CRASH!
Shinji stopped in surprise as a bento smashed into the ground not five feet from him as he was about to step into the school building
That's odd. I hope whoever that belongs to won't end up going hungry.
(O)
"I do not understand why Shinji-san does not respond. I have made him lunch three times now."
"Does he know that they are from you?" Hikari asked helpfully.
"Yes - I made a big production of giving him the first one. But he didn't respond, so I figured he doesn't approve of girls being so forward, so the next two times I just quietly left it at his place in class, with a note." Yuki was sitting, chewing on her fingernail contemplatively, her sewing forgotten in her lap. Hikari was the only other girl present in the sewing room.
"I hate to say it, Yuki-chan, but maybe you are just not his type"
"That has nothing to do with it - I can be anybody's type." Yuki's eyes narrowed, "He spends a lot of time with those two, Rei and Asuka. I bet he's sleeping with one of them." She hissed.
Hikari was outraged, "Asuka would never do that! And I very much doubt that Rei is that sort of girl either! I don't think any of our classmates would stoop so low."
Yuki just gave a look as if to say 'goes to show what you know'
"I bet it's that Rei - she always did strike me as odd."
(O)
Shinji and Asuka walked by a group of workers trying to remove the hardened slime of the centipede dragon. "I don't see why we have to practice with the armors today - we did the bonding drills all day yesterday. I thought we were supposed to get at least some time off." Asuka was venting, again.
"Well..."
"Shut it, Baka! I know what you're going to say about duty, but Hikari and I were planning to go shopping today, and then they spring this... this nonsense on us at the last minute! I have a right to be outraged."
"I guess."
The pair continued walking in silence for a while before Asuka added, "you should try being outraged once in a while - it will do you good."
"What do I have to be outraged about?" Shinji asked, surprised.
"Your father, for one. When was the last time he spoke to you? You are working your ass off for him - hell, your even getting to be half decent with the armor. And has he said anything? No." Asuka was warming up to her topic, "I get nothing from my parents, but that's because they're dead" Asuka stumbled as she realized what she was saying, but continued on anyway, But at least when they were alive they cared for me. Yours might as well be dead." Asuka picked up her pace, her face flushed.Why did I just open up like that?
Shinji had to almost run to catch up, "I, uhm, thank you."
(O)
"And you wouldn't believe it - after scheduling the last minute round of tests, it turns out that they just wanted to fit some special clothing for us, so we spent the whole time being measured for these clothes, and its not like we will wear them anywhere except inside the armor! Though at least I convinced them to make mine red, to match my hair." Asuka tossed her mane to emphasize her point.
"So, uhm, you get along pretty well with Shinji?" Hikari asked, staring at her shoes
"Surprisingly, yeah. Don't tell him I said so, but he actually a pretty nice person. Talking to him is almost like talking to a girl - he doesn't act like a typical boy at all - no macho posturing, and he's less of a hentai than most of the guys I've known." Asuka and Hikari were (finally) making their long delayed shopping expedition into New Edo.
"And that's all?" At Asuka's confused look, Hikari expanded, "you aren't, uhm, ah, attracted to him?"
Asuka started "WHAT? Absolutely not! I would never date a Nobleman! They're all perverts!" Asuka was almost yelling as her face turned beet red in anger. Hikari stumbled back in shock.
Asuka took a deep breath to calm herself down, and turned towards her friend, suspiciously, "why?"
Hikari was obviously very uncomfortable, "I heard, uhm, a rumor that you might be, you know."
Asuka's eyes glittered dangerously, her discomfort forgotten in the comforting warmth of anger. "who's spreading this rumor?"
"I really shouldn't say.."
Asuka just stared at her
"It's Yuki"
An almost feral growl escaped Asuka.
(O)
"I can't believe we have to do this again!" Asuka was getting dressed in her new, padded, suit for when she was wearing the armor. "What was wrong with the old suits? I look like a stuffed pig in this!"
Rei quietly finished adjusting her garment. "The major informed all three of us that they are constantly working to improve on the Kami Armor, and that this suit would provide improved protection." Rei gave another sharp tug at the waist of her suit and frowned her disapproval. "Though I agree that this garment is both ill fitting and unflattering." Asuka's eyes almost bugged out at Rei's admission of fashion sense. But before the red head could say anything, Rei glanced at the pile of stuff in Asuka's locker, "I did not know you typically went armed, Soroyu."
Asuka's eyes glinted, "Its a conversation piece."
The two teens entered the testing laboratory, where Shinji was desperately tugging at his padded tunic so as to keep it from riding up and chocking him with its stiff collar. The room was some distance from the main Hall of Enchantment, and contained a clutter of magical paraphernalia, with Ritsuko, Maya and the others hunched over various pieces, poking them or taking notes.
"Ok, your all here," Ritsuko beamed with pleasure. This did nothing to set the teens at their easy, "now get into the vat of Ichor." She pointed to a ten foot tall barrel of vile green liquid that stood in an otherwise cleared corner of the room.
"Uhm, Ritsuko-san..." Shinji started hesitantly.
Ritsuko glanced up form her crystal ball, "the stairs are on the other side. Now go on up. Time is a-wasting."
"Where are the Armors?" Asuka managed to complete Shinji's thought
"For this test we won't be using the armors. I just need the number for ideal mental throughput for the new suits. Tomorrow, we will repeat the test in the Kami Armor, to see how close the actual bond strength is to the calculated ideal."
"WHAT?" Asuka roared, "YOU MEAN WE WILL HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN TOMORROW? That's every day this week!"
Misato walked in just as Asuka was starting, "You're right, we have been pushing you three pretty hard. I think we can push back the drill so that you have next week off. How does that sound?" Misato smiled disarmingly.
Ritsuko grumbled something about wasting time.
"Fine, But I want TWO weeks off!" Asuka put her foot down and glared.
"Get in the vat NOW!" The Sorceress in White made a gesture and an invisible force snatched Asuka into the air by her left ankle. It dangled her over the vat for a moment before dropping her in with a PLOP. "The rest of you also!"
"Yes, mam!" Shinji quickly followed Rei up the ladder.
(O)
In an out of the way corner of the courtyard of Ikari keep, one of the hardened lumps of dragon slime cracked open. Through the resulting gap squirmed an eight foot long centipede-like thing that quickly skittered out of view. It was quickly followed by a dark stream of similar horrors.
(O)
"You thought that was funny" The teens had been in the Ichor for some time now. Seeing that Asuka was still sulking at one end, Shinji had swum through the murky fluid to whisper to Rei.
"I do not know what you are referring to, Ikari-san."
"I saw you smile when Ritsuko dumped Asuka into the vat. It was nice seeing you smile... Rei"
Rei said nothing.
Asuka glanced up from her brooding and glanced at the indistinct shapes of the other two teens, "Hey, what are you two love birds doing over there?"
Shinji flung himself backwards, away from Rei, "no-nothing. We are just talking."
"Then come over here and talk to me - I'm bored!"
"We are supposed to be concentrating on moving our arms and legs." Rei reprimanded. When Shinji swam over to Asuka anyway, she pursed her lips in a small frown but continued on with the drill, ignoring the other two.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I can swing my arms and legs back and forth and still hold a conversation. Besides, if they didn't want us talking, they shouldn't have dumped us in here for THREE hours."
After Asuka's outburst, there was silence, for a time.
"Asuka, why do you do this?" At Asuka's puzzled glance, Shinji elaborated, "I mean wear the Kami Armor?"
Asuka looked at the boy like he was an idiot, "What else am I going to do? Marry some peasant who will condescend to take up with a gaijin, and then spend the rest of my life popping out babies, until I die in childbirth? This is my only way to show all the morons out there that I am someone of significance, that Asuka Langley is the best there is, at whatever she does."
Shinji looked surprised, blurting out "But I respect you even when you aren't wearing the armor."
Asuka snorted, blowing bubbles in the ichor, "Without the armor, I'm just another pretty face." The ichor hid slight blush on her face
(O)
"Intruders!" The disembodied voice resounded through-out the keep.
Gendo promptly grabbed a katana and headed for the door of his study.
"What is going on?" He demanded of the two guards stationed outside his door. Seeing their confusion, he waved down the stairs, "come with me." The three cautiously made their way down the winding, ill lit stairs.
They made it halfway down the tower when a pincered head burst in through a window, taking a deep bite out of the long haired guard. Gendo swore, "back to the last landing - we'll fight it there"
(O)
When the alarm sounded, Asuka darted for the exit ladder at full tilt, with Rei close behind.
"AAAHHH!"
By the time Shinji made it out of the vat, Rei was facing off against the centipede that had bitten the head off of the lone apprentice watching over the magical equipment, while Asuka ran towards the changing area, her padded suit still dripping ichor with each step.
Where did Rei get a sword? Shinji finished climbing down as Rei lunged for her opponent, piercing it with her rapier. She barely pulled away in time before its pincers closed on her hand.
Rei frowned as the monster continued to advance despite what should have been a fatal wound. Then, with blinding speed, she lunged again, stabbing it again. And again. Five attacks later, the centipede was writhing on the floor, no longer a threat.
She is amazing.
Asuka ran back into the room, holding her broadsword, "you killed it. Good. Are there anymore?"
Shinji started out of his reverie and belatedly looked around the room for further opponents.
"My weapon appears to be ill suited for fighting these... things. Possibly your broadsword will fare better" Rei cleaned of the tip of her weapon on a rag.
(O)
"Watch out! There's another one!" Touji was doing his best to hold off a centipede, as the five cadets under his command faced off against the new arrival. They had already managed to kill one of the monsters, but two of his boys were injured now, one of them badly enough so he could barely hold his katana.
On closer examination, the centipede was rather reptilian - it had a marked resemblance to the dragon that the Armors had slain in the courtyard.
"Fall back to the doorway." Touji kicked the table that the group had, until recently, been eating lunch at towards the centipede. The monster quickly swarmed over the obstacle, rearing up to half its height before lunging at the swearing youth.
Touji deflected the attack as he also tried to keep an eye on the other monster as well. "Shit. This is bad."
Kensuke chose that moment to run in to the guard-room, out of breath. He quickly collected himself and declaimed a sentence in some incomprehensible tongue as he drew a glowing circle in the air in front of him with his finger.
The circle extended icicle like projections towards the centipede fighting Touji. After a moment the projections snapped off the ring and shot forward, puncturing the monster in several places.
Touji took advantage of the situation, stepping over his dying adversary to slash at the back of the second centipede.
Kensuke was so engrossed in watching the ensuing battle that he almost didn't see the new centipede crawling down the wall behind him until it was too late. At the last moment, he heard something and whirled around.
"Agh!" he threw a handful of something at the centipede and flung himself backwards.
Touji left his men to finish off the monster that they had been fighting and raced to aid his friend. When he arrived the centipede was shaking its head, obviously incapacitated. Touji finished it off easily.
"That was a nice spell."
"Not a spell," gasped Kensuke, "All I had was a hand full of sand - it's a spell component for the Ring of Fire I cast first."
Touji nodded, not sure what to say. "Have you seen Hikari?" At Kensuke's shake, he continued tentatively, "I have to go report to the watch officer. Could you keep an eye out for her?"
Kensuke nodded
(O)
"We should remain here! I can help protect the Armors." Asuka hefted her sword to emphasize her point.
"No. I want you to go to the underground lake - that's where all the non-combatants are evacuating to." Misato pointed to a small, unused door. "The creatures are bound to concentrate their attacks on the armors, and I won't risk you here - you are too valuable." Seeing that Asuka was about to get stubborn, Misato added, "that's an order, Langley-kun."
"Fine"
"Good. This tunnel will lead you to the storage area of the keep. From there, Rei know the route to the lake."
(O)
"I can't believe we have to go and hide, like children" Asuka grumbled. The three teens were in the maze of tunnels that lead from Ikari Keep to the underground lake that served as its source of water when under siege. Their only illumination were distantly spaced lanterns hung along the tunnel from crude hooks.
"Asuka, please be quiet - we don't want to attract attention." Shinji pleaded yet again with the red head.
"I will scout ahead. We are entering one of the more travelled tunnels." Rei started down the tunnel before pausing and turning, "Soroyu, please wait where you are."
Asuka muttered under her breath. "Why did she need to single me out. Does she think I'm an idiot?"
Rei returned a few minutes later. "The way ahead is safe, though there are several of our classmates milling about"
Asuka smirked at Rei, "Don't worry, Ayanami. I doubt they are a threat."
As the teens made their way into the larger cavern, they were welcomed by a relieved Hikari, who was apparently the spokes-person for the half dozen other teens. "Oh, good! Do you know which tunnel we are supposed to take? We lost our map."
"If a certain someone hadn't spilled oil on the map, we wouldn't be in this prediciment!" Yuki added cattilly. The situation was obviously wearing on her - her makeup was coated in dust, and she had given up on trying to fix her hair. She looked scared.
"Shh!" Rei made a sharp gesture at the shorter girl.
"I was just telling it like it happened," continued Yuki
"There is something coming!" Rei drew her sword. A cold wind blew threw the cave.
"There!" Asuka shouted, pointing to a swarming mass that streamed towards them in the gloom.
"Eee!" several of the girls ran in the opposite direction.
"No! Stop! Everybody stick close together." Shinji yelled as he brought his katana up to a guard position. "Everybody stay near, uh, that stalactite!"
The other teenagers hesitated, but before they could do anything, the centipedes skittered into view. All semblance of order disappeared as the teens fled for their lives.
In the gloom, with all the screaming teenagers, it was impossible to tell how many there were.
"HAI!"
Asuka leaped at the closest monster, decapitating it with one blow
"Follow the others!" Shinji beat off an tentative attack.
Asuka jumped into a gap between two stalagmites, blocking another pair of centipede dragons from following, whirling her sword in a circle in front of her.
Rei flanked her, stabbing at yet another creature as it tried to go around the rocky protrusion. "Langley-san: stay close to Ikari. He lacks the skill to protect himself effectively." Rei spoke softly.
"What about the others?"
"They are irrelevant." Rei was forced to retreat by a concerted attack by the wounded centipede, and that ended the conversation.
Shinji was doing his best to hold off a pair of centipedes that were trying to get by him to follow the noisy civilians, but he was having a hard time of it, and was being forced backwards quickly.
"Skree!" one of the centipedes flinched and skittered off sideways, leaving behind several of its legs.
"Trying to play the hero, Baka?" Asuka pressed her attack, smiling with determination.
The battle continued in this fashion. The three warriors often lost sight of each other among the stalagmites, though they periodically caught sight of the non-combatants as they fled for their lives.
I hope they had the sense to stay behind us Shinji was not able to act on his feeling of responsibility, though, as he was fighting for his life again.
(O)
"How much longer"
"Don't interrupt me!"
Misato was pacing as Ritsuko glanced from book to book, periodically scribbling something on the parchment before her. She finally paused and took a deep breath. "I think I have something that will work, but I need to catch my breath before I start - it will be a very complicated spell."
(O)
"What's so important about the crypts?" Aoba called out as he fired another arrow into the chamber, skewering a centipede that skittered out from cover. "How come we have to risk our necks fighting down here?"
Maya didn't bother answering - with her left hand she was maintaining control over an eight foot high Ring of Fire, which was spewing magical darts at an enormous rate all over the room, forcing the centipedes to take cover. Her right hand was crackling with electricity as she lashed out with a miniature lightning bolt at any centipede that poked its head out. She looked haggard, and her aim was starting to deteriorate.
Aoba glanced at her quickly "I hope we get reinforcements soon." But he knew that was unlikely - most of the garrison was busy defending other tunnels.
(O)
"Shinji - Behind you!" Asuka ducked under her opponent and raced to aid the beleaguered teen as a centipede took a bite out of his buttock.
THWACK
Shinji staggered back, fending off a centipede as Asuka decapitated the one that had snuck up on him.
"Th-thanks." Shinji swung at his opponent, finally managing to finish it off.
The teens were still in the stalagmite filled chamber. They had long ago lost track of their classmates. Even Rei had disappeared - her choice of weapon forced her to spend much of her time retreating.
"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."
"Neither do I, Baka." Shinji took a closer look at Asuka - she was bleeding from multiple scratches, and had a ragged abrasion along the entire length of her left arm.
(O)
"Ogdashan-rath-gula, ove g'dath omron. Sug-rath-gula." Ritsuko stood as the air around her rippled. The empty room was stiflingly hot, and there was a great pressure, making it difficult to breath.
With a blast, the pressure released, bursting from the room in a ripple that swept throughout the castle before continuing into the catacombs below.
(O)
There was a continues cracking as Maya whipped her lightning around at their attackers - she had dropped the Ring of Fire, instead focusing all of her concentration on the electrical spell, which jumped from target to target. The centipedes were less than ten feet away now, and Aoba had dropped his bow. He stood, katana at the ready, watching for another centipede to break through Maya's defence
The pair almost didn't see the ripple that passed through the chamber, but wherever it encountered a centipede, something happened. It was almost as if every inch of their bodies was pulled in a different direction. The centipedes lifted slightly into the air and then shredded.
(O)
"Is it over?" Asuka looked at the carnage around her.
Shinji limped up to a rise to see if there were any survivors. "I think so. HELLO? Anybody out there?" Shinji called out
"I am here." Rei stepped forward. Despite her scratches, she still appeared her usual imperturbable self.
Surprisingly, Hikari and two the boys were also alive.
"Should we collect the dead?" Shinji asked tiredly.
"No. I can't look at them. Not our classmates." Asuka looked drained.
(O)
"Thank you."
Several days had passed since the battle, and a healer had cured Shinji's wounds. Fortunately, all three of the Kami armor wielders had suffered only minor injuries.
Asuka looked up from her homework
"I mean, for watching over me down there." I don't think I would be alive otherwise Shinji added silently. His sense of duty had forced him to acknowledge his debt to Asuka, despite his humiliation at his martial inadequacy. "Here's lunch"
Asuka glanced down at the plate full of sausages and fried eggs and smiled. "It was nothing, Baka, but if it will keep you cooking good stuff like this, you can feel free to feel as obligated as you want."