticker as it clicked away the floors.  "Doesn't that 
Ritsuko ever bug you?"

"Sempai??" 

Asuka nodded.  "Yeah.  She's creepy.  And she always looks at me and 
Shinji like we're pieces of hardware to throw around." She sighed.  "I 
even feel sorry for Wondergirl..."

Maya frowned and blushed terribly.  "Rits-Sempai is a brilliant, driven 
woman!  She would never think such nasty things about you or the other 
Children!" 

She lowered her voice again when she noticed Asuka's surprised look.  

"Uhm...wh...what I meant was that she focuses on what will keep you 
children alive.  Even if she seems cold sometimes, she's not."

Asuka nodded slowly.  "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to insult her..." she 
said quietly, shaking her head.  "I mean...I guess I know all 
that...she's trying to save Shinji after all.  Even when it might be 
easier just to forget about him."

The door opened and the two exited into another hall.  After a short 
walk, Maya entered her security card and code, letting the final metal 
door slide open.  The Eva Cage was dark, with only a few small 
emergency lights illuminating the walk-way.  

"We're ready to start testing the code for the procedure soon." Maya 
said as they walked down the metal plank.  "It will still take us 
another two weeks before I think we'll be confident enough to try, but 
I'm certain that it will work." She smiled.  "Shinji-kun is in very 
good hands here.  Ritsuko will make sure he's okay."

"So...does everyone know by now?" Asuka sighed as she followed.  

"Know what?" Maya blinked. 

"Well...uhm...me...and Shinji..." Asuka said, blushing.  

Maya's eyes widened, and she smiled.  "Well, you've been hanging around 
NERV all day, asking for updates every few hours.  I think people are 
noticing you care for Shinji, yes."

Asuka groaned.

"It's okay.  People here are very professional." Maya sighed.  "I doubt 
anyone will hold it against you." She shrugged.  "Maybe I'm just 
exaggerating.  I think most people think that you are just worried for 
the sake of your fellow pilot."

"Maybe." Asuka smiled.  "So, what about you?"

Maya blushed.  "Uhm...well...not really..."

"Oh, come on." Asuka chuckled in a more friendly tone.  "I know why 
you're here so late...you want to impress someone!"

Maya shook her head.  "N...Of course not!"

"It's one of the bridge crew!  Isn't it!" Asuka grinned evilly.  "Come 
on...you gotta at LEAST tell me that much..."

She shifted nervously in her outfit.  "Hai..."

Asuka's eyes narrowed and her grin became two times as wide.  
"Ooooooooooooh!  I bet it's that Shigeru guy."

Maya shook her head.  "Asuka-chan...I'm embarrassed enough as it is.  
Please...I can't tell you, okay?"

Asuka's smile faded a bit and she nodded.  "Okay, okay...but I still 
think you Japanese are way too conservative about this kind of thing.  
I mean, you could save yourself a lot of trouble if you just tell him 
that you like him."

Maya sighed and walked over to the controls.  The lights came on around 
Unit-01 and she shrugged.  "Maybe...I don't know." She smiled 
nervously.  "Besides, you kids work us too hard to have relationships.  
You should be honoured."

The redhead nodded and walked over, watching the older woman work.  
"Do...do you mind me helping out?  I mean...maybe I can help make this 
go faster."

Maya blinked, the concept of having a disciple of her own having never 
crossed her mind.  "Uhm...well...maybe if you wanted to help Ritsuko 
and I with some of the code checking.  Sempai might have to ask the 
commander, but..." she frowned.  "Don't you have school or something?"

Asuka shook her head.  "Maya...please...I can't concentrate.  I need to 
help before I go crazy.  And I don't mean sitting in LCL when you guys 
just want me to feel useful...I want to help you get Shinji out of that 
thing." She looked over at Unit-01 with a scowl.  "She took him from 
me, and I want her to know PERFECTLY well that I want him back."

Maya sighed, then nodded.  "Okay...but...you do realize that Eva isn't 
something to give up it's people so easily."

Asuka blinked, then suddenly looked very pained.  "I...I know."

Maya wasn't expecting such a reaction and had to take a double take.  
Asuka normally was so bright and vibrant.  A flame that seemed 
impossible to put out...and yet...tonight...Maya saw her 
fading...flickering...fighting to try to stay just at her level best.  

"Hai...then let's get you up to speed." Maya nodded, then ushered Asuka 
over to the panel.  "This is what we're doing.  Basically, we're just 
checking the..."

Asuka listened intently, knowing she was in good hands.  Maya at least 
knew love.  A rare commodity, it seemed, in the Eva project.







"Stand!  Bow!"

---
present day
---

Sensei Miyazaki walked in the door with his usual smile and nod to the 
class, and sat down in his desk.  "Thank you, class.  So, before I get 
started..." he blinked, doing a double take at the students. 

They all blinked back.  Including Shinji and Asuka.

Kaoru cleared his throat.  "I want Miss Langley and Mister Ikari to 
stay after school so I can unload a month's worth of homework on them." 
He smiled warmly.  "But otherwise, I'd like to say it's good to have 
them back amongst us hard working students."

The class all smiled happily at the two, who both blushed and sunk in 
their seats. 

Asuka looked over to Shinji.  "A month of homework?"

He smiled.  "You should have been working instead of all worried over 
me, Asuka-chan."

She frowned and stuck out her tongue.  "Show's what you know.  I helped 
bring your sorry ass out of that gooey..."

"Would you like to make that two days detention?" Kaoru interrupted as 
the class giggled.  

Both Children shut up and smiled innocently.  

"That's better." Kaoru sighed and smiled.  "Now, if only we can get Rei 
here, we can start on our next class project.  Next person to see her 
tell her she has to come tomorrow.  Okay?"

"Hai!" the class nodded.

"Good." He smiled evilly.  "Because this next one is going to be a lot 
of fun."

The students all blinked, then began to get worried. 








Rei wouldn't have been very presentable at the moment in public anyway.  
Perhaps it was best that she wasn't at school.  Floating in a pool of 
LCL in your school clothes wasn't very practical, so Rei always did it 
naked. 

However, instead of her usual peaceful, calm expression, Rei seemed to 
be shivering slightly.  Almost as if she had been crying.  But not 
tears of pain...nor hate...nor anything else.  She had not felt pain in 
such a long time, it was new to her.  

A few days ago, she had heard Ikari-kun's retrieval had been 
successful.  

She had been so happy to see him again.  And it scared her.  It 
downright frightened her what that meant.  Rei had tried to think it 
over, calming herself in the pool that Ikari-san had provided for her 
Purpose.  It always used to calm her...

But now, she just felt alone in it.  

Naked, alone, and where the memories could reach her.  Memories like 
her concert.

Rei had started to hum to herself that week.  

In the LCL, it sounded strange, but to her ears, it was clear as day.  
It echoed through her skull and her chest as the oxygen pulled from the 
goo around her passed through her body and made music. 

Symphony 9, it was.  The simple...almost childish...melody kept 
touching her mind with it's friendly warmth.  

Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm, mmm-mmm!

Each note she would hum in perfect tune and timing, letting them soar 
higher and louder...feeling a wave of power wash around her as she did.  
She shivered with delight as if a cool breeze would blow across her 
skin in this lukewarm liquid.  

It was wonderful.

And that's when she began to cry. 

She looked up at the ceiling, so very far up...echoing past the LCL's 
surface.  "I don't want to be replaced..." she whispered.  "I don't 
want to be expendable..." 

Had she been in air, the tears would have not dissolved so quickly.  

"Why don't I want to?"

Rei asked herself over and over.

Each time, the voice inside her head could not answer.  It tried...it 
tried to say this was all her imagination, that it was nothing but idle 
thoughts.  

But the feeling would not go away.  

Joy. 

Remembering how wonderful it would be able to see Shinji again.  
Even...even if he would be with Asuka.  She loved to watch him smile.  
Wondered how he did it so effortlessly.  Wondered why he didn't do it 
all the time with the joy he must certainly have. 

Commander Ikari never smiled.

Not like Shinji-kun. 

She missed him.  All last month.  Only now, though, she realized how 
much she missed him.  How much she enjoyed his presence.

She turned her attentions to School, remembering Sensei Kaoru.  How he 
would smile so easily and effortlessly.  Genuine and happy to see her.  
To see her work and talk.  Glad that she was part of the class. 

Even Asuka...she could see and hear concern in her eyes and voice when 
trouble was about.  How she would try to protect and work with 
her...even if Asuka was always yelling and trying to seem mean and 
unreachable.  

Toji-kun.  She loved to see him and Hikari talking.  It made her smile.  
Knowing that she helped create a little bit of joy. 

Certainly someone worthless could not do this?  Was she not worth 
something?  Did a worthless person have friends?  Would not her friends 
be sad if she died?

Commander Ikari could simply make another.

Her friends could not.  They would miss her.  She would not remember 
these things.  


That morning, Rei Ayanami began to live.


Small, LCL footprints were left in her wake as she went to dry off.  

After all, it would be silly to show up at school naked, she thought.  
As she did, she began to hum Air.  








To be continued...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------




Welcome to the Author's Notes section!  Fissy here, with a special 
thanks again to all the readers who voted at the Tako Balls awards.  
^_^  And I'd just like to mention that there is NOTHING going on 
between Misato and I.  After all, my girlfriend would kill me.  :P

On that note...a special dedication goes out to her for the "Best Kiss" 
award.  To the very sweet and wonderful Senie, the love of my life, and 
inspiration for pretty much any quazi-romantic moments I have.  ^_^  
<bows humbly>  Arigato, Sen-dono!  Aishiteru.  




Back to the story, I'll be expanding the events that lead up to 
Shinji's extraction a bit more, so don't worry.  Sure, that "let's just 
skip a month" was cheep, and we should all bitch at Anno for that.  So, 
just so you know, I will add a bit more to it. ^_^  

Also, Rei is NOT going to suddenly transform.  I just wanted to get her 
started on the next plot arch that I have planned. :P  

All in all, HL should be on track.  I may not get up to 50 lessons, but 
either way, it will not be rushed, and be a great story.  :P  So people 
say...

And now, because you've all been such wonderful peeps... OMAKE TIME!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

---
two weeks ago
---
Maya slid into the chair slowly, quietly...not wanting to risk being 
caught in her Sempai's place.  It felt so nice...the soft leather 
melting against her body and back.  "Ahhh...Sempai...you have such 
wonderful taste in furniture too..."

Her thoughts were cut short when her hand felt something by the right 
arm.  She blinked and felt along the material, finding that it had a 
few small buttons.  "What on earth?" she blinked, then, looking around, 
decided to press the first button. 

The back of the chair suddenly fell back, scaring the hell out of Maya, 
but she laughed as she realized it was just an automatic recliner.  "Oh 
my!  This is a nice chair!  It's full of surprises." She blushed 
happily.  "Mm...just like my Sempai..."

Her finger wondered to the second button, and she pressed it.  Sure 
enough, the chair sunk down a bit, and a leg-rest extended out from the 
base, gently picking Maya's feet off the floor and letting her 
straighten out and relax.  "Wow...this is so nice!" Maya yawned 
happily.  "No wonder Sempai spends so much time in her office."

Wondering what the third and final button could possibly be for, she 
decided to press it.  Maya's eyes went wide as the entire chair began 
to vibrate.  

She blushed bright red.  "Oh....my...."



--
three minutes later
--

Asuka was walking down the hall.  Her eyes were low and sullen as they 
had been for the last two weeks, but she walked with a purpose.  She 
had come to the office area to check up on Ritsuko, and see if she 
could help out with the recovery of her darling Baka Shinji. 

She raised her hand and was about to knock on the door when she heard 
the low hum of something vibrating.  

Asuka shrugged it off and was going to open the door when she heard...

"Oooh!  YES!  YEESS!   SEEEEMMMPPAAAAIIIIIIIIII!!!!"

Asuka fell over, gasping.  "Uhm...maybe I'll just go home tonight..."

She ran.





---
the next morning
---

Dr. Ritsuko hadn't gotten much sleep that night.  Gendo had called her 
up twice and asked if she wanted to "entertain" him.  She had refused, 
knowing it would be another long day at the office anyway.  She needed 
her sleep.  

A smile crossed her lips as she thought about her special chair.  Maybe 
she would tell Maya to go get coffee, lock the door, and spend some 
'quality time' with that third button.  Gendo be dammed.  Mankind was 
at the mercy of it's own technology.  That chair could do more for her 
than Gendo ever could. 

As she opened the door to her office, though, she gasped.  

Behind her desk...

EMPTY!

A small, wooden stool replaced her wonderful chair.  She ran over to 
it, gasping.  "What...Where?!??!"  there was a small note on it. 

Ritsuko picked it up and opened the neatly folded letter.  A shaky hand 
had written it, but she recognized the writing as Maya's.  "What on 
earth!?!?"




    Dear Sempai, 

      If you are reading this, you no doubt notice that I have left.  
Forgive me for taking your special piece of furniture with me, but I 
have discovered that an inanimate object could give me more love and 
pleasure than you ever could.
      We're running away together, and will probably be getting married 
in the Bahamas by this afternoon.  

                        -Your former admirer, Maya.
  
	P.S.) Thanks for nothing, you frigid bitch. Ha ha ha ha!  

	P.P.S.) "Chair-y" sends his regards.




Ritsuko gasped, looking up at the heavens.  "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"







---
somewhere in Tahiti
---

Maya and her new husband are lounging out on the golden sun-soaked 
beach, both in skimpy swimsuits.  A blue, two-piece for Maya, and 
large, makeshift boxer-trunks for Chair-y.  

"Mmmm...I never knew sex with furniture could be so fulfilling..." she 
murmured, kissing the chair's material. 

While it's physically impossible, passers by would swear they saw the 
chair smiling. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------


God damn I need more sleep. :P  

As always:

e-mail:   strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.studioshinnyo.com
            or
          http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110




Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.

From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning

   Strike Fiss, 2000









Thirty-Forth Lesson:  "This Little Piggy Went To Market"





"This doesn't make sense." Misato said, looking at the documents in 
front of her.

Makoto looked past her, out across the Geofront's lake.  He would have 
liked to give Misato the results of his inquiries in a more private 
place, but in Tokyo-3 there was no 'private' place.  Every alley and 
room had an equal chance of being bugged or watched by NERV, SEELE, or 
perhaps the JSDF and other world governments.  

Out in the open, where there were no crowds.  This was the best they 
could agree on.  "What doesn't make sense?" he asked.  The data had 
slipped through his hands to the Major so quickly that he hadn't had 
much time to look it over.

"Did you see the sheer numbers of the production costs?" Misato looked 
up at him.  "Thirteen more Evangelions is ridiculous."

"It does seem a bit much." He agreed.  "We have four functioning units 
and pilots.  I wonder if NERV is preparing for a final, global attack 
by the Angels?"

"It still doesn't make sense." Misato sighed, looking at the fuzzy 
pictures of something huge and white.  Something about the way it was 
hunched over seemed so...primal.  She felt a long shiver go down her 
back.  "When the Evangelion project first started, we could barely 
scrape together the money for a test activation.  Now Ritsuko is 
telling me that we have a stockpile of 'spare parts', and over a dozen 
confirmed new Evas are bought and paid for."

"Must be something driving the politicians." Makoto agreed.  "Something 
happened to change their mind.  Maybe they're finally realizing how 
critical our success is."

"Whatever the reason, I don't like it." Misato sighed, leaning back 
against the park bench.  "You know, a while back, I wondered what the 
Evas would be doing after the Angels were gone."

Makoto blinked, then shrugged.  "I always just assumed they'd be 
dismantled, or at the very least, put in stasis for a later threat."

"I thought so too." Misato shook her head.  "Not anymore, though.  
Governments don't shell out that kind of cash for a doomsday weapon 
that will never be used.  They want to USE these things."

"For what?" Makoto shrugged.  "And where are they going to get fifteen 
more pilots?"

"I'm not sure." Misato sighed, standing up.  "But I've got to find out 
before these things are operational and they make some kind of new 
Dummy Plug that won't be rejected like ours was." She turned to her 
friend.  "I think you know as well as I do that an Evangelion 
controlled by humans would make the Angles look like pussycats."

He nodded and sighed.  "Cruelty does seem to run in our genes, doesn't 
it?  I personally think that's the only reason we've survived this 
long."

"Let's hope we don't have to keep surviving like that." She smiled and 
nodded.  "Thank you for the files.  It really does help."  Misato 
walked off a moment later, having duties and plans to attend to.

"It's no problem." Makoto smiled warmly and watched the Major walk off.  
"No problem." He sighed, leaning back against the park bench.










"WHAT!?!?!"  The class all gasped as they collectively read the 
assignment.  They all looked up at Sensei Miyazaki with confused looks.  
The only person that looked happy was, not surprisingly, Kensuke, who 
looked about ready to take a bullet for his teacher with the smile he 
had on his face.  

Kaoru grinned and turned to Kensuke, knowing he would be the strongest 
supporter.  "Would you please read out the assignment, Mister Aida?"

"Yes, sir!" he stood, adjusting his glasses.  "The assignment is to 
take over NERV, sir!"  The boy saluted and sat back down.

The class all looked at each other nervously.  Toji, Asuka and Shinji 
were very confused.  Kaoru just enjoyed the moment a bit longer before 
sighing and walking over to the blackboard.  "Now, before you all 
expect me to be handing out guns and explosives, I think I should 
clarify this." He began writing the names of a few of NERV's branches 
and divisions.  "We're going to see if we can't do things better."

"Better?" Hikari blinked. 

"That's right.  We're going to make our OWN Tokyo-3.  Ran by you 
wonderful young ladies and gentlemen, we're going to see if we can't 
improve on things.  We're going to run it without the secrets, the 
unknowns, and the lies.  We're going to make OUR version a model city 
for Humanity to be proud of.  Not just a fortress to hide from the 
Angels." He turned and smiled.  "Sound like fun?"

A few of the students actually looked interested.  The Pilots were all 
smiling to themselves, and Kensuke still looked ready to fight World 
Wars III through IX all by himself.

"Now, for the matter of the classified stuff, we'll try to fill it in 
the best we can, but mostly, this exercise will let you each try to 
change what you don't like about the city, and then, we'll see if it 
actually works." He walked over to his desk and pulled out a bunch of 
papers.  

"Each of you is going to head up an official, government position." He 
turned to the Pilots and grinned.  "And you four get to re-organize the 
Eva program.  Just don't tell me too much...or the security guys might 
get me." He winked.  

"Can I be..."

"Yes, Kensuke.  You are the new Minister of Defence and Offence." Kaoru 
laughed.

"YESSSSSSS!"  Kensuke did a small victory dance.  Toji smacked him on 
the shoulder finally to calm him down. 

Kaoru handed out the REAL assignments, giving each student the rough 
idea.  Finally, he walked over back to his desk and pushed his glasses 
up on his nose.  "And, if I deem this experiment to be a success, maybe 
we'll just have to put it into effect."

Everyone blinked as Kaoru grinned.

He laughed. "Just kidding." He popped back up to the board.  "Now, who 
wants to start first?"

"I will be..."  Rei said suddenly.

Everyone almost fell over, surprised she came in the door so quietly.  
Kaoru chuckled.  "Yes, Miss Ayanami?"

Rei smiled softly.  "I would like to be in charge of training the Eva 
Pilots."

Asuka groaned.  "Well, if SHE's going to be screwing up those poor 
Pilot's heads, I'd better run damage control.  I'll be Operations 
Manager."

Kaoru jotted the names down on the board as Rei sat down.  Asuka 
winked.  "After all, those poor Pilots need all the help they can get, 
right?"

"Hai." Rei agreed.

Hikari raised her hand next.  "I want to be in charge of the school 
districts."

Toji smiled and raised his hand.  "I'll be NERV's new official lunch-
tester." He said to a few chuckles and a blushing Hikari.  

"Let's just say that you're in charge of Public Welfare." Kaoru 
chuckled.  "Okay, who's next?  








"So what should we do to celebrate?" Kensuke asked as the group was 
walking down the street.

"Celebrate what?" Shinji asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Asuka squeezed his arm.  "Your return, stupid.  You 
think we were all just going to pat you on the back and say 'thanks for 
coming back'?"

"Well, that's all I really expected." Shinji blushed slightly.  

Toji chuckled.  "Are you kidding?  You scared the hell out of us, 
Ikari.  We're not letting you off without a thoroughly embarrassing 
party of some sorts."

Kensuke coughed. "Uhm, actually, I meant we should celebrate the 
eventual demise of NERV, but yeah, Shinji's important too." 

They all groaned.  Hikari laughed.  "So what is your stance on N2 Mine 
Usage, Minister of Offence?"

"Usage?" Kensuke pouted.  "What usage?  We have almost a THOUSAND in 
stockpile, and they only used TWO against the Angels so far?" he 
grinned evilly.  "That's going to change very quickly."

"Actually..."  

They all turned to see Rei walking nearby.  She blushed, not meaning to 
interrupt.  "Gomen..."

"No, it's okay, Rei!" Asuka urged on.  "You wanna come along?"

She nodded and caught up to the group.  Kensuke nodded.  "So what were 
you saying?"

"Well, we actually used three N2 Mines against the Angels." She smiled 
shyly.

Shinji frowned. "And you almost blew yourself up, Rei."

"Eva can survive an N2 mine explosion." Rei said simply.  "I was 
unafraid."

Hikari shook her head. "But didn't you feel the explosion like you were 
inside it?"

Rei shrugged.  "I was unafraid."

Toji laughed.  "Well, all I gotta say is that you're braver than I 
would have been." He pointed at his leg.  He had already been able to 
get it out of the cast, but he had a slight limp as the muscles were 
trying to heal.  "That was just my leg, and you basically took a bath 
in a mushroom cloud."

Hikari gave him a kiss on the cheek.  "That's still pretty brave too, 
Toji-kun."

"So where should we go to celebrate?" Asuka yawned, not really in the 
mood to relive war memories at the moment.  "And nowhere too 
expensive." She grinned.  "My birthday's coming up and I wouldn't want 
you all to be too pour to get me presents."

"There is a very nice ramen noodle stand along the way home." Rei 
offered.

They all nodded.  "Sounds good." Kensuke puffed out his chest.  "As the 
new Minister of Offence, I will gladly live a modest life for my 
country!"

They all groaned.  Shinji shrugged.  "It IS Minister of DEfence, 
right?"

"Yeah, but don't spoil his fun." Asuka chided.  "Let him blow stuff up 
for a while."








Rei lead them to the older section of the City.  While it wasn't as run 
down and neglected as her home apartment complex, it still had a more 
worn, tired look to it, contrasted by the stark white and gray of most 
of the inner city.  There were simply not enough people living in the 
residential areas here to warrant emergency repairs every time the city 
suffered under the throws of an Angel. 

The smaller businesses thrived here, though.  While so many of the 
companies had to raise prices and rates to keep up with their hazardous 
locations over the Geofront, these little street shops could simply 
pack up and move when the danger was too great, and return when things 
were safe.  Shinji and Asuka were impressed, having no idea such a kind 
of thing existed in the ultra-modern Tokyo-3. 

They walked down one street to see a small market had gathered, and was 
busier than some of the major malls in the inner city.  "This is 
amazing!" Hikari beamed.  "Look at all the stuff here!"

"Hey!  Ayanami!" someone called.  Rei turned to see an older man run 
over to her with a big grin and a large grocery bag over his shoulder.  

"Good evening, Mister Sheesa." Rei bowed her head.

"Rei has friends?" Asuka whispered to Shinji with a surprised look on 
her face.  Shinji shrugged back and smiled. 

"You stopping by the place for tea tonight?  We have a fresh case of 
the Lemon Rose stuff." Sheesa offered, then smiled at the other 
children.  "These your friends, Ayanami?"

Rei nodded.  "They are my classmates..." she blushed and smiled 
slightly.  "And my friends.  But I'm afraid I can't come by tonight.  
Maybe next week?"

"Of course!" he chuckled.  "I'll save you a parcel of the good stuff.  
It will keep for a month or two at least."

"Arigato, Sheesa-san."  Rei said happily.

"Sayonara!" he yelled back to the group of kids as he rushed off into 
the crowd to serve another customer. 

"They're very friendly here." Hikari smiled at Rei.

"Hai.  I come here to buy tea once in a while." Rei explained.  "He 
accepts the NERV expense card, so I often buy at his shop."  They 
continued walking for a bit.

"I'm impressed, Wonder-girl." Asuka whistled.  "I didn't know you liked 
to get out and DO anything." 

"Asuka!" Shinji frowned.

"Once in a while." Rei said, not offended in the slightest.  Actually, 
for Asuka, she was being fairly conversational.  It was nice.

Finally, they found the ramen stand.  It was actually a large, old-
style cart that folded out into a small kitchen, and a bar for people 
to sit and eat at.  

Only one other person was there, so the group easily found seating.  
Rei and Asuka flanked Shinji, while Hikari and Kensuke sat around Toji.  
A young man with his hair tied back looked up from his busy little 
kitchen and smiled.  "What can I get for you young people today?"

Shinji ordered beef-style noodles, Asuka asked for shark-fin, Rei had a 
vegetable combo, Hikari and Toji would share a bowl of egg noodles and 
soy.  Kensuke asked for the cheapest, most humbling tofu-ramen they 
had, giving a speech to the poor man on how he would "not abuse the 
God-Like and AWESOME power his position gave him."

Shinji laughed and turned to Asuka, who was eyeing the menu 
suspiciously.  "What it is?" he asked as their noodles were being 
prepared.  

"Hey, Sir." Asuka said.  "We also need a bottle of this stuff." She 
pointed at the menu.  

The man blinked, then shrugged.  "Alright.  I suppose between all six 
of you it couldn't hurt." He chuckled.  "How would you like it?"

"Hot." Asuka nodded.  "I hear it's better that way."

Shinji blinked, recognizing the brand-name from Misato's extensive 
'collection'.  "Sake?"

"What's the matter, Shinji?" she grinned.  "Scared of a repeat of last 
time?"

He blushed and slunk back down in his chair.  "Uhm...not at all..."

"Besides, we need to make a toast!" Asuka explained in her best 
'logical' voice.  "It's tradition to toast the return of a friend from 
a long journey."

"Journey?" 

Toji smiled.  "Yeah, Ikari. After all, you probably do the most 
traveling out of all of us.  You're constantly being sucked into Angels 
and Evas."

"The greatest journeys are of the soul." Rei said quietly, earning her 
a collective look of surprise.

"That's right." Asuka smiled.  "And if Ayanami the Philosopher knows it 
too, then you can't go against it, can you?"

Rei blushed and Shinji sighed.  "I suppose you're right..." 

Hikari sighed, worrying already.  "Oh my...I don't know..."

"Don't worry, Hikari.  You can't get drunk off of just a few sips." 
Toji nodded.  "If you want, just have a toast."

Kensuke nodded.  "I too will only have a toast to victory!  I must 
remain sober and vigilant at all times."

Asuka sighed.  "Besides, THAT boy needs to get drunk more than anyone."

"Hai hai." Shinji chuckled softly as the cook placed a small sake glass 
in front of each of them, then produced a steaming ceramic bottle of 
the stuff, warmed by being in the boiling water with the noodles.  

"Alright, kids.  Behave." The man winked.  "Soups almost done."

"You're right, though." Shinji nodded as he poured sake into Rei and 
Asuka's glasses, then handed it to Toji to do the same.  "They're very 
nice here."

Once the rice wine was properly distributed, Asuka cleared her throat.  
"Well, then.  I propose a toast." She raised her tiny glass.  "Let's 
all thank the Invincible Shinji-sama for not getting turned into goo 
permanently, and welcome him back so he can help us take over NERV."

That met smiles and nodes.  "Kapai!" they all saluted, then threw back 
the warm sake.  Rei and Hikari hesitated, but managed to swallow it 
with a surprised look on their faces. 

They all took deep breaths, letting the wine hit them.  "Woah."  Shinji 
coughed.  "You were right, much better warm."

Rei hiccupped with a blush.  "That was very...interesting."  

Asuka grinned and poured her another.  "Just wait till your eighth hit 
of it.  It gets REALLY interesting then."

"Asuka!" Shinji warned.

"Just kidding." She grinned.  "Though, we do have enough for one more 
toast." She continued to pour, then passed it down the row.  "You get 
to toast this time, Shinji-kun."

Shinji blushed, but his friends nodded and urged him on.  "Uhm...World 
Peace?"

Asuka groaned.  "You're thinking to broad.  Sake can't give you world 
peace, so you gotta ask for something smaller."

"Okay, then." Shinji nodded and waited for everyone to be ready.  
"I...I hope we can do this again..." he smiled.  "After all the Angels 
are gone."

"Yosh!  I'll drink to that!" Toji smiled and raised his glass as the 
rest nodded.  

"Kapai!" 









"Shinji-kun wants to be me?"

Kaoru nodded with a smile as he and Kaji walked down the hall of the 
apartment building, each carrying a bag of groceries.  "Well, he didn't 
say that exactly, but he said he wanted to be head of the secret 
service guys.  Protecting everyone and finding out all the secrets."

Kaji laughed quietly.  "The boy has the wrong idea about me."

"Still, it's nice to hear." Kaoru laughed.  "I was praying he wouldn't 
chose to be the next Gendo Ikari."

"I don't think you could have FORCED him to." Kaji shook his head.  
"Hell, I don't think ANYONE wants to be Gendo."  He reached over and 
took Kaoru's groceries as the teacher opened the door.  

"Very true." Kaoru said, pushing the door open.  "That man is one sick 
puppy.  He's..."

"Right here." Kaji blinked, dropping the food.

That was right about the time that the sound of a dozen automatic 
weapons cocking and getting ready to fire filled the room.

Gendo Ikari sat on the couch as several Security Division people in 
Kevlar vests walked up to the two men and surrounded them.  The door 
shut a moment later.  "Curious observations, gentlemen." He said in a 
low voice.

Both of them swallowed hard. 

"I would think that one would rather be myself, than in your shoes at 
this point in time." Gendo smiled slightly, the dim light echoing off 
of his glasses as he stood up and walked over to them.  Two of the 
Agents moved off to the side, but kept their guns pointed firmly at the 
two men.  "Agent Ryouji, I'm surprised to find you here.  Would you 
mind telling me why you aren't working on your assignment?"

"Who says I'm not?" Kaji said, pretending to be offended.  "You 
underestimate my ability to multi-task, Ikari."

"I never underestimate people." Gendo said, pointedly, then turned to 
Kaoru.  "In fact, I find that most people do not live up to my over-
estimates.  Surely you knew that."

"I had my suspicions." Kaoru nodded.  Though it was clear he was 
nervous, he realized he wasn't dead yet.  If Kaji could stay calm, so 
could he.  

"Indeed." Gendo frowned, sizing up the man.  Kaji watched the exchange, 
completely fascinated by the odd tension between them.  Gendo looked 
almost like he had his tongue caught.  He wanted to say something, but 
didn't really know what to say.  "You were the one that sent me the 
note." He said finally. 

Kaoru smiled again, this time with much confidence.  "I wasn't 
expecting you to take so long to react to it, though."  Kaji had the 
impression that this whole thing was orchestrated and practiced in the 
Sensei's mind.  

Knowing anyone could know Gendo Ikari that well was just as scary as 
the actual fact.

"I've been busy." Gendo nodded.  "I don't waste time when I don't have 
to."

"Slow week, then?" Kaoru shrugged.  "With the dummy plug failing, I 
would have imagined that you'd be unable to share some time with a 
humble teacher."

Gendo's eyes crimped into narrow slits.  

"Where is she." He said.

Kaoru blinked.  Kaji noticed.  He was caught off guard by the question.  
"Where is she?" he alliterated.

"Rei." Gendo said.  Though his voice was still low, it was hardly calm.  
"You will tell me where Rei is."

"She was at school today." Kaoru shrugged, looking honestly confused. 
"Actually, she came in late.  I assume she would be home now."

All of a sudden, the coolness snapped, and Gendo reached into his coat, 
pulling out a handgun and pressing it firmly into Sensei Kaoru's collar 
bone, pushing the man back slightly.  

"I will warn you once, and only once." Gendo stated with a dangerous 
voice.  "I do not have time for games.  I will not play games with you.  
I have neither the patience, nor the desire to humour whatever plans 
and designs you have."

Kaji sighed and wondered if last rites were in order for the Sensei.

The bearded man continued after only a heartbeat.  "And while I do 
appreciate your efforts to remove the Third Child from my sight, your 
usefulness to me is drawing to an end."

The gun cocked.  Gendo's polite way of saying "Start talking."

Sensei Kaoru looked down at Gendo's gun, then back up at the man.  


"Tell me...how's your hand doing?"


Gendo's eyes widened behind their glass shields.  Kaji had never seen 
such a reaction, and took a step back, not knowing what to expect.  All 
of a sudden, Kaoru's hand came up and grabbed Gendo's wrist, forcing it 
away from him.

"DON'T MOVE!" the Agents yelled, ignoring Kaji completely, and pressing 
gun barrels to the other man's head in an effort to save their 
Commander. 

But Kaoru was just smiling.  Gendo didn't look away, but retracted his 
hand.  "Wait.  Don't shoot." He ordered to the confused escorts.

Kaoru nodded slightly.  "You know, it's not polite to stick guns to 
people's chests." He cleared his throat, releasing Gendo's hand.  
"Especially in their own homes."

Gendo took a step back, his gun forgotten, but still in hand.  "Perhaps 
you're right." His mouth edged up in a grimace of a smile.

"I don't know where she is." Kaoru said finally.  "Perhaps if you 
weren't threatening people with guns all the time, you'd know where she 
was."

Gendo raised his hand, but this time, to adjust the glasses on his 
nose.  "I will call upon you again." He stated as he moved past, 
towards the door.  The security escort followed, still very much 
confused.  In all likelihood, they were told today would be an 
assassination job.

"I look forward to it." Kaoru nodded, watching them leave, all too 
eager to close the door behind the man.  

Silence followed.

Kaji slumped slightly, leaning back against the wall as he ran his hand 
over his stubble.  "Well, that was another one of my nine lives."

Kaoru nodded, taking off his glasses to reveal very frightened, but 
relieved eyes.  "You're telling me." He rubbed his collar.  

After a moment, Kaji finally couldn't handle the suspense.  "So what 
did you say to him??  I've never seen him act like that?"

Kaoru shrugged.  "Maybe he had to go to the Little Gendo's Room." He 
smiled.

Kaji sighed, then helped him pick up the groceries.  "You're going to 
tell me someday, right?"

"Maybe." Kaoru nodded.  "But I think there's been enough surprises for 
one day."

Kaji nodded after thinking about it for a moment.  "Amen to that."








As the car roared away from the residential block, heading back for 
underground and safety, Gendo rubbed at his hand absently, watching the 
buildings fly by.  

His mind was busy.  While it didn't show much in his appearance, his 
eyes were fierce storms of activity.  The pieces were slowly coming 
together in his brain.  It was strange, though.  Gaps were still there 
in the final picture.  Gendo hated these gaps.

Ever since NERV had come into existence, cannibalizing the efforts, 
personnel and dreams of it's parent organization, Gehirn, Gendo had 
been in charge of it all.  It was all one, beautiful, seamless 
masterpiece.  Every possible hole was plugged with backup plans.  
Favours would be called upon and 'given' as easily as lives would 
shift, be lost, and replace each other.  The people below him would 
scramble over each other's dead bodies to make HIS plans become truth.  
Those over him would be blind in their confidence in command.  SEELE 
thought they had an obedient, capable commander, when really, SEELE was 
nothing to the man.  Another child wanting attention in his mind's eye.  
He would only humour them so far before making his intentions known.

But this Sensei Kaoru...

He did not fit.  Perhaps, he mused, in the same way that he did not fit 
with SEELE's plans.  Yes...that seemed very plausible.  After all, 
while the Old Men were children, even children could sometimes achieve 
surprising results. 

Shinji had proven that theory to him on many occasions.  He proved it 
in the ways he had always wished Rei to succeed.  The way he knew she 
would...but wondered if it would be enough. 

The Security team didn't say anything, choosing to relax from the tense 
few moments that just occurred and let the adrenalin run it's course.  
With the Commander so deep in thought, it would be suicide to make even 
the tiniest peep anyway.

"I want that man under surveillance Twenty-Four-Seven." Gendo demanded.

"Hai." They replied in unison.

"Do not let him know.  No mistakes.  Any failure will answer to me 
directly."

One of the younger members...one of the team that hadn't quite learned 
to shut up around the Commander, finally cleared his throat.  "Sir...If 
I may ask...why did we pull out?"

Gendo regarded the younger man with an eerie smile.  "I underestimated 
someone today." He looked back, out the window as the tunnel enveloped 
them, and the only light was an orange tinge reflecting off the 
Commander's glasses.  

"Underestimated?" the boy blinked. 

"It seems I may have underestimated the Old Men."

"SEELE, sir?"

"Yes.  They're behind this.  It's the only explanation." He grinned to 
himself.  "This should make an interesting diversion as we wait for the 
last Three."

The Security Agents all swallowed hard.  











To be Continued....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


Gomen!  Gomen!  Sorry I'm late!  ^_^  

Mmm, not too much to say this time around.  Just been kinda busy, so 
bare with the interruptions to the regularly scheduled Lessons.  

Oh.  And for the one or two newbies that haven't been told yet...

ADAM IS ON GENDO'S RIGHT HAND!  Yes.  That's right.  That purple little 
mass of play-dough and an eyeball is embedded on the bugger's right 
palm.  <laughs>  Sorry for the spoiler.  Nobody knows about it yet.  
Except Gendo, and whoever he high-fives regularly.  (I would guess that 
would be no-one but the Sub-Commander.) 


OMAKE!-----------------------------------------------------------------

(warning, EoE Spoilers, but hey, most us fan fiction readers don't care 
by now, do we? ^_^ )




Gendo lay, defeated on the floor.  A light, bloody scent filled his 
senses, due to the fine LCL mist that Lillith had caused by dropping 
into the ocean around her, before transforming into Rei-Lillith-sama 
and ascending away from him.

The Third Impact had occurred...and it had all been for nothing.  Rei 
forsook him for his own son.  SEELE's foolish crusade to force their 
way into Godhood had succeeded.  Humanity would slowly become one.

But, at least he would see Yui for one last time.

"I've waited for this moment for a long time..." he whispered out loud 
as the apparitions came to him.  "I'm glad to see you, Yui."

A 20-ish young Yui Ikari was standing next to him, casting a shadow in 
the lonely, harsh light.  She looked down at him...not with love...but 
rather pity.

Gendo couldn't bare to look her in the eyes. "When I'm without you, all 
I do is hurt Shinji." He sighed.  "It's better to do nothing."

"You're afraid of Shinji-kun, aren't you?" Yui finally spoke.  Her 
soft, loving voice echoed in the lonely expanse.  

"I can't believe that others love me." Gendo said.  "I don't have any 
qualities for that."

He looked up to see a young boy with gray hair and red eyes.  The Last 
Angel, Kaworu.  "You've been running away." He observed sadly.  "Before 
you hurt yourself, you rejected the world."

"But between one another, there is no barrier." Yui said, now 
accompanied by one of the Rei's that had been judging each of 
humanity's members, readying them to return to the Dark Moon.  "You're 
scared, therefore you close to close your heart to him."

"He will judge you." Kaworu nodded with silent agreement.  

All of a sudden, Gendo felt the crushing grip of something around his 
body.  

The massive, purple fist of Evangelion Unit-01 lifted him up in mid-
air, revealing not the usual, docile grimace of the Beast...but rather 
a look more fitting.

This demonic, baron of Hell, was the true form of Unit-01.  Humanity's 
only defence against Angelic Beings.  Wide, white eyes burned with 
intense anger at the man, and already, he could see the animal-like 
teeth being barred in the Eva's mouth.  

"So..." Gendo nodded, accepting his fate.  "This is the end result of 
my behaviour.  I'm sorry, Shinji." He closed his eyes and waited for 
those teeth to rip him in half.


....


But they never came.

The Eva glared down at him, though, still very mad.  Shinji's voice 
came through it's mouth.  "I'm going to teach you a lesson, Father." He 
growled.  Anger was all too apparent in the boy's voice, and it took on 
a frightening power with the Evangelion around it. 

"A...A lesson?" Gendo blinked, fully expecting his body to be in pieces 
by now.  

"Yes." Shinji/Unit-01 said, slowly setting the man back down next to 
Yui, Kaworu, and the Reis.  "I want to teach you the truth."

"What truth?" Gendo asked, hopeful for redemption. 

"Repeat after me." Unit-01 demanded. 

"Ah..uh...Hai!" Gendo nodded, confused.

"This land..."

"Th..." Gendo blinked.  "This land??"

"THIS LAND!" Unit-01 repeated, angry at Gendo's hesitation.

"T-t-this land!" Gendo said quickly.

Unit-01 nodded, then reared back it's arm.  "This land is made 
from...LOVE AND PEACE!!!!!!"

Gendo, Yui, Kaworu, and the Reis all fell over in surprise, as a 
sliding electric guitar riff filled the air.

"LOOOOOVE ANND PEAAAAAAAACE!" Unit-01 exclaimed proudly, thrusting it's 
hand out in a "Peace" symbol.

A small, black cat trotted onto the scene, just long enough to mew 
"Nyaaaa!" before it too, turned into LCL.







----
Dedicated to Vash the Stampede!!  ^_^  And also to Mal, for lending me 
the first four DVD's of Trigun.  Domo-arigato, LOVE AND PEACE!!!!!!!
----
-----------------------------------------------------------------------



As always, you can reach me, Fissy, at:
strikef@bigfoot.com

and the websites are:
www.studioshinnyo.com
www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110

Till next time!  Ja!




Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.

From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Higher Learning

   Strike Fiss, 2000









Thirty-Fifth Lesson:  "Missing You"









Something in the air seemed different as Professor Fuyutsuki read his 
morning paper on the Monorail.  Maybe it was the occasional cough or 
rustle of a newspaper down the cart that caught his attention.  After 
all, normally the train was dead this early in the morning.  He had 
only seen other NERV employees one time during his several months of 
using the train since it had been built.  

He ignored it, though.  Probably just his nerves.  They had been rather 
frazzled lately.  While a normal person would have overlooked the 
changes in the Commander's personality, Fuyutsuki knew better.  The 
moment you overlooked something in his presence, that was the moment he 
could use.  The Commander was very good at using people. 

But lately, he had been preoccupied.  Not so much with work and papers, 
but rather internally.  Something was plaguing his mind.  Something 
that did not have a definitive answer...yet was important enough for 
the man to mull over for what had to be two months now.  Even before 
Unit-01's "awakening".  

NERV was fairing well, though.  While it was clear it's Commander 
thought otherwise, Fuyutsuki was beginning to wonder if it was a simple 
case of unexpected luck.  Gendo hated luck, and always planned against 
it...never for it.  It was something children and fools played with.  
Men with vision had no time for it. 

The Sub-Commander, however, believed that not only did luck exist, but 
it was the only reason NERV was fairing so well against the angels.  
All the Evangelion Units were ready to sortie at a moments 
notice...even if Unit-01 was currently in Lock-Down status.  The pilots 
were intact, alive, and mostly well.  Toji had even showed that the 
broken legs he suffered in the last Angel's attacks did little to 
hinder his performance as a Pilot, and his training had gone very well.  
Repairs to Headquarters were nearing completion, and most of the 
personnel were happy...if a bit on edge.  

He had always wondered what it would be like to see the Awakening.  

They had known it would happen...all possibilities accounted for showed 
that it would only take a matter of time.  One Angel would threaten 
Shinji in a certain way...threaten something that he loved...and it 
would be more than enough to get Yui to...

That was silly...there was no indication it had been Yui's doing...

Still, Fuyutsuki had known.  While Gendo would never admit it, he 
probably saw too.

The old man smiled to himself.  All this because of a woman.  How would 
history judge them?  Would they be the great, unseen heroes...or 
villains?  Or would they just be a stupid husband who refused to give 
his wife up to fate...and a lost puppy of a man who followed just as 
much for a crush as he did for a sense of duty?

And even then...that sense of duty was instilled into him by Yui.  He 
owed everything to the woman...Who he was had been shaped so radically.  
He had turned from a self-proclaimed pencil pusher professor at Tokyo-
U, into a man with a passion for life...a reason to exist...and a goal 
to reach for.

It was the one thing...the only thing...that allowed him to tolerate 
the great injustice and insanity that was Gendo Ikari. 

He held his time with Yui as the counterbalance to all the lies.  The 
atrocities at he himself had both witnessed and caused.  The shadow 
games and dark secrets were all justified.  He supposed that's how 
Gendo managed to get up every morning.  

But as the train slowed to a stop, the feeling was growing stronger 
that something wasn't right.  Something that didn't even fit all these 
lies he had to live with every morning.

The shadows around him...three men...as they entered the train station 
just before the tunnel that went into the Geofront were proof of this.  
He was not familiar with these shadows.  They were not NERV's.  

"Come with us, sir." One said sternly. 

"This isn't my stop." Fuyutsuki sighed, folding his paper.  

"It is now." Another of the three said, reaching into his coat and 
pulling out the butt of a gun of some sort.  

The old man frowned, looking up at the three.  "Then lets get this over 
with." He stood.  "Maybe then SEELE will stop wasting my time."

The first man smiled slightly.  Obviously, the SEELE reference a 
pleasant surprise.  He had probably been told that the Sub-Commander 
was nothing more than Gendo's lapdog...but it was clear the old man had 
a bit of whit to him.  

"And you won't need your guns." He sighed, tiredly.  

"Of course not, Fuyutsuki-Sensei." The man nodded with a small grin.  
The three men relaxed a bit, but still looked very serious.  As the 
train stopped, they ushered him to the door, and then to a car with 
bullet-proof windows.  

"I'm getting too old for this bullshit." He grumbled to himself as they 
sped off. 










Misato groaned as her alarm clock started blaring it's tiny little 
heart and soul out, hoping to wake her from another booze-enhanced 
slumber.  "Must...kill...alarm..." she cringed.  A shaky arm slowly 
extended out from the edge of the messy futon covers.

However, the alarm clicked off before she could reach it.  

It only took her a heartbeat to realize something wasn't right, and one 
more to literally spring-roll out of bed, reaching for her gun on the 
dresser.  

And one more heartbeat to see Kaji smiling like an idiot, holding her 
alarm clock in one hand and her holster in the other.  "Hey, Katsuragi-
chan, do you greet every man in your bedroom like that?" he smirked as 
her eyebrows dropped and she began to growl.  

He eyed her then grinned, turning away slightly.  "While your manners 
are certainly something to be left desired, I must say your outfit 
might just overcome that nasty temper of y..."

A large book slammed into his forehead and Kaji promptly toppled over.  
Misato grumbled and retrieved her gun from his twitching hand.  "Good 
morning to you too, asshole." She huffed, straightening out her 
nightclothes so they weren't revealing pretty much anything that could 
be revealed.  "Now get up and get the hell out.  I don't have to work 
for another four hours, and I intend to catch up on my sleep."

"W..." Kaji coughed, sitting up in the mess he had been tossed into.  
"We need to talk." He shook off the book, cringing as he touched the 
bump on his head.  "Was THAT really necessary?"

"It's not polite to enter a woman's room without her permission." 
Misato grumbled, moving to the closet to pick out a slightly less 
revealing bath robe.  "You're lucky I couldn't get to my gun!"

"That's exactly why I took it away first." Kaji sighed, nursing his 
wound. "I wasn't expecting 'Attack of the Encyclopaedia', though."

"You always did underestimate me." Misato grinned to herself slightly.  
"And look where it gets you." She turned and frowned.  "And it's a 
Thesaurus.  Not an Encyclopaedia."

"I'm serious." Kaji frowned.

"So am I.  It's definitely a Thesaurus."

He stood abruptly, slamming the clock against the ground.  The poor 
little thing gave out more sound as it broke apart than it ever did in 
use.  

Misato jumped, then turned.  "What the HELL are you doing!??!"

"This is SERIOUS!" he yelled.  A very long silence cut the 
conversation.  

Finally, Misato sighed, then nodded.  "I'll be out in a bit.  There's 
tea and stuff in the kitchen.  Watch out for Pen-Pen's food dish."

He nodded, then walked out of the bedroom, finding his way to the 
kitchen.  "The place looks nice." He commented.

"Shinji's a big help.  Asuka too." Misato called out from the hall as 
sounds of muffled clothing were heard.  "So why the hell did you come 
by so early, anyway?" she grumbled, finally sticking her head out of 
the hall, still putting on her pants behind the wall, though. 

"Because Shinji and Asuka are at school." Kaji nodded.

"So?"

"So is their teacher." Kaji frowned.

Misato sighed to herself.  "If this is about me going out with him once 
or twice..."

Kaji smiled...abet darkly.  "If you think this is some stupid jealous 
grudge, I'm going to love surprising you."

She sighed and finally emerged, fully clothed and fighting with her 
hair to make it slightly presentable.  "So, what is this all about?" 
she said, sitting down across from him on the table.  

"A lot of things." Kaji said, relaxing against the chair, still fussing 
over his bump.  "But, I suppose it couldn't hurt to start at the 
beginning." He cleared his throat.  "A few months ago, much to my 
dismay, Commander Ikari doled out a special mission to me that I hadn't 
quite expected.  It was supposed to be just a quick two days of on-site 
surveillance."

"Where was it?" Misato shrugged.  

"Nevada." Kaji smiled.  "Two guesses where to, and I'll give you a 
hint...I didn't have any time for gambling."

"The Second Branch?" Misato blinked.  "Why?"

"Ikari wanted to make sure it sunk into itself." He leaned forward.  
"Misato...I know you know that there are more enemies out there than 
just the Angels."

Misato's eyes went wide, and she nodded.

"The Second Branch was SEELE's proverbial bitch.  If the Commander is 
good for anything, one of the things he IS good at is keeping the old 
men in check.  Chances are we would have bitten off more than we could 
chew with Unit-04."

"You can say that again..." Misato nodded, pondering the situation.  
Unit-03 had been able to make short work of all three other Evas during 
it's Dummy Plug run.  If SEELE was pulling the strings behind an Eva...

And...as amazing as Shinji was...he wasn't exactly consistent. 

"So you went to make sure Unit-04 disappeared?" she asked.

"Yes."  Kaji smiled, leaning forward as he got into the story.  "And 
I'm going to tell you a secret..."  he paused for dramatic effect.  "It 
didn't."

Misato's eyes were wide.  "What?!?"

"It took a flying step right over my head, Misato." Kaji smiled.  "I 
have to tell you, it was quite amazing.  I think I lost five years off 
my life, though."

"W...Where did it go!?!?"

"The coast.  I expect the ocean afterwards.  All sensors accessible to 
NERV lost contact somewhere near the old ruins of L.A.." Kaji shrugged.  
"For all we know, it's hiding under the Geofront." 

"Who was piloting it?!?" Misato sighed.  "This is horrible!"

"Nobody."

"What do you mean, nobody?"

"I mean it came to life during a test that did not even see a Dummy 
Plug...let alone an Entry Plug...inserted into the spine." Kaji smiled.  
"I have the pictures to prove it.  Unless they came up with a way for 
an Evangelion to run with it's hatch wide open and a terminator 
inserted inside, it was completely dormant.  Even as it ran off."

Misato sat and stared at him, dumfounded.  Kaji waited patiently for 
her to digest the information before continuing.

"Now, when Commander Ikari saw this, he was quite irritated.  It was 
then that I decided that my mission would be worth my time." He smiled.  
"Anything that the Commander hasn't counted on is something I love to 
find out."

She nodded weakly. 

"Anyway, during the investigation into why Unit-04 decided to go on 
vacation, I came across a few interesting computer records." He smiled.  
"Tell me, do you watch many movies, Misato?"

"A...uh...I used to.  Back in the old days..." Misato shrugged.  "Why?"

"Commander Ikari also brought to light the fact that our Magi have been 
hacked recently."

Misato just blinked.  "But...that's..."

"Next to impossible, I know.  But it was such a coincidence with the 
Unit-04 problem that I decided they must be related.  Oddly enough, 
nobody could figure out what changed. I was checking the lists of new 
personnel in all NERV branches to see how many people could have had 
access to other Magi, or the facilities that one would need to hack 
into ours." He grinned.  "One name in particular caught my attention." 

She watched him reach into his pocket and pulled out two small cases.  
One of the more popular movie-formats of the time, a pair of three-inch 
DVD cases.  One case was entitled "Princess Mononoke", while the other 
was "Seven Samurai."  "What's this?" she asked, examining the two disks 
as he handed them to her. 

"The name 'Kurosawa' appears on Seven Samurai.  First name, Akira.  
While I've personally only seen two of his movies, I must say, the man 
was brilliant.  This was back during Japan's post World War II days 
when the majority of our country's movies involved bad melodrama." He 
smiled.  "Some consider him one of the best directors of all time."

"So what does this have to do with your mission?" Misato frowned, then 
glanced at the second disk.  All colour dropped from her face.  "Oh..."

"A man named Kaoru Kurosawa had started working at the Second Branch 
only a week before it's disappearance.  However, he had the credentials 
to begin working in the Operations Department as a service technician." 
Kaji said, rubbing his forehead lightly.  "While there's no indication 
he's a computer hacker, he would definitely have had access to the 
Second Branch Magi." He then smiled.  "Imagine my surprise that another 
Kaoru had appeared in Tokyo-3 around the same time...with a family name 
also known in the entertainment industry." He pointed at the Princess 
Mononoke disk...an old Anime from the 20 Century.  "Miyazaki happened 
to be quite a pioneer himself...though his field was in groundbreaking 
anime titles."

Misato looked up at Kaji with a startled look.  "Oh god..."

"Now, I was only able to figure this out due to my love of cartoons." 
Kaji grinned proudly.  "Another man might have overlooked the 
connection." He shook his head.  "The kind of alias and record-
switching this man has apparently done should be impossible due to 
NERV's extensive checking system.  However, he pulled it off...and 
quite seamlessly I might add."

"I...Is he a spy?" Misato asked.

"I thought so to.  It would explain all the high-tech tricks that have 
been pulled.  However, when I confronted him, it was quite clear he did 
not have the training." He smiled to himself.

"You..." Misato blinked.  "You KNOW him?  You've talked to him?"

"Yes." Kaji nodded.  "I found something in his apartment that got me 
very angry." He sighed.  "I was about to put a bullet in his head when 
he said something that convinced me he might not be the enemy."

"Wait..." Misato frowned.  "What did you find in his apartment?"

Kaji sighed, and tapped his head.  "A syncro-headset.  Like the ones 
Shinji and Asuka wear." He frowned.  "It looked beat up...quite 
frankly, my worst thoughts were that the man was a pervert who rummaged 
through the trash to find a souvenir of the Children so he could have 
something to whack-off over."

Misato's eyes looked horrified, the colour completely gone from her 
features.  "Oh my god..."

"But." Kaji advised, raising his finger to halt the mental images.  
"It's not like that at all.  He knows things, Misato.  Things that some 
pervert off the street could never have known in a million years." He 
leaned forward.  "The man told me the password to the Eva Graveyard."

She blinked.  "The...Graveyard?"  Misato herself had only heard bits 
and pieces of it from Ritsuko.  Her security clearance did not let her 
simply walk down to the bowels of NERV to actually see it for herself, 
though...not that she ever wanted to.  

"And more." Kaji leaned back, shaking his head.  "More than I knew 
existed...and I knew a lot...not that I'm bragging." He looked 
completely serious...the joking tones away from his voice.  "It freaked 
the hell out of me, Misato...and it made me realize that this Kaoru guy 
was not part of Gendo's plan...whoever he is."

"This..." Misato swallowed hard.  "This is a lot to take in, Kaji-
kun..."

"I know.  Come on." He stood.

"W...where are we going?" Misato blinked. 

"Somewhere we can talk safely." He shook his head.  "I don't trust the 
walls here."

Numbly, Misato nodded and grabbed her jacket.  "I could use a drink..."

"Good.  So could I." Kaji nodded as they walked out the door.  "Because 
I haven't even told you half of it yet."










Sensei Miyazaki sighed nervously as he waited in the principal's 
office.  He wondered how many students would be laughing at him for 
having to share the same fate so many of them did during their most 
rebellious times.  

He was a little bit surprised to hear his name on the announcements 
that morning.  So was his class, who was up to their elbows in the new 
assignment.  Kaoru apologized and told them he would be back as soon as 
he could. 

But he was not worried about the project.  The new school year had only 
just started by old standards, and they would have plenty of time 
before...

before...

well, they would still have a month or two before that came anyway.  

But, he had not finished yet.  He still had much to go through...to 
make sure his plan would not dissolve so soon afterwards.  It had been 
a big risk changing and challenging the new year's curriculum...and it 
was now he realized he would pay for it.  

Kaoru began to wonder if he would still have a job walking out of the 
office.  

When Principal Yamamoto walked in with a small folder of papers in his 
hand, casually looking at them with a sigh, Kaoru feared the worst.  
They were probably parent complaints that the children hadn't been 
learning the required material.  

"A very interesting fact has come to my attention, Miyazaki." He said, 
throwing the folder of papers onto the desk in front of them, but 
pausing to get a fresh cup of coffee before he started. 

Kaoru had to physically resist the temptation to open the folder and 
burn the evidence.  He did manage to say:  "Oh?  What kind of fact, 
sir??"

"An unexpected one." The principal shook his head as he tried to find 
his sugar-cubes.  "Quite frankly, I haven't seen anything like this 
since before the Second Impact."

The Sensei swallowed hard. 

"I assume you have something to do with these papers." He sat down and 
took the folder back up in his hands as he set down the coffee.  "This 
is really surprising to have so many applications.  Especially 
considering three of these students had poor grades coming into the 
year."

Kaoru blinked.  The Principal blinked back.  "Oh, didn't my secretary 
tell you what I wanted to talk to you about?"

"N...no, sir?" Kaoru blinked again.

The Principal laughed.  "Oh, I'm sorry.  I was just surprised that so 
many of your students have been inquiring about Tokyo and Kyoto 
University.  I had two calls just this morning with parents wondering 
if we had some kind of seminar, since their kids were asking about 
them."

"Well, I was showing the students what they can look forward to after 
school, and the assignment was to pick out courses they think they 
might like to try." Kaoru said, taking a mental deep breath.  

"So I heard." Yamamoto smiled.  "That's actually something we used to 
try to do with the students before everything got crazy here in Tokyo-
3.  When the kids know more about their future, they pay better 
attention to it and what they need to know now."

Kaoru smiled.  "Exactly my thought, sir."

"I'd also like to run over your class average marks from the summer." 
Yamamoto said, pulling out another piece of paper from his desk.  "I'm 
very pleased with them as well.  Ten of the lower-scoring students in 
your class have finally managed to break into the acceptable 
bracket...including this Rei Ayanami...who had almost been nonexistent 
in our records besides a sketchy attendance history."

"She's quite smart." Kaoru beamed.  "I think she just needed something 
to spark her attention."

The older man nodded.  "Kaoru, I have to be blunt with you...this is 
not normal."

Kaoru blinked.  "Sir?"

"While I am praising the results of your classroom presence, you know 
as well as I do that others have tried this 'hands off' approach 
before, only to screw up big-time.  If your students were one iota less 
than their current mark, I would be of sound mind to fire your ass."

"Err..."

"However, I like what I see so far." Yamamoto smiled again.  "And I 
want you to prepare a speech for the teacher's conference next week."

Kaoru's jaw opened.  "B...but, why, sir?"

"Because you're the best teacher on my staff at the moment, and every 
school is invited to share something with the others.  You get to 
represent our school..." he smiled.  "And hopefully teach the other 
senseis out there a thing or two."

Kaoru shook his head.  "But...sir, this is..."

"A big honour...and you can not say no to me." Yamamoto smiled evilly.  
"Is that clear?"

"Hai, sir." 

"Friday, seven-twenty, at the Omoi Presentation Centre.  Make sure your 
speech is a good one.  I hear they start booing if it's too boring." 

Kaoru swallowed hard.  "Ha...hai..."

"Now, get back to class.  I'm sure you have work to do."








"Few things in life are as freaky as watching Commander Ikari become 
worried." Kaji sighed as he ordered another beer.  

Misato nodded.  While she herself had ordered a beer, she was only on 
her first one.  Her mind was simply moving to fast, trying to take in 
all the information.  "My biggest question is how do the Children fit 
into all of this."

"Mine too."  Kaji admitted.  "I'm not sure if this is just another 
Gendo Ikari we're dealing with or not." He turned to Misato.  "He was 
actually sad that Shinji had to come back and fight with that last 
Angel...I don't know if that's because he wanted Shinji to be safe...or 
if he wanted him out of the way."

"So what are you going to do?" Misato asked, looking up at him from her 
beer.  "You can't just keep tagging along like this.  Why haven't you 
demanded to know the full story?"

Kaji turned away suddenly.  "Because...I might not want to know it."

Misato frowned.  "What's that supposed to mean."

"You heard me." Kaji sighed.  "I might not like what he has to tell me.  
He seems to be always right...and I don't want to know how this all 
turns out at the end."

"What ever happened to 'blazing ahead' for the truth?" Misato grumbled.  
"What ever happened to Kaji the Super-Spy?"

"He grew up when he saw the dead faces of a dozen Evas." Kaji frowned.  
"He grew up even more when he saw that whatever he did...he could do 
nothing to effect the course of that bastard's Master Plan." 

Misato glared at him.  "That's bullshit."

"And..." Kaji continued.  "I grew up a lot more when I realized that 
your beloved Sensei is not part of Gendo's plan...and he seems to have 
the power to change it."

Misato sighed, shaking her head.  "This is a lot of trust you're giving 
to a man who could just be a perverted, child-molester."

"Really?" Kaji smiled with just a hint of venom in his features.  "I 
thought you proved that theory wrong when you let him into your bed."

Her face screwed up into a sneer.  "That is none of your business."

Their emerging argument was cut off as Kaji's cell phone rang.  He 
sighed and answered it.  "Yeah?"

Misato waited with a grumble, finally starting on her beer, as Kaji 
listened to the phone.  He said nothing thought.  Probably a NERV 
automated message.  

He finally closed the unit a moment later and sighed, standing 
abruptly.  "Misato, I have to go.  It looks like I have a new mission."

"Anything to do with the Sensei?" Misato blinked.

"No." Kaji said.  "Actually, this is a bit of a surprise.  But I can't 
talk now.  Will you meet me tomorrow?"

"Why should I?" Misato sighed.  "Will you have more secrets by then you 
want to confuse me with?  Or just to insult m..."

"Dinner." Kaji interrupted.  "What do you say?" he smiled softly, but 
then turned.  "I have to go.  I'll pick you up at eight."

Misato blinked, then sighed.  "Alright.  Later."

She watched him leave, then turned to her beer.  "It's too early in the 
morning to drink..."  but finished it anyway.  











The room was cold.  Air...yes...that was the connection.  It seemed he 
could almost smell the air that was around the Old Men at times like 
this.  For all he knew, one of the men that picked him up on the train 
was one of the head members.

One by one, they appeared.  Perfect, black monoliths.  Each numbered 
and titled with red digital text, replacing their private 'in person' 
conference mode with these much more private stone faces.  Only their 
voices came through unblocked...and even then...many were disguised.  
Only the most pompous and fearless would use their true voices in the 
Old Sensei's presence.  

"Fuyutsuki-Sensei." This would be one of them.  Chairman Keel, while 
still behind the 01 Monolith, was well known to the Sub-Commander.  
"Thank you for coming."

"I did not have much choice in the matter." Fuyutsuki replied with a 
tired huff of his voice.  

SEELE 04 spoke next.  "We apologize for the circumstances in which we 
have forced upon you...but they are necessary."

"We are concerned with the direction the Commander is taking in the 
Project." SEELE 01 stated.  "Several of our leads have turned up 
nothing, however, and we have been forced to turn to his Second In 
Command."

"For the interest of the Project." Another monolith said behind him.

"Yes.  We fear the Project may be in danger."

Fuyutsuki sighed.  "Well, I will try my best to help...in the Project's 
best interests.  But you must realize that I am still only his Second 
in Command."

"Of course.  Still, information may flow to you much easier than it 
would to any of us." Keel said.  "With Unit-01 taking the S2 Engine 
into itself, we have created something that may be equal to a God's 
power."

"Man should not be allowed to create such things." SEELE 07 mentioned 
to itself, but said nothing more.

"What does Ikari intend to do with this power?" Keel continued.  "This 
is much more than we thought to give him in our past Project 
speculations." A long pause.  "Will he use it responsibly?"

Fuyutsuki smiled to himself.  As if anyone could answer that question 
but Gendo himself.  "I do not think it is up to him to decide.  He will 
follow the Project to it's completion.  There is no doubt of that."

A long pause, but not an angry one.  It seemed to be a good enough 
answer for the Old Men.  

"And what of the other matter?" one of the Old Men asked suddenly. 

"Ah, yes." Keel said.  "Fuyutsuki-sensei...What can you tell us of this 
man...Miyazaki?"

"Who?" Fuyutsuki blinked.

"I believe he is known as the new sensei teaching the Four Children."

Fuyutsuki smiled to himself.  He should have known.  "Ahh...well, I 
must say, whatever it is your man has been saying certainly has the 
Commander on edge."

A long...long pause.

"Our man?"

Fuyutsuki nodded.  "Yes.  I assume he is working for you?"

A long pause.  Three of the monoliths disappeared...including 01.  
Finally, after about a minute, they re-appeared.  

"We will talk more on this tomorrow, Fuyutsuki-sensei.  Thank you for 
your co-operation."

The monoliths all faded away, and the door leading back to his cell 
opened up.  Fuyutsuki stayed there for a moment, though, consumed in 
thought. 

"He's not one of them..." the old man smiled to himself.  "Well...this 
will certainly be interesting..."










To be continued...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------




Whoo hoo!  ^_^ Only 2 weeks late.  :P  

Yeah yeah, I know, I know.  But hey, I've been busy making sure I can 
pay my cable bill, and therefore, stay on the net.  If I didn't 
sacrifice the last month to job-hunting, I would not be here today, and 
you would all have to wait much longer!  

So see?  A little patience pays off.  ^_^  

But, I do apologize.  Writer's block didn't help, and various other 
wonderful shitty things have been popping up like mad.  But hey, it's 
all good, so long as you have Eva to watch at the end of a stressful 
day.  ^_^  Ahh...Asuka VS the JSDF...Eases the pain...

There should be only minor slow downs from now till the end of Higher 
Learning, as most of it's rock solid and ready to be extracted from my 
gooey brain-meats.  It should still be hitting at least 45 lessons with 
a nice big "movie" at the end, so don't worry, lots more to come.  

No Omake today, or this Lesson will be even later than it already is. 
^_^  Gomen.  

Till next time, peeps!

e-mail:   strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.studioshinnyo.com
            or
          http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110




Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF

From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning

  Strike Fiss, 2000









Thirty-Sixth Lesson:  "I spy"




It really was a shame that these favours had to be called on so early 
in the game.  While he did not have the omnipresent, reaching resources 
that Commander Ikari had, Kaji prided himself on his tight network of 
contacts, friends, and people who owed him favours.

Several had to be settled to even when he received the mission 
specification.  After all, infiltrating SEELE, even in such a rundown, 
unassuming warehouse that few knew about, and even fewer thought was 
used for anything...well...even at this level, it was insanely 
dangerous. 

Still, something had been powering him lately.  Misato had been 
right...he still strove to find the secrets...to shine a flashlight on 
them so the old men would sweat and make the mistakes he needed to 
continue...

So long as he pretended he didn't know the outcome of it all, he could 
fool himself to waking up in the morning.  He could pretend that this 
might all be worth something despite his fears.  

And, once in a while, he found himself hoping that Kaoru Miyazaki knew 
what he was doing.  

To those watching him...had they been able to after his 'favours' 
disabled the security cameras and systems...would have wondered what 
was on Kaji's mind.  The abandoned warehouse seemed to echo with each 
one of his expensive, comfortable dress-shoes hitting the tiled floor 
at their leisurely pace.  

With a hand in his pocket, he strolled down the hall, counting the 
doors to his right, knowing his destination was only a bit further.  
For some reason, he kept having the feeling of deja-vue that had been 
plaguing him lately.  

Still, besides the feeling he had done this all before, he could only 
sense safety ahead.  With a sigh, he tapped in a seven number sequence 
into the keypad...hoping the rather lucrative favour he had to waste on 
learning the sequence would pay off.

It did, and he was greeted with the quick swish of the door opening.  

An older man looked up, not really startled, but with a surprised 
expression on his face.  "It's been a long time, Kaji-san." The Sub-
Commander smiled.

"Likewise." Kaji smiled in his perpetual easy-going way.  With the door 
still open, he walked to Fuyutsuki and knelt down behind him to untie 
his hands that had been bound by nylon rope.  "Can you believe the room 
service in this dump?  It's appalling!"

That earned a genuine chuckle from the old Sensei.  "Still..." he shook 
his head.  "I didn't expect anyone to come.  This could mean a lot of 
trouble for you, you know."

"I know." Kaji said simply, shrugging as he stood and helped Fuyutsuki 
to his feet.  

"Why do you do this?" the Sub-Commander sighed as they walked out.  The 
door slid shut a moment later, locked by a new, randomly generated 
code.  "They would have let me go eventually."

Kaji considered the question for a moment as they walked out into the 
deserted outdoors.  

"I like changing their plans." He said.  "It gives me hope that we can 
still win this."

Fuyutsuki smiled and followed him to the old NERV jeep.  "You too?  I 
thought I was the only one..."











"Abducted?!" Misato coughed, nearly spitting out her coffee.

Ritsuko sighed and nodded.  "They're trying to get him back ass soon as 
possible...but most of the trouble is getting around possible traitors 
in the Security Branch.  We already know it was someone internal that 
let him get captured."

"What is the Commander saying?" Ritsuko shook her head.  "He can't be 
happy."

"He rarely is lately." Ritsuko mused, mostly to herself, before turning 
her attentions back to the screens.  All four Children were being 
monitored on the flat-screen panel.  They all looked very serene, 
actually...but the readings showed it was only their attempts at 
concentration that were calming.  "Mmm..."

"Mmm-what?" Misato sighed, looking over at the readouts.  This had been 
one of the first times the Children had been called in to sync...the 
staff still wary of Unit-01's behaviour.  

Shinji was showing a slight drop in his sync-ratio...no more than was 
expected after his month long absence, and certainly, he was fairing 
much better than they had feared.  He was such a fragile child...it 
wouldn't take much for him to snap into uselessness.  Luckily, his time 
with Unit-01 didn't seem to be detrimental. 

Toji and Rei were showing slight improvements over last time...adding 
to their steady climb to the level of Shinji and Asuka's ability...

Well...

Not quite Asuka's. 

Misato didn't even have to look at the readout to see something was 
wrong.  While the red-head's face seemed calm, she would occasionally 
catch a crinkle of her eyebrow...or a bit longer breath than normal.  

"She has been wracking herself over Shinji's disappearance all last 
month..." Ritsuko sighed.  "Maya told me that she actually started 
hanging around, just in case she could help.  I'm not surprised at the 
result."

Misato nodded wordlessly, taking a sip of coffee.  

"The question is...what's still on her mind?" Ritsuko said, looking up 
at Misato like she would know the answers. 

Strangely enough, she did.

"Do you know what day it is today?" Misato turned to the blonde 
scientist.  When she received a puzzled look, Misato sighed.  "A week 
before her birthday.  And also the anniversary of her mother's accident 
inside Unit-02."

Ritsuko blinked, then turned back.  "Her mother's suicide?"

"No...that actually took place a few weeks later." Misato whispered.  
"I'm not sure Asuka fully remembers the significance of today, though."

"It seems she had a very busy Fall, that year." Ritsuko shook her head.  
"Being drafted into Project E, and watching her family rip itself 
apart."

"Not to mention what's been happening lately." She leaned forward, 
resting her mug in her hands.  "We've all been working our asses 
off...Shinji's been in various liquid states, and changes are happening 
in both NERV and their personal lives.  Asuka must feel the world is 
falling apart again."

"But..." Ritsuko sighed.  "At the risk of sounding completely 
insensitive..." a small smile.  "She seems happier now that Shinji's 
back."

"Maybe." Misato nodded.  "But even then, I bet there are a lot of mixed 
feelings.  You know the record as well as she does..." a sad sigh.  
"Asuka has yet to defeat an Angel on her own.  The saviour she despises 
so much is also the boy she could not let go all last month." 

Ritsuko said nothing, watching the screens, gazing at each of the 
Children's faces.  

"We seem to have a lot of that here..." Misato whispered, now mostly to 
herself.  "The ones that do want to be saviours fail...the ones that 
don't are forced to fight."

"What was that?" Ritsuko turned back to her friend, blinking. 

"Nothing." The Major smiled softly.  "Just thinking out loud." She 
looked at the calendar.  "Of course, all this just might be because 
Asuka's hitting her period."

"You know the results wouldn't fluctuate that much..." Ritsuko shook 
her head.  "We tested Ayanami all throughout her puberty, and the 
readings never spiked or fell due to that kind of thing."

Misato raised an eyebrow.  "Well, of course not...the Commander has no 
use for menstrual cycles.  Rei wouldn't bother with them unless she was 
ordered to."

Ritsuko shot her an odd look, half disgusted, half angry.

The Major shook it off.  "I was kidding."






Not far away, Rei sneezed out a bubble into the LCL.  Her eyes cracked 
open, angrily.  "Someone is talking about me again..." she sighed.





"What's got you in such a foul mood today, anyway?" Ritsuko mumbled. 

Misato considered a response.  "My alarm clock broke." 

"Ahh."

The Major stewed a bit on some thoughts Kaji had brought to her 
attention.  "So, did the Commander release the lockdown on Unit-01 
yet?"

"Not yet." Ritsuko shook her head.  "We still have a lot of scanning to 
do first."

Bullshit.  Misato sighed to herself.  They had been scanning all month.  
Every three days saw every KIND of scan administered to the entire Eva 
over and over again.  

"Ahh.  Well, just tell me when Shinji-kun can help out again." She 
turned and walked over to the comm..  "It looks like Asuka might need 
the help again." She pressed the button.  "Hey kids."

All four of them opened their eyes.  Toji gave a little smile to the 
camera.  "How'd we do, Misato-san?"

"Not too bad!" Misato smiled.  "We might start scheduling some live 
sparing this week.  You all look ready for a bit of action."

"Just no dummy plugs, please." Rei smiled softly.  

"Don't worry, Rei...so long as you four stay happy and healthy, I doubt 
we'd have to use those things ever again." Misato smiled.

"Can I go too, Misato-san?" Shinji asked, eagerly.  The major noticed 
Asuka look away from the screen slightly.  "It would be a nice change 
of pace from sitting in the plugs for an hour."

"We'll see, Shinji.  Unit-01 might not be as ready as you are, yet." 
Misato lied, but smiled genuinely."

"Good.  I can't wait to start whoopin your ass, Shinji." Toji chided on 
through the video conference windows.  

Shinji just grinned.  "We'll just have to see about that."

Ritsuko smiled over at the Major.  "Are you sure you haven't been 
letting him hang out with Kaji-kun?"

Misato groaned and turned back to the comm..  "Well, hit the showers, 
kids.  I'll meet you all in the debriefing room in twenty minutes.  Tea 
is my treat."

"Hai!" three voices agreed.  Asuka just turned off her comm. quietly.

Ristsuko nodded, now that the room was not being monitored.  "You were 
right." She shook her head.  "Maybe it is PMS..."






Asuka sneezed as the plug began to drain, coughing out a bit of the LCL 
that was still in her lungs.  "I hate when they talk about me..."  





"So, what did you have planned?" Toji called out of the shower as 
Shinji started getting dressed. 

"Pardon me?" Shinji blinked, doing up the buttons on his white school-
shirt.  

"For Red Devil's birthday."

"Y...You've been keeping track?" Shinji smiled.  "I didn't know you 
cared, Toji-san!"

"I don't." Toji laughed, poking his head out from behind the shower 
stall.  "But Hikari has been talking about it non-stop for the last 
week, so I decided I better at least pay attention."

Shinji laughed quietly.  "I suppose that is as good a reason as any."

"So?" Toji continued as he washed up.  "I know you MUST be planning 
something.  You've been staring at her with that...look...ever since 
you got back from Unit-01."

"What look?" Shinji asked, already turning bright red.

"That..." he shrugged.  "That LOOK!  I don't know." He laughed.  "I'd 
say you look pathetic...but I also see how she looks at you when you're 
not looking."

Shinji blinked, turning pale now.  "W...she...she looks at me?"

"Hell yeah." Toji nodded.  The shower stopped, and he emerged in a 
towel, walking over to his locker to get dressed as well.  "It's 
horrible for Kensuke and I to watch, but I suppose it had to happen 
eventually with all the time you've been together."

"Y...y..." Shinji swallowed hard.  "...it's that obvious, huh?"

"The only reason you two aren't the talk of the class...well, according 
to Hikari, anyway, is because everyone's actually excited about this 
project." He chuckled.  "Right, spy-master Ikari?"

"Ah..." he added weakly.

"So...I ask again...did you have anything special planned for her 
birthday?" Toji said as he shrugged on his own shirt.  "If you don't, 
Hikari's been holding off on plans herself, wondering if you'd want to 
have her all to yourself." He chuckled.

"Well..." Shinji swallowed and smiled weakly.  "I was thinking about 
cooking all her favourite German and American food.  She's always 
complaining about Japanese food, so I thought it might be a nice 
treat."

"Mmmm...that's a pretty good start, Ikari." Toji smiled at his friend.  
"I'm impressed."  But then he raised an eyebrow.  "What else?"

"Uhhh..." Shinji stammered for a moment.  "I guess...uhm..."

"Sure!  We'd love to come over for her surprise party." Toji offered 
with a smile.

"Would you?" Shinji beamed.  "You wouldn't mind?"

"Ahh, I suppose I can tolerate her so long as she's DROOLing over you, 
instead of yelling at me." Toji smiled.  "And Kensuke will love to come 
to say hi to Misato, at least." He nodded.  "It will be fun."

"D...drooling?"

"So..." Toji grinned, edging on.  "It WILL be her 'sweet sixteen'...a 
VERY important birthday for most Eastern cultures...are you going to 
give her anything else?"

"W...what do you mean?" Shinji hid his eyes by pretending to focus on 
folding his discarded plug-suit.

"Oh, come on, Ikari..." Toji grinned wider.  "Don't tell me a big, 
manly hero like yourself hasn't thought at least SOME manly thoughts 
about his very own damsel in distress..." he coughed.  "...even if she 
is Satan..." his smile returned.  "Am I right?"

Shinji swallowed hard, then glanced up at the clock. "Misato-san is 
waiting.  We'd better hurry." He dashed out the door without another 
word.

Toji just smiled.  "Atta' boy."









Misato almost screamed when she saw it.

She had been witness to the Second Impact itself...Evangelions tearing 
apart Angels and gutting their remains...and half a dozen instances in 
her life that would have made lesser people turn into babbling blobs of 
jelly, while she would just shrug them off. 

And yet, this event was so unexpected, Misato almost dove for cover the 
moment she saw it. 

Rei Ayanami was wearing a dress.

The other Children obviously were equally as shocked; sitting around 
her with staggered jaws, eyes wide.  Rei, for her part, seemed to be 
sitting at the end of the table quite normally.  Relatively 
expressionless except for a mild blush that had crept up along her 
cheeks under the attention. 

"Good afternoon, Major." She said quietly.

"Uhm..." Misato swallowed hard, rubbing her eyes again to make sure 
what she was seeing was real. 

Sure enough, Rei Ayanami was dressed in a white, modest, but very 
attractive sun-dress that put Asuka's yellow attire to shame.  Asuka 
was too busy being shocked to be jealous, however.  

"MEIN GOTT!" Asuka whispered under her breath.  "She...she...she 
has...FASHION SENSE??!??!"

Both Shinji and Toji just wondered where they could get their 
respective dates a dress that nice...and in the meantime, tried not to 
develop nosebleeds.  

"I went shopping." Rei explained with a small sigh, realizing they 
weren't going to stop anytime soon. 

"Ahh...okay." Misato cleared her throat and sat down at the table.  "It 
looks...very nice, Rei-chan!" she smiled earnestly, trying not to seem 
too creeped out.  

Asuka shook it off as well.  "So?  Can we get down to business and then 
get something to eat?" she sighed.  "I'm starved."

"Sure, sure." The Major replied, looking over the page of notes and 
test results.  "Shinji...congratulations, you've only lost a two-point 
score on your sync-ratio.  That's very impressive considering how long 
you've been away from the tests!"

Shinji blushed and bowed his head.  "Asuka's been helping me meditate."

Asuka shot him a private smile.  The young pilot proceeded to blush 
more. 

Misato ignored the look and smiled over at Toji.  "And Toji-kun here is 
finally past the Sixty-Five mark.  I'm recommending to the commander 
that you'll be put on full standby alert from now on.  You should be 
able to handle the next Angel alone if necessary."

Toji bowed, but looked slightly more stoic.  "I would still appreciate 
the other Unit's backing me up, Miss Misato." He smiled.  "I'm just 
tagging along to help."

"Don't worry.  It won't come to that." Misato smiled, hoping that 
statement would hold true.  "As for Rei, you're two points ahead of 
Toji.  I look forward to the level of skill you show during the next 
training mission."

"Hai.  Domo."  Rei bowed her head quietly.

"And..." she looked down at the sheet briefly, then up at Asuka's 
smiling face...one that was obviously expecting great news.  "We have 
determined an error in the system thanks to Asuka."

Asuka blinked...then her eye twitched.  "Pardon me?"

Misato coughed.  "Uhm...Asuka-chan...you know that 'time of the 
month'?"

Asuka blushed.  "W...what about it?"

Toji gagged and fell over.  "OH MY GAAAAWD!"

Everyone ignored him.  "Well...your sync rate is cut in half..." Misato 
smiled weakly.

Asuka almost jumped out of her seat as she slammed her hands on the 
table.  "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S CUT IN HALF!!?!?!?!"

Misato began to sweat.  "It's nothing, Asuka!  In a few days, I'm sure 
you'll be back to normal."  She didn't have the heart to say anything 
about the steady decline they had recorded.  

Asuka grumbled, sitting back down.  "Is it above the minimum?"

"Barely." Misato sighed and nodded.

"Good.  Then at least I'm not out of the fight because of this..." she 
glared down at herself.  "...body..."

Toji stopped gurgling on the floor and sat back up.  "Are you two done 
grossing me OUT?!?"

Misato shot him a nod.  "Yes.  You're done here, Toji.  The briefing is 
finished."

"Thank you." He stood, still making 'icky faces' at her and Asuka. 

Shinji and Rei both moved out quickly after, not really wanting to 
incur more wrath.  

Asuka lingered, though, looking down at herself.  "This isn't fair, you 
know..."

Misato nodded.  "I know."

"I don't even want children..." the redhead sighed, walking out of the 
room.  "Why do I need this?"  Misato followed close behind.

The major smiled softly and placed her hand on her shoulder.  "It makes 
us human, Asuka."

Asuka's eyes lowered, but she seemed to agree.  "I guess."

"Come on, we'll stop by the supermarket on the way home." Misato smiled 
helpfully.  "We'll get you some nice tea.  The right kinds can help a 
lot, you know."  Asuka turned on her heel.  Misato almost fell over 
while she tried to avoid the collision.  

"I don't think some tea is going to fix me."  The redhead hissed.

Misato was more than slightly unnerved as the door slammed in her face.













While they were hardly worried about it anymore, a Sync Test usually 
meant the Children could skip the rest of the day of school.  Today was 
no exception, and they were all looking forward to some R&R.

Shinji and Asuka parted from Toji and Rei as they always did.  Misato's 
apartment was the furthest away from the inner city, so they were 
always last on the street, walking home.  

Ikari smiled to himself as he looked at the 'fall' sky.  There was no 
real difference from the Spring, Summer...or even Winter...skies, 
except a slight bit more orange in the sunset as it came about an hour 
earlier than usual.  The wind almost made the atmosphere seem cool and 
crisp.  Truly, a wonderful time to be walking outdoors.  Even if it was 
in a crowded city. 

"I'm cold..." Asuka whispered to herself, startling Shinji out of his 
reflections.  

"Asuka-chan?" he blinked, looking over at her to see her arms crossed 
around themselves.  She wasn't shivering, but seemed almost ready to.  

She gasped, almost as if she didn't know she had said anything out 
loud.  "Uhm...ahh..." she blushed.  "Come on, baka...pick up the pace.  
It's getting windy."

"Hai." He nodded, following her pace as she zoomed in front.  

When they got home, they were both in a cold sweat.  "I'm going to get 
a bath." She informed him.  Almost as an afterthought, she turned with 
pleading eyes.  "What's for dinner?"

He smiled brightly.  "I was thinking of trying out some spaghetti."

Asuka smiled softly.  "Sounds good.  I'll be out in a bit."

He watched her walk off, then turned to the kitchen to prepare a meal.  
His smile had faded, though, and as he began to take out the boiling 
pot and noodles, he decided that he had to figure out what was wrong.  







Misato sighed as the security guards came into the dimly lit office.  
"Nuts...I was almost finished this paperwork..." she thought to 
herself. 

"Major." One saluted.  "Do you know what this is about?"

She took a long breath and nodded.  "I assume it would have something 
to do with the Sub-Commander's disappearance." She raised an eyebrow.  
"How you stooges let that happen, I'll never know."

The man looked slightly embarrassed.  Not much...but enough to show 
through his professionally honed shell of indifference.  "The 
perpetrators were actually members of NERV, ma'am.  There was no way we 
could have anticipated it."

"Mmm.  Maybe." She sighed, digging into her pocket to pull out her 
access card.  "So I assume you think Agent Ryouji is the prime 
suspect?"

The agent nodded.  "Yes.  That's why we've been asked to confine you to 
one of the NERV lower levels until this is resolved."

Misato nodded.  She had to admit, she might have done the same thing.  
"Well, I suppose that's logical considering our past relationship."  
Her gun was retrieved slowly and also placed on the desk in front of 
her.  

"Thank you, Major.  I'm sure this will be over soon."






Kaji sighed as he walked into his apartment.  It was musty and stale.  
He must have forgotten to set the air conditioning unit.  Come to think 
of it, weeks had passed since his last visit to what he laughingly 
called 'home'.

It was quiet as a tomb.

He walked to the fridge and took out a block of soup he had made a 
while ago, then shoved it in a bowl, then the microwave to heat it up.  
The only other movement was the soft, red glow of a light that kept 
flicking on and off. 

"Ahh, hell." He sighed, rushing over to the answering machine to check 
the messages. 

First one.  Misato's voice sounded a bit tired.  She was probably 
bogged down with paperwork again.  "Hey, Kaji.  I'm stuck doing 
paperwork for tonight.  You might not be able to take me up on that 
dinner idea.  Call me tonight and we'll set up a better time.  Ja."

With a chuckle, he remembered he would have been late anyway.  "Thanks, 
Katsuragi.  You have impeccable timing."

Second message.  Gendo.  "Well done."

Kaji shrugged to himself.  He was surprised Gendo even bothered to 
thank him for retrieving the Sub-Commander.  Maybe the Commander had 
been drinking, and was feeling generous. 

Third message. 

Kaji's eyes raised as he listened to it.  It would seem a few more of 
the favours people owed him would pay off tonight.  Unfortunately, he 
reasoned by the time he made it to the appointed place, it would 
already be time.  No time for soup.  He sighed.  "Another busy day." He 
walked over to his coat and picked it up.

Just as he was halfway out the door, though...

Fourth message.  Kaoru Miyazaki's voice seemed urgent enough that it 
stopped Kaji's focused walk out the door.  

"Kaji...are you there?  Listen...listen good....we need to talk."

Kaji raised an eyebrow.  "About time..." he smiled, but then closed the 
door behind himself.  "Maybe tomorrow, Sensei."  He shrugged off the 
sense of deja-vue and ran for his car.












"Supper's on!" Shinji said proudly as Asuka emerged from the hall, 
still drying her hair. 

She had changed and was wearing a big, fluffy sweater and jeans.  She 
seemed a bit sleepy...probably from the hour-long, leisurely bath she 
had just had, but was smiling at the sight of the food on the table.  
"Right on!  I'm starving!"

Shinji laughed to himself as Asuka discarded the towel around her head 
and started rolling up a nice big chunk of the spaghetti to flop down 
on her plate.  He sat down opposite to her, watching in amazement, and 
trying to figure out how she was using the forks so easily.  

Asuka, in turn, just dug in, grabbing the sauce and pouring it on top 
of the pasta.  Shinji tried his best to echo, having never really 
bothered trying the Italian dish for himself.  

"Mmm.  Good." She huffed, wiping her mouth as she slurped up a few of 
the noodles. 

Shinji blinked, then smiled nervously.  "Really?  It seems a 
bit...squiggly." he tried a nice big fork-full himself.  "Mmmm..."

She smiled, watching him struggle with the utensil, laughing as his 
next fork-full ended up in his lap.  "Do you need any help with that, 
Baka-kun?"

Shinji blushed and hurriedly picked up the noodles from his lap before 
it started scalding anything.  "I...I can manage." 

Asuka raised an eyebrow as, in Shinji's attempts to clean himself off, 
his elbow hit the plate and spilled another generous helping of noodles 
onto his crotch.  

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Shinji yelled out...the steamed noodles finally 
having enough collective heat to seep though through his pants.  Asuka 
gasped as he ran off to the bathroom.  "Gomen!  Gomen!  I'll be back!" 
he yelled, zooming past her.

Pen-Pen waddled out from his fridge, and helped himself to the 
spaghetti that had landed in his food dish.  "Wuaagh."

Asuka sighed.  "You can say that again."

"Wuaagh."

"Smartass."








Time had been flowing erratically for Kaji.  He seemed so busy 
lately...with the assignment Gendo had dropped in his lap...all the way 
up to today.  His life seemed to have not one moment for rest.

Not even right now...though he did seem relaxed.  It was a nice place, 
this part of NERV.  Quiet, and quite beautiful in the calm evening 
light.  

The moments were marked by the steady rhythm of the cooling fan-blades 
behind his back.  The sandwich he had managed to pick up on the way was 
gone now, leaving a wrapper on the floor that had skittered away, off 
into the darkness thanks to the air-flow.  

For some reason, he found himself thinking about Misato.  

The sound of footsteps approached, off in the shadows.  He relaxed 
slightly as he saw it was his contact.  

"Hey." He smiled warmly.  "You're late."

His smile dropped when he saw the glint of a gun barrel cut a brief, 
tell-tale reflection through the shadows.  

And as the sound of a gunshot pierced the silence...the air seemed to 
explode with yellow light.  Kaji's eyes went wide as he was thrown 
back, consciousness stolen.

The last thing he remembered hearing, besides the brief splatter of 
blood and flesh, was a foil sandwich bag...off to his side...being 
stepped on.










Shinji moaned as he stood up from the bath...now completely drenched in 
icy water up to his stomach.  "Spaghetti is dangerous." He told himself 
with a shiver. 

It took him a while to re-compose himself.  He discarded his pants to 
the laundry bin, and found a fresh pair he had not had time to iron and 
put away yet.  Soon, though, he was ready, and coaching himself to go 
out to laughing eyes and try his hand again at eating some of Asuka's 
food.  

She would probably think he was such a klutz.  At first, he hadn't 
minded it...normally ending up falling over her or her over him.  But 
spilling freshly boiled noodles on your privates?  That was pretty damn 
bad.  

He expected Asuka to be still laughing as he poked his head out from 
the hallway. 

She wasn't.

His worries were suddenly washed away as he saw her...sitting 
there...but not doing anything else.  Almost like a doll with it's 
strings cut away, frozen in it's last thought.

Her fork was raised in her hand, still having a mouthful of pasta 
entwined around it's teeth...but it didn't move.  She seemed to be 
studying it...if it wasn't for the look on her face.  

Asuka's eyes seemed dead.  For a brief moment, Shinji panicked.  The 
only thing that stopped him from rushing over to help her was a long, 
shaky sigh that the redhead let escape her lips.  

"A...suka..." he whispered to himself.  

It took him a long time to figure out what to do.  He couldn't just 
barge in on her like this...she seemed...so fragile.  Yet, his mind 
demanded he study this moment.  Candid Asuka.  He forced himself to try 
and figure out why she was doing this.  

Finally, though, he could come to no logical conclusion, and only 
promised himself to try to find out later. 

Shinji made a tactful retreat back into the hall, closing the bathroom 
door with more force this time, and sighing loudly so as to alert Asuka 
to his return. 

He wasn't too sure if it was a good thing...but when he turned the 
corner again, she was smiling over at him.  "Have fun, Baka?" she 
winked.  "You didn't singe anything, did you?"

"Not at all." He blushed, then smiled, sitting down...carefully...and 
helping himself to a much smaller plate of noodles before looking up at 
her.  "Asuka?"

"Hai?" she blinked, talking around the mouthful of food she had been 
neglecting before.  

He blinked, then looked down at the plate.  The image of her lifeless 
face worried him...but he forced himself to look back up.  "H...how's 
the spaghetti?"

Asuka smiled brightly.  "It's just fine, Shinji.  You're such a worry-
wart."

"Hai hai." He nodded, then tried again himself.  "Mmm...you're 
right...it's not bad."

She winked.  "See?  I told you that some non-Japanese food would be 
good for you."

He nodded and smiled back.  "You're right.  Thanks, Asuka!"

"No problem." She smiled and sighed.  "You're the one that cooked 
it...you should thank yourself."

Shinji shook his head.  "But I cooked it for you." A blush crept up on 
his features again.  "I never would have picked up any if you hadn't 
suggested it at the market.  Arigato, Asuka-chan."

She smiled happily, then returned her attentions to the food.  

Shinji sighed to himself.  If only he had been a better spy...maybe 
like Kaji-san.  He always knew how to solve problems like this.










Kaji wasn't really to sure what was going on when he awoke to see the 
fan blades above him.  

"H...holy shit..."  That was what he would have said...if it didn't 
come out as a series of coughs.  

His hand jetted up to his chest, then neck, then head...finally...to 
his groin, searching for blood and bullet-holes.  He relaxed as he 
realized he was completely intact. 

Except...

There was a bit of blood.  Not his...but it had splattered across his 
shoulder.  

The images and senses came flooding back into his mind.  T...those... 
glasses.  Such a cold...cold look.  It chilled him, even as he was 
thanking kami-san for the ability to feel cold at the moment. 

But...what had happened? 

The gun went off...

Then...

That feeling washed over him.  The way the air had split.  The light 
that erupted from nowhere, yet seemed as a knife.

Kaji took a scrambling step back as he saw a thin, charred line across 
the floor.  His finger explored it, then returned bloody.  He yelped as 
the pain set in.  The cut in the metal floor had been perfect, leaving 
a razor-edge.  

"God in Heaven..." he whispered.  "An A.T. Field..."












To be continued....

======================================================================


Good evening everyone!  It seems Higher Learning is on a 2 week 
rotation at the current time...and it won't get any worse, I promise.  
Of course, depending on my free-time, it will probably improve 
again...I'm aiming for a week-and-a-half.  Seems to be a good 
compromise. 

Ahhh, and yes, back to more Shinji-Asuka action.  I bet you were all 
hoping for some spaghetti-hentai-stuff to happen.  Well...so was 
I...but if I started doing that, it might not be good for the 
spookiness of the story.  :P  Yay!  Kaji gets to live...for now!  ^_^  
More on that next time, I hope.  After all, we can't have him dying 
before he and Misato get some funky horizontal action, now, can we? 

So, for now, this is Strike Fiss signing off...but before I go...oh 
yes...you know what time it is! 




   ***********THE ADVENTURES OF THE MISSING UNIT-04!***************







SCENE:  We open to the blue sky, then pan down as the roar of a crowd's 
cheer fills our ears.  The camera zooms in finally to show a giant 
arena, with each and every one of it's seats all packed full of fans of 
all ages!

Not everyone is happy, though.  One young boy in particular who seems 
to have a ball-cap surgically implanted over his eyes, and wild hair 
sticking out of the sides.  His clothes are simple, but he does have a 
long vest on, with several round objects on them, hanging via Velcro.

BOY:  "NOOOOOOOOO!  Butterfree!  Don't charge at him!!!  What are 
you...ARGH!"

We cut to the arena, where too small monsters are battling it out in 
the ring, that is shaped much like the round white-and-red balls that 
many of the younger children seem to have on their clothing.  

A tiny, abet, bouncy yellow rat-thing is on the ground, while a 
smoking, fluttering giant butterfly is in the air, getting ready to 
attack.  Sure enough, Butterfree charges...but the yellow Pikachu 
simply discharges another round of electricity, knocking it's opponent 
out of the sky and into the dirt. 

PIKACHU:  "Pika Pikaa!"

We now scan back to besides the boy with the weird hat, to see Ash, the 
up-and-comer in the Pokemon battle circuit this evening.  

ASH:  "Hah ahahahaa!  I win again!  You rule, Pikachu!"

The other trainer retrieves his battered Butterfree as he walks off.  
Ash's name, along with a picture of his winning Pokemon is put up on 
the board as the new champion so far...with only one more challenger 
before he takes home the prize.  

ASH:  "All right!  Just one more, Pikachu, and we've won the cup!"

PIKACHU:  "Pikaaaaaaa!"

ANNOUNCER:  "And finally, the last match of the day...for the title of 
Pokemon Master!  Will the challenger please step forward!"

Everyone is a bit surprised as an older man steps out of the crowd with 
a big, metal suitcase in his gloved hands.  

GENDO:  "You are Ash, are you not?"

ASH:  <smirking>  "That's right, old man.  You think you can win 
against me and my best buddy?"

GENDO:  "Yes."

ASH:  "Hey!  Pikachu!  This old grandpa thinks he's goinna win!" 

PIKACHU:  <laughing>  Pikkkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

GENDO:  <his glasses reflecting the light>  "Shall we begin?"

ASH:  <nods>  "Okay, let's fight!"

GENDO:  <grins, then opens his case, pulling out a Pokeball> 

                  "I CHOOSE YOU, EVA-UNIT-FOUR!"


Pikachu is dwarfed by a giant shadow that blocks out the sun as the 
Pokeball deposits it's contents onto the battle.


PIKACHU:  "P...Pika?"

ASH:  "Holy...mother...of...Christ..." <shakes out of it>  
"Uhm...Hurry, Pikachu!  He can't be all that tough!  FIGHT!"

Suddenly, the Sub-Commander is seated besides Gendo. 

FUYUTSUKI:  "Looks like we've won."

GENDO:  "Mmm..."

Pikachu steels himself and unleashes a massive explosion of electricity 
unlike anything he had ever done before!!!

UNIT-4:  "Grrrrrrrrrrrrr..."

PIKACHU:  "P..."

A massive, yellow, cross-shaped explosion vaporized everyone within a 
10 mile radius, except Gendo and Fuyutsuki.  

GENDO:  <surveying the desolate wasteland that was the arena>  "Yui 
never thought I'd become a Pokemon master."

FUYUTSUKI:  <sighs>  "You really want to impress her, don't you."

GENDO:  <adjusts his glasses>  "Now...if only I could beat Final 
Fantasy VII.  That Sepharoth guy is one tough fucker."

Both the Sub-Commander, and Unit-04 fell over, creating large amounts 
of dust. 



***********************************************************************

The end! ^_^ 





e-mail:   strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.studioshinnyo.com
            or
          http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110




Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF

From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning

  Strike Fiss, 2000















Thirty-Seventh Lesson:  "Dates"











Asuka sat up in bed, completely silent.  She could hear the speaker 
begin to charge with the tiny bit of electricity it would need to sound 
the alarm clock...and reached over Shinji to pull the plug before it 
did.

Not yet...she though.  She had to think for a moment.  Morning would 
wait patiently.

She sighed, looking down at the sleeping young Ikari.  He seemed so 
calm...so calm like he did not have a care in the world.  Why would he?  
He had his woman in his bed next to him...faithfully by his side.  
Whenever she was in trouble, he would come ripping through the Angels 
to save her.  

She felt sick.

She hated feeling sick.

Even worse...she didn't want to feel like this.  She didn't want to 
think like this.  She knew it was probably just her period coming up, 
and her birthday this week, and all the stress over the last month...

No.

Asuka Langley Sohryu did not make excuses.  Even if they were true...

She felt sick.  


....


Papa! 

Why is papa sleeping like that?  

Momma?

You aren't my Momma...

Why are you with Papa!


....

There was a shudder as she forced back the memories.  Physical effort 
seemed to be required as they pushed back...stronger than before...but 
she succeeded like always.  

Still, she could see Shinji in that same pose...  Her father...had been 
sleeping like that...the same sleepy smile on his face as a new woman 
warmed the sheets next to him.

As she looked herself over, she was startled to find herself 
not...herself.  Nobody else in particular...just not...her.  Her skin 
felt gray and cracked, like an old photograph as it bled it's colour to 
the day's sun.  She felt like a memory...alive...but still a memory 
that would be forgotten as soon as her body was no longer there to warm 
the covers.

Her hair drooped over her face as she watched Shinji with rapt 
curiosity.  "What happens when I'm dead, Shinji?" 

The sleeping boy just continued on doing so, oblivious to the whisper. 

"Will you find someone else to sleep next to you?" she leaned down 
almost...predatorily...caging his chest with her hair.  "Perhaps Rei?  
I'm sure Rei would love to find out what it's like to sleep with 
someone...to be pressed against someone all night long..." a small 
whimper caught in her throat.  "To want to have you...but..."

She sat back up as Shinji breathed in sharply and rolled to her, still 
asleep, but now nestled into her lap.

Asuka was a bit startled by this.  Not that he was touching anywhere 
too sensitive, or in an awkward position...but he seemed so comfortable 
with her next to him.  Still, Asuka mused it would not take much for 
Rei to be sitting here, cradling his head as he slept. 

Or Misato.  Or maybe any of the half-a-dozen girls she had noticed once 
or twice paying too much attention to him.  

"Will you be like Papa?" she whispered as he slept.  "Finding a new 
face if I go?  Or maybe Kaji-san?" she let out a long...tired sigh.  
"Leaving Misato behind as you find your next conquest..." she leaned 
down a bit, whispering into his ear.  "It's in your blood, I bet...you 
Ikari men are quite the lady-killers..."

A long pause.

"I hate feeling like this..." she said to herself, loud enough to start 
her bed companion on the rise to consciousness.

Shinji woke up after a moment, just in time to see Asuka walking off to 
get dressed.  He smiled sleepily and was about to say a hello when she 
closed the door behind herself. 

He blinked, then sighed, stretching out on the bed, trying to force 
himself to wake up a bit more before he had to stand.  "Asuka..."








Maya smiled brightly as she gave the Sub-Commander a brief salute.  
"Good morning, Sir!"

Fuyutsuki smiled, his leather features turning into a look of warmth.  
"Good morning.  How's the scans on Unit-01 progressing?" he asked, 
taking a sip from his coffee mug.  

"Very well.  Ritsuko-sempai and I will be trying a new micro-particle 
detection array from the German branch.  The specifications on the 
sensors are quite amazing.  Almost twice as sensitive as the ones we 
have!" Maya said.

"That's good.  Hopefully we'll be able to release the lock on the Eva 
soon." He said.  "As much as the thing scares the hell out of me, it 
still saves our butt." He smiled.

Maya nodded, then gave him a look.  "Sir...if..."

"Go on?" he blinked.

"If you don't mind me asking, there was a rumour you had been..." she 
blushed and laughed.  "Kidnapped just yesterday."

He raised his eyebrow and smiled.  "Really?   Who said that?"

Maya blushed and stammered.  "Uhm...well..."

He laughed.  "It's okay, Ibuki-san.  I was just kidding." He finished 
off the rest of his coffee and looked around the otherwise empty lunch 
room.  "Quite frankly, if someone thought I was worth kidnapping, I'd 
be quite flattered."

She laughed and bowed.  "Yes sir...I suppose I'd feel the same way.  I 
would have assumed either the Commander or, in my case, Miss Ritsuko 
would be more valuable than us."

Fuyutsuki smiled and nodded...then leaned in and winked.  "Of 
course...that's what we'd have them believe, right, Agent Maya?"

She blushed and smiled brightly.  "Hai hai, Dark Leader!"

He chuckled then nodded.  "Well, I'm off to the main bridge.  See you 
there."

Maya watched him walk off, smiling.  She always felt so nervous around 
the other Bridge Crew, except for the Sub-Commander.  He seemed to be 
the one with the most common sense; at least compared to the Commander.

After retrieving two cups of coffee...one with double sugar, 
black...and one with one cream, one sugar for herself, she started off 
to the Eva cages, where Sempai would be working at getting the new 
sensor array ready.  

She was quite a bit shocked to see Ritsuko slumped over in her chair, 
holding her head tiredly as she looked at the screen.  She looked 
almost like she had been here all night...but Maya had seen her go home 
the night before...

"Sempai?"

Ritsuko almost fell out of her seat, literally yelling as her 
apprentice spoke up.  Maya almost yelled too.  "Maya!  PLEASE don't 
scare me like that!" she gasped, completely white.  

"G...Gomen-nasai!" Maya bowed nervously, then rushed over to set the 
coffees on the desk in front of them.  As she leaned over her boss, she 
realized that she was still shaking.  

"Sorry..." Ritsuko breathed out, relaxing a bit.  "I had a rough 
night..." Any further explanation was cut off by the coffee cup being 
lifted to her lips.  

Maya shivered slightly as she sat down, trying not to look at the older 
woman.  She looked horrible...and she didn't want to start thinking 
about what might have happened last night...

Gendo...

....no....she had to keep focused.  Sempai would need her to be calm and 
collected until she...recovered. 

"Th...did...did the new sensors come in?" Maya asked, forcing herself 
to focus.  

Ritsuko seemed to smile a bit as she asked...probably just as relieved 
to get down to business.  "Yeah, the technicians installed them this 
morning.  We should be ready for our initial zeroing scans right now."

"Sounds great, Sempai!" Maya smiled, swivelling in her chair to start 
typing in the commands.

Ritsuko sighed to herself and eased herself back down in her chair, 
rubbing her eyes.  

Maya noticed finally.  "Sempai?"

"Yes?"

"Where are your glasses?" she blinked, regarding her older companion in 
a new light.  She looked so different without them.  The air of 
crispness seemed gone...almost melted away.  She looked so warm and 
friendly.  In fact, Maya would even dare say she looked even prettier 
than usual...if it wasn't for the dark circles under her eyes and the 
ghostly white of her skin. 

Ritsuko blinked, then smiled a bit guiltily.  "They broke.  I'll have 
to get a new pair today."

"Ahh."  Maya smiled, then returned to her work.








Misato had been a bit nervous all night.  She didn't sleep very well, 
that was for sure.  Being locked up at NERV while something outside was 
happening...she didn't even know if the Sub-Commander had been found 
yet.  Her shift didn't start for another four hours, and she didn't 
dare go near the phone.

It could be bad news.

"Kaji...you baka..." she whispered to herself.  All at once, all her 
worst fears seemed to cloud through her brain.  Half of them ending 
with his running off with another woman...half of that remaining was 
him rotting away in a prison...and the rest involved Last Rites.  

"I can't call..." she whispered.   "If I do, they'll tell me he's dead 
or something..."

The phone rang.

Her heart almost stopped...then sped up.  "Oh God..."

It rang again, doing what phones do.

She crawled out of her futon...not really messy anyway, since she 
hadn't slept in it much.  Her phone rang once more.  Three times a 
charm, she sighed...then picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Major!" Came a voice much too cheery to fit her mood.  "I hope I 
didn't wake you..."

She grumbled to herself.  "No, Kaoru, you didn't." a long sigh.  "What 
do you want?  I'm a busy woman, you know..."

A long pause, then a sigh on the other end.  "Never mind...I'll just 
find someone els..."

Misato cringed.  "Fine, fine...sorry.  What's up?"

Kaoru coughed on the other end.  "Uhm...well...I wasn't sure..."

She groaned, then allowed herself a small smile.  "Spit it out, man.  
I'm sorry for snapping at you about Shinji.  I promise I'm not mat at 
you."

"Oh..." his voice brightened considerably.  "Well, then!  I was 
wondering if you wanted to come to a convention with me."

"A convention?" Misato blinked, sitting back down on the floor.  "What 
do you mean?"

"Seems that the principal of the school likes me, and wants me to 
prepare a speech for the other teachers of the district.  I'm just on a 
lunch break right now, so I thought I'd ask."

Misato sighed and smiled.  "Well, I am working tonight...what time is 
the thing?"

"After ten."

Misato looked at the clock.  "I don't know...if I can make it..." she 
sighed.  "I'm working a bit late..."

"Can you call in sick?" the Sensei asked hopefully.  "I'm serious, this 
will be a nice chance to get out, and maybe pay you back for all the 
weirdness that happened there..."

Misato sighed, trying not to worry about all that Kaji had been saying.  
"I don't know...I mean, NERV does owe me a sick day or two...but..."

"Fancy dinner...free bar..."

Misato desperately had to resist the urge to jump at the mention of 
free drinks.  Old habits die hard, she grumbled to herself.  
"We...uhm...I...I dunno...I guess...maybe I can..."

The phone was suddenly yanked from her hand, scaring the living 
daylights out of her.  She stumbled back to see Kaji, alive, but 
covered in dirt and looking like hell...standing over her, holding the 
phone.  

He smiled into the receiver.  "Sorry, Misato is busy tonight," and hung 
up the phone.  

Misato, normally, would have been yelling at him, but she was too busy 
kissing him, holding on for dear life, and not even sure why.








School was rather normal that day.  Sensei Miyazaki seemed to be in a 
strange mood, and they basically worked on the system of taxes and what 
would be spent in their modified Tokyo-3.  It was still better than 
normal work, so nobody complained, and it was actually a nice way to 
spend a class. 

Everyone looked up, a bit surprised as the final bell rang.  Kaoru 
smiled at the class and nodded.  "Have a good weekend, children.  We'll 
finish up the project next week, so if you have any more ideas, be sure 
to get them ready for your final presentations on Wednesday."

The class bowed and rushed out, laughing and calling after each other 
as they went.  

As Rei passed the teacher's desk, though, she stopped.  Kaoru looked up 
tiredly, shuffling his papers around.  "Yes, Miss Ayanami?"

She looked at him for a moment.  "You are working on a speech?"

He blinked, then looked down at his papers and laughed.  "Yeah, I 
suppose I am.  I have to give a talk tonight in front of the regional 
conference."

Rei smiled brightly...surprising Kaoru a bit.  "That sounds nice."

"Well, it was going to be nice." He sighed, forgetting himself a bit.  
"But I can't find a date.  It seems your Director of Operations is busy 
for the night."

Rei nodded, then raised an eyebrow.  "May I come?"

Kaoru blinked.  "What...to the conference??"

She nodded and smiled.  "Hai.  If you do not have a date, may I join 
you to observe your speech?"

He blushed.  "Well...I don't know if students are allowed..."

Rei blinked, then bowed her head.  "I understand."

He sighed, watching her leave...but then smiled.  "Sure!"

She turned, surprised. 

"I'm sure they'd let you in.  I mean, what better way to help explain 
my way of teaching than to have a student present?"

"It does seem to be a logical idea." Rei smiled softly.

Kaoru nodded and laughed.  "Thank you, Miss Ayanami.  Once again, 
you've offered your company to me when normally I'd be doomed to be 
surrounded by four walls...or people who act like walls anyway." He 
looked at his watch.  "I'll meet you at the Loop-Line station Three.  
Say, around nine o'clock?"

"That is acceptable." Rei bowed happily.  "Oh...uhm...is it formal?"

He blinked, then nodded.  "Yes."

"Good!" Rei grinned.  Miyazaki blinked and got slightly worried as Rei 
rushed out. 

"Oy...that girl is getting spooky." He laughed...then grinned a bit 
evilly.  "I bet Gendo's just shitting his pants..."

With that, he packed up his things and left.







"The kids will be home soon..." Misato moaned out softly as Kaji rolled 
off of her stomach, propping himself up next to her.  The futon...and 
indeed the entire room...was now thoroughly messed up.  

"So?" he smiled, leaning down to give her a tender kiss.  "They can 
watch..."

"Hentai..." Misato grinned sleepily.

"You weren't complaining..."

"I was a hentai too back then." Misato defended, all the while 
grinning.

"What about now?" He blinked.

Misato sighed, thinking of an answer as she ran her hands through his 
hair.  "I'm a much more...refined...hentai."

Kaji chuckled, and let out a long, content sigh as he descended back 
between her breasts, resting there for a moment.  "Did I ever tell you 
about the melons I'm growing??"  

Misato laughed softly, letting his head lift up and down with her 
chest.  When she noticed him not laughing, though, she was a bit 
surprised.  "You...you're not kidding?" she smiled.  "Kaji the 
gardener??  Oh my...is there anything you DON'T do?"

He looked up at her, smiling.  "I don't look a gift horse in the mouth.  
That's for sure."

"What do you mean?" Misato blinked, a little surprised at the tone of 
his voice.  

"I was dead." He whispered.

Misato's eyes widened.  "W...what do you mean?"

He shook his head, and with a long sigh, he sat up in the blankets next 
to her.  "Something saved my life last night..." he looked down at her 
and smiled sadly.  "I'm living on borrowed time right now."

Misato sat up and hugged him tightly.  "You are NOT dead.  You are here 
and very much alive."

He sighed, feeling the cares and worries of the world melting away.  
"Maybe you're right..."

"I know I'm right." She pouted...then, wanting to change the subject, 
smiled against his ear.  "Now...why don't we get dressed.  You can tell 
me about these melons you're growing."

Kaji blinked, then smiled.  "How about if I show you?"

"That sounds like a date." She nodded, giving him a long kiss that 
slowly pushed them back down under the covers.  

"What about the Children?" Kaji whispered as Misato crawled up on top 
of him again.  

"Maybe they'll be late coming home." She murmured into his chest.

"What about the melons?" Kaji offered.

"Mmm..." Misato took his hands and placed them on a rough equivalent of 
'melons'.  "These will do for now..."








Shinji followed behind Asuka, watching her walk.  Normally he 
didn't...but he didn't have much choice in the matter tonight.  She was 
just strutting home, on a mission to just get there.  She wasn't even 
talking to him.  Normally she'd at least tell him if something was 
bothering her...quite loudly too.  

But she was so distant.  

So, Shinji took a chance, did some mental calculations in his head, and 
began searching for what he needed.  

Ahh...yes...the first tool of any secret agent. (or so he assumed)

"Asuka...come with me." He stated loudly.  

She stopped then spun on her heel.  "What??" then frowned. "What are 
you talking abo...HEY!"

Shinji grabbed her by the wrist and began to pull her across the street 
when it was safe to do so.  She was too surprised to stop him, and 
ended up following without his lead.  

"What's going on, Baka?" she demanded as they ran into a small mini-
mall.

"This is important." He said, huffing and puffing.  "Follow me!"

She sighed and followed quickly.  Her anger was slowly moving to 
curiosity.  "Fine, just hurry up."

He skidded to a stop.  She did as well, almost running into him.  He 
looked at her and pointed into the shop.  A very surprised Coffee-Shop 
owner was behind the counter.  

Asuka blinked, then sighed, walking inside.  Shinji smiled and walked 
in after her, going to the counter.  "Uhm, two hot-chocolates, please."

The man smiled and began to fix up their drinks as Shinji sat down at 
one of the secluded tables.  Asuka was already there, staring out the 
window.  "What are we doing here?" she grumbled.

"We're going to have a cup of hot chocolate together." Shinji said 
sternly, trying to seem as confident as he could.

She raised an eyebrow at him and sighed.  "Why?"

"Because we have not done that yet, and I thought it was about time we 
did." Shinji shrugged.

Asuka blinked.  She tried to recall a time they shared hot-chocolate 
together, but realized he was right.  It seemed too ordinary to worry 
about, though.  "Uhm..." she blinked again.  "Why??"

He smiled as the two cups were set before them, and handed the man the 
last of his pocket change, glad he had guessed the price of the drinks 
fairly accurately.  "Arigato."  

Alone again, Asuka waited for him to answer her question.

He didn't.  Shinji just sipped his chocolate.

Asuka sighed, then dipped her finger into her own mug, having a taste 
as she glared at him, still waiting.  "Well?"

"Well what?" He blinked.

"Why did you think it was about time we did this?" she sighed, a bit 
angry at his evasiveness. 

He just smiled.  "Why not?"

Asuka crossed her arms in protest...but Shinji just kept sipping his 
drink. 

After a while, she sighed, gave in and figured she may as well take 
advantage of a free cup of coco.  Shinji smiled warmly as she had a few 
sips.  

"Gomen...just it seemed like you needed...this." He shrugged, looking 
around.

Asuka sighed, leaning back in her chair.  "Well...I don't." she looked 
into her mug. 

He sighed and nodded, lowering his head slightly.  

Asuka looked up from her mug.  "But thanks, anyway..."

Shinji smiled.  "You're welcome."







Maya smiled as she returned with a third cup of coffee for them both.  
Sempai was looking much better now, though she still looked a bit white 
in the skin.  Maybe it was cold in here...she couldn't tell right now. 

"Here you go, Sempai!" she smiled, glad that Ritsuko didn't jump this 
time.  She had been a bit worried about it before, but once they had 
started working, everything seemed back to normal.

"Arigato, Maya." The blond smiled a thanks, and picked up the cup 
casually in her right hand.  

Maya blinked, surprised once more that day, when Ritsuko let out a 
sharp curse, and quickly picked up the mug with her left hand instead.  
"Sempai??"

She blinked, as if just realizing what she did.  "Oh, sorry, Maya." She 
laughed.  "Just hurt my arm a bit last night."

Maya blushed despite herself.  "H...how did you do that??"

Ritsuko shook her head.  "Oh, I dunno...probably knocked it into a wall 
when I was getting ready for bed, or maybe I just slept on it weird.  
It's no big deal."

"Are you sure, Sempai?" Maya asked, rushing over to her side to see if 
she could tell what was wrong.  "You shouldn't be typing if your hand 
is sore..." she said with genuine concern.

Ritsuko smiled nervously...a lump suddenly caught in her throat.  "It's 
nothing, Maya.  I just ignore it and it doesn't hurt."

The lump in her throat might have not caught anyone else's attention, 
but Maya heard it loud and clear.  Still, her sense of duty told her 
not to question her Sempai...her friend...her...whatever else.  Ritsuko 
would know what to do.  She always knew what was best.  Maya shouldn't 
worry...she can take care of herself...

She smiled slightly, then nodded.  "Hai..." and placed a gentle hand on 
her friend's shoulder.  "I'll just..."

Ritsuko cried out in pain, causing Maya to almost jump backwards.  Her 
hand did, leaving Ritsuko's shoulder as fast as it came.  "Ahh!  Shit!" 
she gritted her teeth, trying desperately not to show the pain, but 
failing miserably.  

Maya just shook, completely frightened.  At first, she hadn't seen 
anything...but now...very slowly...a red spot was expanding out on 
Ritsuko's white lab-coat.  "SEMPAI!!  You're bleeding!"

All of a sudden, Ritsuko broke.  "LEAVE ME ALONE!" she yelled.  The 
force of her words literally threw Maya back.

The poor young woman just shook, fallen on the floor as she watched the 
blond scientist curl up in her chair, holding her shoulder in obvious 
pain.  Her entire body was shaking...not out of pain, however, rather 
of her silent sobs.  

"I know..." Ritsuko shivered.  "I know I'm bleeding...I'm sorry...I 
didn't mean to yell at you...I just..."

Maya could barely breathe as Ritsuko broke down further, crying openly.  
Something she had never imagined she would ever see...nor ever hoped 
she would.  She started for the door, scared out of her wits...

But before she could leave, her hand stopped.  She saw herself pressing 
the door panel, closing the automatic metal shield.  A few technicians 
looked up, unconcerned at the action, then returned to their duties 
around the Eva Cage.

Maya walked back to Ritsuko slowly, kneeling besides her.  "Sempai... 
it's okay...I...I'm here for you..."  Her soft, shaking voice was still 
so much more confident sounding than Ritsuko's hitching sobs.

And it seemed to help. 

Ritsuko cried for another few minutes, but eventually she began to 
slow.  The chairs were discarded after a moment later, and Maya found 
herself holding Ritsuko in a warm embrace, trying to comfort the 
shivering Doctor.  

"I..." Ritsuko sobbed against Maya's shoulder.  "I didn't want you to 
see this..." she shook her head.  "I'm sorry..."

"I don't mind." Maya replied, doing her best to sound strong.  "Nobody 
else will see...I shut the door...just let it out."

Ritsuko's body shook a few more times, but she seemed to be comforted a 
bit.  "I hate feeling like this..." she whispered into her friend's 
shoulder.  "I hate knowing what I know...doing what I do..." she buried 
her face in Maya's cloth shoulder, ignoring how soaked it was already.  
"You don't deserve this..."

Maya was a bit shocked to hear that.  The words were different, but the 
meaning was clear to her...at least in her mind.  She was a bit worried 
when Ritsuko lifted her head and slowly crawled back up to her chair, 
turning away from her as if in shame.  

"You don't deserve to be around a horrible person like me." Ritsuko 
whispered, hunched over like a rag doll in her chair.  The bleeding on 
her shoulder had stopped, but she still looked to be in pain.  "You're 
too good for this, Maya..."

Maya just sat there, ignoring the tears that were coming to her face.  

"If you were smart..." Ritsuko hissed suddenly.  "You'd leave this 
place...leave it before Eva gets her hands into you and tears you 
apart..." 

"Sempai..."

"Or before HE gets his hands on you...and squeezes you for every last 
drop you're worth before tossing you away as garbage..."

"Sempai..."

"I'm horrible..." Ritsuko whispered, staring blankly into the 
wall...then smiled a strange, cold smile.  "...and yet, I can't even do 
that right...I can't even please him..."

"Sempai...please don't do this..." Maya whispered, barely above a 
breath.  

Ritsuko closed her eyes and let her head rest on the cold computer 
terminal.  "Your Sempai is a horrible, horrible woman.  She is weak, 
and cold...she is too heartless to love anything anymore.  Most of all, 
she is nothing more than a tool now..."

The feeling of something wet against her back startled her.  

Ritsuko slowly turned around...now feeling the arms around her body, 
and the strange warmth that was washing through her senses.  Maya clung 
to her back, sobbing quietly.

"Sempai...you are not horrible..." she whispered, shaking.  "Whatever 
you've done, you make up for in your brilliance...your passion..."

Ritsuko just sat there, completely stunned as the younger woman poured 
out her heart.  

"A tool could never earn respect..." Maya cried.  "Like you have mine!  
Someone horrible could never do so many good things!  Help create Eva 
and the Magi...and so much more!"

"M...aya...?"

Maya never stopped.  "Someone heartless...could never be loved... 
like...I..." she buried her face in Ritsuko's coat.

The next part was too muffled to hear.  Ritsuko felt it, though.  









Kaji lead them as they walked through the Geofront's forest.  Misato 
followed, still with a content smile on her face.  Kaji mused he would 
probably have one on his lips as well, if he hadn't been so confused by 
the last twenty four hours.  

"Tell me, Katsuragi..." he mused out loud.  "Do you believe in 
reincarnation?  Or maybe that...I don't know...like we've lived this 
life before?"

"God...I hope not..." she sighed, following him up along the lake-side.  
"This one is too fucked up."

"Agreed." He smiled, but then took on a more serious tone.  "But...what 
if it was?"

"So what if it was?" Misato shrugged.  "We would never know.  I doubt 
we'd care, either."

"Are you so sure?" Kaji said, looking back at her briefly.  "With all 
we've seen and heard of...even you must know that there's really no 
such thing as impossible anymore." He turned back and kept walking.  
"You saw Hell on Earth...the incarnate of Adam.  You can't say you 
don't entertain possibilities that this world isn't as simple as it 
seems."

Misato frowned slightly.  "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying we've been here before, Misato." But then, he smiled.  
"Well, not here..."

They finally reached a patch of undisturbed earth, a small haven in the 
expanse of the Geofront that seemed so pristine and pure...despite the 
fact it had been put there by mankind.  Misato recognized the area, but 
she hadn't been here herself...it was too much out of the way to allow 
frequent visits.  It seemed perfect for Kaji, though.

"I've been having the worst case of Deja-Vue I've ever had all this 
week." He said, walking over to a small bush and parting it with his 
hands as he knelt down.

Misato followed him, kneeling also, and letting her hands drape across 
his back.  "You too?"

"But..." he smiled over to her.  "This morning...when I woke up in that 
dark room, still alive, that feeling was gone.  Like I was starting 
something new." He sighs.  "It disturbs me that...perhaps in some other 
set of events, I should be dead."

Misato hugged him tightly.  "Don't say that."

"But...I didn't tell you what saved me." Kaji said, leaning over and 
patting a ripe, full watermelon on it's blotchy green skin.

Misato smiled a bit jokingly.  "...God came down and stopped the 
bullets?" she chuckled, reciting a line from an old 1990's movie.  

He groaned.  "No." he smiled.  "But I do think there was an angel 
watching over me."

Misato frowned...then blinked.  Kaji just nodded.  

She shivered slightly and leaned into him as they sat down next to his 
melons.  "What's going on here?"

"I can't be sure." Kaji shook his head.  "And maybe that's a good 
thing."  He paused, then quietly dug something out of his pocket, 
placing it in Misato's hand.

"What's this?" she asked, looking at a small microchip that was encased 
in an anti-static film.  

"Nobody thinks I'm still alive." He whispered.  "Not for another few 
hours...maybe days if I'm lucky.  I'm not supposed to be able to give 
this to you.  Nobody will be watching you right now.  It is right now 
that I CAN give this to you without worrying that it will be taken 
away."

Misato sighed, then smiled.  "Well?  What is it?"

"Project E." he said softly.  "Start to finish.  The Angels, the Evas, 
even the Children.  You'll find the real versions in there...as best as 
I've found."

Misato gasped, quickly putting the chip in her coat.  She had a small 
pocket on the interior with a zipper, and sealed it in there.  
"Everything?"

He nodded.  "It's pass-worded, though."

She blinked.  "What is it?"

"Something I should have said to you...long ago." He said, staring off 
into space for a moment as Misato watched him.  Kaji finally took a 
deep breath and turned to her.  "I love you."







As the artificial sun set in the Geofront, the twilight gave way to a 
new beginning for a pair of old lovers.  It closed a tiring day for two 
younger ones, and found comfort in two very old friends.  










To be continued.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey hey!  Fissy here.  I bet you're all about to say:  "Hey, Fiss, how 
come you're a lazy bastard?"  Well, I will answer that with a simple:  
"HEY!  I'VE BEEN BUSY!"  ^_^ 

Sorry people.  I'm tryin here.  

However, I hope you enjoyed Lesson 37.  A few more loose ends tied up 
now, and just in time for an Angel.  <grins> Hehehe.  I'm so evil. 

And it is late, and I just woke up, so I think I'll start on Lesson 38.  
Who knows, I might actually get it done for the weekend to make up for 
all my slacking off.  Would that be good?  Yesss, I thought so.  

A few questions and comments to be addressed:

-Yes, I know that NERV has AT Field sensors in their base, and they 
should have gone nuts and deployed Evas when Kaji was mysteriously 
saved. ...  or should they.  Heheeheheh.  
-Yes, I know that Shinji is still acting a bit embarrassed when Asuka 
is nice to him...even after they've been cuddling in the same bed for a 
month or so now.  But, really, Shinji isn't about to go from his 
previous Gendo-mentality of "I can't believe anyone can love me" to 
"Wow, she loves me!" just like that.  He'll probably be a bit strange 
all his life.  But, hey, that's half the fun.
-Maya and Ritsuko.  Yes, Ritsuko knows now.  Of course, what happens 
after that is up to them.  Hentais.  <laughs>  No, don't worry, I won't 
just drop the subject.  I can still have lots more character 
hell...er...Development.  :P  So it should be fun.

And, finally, I'd like to ask why no less than half a dozen people 
think I've died and will never update my website when it's been any 
more time than 2 weeks.  Especially when most fanfics come out on a 
MONTHly schedule?  

Grrr.

I mean, I personally don't mind if you can't take time out of your busy 
life to check my website...of course, that's why I have the mailing 
list in the Introduction section of my site:

http://shinnyo.twu.net/list.html
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110/list.html

Every update I send out a 'heads up'.  So if you don't enjoy checking 
for non-existent updates, just subscribe.  ^_^  



Okay, and besides that, I'd like to thank people for the guesses, 
comments, and complaints.  ^_^  I really do love it all, so don't 
hesitate to e-mail me!  Whee!  

No Omake tonight, gomen, but my brain isn't working in a 'goofy' mood 
at the moment, and I want to use that to get started on more writing.  

 Ja na!  -Fiss






  e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.studioshinnyo.com
mirror 1: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110




Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF

From: Strike Fiss <ncrceo@home.com>
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This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------9BE68E9E8C0255FD3C1B7FFB

 
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Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning

  Strike Fiss, 2000















Thirty-Eighth Lesson:  "Conferences"









Once again, it started with Beethoven.

Kaoru blinked as he heard the humming, turning to Rei, who was seated 
to his left in the passenger seat of the rent-a-car.  "Rei?"

She blinked, looking up at him.  "Hai?"

"You were humming." The teacher blinked.  

"Hai." She smiled softly. 

Sensei Kaoru just smiled and nodded, returning his attentions to the 
parking lot.  "I wanted to thank you again for coming, Rei.  I 
shouldn't have asked, but I knew you of all people would be able to 
appreciate what I'm doing here."

Rei just nodded.  "Thank you, Sensei.  I'm glad I could come along."

He smiled as he found a parking space, just as Rei was finishing up the 
last few bars from somewhere in the middle of the 5th Symphony.  "I 
didn't know you liked Beethoven, Rei?"

"I didn't." she said.  "But I have been interested in hearing more."

"Good to hear." Kaoru said as he backed the car up into an empty stall.  
"Though, you should also expand your exposure.  I could probably dig up 
some of my old Bach compact disks for you if you were interested."

"I...I do not have a CD player." Rei blushed, curling her hands up in 
her blouse (yet another example of her shopping abilities).  

Kaoru blinked, then nodded.  "I'm sure we could get you one to borrow 
from the school media library, Rei-chan!"  

"Really?" Rei beamed, then blushed.  "I mean...that would be too much 
to ask of..."

"Not at all!" Kaoru chuckled.  "Just promise me you'll write the next 
test and pass."

Rei nodded firmly as the engine cut off, and they stepped out of the 
car.  "I will do my best, Sensei!"

They arrived a bit late, due to Kaoru's unfamiliar navigation skills.  
Tokyo-3 could be a very strange place to move around outside of mass-
transit.  How Misato could drive so confidently and fast in this maze 
was a mystery to nearly everyone.  

Both of them sneaked into the giant Omoi Conference Room while the 
crowd was clapping from the previous speech.  Rei was amazed there were 
so many teachers in all of Japan, let alone just the Tokyo area.  While 
most would be researchers and specialists, she did see a few other 
teachers from their school.  Most were seated around the same table, 
and indeed, Kaoru lead them over to that area, arriving just as the 
applause died out and the speaker returned to the front, going on and 
on about the budget for a good long while, and giving the Sensei and 
his student time to find their seats.  

"The system works." Kaoru winked at Rei, who just smiled back.  

The room let out a small, collective sigh as the lights dimmed, and a 
projection of student facts and figures came up on the presentation 
board.  

"I think we arrived too early, Sensei." Rei mentioned quietly.

"Me too." He sighed, then smiled.  "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." Rei smiled earnestly.

The two men three tables across from them slowly put away their 
newspapers and walked for the door.  One pulled out a comm. unit just 
before the door closed.  











"Dah dah dah dah dah dah dah-dah!"  

Shinji and Asuka looked over to the radio with a blink.

"Dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah!  Just take those old records off the 
shelf!  I'll sit and listen to them byyyy myself..."

She grumbled and turned the radio off.  Shinji blinked.  "Hey!  That 
was a good song!"

"It was not." She pouted, returning her attention quickly to the papers 
laid out in front of her...scribbling quickly.  

Shinji sighed and nodded.  "Okay.  We won't listen to the radio." He 
said, also returning his attention to his own homework.  Of course, it 
was the same project...designing a better NERV...but they had each 
chosen separate aspects to focus on.  

He groaned as he looked over his assignment.  How Sensei could come up 
with this stuff was a mystery to him.  It was deceptively 
easy...grabbing your attention, then holding you there when you 
realized you'd have to work for any reasonable results.  Right now, he 
was knee deep in figuring out who the Secret Service branch would 
answer to.  Over and over, he kept on thinking 'Commander Ikari'.  The 
more he thought about it, the more he knew it to be true.  So many 
secrets and so many dangers...only the Commander would be able to 
control it all. 

Shinji hated it.  He was beginning to see the true genius of his 
father.  Even if he was a cold-hearted asshole...

But still...Shinji knew he could do it better.  Find a way.  Make the 
secrets not so secret...yet still protected.  Let people choose their 
own lives, instead of being just a part in a plan.  

There was so much he didn't yet understand...yet he could see it all 
now.  How they all fit together...the City, NERV, the Sub-Commander and 
staff...even Shinji and the other...

"Okay, FINE!" Asuka said loudly, reaching back over to the radio.  All 
at once, the music came back, a little louder this time.  "There." She 
grumbled, back to her homework.

Shinji blinked.

"...music just sooooths tha' soul!  I'm reminiscing 'bout the daaaays 
of ollld!  Just like that old time o Rock N Roll!"

He blinked again, then reached over and turned down the volume.  
"Asuka...it's okay, if you didn't want to listen to it then you can 
just shut if off."

Asuka looked up at him with a tired, strange look.  "Fine...fine..."

And the music was off a moment later. 

Shinji found his thoughts were no longer focused on NERV.  

"Asuka...what's wrong?" Shinji asked quietly in the new-found silence.  

The snap of a pencil's tip was her only answer.  The redhead silently 
reached over to her book bag and pulled out a sharpener.  "Nothing." 
She whispered; and with that began to grind the dull pencil back to a 
usable shape.  

He sighed, conceding once more.  She looked so down...so fragile, even 
now as she pretended to be so strong, he could see the cracks in her 
concentration...the false frown and the nervousness.  He didn't want to 
risk a confrontation.  Not now, anyway.  Maybe later...maybe after she 
was feeling better.  

Still, when he looked down, he saw his hand flexing in anger.  A rumble 
passed through him.  He needed to do something...

So, he wondered...what was it that would make him this mad?

As if by magic, the phone rang.  

Shinji looked over to Asuka.  Asuka looked over to Shinji tiredly.  He 
gave out a small sigh as the third ring hit and walked over to the 
phone.  "Hello?"

A female voice he had never heard before replied, talking in obviously 
strained Japanese.  "Hello!  Asuka Langley Sohryu please."

He blinked then turned to Asuka.  "It's for you."

Asuka blinked.  "Is it Hikari?" she asked walking over and taking the 
phone from him.  "Hello?"

He blinked as Asuka suddenly giggled.  "Guter Nachmittag!!"  Her voice 
instantly transformed from the Japanese Shinji had been so accustomed 
to...now sounding like an alien tongue.

It was amazing, he mused.  She sounded so different...yet...he couldn't 
help but smile.  She still sounded like his Asuka...Still strong and 
vibrant...full of life.  It was wonderful to see...and a strange 
contrast from just moments ago.  

Shinji watched from the table, wishing he could understand her better.  
Such a hard thing to achieve...understanding.  But, once in a while, 
even as she was speaking in German, he could pick out phrases and words 
that sounded familiar.  He knew that her family was doing well, at 
least.  She mentioned his name once or twice, making him wonder if it 
was good or bad news.  He smiled when she laughed, and hung on the 
occasional pause caused by her mother talking on the other end.  

It had to have been her mom...she seemed so happy!  And the woman did 
seem to be an older sounding person.  Who else would be calling from 
Germany?  

Finally, though, Asuka was done.  "Abschied!" she said politely, then 
simply let the phone drop down on the hook.  

Shinji smiled as she turned around to face him.  "Wow!  You were 
certainly on the phone long.  Who was that?"

"My mom." Asuka said quietly as she walked past him and sat back down 
in the seat.  

"Your mom?" Shinji followed.  "That's great!  You never told me much 
about your family.  What is she like?"

"She's not my real mom." Asuka said, looking up at him though droopy 
red hair.  "That was just a routine communication from the German NERV 
branch.  My stepmother calls once in a while to see how the project is 
progressing."

Shinji blinked.  "Your stepmother?"  he paused, wondering what to say 
next.  "Well, uhm...what about your dad?"

"Probably busy in the lab." Asuka said.  Her pencil was back on paper, 
scribbling her badly formed kanji.  

He nodded to himself.  "Okay..."

So. 

That was it, was it?

Not if he could help it.

"Uhm..."  Shinji paused, trying to think of something to say.  "Hey!  
Did I ever tell you about how my mom went to Germany once?  I bet she 
met your family!"

"No you didn't." Asuka mumbled absently as she wrote.  

Shinji sighed and slumped slightly.  "Uhm...well, she did."

"Wonderful."

"Yeah...I guess." He said, walking back over to the table.  "You 
seem..." Shinji strained for words, still trying to think of 
something...anything to connect with her.

He pondered the problem, looking across from her with his hands crossed 
against his chin.  His dad would know what to do in a situation like 
this...why couldn't Shinji figure it out too?  What would Gendo Ikari 
do?

Shinji jumped as he imagined his father in the exact same position, 
pondering what secrets to divulge and what ones to keep.  Asuka noticed 
his sudden distress and blinked.  "You okay there, Shinji?" she smiled 
softly.  "Did the chair bite you?"

He smiled.  "I'm fine." He sighed, turning back to his homework as 
Asuka did.  His thoughts were far from work, though.  Father would be 
doing exactly that...right now...he would just sit here and plot and 
make people dance around him.  He would sit behind his desk and bask in 
the cold, red sunset as it lit up the room.  

Shinji looked up to Asuka.  She looked so distant...tense...

And that's when he came up with his idea.  He would do the last thing 
on earth his Father would do.  

Asuka wasn't really paying any attention to him as he stood and walked 
away from the table, so she was fairly surprised to say the least when 
two hands fell to her shoulders.  It was only by a miracle she didn't 
jump right out of her seat, or spun around for a punch; maybe due to 
her mental state at the moment, and her desire to curl up into a ball 
and hide for a month.  

But, whatever the hands were, they began to give her a backrub.  

Asuka dropped the pencil after a moment, still hunched over at her 
books...but now, the expression on her face was not one of solitude and 
turmoil.  Shinji was a bit scared he was doing something wrong...up 
until the point where Asuka let out a long, shuddering sigh and 
literally melted back against his hands.  His heart threatened to jump 
right out of his chest, but he did not stop.  Not that he really wanted 
to anyway.  It was a strange situation, his mind thought...she would 
probably be just as mad if he stopped now.  May as well keep going.

Any last worries in his mind were thwarted when the feeling of smooth, 
warm skin beneath his touch registered.  It was about then he realized 
how long it must have been since they had any actual contact with each 
other...not just laying next to each other in a bed.  

Asuka hummed softly as Shinji continued.  The tension dripping away 
from her features with every passing second.  "Not bad, Third Child..." 
she whispered finally...her voice a complete escape from her previous 
tones.  

All at once, Shinji recognized that Asuka...  The one he fell in love 
with.  "Really?  It's my first time..." he replied quietly...to his 
credit, now not nearly as nervous. 

She smiled to herself.  "Well, you learn quick." She sighed and tilted 
her head forward a bit as Shinji massaged her neck with his thumbs.  
"Mmmm..."

It was such a simple thing, Shinji reasoned, watching the whole thing 
almost as if outside of his body.  His Father would never connect to 
anyone.  He would never love or touch...never talk to or converse in 
the way normal people did.  Shinji would have felt almost sorry for the 
man...if he didn't see so many similarities between himself and his 
father. 

"That changes now..." he thought to himself as he brushed Asuka's 
wonderful, thick, silky hair off over her shoulders so he could have 
access.  "I'm not going to turn into him."

At least not while he could make Asuka happy by changing.  Protecting 
her was one thing...loving her was something completely different.  
Even Gendo could protect...as Shinji assumed he must have had some 
desire to fight the Angels and humanity's destruction.  But to love?  
That was much deeper...the reason to protect verses blind fury against 
something dangerous.  What use was it all?  What use were the Evas?  
Sure, they could destroy humanity's foes...but unless humanity did 
something good and loved one another, it was all pointless.  

He had to start believing.  Believing that this was all FOR something.  
That it all meant something.  

Even if that reason was just a moment like this...rewarded only by the 
gentle humming of his companion.  



Shinji wondered if his father ever knew moments like this with his mom. 



The most cynical part of his mind doubted it.  But the one who still 
had a bit of faith...he could almost see it.  

Maybe in a small apartment Shinji would never know of...a late evening 
with Yui's university texts around her, and a bored Gendo who saw his 
future wife was feeling a bit under the weather.  Surprising her, he'd 
put his hands on her shoulders...she'd jump, but smile, turning back to 
him and saying she was fine...that she didn't need anything.  

Gendo, stubborn man that he was, would hear nothing and simply begin to 
rub a slow pattern into Yui's skin.  Yui might complain once or twice 
more...saying she had work to do...that it was important...but 
ultimately, in true Gendo fashion, he would win her over to the moment.

And then Yui might start kissing one of the hands helping to relieve 
her stress...




Oh...

Wait...

That was Asuka.  Shinji blinked as he returned to the present and saw a 
very content looking Asuka turned slightly in her chair now, having his 
left hand captured with a kiss against her neck as he rubbed her skin.  
Her eyes were half-open...looking very...very...something...

"Mmmm...Shinji-kun..." she whispered against his hand.  

"Shhh..." he smiled.  "Just relax..."  An inner voice asked him where 
the hell he learned to talk like that.  

Asuka nodded and sighed, relaxing back against him again.  "Thank 
you...I needed this..."

"Is there anything else you need?" Shinji asked.  

"Maybe..." Asuka hummed.  

Shinji decided not to push his luck and settled to the backrub, now 
massaging a bit deeper.







"I would like you all to give a warm greeting to our next guest 
speaker, as this will be his first time up in front of the Japan Third 
District school board." The speaker smiled happily.  "Miyazaki Kaoru-
san!"

The air lit up a bit as Kaoru walked up to the podium, bowing 
respectively to the head Sensei of the room.  A light round of applause 
from the crowd was just enough to remind him he would have to impress 
them all with his speech, or they would probably all be asleep by the 
end of it.  

O-Sensei relinquished the mic and helped Kaoru adjust it to his 
slightly taller stature, then bowed and walked off.  "Good luck."

"Thanks." He sighed, looking at the hundred or so people who were 
waiting for him to begin.  A smiling Rei in the middle, however, 
quickly grounded his thoughts and reminded him why he was there. 

"Well, first of all..." he coughed.  "I don't really have a thank you 
list for the people here today.  I'm sure you're all sick of hearing 
five minutes of other people's names before the actual talking begins 
anyway, so I'll just get to the point." He smiled back at Rei.  
"Though, I do have one special thanks...just a quick one...to go out to 
my students."

The other teachers clapped earnestly, if not enthusiastically.  Few of 
the people here knew anything about the current speaker, but most had 
enough pride as teachers that they appreciated what he was saying. 

"In the short few months I have been here," Kaoru continued, looking at 
the paper he had with him, yet memorized all anyway "the city of Tokyo 
3 has been ripped apart, trampled on, and blown up in various ways, 
magnitudes and by both sides of this war." He looked up at the 
surprised faces.  "One can only imagine what our children feel like in 
the middle of all this."

A few nods echoed across the crowd.  

"Well, I know exactly what they feel like." Kaoru said, looking out 
over the tops of his glasses.  "They felt as we did...our 
generation...when the Second Impact hit us.  They know the 
confusion...if not on a global scale, at least in this home land of 
ours.  They know the desperation when the raid-sirens start up and the 
announcements to evacuate from math class to bomb shelter are given.

"As teachers...and yes...all of us...we have been guilty of providing 
our students with a false hope." He said...his voice a bit smaller.  
"We believe that hope is needed, no matter what.  We believe that for 
them to survive...even perhaps to the end of this year...that they will 
need to feel they are living normal lives."

Mixed reaction this time...a few frowns, but an equal number of nods, 
even at the accusations. 

"And hope is good." Kaoru smiled out over the crowd.  "It's what made 
us, as a species, survive and prosper as far as we have.  Hope for 
something better...hope for the future." He looked down at his notes.  
"But just what kind of future are we hoping for?

"A future where humanity is ruled by the companies and agencies who 
make weapons?  Or perhaps a shadow of our former society as we just 
barely escape the Angels with our lives?" he shook his head.  "Well, 
right now, I am here to tell you that there will be no future.  No 
future with just hope alone." He looked down to Rei.  

"Unless these Children learn WHY..." he said simply.  "Why it's so 
important to have hope."







The lights had been dimmed now...most of the ambiance being provided by 
the quarter-moon outside.  The tiny apartment seemed cold in the blue, 
deep light...yet there was a warmth in the air that made it so 
familiar.  

The stark, cold and messy kitchen table had long since been abandoned 
for the comfort of the chair and floor.  Asuka lay prone up against the 
chair, laying back between Shinji's legs as he hunched over her 
lightly, hands down the back of her shirt, working their way up and 
down in little patterns at random...but all having the same effect.  

Asuka was completely, utterly, toasted.  The wonderful feeling you get 
from someone close to you doing something so nice, or pleasurable, that 
your brain begins to shut down...worry by worry, pain by pain...until 
all you can do is enjoy the sensations.  Every kneed into her back and 
shoulders moved her like a doll...not that she minded one bit.  Every 
bit of resistance and stiffness in her body had melted away.  Shinji 
probably could have begun to make her dance and she wouldn't have 
minded so long as he didn't drop her. 

He blinked as she laughed softly at the thought.  "Asuka?"

"Nothing..." she cooed.  "I'm just enjoying this a bit too much, I 
think..." 

Shinji blushed, but smiled.  "Good."

She sounded almost sleepy the next time she talked.  "Shinji...can I 
ask you something?"

"Of course, Asuka-chan." He nodded against the top of her head, daring 
a happy, small sigh to breathe in the smell of her shampoo.  "Ask 
anything you want."

"You...you won't leave me, will you?" she asked quietly.  While her 
voice seemed so relaxed and intoxicated, a small bit of worry did eek 
though via her question. 

Shinji paused his backrub for a moment, thinking of the best 
answer...not wanting to say anything wrong.  He resumed with a light 
smile.  "I won't leave you." He whispered into her ear.  "I promise."

She hummed and nodded her approval.  "Good..." A twitch inside her mind 
registered something different now...his hands coming back up to her 
shoulders and neck.  

Something didn't feel right...

Wondering what it was, Asuka refocused her foggy thoughts and turned 
around.

FLASH!

Two eyes...wild and bright in the darkness...glared at her with such 
intensity that she gasped out loud.  Wild hair left a strange shadow 
against the roof.

"M...mama?"

She struggled to back away, but those hands were still around her 
neck...holding her with inhuman force.  The eyes never moved, though 
the woman was alive...breathing in calm, slow heaves.  

"Mama!  Let me go!" Asuka begged.  

"Asuka...don't let that other girl see you fight me..." the voice came 
out, clear and haunting.  "she might think you're not a good daughter!" 

The grip around her neck began to tighten.  Asuka tried to cry out, but 
air was not coming to her lungs.  

"Papa is gone..." the voice continued.  "He left us..."

"I don't care!" Asuka squeaked out.  "I can live on my own!"

"No, Asuka...please don't say such silly things." Her mother continued.  
In the shadows, she could just make out a small smile.  "We'll be 
together, always...you promised me."

"NO!"

"Now, come with me..."

"NOOO!"

"Die with me, Asuka..."

"NOOOOOO!!"  she yelled, trying to rip free with all her strength, but 
her limbs felt like fluff...like fabric.  "I'M NOT YOUR DOLL!"

"Die with me!!!"

FLASH!

Shinji was about to let go, scared he hurt Asuka due to her sudden 
screaming...but it happened all so fast. 

Whatever limb hit him hit hard.  Then, it hit again, and was assisted 
by another limb...probably a foot this time... to the side of his head.  

"NOOO!" Asuka screamed, completely hysterical.  Blind with terror, she 
dropped Shinji quickly, who was half-way unconscious as it was, then 
scrambled off to her room, almost breaking down the door. 

The slam was enough to remind Shinji to breathe, and he did so with 
great pain.  "ASUKA!" he yelled out after, trying to follow with equal 
speed, but failing when his body refused to cooperate.  

When he finally did get to his feet the only feeling running through 
his head was pure terror at was just happened.  The door was not 
locked, but even then he just barely refrained from breaking it down as 
well.  Shinji was expecting to find Asuka in some horrible 
position...maybe ready to jump out the window...or with a sharp object 
against her tender skin...

But she was curled up in a ball, crying.  She hadn't even made it to 
the bed before she collapsed both mentally and physically.  Shinji 
stood there, completely shocked for the longest time.  Asuka didn't 
even look up at him.  She just shook.  Too frightened to cry.

Finally, the heat of his own tears knocked him back into reality and he 
ran for the telephone, desperately searching his memory for Misato's 
cell phone number.  

It picked up after an agonizing long four rings. 

"Mooshimo..."

"MISATO!  HELP!!!"









"Well, that went better than expected." Kaoru smiled over at Rei as 
they drove back into the city.

Rei blushed.  "Sensei, you created an all out argument between the 
room.  I have never seen so many teachers yelling."

"Mmmm...I knew I should have left in the jokes."  He grinned, then 
slumped in his seat.  "Though I really wish they didn't bring you into 
the equation, Rei.  That was unfair of them."

"It is...alright." she said, though was pink by this time.  "It is not 
your fault.  I should have dressed in my school attire so as not to be 
confused as your date."

Kaoru groaned and sighed.  

Rei looked at him, returning to a more pale, regular colour.  "Thank 
you for inviting me."

He blinked, not really expecting her to say that in his frame of mind.  
"Miss Ayanami?"

She nodded and smiled.  "I enjoyed your speech."

"Oh?" he smiled.  "Then I suppose this evening wasn't a complete waste 
of time."

She nodded.  "It was nice to hear that your focus hasn't changed."

"Pardon?" Kaoru blinked.  

"Before...when I came over to your home and ate soup." Rei explained.  
"You said that the reason you teach is because your students need to 
learn very important things very quickly, or they might not be able to 
have good lives."

He nodded sadly.  "Ahh, okay, I remember."

"Today, you expounded upon that idea." Rei said.  "I did not understand 
it all until now.  That you know we will be hurt, and want us to be 
able to overcome it...not just survive."

Kaoru blinked, then smiled it off.  "Well, nothing so pessimistic, 
Rei...but yes, I suppose that would be the reason I teach."

"Why do you think we will survive?" Rei asked, turning to him once 
again.

Miyazaki thought for a moment.  Finally, though, he turned to Rei as 
they stopped at a red light.  "Because humans will survive.  Life will 
always find a way to survive.  Like Eva." He smiled at Rei's reaction.  
"You know that no matter what happens, Eva will survive.  But, you can 
say the same about humans.  Humans built Eva so they could survive, did 
they not?"

Rei nodded. 

"But, surviving is not enough, Rei...what if Eva kills all the 
angels...but destroys Japan...or even the world in the process?  Sure, 
there will be survivors, but what will life be like after it?"

"It would be bad..." Rei agreed.

"School teaches you how to survive...it teaches you how to get a job, 
how to calculate and deduce..." he shook his head.  "But that is not as 
important as teaching you why you should live." He smiled softly in the 
darkened car.  "Sometimes you have to know why you're fighting if you 
ever want to win."

Rei nodded, though she still seemed a bit confused.  "I will have to 
think about that."

"Good." He said as they drove off.  

They were both silent for a long time as he drove.  Finally, however, a 
small tune began between them.  A note hummed here...then maybe a part 
of a thought.  Finally, however, they both agreed on a song, and before 
the next red light, Rei and Kaoru were humming along with Beethoven's 
9th Symphony:  An ode to Joy.

She smiled up at him as they stopped at the light.  "Songs are a good 
reason to live."

"I agree." He smiled back.







That was right about the time that the doors opened up and they were 
pulled out of the car by large men dressed in black suits. 












To be continued....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


<yawns and glares at clock>  Oy...I'm going to feel this tomorrow.

However, I figured it was time I paid my dues.  Yes, I, Strike Fiss, 
got off my lazy arse, picked up my sword, and finally hacked my way 
through a month worth of Writer's Block!  

So, before any of you complain to me, I want you to know that I have 
suffered MANY early...early...god-damn-too-fucking-early...mornings 
because of my efforts, and have learned my lessons wisely. 

-Kill Writer's Block on sight.  C4 works fine.  So does pointy things.
-Do NOT let your Jolt supply run out.  Ever. 
-Do NOT drink 2/3rds of a bottle of Jack Daniels in one sitting...it 
screws up your entire weekend. 
-NEVER EVER EVER TRUST ANY WEB-HOSTING SERVICE!  (A new site mirror 
will be up.  Sorry for the bitch-of-a-time of "TWU" shutting down.)
-Don't let work come before Anime.  (I'm up for a promotion, so I do 
apologize, yes, Meatspace is largely responsible for my delay)
-Writers don't have vacations.  Not even on New Years.  ^_^ 

So, it is with a new Lesson of HL, and another early morning to make 
sure I DAMN well remember NEVER to do this again, that I present you 
with the new chapter...and...oh yes...  OMAKE! ^_^  


NO!  WHAHAH!  You drooling fools!  No Omake here!  Sorry, not yet 
anyway.  However, there will be soon.  (probably tomorrow...ie...next 
week)  Go to the Evangelion section to check it out. 

www.studioshinnyo.com

And so, this is Fiss signing off, reminding you all to stock up on 
sunblock and a surf board in 14 years.  After all, the 3rd Impact is 
going to be quite a ride.  :P  








  e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.studioshinnyo.com
mirror 1: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110




Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2001.  Khattam-Shud, EOF


--------------9BE68E9E8C0255FD3C1B7FFB--

From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>
 boundary="------------B8B050D40FFC51903A235CFA"

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------B8B050D40FFC51903A235CFA

 
--------------B8B050D40FFC51903A235CFA
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 filename="ngehl39.txt"

Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning

  Strike Fiss, 2001










Thirty-Ninth Lesson:  "Hanging On"










"LET ME OUT!"

The nurse fell backwards, completely shocked at the sudden outburst.  A 
tray of needles, medicine, and water fell from her hands with a cry, 
and clattered to the floor.  

The redhead on the sterile, hospital sheets crawled backwards away from 
the nurse, still breathing heavily.  The IV needle that had been 
intended to go into her arm dangled uselessly on her bed.  "No!  I 
don't want to stay here!  I don't want to stay here!"

"Miss Langley!  Please relax!" the poor nurse begged, still shaking and 
edging away from her.  "We were just going to replenish some of your 
hydrates!  Nothing else!"

By now, a doctor, as well as Misato came rushing into the room, then to 
a stop.  Misato sighed and leaned against the wall, observing Asuka.  
"Asuka.  Relax.  We just weren't sure when you were going to wake up.  
Look around you."

Asuka blinked, as if finally realizing where she was.  Her entire body 
slumped down back to the bed like a rag doll.  "...I see..."

The Doctor helped the nurse up and took a deep, calming breath.  Misato 
smiled and nodded to them that it would be okay for them to leave.  
They did, gladly.  "We were going to keep you here overnight just to 
keep you under observation.  But if you're so active, I'm sure they'll 
let you go home..."

Asuka's head drooped.  "N...no...I think maybe I should stay here 
tonight.  I don't feel so well..."

Misato sighed and walked over to the bed, sitting down across from 
Asuka.  "Do you remember what happened?"

"I...I mean...Shinji was..." she gasped and looked up at Misato.  "Is 
he okay??"

"Shaken...very worried...but yes, he's okay." The older woman smiled 
softly.  With the same smile, but a slightly different tone, she 
sighed.  "Shinji told me he was giving you a backrub...are you sure 
that was all?"

Asuka blushed terribly, but nodded.  "Just a back-rub...I wouldn't have 
freaked out so much but..."

"Your 'mother' called?" Misato said...the way she emphasized the word 
showed she knew.  

Asuka nodded solemnly.  "I...I don't know what happened..."

A long pause.  Misato sighed and finally stood.  "I was supposed to 
meet Ritsuko tonight, but she's not answering her phone.  If you don't 
mind, I'll be happy to stick around in case you need anyone that 
doesn't want to poke you with needles."

She looked up with a grateful smile.  "Thank you, Misato-san.  That 
would be nice."

"Good." She turned and sighed.  "Asuka...you're under a lot of stress.  
You must know what time of year is coming up..."

The silence was the yes she needed.

"Just...relax for a bit.  Let Shinji take care of you." She turned and 
smiled. "The boy may be kinda spineless at times, but around you, he 
always seems to have your best interests in mind."

"W...well, of course." She said weakly.  "The great Asuka Langley 
Sohryu deserves no less in a fan-boy."

Misato nodded.  "I'll be outside in the hall.  Ring if you need 
anything."

The door opened briefly, bathing the room in yellow light, then closed 
to return it to a quiet, moody blue.  

Asuka cried herself to sleep.








"That man is a monster..." Ritsuko said coldly.  

Maya just sighed and nodded, trying to sneak away the bottle of sake 
that Ritsuko was hoarding to herself.  "So you've said, Sempai."

"You know something...he doesn't even care who knows, so long as it 
doesn't screw up his glorious 'master plan' bullshit." The blond 
grumbled to herself, moving the bottle to her lips before it could be 
taken away.  "Aaahhh...ahnd...anotherthing...." she hiccupped.  "He 
doe...doesn't even have the decency to tell me in person...he 
just...leaves a message..."

"I still don't see why anyone would want Mister Kaji dead..." Maya 
shook her head.  "He's always so sweet!"

"T...that baaaaka..." Ritsuko sighed, letting her head crater on the 
table.  "He's so carefree, but that's goinna get him kill..." she 
blinked.  "i...in trouble one of these days." She sighed and let her 
face lay flat on the white plastic surface.  "I am scum." She cringed.  
"And my arm fuckin hurts."

Maya would have launched into another torrent of how untrue that 'scum' 
comment was, but she figured she had done enough damage for one day.  
"I...I'll get you some Aspirin, Sempai.  Just wait here." She stood and 
walked over to the bathroom.  The soft blue carpet in there did not 
comfort her as it usually did, even though she was barefoot on it.  Too 
much was on her mind.  

Actually, her mind was somewhere between Jupiter and Mars.  If it had 
been actually on earth, the weight of the thoughts on it would have 
turned her mind to paste long ago.  

The cat was out of the bag.  She was just waiting to see what kind of 
hairballs it was going to cough up.  

But this was no time to think such things...not with so much going on.  
Sempai...she needed help.  Ordered to kill Kaji...and with the strange, 
half-memories after that left her with a shot shoulder.  And...the 
realization that Gendo and her had...

The pills dropped noisily from her hand, scaring Maya back to reality.  
She let out a strangled little sigh, picked up the aspirin and walked 
back out to the kitchen.  Ritsuko wasn't there.  

"Hey." Ritsuko called from the living room, now laying down on the 
tiny, but comfortable couch.  Maya would often curl up there to sleep 
herself, but still, she would have to see if Sempai could be coaxed 
into taking the bed, while she would take the couch.  

"Here you go." Maya said, reaching quickly and taking the sake bottle 
away from the Doctor.  Ritsuko grumbled something, but stopped when it 
was replaced with pain-killers.  "Those things act pretty fast, so it 
should help."

The apartment was silent for a long time.  Ritsuko took the pills and 
relaxed into her hazy drunkenness.  Except for a few warm lamps giving 
off a pinkish glow, it was nothing but darkness around them.  

"He's going to kill me." Ritsuko said, deciding her fate.

"Sempai!?!" 

She closed her eyes.  "Once he finds out...Kaji is still alive...it's 
all over.  Y...you know something?  I don't think I was nervous at all 
about actually pulling the trigger." 

Maya blanched.  "Sempai..."

"I mean, I see death every day...and I know that Kaji would probably 
get a bullet eventually.  Why not it be from me?  Why bother sending 
some anonymous man with a sniper rifle?  Poor bastard would have just 
died while eating his morning miso." She shivered.  "I...I guess I 
kinda thought that the least I could do was send him off..."

Maya was shaking, but couldn't say anything in reply.  

"T...the reason I'm so scared...so shaken, Maya..." she swallowed hard.  
"Is I failed Ikari.  That means I no longer have a use in his mind."

"Please...Sempai...don't say that..." Maya swallowed back a sob.  
"Everyone still needs you...even that old sonovabit..." she blushed.  
"I mean, the Commander."

"You are too kind..." Ritsuko sighed deeply...slumping into herself.  
The tone of her voice made it clear it was not being humble that made 
her say that phrase.  

Maya just sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win any arguments 
tonight.  All she could hope for was being a good friend...and trying 
not to screw things up even more than they were at the moment.  She 
walked off and sat in the corner seat by herself, looking down and 
around...anywhere but at Ritsuko.  "I don't have to work until late 
tomorrow...so if you need anything, I'll be awake, Sempai."

"You work at noon.  That means you have to get up at ten at least.  
It's already two in the morning, leaving you with less than a good 
night's rest if you take into account the hour or two you're going to 
be worried about an old bat like me." Ritsuko said, groaning as she 
turned onto her stomach.  "I've already fucked up your week enough.  Go 
to bed."

"You're not an old bat." Maya said quietly.

Ritsuko grumbled into the couch pillows.  "I was just being poetic.  
Please, Maya, go to sleep...I'm tired, and if someone really wants me 
dead tonight, I will be dead." She shook her head and sighed.  "Just go 
to sleep."

"I'll just call in sick tomorrow." Maya said.  "I have a few extra days 
on sick leave."

"I'm not going to be able to get rid of you, am I?" Ritsuko sighed.  

There was a sudden, terrible silence.  Ritsuko's hazy mind looked over 
the last bit of dialogue and groaned inwardly at itself.  

"I didn't mean it like..."

The sound of a door sliding close down the hallway was her only 
response.  Ritsuko waited...for some reason hoping that Maya would come 
back out...that maybe it was just...she shouldn't have said that...she 
should fix it...get up and try to fix it...get up...move...

She couldn't.  

"Fuck." The blond sighed.  Her body surrendered to the drunken bliss, 
and her mind a moment after into sleep.  

Maybe it was better to do nothing.  At least for tonight.









When one is alone, they notice strange things.

Such as the crack in the corner of the chalk-board, something he must 
have looked at a hundred times each day, yet never noticed to this 
extent.  

Or the way that the buckets were stacked in the corner, held up by some 
magical force of gravity, or lack they're of.  The way that the world 
outside seemed flat and two dimensional through the thick glass at the 
top of the windows, yet returned to almost...but not quite...three 
dimensional when it was viewed through the thinner, smaller glass at 
eye-level.  

Shinji sat in his desk, looking around slowly, as if for the first time 
in a new place...not wanting to seem rude by examining the environment, 
but still having enough curiosity to risk looking around unabated.  He 
had learned how to observe...and not be caught...from his lifetime of 
being in the shadows.  It made him feel important...knowing things 
behind the scenes.  Things that the important people didn't know about 
other important people.  

He smiled slightly, wondering if that was why he chose to be a spy in 
the class' mock-government.  Being able to see things that might be 
useful, while other people would look them over.  But...today he had 
failed. 

Asuka...

Why?  What was he missing?

"You're working too hard." Kaoru said softly.  His presence was 
suddenly beside the boy in another desk.  

Shinji turned to see his Sensei and sighed.  "I'm not working hard 
enough."

"You are working hard." Kaoru said, shaking his head.  "You've always 
been good at that."

"I want people to be proud of me." Shinji said, then looked down at his 
desk.  "I want to help other people with my work."

"Like Asuka?" Kaoru asked, motioning up to the chalkboard.  

Instead of the black, dusty board with a crack in the corner, there was 
a picture of Asuka lying in a hospital bed in a dark room.  She was 
sleeping peacefully, yet the scene still drove a shiver down Shinji's 
spine.  "Yes." He said, turning away from the board.  

"You must know that you can't help everyone." Kaoru said, standing up 
and walking over to the board.  

"I can try." Shinji said.

"This is not a test, Shinji...nor some foolish game.  You can not help 
everyone." He looked at the 'Asuka' on the board.  "Would you sacrifice 
her if everyone else would live?"

Shinji said nothing.

"Something inside you says yes...yet another says no." Kaoru smiled 
apologetically, taking an eraser and wiping the board clean of the 
image, stroke by stroke.  "And you know they're both right."

"Yes."  Shinji sighed, slumping in his seat.  But, then, all of a 
sudden, he looked back up.  "But...Sensei...If I cannot even save just 
one person, how can I save the rest?"

Kaoru nodded and sat down on his desk.  He seemed to perch there for a 
long time, thinking and pondering in the way men do when they know the 
answer...but do not know how to answer the question.  

"You must work hard...differently."  He said simply.

Shinji blinked.  

"You are working too hard on what you know..." he smiled.  "Eva...you 
have re-learned to fight in Eva...to sync with Eva.  You have learned 
how to protect people again."

"I have!" Shinji nodded.

"But...what about everything else?"

Shinji blinked.  "I...I don't know."

"Have you learned how to perform C.P.R.?" Kaoru shrugged.  "Or maybe 
tie a splint around someone's leg?" a smile.  "Have you learned how to 
comfort a baby who is crying in the middle of the night, yet is both 
fed, and dry?

Shinji blushed and shook his head.

"You are working hard." Kaoru said, walking back over to the desk.  
"But that is to be expected." He sat back down and turned to Shinji.  
"Do not rely on only what other people tell you to.  Eva is not 
everything.  Do not think it is the only thing important." He said.  
"Or it will kill us all."

The chalkboard exploded, showering the dream with red, blinding light.







"AHHHH!"  Shinji sprung up in his bed, looking around desperately for 
something solid.  

The uncomfortable feeling in his ear was enough for him to register his 
return to consciousness.  His ear bud had gotten mashed into his ear as 
he slept...the rhythmic beats of an old Macross Plus song replacing the 
odd dream-like silence from before.  He relaxed back down in the 
covers, turning off his SDAT and removing it from his ear.  

His footsteps seemed so loud in the dead, little apartment. 

Pen-Pen joined him at the kitchen table, concerned that the young man 
hadn't yet dressed in fresh clothes.  "Wuaagh." He Wuaaghed. 

"Hey, Pen-Pen."  Shinji smiled a weak hello, looking down at the 
penguin who was crawling up onto the opposite chair at the kitchen 
table.  "Want some breakfast?"

"Wuaagh!"

Shinji nodded and got up to the fridge, fixing a breakfast for them 
both.  "I hope Asuka's okay..." he said to himself.  

The living room was cleaned up...a nervous and restless night's work.  
It had been tossed about in the panic last night, but Shinji felt it 
was his duty to set things right again so Asuka and Misato could return 
home to a clean apartment.  

No matter how hard his night had been, Asuka's must have been worse. 

Images of the dream still haunted him.  The message clear in his mind.  
Even with Eva, there was so much he was powerless to do.  Unable to 
help with.  Confined against.  Useless to protect.  

But that didn't mean he should give up.  

Should it? 

"Wuaaagh!" Pen-Pen flapped his wings happily as the door opened.  
Shinji gasped and put down the frying pan as Asuka and Misato walked 
through the door lazily, obviously neither with a good night's sleep. 

"Tadaima." Misato yawned into the air...then blinked as she saw Asuka 
nearly leap forward half the living room into an equally magnetic 
embrace.  "Woah..."

They just stood there and hugged.  It was a nice hug.  Misato smiled 
and sighed as she walked past them...both just breathing and hugging.  
Content to do nothing more.  "Okay, you two...break it up, hey?"

They both turned red and the poles were reversed on their magnet, 
springing them apart a few steps.  "Gomen..." they echoed together. 

"It's okay." She smiled thoughtfully.  "Just don't get too comfortable 
here, okay?  There's a Sync-Test today."

They both sighed, but nodded.  "Hai."  Again, echoing each other.

"I'm going to get a bath." Misato said.  "We'll leave for HQ in two 
hours." She winked at the two, who were still blushing.  "Don't get too 
comfortable."  And then was down the hall.  

Asuka sighed and grumbled.  "If she rubs it in anymore than she already 
does, I swear I'm going to look like my Eva!"

"That doesn't matter." Shinji smiled and took her hand.  "Are you okay?  
I was worried I hurt you or something..."

Asuka looked away for a moment, then smiled softly.  "You haven't hurt 
me yet, Shinji.  Just don't start, okay?" she shivered.  "I'm having a 
shitty week."

"I know...it's okay." He hugged her again...this time much softer.  
"Hey, I was just making Pen-Pen and I some food...did you want to join 
in?"

Asuka smiled and nodded, sighing as Shinji let go to walk back over to 
the kitchen.  "So what's on the menu today?"

"Miso soup." Shinji said, boiling water.  "It's good for whatever's 
troubling you."

"I hope so." She said to herself and sat down at the table with the 
penguin, watching Shinji cook. 










"Maya...I didn't mean it like that." Ritsuko said, trying to keep up to 
her younger counterpart as they almost ran down the hall.  It was times 
such as these that she cursed her smoking habit.  Maya would be able to 
run circles around her before she even broke a sweat.  

"I know, Sempai." She said in monotone.  It had been the ninth time she 
said that this hour.  "We're going to be late.  We'll talk about it 
later."

The Doctor sighed and shook her head.  If it wasn't for this damn bout 
of morals lately, maybe she'd just shrug it off.  Leave it to an A.T. 
Field to change all that in a blink of an eye.  "Fine.  We'll talk 
about this later."

With the rapid echo of their shoes, neither heard the approaching 
footsteps of Commander Ikari until he was right around the corner.  
Maya, in her focused point of view, only had time to say 'eep!' as she 
saw two black shoes step right into her path.  

While it was still a rather impressive collision, poor Maya and her 
lighter body weight suffered the most violent effects from the blow.  
She was crumpled out against the wall while the Commander simply 
stumbled over her legs, catching himself on the opposite side of the 
hallway.  

The Commander looked confused for a moment as everyone gasped.  
Finally, though, as he saw the situation...the same icy gaze that he 
always had returned.  He turned to Ritsuko and let out a small frown.

That small frown instilled more pure terror in her heart than she had 
ever known in her life.  

"Doctor." He said simply, then walked past her...just barely missing 
her, as if she was already a ghost he didn't fear stepping into.

Ritsuko waited...long after he left...before a desperate gasp escaped 
her lips.  "Oh god..."  









The feeling of cold was nice.  A dirty, abet cool, metal floor was the 
main reason he hadn't hauled his sorry ass up onto the cot long ago.  
While it was indeed cold and dirty, the cool feeling throughout his 
body was the only thing preventing his head from throbbing in pain.  

Now why did they have to go and do a thing like that?

The unmistakable feeling of ice filled the air, and Sensei Miyazaki 
remembered why he was here. 

"Hey, Commander..." he croaked.  "Nice to see you again."

The Commander was not amused.  In fact, there was a very loud, angry 
scraping of metal as he dragged a spare chair right up next to Kaoru's 
head...stopping a bit too close for comfort.  Gendo then sat in the 
chair, and glared down at the Sensei like the Almighty Himself.

"Who are you."

Kaoru groaned and sat up slowly, finally hauling himself onto the shelf 
that was called a cot.  "Why do you care?"

Gendo waited patiently as the other man became comfortable on the seat.  
Then, he tried again, applying more of his Gendo-like charm.

"Who are you." 

"Maybe I don't want you to know." Kaoru smiled back.

Gendo frowned at that.  

"Well now...let's see." Kaoru said lazily.  "I suppose I could just be 
a very good actor, and weaselled my way into school so I could molest 
your young Miss Ayanami, could I?"

The room literally dropped in temperature.  The Commander stood, and 
for the briefest moment...he seemed to shake.  

"Or..." Kaoru said quickly.  "Maybe I'm your conscious." He grinned up 
through a stray bit of his hair that lay over his glasses.  "Maybe I'm 
trying to un-fuck all your mistakes."

"Mistakes?" Gendo relaxed, chewing into the bit that didn't make him 
uncomfortable.  "You, young man, have no idea what a 'mistake' is."

It was Kaoru's turn to glare.  

"Or...maybe...just maybe...I'm God's Wrath."

Gendo met the gaze, un-phased. 

"Maybe I'm here to kick your sorry butt into hell where you belong."  
Kaoru whispered.  "Of course, that would be too easy...so I'm here to 
make you suffer first."

Gendo smirked at that.  "Or maybe you've been hanging around with high 
school students too long, Mister Miyazaki."  He adjusted his glasses.  
"Because that was quite a childish remark."

"Was it now." Kaoru looked up.  

The two men sat in the cell for a long moment, not saying anything.  

They both knew the other was enjoying it, too.

"Where's Rei?" Miyazaki finally asked. 

"...Where she belongs." Gendo responded after a moment of pause.

"Where?  In that stinking tank of goo you call a 'tank'?" Miyazaki 
frowned.  

"It is where she feels safest."

"Only because you aren't there with her." Kaoru frowned.  "At least not 
right now."

A smirk slid across Gendo's face.  "You must remind me to congratulate 
Mister Kaji.  He is quite a useful man, is he not?"

"You could say that." Kaoru said.

"I'm curious to know how you two became acquainted." Gendo sat back, 
arms crossed.  "Was it in the Special Forces?  Maybe in University?" 
the Commander leaned forward a bit.  "Or maybe you two are lovers?  You 
can never tell with you 'kids' now a days..."

"Curious?" Kaoru smirked back.  "If you want, I could introduce you to 
a couple of my homo-buddies.  I'm sure you'd like being the bitch.  You 
seem so adept."

"Again, with the potty-mouth." Gendo sat back.  "My my...The parents 
must wonder where their children are getting such foul language."

"I learn from the best." Kaoru said coldly, never taking his eyes off 
the man.  "It's not so much the language, rather the soul."

Gendo stood slowly and began to walk to the door.  "Tell me, 
Sensei...if that is indeed what you really are..." he turned around, as 
he neared the door.  "Do you believe in detention?"

Kaoru thought about it for a moment.  "I suppose.  It does have its 
uses.  But generally, I find it just generates anger in the students, 
while not solving anything."

Gendo smirked.  "Exactly." He brought out a gun from his pocket.  
"That's why I also use pain."

Kaoru didn't have time to react before a loud CRACK! rang out, followed 
by his own loud gasping breath as pain exploded from his arm. 

As the smoke cleared, Kaoru was prone on the side of the bed, shaking 
as he tried not to scream.  A red splotch of colour was spreading out 
from the centre of his arm, right at the elbow.  

Gendo pocketed the gun casually, watching his foe writhe on the bed.  
"That's for mentioning...even the possibility...of you touching Rei." 
He opened the door as Kaoru gasped out in pain.  "And these last few 
days of your miserable, starving life will be for getting in my way." 
He smirked.  

Kaoru fell to the floor, gasping out, still unable to scream because of 
the pain of a bullet lodged right in his joint.  

"Goodbye, Mister Miyazaki."  

The door slammed shut.  Kaoru could only scream in response.  














Why had she done it?

What made it happen?

Asuka knew...

But she begged herself to keep asking the questions.  Asking...not 
answering.  

It was simple...try to focus on some other reason.  But three hours was 
three hours.  Three hours all alone in a pool of LCL.  Three hours all 
alone with your thoughts. 

With all your inner dragons nipping at your heels.  

She begged herself to focus.  Every thought in her mind streaming 
towards one goal.  Finish the bloody test...go home...and cry. 

But it wasn't working.  She couldn't feel the Eva anymore.  It was 
still on the fringe of her mind, but it seemed so distant.  Like a 
glove that was only on by the tips of your fingers.  And it was 
slipping.  Always slipping.  Every time she tried to push back into it, 
she missed, and nudged it a bit further away from her grasp.  

It became a maddening game.  She hated games. 

But WHY!???!

The last few months had been so great! 

Well...mostly...

Okay...just enough to give her the taste of Life again.  There was 
still tragedy, but now, she had something to fight for.  Shinji. 
'Together'.  

Why was it so DIFFICULT??  Even now?  With all that had happened? 

"Die with me..."

Because...there was still so much she hadn't resolved. 

"Momma!" she saw herself running in her mind...but then shut off the 
image before it threatened to overwhelm.  

Shinji wouldn't leave her...

But...

Neither would her momma...

She kept coming back...

A little more each time...

Begging her to join.

Join her in the nothing.  The empty death.  

Sometimes she would imagine how nice it would feel...to feel nothing 
again.  Like how she did at her Momma's funeral.  Like how she did when 
she first saw Shinji.  Back on the boat...

But it was all so overwhelming.  

Asuka sobbed now.  Looking out over the pinkish cooling liquid that 
surrounded her Eva.  Her tears dissolved so effortlessly in it.  
Nothing lasted.  Nothing, except the pain that made those tears.  

"I hate you..." she whispered to Unit 02.  "Why wont you move for me 
anymore?"

The red giant said nothing in response.  It's eyes looked on 
listlessly.  

All their scores had been down today.  Asuka knew it wasn't just 
her...Rei, despite her calm exterior, seemed almost worried about 
something.  She could remember those little cringes on her face on the 
comm. channel.  And Shinji...who would always be checking on both of 
them.  His concentration was shot to hell, and his rate fell the most 
out of all of them.  Even poor Toji seemed shaken at how sullen 
everyone was, and his scores evened off just slightly higher than 
Shinji's for once, but below his original average.

"I should be leading these morons..." she wiped away the tears, 
demanding response from, if not her Eva, then her own body.  "I should 
be back at the top of the scores.  I should be charging into battle!" 
her voice soared briefly, but cracked.  

"I should be the one who chooses if you move or not." She whispered 
coldly.  "You are MY doll."

Images kept flashing through her head.  She scrambled to get through 
them.  "No...no...."

She looked up at the monster.  "I am Asuka Langley Sohryu...and I am 
your pilot." 

The Eva said nothing.

"So...DO something!"

The Eva did nothing.

Asuka sighed, and turned her head. 

Just as the klaxon began.

"An Angel?" she blinked.  "They're still coming...?"









Toji turned on his three pilot's monitors and sighed.  They were a 
sorry looking bunch today. 

Asuka looked frazzled, like she had some cloud on her mind.  She 
couldn't even look at the camera for some reason...maybe scared to open 
herself up to the others.  "Unit Two, standing by."

Rei just added her own unit's number into the mix, and then stared 
blankly ahead into space.  Not really a big deal, except it seemed that 
the improvements in her personality had been wiped clean, as if they 
never happened.  Hell, she even arrived at the briefing room in her old 
School uniform.

His buddy, Shinji, looked worse.  Obviously tired...but restless.  In 
fact, his hands were gripped around his control bars.  "Unit-01, ready 
for orders." He whispered.  In reality, however, Unit-01 was still in 
lockdown.  The other Units were free and on the catapults.  Shinji's 
Eva was in the cage still, frozen in place by a million safety-devices.  

While his test scores looked below-average, the look in his eyes made 
Toji glad they were on the same side.  "Unit Three, ready." 

Misato, from the control room, could see everything herself.  Her 
burden was heavier, however, due to the strange silence in the control 
room with Ritsuko's quiet dark cloud about her.  As well, as she was 
able to see all four of the Children's metal states...including their 
low sync rates.  

Luckily, the Angel seemed to be taking it's time.  That time, if they 
were lucky, would be enough to change this all around with a pep talk. 

Yeah...right. 

"Situation report." She ordered.

The screen shifted to a scene from orbit.  One of the UN's satellites 
was beaming the picture to them...an odd, ghostly light was slowly 
drifting towards them.  
  
As a new feed kicked in a moment later, the angel appeared to be what 
it really was...some disturbing, yet beautiful marriage of snowflake 
and insect.  Long, spiny wings and forms branched off one another, 
forming a random crystal look.  Misato mused it was actually quite 
beautiful.  Then again, lethality and beauty often went hand in hand.  
"Well, so much for our vacation, people."





To be continued...




=======================================================================




Believe it or not, I actually have an excuse this time! ^_^  I have 
been busy as hell.  No, actually, all the demonic activity combined in 
hell could not possibly account for the things I have been doing 
lately.  Lucky bastards down there at least get to sit and burn once in 
a while. ^_^  Not me!  Not your humble writer-Fissy-guy here, I've been 
running around left and right! 

But don't worry...As you can see, I am BACK!  And come hell or Jolt-
Shortages, I am here to stay.  On schedule at that.  Lots more things 
happening to HL and my website soon, including, hopefully, an official 
server of my very own, so you all never, ever, ever, have to look at 
those freaking geocities adds ever again. ^_^ 

Anyway, it's late, and I still have to post, so I'll end the notes with 
one final word:

See?  I told you...no matter how much you all keep bugging me, if I'm 
late, I'm going to be late. ^_^  Sorry.  Don't worry, I'll never give 
up...just I will often take vacations. Heheeh.

Ja!



  e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.studioshinnyo.com
mirror 1: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110




Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2001.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.


--------------B8B050D40FFC51903A235CFA--

From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning

  Strike Fiss, 2001









Fortieth Lesson:  "The First Other"








There is something sad in assuming that the Mother is the 'first 
other'.  

The first person you meet.  The first you know.  The first you talk to 
and trust.  Even if it is only in limited baby-speak, you try to 
communicate with that woman.  You try, because you know her.  You 
assume she must care for you, or you wouldn't be here. 

Once in a while, however, one does not connect the ways they should.  

Perhaps the mother is not willing.  Or loving.  Or the child is not 
willing, or loving.  The Perfect Love that the mother and child have at 
the beginning cannot last, of course.  

Like all true love, it withers on the vine.  Grows stale with age.  
Bitter.  

As the Angel slid into Asuka's mind, it was horrified to know this.  To 
understand this.  How something so perfect could be misconstrued and 
warped.  

Rape?

It's mission almost ended there...shocked...somehow.  Hearing that 
word...that horrible, horrible word...come from the Child's mouth...

It was like a young daughter accusing her father of rape.  

It saddened the Angel.  More than words, nor emotions could ever reveal 
o the Child.  But it could not stop...it would not stop.  It had to 
reveal...make the prophecy complete.  No matter the cost.   

Again...that word.  "Don't rape my mind!"

Had the Angel the features of the Angel of Free Will, it might have 
cringed.  It did not want to rape her...it did not want to hurt her.  
But this had to be done.  This HAD to be done.  Now, more than ever.  

It did have faith, though.  Faith that the one known as Teacher would 
help.  Teacher would set the stage...make things better this time.

And to an Angel, faith was unquestionable.  

And so, it raped her mind.  It pulled out ever...single...tiny... 
thought.  And it showed it to Asuka.  It was relentless.  A mindless 
machine, driven and powered by the Faith alone.  And it was enough.  

Even when the Cyclops fired the Light at it, the Angel withstood.  
Blasted Machine of Lillim.  It WOULD try again...and perhaps not be so 
weak.     

Asuka...the poor child.  It did feel pity...but also judgment towards 
the girl.  Her arrogance and hatred would be her undoing.  It was only 
her love that would save her.  

The Angel prayed that the Teacher would teach her this...maybe he 
already had.  It did not matter to an Angel. 

STRANGLED!

Is that how it feels, Asuka?  To have nothing else but pain in your 
life?  No room to breathe?  No room but to fight or suffocate?

HATRED!

You hate the people closest to you?  Even your own Lillim?  Why?  Why 
do you hate them so much, Child?  

PAIN!

It does not hurt, Child.  I am not attacking you.  I am not cutting 
your flesh, nor destroying your mind...  What is it that makes so much 
pain in such a precious, tiny body?

SHAME!

One so proud...ahh...yes...The logic is there.  But it is such a petty 
thing!  To feel hate inwards is truly a horrible thing!  Why?  Why do 
you think so little of yourself when any lesser Lillim would gladly die 
under this life?

SUICIDE!

Is that what drives you?  To be killed rather than to die?  To have 
your death in another's hands?  You focus too much on this, Child.  You 
cannot die if you have not lived.

INVADER!

I have not entered you, Child.  I will not...for that is blasphemous.  
I am only showing you the truth.  
COMFORTABLE

Ahh...yes...now you see it.  You try to become one with your pain.  But 
why?  Why is this so easy for you to dismiss.  I will NOT allow you. 

I will NOT allow you to forget this.  I will NOT allow this all to be 
destroyed.  You may not be ready for the Test, but we are.  We all are.  
Your Lillim are ready.  Your family is ready.  Your Mother is ready.  
Shinji is ready.  Rei is ready.  

I will make you ready.  

Do not fail them.







Shinji listened to it all.  

He had no choice.  

He lay paralyzed in his outer shell...his Mother unable to help him 
without his Father's permission.  All he could do is listen. 

He could hear Ayanami and Toji fight.  Toji had taken the rifle from 
Rei, and kept firing.  He demanded the machine to kill the Angel, but 
it would not work.  All the power and science of Man could not fight 
this Angel.  

Rei disappeared for a moment, after being given a command.  Shinji 
prayed it was for the best...that not she, also, had been raped by 
this...this....THING.

And, despite his rage, he felt as his Eva did.  Dormant.  Lifeless.  
Powerless.  

It was a strange feeling.  Calming...yet horrifying.  

"Mother..." he whispered.

"Mother...is this what you feel?"

There was no response, but the cries on his intercom, and the 
flickering static from Unit-02's window.  

"I'm so sorry, mother...I wish I could help..." Shinji whispered.  

It would take the Evangelion eight seconds to achieve full power.  With 
Shinji at the helm, in this state of mind, he would have not needed the 
catapult to reach the surface.  

But yet, he could do nothing.

His mind raged out, clawing at the cage around him, yet he could not 
move until Father let him.

"We cannot allow an invasion of Unit-01."

So, Shinji watched.

And cried. 









Maya watched in horror, unable to blink as Unit-02 was bombarded by the 
deceptively simple beam of light.  At her control panel, the read-outs 
showed what was actually happening. 

Asuka was being destroyed, inside and out. 

The entire bridge crew had to hold back their shock at the reaction 
from the Evangelion.  It shook and twitched like it was burning alive 
under an invisible flame.  The Weapon that hand a Mind was now insane, 
unable to do anything because of the attack on it's pilot.  Blast after 
blast had rung out overhead as Unit-02 discharged it's positron ammo in 
a futile effort to aim for it's orbital attacker. 

Deep, charred scars would welcome the city in the morning.  Asuka would 
fair much worse. 

The Commander just watched, waiting for Rei to reappear.  His wonderful 
Rei.  His doll.  
 
And she did. 

Finally, after what seemed like HOURS of wait...listening to Asuka's 
cries and screams, Rei came to the rescue.  

Toji tried the best he could.  But it seemed a sexist statement that 
the males of the team would not be allowed into the battle.  He kept a 
bead on the Angel with a positron rifle, ready to offer cover if 
needed.  

But the intercom did not show Rei's face.  Her crying as she heard 
Asuka's own.  Everything coming back to her as she heard the 
screams...the pain of being violated.  

She didn't wait for the countdown.

The Lance was a huge, twisted shape.  It seemed almost organic breed 
with metal.  It was animated by the Evangelion, twisting ever so 
slightly, as if already knowing it's fate into the core of the Enemy.  

Rei knew this pain.  She was feeling it right now.  The feeling of 
being helpless and powerless against the Enemy.  No matter who it was.  
Even if she begged her inner self not to be mad...not to feel pain 
towards him...she couldn't fool herself right now.  Not with Asuka's 
cries and the violent death-throws of her Eva's mind.  

For now, though, it was enough.  And when the Lance left her hands, it 
was with all the rage in Rei's heart.  

She never even had to aim.






Finally, the Angel thought...and then ceased to be with a loud, echoing 
CRACK!







The aftermath was split into parts.  Nobody could deny, however, that 
they could pretend things were the same.  


The Forth Child
---------------
Toji sat in the class-room, leaning back against the chair.  The red 
sun outside clouded over his dark emotions that day.  He didn't really 
want to be feeling like this anyway, so he welcomed the semi-calm of 
the sunset, even if it was still the colour of blood. 

The colour of Unit-02.  

A flash of pain crossed over his mind as he remembered the screams.  

"Suzuhara?"  He jolted upright, surprised.  Poor Hikari almost fell 
over herself in reaction.  She quickly calmed herself, though, when she 
saw his eyes.  "Are you okay, Toji-chan?"

"No." Toji said absently, returning his gaze to the window, trying to 
avoid the initial question.  "Sorry for startling you.  I didn't 
realize anyone was still here."

"Neither did I, but I called your house, and your sister said you still 
hadn't returned home..." She blushed and turned away.  "I should have 
stopped there, but...I...I didn't know if you were okay...and Asuka's 
nowhere to be found..."  

"She's..."  Toji cringed.  "She's with Shinji."  It was the truth.  
Asuka had refused to go to the hospital.  Shinji had ignored his 
father's orders for contamination and went with her.  Misato didn't 
bother objecting.  Not after the hellish day's events.

"Oh." The class-rep whispered, then ventured a few desks closer to Toji 
before sitting down in one.  "Are they okay?"

"No." 

She looked to the front of the class, not sure how to take the casual 
nature he was saying this in.  

"I don't think anyone's okay at NERV.  Not after today, Hikari." Toji 
explained.  "And I couldn't do anything to help." He sighed and then 
cocked his head to the side in a quizzical gaze at the clouds.  They 
had been so dark before...now they were parted and wispy from where the 
Lance had shot through them.  "I may have just as well been helping the 
fucking thing."

"What...thing?"

"The Angel." Toji said.  "I didn't even screw up today...and it still 
was useless." He hung his head down a bit.  "Story of my life, hey, 
Hikari-chan?"

"W...what do you mean?" she blushed and turned away.

"Everything I do...nothing matters." He said quietly.  "It's my worst 
fear shoved right in my face." He sighed and then groaned about some 
distant memory.  "That's why I beat on Shinji when I first met him.  At 
least then I thought I was doing something to remedy the situation." He 
shook his head. "But even that just turned out to be bullshit that I 
was trying to make up to feel good."

"I...it takes a lot to admit that, Toji." Hikari said.  "And Shinji and 
you are friends now.  If you didn't realize your mistake, you two might 
still be avoiding each other."

"And meanwhile the only contribution I've been to the Evangelion Team 
was carrying ammo."

Hikari sighed as a silence came over the room. "That's not fair for you 
to say about yourself."

"Fair?" Toji turned slightly towards her.  "And was it fair when that 
Angel raped Asuka's mind today in front of everyone?"

The silence was horrible.  

Toji stood and walked over to the window.  "I no longer care about who 
it is or what the circumstances are." He said quietly.  "If I ever hear 
of anyone raping anyone, I will personally kill the man, woman, or 
thing that did it."

The class rep just shivered at the cold way he said it.  Rather...at 
what must have happened to make him say it.  

"I don't know how Shinji can bear it..." he said.  "If it had been 
you..." he turned away.  "I...I'd go crazy.  I really have no idea what 
I'd do."

She was silent, still slightly shocked from the images...not wanting to 
ask the questions she screamed to ask, but also not wanting to hear any 
more of the ordeal.  Asuka...oh god...what had happened to her?

"Why couldn't I do anything?" Toji said.  Behind his voice, though, 
there was something Hikari had never heard before.  "I wanted 
to...hell...I even got that ugly piece of shit Eva to listen to me for 
once..." he slowly sunk to the ground, looking out the window. 

Hikari gasped and ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his 
shoulders.  "Toji..."

She felt something wet against her arm...tears.  Toji tried not to let 
it show, though.  To his credit, he never cracked once.  His voice 
strained on words, though.  

"It's okay, Toji...you can cry if you want...I'm here." Hikari 
whimpered against his back, holding him tightly.  "I'm so sorry I can't 
help more..."

"No." Toji said.  "I'm not allowed."

"Why not?" Hikari sniffed, tears of her own hitting his shoulder.  

"Cause I'm not the one who got raped.  And I'm not the one who had to 
watch his loved-one get raped." Toji said quietly.  "I'm sorry if that 
means I can't cry."

Hikari nodded and shivered as he stood up, out of her embrace.  "I 
understand."

Toji stood and shook his head.  "So do I..." he said, lifting her up 
into a tight hug.  "Thank you..."

"Don't mention it..." Hikari whispered, and leaned up for a kiss.

The two of them stayed like that long past sunset.








The Cat and Mouse
-----------------

Ritsuko stared aimlessly across the city.  The holographic displays of 
Terminal Dogma were some of the best ways of doing this.  If one didn't 
mind the metallic smell in the air, you could imagine that you were 
looking out over a park.  

Unit-02 had blown a scar across the city, however, and it looked far 
from peaceful.  Giant, still-smoking blasts from it's positron cannon, 
and the red and white flashes of emergency vehicles and teams still 
showed the lasting after effects of the battle.  

Battle...no...that wasn't the right word.  FUBAR seemed more like it.  
Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. 

She was all alone right now.  The terminal at her side hummed with life 
given to it by the MAGI underneath, but she felt nothing but cold.  The 
cold, however, was beginning to eat away at her insides.  

Maybe it was the day's tension finally catching up to her...but it 
really did begin to eat her insides.

Poor Ritsuko barely made it to the bathroom in time to retch in the 
sink. 

It wasn't till the fourth dry-heave that she noticed someone else 
camped out with her head next to one of the toilets.  "S...Sempai?"

Ritsuko groaned and sunk to the floor.  "Maya..."

The younger scientist looked white as a sheet, even when she blushed.  
"Sorry.  I didn't mean to disturb you."

The blonde groaned as Maya struggled to her feet in an effort to let 
her sempai puke in peace.  "Sit the hell down before you hurt yourself, 
Maya."

Maya complied, but mostly because she collapsed and puked in the sink 
next to her.  "Go...gomen..." she whispered.  "I...ju...just can't 
stop...Asuka-chan...I...." she coughed.  "I...it was horrible."

"I know." Ritsuko said, strengthened by the cold coming back to her.  

Maya shivered and then slumped to the ground next to her.  "I suppose 
you have enough to worry about...I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have brought 
it up."

"You..." Ritsuko said dryly.  "You must think I'm one cold bitch."

Maya shook her head, but did not say anything out of lack of conviction 
at the moment.  

"Shit..." the elder of the two sighed.  "You know...I suppose that's 
the reason I never told you about this stuff, Maya.  I thought...at 
least for a while, I could have someone that didn't hate my guts."

"Sempa..."

"WAIT!" Ritsuko demanded.  Maya shut up immediately.  "That was NOT 
some pitiful attempt at getting attention." She turned away.  "I want 
you to know that.  I wouldn't be so immature with you, Maya.  You 
deserve better." She sighed.  "I'm just sick of this.  And most of it 
is my fault." She sighed, bonking her head back against the sink.  
"Ouch."

Maya hung her head.  "It is."

Ritsuko blinked, a bit surprised that Maya admitted it, but just nodded 
and rubbed her head.  "Asuka won't be allowed to pilot unless there's 
some kind of emergency.  We'll have to find a replacement." She sighed.  
"I'm tired of this game.  People seem to die around me." She turned to 
Maya.  "I don't like that."

"What do you like, then?" Maya asked after a pause. 

She blinked, then turned to the side.  "I don't know.  It's been so 
long since I've done anything I like."

"Why are you here, then?" Maya shrugged.  "Shouldn't work give you some 
enjoyment?"

"No." Ritsuko sighed.  "Not when it's this important." She paused.  "I 
suppose it did...at one time.  I actually remember days where I woke up 
and felt like I was going to change the world for the better."

Maya smiled weakly.  "That sounds a lot like why I come in every day."

Ritsuko nodded and sighed.  "A lot of the NERV crew probably thinks 
like that...or we'd have lost long ago." She looked over to Maya 
casually.  "Can I ask you something?"

Maya nodded.  "Sure."

"How do you get through the days that you'd rather sit in bed and do 
nothing?"

"Sempai?" 

Ritsuko sighed weakly.  "I remember one day...last March...where I 
finally had a day off.  It was..." she groaned.  "It was wonderful just 
to do nothing for a day.  I think that's the only thing I can actually 
remember me enjoying right now." She smiled a guilty little smile.  "I 
just stayed in bed and watched TV, petting my cats as they'd come up to 
me and wonder why I was still at home instead of working."

Maya smiled, blushing slightly.  "That sounds like a very nice 
vacation, Sempai."

"Yes...but what do you do when that's the only joy you know?" Ritsuko 
shook her head.  "That one day haunts me now...because I would rather 
do that then get up and try to save NERV from going to hell and back 
because of it's schizophrenic commander."

Maya looked away for a moment, then shrugged.  "I always find something 
else to look forward to."

"Like what?" Ritsuko pressed. 

Maya turned bright red.  A surprising feat considering how pale she had 
been a moment ago.  "Coffee."  The doctor blinked, confused.  Maya 
sighed.  "If at any time I feel I don't want to go into work...I just 
remember I get to have coffee with you in the morning...and sometimes 
all day."

Ritsuko smirked.  "Maya...if that's the reason you feel so..." she 
turned away.  "Well, attached to your employer...I'm sure we could find 
you another person to have coffee with."

Maya frowned.  "Sempai, if that was the only reason I admired you, 
trust me, I would have stopped long ago." She blinked, then turned 
away.  "After all, you're not much of a conversationalist, even after 
your second cup."

Ritsuko looked down at her lap.  Then up at Maya.  "Then...why?"

"Because it's the only time I can be around you and not get nagged to 
death by the others." She sighed quietly.  "I don't enjoy your company 
just because you're the only one around.  Hell, the others think I'm 
crazy, because every time I offer to get your coffee, you always dump a 
bunch of work on me.  The rest of the crew would rather chew off their 
own arms than give you coffee!" she shook her head, then laughed 
quietly.  "It's actually quite funny to watch their reactions.  They 
give me looks of gratitude...like I just threw myself on top of a live 
N2 Mine to save them."

Ritsuko couldn't help but smile. 

"Still...that's not the reason I do it." She blushed.  "I mean...'that' 
is the reason...but not just be around you.  I...admire...you because I 
know you are a brilliant person." She smiled, gaining a bit more 
confidence in her speech.  "I get to work along side you.  That's quite 
an honour for a student like me."

"So...you do it because you have a fetish for big brains?" Ritsuko 
blinked.

Maya gasped and hid her face.  "NO!" she groaned.  "It...it's not a 
'fetish!'  It's just that..." she shook her head, sighing.  "It's just 
that I admire that.  I try to work towards it." She hid her face in her 
hands.  "I...I know it sounds corny...but it's like how...how a strong 
couple always says the other person is their better half...or how they 
complete each other."

While the concepts of Man and Woman were still alien as hell to the 
good Doctor, she had to admit the logic was sound.  "So...you...like me 
because we're a good team together?"

"Basically...but not as simple as that..." she whispered, blushing 
terribly.  

"Nothing ever is with human emotion." Ritsuko sighed and turned her 
back to Maya.  "If it was just a matter of teamwork, I'd say Shinji is 
in love with Unit-01, and Asuka with Unit-02. "

"Or the Commander and Fuyutsuki-Sensei." Maya said.

The mental image of the Commander and Sub-Commander 'making out' 
finally cracked the cold in Ritsuko's belly, and she began laughing 
hysterically, completely caught off guard.  "MAYA!  That's HORRIBLE!"

Maya giggled to herself.  "Sorry...Just I always wondered...they're 
always up in that little room all by themselves."

Ritsuko took a long, cleansing breath and slowly stood up...then 
offered her hand to Maya.  "Come on."

"Huh?" Maya blinked, allowing herself to be lifted up.  "Where are we 
going?"

"We have a shit-load of work tomorrow." Ritsuko sighed as they walked 
out of the bathroom together.  "But there's not much we can do tonight.  
So...I say we go out and get some coffee."

"Y...you wouldn't mind?" Maya blinked, then turned red.  "Even 
after...all I told you?"

Ritsuko shook her head.  "Maya...I'm not inviting you to a night of 
dinner, dancing and a romp in the sack." She groaned as Maya almost 
turned completely red.  "I just want to have coffee with my co-worker.  
Okay???"

Maya nodded, embarrassed, but suffering through it for her heart's sake 
that it could not pump enough blood to make her blush anymore.  
"O...okay, Sempai."

"And it's Ritsuko.  Just for one night, okay?" she smiled.  "It's the 
least you can do after haunting me with images of Gendo and Kouzo in 
the sack together."

Maya bowed her head, smiling weakly.  "Okay, Ritsuko-san."

"Much better, Maya-san." She smiled and sighed as they passed the huge 
holograms that made up the outside world.  "Now let's get the hell out 
of here before I hate this place any more than I already do."








The Cloak and Dagger
--------------------

"Well...if you aren't a sorry sight, I don't know what is." Kaji 
smirked as the door opened.

"I...I...Hate you." Kaoru gasped as the light hit his already red eyes.  
It was clear he was in shock now...the pain already overloading several 
of his brain cells.  

"And I'm not exactly fond of you." Kaji said, kneeling down next to the 
shivering man.  "But yet I'm here to put you out of your misery."

Kaoru stopped shaking for a moment as he realized there was a gun 
against his head.  "W...what the hell are you doing?"

"You're shot.  Why shouldn't I just finish the job right here?" the Spy 
said solemnly.  

"I have work to do." Kaoru said quietly, gritting his teeth.  "And I'm 
not going to die unless I bleed to death.  You're not going to get in 
my way."

"What have you been doing, then?" Kaji said, not even blinking.  "You 
told me long ago that you had important things to do...things to change 
and people to help.  But the only thing I've seen you do with my own 
two eyes is piss off Gendo." He smiled.  "Not that I'm not enjoying the 
show...but I'm beginning to wonder if your only worth is entertainment 
value."

"I'm glad you're so amused." Kaoru shook.  

"Mmm...are you now?" Kaji loaded a bullet into the firing chamber of 
his gun.  

"Do..." he gasped and coughed out a bit of bile.  "Sorry..."

"No problem.  I have ten minutes before the guard wakes up." Kaji 
smiled.  "Take your time."[

"Do you know how hard it is to manipulate people?" Kaoru gasped as he 
sat up against the far wall, ignoring the gun still pointing at his 
head.  

"I've heard it can be quite a chore." He frowned. "Though people like 
Gendo do it daily."

"Well...I'll tell you right now...it's even harder when you try to do 
it for the right reasons." Kaoru said, taking a few calming breathes as 
he held his arms from shaking.

"And fucking Misato is one of these so called 'noble' reasons?"

"Shut the HELL up." The Sensei hissed with a long, tired voice.  "You 
said I had ten minutes, and I'm going to use them."

"Seven.  One for me to get out of here after I shoot you."

"Fine." Kaoru grumbled.  "I'd like to ask you one thing...aren't there 
times in your job that you want to act...but can't?"

"Like how I want to shoot you, but I'm forced to give you another 
second chance, because I'm not entirely sure you're worthless to me 
yet?"

"Yes...like that." Kaoru said dryly.  

"Oh, yeah..." Kaji smiled.  "All the time."

"You have to understand then...the stage is almost set." Kaoru said 
quietly.  "You can't end it now.  Not when we're all so close."

"Close to WHAT?" Kaji demanded, re-focusing on is gun in frustration.  
"I've been listening to Misato cry all DAY about what happened with 
Asuka and that Angel!  WHAT POSSIBLE GOOD WILL COME FROM ASUKA'S MIND 
BEING FUCKED!?"

Kaoru blinked in shock.

"I...it happened...already?"  

"What the HELL do you mean by 'ALREADY'!?" Kaji hissed.  "You mean you 
WANTED that to happen?  You KNEW it was going to happen, and you did 
NOTHING to stop it?"

"I...I didn't know...it...I mean..." Kaoru swallowed hard.  "You have 
to believe me...I didn't want it to happen either!  But if it 
didn't..."

"If it didn't...?" Kaji growled.  "You sound just like Gendo."

Kaoru shook his head, still stunned by the news.  "I...I didn't expect 
it to happen this soon...there's something wrong.  SEELE knows 
something I didn't expect them to figure out."

Kaji snapped.  The way the Sensei was taking this was too...eerie.  It 
was like listening to Gendo.  It was like watching Gendo.  Hell, even 
those bastards glasses seemed to fit.  He always hated those fucking 
glasses.  

"Yeah...they figured out you were just another Gendo." Kaji said, 
lining up his weapon once again.  "Another fucking puppet-master." He 
clicked off the safety.  

Kaoru blinked, looking up as if he just noticed the gun.  
"Kaji...please...don't do this..." he shook his head...his voice calm.  
"It's not too soon.  We can still save them..."

"You're a fucking puppet-master...controlling us...even Gendo was 
impressed...I see that now."  The gun stopped shaking and he closed his 
eyes.

Kaoru cringed.

"All I have to do is cut your strings."

BOOM!

KRACK!

The guard outside the cell never heard a thing, though, as he was cut 
in half by the A.T. Field. 








The First Child
---------------

The smell of LCL was beginning to disgust her.  But...when all was said 
and done...it was the only thing that truly comforted her.

She hated it.  

Why couldn't it be the Commander?  One who showed her so much love in 
the past.  One that was always there for her...one that gave her reason 
to be.

She hated being a reason.  Nothing more. 

Rei Ayanami was out of tears for the first time in her life.  It had 
always intrigued her at how people would just stop crying, even if the 
reason they were sad was still there.  Even if it came back again and 
again.  They would stop crying eventually.  

She had always thought it was because a person could get used to pain.  
Familiar with it.  Almost...comfortable...with it.  

She was wrong.

The sounds of the rape still haunted her.  Still burned her eyes as 
they tried to produce more tears.  But she could no longer cry.  She 
could no longer react as she imagined herself being there...instead of 
Asuka.  

When it first started, she wished she was there instead.  

But...then...the impact of what was happening hit her.  That she had 
been there.  

So many times.

Not all were bad memories.  She remembered the comfort of being held 
for the first time.  Confused and disjointed...just after her 'birth'.  
How the doctors would force needles into her...how every drink she took 
and bite of food made her drowsy when it should have made her strong.  
How her mind was forced open with those things.  How her soul was tied 
with metal string in an effort to attach her to Eva.  

All of it, rape. 

Even if she was still pure in the sense of the Body...so was Asuka.  

When Asuka had shouted the word, Rei gasped.  She never connected it to 
herself before.  Even Gendo...though she knew rumors must have existed 
with the others...had never done what she knew as rape to her.  
Sometimes...maybe...she thought he might have.  But the softness in his 
eyes always took over when Rei worried about it. 

She liked the soft eyes.  They were nice.  

He always tried to hide them...but Rei could see them.  Not much 
lately...but the memories were strong in her mind.

But they were also the eyes that forced her to do things she didn't 
want to.  And now, she saw why they had been so soft for her. 

He felt bad for Rei.  Not all the time...but enough to not actually, 
physically...

Rei curled up in her tank of LCL.  The gentle heartbeat of the world 
around.  She had not known.  She hadn't known that there were other 
kinds...other kinds of violation.  

She could not cry anymore.  But she had found out how to fight back.

Accidentally...

Tonight...

Just once...

Just enough...it was enough to distract the Angel.  For it to pause 
it's attack the split second Rei needed.  

If she had not...Asuka's mind would have died with the Angel. 

Rei floated in the LCL.

She closed her eyes against the pain and tried to remember something 
else.  

It took her a moment...but she finally did.

And that's why she started to hum Ode to Joy once again.











The Knight and Damsel
---------------------

The apartment was pitch black.  

Dead. 

The sounds of sobbing had long since disappeared from the air inside 
Misato's room.  She had tried...valiantly...to be there for her 
Children.  

She had failed, and the only comfort she could find was sleep.  

Shinji couldn't blame her.  He had promised to stay up with Asuka all 
night.  Misato didn't even thank him, not wanting to face either of the 
pilots right now.

They had collapsed together on the floor.  Shinji holding Asuka up in 
his arms.  A blanket around the two kept Asuka from shivering too much.  
She still shivered so much, though.  Too much to sleep.  

"Shinji..." she whispered.

"Hai?"

"Don't leave me..."

"Hai." He whispered back.  It had been the ninth time she requested him 
to stay that hour...but Shinji never minded answering again.  He would 
stay with her if the floor broke and they fell to their deaths right 
now.  

"Shinji...?"

"Hai?"

"I don't want...to feel like this..." she said softly. 

Shinji blinked.  "Hai."  He was actually a little surprised.  She 
hadn't said anything except his name and 'don't leave me' for the last 
several hours.

"I want to tell you." She said.  

"Asuka...?"

"About what the Angel showed me." She whimpered.  "I want you to know 
too..."

"No..." Shinji said, suddenly scared.  "Please, Asuka...you don't ever 
have to..."

"Shinji..." she said suddenly, looking up at him.  "I...I refuse to let 
that Angel be the only...thing...that knows." She said softly.  "I want 
the man I love to know too.  It's the only way."

"But you were hurt by it..." Shinji whispered.  His cheek becoming wet.  

"I won't get better by being alone..."

Shinji looked away from her.  "But you won't hurt more...if you don't 
tell me."

Asuka shook her head.  "Shinji...I've already made up my mind." She 
said softly.  The calm in her voice was shaky, but apparent.  "If I 
can't tell you, then that Angel takes the most important thing I've 
ever known."

Shinji shuddered, but nodded his head slowly.

"You...you disobeyed your father to hold me..." she said.  
"Please...don't leave me now...not when I need you to listen."

He nodded...then turned his eyes back to hers, gaining strength from 
her gaze.  Her eyes were so beautiful...even when half lifeless.  He 
begged it was because she loved him; and that she knew that's why he 
would listen. 

"I will listen, my love..." he nodded again, this time with voice.  "I 
promise."

She sat up in his arms...their hands entwined.  Asuka began to tell 
him.  Everything.  About her mother...her father...the Project.  
Everything.  How she grew cold when it came time to weep.  How her 
Father and Stepmother became a family, leaving her alone.  

And she told him how her mother died. 

And why she could not cry at the funeral.  How the image of her mother 
hanging there...doll in hand...how it had been burned into her mind 
with such force that she had...for a moment...wish it killed her.  

Maybe her mother hoped it would.

Shinji cried as she told him how she could still remember the smell of 
her mother's death.  How sometimes she could smell it, even around him 
and Misato.  How Rei seemed like how her mother wanted.  How Rei was 
such a doll...

And how proud Asuka was that she was wrong...that Rei was not.  And she 
was not.  That part had surprised Shinji a bit, but he said nothing, 
waiting for her to finish.

It took most the night.  Between sobs and times they could only hold 
each other for support. 

And...it took longer...when Shinji told Asuka about his mom. 

Everything as well.  How his Father threw him down at the moment he 
needed a Father most.  The years...years...of being alone.  But not by 
choice.  

Asuka listened with wet cheeks, crying during the parts Shinji could 
remember about having to walk home from Cello practice every week as 
his classmates tried to be friends...offering him rides with their moms 
and dads.  

But Shinji had been too smart to ignore the pain from those offers.  
Always a bright boy...but needing to hide from the pain.  

They met somewhere in the middle.  Both after crying...neither sure if 
the story was theirs or their companions.  It seemed too much the same.  
Just names and dates were different.  Cellos replaced Violas.  Ripped 
monkey dolls replaced SDAT.

Somewhere, that night, they met for the first time in their lives. 

They lay with each other for an hour.  Just breathing.  Unable to talk.  
Unable to cry.  Unable to feel.  Just...together.  That was all they 
needed.  

"I need to pee..." Asuka whispered. 

"Me too." Shinji smiled softly.  "You go first.  I'll stay here."

She shivered and shook her head.  "No.  Come with me." 

He was about to protest, but she held onto him so tightly that he 
couldn't move.  "Okay..."

They stumbled together to the bathroom.  It was surreal, Shinji 
thought.  He wasn't really uncomfortable as he stood next to Asuka as 
she took off her panties and sat on the toilet.  It was a little 
awkward since she kept her arms hugged around his waist, but it wasn't 
that bad.  It was easier for him, since he could stand up during the 
ordeal.  Asuka just watched him go with a calm expression on her face.  

She looked up at him.  

"Shinji?"

"Hai?" 

A tear escaped down her face.  "I feel dirty."

Shinji hugged her tightly.  "How can I help?"

"I need a bath."  She looked down.  "I don't want to be alone."

He nodded.  "Okay..."

"I'm sorry...I know this is uncomfortable..." she looked away.  "You 
must think me horrible."

"No." he said, looking into her eyes.  "A bath cleanses the mind and 
soul.  I want to help.  I don't want you to feel dirty."

The bathroom seemed too small for two people, but they were hardly two 
people right now.  He ran the water for her, then began to help undress 
her completely.  

Asuka looked so pale under her clothes.  Everywhere.  He wished it was 
warmer in the tiny room.  It was a moment until the steam from the bath 
helped, though, and Asuka stopped shaking as much, holding her arms 
over his for warmth.  Shinji thought nothing of her using him like a 
blanket around her body.  

Despite the strange calm around them, he did experience a brief moment 
of panic as she turned around and started unbuttoning his shirt.  She 
looked up at him, though, in such a way that all the fear in his mind 
melted back to tranquility.  

"You'll get wet, silly..." she whispered.  

"Hai..."

She nodded, then kneeled down to undo his pants.  His belt already gone 
from using the toilet.  Once he was just in his shorts, she stopped, 
then turned back around and let him lead her into the water.  

Asuka sank in the water slowly.  It seemed a bit hot, but she never 
complained.  She held onto his hand the entire time, squeezing him 
gently so he wouldn't worry as she submerged her head.  He watched 
calmly, waiting without worry.  Any other time, he would have worried 
she would have drowned herself.

She came back up with a soft gasp, rewarding his trust with a soft kiss 
on his nose.  "Thank you..."

"You're welcome." Shinji whispered back.  

"Come in?"

"Okay."

The water spilled out of the tub for a moment, but soon they were 
laying together, under the water except for their heads nuzzled next to 
each other.

"Do you still feel dirty?" Shinji asked as the water began to cool.  

"No." Asuka yawned, but then hummed softly against him.  "Not anymore."

"Are you still...sad?" Shinji asked...voice just above a whisper.  

"Yes." She admitted just as quietly.  "But I can get better...I 
promise..."

"Me too." Shinji said, tracing a gentle circle on her arm with his 
finger.

There was a slow wave of motion around them as Asuka sat up...then 
turned around so she was facing him again...leaning over him.  
"Shinji?"

"Hai?" he blinked, then turned away when he saw Asuka's eyes.  
"Asuka..." 

She shook her head.  "Shinji..."

He looked back over to her slowly.  "Y...I...We shouldn't...not after 
what happened today..." he sighed, looking up at her with pleading 
eyes. 

"No." she shook her head.  Her hair was wet, and it draped across his 
shoulders as she inched forward.  "Don't ruin what we are right now by 
reminding me." 

He looked up and swallowed hard as Asuka planted a very soft...very 
warm kiss on his lips.  

"I want to be with you." She whispered.  "The Angel took so much from 
me..." she shook her head.  "But, Shinji...I want to give you that.  
And more.  Things the Angel could never take.  Things that Eva can't 
take.  Things that nobody can take...that only I can give."

"I want to give you myself too..." Shinji whispered back.  

"Tonight."

"Tonight."

"Now." 

"No." 

Asuka blinked as Shinji stood up, then helped her out of the bath.  
When she questioned him with her eyes, she was a bit surprised to see, 
instead of a worried expression on his face...a calm smile.  

"I hear water isn't the best for making love in." Shinji said timidly.  

Asuka blinked, then smiled and hummed against his lips.  "Okay..." she 
paused then grabbed a towel to wrap around them.  "Your room or mine?"

"Whatever's closer..." 

"Yours..."

"Hai..."

It was a bad day.  The worst that she had ever known.  But Asuka's only 
salvation was Shinji's love.  They both wished it could have started 
differently.  Without an Angel Attack to spur it.  Without pain and 
hate involved.  But one thing they would both remember was that it was 
without regret, and fueled by love.

That made the night theirs, and shielded them from the bad day.  

Shivering hands became sure and comfortable as they lay down on the 
covers.  While neither had done it before, it became familiar and 
natural almost immediately.  The pain Asuka felt was nothing compared 
to the bad memories, and she only accepted the feeling of joining with 
him.  

The night passed slowly...deliciously slow.  The only sounds made were 
echoed in each other as they kissed.  They moved together, both in mind 
and body, and arrived together as if they had been practicing all their 
lives. 

It ended with the dawn of the new day...the sun just barely taking 
notice over the rooftops as Shinji pulled the blankets of their bed 
over their bodies.  Asuka still wrapped around him, and Shinji still 
joined with her.

They curled up together that morning, angels in each other's minds and 
hearts.  

Real ones. 



















To be continued.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

<looks at the clock on his stereo and yawns>  Well, that wraps up 
Lesson 40, people.  At 4 am, by the time it's posted.  ^_^ Poetic, neh? 

And I know it's been a month since the last episode.  And, contrary to 
popular belief, I no longer have writer's block.  Just that I've been 
very busy lately. 

That's why I wanted to give you all something special in this 
Lesson...to show you that I'm still here...that I'm not leaving Higher 
Learning to the wolves...and that it will be finished, and it will meet 
even the highest expectations when the conclusion of this tale is 
written.  

Originally, I wasn't going to describe the last scenes.  I had thought 
about even...maybe...doing a Lemon.  But no, I will not post a Lemon to 
go with this story.  I did not want it to come across as how it always 
does in the movies...

-bad thing happens
-guy comforts girl
-guy screws girl
-one/both of them regret it

Also, I did not want to over-compensate from the more serious tones in 
the Lesson.  I can't stress this enough...how serious Rape is.  In all 
it's forms.  I don't know ANY fanfic-writer who doesn't dread having to 
write about Asuka's mind-rape.  Especially if they have to describe it.  

Those who know me, please, have no fear...nobody got raped or something 
equally horrible.  But, I do want to stress that the moment that ANYONE 
destroys another person's will like that, they are no longer humans in 
my mind.  Anyone out there who has raped...in ANY form...another 
person, you have no right reading this with the good people of the 
world.  Die. 

The reason I DID write the final scene, however, despite the fact I 
could have ended it with "come with me to the bathroom" is because I 
wanted to show the difference.  Love, and the lack there of.  In 
everything.  It was never about hentai-thoughts, or fan-service.  
Please, if you have any respect for this writer whatsoever, and take 
one thing away from this Lesson, I hope it will be this illustration.  

<bows> Arigato. 

Anyway, a couple other things:

-Props go out to Mo and his visit this weekend.  ^_^  And that stupid 
Leonardo DiCaprio hat he wears, or I might have sliced him up as I saw 
someone leaping into the window of our house.  <laughs>  Good thing I 
don't have my sword handy. 
-Super-Props go out to the people at Germantown Burn-Centre, 
Philadelphia, PA.  I send out mochas thanks and good wishes to everyone 
there, and hope everyone can return home happily for Easter.
-To the Easter Bunny...and I look forward to our next battle of wits.  
(bastard didn't set off ONE of my bear traps)

Ooh!  And finally, before I wrap this up, I would like to do a little 
bit of shameless product-and-selfish advertising and mention that my 
old Palm Pilot, rest it's rechargeable AAA batteries, seems to be on 
it's last legs.  

If anyone would like to help this humble writer pick up a Palm m505 (to 
help with writing, of course.  -_-  You don't believe me?  These things 
are GREAT for writing down ideas...hell...I wrote half of Holding Hands 
on my old Palm!) it would be very kick ass.  ^_^  Thank you!  

<chibi announcer Fiss points at my e-mail address you can send 
donations to>

Hehe.  Anyway, enough of that.  I'm sure you're all just wanting to 
read the Omake.  So here it is.  Ja na!  Take care!




-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OMAKE:


"Nothing ever is with human emotion." Ritsuko sighed and turned her 
back to Maya.  "If it was just a matter of teamwork, I'd say Shinji is 
in love with Unit-01, and Asuka with Unit-02. "

"Or the Commander and Fuyutsuki-Sensei." Maya said.

The mental image of the Commander and Sub-Commander 'making out' 
finally cracked the cold in Ritsuko's belly, and she began laughing 
hysterically, completely caught off guard.  "MAYA!  That's HORRIBLE!"

Maya soon joined in, laughing until both of them were wiping tears off 
their faces.

***

Three levels up, Gendo and Fuyutsuki both sneezed.  

Gendo blushed and hugged the older man across the waist...that was 
currently bare.  "Oh my!  I hope I haven't given you my cold..."

His older friend just shook his head.  "If I recall, you haven't given 
me anything cold lately...big boy..." he grinned a spooky grin.

Gendo grinned back and took out the jar of Vaseline again.  "Well, 
that's only because you make me so hot."

"Do I now?  I don't think you should talk to your Father like that.  
Let me spank you..."

"Oh!  Spank me, Big Daddy!  Spank me!"

The two of them took a handful of the jelly and proceeded to do unheard 
of things with it...making rhythmic squishing sounds...while embraced 
in a passionate kiss.

***

Meanwhile, somewhere outside this universe, a young man at a keyboard 
laughs evilly...cackling about how much fun it is to get everyone back 
for bugging him about being so late with the latest Higher Learning 
episode...and then, once he calms down, decides to edit out the scene 
with Gendo and the bucket of Soapy-Frogs...after all...the author isn't 
THAT cruel.  ^_^ 








  e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com
homepage: http://www.studioshinnyo.com
mirror 1: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110




Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2001.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.

From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning

  Strike Fiss, 2001









Forty-First Lesson:  "Ballad"








Misato had slept in far into the evening.  Again.  And she still felt 
like the underside of a rock.  Her daily routine had always been to 
make it to the fridge for her morning beer while somehow managing to be 
presentable (i.e., not naked, half-naked, or smelling like something 
horrible). 

"God...what day is it..." she whispered to herself as she walked past 
the calendar.  She really had no idea.  Was she to work today?  Did she 
even care?  The answer, she would find out, was no on both accounts.  

A quick check into HQ made sure.  They were scrambling to check Unit-02 
over for damage.  Rei was still at base for quick response, but it 
seemed she too was just sitting around, watching tests.  Misato 
informed the technician that she would not be coming in today, and hung 
up the phone just in time to throw up into the sink.  

"Ugh."

"Waugh." Pen-Pen agreed, brushing by her leg in a show of support.  She 
realized she was wearing pants, at least.  She could worry about a 
fresh change of clothes when her head stopped spinning.

Misato smiled softly, kneeling down to pet him for a moment.  "Pen-Pen.  
How've you been, boy?"

"Waugh." He tugged at her pants.  Misato found that his food dish was 
already scattered with the remains of breakfast, but then saw that Pen-
Pen was leading her over to the table anyway.  

"What is it?" she blinked, then saw something out of the window.  The 
door was cracked open ever-so-slightly, letting a fresh breeze come 
into the apartment.  Not that Misato minded this (in fact, it had a 
very soothing effect on her hangover) but it was rare that anyone used 
the balcony for anything but between-garbage-day garbage storage.

Needless to say, she was more than a bit surprised to see Shinji and 
Asuka curled up together under a blanket they had brought out.  It 
didn't look like they were sleeping, though they had to be the most 
calm she'd seen them in one place at one time.  They just looked off at 
the sunrise, completely content.  

She honestly had to choke back the urge to start screaming, however, 
when she saw that they were both quite naked under the blanket.  

Instead, she walked into the kitchen again, past Pen-Pen (who was 
impressed at how well she was taking it, I might add) and started the 
day the best way she could.  With a beer and a prayer to the angels of 
birth control.  

Pen-Pen just walked back over to his guardian and leaned on her leg to 
show her he was supporting her.  Misato sighed.  "Pen-Pen, you're the 
only sane male I know."

"Wuaagh." Though Pen-Pen refused to comment on the sanity part. 

Outside, Shinji looked in and saw the lights had turned on.  He sighed 
lazily and turned to the dozing young woman wrapped around him.  
"Everyone's waking up."

"Mmm..." Asuka replied simply, refusing to let him go just yet.

Shinji agreed with a hum of his own.  "I guess we should get up 
soon..."

"Not yet." She whispered.  "They can wait."










The sun rising hurt his eyes.  Everything seem to hurt these days.  
"Why does it have to be today?" he asked out loud.  

Kaji sighed, taking small, shaking sips from his cup.  "What's so bad 
about today?"

"You really want to know?" Kaoru smirked, wincing as he remembered his 
bandages.  "Or are you just making small talk?"

"Small talk." Kaji admitted.  "I'd rather pretend that the end of the 
world isn't around the corner."  

"It won't be the end." Kaoru turned to him.  "I know you must hate 
them...but so long as the Evas exist, there won't be and end."

"Then why the hell does it seem like everything is going to hell 
lately?"  he sighed, looking down at his juice in his hands.  "Right 
after I get her back, too..."

Kaoru looked pained.  For once, it was not due to the wounds. "I'm 
sorry."

"I know.  And you have no right to be." Kaji frowned.  "She's a big 
girl.  She can do what she wants."

"No." Kaoru frowned.  "I should have known better.  I shouldn't have 
gotten so caught up in the act." He smirked. "Playing teacher...playing 
God.  Whatever it was, I realize now I was just playing." He sighed. 

Kaji turned away.  "Your game just happens to be our lives.  If you 
just give up now, you're no better than Gendo."

The other man smirked at the comment.  "I'm begging to understand the 
man, actually.  Once you get caught up in all this...it's impossible to 
stop."

The wind seemed unnaturally cold on the balcony.  

"How many more?"

"Two.  Then it will end.  Or start." He smiled. "Whatever you prefer." 

"Shit.  So soon..." Kaji sighed. 

"It's all going to come down to these two, you know." Kaoru sighed.  
"I've tried...I've tried to tell them what they need to know.  It 
wasn't a matter of testing and drilling.  But...if they do understand 
it all..." he smiled hopefully at the sun.  "We can stop this from ever 
happening again."

"Did..." Kaji looked down.  

"No." Kaoru shook his head slowly.  "Neither of you made it.  At least 
from what I know." He lowered his head.  "Shinji heard your final 
message on Misato's answering machine.  Poor kid was paralysed."

There was a long, empty silence. 

"You love them...don't you." Kaji looked up at the teacher.  

Kaoru nodded and turned away.  "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

The two men sighed and looked out over the horizon.  Suddenly, Kaoru's 
eyes narrowed.  

"He's here."

Kaji blinked, then looked at Kaoru.  "Who?"

"Almisael." Kaoru frowned.  "Angel of the Womb." 







The car was silent except for the road ahead.  Asuka didn't really seem 
to notice, though she was mostly focused on holding Shinji's hand, and 
the sky outside.  Shinji, however, was beginning to notice.  He began 
to get worried when Misato shot him a brief glance via the rear-view 
window.  

"Misato-san?" he asked quietly.  

Instead of a response, Misato pulled into a gas-station.  "I'm going to 
get some food.  Shinji, come with me."

Asuka looked distressed, but realized she wasn't going to be much help.  
"I'll have some beef jerky if there is any."

Shinji smiled and nodded. "Hai...Eeeep!"

He was then yanked from the car via Misato's claw-like grasp.  

The door closed and, to Misato's credit, she actually waited until they 
got to the side of the gas station before yelling.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT!!?"

Shinji cringed.  "Misato-san...It's not what you..." he blinked, then 
sighed.  Actually, it was probably exactly what she thought.  "Oh."

Misato began to shake.  "Oh?  OH?  That's all you say after...after..." 
she held her hands over her eyes.  "Oh god...I don't even want to think 
about...ARGH!  I JUST DID!" she pinned him to the wall and growled.  
"You are a smart boy, Shinji."

Shinji nodded...mostly out of fear for his life.  "Ahh...uh...hai!"

"Yes...that's right.  And therefore...I KNOW you wouldn't have taken 
advantage of Asuka's condition." She said...though it was far less 
angry.  

Shinji said nothing.

"PLEASE say you wouldn't..." Misato begged.

Shinji turned away.  "I wouldn't have taken advantage of her, Misato-
san. I promise."

She just looked more worried.  "Th...Then what happened?"

"It wasn't my choice." He said, looking down.  "It was BOTH our 
decisions."

Misato clenched her teeth, shaking.  

"We knew exactly what we were doing." Shinji said calmly.

Misato just sunk down and plopped to her butt on the curb.  "Why...oh 
why...did I choose to get so drunk last night..." she sighed.  
"Oh...that's right...because I thought things couldn't get any worse.  
Well, thank you for showing me otherwise..." she groaned.  

Shinji looked away.  "I know you probably think this is bad." He 
frowned.  "But you're not us." He blushed and turned away.  "Misato...I 
love her.  She loves me."

"She is not herself!" Misato yelled out, shaking.  "Right now, she has 
a million thoughts in her head and her heart's about to burst!  Of 
COURSE she's going to say she loves you when you're the only one 
nearby!  I don't want to see you hurt like this, Shinji...she has been 
through hell and back, and..."

"When she was five, her mother committed suicide, holding the doll she 
believed to be Asuka in her arms." Shinji said quietly.  "Not more than 
2 days after she learned she would be a pilot.  She said that a week 
later when they were cleaning out her mother's things, she could still 
smell the death in the room."

Misato listened, deathly quiet. 

"Or how about the way the Angel took all that day and made it last a 
lifetime in her mind?" Shinji said.  

"Shinji..."

"I know I wasn't ready to hear it, Misato." He said, looking up at the 
sky.  "But I'm glad I did.  You may think that we just had sex last 
night or something...but it's not like that." He shook his head.  "We 
just finally realized we were supposed to be together." He walked over 
to Misato and helped the taller woman to her feet.  "And now I know 
what I'm here for."

Misato sighed and looked away.  "Fine.  I'll stop worrying." She 
blushed.  "It really isn't my business anyway."

Shinji sighed, and hugged her.  Misato just hugged back, crying.  
"Thanks."

"I just wish I could have done more..." she sniffed.  "It's not right 
that you two had to get together after all this bad shit happening."

A bit later, they returned to the car.  Shinji smiled and kissed Asuka 
softly on the lips.  Asuka smiled softly back.  "Everything okay?"

"She's going to be fine." He blushed.  "I got you some beef jerky."  

Asuka giggled and gladly accepted the food.  "Thank you, Shinji-kun." 
She hummed and kissed him back before setting against his shoulder, 
munching away.  "You're so good to me."

Despite having previously thought that phrase to be impossible, Shinji 
was enjoying it greatly. 

It seemed to be such a fleeting dream, however, as the sirens began to 
sound as they reached the Geofront.  The city of Tokyo-3 was already 
retreating underground.  As he looked to the sky, he saw a small, 
glowing speck in the distance.  

Shinji held Asuka with a smile on his face.  He would protect her this 
time.  

They would never have to suffer again. 










Gendo found Rei floating in the LCL, as she always did.  He watched her 
quietly for a moment, being undetected.  It was rare when he could do 
this.  Rei seemed to have an unnatural sense about him.  Quite possibly 
due to Adam being along for the ride.  

He flexed his hand uneasily under his glove.  

It was almost done.  So close.  The Old Men were still playing their 
foolish, blind parts in his grand scheme.  Kaoru had been dealt with 
for now.  Despite Shinji's...fighting back...things have not changed.  

He should not have thought he could change the plan.  Gendo smiled 
silently as he reflected on the Plan.  And, at the centre of it all, 
the crowing achievement...the trump card.  Everyone knew...yet nobody 
dared to believe.  

Rei. 

Perfect Rei.  So simple...so wonderful.  His salvation.  His 
redemption.  His masterpiece. 

But she had been spoiled.  Dirtied.  He had been worried at first to 
see the Dead Sea Scrolls predict this.  But now, he saw that this was 
also for the best.  All part of his plan.  

Perfect timing. 

Rei turned her head and floated to the surface.  Gendo looked down at 
her.  

"There is an Angel."

"Hai."

"You will fight."

"Hai." 

"Good." 

She stood in front of him and followed naked out of the room, dripping 
LCL behind her.  








Misato was having a bad feeling all throughout the day.  Sure, her 
children charges had just completed the horizontal mambo.  Sure, Kaji 
hadn't been seen in a few days.  Sure, Angels were popping up left and 
right.  But what was really worrying her was the way Gendo 
was...almost...smiling. 

She wanted to ask Ritsuko, but she could tell her friend had something 
grave on her mind.  Maya and her were simply reciting orders like 
robots.  

That meant something was up. 

She sighed and turned to her communications panel.  "Shinji and Rei.  
You take point.  Asuka, try to stay back and focus on using your AT 
Field."

Toji cleared his throat.  "And me?"

Misato smiled and shook her head.  "After the first wave, take a crack 
at it.  I want this thing killed and gone so we can all go home early."

Toji and Shinji agreed in unison.

In their Evas, Toji opened up a line to Shinji.  "Do you think she 
remembers I'm here?"

Shinji smiled.  "I think she's just worried about more going wrong." He 
sighed.  "Be careful, okay?"

"You to."

Rei and Shinji were launched to the surface via the catapults.  

As they arrived, each manoeuvred their Evangelions over to the weapons 
buildings.  Each took rifles.  Shinji smiled.  "Let's go kick some ass, 
Rei."

Rei simply said "Hai."

Gendo smiled. 

Misato was getting antsy, and decided to focus on the mission.  The 
Angel was hovering just over the city now, moving at a slow rate.  It 
was in the form of a halo...yet another move to something more 
'angelic'.  

Misato dreaded seeing the next one.  If it had wings and a sword, she 
was going to start passing out.

"Give me a readout on the target." 

Maya turned to her screen.  "It's AT Field is the wrong code.  Scanners 
can't make anything out from it."

She sighed and turned to Ritsuko.  "Any ideas?"

Ritsuko shrugged.  "Kill it now?" she smiled hopefully. 

"Good plan." Misato chuckled back.  "Rei, move into position."

The blue Evangelion tensed up visibly.  "No..." she replied.  "It's 
coming."


It was lightning fast.  The Angel seemed to shift in it's place...the 
double-helix forming it's body now moving rapidly to form a solid, 
snake-like line.  

It broke apart and sped towards Unit-00.  

Rei barely had time to react, but what she did was true to the brutal, 
efficient fashion they had all glimpsed at during the Dummy Plug 
testing.  

Her free hand managed to grab hold of the Angel, even as it slid right 
through her AT Field and pierced her stomach like an arrow.  The gun in 
her other hand began to fire...pressed right against the snake-like 
attacker.  

Everyone gasped as it kept firing, refusing to let up.  Even though the 
Angel was eating it's way through the armour.  It was strange to watch.  
The bridge crew seemed stunned.  "REI!" Misato finally yelled out.  

The other two Evas arrived onto the battle scene.  Toji began charging 
out from his elevator, but then saw Asuka was still standing there.  
"Hey!  Red-Devil!  You coming?"

"I'm TRYING!" she yelled, but just ended up huffing.  "Baka!"  

Misato's heart sunk as she saw the sync-ratio for Asuka.  

Three percent. 

"Shit." She turned to Maya.  "Get her out of there.  She'll be canon 
fodder." 

As the red Evangelion descended again, it's pilot was shaking.  

"I hate you." She growled at her controls.  

The Eva didn't seem to be too worried at it's pilot's anger, and said 
nothing.  

"I hate you." She re-iterated.  "If ANYONE dies because of you..."

The Eva was silent. 

She screamed and kicked the handle.  It didn't break, but at least it 
made a satisfying crack before she curled up into a ball and cried.  







Rei didn't feel right.  She could remember something...the battle...the 
things before it...but...she was separate here.  

Her body...it felt like it was crawling with pain.  Infected.  Dirty.  
Broken.  The Eva was suffering.  She could feel it as well.  It made 
her sad. 

"Why are you sad?"

She looked around, shocked at the voice.

"I am not sad."

There was another her.

And...

Another.  

Two more Rei's, seated across from her.  

In turn, they were facing each other.  In fact, they seemed to be 
ignoring her quite effectively.  

She watched with avid curiosity.   The Rei on the left was sullen...yet 
smiling.  She had her head down, as if she hadn't learned how to use 
her head yet.  Her voice was quiet.  Precise.  

The one on the right didn't seem...right...however.  

She was frowning.  

Why would she be angry? 

"Why are you sad?" the one on the left asked.  

"I am sad for her." The one on the right said.  "And I am angry for 
me."

"Why are you angry?"

"You are my enemy." The right Rei said.

"But we are of the same kind." The Left said.  It's mouth moved, but 
it's head hung lifeless, like a puppet with nobody at the strings. 

"You are my enemy.  You are taking away things I love.  Therefore, I 
must fight you." The Right explained.  

Rei found herself confused.  She had never acted like this 
before...yet...she seemed to like the one on the Right best.  She 
seemed real.  The other...

It must have been the Angel. 

So...why was she there?

"What do I take away?  What do we take away that people around you do 
not?"

"Life." Rei said simply.  "I want to live.  You have killed before.  Is 
it not logical to assume you will kill me?"

"Yes.  Logical.  But not true." The Left said.  

Right stood.  They were all seated somewhere Rei had never seen before.  
Chairs were present.  But it was not the Classroom.  "Then you will not 
kill me?"

The left nodded.  "We wish to join."

And then something happened that scared Rei...the one who was 
watching...out of her skin.

The Rei on the Right laughed. 

Laughed loudly.  An angry, spiteful chuckle.  

"You wish to join with me?  Like you did with the Second?" she balled 
her hands up into fists.  "I would rather you take my life."

The Left seemed surprised just as the Rei watching did.  

"I do not with to be with you.  You are my enemy."

"Then why are you angry?  You will not be killed."

Rei began to worry.  

The one on the Right turned to her.  And looked away suddenly, as if 
ashamed.  "I am angry because I had to do this.  To trick you."

The Rei on the Left smiled softly.  "Yet we are still linked.  If you 
do not wish to Join, that is okay." She said.  "But it is too late to 
stop."

"I know." Right said, and then turned to her left...facing Rei.  "And 
that is why we must do this together."

Rei shivered as she saw the one on the Right walk up to her, and then, 
gently embrace her.  "Please...for all this...you must."

Rei gasped...eyes wide.  The feeling around her was like cold fire.  
All the pain suddenly dissipated and dissolved.  Her mind was witness 
to memories...dreams...love and despair...pain and honour.  All through 
it, she tried to resist.  It didn't seem real.  

But she knew it was. 

When her eyes opened again, they dropped tears in the liquid around 
her.  When her eyes opened, she could no longer see the world around 
her...only the memories.  The joy of being free.  The way people looked 
at her when she smiled...and made her want to smile more.  The sad, 
apology at the end of the memories that the Rei had given her in her 
mind...

That it was a going away present.  

It was all so amazing, though...she had no worries.  Only her duty now.  

She could hear the battle rage on outside.  Toji...a boy she had never 
met until a thought ago...screamed out a battle cry, trying to slice 
the Angel apart.  Shinji desperately trying to dodge out of the way of 
the whip-like attacker.  His gun shattering.  The mess on the intercom, 
telling her to retreat.  

"No...can't...must preserve AT Field..."

Misato gasped as she noticed Rei's activation of the Self-Destruct.  

Gendo said nothing.

She turned in her seat...

Just before the end...

And saw.

Saw it all.  

She wished she could have shared it with the Rei in her mind.  It would 
have been all so amazing.  She could have stopped it all from coming.  
All the bad stuff...all the pain.  

But it would come.  

She wished she could have given it to her.  As thanks for the memories.  

The way the teacher smiled.  

And then, the light. 








Everyone watched as Unit-00 obliterated the Angel. 

And itself.

Gendo just adjusted his glasses.







In the darkness of his entry plug, Shinji hung his head in shame.  
Another friend...hurt...or killed?  

He wished he could see what was going on, but the explosion took out 
his power cord.  Keeping the AT Field active had drained the rest of 
the power.  

Unit-01 rested.  Shinji looked up from his controls.  "Rei...please be 
okay..." he whispered.  "We have to get through this together...all of 
us."








To be continued.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------


<Chibi Strike Fiss runs into the room, sets down his luggage and bows 
to the audience.>

Yes...I am back. ^_^ 

<points at luggage>  SEE?  SEE???!  I was busy!  Traveling N stuff!  
Honestly!  <grumbles>  I have the speeding ticket to prove it. ^_^ 

Anyway, I would like to sincerely thank you all for waiting out my 
summer-vacation.  Any time I have had at home has been spent working, 
so I decided not to update Higher Learning until I was back and ready 
to finish it.  It would suck to have another 2 month break for Lesson 
42, no?  

And I am NOT giving up on Higher Learning.  <laughs> As I have told 
many people.  It's going to be too much fun to surprise people, so I 
wouldn't give it up for the world. ^_^

To this date, only 2 people on earth know my spooky plans.  
Whahahahahahahahahahaahahaha.  I hate to say it, but no matter how 
close you all guess...there will be surprises. ^_^  



So, for now, I would just like to say thanks to the House of Love for 
taking care of me and my roomies for the last year or so.  But, our 
landlord is a bitch, so we're goinna move soon.  Hopefully that won't 
delay the next HL.  

To everyone around me for helping with the Kneverwave campaign (all you 
out there will know what I'm talking about soon), especially the core 
players, Tozetre, Jen and Binkey.  I thank you for keeping my 
imagination in gear, so I could keep at Higher Learning even now.  

Also, special props go out to nVidia for their kick ass video cards.  I 
can watch Eva and write Eva on 2 screens now!  Squee!  Ph33r My l337 
Pow3rz!  

Anyway, stay tuned for some semblance of a conclusion to Higher 
Learning in the next few Lessons.  ^_^  

Ja!


strikef@bigfoot.com
www.studioshinnyo.com
www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110


Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2000.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.  
From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>

Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning

  Strike Fiss, 2001









Forty-Second Lesson:  "Chalk Outline"




The heat of the day was unnatural.  Sounds of helicopters and machines 
buzzed louder than the cicadas of the old summertime.  Orange suits 
animated through the dense trees to where a large, burnt scar cut 
across their path. 

Mist unlike anything they had ever seen blanketed the area with heat 
that could have boiled you alive if you were bare skinned.  Luckily, 
the NERV emerg teams were not so foolish.  

Ritsuko sighed as she looked across the landscape...now much different 
with a disturbingly large portion of Tokyo 3 now a crater.  

Most of the buildings destroyed were commercial and armament.  The 
numbers of casualties would probably be much less than expected.  

The number of people who would no longer have homes, work, or place in 
the city, however, would be much higher.  

"We found it!"

She followed the team to the end of the burnt groove in the trees.  The 
vaguely familiar cylinder of an Entry Plug was embedded in the earth.  
It was only a few moments until the entire team was surrounding it.  

EVA-00 it read on the side.  

"Open it." She said.

One of the men in big orange suits began to unseal the plug.  A long, 
orange hiss of steam added and swirled into the humidity.  The man 
stumbled back, a bit surprised, but did not seem to be hurt by it.  

Of course, Rei hadn't been wearing the big, orange anti-radiation suit. 

"Holy mother of..."

Ritsuko just sighed and looked inside herself.  The figure inside was 
not really that horrible...mostly intact...except for the blisters.  
"Well, at least she didn't suffer."

As she leaned inside to make sure, she noticed a small smile on Rei's 
face.  A quick check of a non-existent pulse, and it was done.  

"Burn it." She sighed, then walked away.  To the comm. channel she 
said:  "She's dead."

A small sigh on the other end.  Gendo.  "Prepare the Third."

"Hai." Ritsuko replied, then turned off the power.  

She smiled.








[ten hours ago]








In the old sector of the city, the traveling market moved again.  
Inside contacts at NERV had told the shopkeepers about various new 
developments in military and angel attacks.  They were now pushed back 
to nearly the end of the city limits. 

Rei watched from one of the alleys.  She had found some old blanket, 
and was using it like a cloak to hide her white and blue school 
clothing in the shadows.  

She smiled to herself as she found the shop she was looking for. 

The kids around the area called this shop the Dirty Boot shop.  Boot, 
as in Bootlegs.  It was a music store...or rather some kind of a 
traveling kiosk version.  As for the Dirty part, it referred to the 
owner.  

Nobody knew his name, but he was old, smelly...and he liked it when 
little school girls came nearby.  Old Dirty Hentai Man.  But, hey, he 
had some very hard to find music.  

Rei grinned as she watched the old pervert step out into the street to 
ogle some younger girls who were walking by.  

She ran over to the little booth and before anyone saw her, had grabbed 
a handful of MiniDisks and a tiny silver player that had been on his 
bench.  

Her heart raced as she ran down the street, shedding her cloak only 
after finding herself a few blocks away and entering the New City.  
Just before the cracked pavement gave way to newer armored 
plasticement, she stopped and hid in another alley.  

It took her a moment to find out how the controls worked, and another 
to get the right disk ready, but soon, she...

Had found she had no headphones.  

Rei slumped, then looked around.  There had to be somewhere she could 
get a pair from.  She looked around and spotted a footprint.

Well...one of Eva-01's footprints.  The building under it hadn't faired 
too well.  The police tape and barriers were still up from weeks of 
ignoring the smaller areas of destruction around the city.  She saw the 
flattened sign of a Sony store and gasped happily, running under the 
police tape to literally dive into the rubble.  

Minutes of searching finally paid off, and she returned to the surface 
with a battered, dusty box containing three hundred dollar headphones. 

She sat down in the midst of the rubble, popped in a disk, and adjusted 
the headphones.  The volume was too loud...but she didn't care.  A rich 
symphony of sound like she had never heard before began to flood 
through her mind as she closed her eyes and lived it.  

Maybe it was the mood she was in, but she didn't mind the way the dust 
was everywhere around her.  And how the sunset wasn't spectacular like 
some days.  Maybe it was just the feeling of being so free for once 
that she forgot all about that until all she could hear was the music.  
Her dusty blue hair fell in front of her eyes as she rocked back and 
forth to the overtures and movements.

It was some unnamed symphony.  But it was live...recorded from the 
audience.  With the digital quality of the disk and the high-end 
headphones, it was almost like being there. 

She could almost imagine it...

Dressed in a long, evening gown.  (Midnight blue, she supposed), with 
diamond ear-rings and a necklace that all the boys would be trying hard 
not to stare past.  (that always made her blush and smile)  She would 
be sitting there, alone in the seat of some random part of the theater, 
and after the music was over, she would notice (after all, fairy tales 
always work like this) the man of her dreams sitting next to her.  

They would smile, and he would be the gentleman and maybe ask her out 
to coffee.  She would try to make an excuse, but he looked so cute to 
pass up when he looked so heartbroken when she tried.

Glasses...yes...he'd have to have glasses.  Not the ones like Gendo 
had, though.  Just the right mix between intelligence and sharp design.  
For some reason, she imagined him to be blonde...maybe with a pony-tail 
for the 'rugged but civilized' look.  Maybe a memory from a passing 
meeting with a foreigner...maybe that system engineer that everyone 
called Tyler, who had been nice that one time and offered to get her 
some tea, simply because he was on his way to get some too.  

She felt a tear roll down her cheek as reality sprung back around her.  
It was just a thought, she sighed.  But it was a nice one.  

The next song was more upbeat.  It had more trumpets instead of 
violins.  She had never heard a trumpet in person...nobody in the 
school knew how to play one.  She began to walk away from the rubble, 
ignoring the odd look off the street that people gave her, observing 
her dirty appearance and huge, super-quality headphones.  

She was mildly disappointed as she observed that the city around her 
did not move to the music.  How it shifted and shivered unnaturally to 
the beat of humans only a century before them.  

The sun was almost gone now...only a sliver of the glowing red orb was 
left behind the man-made towers.  

"Red..." she whispered to herself, sitting down on a park bench she had 
wandered to.  "I hate red..."

She closed her eyes, just as the sun set. 

And saw red. 

At first, she felt the heat...a warm wave of air that rushed across her 
entire body, through her clothes and all around her.  Curious, she 
opened her eyes to see she was no longer there...that the city...the 
park...everything...had been replaced with just blinding, red light.  
Scorching and horrible...that kept growing.  

She didn't shield her eyes, though she imagined she would have to.  

In the center of the explosion, she could see something...a figure that 
she should have known.  A blue giant...one eye.  A baron of hell that 
was hers to command.   

It flickered away to something else...even though the light was 
blinding, it could not hide what the Eva truly was.  It looked right at 
Rei with eyes that matched her own. 

And smiled, just before it died. 





Most people would have screamed.  Rei only shed silent tears as the 
vision left her sight.  





She would die tomorrow.  

All of this...gone.  This music she could hear right now...it's rich 
texture and the way she felt when she heard it.  It would be gone. 

No.

No.

Why did it have to go?  Couldn't she keep it? 

Maybe.

She looked up from her lap, where the disk had finished.  As she 
pressed 'replay', the song and the image of the symphony came back to 
her, and she smiled as she saw her Dream Man.  

It was just a fantasy...but it was something belonging to her. 

She could be replaced.  But her dreams could not. 

Her mind could not.  Her emotions and music.  Rei would be replaced.  
SHE, however, could not be.

So...Rei did something she hadn't done for a long time. 

She came up with a plan. 

A good plan.  

A plan that would work.

As she ran down the street, headphones and music flung away in the 
pursuit of speed, she kept thinking to herself...

"If nobody sees Rei die...does she actually die?"

A badly drawn chalk outline of the moon came to mind, and she smiled. 

Yes. 

It would work.  But she needed help.







[eight hours ago]








Ritsuko knew this was bad.  

Very bad.

There were too many things that could go wrong.  She didn't want to 
destroy her friends more than she already had.  

And poor Maya was so innocent.  She didn't deserve this.  Especially 
after the stressful week.  It was a lot to handle, she surmised.  
Admitting to anyone...let alone your boss...let alone your hero...let 
alone your fellow gender...that you loved them...well...

And watching all the horrible things happening to the Evas and the 
Children.  

But mostly the gay part...  Ritsuko groaned inwardly and chastised 
herself for labeling it like that.  She didn't know if it was actually 
like that.  Hell, she had gotten all nuts over several people before.  
Admittedly (though rarely admitted) both genders.  She envied one of 
her fellow students to the point of obsession during high school.  Her 
mom actually thought...well...ANYONE would have thought so if they saw 
the file Ritsuko had collected on the poor girl.  She was pretty, 
though, so everyone assumed...

She sighed. 

Maya was just sitting in the car next to her...with God Knows What 
going through her head about the situation.  

WHY!??  For crying out loud!  It's not a big deal! She reminded 
herself.  She had been in her apartment before.  It wasn't anything 
new.  

They were just going for coffee and to talk. 

So why the hell was she more nervous than she had been on all the dates 
in her life combined?

It was embarrassing.

Maybe it was retribution for all the mistreatment she had dished out in 
her lifeti...

"SEMPAI!  STOPSIGN!"

She gasped and slammed on the breaks.  A large semi-truck just barely 
missed the front of the car, and the driver gave a hearty loud honk for 
her effort. 

Why was she so nervous?

Maybe it was because this was the only friend she had at the moment who 
didn't want to use, screw, or kill her.  Through some sick sense of the 
word 'companionship', she actually found herself reasoning that it 
really wouldn't be so bad to have Maya drooling...or whatever it was 
she did...over her so long as she wasn't alone.

"Are you okay, Sempai?" Maya asked, looking on with a worried face.  

"I'm fine." She sighed.  "Lot going through my head."

"Okay." Maya said, and then resigned herself to her seat.

And while many people would be shocked to know what was going on 
through Ritsuko's head, they would probably laugh...thinking it was 
impossible...that she was now considering just how nice it felt to hug 
Maya.  

Reflecting upon it, she hadn't been hugged in...well...years. 

Dear God!  Had it been that long?  Just simple human contact?  She got 
a darkly humorous look in her eyes as she drove: thinking about Gendo.  
He didn't classify as human contact.  

Oh, he was quite a man.  Shinji would probably get any, and all, of the 
charm from the man.  But he was Gendo.  It wasn't the same as how the 
one or two actual boy friends she had before were.  He was something 
all demanding and consuming.  The passion of the man, while hidden most 
of the time, was like a firestorm.  It could consume anything in its 
path. 

He was simply Gendo.  

And, while she normally didn't want to entertain the possibilities, 
Maya was not.  And damn...it felt good to hug someone again.  It felt 
good to have coffee with someone real.  Misato, bless the girl, was 
just too...too...critical.  Or not enough.  Never a happy medium. 

Maya had a life, she was begging to see, out side of Eva.  One that 
kept her sheltered from the horrors that Ritsuko faced every day.  Why 
would it be so bad to share in that a bit?

They parked.  And sat there. 

"Well, enough of this." Ritsuko steeled herself and got out.  "I 
promised you coffee, and the last thing you need is watching me being 
eaten out from the inside by my own thoughts."

Maya followed silently, though it was clear she had a lot on her mind 
too.  

Neither noticed the figure down the alleyway following them into the 
building.








The three old men who were assembled did not bother to use the security 
of the monoliths this time.  They were all so far into this that there 
was no need to hide.  At least, not from each other.  The other men 
were maybe, at best, loyalists to the cause.  But none of them believed 
as these three did. 

Chairman Keel knelt at the small table all of them had.  The others 
were empty.  On his right was a man who stayed mostly silent in the 
day's of these final battles.  The head of what was jokingly called the 
United Nations.  On his left, reclining against his seat was his 
contact in Germany.  

"How goes the war?" Germany asked hopefully to the U.N.  Keel never did 
ask...nor care for their names.  

"The same." U.N. answered.  "I pray you have not been squandering the 
money I've been sending to you."

"Of course not." Germany said, sipping his coffee.  "Waste is something 
the German People know not how to do.  Especially in these trying 
times." 

"Mmm." Keel said.  "The Human Compilation Project...I suppose you could 
look at it like a way to solve world hunger, couldn't you."

Germany smiled.  "It is perhaps the most noble of selfish plans I have 
heard of." He raised his glass to Keel.  "Therefore, I have no problem 
supporting it."

There were no pretends here.  They all knew.  This was their chance.  
The only way they would see Heaven.  Each of these men had committed 
horrible crimes.  Each of these men had caused the world to be a 
slightly more terrifying place.  

And each of these men were only a breath's width away from death.  

Desperate times called for...well...extreme measures.  And this, while 
extreme, would definitely pay off in the Heaven they sought. 

"You have no problems supporting it because you will no longer feel the 
pain of your body disintegrating under you." Keel said quietly.  While 
he was the worst off, each of the old men were dying in various ways.  
All their power, money, and lies would not be able to prevent it.  

Until Eva was realized.  

"I imagine it is hardest for you." Germany said, looking Keel over.  
"Having nothing left to live for here.  Waiting only for the Promised 
Day."

Keel smiled and shot him a raspy laugh.  "Oh?  And you have so much 
more to live for than I?"

"The thrill of the game?" U.N. offered with a smile.  "Or maybe the 
synthetic adrenalin you mix with your coffee every morning?"

Germany frowned, and suddenly looked embarrassed at his drink. 

"Some like caffeine.  I suppose, however, with your blood so thin that 
caffeine would be too weak to feel." U.N. said. 

"Perhaps.  I see no need in suffering needlessly." Germany shrugged, 
and then took a long sip.  "I've paid my dues...and I have no illusions 
of penance." He reached over and patted U.N. on the shoulder.

U.N. shrieked in pain and cowered away, holding his shoulder 
delicately, and causing Germany to laugh out loud.  Keel frowned at the 
display, but didn't care so late in the game.  "Now, let's all try to 
behave, Children." Keel grumbled. 

"You shouldn't have invited us here if we were just going to sit around 
and complain the day away." Germany smiled and tipped his 'coffee' back 
into his mouth. 

"If you would all mind your mouths, I DO have a purpose to this 
gathering." Keel said idly.

"How did the test go?" Germany asked, knowing exactly what the purpose 
was.

Keel looked at them all through his metallic eye.  Then...smiled.  
"What the Fifth lacks in skill, he makes up for in cruelty."

"Like all good Angels." U.N. nodded. 

"And a two-hundred percent sync-ratio can't hurt either."  Germany 
chuckled.  

"The Eva Series is being assembled for the final stage." Keel 
whispered.  "I must say...it is quite a sight to walk in the midst of 
those giants when they are in one room." His breath came raspy, but 
anxious.  "It reminds me why we started this all so long ago."

"A glorious revelation." Germany said quietly.  "Our ascendance is 
assured.  We've fought too hard to have it any other way."

"But...The Lance?" U.N. asked.  

"It is of no importance." Keel said.  "It was our last resort.  If the 
Fifth fails to deliver us, the Pilot of Unit-01 shall be our savior." 
Keel smiled.  "And if HE fails us, we will have the means to complete 
our goals with the Eva Series."

"And we can eventually retrieve the Lance anyway." Germany nodded.

"But not within our lifetimes." Keel warned.

"We have barely completed THIS plan in our lifetimes." Germany smiled 
and sighed, leaning back on his chair.  "It will be nice to leave this 
life for the next."

They all reflected on the past, enjoying the feelings that it would all 
soon be a memory...not a living hell.  

"But." U.N. whispered.

"But what?" Germany frowned. 

"The one the Sensei talked of..." U.N. sighed.  "We still know nothing 
of him."

"He is one unknown in a thousand variables we control." Keel said.  "We 
will tell our Angel dignitary to take care of this...other...soon 
enough." 

"The Fifth is hardly a warrior." U.N. said.

"We do not need a warrior." Keel smiled.  "Only to win."

The three old men nodded.  Hope was a strange commodity they all shared 
these days.  
 







Three words can say so much.  Technically, you can have a subject, a 
link, and an action quite easily in three words.  It's really all you 
need.  

Ritsuko was trying desperately to figure out the right combination.  

She knew it would be three words.  Her mind forced it to be simple.  It 
told her:  You can parse a three thousand gigabyte database with a 
biorhythm written on a napkin with big, thick crayon.  Why would you 
need more than the minimum three words? 

"Three little words." She chuckled as she thought to herself.  Her 
mother always told her that those 'three little words' could spell 
disaster.  That men and women always screwed them up.  

But would it be so bad if they were just two friends?  

"Can I help with anything?" Maya called from the living room.

"Nope!  Just a second!" Ritsuko called back, remembering the tea was 
almost ready.  

The hardest thing now would be to distinguish this for poor Maya.  That 
it wasn't a declaration of undying love.  She almost felt...bad.  She 
smirked.  Then again, if ANYONE would turn her into a lesbian, Gendo 
was that person.  

But that was not something she was willing to entertain for now.  
Though, Maya was rather cute...  

She gave her brain a mental slap.  Bad brain.  "Bad brain!" she said 
out loud. 

"Pardon?" 

"Oooh, nothing!" Ritsuko sighed and picked up the tea, loaded 
everything into a tray, and brought it out.  

Maya sat nervously, like she was scared to do or touch anything.  
Ritsuko prayed she was doing the right thing.  After all...

"Here you go, Maya." She said, pouring the tea for her friend.  "It 
should be better than the stuff we get at NERV, I hope." She smiled.

"I'm sure it will be, Sempai." Maya accepted gratefully, taking a sip 
after letting it cool in her hands for a moment.  "Domo!" 

"Mmm.  Good." Ritsuko agreed.  It had been a while, but at least Tea 
was not something one could easily screw up on.

"So."

"So."

Ritsuko sighed.  "Maya..."

"Sempai?" Maya leaned forward a bit.

"Is your tea..." she shook her head.  "Grrr!  No!  What I meant to say 
is..."

It was hard to continue under the big, puppy-dog eyes of Maya.

"I need you."

Maya blinked, but was still in 'puppy dog eyes' mode.  "Really??"

"Y..." she blinked.  "You're not disappointed?"

Maya blushed furiously.  "Why would I be disappointed?"

"Well...Uhm....I just thought that you might have wanted me to say 
something else..."

Maya smiled brightly.  "Sempai...sure, I suppose I was hoping for 
something else, but being told that you need me is just as good." 

Ritsuko blushed...something she hadn't done to this extent in a long 
time.  "Oh...that's good then!"

"Oh Sempai!" Maya finally lost it and leapt at her, arms wrapping 
around in a tight hug.  

Ritsuko sighed, then smiled and hugged back.  Why not enjoy it?  I 
mean, it's not like anyone was watching...

"If you want, I can come back later." 

Both women screamed as they realized there was a third voice.  Maya 
leapt behind the chair, terrified, as Ritsuko just glared and shook, 
recovering from the shock of seeing Rei pop out of nowhere wearing 
headphones and covered in dirt. 

"W...w...what are you doing here?" Ritsuko gasped, praying she would 
have a heart attack to get over the surprise.

Rei blushed terribly, then bowed deeply.  "Gomen!  Gomen nasai!"  I 
didn't mean to intrude!"

Ritsuko finally took in the situation and sighed.  "No, it's okay, Rei-
chan!" she smiled warmly.  "Would you like some tea?"

It took both Maya and Ritsuko a moment to realize Rei was crying.  

Maya stood and walked over to her as Ritsuko quickly put the tea off to 
the side so Rei could have a seat.  "What's wrong, Rei-chan?" Maya 
asked softly.  "Are you hurt?"

"No." Rei replied softly.  "But..."

Ritsuko blinked.  "But?"

"I think..." she shook her head.  "I'm going to die tomorrow."

Maya looked to Ritsuko worriedly.  "An Angel?"

"Hai." Rei nodded and sat down on the floor.  "I will die tomorrow." 
She looked up at Ritsuko.  "Unless you help me."

Ritsuko swallowed hard.  She already knew how.  Maya looked at her, 
wondering what was with the odd look on her face.  "Sempai?"

She knelt down in front of Rei.  "Rei...you want to stay you.  Don't 
you?"

Rei nodded quickly. "Hai."

"How...do you know you're going to die tomorrow?"

"I don't know." Rei whispered. "I just do."

Ritsuko turned to Maya.  "I know I just said so...but I need you."

Maya nodded without hesitation.  "Of course, Sempai!"

"We need to go to the lab." Ritsuko stood...then, almost like an 
afterthought:  "Rei...do you know what this could mean?"

"Hai." Rei whispered.  "It could mean Unit-00's destruction."

"Or us all." Ritsuko sighed.  

"No." she looked up.  "Ikari-kun will make sure everything is okay."

Ritsuko sighed, then nodded.  "Okay." She turned to Maya.  "We have to 
make a new Rei."

Maya blinked. 

Ritsuko cringed.  She had never hoped to involve her friend in this 
far.  

"We have to go to Central Dogma." She closed her eyes.  "Where all the 
other Reis are kept."

Maya's eyes widened at the thought.  "O...other?"

"I'll explain on the way." She said.  At first, she thought it was a 
show of good faith...but she knew that to be false.  Ritsuko hugged 
Maya warmly, catching the younger woman off guard.  "We should go."

Rei blushed and bowed her head.  "Domo, arigato, mina-san." 

"You can thank me when we're still all alive tomorrow." Ritsuko huffed, 
and went to get their coats. 








[now]







Gendo supervised from afar, watching Rei III resuscitate to life.  It 
was an odd thing to watch.  For a few moments, he wondered if he risked 
too much.  But, after a moment, the good Doctor had cleared the LCL 
from her lungs and she was soon breathing air for the first time. 

His Rei was now pure again. 

The white, shivering body on the bed made him think back to the first 
two times this had happened.  The second being almost an exact copy.  

How far they had come.  It only took one body this time.  Almost 
perfect, except the fact it had to be done in the first place.  

He pressed the intercom button, and was greeted by the gasping and 
crying of Rei.  Ritsuko and her medical team worked furiously to keep 
Rei stable those first critical moments.  He ignored the noise. 

"Alert me when she is ready."

"FINE!" Ritsuko yelled back, then cut the channel from her end. 

He walked off, smiling under his breath as he passed Misato, Shinji and 
Asuka, who were all waiting with worried looks.  "She'll be fine." He 
said.

They all gasped hopefully. 

Fools. 

Let's see them corrupt her again.  Impossible with such short amount of 
time remaining.  

As he walked off, however, Shinji had nothing but hope in his mind.  
"I'm sure she made it!  She had to have made it!"

Asuka hugged him tightly, nodding.  "I hope so."

Misato just tried to relax, trying not to have a heart attack.  "This 
is the worst week I have ever known."






It took many hours.  





Ritsuko and Maya waited patiently besides Rei's bed.  Hoping their act 
was convincing.  Praying Rei was not hurt by the drugs or tests.  

"Do you think he bought it?" Maya whispered in the near darkness.  Only 
an iridescent glow from the monitors let them see.  Rei's heartbeat was 
music enough to pass the time. 

"Yes." Ritsuko sighed.  "He wouldn't have left so early if he didn't 
think he had everyone under his control."

"Oh." Maya nodded, then swallowed hard.  "The...others..."

"Are all gone." She nodded.  "It will take him some time to find out.  
The body we put into Unit-00 probably never even knew her own name." 
She cursed under her breath.  "Disgusting..."

"No." 

They both jumped, then sighed as they realized it was Rei.  

The young woman looked up with hazy, but sharp, red eyes.  "I talked to 
her." She said quietly.  "She knew her name."

Ritsuko looked away.  "I'm sorry, Rei."

"She understood." Rei whispered.  "She knew why she had to die.  It was 
okay.  She thought like I used to..." 

They both looked down as Rei failed to choke back a sob.  

"She knew she was being replaced." Rei shivered, then curled around the 
pillow at her head.  "She didn't care."

Ritsuko looked up at Maya with tears in her eyes.  "Still think I'm so 
wonderful, Maya?"

Maya was still staring a hole in her lap.  "Sempai..."

Rei looked up at Ritsuko.  "It shouldn't matter." She smiled weakly.  
"She is your friend.  We are all forced to do bad things..." she 
trailed off for a moment.  "But...we can redeem ourselves."

Maya smiled, despite the tears running down her face.  "Hai."

Rei managed the strength to take Ritsuko's hand with warmth the Doctor 
didn't think would exist so early after her shock.  "Thank you, 
both..." she mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.  

Ritsuko looked down at the frail, yet alive hand and began to cry out 
loud.  "Thank you..." she shivered.  "that's my line, Rei..."

"I think it's all our line." Maya smiled softly.  







Rei gasped out loud as she opened her eyes.  The sunlight hurt...but it 
was something she could have endured a million times over.  

Sunlight. 

"Hey!  Sleepyhead!" 

She blinked away the blurriness and turned to see Toji smiling brightly 
at her side.  "T...Toji-san?"

He laughed and bowed his head.  "And she remembers me!  I do believe 
the girl's okay!"

"If she can remember a BAAAKA like you..." Asuka smiled softly, then 
literally leapt on Rei to hug the poor girl to death.  "Then I hope she 
remembers me." She laughed happily, though the joy was marked by tears 
of gratefulness.  

"Asuka-chan!" Rei hugged back, gasping out as she hugged a bit too 
hard.  

The redhead gasped, and backed off sheepishly, but was still smiling.  
"Glad to see you're okay, Wondergirl."

"I...I hope you don't mind us barging in like this..." a familiar 
mister Shinji Ikari said behind a large arrangement of flowers with a 
huge balloon sticking out of them that read "GET WELL, REI CHAN!" on 
one side. 

Rei blinked, having never seen flowers of that...that...magnitude... 
before.  "Ah...uh....wow...."

They all blushed and laughed.  "Well," Toji coughed.  "We figured it 
was the least we could do to repay the girl who single handedly 
destroyed the Angel."

"And the old School!" Asuka laughed happily.

Rei gasped.  "W...was anyone hurt???"

Asuka blushed. "No, no...just..." she smiled sheepishly.  "Well, Unit-
00 is..."

She hung her head, but then looked up at them all.  "It's okay.  I 
understand."

Shinji went over to Rei and hugged her gently.  "Thank you, Rei.  If 
you didn't do that...well...we might all be dead now.  Some of the city 
is a bit damaged, but it's nothing that some repair work will handle.  
You saved us all."

Rei blushed terribly and smiled.  "I...I'm glad I could help."

"Help?" Toji smiled broadly.  "you kicked that angel's ASS!" he 
cheered.  




Outside the room, Misato twitched...remembering the pile of damage 
reports she would have to go through in the morning.  "I hate my life."





"Let's celebrate!" Toji continued.  "I'm voting we get everyone 
together before they leave for the reconstruction."

Rei nodded.  "I want to apologize to everyone."

Asuka sighed and sat down on the bed next to her.  "It was unavoidable.  
And NERV is paying for everyone's houses and temporary shelter outside 
of town.  Everything will be back to normal once we get rid of the 
Angels."

Rei's eyes lit up.  "C...Can we go to a concert maybe?" 

They all blinked.  "What?  You a big Death Puppies fan too?" Toji 
asked.  "I know they're having a concert later in the year..."

"Death-Puppies?" Shinji blinked.

"They're a good band.  Lots of drums!" Toji smiled happily.

"Uhm...I mean...maybe a classical music concert?" Rei asked timidly. 

They all blinked, then laughed.  "Of course!" Asuka said.

Rei relaxed against her pillows and sighed happily.  "Arigato."  

"Well, we should let her get some sleep." Asuka said, nudging Shinji's 
arm.  

"Oh!  Right!" Shinji and Toji stood, then followed her out.  "We'll 
come visit tomorrow, Rei!"

"Okay!" Rei said happily, though it was clear she was still a bit 
tired.  "I'll see you then."

"Ja!" they all announced in chorus. 

As the door closed, Asuka jumped on Toji with a drop kick.  "DEATH 
PUPPIES??  Why would she want to go see anyone called Death-Puppies!??"

Toji just gasped and bled.  "B...But...they hav...ve good...lyrics!"

Shinji and Asuka just groaned and walked off without him.  

"Phhht." Toji stood and stuck out his tongue.  "See if I offer YOU two 
backstage passes."










To be continued...
=======================================================================


Well well well...that should stop my roomate's complaining that I don't 
focus on Rei enough. ^_^ 

Welcome to the end of HL 42!  A couple of notes this time around...This 
lesson is only a DAY LATE!  WHEE!  Also, it is nice and jam-packed full 
of byte-ey-goodness!  Horaaa!   

I figured with all the suffering Rei went through to actually get a 
personality, it would be a shame to kill her off.  ^_^  Poor Anno must 
be spinning in his grave.  Oh...he's not dead yet?  Wow!  You mean he's 
not dead after MY take on his universe?  That guy can survive anything. 
^_^



Omake:-----------------------------------------------------------------

[Back in the car]

They parked.  And sat there. 

"Well, enough of this." Ritsuko steeled herself and got out.  "I 
promised you coffee, and the last thing you need is watching me being 
eaten out from the..."

She blinked as she noticed Maya had a grin on her face.

"Uh...from the..."

Maya turned bright red, but her grin just increased to a toothy smile.

Ritsuko glared at the writer. 

The writer shrugged and apologized for using the phrase 'eaten 
out'...but then chuckled, and kept writing.  "After all, we need SOME 
lemon spin-offs.  All good stories have them."

Ritsuko began to get worried.  "Are there any vats of whipped cream in 
the next scene?"

The writer looked ahead a few pages and then nods.

"Dammit!"  Ritsuko sighed and began to pop some pills.  "I'm lactose 
intolerant."

Maya smiles brightly and waves her arms around happily.  "I'm not!"

Ritsuko growls at the author.  "I'll kill you."

The author is seen running into the night (laughing madly), Ranma 1/2 
style with Ritsuko, then a half-naked Maya (with a lobster bib and 
whipped cream) running after her Sempai. 




=======================================================================


AND, because you've all been so nice, waiting for me during the 
vacation I took....


============The Adventures Of The Missing Unit Four!!!!!!!!============

By: Rion

	Jun Tsurumaki sighed in boredom while resting his head in the 
palm of his head.  Working at Tokyo-2 McDonalds was proving to a boring 
job, especially since he was always on drive through duty and being 
that most of the city traveled by mass transit he spent hours between 
each order just staring at the wall in front of him.  Suddenly he 
received a small beep from his headset signaling that someone was at 
the box outside.

	"Welcome to Tokyo-2 McDonalds.  May I take your order?"  He 
recited with practiced ease.

	"GWARHALLLL!!!"

	"It's an offense to tease the box sir."

	"GWARHALLLL!!!"

	"Do you have an order or do you want me to call the cops?"

	"GWARHALLLL!!!"

	"No, I don't know which way Tokyo-3 is.  Now are you going to 
order or not?"

	"GWARHALLLL!!!"

	"Okay.  Five thousand quarter pounders, two thousand McNuggets 
and a large Coke."

	"GWARHALLLL!!!"

	"Sorry, Diet Coke.  Would you like any fries with that?"

	"GWARHALLLL!!!"

	"Thankyou, drive through sir."

	The roof of the fastfood store was torn away like carpet and a 
large eye peered in.  Jun looked up at the Eva nonchalantly.  "There 
will be a few minutes wait on the McNuggets sir."

	"GWARHALLLL!!!"

	The roof slammed back into place.  The young attendant just 
adjusted his cap.  "Nothing interesting ever happens around here."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------



^_^ 

strikef@bigfoot.com
www.studioshinnyo.com
www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110


Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2001.  Khattam-Shud, EOF.  

From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>
 boundary="------------F0D823A6EFF48638509388E5"

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------F0D823A6EFF48638509388E5

 
--------------F0D823A6EFF48638509388E5
 name="ngehl43.txt"
 filename="ngehl43.txt"

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.  <bows 
humbly> 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.  







--------------F0D823A6EFF48638509388E5--

From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>
 boundary="------------C24D8FB754D147078F624418"

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------C24D8FB754D147078F624418

 
--------------C24D8FB754D147078F624418
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 filename="ngehl44.txt"

Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning

  Strike Fiss, 2001









Forty-Forth Lesson:  "Alone"






Asuka watched herself in the car, almost as if she was having an out of 
body experience.  Like she was watching an all-too real dream, waiting 
for herself to wake up and be happy, jump around, and thank her darling 
Baka Shinji for making her the extra lunch she usually wined about and 
never thanked him when he did, but would promise to herself to thank 
him for remembering today.   

But she didn't.  She couldn't.  It was hard even to make her body move 
anymore.  Mentally, or physically, she was too exhausted to move.  Damn 
body, she exclaimed to herself, internally.  Of course, this was a 
hopeful thought, as she knew her body was fine.  The only time it 
seemed to work right was in the warmth of passion.  But, even then, she 
felt control slipping away from her mind every time.  

Even now in the car, surrounded by Rei, Toji, Shinji and Misato...she 
felt dead to the world.  

They talked to her.  Smiled.  She must have answered back, but she 
couldn't remember the question.  They gave her those annoying worried 
smiles.  They didn't want to act like they could see her world 
collapsing.  Maybe they didn't want to. 

She probably looked pathetic.  

Inwardly, she cursed their support.  Raking herself over the coals had 
been so much easier before their damning friendship.  Before...she 
could just push it all back and yell at herself.  But now, she 
entertained the notion that this wasn't her fault.  That she was still 
a good person.  That she wasn't totally pathetic.  

Maybe, if she thought differently, she could have raged out of this out 
of body crap and gone back to living.  It scared her that she couldn't.  
She didn't dare wonder if, even before, she could have broken out of 
this melon-collie prison. 

What if she couldn't? 

What if this was just a matter of time?  

The hundreds of hours of university courses came screaming back to her.  
Each hour analyzed herself, and all came back with bad news.  That she 
was lost.  A gonner.  Denial and depression.  

Why?  Why, she begged.  There had to be a reason.  She had good 
friends.  She was in love.  She had been saved from the hell of the 
Angel by that love...even if it still haunted her.  

The reason came to her as they entered the car-train to fall into the 
Geofront.  

She could still see the scars of battles still being repaired.  She 
could still see the nearly hidden blood of her Evangelion's failures.  
If she had the capacity to do so, she would have gotten sick.  

But she didn't.  She just sat there, gazing out the window.  Her mind 
smirked at the body.  She couldn't even get sick right.  She would have 
to work her way UP to 'pathetic.' 

Lovely.

And soon, she would get to slide into that same, bloody goo, and try to 
get her puppet to move again.  She would try to make it move when she 
couldn't even get her own body to move right.  She would fail.  She 
would cry and scream when nobody could hear or see her.  Then, she 
would exit the plug, wash herself in stale water, and go back home so 
she could pray for just a moment of peace, sleeping next to Shinji.  

Her dreams hadn't helped.  They were no nightmares.  Not in the 
conventional sense.  Rather, they were images of her epic...tries. 

And they were amazing.  But even after ignoring the outcomes, she began 
to fear just watching herself.  She was powerful, commanding, strong 
and fearless.  She would ride into battle first, and never exit unless 
they dragged her away.

She wanted to be like that again.  Even if she could never win.  She 
wanted to fight and fly through the air, head-first.  She wanted to 
feel the wonderful recoil on a semi-automatic pistol the size of a bus.  
She relished the strange, semi-wet feeling of ripping apart an Angel 
with her prog-knife with a yell.  

She missed the sound of the entry plug syncing to 80%.  The way it 
would make that electronic yawn and echo until her skin had Goosebumps 
on it and she could feel the excitement as a tangible force in her 
blood.  

She tried to remember the last time she felt physical pain.  Maybe a 
broken bone.  The annoying itch of a fiberglass cast now seemed a 
blessing.  

She just wanted to feel something again.  Her heart was alone.  It 
could feel all this...but it couldn't share it with her mind.  Her 
body.  Her soul.  

And she didn't want to leave Shinji alone, either.  Maybe he couldn't 
feel it yet...maybe he could.  But she didn't want to make him alone by 
feeling this way.  She wanted to connect again.  To laugh and cry and 
touch and punch.  

She begged herself to try again.  

She tried to remember all these reasons.  Even as she saw the looks on 
Ritsuko and Maya's faces.  She tried to believe that today, she could 
do it.  

She could see Misato fight for her.  She yelled and pointed and 
gestured.  Shinji held onto her hand for support.  It was the only 
warmth in a sea of dead cold.  The cold turned from icy, to the sheer 
absence of feeling as she was told that Unit 02 was already in a sync 
test.

She entertained the idea that maybe this out-of-body thing had gone too 
far, and she was already trying the sync test, but watching herself 
arrive just now.  

The camera showed different.

A young man, maybe a bit older than they, with light gray hair and 
the...most...calm, pleased expression on his face sat in her seat.

The sync ratio was already up to seventy five.  Asuka took until last 
year to get that high.  

The feeling around the room was relief.  Relief that the red Eva would 
be able to protect them once more.  Technicians around the area all 
watched the read-outs hopefully with smiles to give away their 
satisfaction. 

Only the blasted doctor and her tag-along-puppy of an assistant gave 
her apologetic looks.  

She must have said that last bit out loud, because both of them turned 
bright red and Ritsuko began to look angry.  She watched herself rip 
her hand from Shinji, then turn to storm off.  

She assumed she was going to the tank to rip the asshole intruder out 
of her Eva.  She must have looked even angrier as she saw Commander 
Ikari there.  In fact, with some satisfaction, she felt her fist begin 
to swing up.

And then the world went black as she was smacked in the head by a large 
man next to the Commander in a black suit.  

The bastard was smiling, too. 







She woke up next to the most unlikely bedfellow.  

Toji sighed and helped her up.  "Hey, Langley, are you okay?  That 
asshole threw you against a wall."

She cringed, now feeling her body and mind back together.  At least her 
wish to feel pain had been granted.  It wasn't nearly as romantic and 
sweet as she remembered it being...but she savored every last breath of 
it.  "Yeah, I'm fine..." she hissed.  

They were sitting now on the hard metal 'bed' that had been the only 
furniture besides a toilet in the corner.  Asuka looked around with 
heavy eyes, realizing they were in a cell.  "What happened?" she 
blinked, then turned to Toji.  "And why are you here?"

"You lunged at the Commander.  He was about to cart you off to a 
holding cell so you could 'calm down', or so he said." Toji grumbled.  
"I wanted to help.  Ended up just getting the cuffs on myself."

"Baka!  Why the hell did you step in!" Asuka hissed, wanting only to be 
alone in this wonderful misery.  "Nobody asked you to!"

Toji seemed to find the concept funny.  "Because, if I didn't interrupt 
him, Shinji was about to pick up a chair to lob at his father."

Asuka blinked, then slumped down a bit.  "Oh." She smiled weakly.  
"That would have been a lot worse, I suppose."

"Don't mention it." Toji smiled brightly.  After all, this was Asuka's 
version of a heartfelt apology, and it was nice to have 'earned' one, 
even if he would never admit it. 

The images came back to her slowly, and soon, she was sitting back up 
again, straight.  "W...did I imagine the new kid?"

Toji sighed and shook his head.  "No.  I guess they found the Fifth 
Child.  I didn't get a chance to ask his name, but the test seemed to 
be going just fine."

Asuka sighed and nodded. 

"I'm sorry." Toji said gruffly.  "I know it must be a bitch to watch 
some little punk in your Eva.  It's not right what they're doing, and I 
just needed to tell you that now." He paused, then sighed. "I'm sorry 
if you didn't want me to say that." He added. 

Asuka smiled up at him.  "It's okay.  I figured it out on my own." 
Then, a bit softer.  "Thanks, though.  I was getting worried that I was 
the only one who thought it was a bad thing."

Their conversation was interrupted by the loud clang of the door 
opening, and a white light flooding their eyes, drowning out the giant 
red glow of the NERV logo behind them.

"Second and Forth Children will report to Commander Ikari immediately." 
A loud, annoying guard said, snapping his movements into crisp 
perfection as he vacated the door for them to exit.

"Ahh, shiest." Asuka hissed as they both got up.  "Another trip to the 
'principal's office'."  

Toji nodded, crossing his arms and doing his best to intimidate the 
guard with a glare as they walked by.  The guard smiled inwardly.  Good 
kid.  Maybe if he was a foot taller, it would have worked.  






Shinji felt like a caged animal as he paced back and forth in the hall.  
Rei watched him with an almost (for Rei) worried expression.  Misato 
just tried to look indifferent and wished she had a beer, rather than a 
can of soda.  "There's not much we can do for now." She mentioned out 
loud. 

"She's going to get kicked out." Shinji said, resting his head against 
one of the metal lockers with a loud 'CRACK!'.  "My father is going to 
kick her out and then she's going to get depressed and run off 
somewhere I'll either never find her, or she's goinna do something 
stupid and..." he cringed. 

"Ikari-kun." Rei said.  "Asuka will not do anything stupid."

Misato and Shinji looked at her.  "You don't know that for sure." 
Shinji frowned, then began to pace again.  

"I do." Rei said quickly.  In fact, it was a rather forceful tone (for 
Rei) and it gave him pause.   "She will be fine.  Also, Toji-kun is 
there with her."

Misato smiled softly as Shinji sighed and sat down between them.  Rei 
even looked slightly relieved (well, for Rei).  "This day got off to a 
bad start." She sighed.  "We really should try to make the best of it, 
Shinji."

He glared at Misato.  "And how do we do that?"

"Try to be nice to the new guy, for one." Misato said, glaring him back 
down.  "I know full well you want to tear anyone a tracheotomy if they 
hurt Asuka, but this poor guy probably just came in on a midnight 
flight, hasn't eaten or slept yet, and it is VERY probable he hasn't 
even been told he's replacing anyone."

Shinji sighed again, and relaxed another level in his little onion-
layer ball of anger.  "You're right."

"Everyone is talking like we might actually be able to go home soon." 
Misato sighed and stretched her head and shoulders back.  "And with the 
last two Angels almost ripping us apart, I think that everyone just 
wants the job done, and over with." She sighed.  "You know we can't 
count on Asuka right now, and if that means we all die, I think causing 
her a little bit of job insecurity is acceptable."

"That's cruel, Misato." Shinji said.

"But you know I'm right, don't know." She replied.   

It was a moment of silence, but Shinji finally nodded his head.  "Hai."

"The whole reason we're here, Shinji, is because we all play a part to 
get the job done." Misato continued.  "I'm sure there are many people 
better for my job than I am.  However, I know what we're up against, 
and therefore, I think differently than some asshole off the job-pool 
who has a decade more experience than I have and three degrees on the 
wall." She smiled softly.  "Asuka is an amazing pilot.  But right now, 
she can't handle the mental pressure.  So, in a rare move, she will be 
held to the side so she doesn't die like everyone else seems to do in 
this bloody organization."

"Hai.  I agree." Shinji said, looking up at his roommate.  "I don't 
want her to die.  I just feel angry, I guess."

"We all do, Shinji." Misato sighed and stood.  "The fact your father 
seems to have so much...fun...pointing out everyone else's mistakes 
doesn't help.  But when this is all over, I want to be able to visit 
you and Asuka when you're all grown up and married and have little 
chibi-versions of yourselves running around." She winked.  "Got it?  No 
more sad stories after this job.  I want you two to be happy."

"As do I, Ikari-kun." Rei smiled warmly.  "I have heard that baby-
sitting is a rewarding experience.  I would enjoy helping out."

Shinji smiled and blushed. "Arigato, Rei-chan."

Misato laughed.  "Now that would be fun to watch."

"Yes.  I have heard that it is important to have a reliable babysitter 
so that the married couple can still have time for sex." Rei said 
casually.  

Both Shinji and Misato felt their jaws drop. 

"Uhm...where did you hear that?" Misato blinked. 

"I was reading one of your beauty magazines." Rei said with a smile.  
"I also learned one hundred and four new...uhm...'sex-tips'.  The one 
with the cold rock behind his..."

"AHH!" Misato clasped her hands over the younger woman's mouth.  "Rei, 
it's not polite to talk about these things in public."

Rei smiled brightly.  "I was just kidding, Misato."

Misato began to get very worried that Rei now had the sense of humor to 
fake her out.  Shinji just laughed. 

"I'll tell you what, Shinji.  You go and get some food, and we'll stay 
here and wait for the new kid, and also keep an eye out for Asuka and 
Toji.  Sound okay?"

Shinji nodded, glad to have a task he could keep his mind busy with, 
and began to walk down the hall.  "I'll bring some instant ramen for 
everyone." He promised.  

"And beer." Misato called after, hopeful, but not really expecting it.








  


Somehow, he wasn't entirely surprised to see a giant bowl of water 
where the ramen stand used to be.

The cafeteria had been closed for the day, so Shinji had left NERV in 
hopes of venturing to the ramen stand were they had, so far, shared 
some of the nicest, peaceful meals he had remembered.  Unfortunately, 
it was a bit closer to the site of the Unit 00 explosion than he 
remembered. 

"I wonder if the owner got out okay." He whispered out loud.  The man 
who owned the store seemed like he was always there, and there were 
several people in Tokyo 3 that ignored the evacuation alerts when they 
came.  

Many had realized a bunker would not save them if the end really wanted 
to come and take their lives.  

He had only dared glance over the shoulders of Maya once or twice as 
she had been preparing reports, or reading them from the Magi.  From 
what he could tell, this last Angel caused more deaths in the city than 
the others all combined.  It had been so quick...and the results so 
finite.  

Would the next Angel kill them all?  

And all the while, he wondered to himself, what he was doing wrong.  
What he was doing right.  There had to be a way to tell besides his own 
heart that he didn't entirely trust.

Even scarier, what would happen if the next Angel died and they were 
done?  Would he take this all to heart?  Would he learn, or suffer?  
Would peace come after?  Or would it only bring the chance for the 
nightmares he knew were waiting in the cracks of his mind...?

What use were all these lessons...learning them...taking them to 
heart...and believing in them...

If everything stayed the same.

And yet, he begged himself to remember.  Everything.  Lessons he saw 
from his childhood.  The way other children seemed to learn in these 
strange new ways he did not know yet.  The ones of most recent.  The 
ones that contradicted the ones he made up himself, but seemed to be 
such a natural fit that he embraced them with open eyes and an open 
mind.  

What if he died tomorrow?

Shinji had long since told himself that it wouldn't matter if he died 
tomorrow. 

But...

He needed to prove something, first.  He had to show himself this was 
all worth something.  That he wasn't just a forgotten lesson.  

He couldn't die.  Not just yet. 

The crater in front of him, however, seemed to disagree.  He could die 
anytime.  And he would.  If he was unlucky, he would die with many 
people he wished to see alive on his deathbed.  

Death was not playing favorites, and Shinji knew he was hardly worth 
the favoritism.  Not even to kind, ramen-selling old men.  

All of a sudden, he imagined the explosion.  But, instead of a thing of 
terror, it seemed amazing.  It was focused in on a white giant, far off 
from his tiny eyes.  She seemed wrapped in a snake, pure light.  It's 
movements seemed edgy and strained at first, but then, as the light 
expanded, the giant flowed.  

At first, terrible.  Then graceful.  The bindings melted off Unit 00, 
and for a brief moment, it was a free creature.  Shinji felt blinded by 
the light, refracted around in his tears, as it washed over him 
silently.  While he could feel the ground solid on his feet, he 
imagined the cataclysmic shockwave follow on the heels of the light.  A 
wall of vapor clouded his view, but lit up the sky, far outclassing the 
noon sun.  

As he blinked, only the calm water remained; ruddy in the evening 
light.  Some familiar song seemed to float on the wind as he woke from 
the vision.

That would be how he would die, if Eva was to be his death.  He felt 
slightly humbled that such an amazing sight should herald the death of 
an un-amazing life. 

Shinji sighed, looking down at the shore, watching the gentle waves 
come up to tap his shoes.  All of a sudden, though, he realized the 
song he was hearing was not in his head.  

Symphony Number Nine.  An Ode to Joy.  

In his reflection, he saw another young man.  One with grey hair, and a 
strange air about his posture that made him think of Rei.  

As the humming of Ode to Joy stopped, the boy looked over to him with 
the kindest of smiles.  "The view is improved with song, is it not?"

His voice seemed familiar, yet alien to Shinji.  It was a fine voice.  
Soft, but intelligent.  He couldn't help but smile.  "The view?" he 
turned to the crater.

The boy was perched on top of a large piece of debris that once made up 
a telephone pole and transceiver.  Now, it was simply a handy lawn 
chair to watch the water go by.  He slid down to the ground, but 
remained leaning against the rubble.  "A song is the greatest 
achievement of the human soul." He explained. "How could it not improve 
a sunset such as this?"

Shinji nodded, looking up at the sunset he had, until now, not seen.  
"It seems to help a lot." He admitted.  

A laugh.  "Your view seems entirely too clouded, Ikari Shinji-kun.  I 
am glad you could have a song to help you see through it."

Shinji blinked, then turned to him.  "How do you know my name?  I 
haven't met you before."

The boy smiled widely, walking over to him.  "It is much nicer to think 
that we have all met somewhere before, and will all meet again." He 
shrugged.  "That way, you never have to say 'good-bye', and only 
'hello, friend!'"

Shinji smiled and bowed his head.  "Well, then, hello again!" he said 
with an amused chuckle.

"I am Nagisa Kaoru." He raised his hand to shake.

"Nagisa-san..." Shinji blinked.  "You have a very good name."

The other boy paused, then smiled.  "As do you, Shinji-kun." He turned 
to the water.  "So, if your name means 'Truth', I know you will tell me 
why you are here, instead of relaxing at home."

"I went to get ramen..." Shinji looked down at his watch, and tried not 
to cringe.  "But, if my friends were hungry, they have probably eaten 
by now."

"Then we should go back to NERV and find some food for ourselves." 
Kaoru advised.  

Shinji was a bit surprised.  "You work at NERV as well?"

"Yes." The boy smiled and began walking off.  "I am Nagisa Kaoru... 
Fifth Children."

Shinji stood there for a moment, watching the boy walk off.  Something 
seemed wrong.

"Are you to join me for dinner?  Or would you like to be left to gaze 
at the sunset?"

He sighed, ignored the feeling gnawing inside his brain, and followed.  
"Coming!"










"Obstruction of the Project." Commander Ikari said, hands folded.  Eyes 
shining behind those glasses.  "Assault on a superior officer.  Breach 
of protocol." He turned to Toji.  "And another charge of assault on a 
superior officer, as well as the special security division."

Toji and Asuka stood still, their hands bound.  They shed no emotion.  

"These are serious charges." Gendo said.  "NERV is not a daycare for 
children who cannot behave."

Asuka fought back a dozen biting replies to that statement.  Most of 
them were stopped, not out of fear of reprisal, but respect for Rei 
(who had been a well of good anti-NERV jokes in her mind until 
recently) and Toji, who would more than likely feel any wrath she 
stirred up in the next few minutes.

"Have you anything to say, Miss Langley?" Gendo stood, walking over to 
her.  Always with the cold wall of separation, but with a glare that 
could do physical harm if you let it.  "We were under the impression 
that you were a mature, learned young woman.  Not a foolish baby."

Asuka looked up at him without fear.  "I plead insanity."

Gendo blinked, then smirked.  "Is that so.  You seem perfectly fine at 
the moment."

"Since when were you the expert on the human condition, Old Man?" Toji 
snapped.  "I don't see your employees throwing you parties for your 
'wisdom'."

Gendo peered to the boy with the same smirk.  "And you, Mister 
Suzuhara."

"Yeah?  What about me." He smirked back.  "Your guard threw my friend 
against the wall.  I just wanted to make sure the damn ape didn't do 
anything else."

"May I remind you that we now have an overabundance of Evangelion 
Pilots." Gendo said, then walked back over to his desk.  "Rei is quite 
able to replace you."

Now came Toji's turn to grit his teeth.  "If you think that you are 
threatening me, you're full of..."

"That's exactly right." Gendo said with a dark voice.  "I am 
threatening you.  The moment you cease to exist as a useful entity to 
me, the sooner you will cease to exist."

Toji faltered.  At first, he couldn't believe this asshole just said 
that to him.  But then, the cold reality around him...this room...the 
guards with semi-automatics outside...and the only witness also 
'expendable'.   

Gendo smiled, noting the reaction was sufficient. 

Toji stepped forward.  "I will pilot to protect my friends.  If you 
wanna stop me, then go the fuck ahead." He grumbled, clenching his 
fists together.  "Otherwise, let us go and stop wasting our time."

Gendo turned to Asuka.  "Very well.  Mister Suzuhara may report to the 
Major for his next training assignment."

Asuka flinched.  

"However, the Second is unstable.  She is a danger to herself, and 
others." He said in that way he could smile, and not smile at the same 
time.  "You will be escorted to Ward Three of the NERV clinic for 
evaluation."

The guards appeared as if they were waiting for the cue.  They probably 
were.  Toji gasped and was about to lunge at one of them when Asuka 
turned to him and shook her head.  "No."

"But..."  he watched helplessly as they grabbed her by her handcuffs 
and began to pull her out the door.  She offered little resistance. 

"Tell Shinji...that I'll try to get better." She whispered.  "I'll try 
to help.  Just tell me when the next Angel comes.  Okay?"

The door shut before he could say anything.  

Toji turned, now facing the Commander.  "I hate you." He whispered.  

Gendo just smiled.  "Don't worry...it will pass."

The door opened once more, but nobody was on the other side.  Only an 
empty hall.  Toji turned from the doorway and shook his head.  "I don't 
want it to pass.  I want to hate you forever."

The door closed swiftly behind him. 

Gendo leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling.  "I have no 
time for hate anymore." He whispered at the patterns around him.  "Time 
is growing short.  The final Angel will be here, and we will eradicate 
it."

A long, long pause.  

"Please...hold on just a little longer, Yui."










"You look troubled, Shinji-kun."  Kaoru said, looking up from the soup 
he was eating.  "Is there anything you wish to tell me?"

"Yes." Shinji sighed.  "And no.  But...I suppose it is okay, so long as 
you don't get offended."

After a long, futile search for food at the cafeteria, and finding that 
Misato had been called away on some official business, Shinji and Kaoru 
had decided on a vending machine and the empty cafeteria, now only 
populated by them and a lone janitor off on the other corner.  

"I thought that I would hate you." Shinji said, looking up with a small 
smile.  "I was worried that, because you were replacing one of my 
friends, I would be mad at you, and maybe lash out."

Kaoru blinked, then smiled as always.  "I understand.  It is hard to 
get to know new people...especially if they push friends away."

Shinji sighed and nodded, working on a sandwich of his own.  "But...I 
guess this is good, because I get to meet a new person.  And it doesn't 
mean any of my friends are gone.  Just..." he looked up.  "Is it hard 
for you to meet people too?"

"It is the nature of humans." Kaoru said.  "They do not want to be hurt 
by others, and so, build walls around themselves.  Friends are walls 
too...they keep familiar in, and unknown out."

"But...they also need you to act as a wall, then." Shinji looked up and 
sighed.  "It's hard being a wall, or hiding behind walls all the time."

"So..." Kaoru shrugged nonchalantly.  "Then what am I?"

Shinji raised his eyebrow, then looked at the boy for a moment.  "You 
are someone who slipped through a crack, but does not seem to be a bad 
unknown."

He laughed.  "Then you see me as an intruder.  A thief, perhaps?"

Shinji blushed and sat up straight.  "Not at all!  I was simply... 
making comparison." He smiled.  "Maybe you are a thief...but I have 
nothing to steal."

Kaoru thought about it for a moment.  Even then, though, he always 
seemed to have pre-fabricated answers.  "What if I am a locksmith, 
then?"

"Pardon?"

"What if I am here to help you break out of your wall that you feel 
comfortable behind, yet do not want to be in?" he paused to take a long 
sip of the broth, finishing it with a happy sigh.  "What if we were 
destined to meet, Ikari-kun?"

Shinji considered it for a while, then smiled.  "And what if we 
weren't?"

Kaoru laughed happily at the response, then stood.  "Then our futures 
have no barring on each other.  I may go about my business, and you may 
yours." He walked over to the trash and deposited his meal's left-
overs.  

Shinji shrugged. "Maybe."

"But..." Kaoru turned.  "I believe that fate has put us together." He 
smiled happily.  "I look forward to talking to you later."

Shinji jumped as his watch beeped, alerting him to the time.  "Ahh!  I 
should get back home!  Misato and the others will be worried!"

"It must be nice to have a home you can go to." He smiled softly.  

Shinji blinked, then nodded as he packed up his things. "Well, 
uhm...where are you staying?"

"NERV provides a dorm." Kaoru explained, then shrugged.  "I do not 
require a place to sleep, Shinji-kun." He paused, then smiled.  "Unless 
you would like to join me."

An almost audible twitch sounded in Shinji's head, but he just laughed 
it off.  "Well, I'll tell you what...Maybe I will talk to you later." 
He shrugged and smiled.  "How does that sound?"

"Perfect." Kaoru bowed his head.  "You can ask reception on my room or 
phone number." He smiled.  "Feel free to come by anytime.  I like 
talking with you, Shinji-kun."

Shinji considered his response.  He didn't want to sound too quick to 
answer, or fake.  But, he finally smiled and nodded.  "Me too.  Thank 
you, Kaoru-kun."

He watched the gray-headed boy walk off, then did so himself, shaking 
his head.  

"Another Kaoru..." he sighed, then smiled.  "Maybe they're good luck."








Major Katsuragi felt the need for something a lot stiffer than beer as 
she tried to digest the news of the day.  What a fucked up day.  

Inside, huddled around the television, sat Maya, Toji and Kensuke.  
Maya was trying to put on a good face, but both boys looked grave.  
Pen-Pen watched the TV, but even he seemed admitted about something. 

Two people shared her balcony with her.  Misato turned to Ritsuko and 
Makoto.  The older woman seemed content to stare out at the night's 
sky.  The younger man was watching Misato nervously.  "What do you 
think of all this, Major?"

"It seems odd that the last few attempts of the Angels have been to get 
Asuka away from her Eva." He whispered.  "And...if...if the Fifth 
really is an Angel..." she shook her head.  "We cannot allow him to 
pilot.  Not even for tests.  We must watch him, just to be sure." 

"What if we need him to pilot?" Makoto asked.  

"Then we let him.  If we have to fight another Angel, that means he's 
not." Ritsuko said.  "I am quite certain that there is only one more.  
Ikari's plans are all based on it.  Even the plans from the old men at 
SEELE seem to be coming to a climax."

"And, Asuka?" Misato turned.  "Were you able to find out where they are 
keeping her?"

Ritsuko nodded, then looked inside to Toji, who seemed deeply 
reflective at the moment.  "The kid did good.  Third Ward is all brain-
related.  It was easy to track her down.  The Commander didn't order 
anything beyond her being confined in her room...but...some of the 
doctors there might go above his head and order medication." She 
paused.  "Especially if Asuka fights it."

"Oh shit..." Misato shivered in the warm night's air.  "Please don't 
tell me that...I have enough things haunting me." She paused, then 
looked up at the blonde.  "What about the other thing."

Ritsuko looked away.  "At...well...at first, I thought you were insane 
for asking.  And, normally, I would have passed it off and gone for 
more coffee."

Misato grumbled.  "Then why didn't you?"

"Because...the Magi were hacked into a while back, and I thought that, 
maybe, that was the bit that was changed." She smirked.  "It seems so 
foolish, that someone would hack a super-bio-computer just to change 
the ages of a few children, but it was a start.  A pointer.  Somewhere 
I could look, instead of guess."

"And?" Misato blinked. 

"Nothing." She laughed.  "As far as anyone but the actual Children 
know, they're fifteen, but only after their birthdays this year."

"Shit." She sighed.  "So much for that."

Ritsuko shook her head.  "However, Maya and I found some other 
interesting things while we were looking." She looked around.  "The 
Fifth Child has no records.  Much in the same way as Rei.  The 
Commander, or maybe even SEELE, did not want anyone to know where he 
came from.   I'm guessing SEELE, since Ikari seems to think he's got 
another wonderful, expendable pilot." She cleared her throat.  
"But...the kicker is the test results from the boy."

"They were pretty high from what little I saw of them." Misato nodded. 

"No.  That's not it." Ritsuko shook her head.  "You see...at first, 
they were just nice, high sync rates.  But...after the first minute, it 
was like he could control the actual sync ratio through his will."

Misato blinked.  

"Think of the Eva like this...You have a huge monster with this big 
void of consciousness and soul.  It NEEDS to connect to a soul and a 
mind to function.  And then you have the pilot...who is normally not 
used to sharing their soul, but will learn...and sometimes...can 
naturally." Ritsuko said, then took a moment to think of how to 
continue.  

"When the pilot wants to connect to the Eva, their soul is amplified so 
it can fill that huge void in the Eva, and hopefully, cause it to 
move...fight...do whatever.  Right?"

"I'm with you so far." Misato nodded. 

"But, the technology is still new...and as you saw with the dummy plug, 
it is not perfect.  Even in it's most pure form of the dummy 
plug...amplified to 100% Sync, the Eva knew it wasn't real, and failed 
to activate." She grinned...a little bit spooky.  "However, when you 
get someone like Shinji...who has all this soul, and this natural 
ability to give it to the Eva...mad enough, we have seen the ratio past 
400%, meaning the void is not only filled, but it actually permeates 
itself, flooding the pilot AND Eva with this supercharged....uhm... 
soul." she laughed.  "I'm not making any sense, am I."

Misato smiled.  "You're doing fine."

"While this new kid cannot reach the amazing numbers that Shinji and 
Asuka can, he..." she paused, then sighed.  "I can't explain it...but I 
believe that he can bypass the Entry Plug."

The Major blinked.  "What do you mean?"

"He's able to share his soul with the Eva like it was like popping 
bread in a toaster." Ritsuko said, then shook her head.  "He doesn't 
need to amplify, or change any signals or bullshit like that.  He 
just...syncs at whatever he wants to.  If he wants to sync at 40% so he 
doesn't feel much more than a pin-prick when Unit-02 gets shot, he 
could.  Then, he could ramp it up to 90%, explode through an AT Field, 
then rip whatever is behind it apart."

Misato shook her head and exhaled.  "Damn."

"And that's not all." Ritsuko smiled, shaking a bit.  "We found out, 
finally, what was changed in the hack.  You see...all this...this is 
real.  It hasn't just been placed in the Magi to frighten us."

"Then..." Misato swallowed hard.  "What was changed?"

"Maya and I found out that the only thing changed was a personnel file.  
A birth record, and a working history.  That's all." Ritsuko looked up 
and shook her head.  "Some guy named Kaoru.  The exact same name of 
this new Child...but he's almost twice the age.  Even had the picture 
to prove it.  For a while there, I thought I was onto something."

Misato turned away.  "Shit."

Ritsuko sighed, then turned her eyes to the sky.  "I get the distinct 
feeling that I'm watching a very, very, bad soap opera, and I can't get 
out...and I can't change how it's going to end."

"That's it.  Everyone's here now...I was so blind..."  The Major walked 
over to her coat, and to everyone's surprise, pulled out her pistol and 
checked it for it's ammo.  "It's going to happen tomorrow."

Makoto walked up behind Misato and placed his hand on her shoulder.  
"Misato-chan...what's going to happen tomorrow?"

She turned to him, trying not to show how much she was shaking.  "The 
beginning of the end." She said softly.  "The final Angel will attack 
tomorrow."










The gray headed young man was walking down the hall, aimed towards the 
dorms, but in no hurry, it seemed, to get there.  He began to hum "Air" 
to himself, almost as if on a whim.  As he did, he changed his course 
so he was in the middle of the hall, not on the very right. 

It was a good thing he did, because he might have tripped over the 
blue-haired woman there, waiting for him.
 
"Stop." Rei said softly.

Kaoru already had.  He turned to her with sharp, red eyes.  "First 
Children.  Ayanami Rei.  It is good to see you again."

Rei frowned, then cocked her head to the side slightly.  "We have not 
met."

"We have.  So I will simply say 'hello, friend'." Kaoru said, stepping 
past her. 

"Stop." Rei ordered once more.  

Once again, Kaoru stopped and turned to face her.  "Yes?"

"We are not friends." Rei said.  There was something in her voice that 
she hadn't expected on having.  Almost...anger.  "I am sure of it." She 
added to bolster her confidence. 

Kaoru peered at her for a moment.  Then, the smile came back.  "Maybe 
you are right...but we are the same, nevertheless."

Rei frowned more, then walked up to him.  "I will not allow you to hurt 
Ikari-kun."

Kaoru blinked, then watched Rei walk away, back down the side-hall.  
For Rei, it was her version of storming off, even though she never even 
slammed the door behind her. 

Kaoru turned, continued on his path despite the interruption, and 
continued to hum.








To be concluded....








Thanks for your patience during these last few months of Higher 
Learning, and I wish that I could have finished this all off much 
sooner than I have.  As you can see, there will be only one more 
Lesson.  <grins> But, of course, where would Evangelion be without a 
movie??  

So, don't worry...it will all be over soon.  ^_^  Whahahaahahahahahaaa!  
Depending on how much Jolt I drink, it might be bloodier...or maybe 
even more screwed up.  (though the latter is hard to accomplish.  :P  
EOE MINDFUCK! WHOWOOAOAOAA!!!)

Just a couple of things before I kick this one off to the "update" pile 
on my desktop and start working on the next one so I won't lose this 
momentum.  

-Thank you all for your wonderful support!  Especially in the Tako 
Balls awards!  ^_^  It was awesome!  And I'm glad I haven't made 
you all sick of me just yet.  Heheheh.  Soon, I promise. 
-Thank you to the House of L33T and all the good people who 
reside, hang out, and float around aimlessly there. 
-Thanks goes out to Hewlett Packard, for making me glad I make my 
own computers, and I DON'T USE THEIR SLOW-AS-ASS SHITTY COMPUTERS 
AT HOME!!!!!  ^_^  
-ARGH! 
-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!  At least DELLs are faster.
-Thanks to Draxel who keeps me always wanting to write more, even 
when I don't want to. ^_^ 
-Thanks to the lovely Senie for empowering me when I least expect 
it, and letting me relax and enjoy life when I really need it.


Most importantly, thanks go out to everyone who, like me, is getting 
sick of war, fear and hate...things that should only be written about.  
Hopefully, they'll be in history books soon. 

Ja for now!  But of course, not before an OMAKE!  ^_^ 








OMAKE
*****

Misato winked.  "Got it?  No more sad stories after this job.  I want 
you two to be happy."

"As do I, Ikari-kun." Rei smiled warmly.  "I have heard that baby-
sitting is a rewarding experience.  I would enjoy helping out."

Shinji smiled and blushed. "Arigato, Rei-chan."

Misato laughed.  "Now that would be fun to watch." She paused...then 
thought about it.

The image of Rei sitting down at the table of the Shinji/Asuka 
household filled her mind...

Rei sat there, staring at the small baby.

The baby watched back, drooling slightly. 

The baby then blinked.

Rei would smile, slowly, and stand up.  "I win again."

The baby would then cry, until Rei promised him a rematch staring 
contest.

Misato shivered.  "Never mind...I don't wanna see that...it would be 
too eerie."

*****






Until next time...may a star shine on the hour of our meeting!
( sorry...too much LOTR ^_^ )

strikef@bigfoot.com
www.studioshinnyo.com
www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110


Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2001.  Khattam-Shud, EOF


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From: Strike Fiss <strikef@bigfoot.com>
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This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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Neon Genesis Evangelion
   Higher Learning

  Strike Fiss, 2001









Forty-Fifth Lesson:  "Where Angels fear to Tread"







"Tell me again why I have to follow your bitch-ass around the 
wilderness?" Kaji yelled out as he slipped down the hill once again. 

He was getting rather good at it, Kaoru smirked.  Even had enough time 
to yell out that phrase before he hit the bottom.  "Because I know 
where I'm going!" he called back.  

Kaji dusted himself off and with an angry grunt, threw himself up onto 
the cliff-face and ran up as far as he could before the incline forced 
him to hang on and take the next bit with more patience.  "I know 
exactly where you're going.  Straight to hell, and you're goinna take 
us all along with you!"

Kaoru sighed.  "You know, after the first thirty times you said that, 
it was amusing.  Now it's just dull." He reached into his backpack and 
pulled out a rope.  "Now hold still and I'll pull you up...wuss." He 
added after a beat.

"Maybe that's why I hate you so much...you remind me too much of 
myself." Kaji grumbled.  

"I'm touched!" The other man smiled happily as he lowered the rope.  
"That's very nice of you to say, Kaji-san!"

With a sigh, Kaji took the rope and waited for Kaoru to tie it to a 
tree.  "Can't you just fly down here or something?  Or use an AT Field 
to lift me up?"

"Of course not.  That would be silly."  Kaoru said frankly.  "Besides, 
I'm still pretty rusty when it comes to AT Fields.  You wouldn't want 
me to mess up.  I'm not nearly as good as you think."

Kaji sighed and climbed the rope.  It took the man a good five minutes, 
and he was gasping by the time he got to the top.  With the weather not 
only hot, but humid, it was a hard climb in the thin, wet air.  This 
would be the last part of the trip they would have to go 'up', though.  
They were standing on the very tip of the Japanese Shield, the mountain 
ridge that made up most of the inner country's defence against the 
rising waters.  A whisper of a road with a ragged old sign betrayed the 
true nature of the ridge...that it was once only a lonely hiking trail.  
Barely wide enough for a Jeep even back then, it was now a hazard on 
the most steady of foot.  

The view, however, was amazing.  Behind them, they could see the great 
Tokyo valleys clouded in mist.  They were huge...mostly due to the use 
of N2 mines the last decade or so.  Even then, they were more than a 
day's travel away...and most of that had been by a NERV truck.  

In front of them lay a steep bed of wild forest, and beyond that, the 
ocean.  It seemed clear and blue...stretching on forever in all 
directions.  Kaji's breath was caught, but not by fatigue.  It was one 
thing to see the ocean...and another to actually trek towards it.  
"Wow..." he whispered.

"I knew you'd like it." Kaoru smiled, then shook his head.  "We should 
reach it by tomorrow evening." He pointed off to a tiny little speck.  
The last remaining Izu island.  The others had long since disappeared 
under the water.  Lucky for them, it was also the closest to shore. 

"If you knew this was so important..." Kaji huffed as he began to tie a 
rope to another tree, then prepared to repel down the first bit of the 
cliff.  "Why are we only now heading there?"

Kaoru smiled.  "Because, I don't want to interrupt the final exams."

"I hate teacher humour.  So why do I have to come?" Kaji sighed, then 
jumped.

Just before Kaoru did the same, he turned to the direction of Tokyo 3.  
"The last angel..." he sighed.  "I hope I've taught him enough." He 
paused and smiled.  "I hope both of us have.  Good luck."

The decent was quick, but the journey was just beginning.










"Asuka..." Shinji whispered, looking through the glass.  

He seemed to be doing this all too much lately.  This was not a 
recovery room, however.  It was, what familiars in the area liked to 
call it, the 'shrink ward'.  There was a bandage on her left arm, 
sleeve pulled back.  Under it snaked an IV that was keeping her sedated 
and alive.  

For now, anyway.

The doctors all had left for the evening.  It was only by sheer luck 
that the guard was able to be convinced to let him see her.  Even then, 
the door was to be kept locked.  No amount of badge-flashing had 
convinced the man otherwise.  

"What happened to her?" Shinji asked, looking up at the man.  

He was an elderly gentlemen...kind enough to sympathize, but trained 
(and in fear of losing his job) not to break the rules set out for him.  
"Uhm...I think she and the doctors had a fight.  She punched one of 
them and then they had to sedate her."

"But she's not crazy." Shinji shook his head quickly.  "Why is she in 
here?"

"She pleaded insanity to the Commander." The man shook his head.  "But 
I don't think they've run any tests yet."

Shinji let his head press against the glass as he tried to think of 
what to do.  It was hopeless...this was not like a recovery room where 
one could just walk out when they felt the need to.  If he tried, and 
failed to convince his father to let her go...the tests would be 
mysteriously pushed back for a few more days...or weeks...or...months.

He shivered, thinking of all the things she told him.  About her 
mother...the hospital.  It was too similar for it not to be hurting her 
inside.  

Toji had explained the whole thing to him.  Asuka diverted the wrath of 
his father so at least Toji would be able to pilot.  But, at what cost?  
Her actual sanity?

"Asuka...I don't want to lose you..." he whispered, praying for a 
reaction. 

Asuka just lay there...looking like she was almost asleep.  In fact, 
she looked a bit too peaceful.  She never slept like that.  

"Asuka..." he leaned against the glass.  "ASUKA!  WAKE UP!" he yelled 
out, pounding on the glass.  

There was no reaction...only the arms of the old security man dragging 
him away from the glass.  "Please!  Young sir!  Don't get me in 
trouble!" he begged.

Shinji slumped, still looking for futile hope in the sleeping form of 
the room's occupant.  "I'm sorry..." he whispered.  

The guard mistook who it was for, and said, "It's okay..." even as 
Shinji stormed out into the hall, before breaking into a run.

"Poor kid..." the guard sighed, then walked back over to the door to 
lock it.













Shinji felt like running.  

Fast.  Forever.  Away from himself.  Away from life.  The pain.  The 
pleasure.  It really didn't matter that much anymore.  He just needed 
to run.

"Why are you running?" he could hear a voice in his mind speak to him.  
It seemed impossibly wise and angry for the situation, and it came with 
the clarity that almost shook him to his senses. 

The halls of NERV were deserted, yet he still felt foolish, considering 
the answer out loud.  

"I don't know..." he gasped, still moving.  His voice now hoarse from 
it.  It was more like jogging...except he couldn't bring himself to 
actually take off and run. 

Eventually, he found himself nearly colliding with a wall.  The effort 
to dodge was enough to finally make him stop...mentally exhausted, 
though his body only seemed to follow suit. 

"Running from the pain, are you?" Kaoru-Sensei seemed to say.

He sunk to the floor slowly, gasping as he did.

"No." Shinji whispered back...slightly scared that the voice was 
continuing to become clearer in his mind.  

"Then where are you going?"

FLASH!

Back, way back...he was in a classroom now.  His legs didn't jerk with 
the sudden lack of movement, even though he expected them to when he 
looked at the desk caging him in.  

"FINAL EXAM" was written on the board in hasty, big kanji.  

In front of him was no paper, no pencil, no calculator, and no laptop.  
Only the Sensei, tapping his legs annoyingly on the side of his 
teacher's desk as he sat on the edge.  

"It doesn't matter if you choose the right answer if you don't do the 
work to get to it." He sighed, shaking his head.  "Haven't I taught you 
anything?  Or will you just guess through the test?"

"I know the answer." Shinji said back.  "I...I don't know how I got to 
it...but I have the right answer!  You can't tell me that isn't worth 
something!" he yelled.

Kaoru sighed, then shook his head.  "Very well...you have the right 
answer.  The one, final, all defining point.  But this is not a math 
problem, Mister Ikari." He adjusted his glasses as he turned away to 
the sunset outside.

Always a red sunset, it seemed.

"This is life.  You don't get points for the end of it.  Otherwise, 
everyone would get one hundred percent just for dying." He continued.  
"If you don't do the work, then your final answer is worthless." He 
paused.  "Of course, you may have already done the work...you just 
haven't written it down yet."

The empty desks around him seemed to fill with the overwhelming 
presence of everyone in the class...watching him.  Waiting for the 
right answer.  The right question.

Anything...

Shinji looked around the otherwise empty room.  His second home for the 
last half a year.  It felt strange as he remembered it was now under a 
new lake with half of Tokyo 3.  Finally, though, he turned back to 
Kaoru.  

"I want to protect Asuka.  My friends.  I want them to be happy.  I 
want to share that happiness." He said finally.  "That is the only 
answer I need."

Kaoru slid off his desk, then slammed his fists into Shinji's desk.  
The jolt almost threw him free of his seat.  "How."

"H...how?" Shinji blinked.

"Damn rights, 'How'." Kaoru shook his head, then hunched over his desk, 
glaring right at the boy.  "You think just because you want something 
it will happen?  You're not a God...and even if you had the power, your 
mind is hardly able to comprehend something of that magnitude." He 
paused for a moment, then leaned back a bit.  "So...how will you save 
her?  How will you save the woman you love?  Run away?"

"NO!" Shinji screamed.  All of a sudden, the room rocked around him.  
Kaoru seemed not to notice.  "I won't run!  Not now!"

"Fight?  Die?  What will you do, Mister Ikari?" Kaoru smirked.  "You're 
low on time, and you're not even most of the way through the test."

"I'll...I'll..." Shinji blinked, then was silent.  

The room was still.  The light seemed to fade, and he found himself in 
an uncomfortable spotlight with his Sensei. 

"Mmph.  Guessing again?" Kaoru sighed, then shook his head.  He reached 
into the darkness just beyond the little circle of reality to pull out 
a chair so he could sit as well.  

"Yes." Shinji admitted, then slumped in his own seat.  "I don't know 
the answer."

"How about Eva?" Kaoru smiled.  "Why not take Eva."

"I..." Shinji glared at his teacher.  "You're bating me."

"Who?  Me?" Kaoru smirked.  "I'm just offering you choices."

Shinji nodded.  "And at the very bottom, for 'd', you have 'none of the 
above'.  Is that it?"

Kaoru laughed.  "Maybe." He sighed.  "Maybe that's what you want to 
hear.  Maybe it's what I want to hear." He leaned forward a bit.  "But 
what answer is the one you need?"

"Eva." Shinji sighed.

"Mmm." Kaoru slumped, then nodded.  "I understand."

"No...I don't think you do." Shinji smiled softly, suddenly feeling 
clear.  "Mother...she is in Eva.  Right?"

"You know more than I do." Kaoru nodded, then leaned forward.  

"Mother is the first other.  The first person you attach to, right?  
But also, the first teacher." He said, then looked up at his Sensei.  
"And yet, I cannot use you to destroy a city." He smiled.  "But...you 
both have one common bond in my mind." 

Kaoru nodded, then smiled.

"Eva is a teacher." Shinji whispered.  "I won't use it for things it 
wasn't meant for."

Kaoru sighed, then leaned back in the seat.  "Very well.  That's still 
not much of an answer...but I suppose it will have to do." He stood.  

The classroom once again seemed whole.  He walked over to the 
blackboard.  Taking the brush, he began to erase the words on the 
board.  "You still need to answer it, though.  If you don't, you can 
never pass."

"I know." Shinji nodded, then sighed, resting his head on his desk.  

"What will you do now?"

As the words echoed in his mind, Shinji found himself on the floor, 
curled up in a ball.  The cool, smooth metal was soothing to his ragged 
mind.  

"I need to find a new point of view..." he whispered to himself.  "I 
have to find the answer..." he sighed, then stood slowly.  

He felt his way along the walls, walking to somewhere familiar.  

"I need to think..." he said to the empty halls.  











Kensuke sighed as he watched the horizon for the sunset that had yet to 
come.  "This sucks." He said.

Toji nodded.  He turned to his friend and shook his head.  "I think 
everyone wants this to be over.  I want to go far away from here and 
forget about everything for a very long time."

"You too?" Kensuke smiled.  "We should all go for a vacation."

Rei, who had been relatively silent that evening, smiled at the 
thought.  "I have always wanted to go to the mountains.  I think it 
would be fun."

"They have good hotdogs." Kensuke nodded.  When Rei and Toji looked at 
him strangely, he laughed, then shook his head.  "Sometimes, when I'm 
out playing around in my army gear, I'll head on up the Tokyo 
Valley...past all the wreckage and destruction...and there's a little 
town on the edge of it all that has this one burger joint I like.

"It's called Fran's Food or something cheesy like that.  Their food 
isn't even all that good...but one day I took a chance and ordered a 
hotdog." He continued.  "It came on a paper plate, and the bun was 
nothing more than a thick slice of bread wrapped around it...and even 
that was soaked through by this horrible looking red and green sauce 
and grease mixture." He smiled.  "But I was hungry, and took a big 
bite."

A long pause.

"And?" Toji blinked.

"Best damn hotdog I ever had." Kensuke smiled happily.

Toji laughed and shook his head.  "Sounds good.  We'll have to go."

Rei nodded.  "I would also like a hotdog."

They were all silent after that as the last few lights of the city 
turned off, if they were in buildings and homes, or on, if they were 
streetlamps.  

"It's late." Toji sighed.  

"Ikari-kun won't be back tonight, I think." Rei whispered. 

Kensuke nodded.  "Do you think we'll survive this?"

There was a long pause, but finally, Toji nodded.  "Yes.  Shinji just 
needs some time to figure out what to do.  How to save Red-Devil."

Kensuke seemed to approve the answer, because he nodded, and said 
nothing.  

Finally, one by one, they walked back into the apartment.  Each going 
to sleep a moment later once they had found their allotted futons, and 
hoping dreams would be kind to them that night.









Night gave way to Shinji opening his eyes to a harsh, artificial 
happiness that was the sunlight.  In the large, bay windows that were 
built on the side of a pyramid, he wondered how it could be so bright 
under the Geofront and it's cold, metal shell.  

Humans needed light and dark to function, he reasoned.  Day and night 
were balanced so the human animal could sleep and work at the right 
times according to their biological clocks and devices. 

Is that why they took Asuka from him?  Is that why everyone went away?  
So he would pilot Eva?  And yet, like threatening a child to go to bed 
without desert, they also threw in the rule that if he did not pilot 
Eva, Asuka...everyone...would go away forever. 

Either way, it would still become night time.

Days like this made the wait for morning almost impossible.  

"You're up early, Shinji-kun." A familiar voice came behind him as he 
sat up on the couch.  The hard foam plastic had been his nest for the 
night.

He turned, eyes still fluttering in the barely-new sun, and saw Asuka's 
replacement...er...Kaoru-kun.  "Ohay...ooh..." he yawned, then shook 
his head, looking at the time on the wall.  "Early?  I hadn't noticed." 
He sighed.  It was just coming on five a.m..

With Shinji sitting, instead of laying, the grey-haired boy smiled and 
took it as an invitation, plopping down right besides him.  "You should 
have came home with me, Shinji-kun.  It's not very good to sleep here."

Shinji blushed considerably, then turned away.  "I did go home...but... 
my friend is in the hospital, so I had to come back."

Kaoru nodded, genuinely concerned.  "What has happened to them?"

"They angered the Commander." Shinji whispered.  "She is now alone in 
the hospital.  They think she's sick in the head...but I know it's 
because of my father."

The older boy nodded, then shook his head.  "You do not agree with your 
Father?" he shook his head.  "That is a sorry thing...but hardly 
uncommon."

"Mmm, is it now." Shinji stood, stretching as he walked over to the 
windows.  The Geofront seemed indeed to be much happier than he was.  
The forest below seemed tranquil and peaceful.  "Most people my age 
like their fathers.  They may even love them." With a long, tired 
breath, he shook his head.  "I'm tired of hating my father...but he 
doesn't seem to want to change."

"Fathers do not change easily." Kaoru said, walking up behind him.  
"That is why boys must learn from them."

Shinji turned to Kaoru.  "Do you...hate your father?" he blushed.  "I 
mean..."

"It's okay." Kaoru smiled brightly, as if it was impossible to offend 
the young man.  "No, I don't hate him.  I love him dearly.  But I do 
not agree with his choices sometimes."

Shinji smiled slightly, hopefully.  "Really?  What do you do, then?"

"I take his judgement in good faith." Kaoru said happily.  "He has 
worked many miracles for me...and to doubt him would be foolish.  I 
don't pretend to be as wise as he is, so I must admit...a leap of faith 
is what helps me accept him."

The young Ikari sighed, then nodded.  "My father...he's like that 
sometimes." He looked up at the sky outside.  "But...he hurts so many 
people, and takes away things I love.  Even if I don't know what he 
knows, I can't accept that he is doing good."

Kaoru nodded, then began to walk.  "Come with me?"

Shinji followed, catching up.  "Has your dad...ever...done bad things?" 
he sighed.  "I mean...horrible things?"

"Like killing people?  Giving orders?  Taking away your freedom?" he 
stopped, then grinned.  "Things like that?"

Shinji nodded.  "Yes."

"Yes." Kaoru nodded, then continued.  "But, has YOUR father done things 
good?  Very good things?  Grand things?"

"I..." Shinji nodded.  "Yes.  He has."

"Like what?" Kaoru pressed.  

Shinji had to think for a moment, then smiled.  "Well, he's saved 
everyone by forming NERV.  And I suppose he's given me a purpose in 
life."

"Even if you don't agree with the purpose." Kaoru offered.  "Do you 
still thank him for that gift?"

Shinji sighed, then nodded sheepishly.  "Yes.  I suppose I do."

They walked for a moment, before Kaoru stopped and opened up a door to 
their right.  "In Ancient Greece, men would commune in a most divine 
way." He said.  "Would you like to join me?"

The door said "Men's Spa" on it.  Shinji blushed for a moment, then 
sighed, nodding his head.  "Sure.  Actually, a bit of water might clear 
my head."

They entered and found they were the only ones who dared brave the 
morning so early.  It took a moment for the automatic lights to switch 
on, but soon they were in the change-room.  

"You know, I've never been in here before." Shinji smirked as he dawned 
a towel quickly. 

"It is one of the great privileges of age." Kaoru said happily, not 
seeming to mind the fact he was completely naked at this point.  "I 
dare say that this is the best method of male bonding." He walked over 
to the showers.  

"Actually, I like getting drunk much better." Shinji sighed to himself, 
trying to look away without seeming too embarrassed.  "Less water, and 
you can always pass off whatever embarrassing things you say as being 
drunk."

"Scared you'll tell me something personal, Shinji-kun?" Kaoru called 
after him, amidst the sound of water spraying. 

"A bit." He sighed, shaking his head.  "It's not every day I tell 
complete strangers about my father." He walked to a separate shower 
stall and turned on the hot and cold all the way.  The rivets of water 
seemed dull in their attempts to pierce through his numb mind.  

"Don't be silly." Kaoru smiled.  "We're much alike.  If you know 
yourself, you know me well."

"Maybe that's what I'm scared of." Shinji admitted.  

The comment was left blissfully untouched as the two finished their 
showers and walked to the main spa.  The large screen above the bath 
was showing a nice, peaceful view of Mount Fuji, while the lights were 
turned off, instead letting in the warm, foggy glow from the daylight 
outside. 

The echo of their splashes resounded for a long while.  Kaoru simply 
lay against the side, while Shinji waited out the awkward silence, 
trying to shake this uncanny feeling of deja-vu.  

"What would you like to talk about?" Kaoru asked finally, as the 
occasional drip of water and their breathing remained. 

Shinji sighed to himself.  He knew he should say something.  He didn't 
want to be rude, and for the sake of everyone, he wasn't about to let 
his feelings about Asuka's replacement get in the way of friendship and 
teamwork.  Eventually, he came to the conclusion that he should just 
pretend this Kaoru was like Sensei Kaoru.  

"I wish I knew if what I know was correct." Shinji said finally, 
looking up at the giant mountain before them.  "I don't want to wait 
until everyone dies for me to know it's wrong."

"Why would it be wrong?" Kaoru asked.  

"Not...wrong." Shinji sighed.  "I just don't know if it's what I need 
to know.  It seems so vague and impractical." He groaned and leaned 
back.  "I have more questions about myself than answers, and the world 
around me isn't helping me find those answers."

"Well, what do you want to know about yourself?" Kaoru said.  

"Why can't I be happy." Shinji mumbled, looking up at the mountain.  
"Why can't I be happy and live life like everyone else does." 

For some reason, he thought of Asuka.  An image of her ranting about 
something pierced his mind.  

"What is happiness to you?" Kaoru asked, turning to him.  "Is it a 
loving father...a safe and caring girlfriend...a purpose?  What is it?"

"Yes...but...that's not all." He sighed.  "I don't know if it has 
anything to do with other people.  Maybe it's me.  I don't know."

Kaoru smiled and laughed out loud.  "Human-kind has been trying to find 
those answers forever, Shinji-kun.  It is human destiny to question 
happiness and themselves."

Shinji shook his head.  "I just want to know where to look for 
happiness.  I know what I want...I just don't know the answers."

"Happiness is as free-will.  To some people, it is treasured and 
desired above all else.  Others take it for granted, yet fight when 
they lose it." He relaxed in the hot water for a moment.  "And yet 
others desire to be away from it.  To be led and controlled." He turned 
to Shinji.  "You may desire the idea of happiness, but feel most 
comfortable in sadness."

The young Ikari nodded humbly.  "But...what if I want to change?"

"How will you change?  What do you want to change into?"

"I...don't want to be alone.  I want to be happy." Shinji sighed, 
making a futile little splash with his hand in the water.  "I'm tired 
of being hurt."

"Then you should wish to be alone." Kaoru said.  "If you are ignorant 
of everyone around you, it is impossible for you to be betrayed."

Gendo Ikari...sitting alone at his desk.  The echo of his breathing 
impossibly loud.

"However, if you do that, you will never be rid of the feeling of 
loneliness." Kaoru continued.

Rei Ayanami...floating in a pool, fighting the urge to breathe in the 
water and explore what was next.  Fighting even harder the urge to look 
up to the sky and see that nobody was there to care if she did or not.

"True..." Shinji whispered, lost in the visions.

"A person cannot erase sadness forever." Kaoru whispered.

Asuka Langley Sohryu...laying face down in the hospital bed.  Tears go 
unseen to all but his eye.

"And it is hard to hide from pain by drowning it in false happiness." 

Misato Katsuragi...crumpled up to match her futon, surrounded by beer 
cans and old keepsakes.  Her face showed that her dreams were not being 
as kind to her as the alcohol.

Shinji turned to the young man with a sad frown.  "That's not really 
much of an answer."

"It wasn't supposed to be an answer, Shinji-kun." Kaoru smiled 
thoughtfully.  "It's meant to show that your heart is delicate...like 
glass.  You must be careful to take care of it, because it is worthy of 
love and admiration."

Shinji looked away, into the water so he could see himself.  "Then why 
does it feel cracked and broken already?"

"Maybe you just haven't been told these things." Kaoru smiled softly, 
putting his hand on Shinji's shoulder.  "That you're worth being 
loved."

Shinji looked away, not sure how to take a comment like that.  "What 
about you?  If people should be so scared of each other, why are you so 
friendly to me?"

"Because," Kaoru turned to him.  "I love you."






Maybe it was the combination of words and confusion.  Maybe it was his 
brain finally having pity and deciding to unlock...even if just for a 
moment.  

It was enough for him to see a situation similar to this.  

And the image of him battling Unit 02 right after. 

Asuka, comatose...NERV erupting around him.  The order to hunt down the 
final Angel. 

This boy.





Shinji felt his heart stop as the world seemed to crack around 
him...this time, showing reality.  

Kaoru was still talking, looking up at the giant screen above the pool. 

"To open your heart is the best way to understand another.  The moment 
I saw you, I knew our meeting was fated." The grey haired boy 
continued. 

Shinji nodded slowly.  "Is that right..." he found himself shaking from 
the images his brain gave him.  Images of that boy's head being popped 
off like a toy.

At first, he didn't know what to make of them...they were already gone, 
yet...he couldn't deny what he felt. 

Kaoru turned to him, noticing something was wrong.  "Are you okay, 
Shinji-kun?"

"Don't call me that..." he whispered, standing out of the water with 
slow determination.  

A lie...it had to be a lie.  Maybe the sleep deprivation was catching 
up to him...His imagination.

No.  Not this time.

The bile in his throat wouldn't go away as he kept reliving those 
words.  "You...you said my heart is fragile.  Like glass." Shinji 
turned around and exited the water.  

"Yes." Kaoru's smile returned.  "It is pure, and un-clouded like most 
people.  Fragile, maybe, but worthy of love and protection."

Shinji glared at him darkly.  "But if you step on it...you'll get cut."

A hand stopped him.  "Shinji-kun...what's wrong?"

Shinji spun, and his fist connected right into the boy's stomach.  
Kaoru looked surprised as he fell back into the water.  Shinji looked 
down at his fist, at first, a bit shocked.  Then, the guilt 
disappeared, and he turned on his heal and stormed off. 

Kaoru was left for a moment as Shinji went for the change rooms.  He 
sighed, then smiled, following quickly with a splash. 







Shinji had already almost finished changing when he felt a hand on his 
shoulder. 

The young boy looked at him with impossibly clear eyes.  "Shinji-kun."

He turned away, cold all over.  "Why are you here?  To taunt me?  To 
kill me?  To kill us all?"

"I think you know the answer." Kaoru sighed softly, then took away his 
hand, as if seeming to realize how inappropriate it was.  "I'm here to 
give you a choice, Shinji-kun.  Just you.  You're the only one that can 
decide."

"Decide what?" Shinji asked.

"If you pass or fail." Kaoru smiled thoughtfully, then turned to get 
dressed himself.  "When you decide, I'll be waiting." 

"I should kill you now." Shinji shivered, scared for a moment at his 
own resolution. 

"No." Kaoru said, walking out.  "After all, the stage is not yet set.  
As I said, when you are ready, I'll be waiting." 

The door closed. 

Shinji's breath stopped.  The images were no more...only the 
understanding of what he had to do.  His eyes went wide, and he bolted 
for the door.










Shinji ran down the halls, feeling them close in around him.  At first, 
he didn't know why, or where he was running. 

He wasn't really surprised when he found himself in Unit-01's cage.  

"MOTHER!" he yelled out to the empty room.  The day's work crews were 
still another hour away, safe and happy in their beds.  Nobody but the 
giant purple face and he could hear the echo.

However, it stayed motionless. 

Shinji huffed, glaring at the face.  "What happened..." he swallowed 
hard.  "What happened last time?"  

No answer. 

"I KNOW I SAW IT!" he screamed.  "Tell me, Mother!  Did I fail us last 
time?  Is that why we're going through this hell again?!?"

As if to answer in some kind of strange way...there was a horribly loud 
crashing sound.

A few cages away.   Unit-02.  

"Asuka..." Shinji whispered.  "No..." he closed his eyes...almost able 
to see the glow of the boy.  "Kaoru." 

The crimson lights began to flash, a loud klaxon cut through the air, 
and the end of the world began.









Misato wasn't really surprised when the NERV jump-jet landed on their 
condo's front lawn...smashing several of the tenants vehicles.  (The 
assholes from 119 deserved getting their annoying little Volkswagen 
trashed, anyway) The rest of the group followed with no questions or 
words as the pilot said it was an emergency, and that they all had to 
get to HQ as soon as possible.  

The flight seemed to pass as a dream.  Around her, her fellow partners 
in this nightmare had grim faces.  

Maya and Ritsuko were pouring over data from the younger woman's 
laptop, trying to get caught up on the morning's events.  Unit-02 had 
activated without a dummy plug, and was smashing through the first 
three layers of armour at the moment to get to Lilith.  

Misato wondered if she was the only one musing that Maya was flirting 
with Ritsuko.  

Kensuke and Hikari had to be left behind.  Toji had been brought his 
plug-suit, and was already changed by the time they landed at NERV.  
Determination seemed his whole world at the moment.  She smiled.  He 
was a good kid.  A fine man.  After spending the night with his friend 
and girl, he would sure to be a formidable opponent to any Angel.  

Rei was also changed, and seemed slightly more anxious than normal.  It 
was a bit scary to think that anything could creep out Rei.  However, 
the girl had gotten a brain, and some sense, so Misato couldn't blame 
her. 

She felt a bit hung over herself, but watched herself with detachment, 
gearing herself up for the day ahead.  Possibly, her last one ever.   

Rushing into the control room with Ritsuko, they were greeted to a 
strange sight.  The three dimensional holographic display was showing a 
cross-section of Central Dogma.  A bright pin-prick of red, labelled 
Unit-02 and "Pattern BLUE" was hitting layer after layer of protection 
in the bubble down to the core. 

"Status Report!" she demanded.

"Unit-01 is already in chase!" Maya said.  "Asuka is still in the ward, 
she can't be controlling Unit-02.  It's Kaoru!" 

Misato sighed, then despite herself, let out a small smile.  "Even gave 
us a warning about the name, eh, Sensei...?" finally, she sighed.  
"Keep all sensors open!  Send Unit-03 directly into Central Dogma when 
Toji is ready!"

"It may be too late by then." Ritsuko sighed, but made the 
preparations.  

All the while, Gendo and the Sub-Commander watched from their lofty 
seats.  

"It's happening quickly, isn't it."  The old man said.

Gendo nodded.  "Yes.  But it is all according to plan."

"Let's just hope it's not according to SEELE's plan too." 








It all seemed to go by so fast.  

Shinji could almost watch it all from a third persons point of view.  
He saw himself speak the same words he knew he would.  He remembered 
how Misato seemed to anxious, and scared on the comm. yet he knew he 
would catch the Enemy in time.  

The Enemy.  The Angel.  He remembered how he saw Kaoru with such 
fondness in the images.  With blushing thanks and gratefulness that 
someone had finally said those words to him. 

He wanted to go back into his mind and smack himself. 

"I know what I have chosen." Shinji whispered as he felt the air whip 
by him, descending faster and faster, catching up to the giant red 
monster below him...and the much more dangerous boy controlling it.  "I 
will not be fooled by false love.  I am not going to let this happen 
ever again." He could see Kaoru now...a tiny glowing speck. 

"I'm tired of this." He said out loud.  "I want to go home.  I want to 
be with people I love and trust." He gritted his teeth.  "I don't need 
you, Angel!  I don't need you, Sensei!" he felt the satisfying solid 
grip around his Prog-Knife as he engaged it.  "No more lessons!  No 
more tests!  I'm done!  Pass or Fail, I know who I am!"

He saw the little boy smile as the knife came down with the full 
momentum of Unit-01's falling force, completely severing Unit-02's 
shoulder-wing, and hence, taking away it's own Prog-Knife. 

"Shinji-kun!" Kaoru spoke, clear as day.  "I'm glad you're here."

Before Shinji could do anything else, Unit-02 grabbed his arms, holding 
him fast.  Shinji growled and strained, but could not break free.  
"KAORU!  What are you doing?  I know what you're planning!  I can't let 
you do it!"

The four of them plummeted past another barrier.  It gave way easily 
under the combined weight and AT-Field forces.  The world opened up 
around them, no longer just a dark, vertical shaft.

With a grunt, Shinji felt the crash as he and Unit-02 fell on top of 
each other, sending a mountain of salty-sand and LCL rocketing 
everywhere.  

Things were back in focus.  He forced himself to see the world as it 
was now...not in his vision.  Shinji could feel Unit-01 clawing back up 
to it's feet.  It was instinct.  The tiny bright dot was already 
escaping.  "Kaoru!  COME BACK HERE!" he yelled, and was about to run 
after when an impossibly tight grip held his leg fast.  

Unit-02, glaring at him with four, angry eyes. 

And then, suddenly two black streaks seemed to come from nowhere, out 
of the darkness around him, and smashed into Unit-02.  Shinji was 
amazed when he saw the bright, yellow eyes of Unit-03, and it's rubbery 
arms pinning the red Evangelion to the ground.  

"Shinji!" Toji said, causing a little intercom window to come up.  "Are 
you okay, buddy?"

"I am now!" Shinji said, huffing as he got back up to his full height.  
"Make sure you don't break Unit-02.  Asuka will kick your ass."

"I'll just be a baby-sitter." Toji grunted, then laughed, straining to 
keep the Eva in check.  "Go take care of that Angel bastard, will ya?  
I can't do everything at once."

"Shinji!  HURRY!" Misato's voice interrupted them.  "He's past the 
final gate!"

Shinji took a deep breath, already knowing what he would see inside the 
pool of LCL.  He ran.  Unit-01 ran with him. 







Kaoru sighed as he looked up to the giant, marshmallow like figure.  
"Lilith." He whispered.  "Again, I am confronted with your foolish 
visage."

The sounds of battle, and running approached.  He knew he didn't have 
much more time left. 

"What of the Sensei and his Partner?" Kaoru asked, then smiled.  "Yes, 
it looks like they did his job well.  Humans are fools beyond any...and 
yet, they seem always willing, and deserving of redemption."

Lilith said nothing.  Just stared past it's mask at the tiny man. 

"I will miss Shinji-kun." Kaoru told her.  "Yes.  But it is no more a 
sacrifice to me than last time."

A hand wrapped around him.

"Kaoru!" Shinji yelled, tightening his grip so the little man could not 
escape. 

Kaoru smiled up at him.  "Shinji-kun.  I am sorry we are not as friends 
like last time...but I carry with me that joy.  And I'm sure you do 
too."

Shinji gritted his teeth.  "Why have you done this?  Again, of all 
things?  Why must you cause us humans pain?"

"Shinji!  Are you alright?  What's doing on?  We're getting strange 
readings..." Misato's voice was suddenly cut off as Shinji turned off 
the comm..

Kaoru sighed, then smiled up at him.  "Shinji-kun, your Father has 
given you second chances before, correct?"

Shinji glared at the Angel.  "Yes."

"But not without you deserving them...and wanting them." Kaoru 
continued.  "My Father is much like yours.  He is willing to let his 
children try again when it means the fulfillment of his plans."

A long pause.  "But...why not just...change everything?" Shinji asked.  
"I...I saw this fight...how it will end..." he gasped, suddenly aware 
of how close his hand was to the trigger.  Instantly, Unit-01's hand 
relaxed, and opened up slightly.

Kaoru stood on it's palm, no longer grasped, but still caged by the 
huge fingers around him.  "It is the same reason why you Lillim must 
fight and hurt each other." Kaoru smiled with a simple, Zen-like grin.  
"You know that as well as anyone.  That without the pain, you can never 
learn to accept the happiness."

"But...the deaths?  The pain!  Why must it all repeat?" Shinji lowered 
his head.  "Do I have to kill you a million times?  Do I have to love 
you, or hate you?  Do we have to do this over and over?"

Kaoru shrugged.  "That is up to you.  Up to the future.  Still, your 
Sensei has done well.  Many deaths were prevented.  Much pain was 
eased." He smiled upwards at an invisible source.

Rei gazed back down, relaxing.  He would not hurt Ikari.  Not now.  

"And he did indeed teach you what you need to know to survive this 
time." Kaoru continued.  "I wish I could meet him again.  He was a 
great man." He smiled back to Shinji.  "I'm sure you'll be glad when 
you meet him again."

A long...long pause.  

Shinji could feel the tiny bit of pressure on his hand.  His fingers 
relaxed, and the Eva followed.  "I don't want to kill you." He 
whispered.  "Not because of how I felt last time...I just am tired of 
it."

Kaoru sighed, but still looked peaceful and happy.  "Shinji-kun, this 
is the one part of the story that can never change." He paused, 
considering what to say.  "I will still have to destroy you.  Unless 
you stop me.  My purpose was to test you.  To test Humanity.  I give 
myself to you.  I will not fight.  Not because I am tired, but because 
this time...and the last...you have earned my love and respect."  

Shinji glared, turning his head away a bit.  "Your father is too much 
like mine."

"And yet, we love them." Kaoru said.  "And so, we cannot disobey so 
easily." He laughed softly.  "I wish I could see you when you become a 
father, Shinji."

Shinji blinked, then blushed slightly.  

"You will be a fine father.  I should be honoured that...well...we'll 
leave that for now.  The future is not written in stone." Kaoru smiled 
and turned in Unit-01's hand.  

"Kaoru-kun..." Shinji shook his head.  "You could stay!  You could help 
us!"

"I cannot." Kaoru said, looking back at him.  "This is it, Shinji.  You 
wanted to know if you were taught correctly.  If you will pass or 
fail." He said.  "This is the test.  The first of many, but an 
important one."

Shinji closed his eyes.  "I know."

Kaoru watched the fingers flex slightly.  He smiled.  "I am glad to 
have known you, Shinji Ikari.  Even more so this time."






Rei left her balcony, knowing she would not need to intervene.  




Toji had finally managed to pull out Unit-02's battery packs, and 
watched the scene from the chamber entrance.  At first, he had been 
worried Shinji would let the Angel go...his hand was open, as if 
carrying something delicate. 

But he knew Shinji.  He knew Shinji was not going to let them down.  

With along sigh, he closed his eyes.  

After an impossibly long moment of silence, there was a quick, simple 
squishing sound.

Unit-01's hand opened once more to let the broken body of Kaoru Nagisa 
fall to the pool below them.










Unit-01 now held another cargo in it's hand.  Shinji stood on the 
dormant monster's limb, watching the body of the last Angel floating 
just a stone-throw away.  

"What now, Ikari?" Toji asked, yelling down from the ejected plug on 
top of Unit-03.  "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." Shinji looked up with a confident smile.  "I don't know.  I 
don't know what's next."

Toji laughed, and shook his head.  "I didn't mean that.  I meant, what 
are we going to do tonight?"

The young Ikari looked down, at Kaoru's body.  Even with the brief 
pressure from the Evangelion, most of it was now pulp.  He tried not to 
stare too long.  "Misato will be mad...we're not answering our comm.."

"Ahh, who cares." Toji said.  "What is she going to do?  Fire us?" he 
laughed. 

Shinji looked up.  "We won...didn't we."

Toji nodded.  "More or less."

Shinji smiled.  "Then I'm going to take Asuka home."

Toji nodded, then sighed.  "They might not let her out yet, though."

"I don't care." Shinji said.  

As he did, Unit-01 reactivated.  Toji gasped as the giant Eva lifted 
it's own pilot up to it's neck, without any command.  "Damn..."











Gendo sighed as he surveyed the damage.  "Children."

The NERV hospital had a nice, thick, messy hole in it's side at the 
moment, where Unit-01 had punched through.  Around him sat five very 
terrified doctors and nurses, all shivering, and mumbling something 
about boys throwing around walls of light.  

"I should ground him for this." He continued.  Fuyutsuki couldn't hold 
back a little laugh. 

Just outside, in the Geofront, the abandoned, dormant forms of Unit-01 
and 03 hovered over the building with glaring, disapproving eyes. 

Gendo smirked at them.  "He always did take after you, Yui."

Unit-01 didn't move, but seemed to give him an impressive scowl. 

"What now?" Fuyutsuki said, trying not to smile as he and the Commander 
surveyed the damage. 

Gendo shook his head, then turned to him.  "It's not over.  SEELE will 
not stand for this.  We should expect the attack within forty-eight 
hours."

"Not much time to prepare." Fuyutsuki shook his head.  "Unit-02 will 
have to have some repairs.  Central Dogma too."

"It must be done.  On time." Gendo said, walking away.  "We have no 
choice in the matter."

"What about your son?" Fuyutsuki asked finally, dreading the response, 
but needing to ask anyway. 

Gendo didn't bother turning to his older friend.  

"Unit-01's pilot did well today.  I suppose a day off is the standard 
reward.  Then, I'll ground him."

The Sub-Commander smirked, turning to Unit-01 outside before following 
the Commander.











"Shinji-kun..." a tired, sleepy voice asked as they walked across the 
empty street.

The young Ikari turned to Asuka, and smiled.  "Yes, Asuka-chan?"

"How did I get out here?" she blinked, looking around.  The sunset was 
almost upon them as they were on the last street to Misato's condo.

Toji was helping Shinji carry Asuka on their shoulders, and he shook 
his head.  "Baka-Shinji saved your ass from the bad doctors."

Shinji blushed.  "Kinda."

Asuka smiled sleepily, looking up at him, stopping so she could give 
him a big hug.  "Thank you, Baka-Shinji-kun."

Toji politely looked away, pretending to find the cicadas more 
interesting. "Actually, he threw around some AT-Fields.  Scared the 
shit out of me.  Where the hell did you learn that from?"

"Not sure." Shinji admitted as they continued to walk.  "I think it was 
all a test or something.  Maybe it was meeting Kaoru...the Angel.  I'm 
not sure."

They walked for a bit more in silence.  

"A test, huh?" Asuka said, breaking the silence.  "Did you pass?" she 
asked sleepily.  

With a long, deep breath, Shinji nodded.  "I think so."

Asuka grinned mischievously.  "What?  You think so?  That's no way for 
the great Shinji-same to speak."

Toji laughed and nodded.  "Damn rights.  So?  Did you pass? Or what?"

Shinji sighed, then turned to them both with a smile.  "We'll see."
















The stage is set.  The band is ready.  I don't know where my life is 
right now.  I don't know if I'm going to fail again.  I don't know if I 
will let everyone down.  I don't even know if I love or hate myself.  

But I can't help but look forward to the future. 

  






















Please prepare for End of Evangelion: Higher Learning. 











The End.
=====================================================================






With that, I give you the final Lesson, and prelude to the last of 
Higher Learning.  ^_^  Hope it was worth the wait.  

A couple of notes.  Still a lot of loose ends to tie up, as you 
probably guessed.  This is only the 'end' so to speak as to echo the 
end of the series.  We also put to rest anyone still thinking Kaoru-
Sensei was Kaoru-Angel-boy.  <chuckles>  Sorry, they're not the same 
guy.

This was finished at 5 in the morning, and hopefully, I'll have a 
chance to go over the Lesson to check to make sure it doesn't suck.  I 
knew it would be hard to write Episode 24.  Not only is it a fast, 
sketchy, and crazy episode, but it's also insanely important.  I tried 
to give Angel-Kaoru more depth this time around.  The dialogue is a bit 
better (IMHO) than the translations and ideas I've found, and 
hopefully, hardcore fans who probably rake Kaoru-haters over the coals 
will not think my representation was too bad. 

And, as many of you have guessed, this Lesson brings more into the 
light the fact that everything is a 'second time around'.  Hopefully 
this doesn't make anyone groan.  I promise it won't end cheesy. ^_^ 
much. 

The End of Higher Learning will be out soon.  It should also be a lot 
bigger and longer than a standard Lesson, so please forgive me if it 
takes till around New Years.  I'll try to speed it up so it gets out 
sooner.  However, it will be a busy season for me, my friends, and my 
family, so please, be patient. 

Lord of the Rings waits for nobody. ^_^  Especially when you get to see 
the premier on an IMAX screen. Whawhahahahaha!  

Ph33r my Tolkien-IMAX l33tn3ss. 

So, with that, I thank you all for reading, once again, and forever 
more.  I pray this finds you all in good health, happiness, and active 
imaginations.  Take care!  

                          -Christopher







strikef@bigfoot.com
www.studioshinnyo.com
www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110


Strike Fiss, Studio Shinnyo 2001.  Khattam-Shud, EOF. 

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