By the time the class was dismissed for lunch, most of the students began arranging the desks and chairs to form them into small dining tables for the fellows to eat together, while others opted to buy food from the milk hall store (the cafeteria) downstairs.
Shinji was one of those boys who did the latter, as he bought himself two packs of tuna-filled buns from the vendor, punched in some yen in the vending machine to pick up a can of soda, went back and walked towards a vacant seat at the far corner and sat down. As he unwrapped and took out the bun, his new classmates came up to him and began to pester him with questions:
"How things are going back there near Hakone?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"What clubs have you joined?"
"Hey, Ikari, why not join my club?"
Flustered, Shinji Ikari blinked, unsure what to answer so he said, "Just give me time to think." He first turned his attention to a geeky-looking boy who wore glasses and had messy brown hair and freckles; this boy also held an opened bento box. "Okay, you first."
"Have you read the booklet given to you?" the geek asked as the others went back to their places.
"Uh, no… Not much," Shinji replied. "It's still in my bag. I suppose the rules here are just like in any other school."
"You should understand the system carefully, because things here are much different."
Shinji blinked. "How so?"
"Well," the geek said as he sat down and set his bento box on the desk, "For starters, every year has several Prefects for all grades, from primary to high school; he or she's kind of a overseer who keeps an eye on the sections within their jurisdiction; it's almost like the system used in those Harry Potter books. In fact, it's an entirely British system."
"Haven't read them, but I watched the movies," Shinji replied.
"Good," the geek approved. "So I think you might get my drift. They also patrol during vacant times, may issue penalties to anyone whom they catch red-handed, and they're under direct supervision by the principal, who does the hand-picking of new Prefects, and they answer only to him or to any of the teachers."
"Ah… I see," Shinji said, nodding.
"Of course, some of these Prefects are also members of the student council."
"Okay. Why are you telling me about this?"
"So that you have to be sure you be careful within this school." The geek then craned his heck sideways, as if making sure no one else was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Fortunately, however, not all of them are anal-retentive… I mean, strict. These might follow the rules to the letter, but if you talk to them the right way, they might even help you."
"I see… Anyway, what's your name?" Shinji asked.
The geek grinned. "Kensuke Aida, at your service, Shinji Ikari," he said, before extending his open hand to the other boy, and then they shook hands.
"What do you have for lunch? Sorry, but tomorrow I'll make my own lunch."
Kensuke adjusted his glasses before he looked down onto his bento box. "Oh, mine? Pork dumplings and an omelet… and oh, I forgot."
Shinji blinked. "What?"
"After lunch, I think we'll still have enough time for me to show you around, even to places where students aren't supposed to see."
At the same moment, while eating lunch, Madoka and her friends were watching the other girls gather around Homura, pelting her with questions, when Hitomi remarked, "She's surely a mystery."
"Hey, Madoka," Sayaka chimed in, clacking her chopsticks before pinching another morsel from her bento box. "Do you know her? Seems that she'd been staring at you ever since she arrived."
Madoka looked doubtful. "Well… Uh… But last night—" she said, but cut off when Homura unexpectedly stood up from her seat and walked towards them, carrying a manila envelope apparently containing some papers. Madoka was speechless, not sure how she would talk to this enigmatic girl, wondering what that girl would say.
"Madoka Kaname," Homura said. "You're the class health officer, right?"
The pink-haired girl blinked. "Wha… How did you know?" she asked, sounding unsure.
"Miss Saotome told me what you do here, so I ask for a favor: I need to check with Doctor Akagi, the school doctor."
"Why?" Madoka asked, a bit curious.
"To file my health records," Homura said. "I had heart problems in the past, but eventually I was operated on and since then, it's necessary that my health should be monitored closely."
Madoka nodded. "Ah,… Okay," she agreed before the girl rose and added, "Excuse me."
"No problem, Madoka," Sayaka reassured her. "We'll be sticking around, okay?" she added as the other two girls watched Madoka walked alongside with Homura, leading her out of the classroom.
Once they were gone, Sayaka whispered, "I have a feeling about that girl."
Hitomi had a double-take. "Like what? I mean, she's okay."
"In less than three minutes, she solved two of those equations faster than any of us here," Sayaka remarked, recalling the earlier math class that nearly taxed the minds of her classmates, before Homura went to the whiteboard and wrote down the solution. "And those were so darned hard, they must've picked out from the Tokyo University entrance exams."
"Akemi must've studied somewhere, like in an exclusive international school... Or even overseas; maybe in America or Europe."
Sayaka shrugged. "I'll never know, except this school produced members of the Diet, scientists and company CEOs in the past. So what kind of girl she is, anyway?"
ANGELS AND WITCHES: CAMPUS APOCALYPSE
An Evangelion: Gakuen Datenroku X Puella Magi Madoka Magica AU Fanfiction
-
Chapter 2: Making Acquaintances
Written by soulassassin547 on 6/22/2011 19:22 a6/p6
"Who the heck was that girl?" Shinji asked, referring to the redhead who laughed and called him a blockhead. Although completely embarrassed, he managed to capture, in his mind's eye, the odd red plastic thingies on her hair and those haughty blue eyes.
Both boys were walking around the sprawling campus, outside the school building. The spring breeze was cool, but what was more pleasing was the presence of cherry blossoms in full bloom, their petals flying and fluttering down to the ground. As they strolled around, Kensuke pointed out the buildings and facilities that were contained within the campus.
"The one who called you a blockhead? Oh, that was Asuka," Kensuke said. "Asuka Langley Soryu, if you want to be specific."
Shinji nodded. "Ah…"
Kensuke stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants. "You certainly don't want to mess with her," he said. "She's smarter than any of us, because she'd been from Europe, arrived here a year ago."
"Why?"
"She said she was on a scholarship grant to study here. But the problem is that she seems to pick whatever she wants to say; doesn't like to talk about her family or personal life."
"I see."
"In case you haven't asked, three of the Prefects haven't shown up for class today; two them are our classmates, and the other is from third year."
"Who are they?" Shinji asked. "Why they can't?"
"The first two are Rei Ayanami and Kaworu Nagisa," Kensuke said. "They're the only two who are quite a match for Soryu, but they had unusual hair color, though. Smart that they're exemplary guys, but they tend to keep to themselves. That other one is a girl; name's Mami Tomoe… and you know what's so special about her?"
"About what?"
Kensuke snickered. "She's the only girl in this school with the biggest chest. No kidding, Tomoe leaves the boys completely bug-eyed whenever they see her, especially when she's at the pool."
"I'm not sure about girls," Shinji said.
"Why?"
"Not quite interested in trying to find a date. All I have are crushes... It just that I don't know how or where to start."
Kensuke nodded. "Ah. Too bad, you could waste your entire school life if you can't."
"But… I haven't told you about this, but earlier I just bumped into a girl when I was almost running late."
The bespectacled boy laughed. "Who?"
"Dunno, but she has this pink hair tied up and had a piece of toast in her mouth when I accidentally crashed into her."
This time Kensuke laughed even louder. "That was Madoka Kaname," he said. "She's the class health officer right in 2-B. Quite frankly, she wears a heart on her sleeve, a straight, kind, nice girl. Never gets herself into trouble since kindergarten."
Shinji blinked. "How do you know she's so good?"
"She was once my kinder classmate back in the day. My dad's on good terms with her mom, because he's working at her company as an accountant."
"I see," Shinji said, but decided not to remark about the color of Madoka's underwear. Instead he wanted to see the school gymnasium.
"Good idea," Kensuke said in approval. "Guess I'd like to introduce you to Toji. He's my old buddy, and right now here's there, playing hoops."
"Uh… Akemi," Madoka nervously said, looking perplexed. "The infirmary is that way."
"I know," Homura answered.
Both of them were supposed to head to the infirmary, which was east of the campus, but instead they were walking to the west end. While they were walking eyes were following them, presumably awed at Homura's looks and the way she walked, as though the long-haired girl was some warrior princess from a far-off age.
Sensing that Homura could have something to say, Madoka asked, "Is… Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Yes."
This time they were alone, right on a walkway linking two of the main school buildings together, and then Homura paused in her tracks.
Madoka blinked. "What is it?"
Homura prepared herself, taking a deep breath, and then flatly said, "Before I explain, it would be better if you call me Homura instead."
"Okay," Madoka answered, nodding, and even then she was still nervous. "That's a pretty fancy name... Uh… Cool."
But Homura wasn't moved. Rather, she turned around to face Madoka and, in a cold voice, she said, "Kaname Madoka, do you think that your life is precious? Do you think that your loved ones, family and friends, are important to you?"
This time Madoka could only answer in a stutter; the girl was making her shiver. "I… I… Yes, I do. They're important to me."
Homura was as impassive as a brick wall. "Really?"
"Yes!" Madoka emphasized. "Do you think I'm lying? Why I should not tell you the truth?"
"I see," Homura agreed. "If they are, don't even think about becoming someone you're not supposed to be… If you do—"
Madoka blinked. "Do what?"
Homura shook her head, as if disappointed in Madoka's naiveté. "You could lose everything you value, and what you love."
The pink-haired girl could only manage a gasp of bewilderment, her hands trying to clutch straws in the wind.
"Instead," Homura continued, her eyes looking into Madoka's. "I can only advise you to be yourself, Kaname Madoka. Don't ever change that."
Without saying anything else, Homura walked away, leaving Madoka behind, who was forced to ponder about the impact of the other girl's puzzling words.
At the gymnasium, several students in PE uniform were playing basketball, passing the ball, dribbling and then trying to score hoops, their sneakers screeching on the polished wooden floor. Above the court was the flag emblazoned with the school emblem, along with the customary Japanese national flag.
Once Kensuke and Shinji entered, one of the players, slightly taller than Shinji, wearing a blue jersey with his name and number on the back, and his hair neatly cut, saw them and gestured to his teammates that he needed to talk to Kensuke.
The young man then approached the duo and asked Shinji, "So… You're the new guy, aren't you? You made quite a scene, eh?" He was referring to the earlier yet rather embarrassing introduction at class.
Shinji nodded. "Yeah… Sorry if I'm a bit nervous."
Kensuke decided that it was time to introduce Shinji. "Toji, this is Shinji Ikari."
"Hi," Shinji said, smiling.
"I'm Toji Suzuhara, and I've been busy practicing for the interschool playoffs." The young man then offered his hand to Shinji and shook. "So what brought you here?" he asked, leading them to a bench by the sidelines, where they sat down. Toji then grabbed a towel from the bench and proceeded to wipe off the sweat from his face.
"My father sent me here," Shinji said.
Toji and Kensuke nodded. "I see. What he does for a living?"
Shinji sighed. "All I know that he's a biologist, but he never tells me what he's working on, even after I asked him several times."
Toji shook his head, but Kensuke said, "Working on a top-secret project, I suppose?"
"It's not like that… No, whatever," Shinji replied. "He's so secretive, and I don't know what kind of man he is."
"What about your mother?" Toji asked.
"She's dead."
The other two boys suddenly looked uncomfortable.
Shinji swung his feet from under the bench. "I don't know how, but she died ten years ago in this city. My uncle said it was an industrial accident or something, because she was also a biologist like Father."
"Ah," Toji said as he picked up a bottle of Gatorade and drank. "Are you the only child?" he asked.
"Yeah," Shinji answered. "I don't know, but after that accident Father sent me to my uncle and stayed there until now."
"How could you cope with that?" Kensuke inquired. "It sounds lonely."
"No… I was okay being lonely, as long as nothing could bother me."
Kensuke and Toji chuckled. "But, hey," Toji said. "Be glad you have made friends here in no time now, and oh, wanna join us to hang out at the mall later after class?" he offered, just as he saw one of his basketball teammates was waving a hand at him, indicating that he should hit the showers.
Shinji decided that would be nicer, as it would help him get a little more acquainted with the city's charms, so he happily answered, "Sure, why not?"
In the Infirmary, Ritsuko Akagi was hunched behind the flatscreen monitor, poring through files and typing down notes. As the school doctor, her job was to carry out medical services to students, as well as making the occasional lecture on health, personal hygiene and sanitation.
Her assistant, Maya Ibuki, was just as busy and dressed in a nurse's light pink, well-starched uniform, keeping the whole place in order as she went through the filing cabinets, straightening out the folders.
"Have they arrived?" Maya asked, referring to the 'candidates' that they sought after.
Ritsuko nodded, glancing at the wall clock. "That's right. The Commander called me while you were gone."
"Ah…"
But before Ritsuko could continue, both women heard the knocking on the door. "Come in," she called out, to see Homura enter the room, stood before her desk, and then bowed.
"Good afternoon, Doctor Akagi," Homura said.
"Good afternoon, Miss Akemi," Ritsuko answered as she stood up and returned the bow. "I've been expecting you, am I correct?"
"Yes," the young girl replied, before handing over to Ritsuko her medical records. The doctor then went back to her seat and took out the folders from the envelope and began reading. As she did, Ritsuko told Homura to sit down and feel comfortable.
After a minute or two, Ritsuko said, "So… You were born with a congenital heart disease?"
"That's right, Doctor," Homura said. "I had a septal defect."
"Known as a 'blue baby'," Ritsuko added. "Although you were immediately operated on a few weeks later, you were known to have some cases of quick exhaustion, which led to a secondary operation when you were ten after you developed a complication."
Homura nodded. "I was able to have that operation when someone gave my parents the money for it, because at the time they were hard-pressed."
Ritsuko blinked. "That's wonderful. Who, or who were your donors?"
Homura shrugged. "I don't know. They never told me."
The blond-haired woman nodded. "I see… So your parents died in that tsunami five years ago, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry for your loss," the lady doctor said.
"I accept that fact, Doctor," Homura replied. "I can cope with it."
The doctor then stood up and said, "Anyway, I think it's all right for me to give you a physical checkup. Is it okay?"
Homura nodded. "Yes, Doctor."
Ritsuko led Homura to the nearby bed, where she took off her uniform, down to her underwear, sat down on the bed and let Ritsuko examine her breathing and heart rate with a stethoscope. Satisfied as she wrote down her findings on a clipboard, Ritsuko then asked Maya to reach for the lancet and two glass slides.
"I need a blood sample or two from you, Miss Akemi," Ritsuko said, as she laid the items on a stainless steel table.
"That would be fine, Doctor," Homura said as she offered her hand, to let Ritsuko prick her fingers and let the drops of blood land on the slides. Once that was done, with Maya securing the slides with a thinner piece of glass, before she placed them in a small Styrofoam container, wrapped and sealed with plastic, labeled with warnings and the description of its contents. The young nurse then went to a small refrigerator and stored the container inside.
"In case you wonder why I have to do that," Ritsuko said as she watched Homura dress up, "It's that should you have an injury or anything goes wrong, we can find the correct blood type for you."
But Homura didn't need to ask any further questions, or openly doubt the purpose of that seemingly harmless procedure, yet she wasn't aware of its greater implications.
"Okay," Ritsuko said, breaking Homura's reverie. "Now I'll need to check on your eyes by having you go through the eye chart."
Meanwhile, still resting after her lunch and sitting at her desk, Asuka Langley Soryu wondered about the scene Shinji made earlier this morning. She snickered, quite amused at the boy's clumsiness as he struggled to introduce himself before the class.
He'll be fine, Asuka thought as she flicked her red hair, going along with the oddballs. She was referring to Kensuke and his pal Toji, who was practicing at the gym, and those two often got marked for some of their hijinks.
Everyone knew that Asuka, apart from the smartest among the lot, was also a very confident girl, and that nobody tries to mess with her being one of the leading Prefects.
But even now she was under Kaworu Nagisa's command, holding the title Head Boy, and thus responsible for all the prefects within the second year, and that strange girl, Rei Ayanami, was his second-in-command, the designated Head Girl.
Well, she wondered about the true relationship between those two, and she even gone so far to ask, but they said nothing, as if they wanted to keep it a secret.
Right at this moment, and because she elected to remain at school today to exercise her authority, Asuka wondered how they were doing out in the field, as she knew that for the past three days they conducted operations against the Witches, including yesterday where she was with those two and Mami Tomoe, as they made a raid at a suspected Witch hiding in an industrial complex outside the city.
Again, Asuka could only envy at Mami, who, apart from having those angelic looks and those golden, curly locks, undisputedly possessed the biggest chest in campus. God knows what her mother really looked like, but Asuka knew well that years ago Mami's parents died in a freak highway accident involving an 18-wheeler cargo truck on a rainy day, and that girl was the only survivor.
The mere thought of parents, however, caused Asuka to grimace, trying to forget the fate of her own parents. So the only recourse she could do was to pull out her phone and began to dial up Kaworu's phone, pressing a key to speed-dial the number.
For Kaworu Nagisa, seated in front, he was a bit disappointed that their follow-up operation left them empty-handed. They were heading back to Headquarters in their black Toyota Prado SUVs on the expressway cutting through Mitakihara City.
Earlier he phoned Fuyutsuki and told her that, due to their absence and thus missing their morning classes, he and Rei had no problem by making it up with a very informal night session with Misato Katsuragi, their homeroom teacher when off-duty. He also informed the old man about the current status of their fruitless operation, and he ordered them to return to HQ.
Suddenly his phone trilled, vibrating in his pocket, and Kaworu pressed the button on his Bluetooth-enabled headset and spoke, "Hello."
"It's me, pretty boy," Asuka said on the other side. "How's it going?"
Kaworu shook his head, the mess of gray hair dancing like strands of grass in the wind. "We're heading back, as we found no further signs of infestation. I suppose that they must been regrouping somewhere, but that doesn't mean we're lowering our guard now."
"I see," Asuka spoke. "What about her?" she asked, referring to Rei.
"She's minding her business."
"I'm sure she's reading that book of hers."
Kaworu chuckled. "Any news at your side so far?" he questioned.
"We have a new pair of transferees today," Asuka reported. "One here, a boy, and a girl at 2-B."
Kaworu grinned this time. "That's wonderful news. Who are they?"
"Uh… Our new classmate is Shinji Ikari, and he came from Odawara. Some clumsy dude."
"I know that place," Kaworu said. "The city you pass by before you get to Hakone."
"Right," Asuka agreed. "As for 2-B, Miss Saotome's newcomer is a girl named Homura Akemi. She said she came from Sendai."
"Homura… Akemi," Kaworu repeated the words, as he tried to imagine what that girl appeared to be. "How do they look like?"
"Want a picture or two?" Asuka offered.
"Sure," Kaworu agreed. "Send them to me."
In less than twenty seconds he received the pictures, snapshots from Asuka's phone, and looked closely: one was a boy with black, clean-cut hair, and a doubtful expression on his face; another quick, passing shot was a girl with waist-length of midnight-hued hair, as she sported a stern look.
"That's them," Asuka said. "But I want to ask something."
"Shoot," Kaworu said. "Go ahead."
"Does their arrival have something to do with us?"
Kaworu looked up at the ceiling for a moment, pondering, before he answered, "Most likely, as a few days ago the Commander was talking about adding a few more to our ranks."
"I doubt those two," Asuka said. "They look unlikely to be possible Candidates."
"We'll never know unless Doctor Akagi confirms their DNA sequence," he said. Kaworu was referring to one of the few effective methods of confirming the authenticity of a Candidate, but a Candidate cannot join the ranks not until they were properly trained.
"All right, then, we'll see to that," Asuka spoke. "See you later, guys."
"No problem," Kaworu said before Asuka cut off the line abruptly.
"Well?" the agent driving the SUV asked. Wearing a black three-piece suit, he had a crew cut, a stony look on his face, and his eyes – protected by a pair of classic aviator Ray-Bans – never took off the sight of the road ahead as he weaved through early afternoon traffic, before he found the exit ramp off this expressway.
"We're done with today, Agent Kanzaki. Get yourselves some rest until we find another Witch on the radar screen."
Agent Tsutomo Kanzaki nodded. "Sure, no problem, Mister Nagisa… and by the way, I still wonder where the hell they all coming from, popping out of nowhere like damned mushrooms."
"We are still trying," Rei finally spoke, breaking her self-imposed wall of silence as she put down the book she was reading.
"As in trying to understand who these bastards are and for what no-good they're up to, other than raising hell all over," Kanzaki said. "Chalk in some unexplained abductions and suicides, and the rising number of missing people in the last six months, and already some locals are becoming scared. I even overheard at the sake bar some night ago that they're talking about moving out."
"Of course, rumors," Rei added. "Hence our duty to suppress, if not totally eradicate, the enemy."
"Which is why it's important, more than ever, that we need more Candidates," Kaworu said. "Just four of us, and even with our best skills, all that is not enough to deal with the Witch threat."
"Yeah," Kanzaki sourly agreed, as if expressing his sense of weariness, before he sighed. "Those shitbirds are getting stronger… and by the way, where's Kyubey?"
Kaworu blinked, as he nearly forgot that strange cat-like creature. "Him?"
"Yeah."
"I have no idea… He must be scouting somewhere," Kaworu admitted. "I let him loose after breakfast to sniff around." He then pressed a button on his phone and waited for the creature to pick it up by pressing a button with his paw, as Kyubey had a tiny mobile phone that hung around his neck, much like a cat charm.
"Hello," Kyubey answered. "You're wondering where I am?"
Kaworu chuckled. "You're such a mind-reader, my friend, but yes."
"I'm at the western district, looking around Sakura Mall."
"I see. Any signs?"
"Some traces, but I'll look closer."
This time Kaworu nodded in approval. "Good. Keep it up, and should you see anything suspicious, call us, okay?"
"No big deal," Kyubey answered.
"Oh, furthermore… This is a nice coincidence, but Mami's heading your way," Kaworu said. He knew that Mami told him earlier that she needed to scour the western district on foot, and he obliged her by dropping the girl off before the convoy moved to the south.
"That's good. I could use some help."
Kaworu smiled; this creature seemed to be so confident most of the time. "We'll see you later, okay? Stay safe."
"Okay," Kyubey answered before he hung up.
Kaworu then turned to Kanzaki and said, "He's looking around at the mall."
"Ah," Kanzaki drawled. "You want to come down there?"
"Later, after classes," Kaworu decided. "Besides, Rei might want to buy a few more books… assuming we don't have a nasty encounter on our hands." He then laid back and thought of something else, about the troublesome girl that Commander Ikari wanted them to search. Kaworu had the description in mind: dark red hair, wearing street clothes, and said to have a stick of Pocky dangling in her mouth.
Who was she? Kaworu questioned himself.
"Do you worry something?" Rei asked, snapping Kaworu out of his thoughts.
The gray-haired boy shook his head. "No. I'm thinking about the girl we're asked to find."
"The one that the Commander asked the other agents to hunt down… er, find?" Kanzaki asked, correcting himself, before he groaned. "That girl, they said, was slick as an eel, able to escape before we could get closer… Well, maybe I think you kids could deal with her much easier than we do; after all, she's probably around the same age as you are."
Kaworu nodded. "We'll see to that," he avowed, eyes narrowing as though their quarry isn't someone they could take lightly. "Even if she's possibly dangerous."
Author's Notes: Sorry for having to hold down for too long due to real-life concerns (and that I had an intense fixation on Macross Frontier after watching it all, except for the second movie), as they took much of my time away from writing and brainstorming. Although I started on this chapter in mid-May, it's only more than a month that since last night I was able to get my groove back and continue where I had left off.
Now I have to work on the next chapter of Light and Water. Thank you for following me this far.
