Disclaimer: I am no owner, I am just an average guy going about my
business, owning nothing, ja !
-
Average Joe presents *** NGE: The Will To Think ***
*** CHAPTER I " The Mind Perceives A Light " ***
A couple years before the events in NGE ...
** " Moonlight / Our Knowledge Of The External World " **
Kozou Fuyutsuki found himself enjoying the warm rays of the sun under a blue sky. His mind wandered though, through time and space, to days long gone. 'What am I doing ?' He wondered constantly. In days past he deluded himself and thought he was there with Ikari for the sake of Yui's ideals; he now knew that was a lie. Gendo Ikari's project had gone astray a long time go, no longer seeking Yui's ideals, but Yui herself. Fuyutsuki knew that he'd do anything to see her again... Yui, the woman that had never loved him, the woman that married and loved Gendo Rokubungi.
Ikari was aware of Fuyutsuki's feelings for Yui; that is why he trusted him. They shared a common goal. Ikari knew that neither of them would ever let go of her. However, Fuyutsuki would sometimes hesitate, thinking " Is this right ? " Then he would watch the Commander's will and determination, and feel the urge to stay. Somehow such determination made him think that it was right after all. This was one these moments, yet the Commander wasn't there to set him straight by his example.
Suddenly a fly passed by and awoke Fuyutsuki from his daydreaming, he took a look at his watch and realized that the time had come for Rei Ayanami to meet the world, he also realized that the image of this girl was the trigger of all those thoughts of Yui. " My, how she resembles her... " he thought. And as he thought of this he saw Ritsuko Akagi's figure emerge from a nearby metallic door.
" Hello sir. "
" Hello Dr. Akagi, " he sighed " I trust that everything is ready for Rei to meet the world ?"
" Everything is set sir, I came here only for confirmation. "
" How do you think she will react Dr. ? "
" It's hard to know sir, " Ritsuko said while leaning her head a little and casting her eyes in another direction. " In reality, everything is hard to know with this girl, she doesn't show any emotion to tell us what her thoughts or feelings are. She only shows such feelings in the presence of ... ".
" Of Commander Ikari. " Fuyutsuki resumed, seeing that Ritsuko seemed disturbed by this.
" Yes. "
" Tell me Dr. was it really necessary to keep her in that little room for so many years ? "
" It made it easier for us to examine her, and see if her growth satisfied the project needs, however, I don't believe such a degree of isolation was needed. "
" So ... "
" I believe Commander Ikari had personal reasons to keep Rei in isolation for so long. I think it's because of his late wife ... " At this point Ritsuko's voice sounded almost sad.
" You mean ... "
" That he felt the need to protect her, " she concluded his thoughts, " to keep her for long as possible from the pain that he feels the external world can bring about."
" It can also bring joy. " Fuyutsuki added, with not much conviction.
" It's a belief " Ritsuko answered, skeptically.
They remained silent for a few seconds. Each one's thoughts were filled with a memory of an unrequited love. They both sighed at the same time, and they shared a smile as they realized this.
" This moment is funny in it's sadness, don't you think so too, Dr ? " Fuyutsuki asked with a wide smile.
" Sadly, yes " Ritsuko answered , her lips curved upwards.
Another period of silence ensued, this time it felt awkward.
" I'll go get the girl " Ritsuko finally said.
Fuyutsuki could only nod as he returned to his thoughts.
-
" Where is the commander ? " Rei asked, emotion evident in her words.
" He's on a business trip, Rei, he won't be joining us, " was Ritsuko's answer.
Rei's face showed no emotion at this point, yet Ritsuko could perceive a hint of sadness in her eyes. Somehow she felt sad too, she knew how it was when " he " walked out on you.
" I am sure he would've liked to be here Rei, but this trip was important. "
" I understand, " Rei said " Let us go ".
Ritsuko nodded and both females went on their way.
-
" Welcome to the world, Rei " Fuyutsuki said as he saw the red eyed girl walking out the door.
" Hello subcommander " Rei answered as if programmed to. Her eyes were already exploring curiously the world denied to her for so long.
" Commander Ikari chose this location just for you Rei, he wanted you to be acquainted with the beauty of nature before anything else."
At this point, Fuyutsuki tried to distinguish if his statement had caused any emotions in Rei. He could detect none, but his instincts told him that she was grateful for the commander's choice of location.
Ritsuko watched the blue haired girl as she explored this world of theirs. Wondering what she was thinking. She watched Rei lean over the ground and touch the earth, she watched as Rei extended her little pale hand towards the sky and observed the sunlight in amazement. Fuyutsuki was also watching, deduced why Ikari wasn't present. It would have hurt the man to see Rei finally stepping out into the world, leaving him in a symbolic way maybe. It was like watching a daughter leave your house. Ikari was cold and bitter, but he was not dead.
While Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko observed Rei, she calmly continued her exploration of the world. No one could tell though, how marveled she was, and how wonderful and new it all seemed to her. No one could tell how much she wanted to tell the commander of this experience, or how much this stimulated her curiosity. What they could tell was that she seemed very interested in light; in the sunlight. At first she looked at the sun directly but her eyes couldn't take it and she remembered her readings regarding the sun and the perils involved in staring at it directly, without protection. She knew what everything was called, however, the two- dimensional pictures she saw in her books could never depict the marvelous reality of the genuine thing.
She was there for hours, the commander had given instructions that she could be outside for as much as she wanted that day, and so she stayed outside all day until nightfall, and then, she was dazzled. The spectacle before her eyes amused her deeply and all kind's of new thoughts and sensations invaded her mind and body. Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki were already tired an yet continued watching, since both seemed to enjoy the sight of Rei exploring the world like a little child, even if she showed no emotion, they knew she could feel. Ritsuko felt happy for Rei, even if she had never liked her and even if Rei resembled so much the woman Gendo Ikari loved, even so, in that moment it didn't seem important. And Rei, finally tired, sat down and from the ground, gazed at the Moon so intently that she lost herself in it and without noticing, fell asleep.
-
That same day in Germany ...
** " The Spotlight is What I Like / The Ego of the Superman " **
Germans are tough. They have been since times long ago. It must be remembered that Germans were one of the main problems of the Roman people after the defeat of the Gauls and of Carthage. This was because of their ruggedness and will power. They would attack Roman settlements out of nowhere and after the death of emperor Trajanus they were never pushed back again. Such was their character. They were also strong-minded, giving the world such philosophers as Shopenhauer and Nietzsche. The second would be glad he had an unknowing disciple in Sorhyu Asuka Langley, who indeed believed of herself she was some sort of superwoman, and intended to show the world too. She had a chance in her graduation ceremony, being her the student with the highest average of the entire generation, she was asked to give the graduation speech. And she loved the spotlight, but only so far as it showed her tough and beautiful exterior and not her fragile interior.
" How are you feeling Asuka ? " asked Ryouji Kaji in formal attire, as formal as he could get though.
" I am feeling great Kaji! Just wait, I bet no one has ever, nor will ever again, give such outstanding speech as the one I am about to give. " She smiled confidently.
" We will see about that " said Kaji teasingly.
" That you can bet " retorted Asuka.
Then Asuka noticed the young women from her class all staring at Kaji and saw he was being all smiles with them too. This pissed her off a great deal and she embraced Kaji with all her strength.
" Calm down Asuka, what are you doing ? " asked a suffocating Kaji.
" I am marking my territory so it's clear to all those bitches that they are trespassing " she said, putting an emphasis on bitches.
" Oh my God !! " was Kaji's pitiful cry as a sweatdrop formed on his forehead.
Then he noticed a man he knew all too well staring at him, also in formal attire. It seemed he'd arrived earlier than they had agreed upon. Kaji hoped the man wouldn't order him to go elsewhere, since he wanted to listen to Asuka's speech so much. He knew it was of utmost importance to her and that it would hurt her deeply if he left. However if the Commander commanded, one had to obey, even Kaji sometimes.
" Well Kaji, that's my call, I'm gonna go get ready " Asuka said giving him a kiss on the cheek. Kaji was grateful that if he had to leave she would not realize until her speech was over.
" Good luck " he said, as she ran to the stage waving her hand to him.
The man, who had been watching all of this curiously, took a step forward and soon found himself at the distance of a handshake with Ryoji Kaji. There was no handshake however.
" Good evening, agent Ryoji "
" Good evening Commander Ikari, I did not expect you to arrive so soon. "
" I believe that red haired girl is the second child, pilot of unit 02, am I right ? " the Commander asked, his hands folded behind his back.
" Yes sir, she is, and a helluva good pilot I might say " stated Kaji proudly.
" I've been reported as to her development. I am amazed at her skills also, I was curious as to this public event regarding her ... graduation ? "
" Yes sir, she graduated top of her generation. A dinner is always organized for the graduates and their families to attend, she has been given the honor of addressing a speech to her fellow students."
" What's her major ? "
" She is a math major, sir, and one the best. Although I don't understand about her studies very much. it does seem awfully complicated. "
" The world can always use more scientists, science is mankind's unique tool ... and weapon. "
" I agree sir. However misused science ... "
" Is dangerous. And yet it helped create EVA which may be our only chance. "
Kaji thought Ikari seemed awfully talkative today, yet he wouldn't dare to ask why. Maybe he was feeling down or something, though it certainly didn't showed in that emotionless face of his. He was about to ask the Commander about project Adam when the lights started to fade and Sorhyu Asuka Langley was focused by the spotlight. She was barely twelve years old and yet her beatiful features could no longer be denied. Kaji smiled and prepared to listen to her speech, hoping nothing to pretentious would be uttered. He noticed that Commander Ikari seemed also very interested in what the second child had to say.
The hall fell silent as Asuka took hold of the microphone and read aloud.
" * I don't believe that God plays the dice with the world * said Albert Einstein, most famous scientist of the world, when asked about his opinion on Heisenberg's quantum mechanics and the principle of uncertainty that this mechanics involved. I think Einstein might have been mistaken and that God does indeed play dice with the world. Aren't we human beings by our nature, * unpredictable * ? Or can anyone here predict truly, where is everyone of us going to end, who we are going to meet and what we are going to do, I fear not. We human beings are a troublesome bunch, each one of us has a mind of his own and a heart of his own, and we try to find our way in the world by whatever means we can. Some trust their guts while some trust their brains, and there is always more than one way to think things out, or to feel about something. We are, I believe, the most common example in the universe of the second law of thermodynamics, which as all of us should know, states that with time the disorder in the universe augments. We are chaos and the name * humanity *, if such abstraction could be understood by animals, would surely spell disaster to them. Yet we have common things in which all of us coincide. There are the musical notes that sound the same for every functional ear, there are colors which are perceived the same by people all over the world if they aren't blind or have eyesight problems. And most of all there are numbers and mathematics, that appeal to the mind more than to the senses. Mathematics are amongst human creations, the most beautiful and the most useful. Pythagoras was right when he said the number was the essence of all things and he may have been also right in his claim that the universe was music, the music of the spheres. Since, we all know, music conveys vibration and the theory of the strings in theoretical physics states that at the end of it all, all basic particles are nothing more than vibrations and that the type of vibration determines the particle. All this improvements on thought, have been accomplished through the aid of mathematics because, I believe, the essence of the world is imbued in them and that is why they are not easy, because nothing worthy can be easily attainable. Here I am, fellow students of the science faculties, talking to all of you of a language that is common to all of us, the language of abstraction. We don't need to bother ourselves with lenghty discussions, we just have to calculate to get to the end of the problem. And such is our trait. For, even if life presents us with problems ahead and even if the future is uncertain, we have our numbers, and this is the skill we lend to the world with hope that it will make it better. It has been done before, changing the world with mathematics, all those mental giants that preceded us, like Newton, like Descartes they did it, and we owe the comfort we live in now, to their mental efforts. Some say comfort does not provide happiness, however fellows, I can assure you that comfort at least gives the time to think how to attain happiness, if you like to think about such things. Before mathematics advanced technique to such a degree, people had to endure all sort of scarcities, in water, in food, in energy. Current technique takes a weight off our shoulders and for that we have science and mathematics to thank. Therefore fellows, you must be proud, for science is the noblest of pursuits. And it is the path you chose, so no matter how hard life turns out you must remember you are all scientists and as such you must always look to the skies. "
At this point of her speech Asuka took a pause to have a drink of water. Kaji was thinking how much effort Asuka had invested in her speech, she really was trying to dazzle all the crowd, and it seemed like she was being successful. Even Commander Ikari seemed absorbed by her words. It was funny for Kaji though, to see that a girl so cocky and misanthropic would address her fellow students with respect in order to get their praise.
" She's all vanity, " Kaji thought with a smile, " and yet she is a genius. "
Asuka was ready to resume her speech.
" The thing that amazes me the most about mathematics, is their paradoxical nature. Mathematics brakes with the notion of common sense. You must be ready to engage math with an open mind, for you are bound to see some weird stuff. A curved universe such as the one exposed in the theory of general relativity has to be measured with a different geometry than that of Euclid, like the geometries of Riemann and Lobachevsky, since if you would dare to imagine a triangle in the round surface of this curved universe you would be quick to notice that it's angles do not add up to 180 degrees, but more. Also, you would see parallel lines cross, how is this ? Imagine the Sun. In the theory of general relativity, the space-time around the sun would be curved, thus if a ray of light traveling in a straight line stumbled with this curved space-time it would have no choice but to appear curved, and so if two rays of light each one near the other stumbled with this curved space-time at the moment they went across it, their paths would grow nearer, until they crossed, so parallel lines would indeed cross there. The notion of a ray of light following a straight path and the curving sometimes troubles the profane, however, an earthly example is available. To understand it better, imagine a donut. If you had a pen and tried to draw a straight line to go from one point of the donut to the other across the middle hole without lifting your pen, you would find that this straight line curves not because you draw it curve but because the donut's surface is curved and as such curves the line you are drawing in it with your pen. Also, another notion I find interesting is the one that claims that the whole is always larger than it's parts, this is true in most cases and yet in mathematics it can be proved false. Let us take as an example the series of natural numbers from 1 to infinity, and the series of even numbers from two to infinity, you could think at first that the natural numbers from one to infinity are more than the even's from two to infinity, since they double them, however you would be wrong, since for every given number you have in the first series there is another corresponding number in the second series. So you would have, 1 with 2, and 2 with 4, and 3 with 6, ad infinitum. Therefore the infinite whole would not be larger than it's part but apparently equal. This fellows, is our language and wherever we go from here, and whatever happens to us, we will always have mathematics and with it a deeper understanding of the workings of the universe as well as the workings of the abstract. It is true I never got to know any of you very well, and to tell you the truth I never cared, however each one of you has my respect for the sole reason that you understand the language of science and because of that language, we are all brothers and sisters. Good luck fellows and work hard to grace the world with the knowledge you received here, in our University. "
The hall went mad with cheers and clapping. Asuka was delighted and witnessed the success of her speech from the podium with a radiant smile, her chin up high. Kaji was proud and almost lost consciousness when he saw Commander Ikari applaud. He made no comment as he waited for Asuka to come running any minute now. Music had already started and some youngsters were already hitting the dance floor. Then Asuka came out of nowhere and gave Kaji a tight hug.
" Did you see me ? Am I not the best ? " she asked, her eyes sparkling.
" Indeed you are, indeed you are. " answered Kaji, for once in his life not teasingly.
" Congratulations second. " a cold, toneless voice interrupted.
Asuka was at a loss for words. Normally she would have kicked the butt of anyone who would dare to interrupt her and Kaji. However, this man, unknown to her, had an indescribable aura about him, he was eerie yet important. His presence weighed in both worlds, the one of the senses, and the one of the thoughts.
" Who ... ? " She intended to ask and was again interrupted.
" Ehhh, Asuka this is Commander Gendo Ikari, the top gun of NERV ." said Kaji.
Asuka's eyes were wide open. The most important person of NERV had listened to her speech, her ego rose to the clouds.
" Sir. " she saluted.
" I have also been told of your amazing control of unit 02, that is good second child, never lose the sight of your purpose, you are an Evangelion pilot. That should be the number one thing on your mind always. "
" Yes, I understand sir. " Asuka said. She thought so too. EVA was the pinnacle of her life, even more than her math she needed EVA, it somehow filled the void she had within.
" Asuka I will have to leave you, the Commander and I have important business to discuss. He traveled all the way from Japan to see NERV's branch in Germany and the progress made here. I'll personally show him everything." Kaji hated lying, even if he lied all the time to several people both in his personal life and in his work he never enjoyed it, but it seemed to be a gift he had. A gift that had led him to his present life. Gendo was in Germany to check on Adam, however he was there also in part to see NERV's German installations, so it was not a complete lie, this relieved Kaji of a little guilt.
Asuka did not want to be left alone on her graduation night. However, she nodded, since she didn't want to lose the praise she was sure she had gained from the Commander. It had been a wonderful night. She enjoyed being the center of attention so much, and tonight she had been praised all over, as a beautiful girl, as a genius and as an EVA pilot by the Commander in chief himself. And so when both men had said their good byes Asuka began to fancy again that the world was a creation of hers, and that everything that was, was only because of her mind.
-
Also on that same day ...
** " The Light of Wisdom / A Knowledge That Brings New Life " **
No one could deny that Ikari Shinji was a polite boy. In the past he had used this politeness to avoid conversation or problems with others, however Shinji had learned to like politeness and tranquility, because of his calm personality. Therefore he tried to be polite to others whenever he could, it was a way he had to relate. Another quality in Shinji was that he rarely complained, since he didn't see the point in complaining for every little detail. He still ate anything that was at hand regardless of the flavor, and he still listened to his SDAT and practiced his Cello three times a week. He enjoyed playing calm melodies, and although he would've stopped playing if his professor had told him to do so, it was not a burden or a duty for him anymore. It was as if Life was struggling inside of him to get out.
Still Ikari Shinji continued being that apathetic young boy he had always been. He was no longer so scary to others though, although sometimes, when he got depressed, his eyes took on that lifeless statement he would frighten the hell out of everyone. Everyone around him had started to think of him as an introverted young man who just didn't talk much or enjoyed doing anything, but polite though. Those days Shinji started carrying his SDAT to school and whenever his classmates arrived and began talking to each other he would activate his SDAT and listen to tracks 25 and 26. Some girls even thought that he was cute, but never tried to talk to him since his reserved personality made him seem unreachable. Shinji never noticed any of this, he was always thinking but his thoughts always revolved around himself and his loneliness. He couldn't realize that his own mental isolation was the cause of this loneliness.
Ikari Shinji liked routine and it calmed him to be acquainted with his surroundings. Even if he was unhappy at the house he inhabited with his professor he always thought of it as familiar. His routes to school were also familiar, as well as the seat he chose. Any unfamiliar surroundings made him extremely uncomfortable and affected his process of thought by making him think unfamiliar ideas. So, Shinji the thinker though skilled at thinking was not skilled at thinking of new things, although his capabilities for understanding made the ideas easy to assimilate he deemed them as unfamiliar and discarded them from his daily life. He thought he had learned that routine avoids pain, while new experiences bring it forth. And this was Shinji's sole purpose, to avoid pain, with tranquility and politeness though.
Yet, the day was coming when Shinji would find his routine altered forever. It happened like this. Shinji had just got home and seeing he had no homework to do, followed the second step in his daily routine, and went to his room in order to listen to his SDAT. As he laid in bed he turned his SDAT and quickly realized this was not his usual music, and wondered if his professor had switched the tapes. He found himself listening to some classical piece he could not name, but that seemed familiar. It was also weird that this melody did not went slow like the music he enjoyed, and yet he enjoyed it deeply with all of it's twists and quick rhythm. He listened to this new piece for a long time and when he took his earphones out to grab a bite he felt as if he had a purpose, something he had never felt before. This purpose, though petty, meant at the time the world to him. He was to find out who the composer of that melody was, and what the name of the piece was.
It seemed that his professor did not knew who had switched the tape, nor did he knew who the composer was. " How ignorant can a professor be ? " Shinji found himself thinking, such an odd thought in his daily mental routine. So the next day he went to the school music professor and played the piece for him. His music professor quickly told him that the composer was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, an Austrian musician, and that the piece was called " The Magic Flute ". Shinji knew that Austria was to the south of Germany and recalled from his history lessons that it was an independent empire ruled by the Habsburgs until Otto Von Bismarck unified Germany and Austria lost some of it's territories; he could also recall that during WWII the entire Austrian territory was in the dominion of the NAZI Germany. Thus he always thought of Mozart when the subject of Germany came forth.
Shinji hummed " The Magic Flute " all the way from his school to his house. He felt happy. This discovery he had made to satisfy his curiosity somehow filled him with a sensation of warmth. So when he got home he suspended homework for the first time in his life and went to listen " The Magic Flute " and as he did, he fell asleep, a weird dream followed.
-
Shinji found himself in a scenery of red and blue. The soil was blue while the sky was red, and both seemed to extend towards infinity. Shinji began walking and yet was unable to find someone or something, he was experiencing anxiety because all of this was unfamiliar to him.
He then saw a tree but when he tried to reach it the tree switched places. He followed the tree from one place to another and each time he did the tree seemed to be nearer and yet taller. Then the figure of his father appear, Shinji thought he would say " leave " as he always did. But this time he asked " why ? " As he faded from view. Shinji awoke.
-
When Shinji woke up he was sweating. His dreams mostly consisted of his father telling him to leave, he even had a dream routine of this, but now all of his routines seemed to be reaching an end. He wondered if this was some sort of omen.
So Shinji went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and saw a package that had just been delivered by mail, in the table. In the package one could see the letters " To Shinji " though it did not say who had sent it. Shinji was curious and his curiosity got the best of him so he opened the package right away. Inside he saw a book that read * The Complete Works of Lucius Seneca *. Shinji took the book forgetting about the glass of water and as soon as he reached his bed he began flipping through the pages.
He saw that the book consisted for the most part of letters that Seneca had sent to his friend and disciple Lucilus. He saw one that interested him, it read "* Letter CX : Philosophy Cures of Vain Fears and Vain Desires * he began reading through it, the first lines were on theology and did not interest him much. However when he got to the middle of the letter he read something that appealed to him very much, because of his experience regarding his research of " The Magic Flute ".
The fragment of Seneca's letter read as follows: * We see nothing, neither what harms us nor what is important to us; all of our lives we go wandering without stopping or stepping more carefully. You see how crazy it is to run in the dark. However, if our wish was to see the dawn it can be done. By acquiring that science of all things human and divine, if he that understands this science did not bathe with it but rather drank it, and even after he knew it he would repeat it constantly. If he would look out for what things are good and which are bad, distinguishing which have been called by either name unjustly. If he does not stop, the human ingenuity will penetrate those limits, he would be able to see , where the universe goes, where does it come from, and what is it's purpose. *
And Shinji thought all of this was true. He rationalized it was true. He felt it was true. To seek that which satisfies our curiosity, to know for the sole purpose of knowing. He again experienced that warm feeling from within. And as he closed the book to think of these new ideas he saw a paper folded in the first pages of his new book. He inspected it and saw some letters he couldn't understand, they were written with a fountain pen and read * Si vis tibi omnia subjicere, subjice te rationi * it was a quote from Seneca but in another language. He was so excited about this that he decided he would find out what that meant right away. For this he made a trip to the local library of which he knew the location but had never really been there. The words were in a romanized spelling so it was hard for him to tell which of those languages it belonged to, however in the book it said that Lucius Seneca had been a roman stoic philosopher who had lived around the first century a.d and thus Shinji deduced the language had to be Latin, for that was the language spoken in Rome.
So he went to and fro in the library looking for the Latin section. When he got there he quickly searched for a Latin / Japanese dictionary and as soon as he got it, he went to a table to try to decipher what the quote said. And so, he looked for the words and the kanji. When he finished translating he read the meaning of the phrase aloud * If you would submit all things to yourself, submit yourself to reason * . He found it beautiful but did not understood the phrase right away and so he started thinking about it.
He thought about it all the way home, and when he realized he was not paying attention to the route, he was already lost. He was not worried though for he was quick to know where he was. However he found it funny that this was the first time he got lost. Ikari Shinji had just lost his way in the physical world but had seen a guiding light in the world of the mind. He had begun to understand.
To be continued …
-
Author's Notes: I just want to point out some things. I know that Rei is later sent to live in a place full of noise and dangerous in appearance. This makes my theory of Gendo Ikari keeping her in the Geofront longer for the sake of protecting her of pain, less plausible, I know that. However I will elaborate on that in future chapters. I will try to clean this story of any logical flaws in tribute to the logical master and story-teller Edgar A. Poe. If the letter of Seneca seems weird to people who have read Seneca it's because I translated it from spanish to english so maybe I didn't translate too well. As a final comment I want to mention my favorite evangelion fanfiction author of all times because I am grateful for all his stories. His pen name is Strike Fiss and he is the author of Higher Learning, Shinji the Casanova and Holding Hands. If you people ever have a chance to read his fanfiction do so, you wont regret it. His Lesson 41 of Higher Learning has been posted, wohoo!! So remember people, read Strike Fiss the first chance you have, he's pure class and talent.
-
Average Joe presents *** NGE: The Will To Think ***
*** CHAPTER I " The Mind Perceives A Light " ***
A couple years before the events in NGE ...
** " Moonlight / Our Knowledge Of The External World " **
Kozou Fuyutsuki found himself enjoying the warm rays of the sun under a blue sky. His mind wandered though, through time and space, to days long gone. 'What am I doing ?' He wondered constantly. In days past he deluded himself and thought he was there with Ikari for the sake of Yui's ideals; he now knew that was a lie. Gendo Ikari's project had gone astray a long time go, no longer seeking Yui's ideals, but Yui herself. Fuyutsuki knew that he'd do anything to see her again... Yui, the woman that had never loved him, the woman that married and loved Gendo Rokubungi.
Ikari was aware of Fuyutsuki's feelings for Yui; that is why he trusted him. They shared a common goal. Ikari knew that neither of them would ever let go of her. However, Fuyutsuki would sometimes hesitate, thinking " Is this right ? " Then he would watch the Commander's will and determination, and feel the urge to stay. Somehow such determination made him think that it was right after all. This was one these moments, yet the Commander wasn't there to set him straight by his example.
Suddenly a fly passed by and awoke Fuyutsuki from his daydreaming, he took a look at his watch and realized that the time had come for Rei Ayanami to meet the world, he also realized that the image of this girl was the trigger of all those thoughts of Yui. " My, how she resembles her... " he thought. And as he thought of this he saw Ritsuko Akagi's figure emerge from a nearby metallic door.
" Hello sir. "
" Hello Dr. Akagi, " he sighed " I trust that everything is ready for Rei to meet the world ?"
" Everything is set sir, I came here only for confirmation. "
" How do you think she will react Dr. ? "
" It's hard to know sir, " Ritsuko said while leaning her head a little and casting her eyes in another direction. " In reality, everything is hard to know with this girl, she doesn't show any emotion to tell us what her thoughts or feelings are. She only shows such feelings in the presence of ... ".
" Of Commander Ikari. " Fuyutsuki resumed, seeing that Ritsuko seemed disturbed by this.
" Yes. "
" Tell me Dr. was it really necessary to keep her in that little room for so many years ? "
" It made it easier for us to examine her, and see if her growth satisfied the project needs, however, I don't believe such a degree of isolation was needed. "
" So ... "
" I believe Commander Ikari had personal reasons to keep Rei in isolation for so long. I think it's because of his late wife ... " At this point Ritsuko's voice sounded almost sad.
" You mean ... "
" That he felt the need to protect her, " she concluded his thoughts, " to keep her for long as possible from the pain that he feels the external world can bring about."
" It can also bring joy. " Fuyutsuki added, with not much conviction.
" It's a belief " Ritsuko answered, skeptically.
They remained silent for a few seconds. Each one's thoughts were filled with a memory of an unrequited love. They both sighed at the same time, and they shared a smile as they realized this.
" This moment is funny in it's sadness, don't you think so too, Dr ? " Fuyutsuki asked with a wide smile.
" Sadly, yes " Ritsuko answered , her lips curved upwards.
Another period of silence ensued, this time it felt awkward.
" I'll go get the girl " Ritsuko finally said.
Fuyutsuki could only nod as he returned to his thoughts.
-
" Where is the commander ? " Rei asked, emotion evident in her words.
" He's on a business trip, Rei, he won't be joining us, " was Ritsuko's answer.
Rei's face showed no emotion at this point, yet Ritsuko could perceive a hint of sadness in her eyes. Somehow she felt sad too, she knew how it was when " he " walked out on you.
" I am sure he would've liked to be here Rei, but this trip was important. "
" I understand, " Rei said " Let us go ".
Ritsuko nodded and both females went on their way.
-
" Welcome to the world, Rei " Fuyutsuki said as he saw the red eyed girl walking out the door.
" Hello subcommander " Rei answered as if programmed to. Her eyes were already exploring curiously the world denied to her for so long.
" Commander Ikari chose this location just for you Rei, he wanted you to be acquainted with the beauty of nature before anything else."
At this point, Fuyutsuki tried to distinguish if his statement had caused any emotions in Rei. He could detect none, but his instincts told him that she was grateful for the commander's choice of location.
Ritsuko watched the blue haired girl as she explored this world of theirs. Wondering what she was thinking. She watched Rei lean over the ground and touch the earth, she watched as Rei extended her little pale hand towards the sky and observed the sunlight in amazement. Fuyutsuki was also watching, deduced why Ikari wasn't present. It would have hurt the man to see Rei finally stepping out into the world, leaving him in a symbolic way maybe. It was like watching a daughter leave your house. Ikari was cold and bitter, but he was not dead.
While Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko observed Rei, she calmly continued her exploration of the world. No one could tell though, how marveled she was, and how wonderful and new it all seemed to her. No one could tell how much she wanted to tell the commander of this experience, or how much this stimulated her curiosity. What they could tell was that she seemed very interested in light; in the sunlight. At first she looked at the sun directly but her eyes couldn't take it and she remembered her readings regarding the sun and the perils involved in staring at it directly, without protection. She knew what everything was called, however, the two- dimensional pictures she saw in her books could never depict the marvelous reality of the genuine thing.
She was there for hours, the commander had given instructions that she could be outside for as much as she wanted that day, and so she stayed outside all day until nightfall, and then, she was dazzled. The spectacle before her eyes amused her deeply and all kind's of new thoughts and sensations invaded her mind and body. Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki were already tired an yet continued watching, since both seemed to enjoy the sight of Rei exploring the world like a little child, even if she showed no emotion, they knew she could feel. Ritsuko felt happy for Rei, even if she had never liked her and even if Rei resembled so much the woman Gendo Ikari loved, even so, in that moment it didn't seem important. And Rei, finally tired, sat down and from the ground, gazed at the Moon so intently that she lost herself in it and without noticing, fell asleep.
-
That same day in Germany ...
** " The Spotlight is What I Like / The Ego of the Superman " **
Germans are tough. They have been since times long ago. It must be remembered that Germans were one of the main problems of the Roman people after the defeat of the Gauls and of Carthage. This was because of their ruggedness and will power. They would attack Roman settlements out of nowhere and after the death of emperor Trajanus they were never pushed back again. Such was their character. They were also strong-minded, giving the world such philosophers as Shopenhauer and Nietzsche. The second would be glad he had an unknowing disciple in Sorhyu Asuka Langley, who indeed believed of herself she was some sort of superwoman, and intended to show the world too. She had a chance in her graduation ceremony, being her the student with the highest average of the entire generation, she was asked to give the graduation speech. And she loved the spotlight, but only so far as it showed her tough and beautiful exterior and not her fragile interior.
" How are you feeling Asuka ? " asked Ryouji Kaji in formal attire, as formal as he could get though.
" I am feeling great Kaji! Just wait, I bet no one has ever, nor will ever again, give such outstanding speech as the one I am about to give. " She smiled confidently.
" We will see about that " said Kaji teasingly.
" That you can bet " retorted Asuka.
Then Asuka noticed the young women from her class all staring at Kaji and saw he was being all smiles with them too. This pissed her off a great deal and she embraced Kaji with all her strength.
" Calm down Asuka, what are you doing ? " asked a suffocating Kaji.
" I am marking my territory so it's clear to all those bitches that they are trespassing " she said, putting an emphasis on bitches.
" Oh my God !! " was Kaji's pitiful cry as a sweatdrop formed on his forehead.
Then he noticed a man he knew all too well staring at him, also in formal attire. It seemed he'd arrived earlier than they had agreed upon. Kaji hoped the man wouldn't order him to go elsewhere, since he wanted to listen to Asuka's speech so much. He knew it was of utmost importance to her and that it would hurt her deeply if he left. However if the Commander commanded, one had to obey, even Kaji sometimes.
" Well Kaji, that's my call, I'm gonna go get ready " Asuka said giving him a kiss on the cheek. Kaji was grateful that if he had to leave she would not realize until her speech was over.
" Good luck " he said, as she ran to the stage waving her hand to him.
The man, who had been watching all of this curiously, took a step forward and soon found himself at the distance of a handshake with Ryoji Kaji. There was no handshake however.
" Good evening, agent Ryoji "
" Good evening Commander Ikari, I did not expect you to arrive so soon. "
" I believe that red haired girl is the second child, pilot of unit 02, am I right ? " the Commander asked, his hands folded behind his back.
" Yes sir, she is, and a helluva good pilot I might say " stated Kaji proudly.
" I've been reported as to her development. I am amazed at her skills also, I was curious as to this public event regarding her ... graduation ? "
" Yes sir, she graduated top of her generation. A dinner is always organized for the graduates and their families to attend, she has been given the honor of addressing a speech to her fellow students."
" What's her major ? "
" She is a math major, sir, and one the best. Although I don't understand about her studies very much. it does seem awfully complicated. "
" The world can always use more scientists, science is mankind's unique tool ... and weapon. "
" I agree sir. However misused science ... "
" Is dangerous. And yet it helped create EVA which may be our only chance. "
Kaji thought Ikari seemed awfully talkative today, yet he wouldn't dare to ask why. Maybe he was feeling down or something, though it certainly didn't showed in that emotionless face of his. He was about to ask the Commander about project Adam when the lights started to fade and Sorhyu Asuka Langley was focused by the spotlight. She was barely twelve years old and yet her beatiful features could no longer be denied. Kaji smiled and prepared to listen to her speech, hoping nothing to pretentious would be uttered. He noticed that Commander Ikari seemed also very interested in what the second child had to say.
The hall fell silent as Asuka took hold of the microphone and read aloud.
" * I don't believe that God plays the dice with the world * said Albert Einstein, most famous scientist of the world, when asked about his opinion on Heisenberg's quantum mechanics and the principle of uncertainty that this mechanics involved. I think Einstein might have been mistaken and that God does indeed play dice with the world. Aren't we human beings by our nature, * unpredictable * ? Or can anyone here predict truly, where is everyone of us going to end, who we are going to meet and what we are going to do, I fear not. We human beings are a troublesome bunch, each one of us has a mind of his own and a heart of his own, and we try to find our way in the world by whatever means we can. Some trust their guts while some trust their brains, and there is always more than one way to think things out, or to feel about something. We are, I believe, the most common example in the universe of the second law of thermodynamics, which as all of us should know, states that with time the disorder in the universe augments. We are chaos and the name * humanity *, if such abstraction could be understood by animals, would surely spell disaster to them. Yet we have common things in which all of us coincide. There are the musical notes that sound the same for every functional ear, there are colors which are perceived the same by people all over the world if they aren't blind or have eyesight problems. And most of all there are numbers and mathematics, that appeal to the mind more than to the senses. Mathematics are amongst human creations, the most beautiful and the most useful. Pythagoras was right when he said the number was the essence of all things and he may have been also right in his claim that the universe was music, the music of the spheres. Since, we all know, music conveys vibration and the theory of the strings in theoretical physics states that at the end of it all, all basic particles are nothing more than vibrations and that the type of vibration determines the particle. All this improvements on thought, have been accomplished through the aid of mathematics because, I believe, the essence of the world is imbued in them and that is why they are not easy, because nothing worthy can be easily attainable. Here I am, fellow students of the science faculties, talking to all of you of a language that is common to all of us, the language of abstraction. We don't need to bother ourselves with lenghty discussions, we just have to calculate to get to the end of the problem. And such is our trait. For, even if life presents us with problems ahead and even if the future is uncertain, we have our numbers, and this is the skill we lend to the world with hope that it will make it better. It has been done before, changing the world with mathematics, all those mental giants that preceded us, like Newton, like Descartes they did it, and we owe the comfort we live in now, to their mental efforts. Some say comfort does not provide happiness, however fellows, I can assure you that comfort at least gives the time to think how to attain happiness, if you like to think about such things. Before mathematics advanced technique to such a degree, people had to endure all sort of scarcities, in water, in food, in energy. Current technique takes a weight off our shoulders and for that we have science and mathematics to thank. Therefore fellows, you must be proud, for science is the noblest of pursuits. And it is the path you chose, so no matter how hard life turns out you must remember you are all scientists and as such you must always look to the skies. "
At this point of her speech Asuka took a pause to have a drink of water. Kaji was thinking how much effort Asuka had invested in her speech, she really was trying to dazzle all the crowd, and it seemed like she was being successful. Even Commander Ikari seemed absorbed by her words. It was funny for Kaji though, to see that a girl so cocky and misanthropic would address her fellow students with respect in order to get their praise.
" She's all vanity, " Kaji thought with a smile, " and yet she is a genius. "
Asuka was ready to resume her speech.
" The thing that amazes me the most about mathematics, is their paradoxical nature. Mathematics brakes with the notion of common sense. You must be ready to engage math with an open mind, for you are bound to see some weird stuff. A curved universe such as the one exposed in the theory of general relativity has to be measured with a different geometry than that of Euclid, like the geometries of Riemann and Lobachevsky, since if you would dare to imagine a triangle in the round surface of this curved universe you would be quick to notice that it's angles do not add up to 180 degrees, but more. Also, you would see parallel lines cross, how is this ? Imagine the Sun. In the theory of general relativity, the space-time around the sun would be curved, thus if a ray of light traveling in a straight line stumbled with this curved space-time it would have no choice but to appear curved, and so if two rays of light each one near the other stumbled with this curved space-time at the moment they went across it, their paths would grow nearer, until they crossed, so parallel lines would indeed cross there. The notion of a ray of light following a straight path and the curving sometimes troubles the profane, however, an earthly example is available. To understand it better, imagine a donut. If you had a pen and tried to draw a straight line to go from one point of the donut to the other across the middle hole without lifting your pen, you would find that this straight line curves not because you draw it curve but because the donut's surface is curved and as such curves the line you are drawing in it with your pen. Also, another notion I find interesting is the one that claims that the whole is always larger than it's parts, this is true in most cases and yet in mathematics it can be proved false. Let us take as an example the series of natural numbers from 1 to infinity, and the series of even numbers from two to infinity, you could think at first that the natural numbers from one to infinity are more than the even's from two to infinity, since they double them, however you would be wrong, since for every given number you have in the first series there is another corresponding number in the second series. So you would have, 1 with 2, and 2 with 4, and 3 with 6, ad infinitum. Therefore the infinite whole would not be larger than it's part but apparently equal. This fellows, is our language and wherever we go from here, and whatever happens to us, we will always have mathematics and with it a deeper understanding of the workings of the universe as well as the workings of the abstract. It is true I never got to know any of you very well, and to tell you the truth I never cared, however each one of you has my respect for the sole reason that you understand the language of science and because of that language, we are all brothers and sisters. Good luck fellows and work hard to grace the world with the knowledge you received here, in our University. "
The hall went mad with cheers and clapping. Asuka was delighted and witnessed the success of her speech from the podium with a radiant smile, her chin up high. Kaji was proud and almost lost consciousness when he saw Commander Ikari applaud. He made no comment as he waited for Asuka to come running any minute now. Music had already started and some youngsters were already hitting the dance floor. Then Asuka came out of nowhere and gave Kaji a tight hug.
" Did you see me ? Am I not the best ? " she asked, her eyes sparkling.
" Indeed you are, indeed you are. " answered Kaji, for once in his life not teasingly.
" Congratulations second. " a cold, toneless voice interrupted.
Asuka was at a loss for words. Normally she would have kicked the butt of anyone who would dare to interrupt her and Kaji. However, this man, unknown to her, had an indescribable aura about him, he was eerie yet important. His presence weighed in both worlds, the one of the senses, and the one of the thoughts.
" Who ... ? " She intended to ask and was again interrupted.
" Ehhh, Asuka this is Commander Gendo Ikari, the top gun of NERV ." said Kaji.
Asuka's eyes were wide open. The most important person of NERV had listened to her speech, her ego rose to the clouds.
" Sir. " she saluted.
" I have also been told of your amazing control of unit 02, that is good second child, never lose the sight of your purpose, you are an Evangelion pilot. That should be the number one thing on your mind always. "
" Yes, I understand sir. " Asuka said. She thought so too. EVA was the pinnacle of her life, even more than her math she needed EVA, it somehow filled the void she had within.
" Asuka I will have to leave you, the Commander and I have important business to discuss. He traveled all the way from Japan to see NERV's branch in Germany and the progress made here. I'll personally show him everything." Kaji hated lying, even if he lied all the time to several people both in his personal life and in his work he never enjoyed it, but it seemed to be a gift he had. A gift that had led him to his present life. Gendo was in Germany to check on Adam, however he was there also in part to see NERV's German installations, so it was not a complete lie, this relieved Kaji of a little guilt.
Asuka did not want to be left alone on her graduation night. However, she nodded, since she didn't want to lose the praise she was sure she had gained from the Commander. It had been a wonderful night. She enjoyed being the center of attention so much, and tonight she had been praised all over, as a beautiful girl, as a genius and as an EVA pilot by the Commander in chief himself. And so when both men had said their good byes Asuka began to fancy again that the world was a creation of hers, and that everything that was, was only because of her mind.
-
Also on that same day ...
** " The Light of Wisdom / A Knowledge That Brings New Life " **
No one could deny that Ikari Shinji was a polite boy. In the past he had used this politeness to avoid conversation or problems with others, however Shinji had learned to like politeness and tranquility, because of his calm personality. Therefore he tried to be polite to others whenever he could, it was a way he had to relate. Another quality in Shinji was that he rarely complained, since he didn't see the point in complaining for every little detail. He still ate anything that was at hand regardless of the flavor, and he still listened to his SDAT and practiced his Cello three times a week. He enjoyed playing calm melodies, and although he would've stopped playing if his professor had told him to do so, it was not a burden or a duty for him anymore. It was as if Life was struggling inside of him to get out.
Still Ikari Shinji continued being that apathetic young boy he had always been. He was no longer so scary to others though, although sometimes, when he got depressed, his eyes took on that lifeless statement he would frighten the hell out of everyone. Everyone around him had started to think of him as an introverted young man who just didn't talk much or enjoyed doing anything, but polite though. Those days Shinji started carrying his SDAT to school and whenever his classmates arrived and began talking to each other he would activate his SDAT and listen to tracks 25 and 26. Some girls even thought that he was cute, but never tried to talk to him since his reserved personality made him seem unreachable. Shinji never noticed any of this, he was always thinking but his thoughts always revolved around himself and his loneliness. He couldn't realize that his own mental isolation was the cause of this loneliness.
Ikari Shinji liked routine and it calmed him to be acquainted with his surroundings. Even if he was unhappy at the house he inhabited with his professor he always thought of it as familiar. His routes to school were also familiar, as well as the seat he chose. Any unfamiliar surroundings made him extremely uncomfortable and affected his process of thought by making him think unfamiliar ideas. So, Shinji the thinker though skilled at thinking was not skilled at thinking of new things, although his capabilities for understanding made the ideas easy to assimilate he deemed them as unfamiliar and discarded them from his daily life. He thought he had learned that routine avoids pain, while new experiences bring it forth. And this was Shinji's sole purpose, to avoid pain, with tranquility and politeness though.
Yet, the day was coming when Shinji would find his routine altered forever. It happened like this. Shinji had just got home and seeing he had no homework to do, followed the second step in his daily routine, and went to his room in order to listen to his SDAT. As he laid in bed he turned his SDAT and quickly realized this was not his usual music, and wondered if his professor had switched the tapes. He found himself listening to some classical piece he could not name, but that seemed familiar. It was also weird that this melody did not went slow like the music he enjoyed, and yet he enjoyed it deeply with all of it's twists and quick rhythm. He listened to this new piece for a long time and when he took his earphones out to grab a bite he felt as if he had a purpose, something he had never felt before. This purpose, though petty, meant at the time the world to him. He was to find out who the composer of that melody was, and what the name of the piece was.
It seemed that his professor did not knew who had switched the tape, nor did he knew who the composer was. " How ignorant can a professor be ? " Shinji found himself thinking, such an odd thought in his daily mental routine. So the next day he went to the school music professor and played the piece for him. His music professor quickly told him that the composer was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, an Austrian musician, and that the piece was called " The Magic Flute ". Shinji knew that Austria was to the south of Germany and recalled from his history lessons that it was an independent empire ruled by the Habsburgs until Otto Von Bismarck unified Germany and Austria lost some of it's territories; he could also recall that during WWII the entire Austrian territory was in the dominion of the NAZI Germany. Thus he always thought of Mozart when the subject of Germany came forth.
Shinji hummed " The Magic Flute " all the way from his school to his house. He felt happy. This discovery he had made to satisfy his curiosity somehow filled him with a sensation of warmth. So when he got home he suspended homework for the first time in his life and went to listen " The Magic Flute " and as he did, he fell asleep, a weird dream followed.
-
Shinji found himself in a scenery of red and blue. The soil was blue while the sky was red, and both seemed to extend towards infinity. Shinji began walking and yet was unable to find someone or something, he was experiencing anxiety because all of this was unfamiliar to him.
He then saw a tree but when he tried to reach it the tree switched places. He followed the tree from one place to another and each time he did the tree seemed to be nearer and yet taller. Then the figure of his father appear, Shinji thought he would say " leave " as he always did. But this time he asked " why ? " As he faded from view. Shinji awoke.
-
When Shinji woke up he was sweating. His dreams mostly consisted of his father telling him to leave, he even had a dream routine of this, but now all of his routines seemed to be reaching an end. He wondered if this was some sort of omen.
So Shinji went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and saw a package that had just been delivered by mail, in the table. In the package one could see the letters " To Shinji " though it did not say who had sent it. Shinji was curious and his curiosity got the best of him so he opened the package right away. Inside he saw a book that read * The Complete Works of Lucius Seneca *. Shinji took the book forgetting about the glass of water and as soon as he reached his bed he began flipping through the pages.
He saw that the book consisted for the most part of letters that Seneca had sent to his friend and disciple Lucilus. He saw one that interested him, it read "* Letter CX : Philosophy Cures of Vain Fears and Vain Desires * he began reading through it, the first lines were on theology and did not interest him much. However when he got to the middle of the letter he read something that appealed to him very much, because of his experience regarding his research of " The Magic Flute ".
The fragment of Seneca's letter read as follows: * We see nothing, neither what harms us nor what is important to us; all of our lives we go wandering without stopping or stepping more carefully. You see how crazy it is to run in the dark. However, if our wish was to see the dawn it can be done. By acquiring that science of all things human and divine, if he that understands this science did not bathe with it but rather drank it, and even after he knew it he would repeat it constantly. If he would look out for what things are good and which are bad, distinguishing which have been called by either name unjustly. If he does not stop, the human ingenuity will penetrate those limits, he would be able to see , where the universe goes, where does it come from, and what is it's purpose. *
And Shinji thought all of this was true. He rationalized it was true. He felt it was true. To seek that which satisfies our curiosity, to know for the sole purpose of knowing. He again experienced that warm feeling from within. And as he closed the book to think of these new ideas he saw a paper folded in the first pages of his new book. He inspected it and saw some letters he couldn't understand, they were written with a fountain pen and read * Si vis tibi omnia subjicere, subjice te rationi * it was a quote from Seneca but in another language. He was so excited about this that he decided he would find out what that meant right away. For this he made a trip to the local library of which he knew the location but had never really been there. The words were in a romanized spelling so it was hard for him to tell which of those languages it belonged to, however in the book it said that Lucius Seneca had been a roman stoic philosopher who had lived around the first century a.d and thus Shinji deduced the language had to be Latin, for that was the language spoken in Rome.
So he went to and fro in the library looking for the Latin section. When he got there he quickly searched for a Latin / Japanese dictionary and as soon as he got it, he went to a table to try to decipher what the quote said. And so, he looked for the words and the kanji. When he finished translating he read the meaning of the phrase aloud * If you would submit all things to yourself, submit yourself to reason * . He found it beautiful but did not understood the phrase right away and so he started thinking about it.
He thought about it all the way home, and when he realized he was not paying attention to the route, he was already lost. He was not worried though for he was quick to know where he was. However he found it funny that this was the first time he got lost. Ikari Shinji had just lost his way in the physical world but had seen a guiding light in the world of the mind. He had begun to understand.
To be continued …
-
Author's Notes: I just want to point out some things. I know that Rei is later sent to live in a place full of noise and dangerous in appearance. This makes my theory of Gendo Ikari keeping her in the Geofront longer for the sake of protecting her of pain, less plausible, I know that. However I will elaborate on that in future chapters. I will try to clean this story of any logical flaws in tribute to the logical master and story-teller Edgar A. Poe. If the letter of Seneca seems weird to people who have read Seneca it's because I translated it from spanish to english so maybe I didn't translate too well. As a final comment I want to mention my favorite evangelion fanfiction author of all times because I am grateful for all his stories. His pen name is Strike Fiss and he is the author of Higher Learning, Shinji the Casanova and Holding Hands. If you people ever have a chance to read his fanfiction do so, you wont regret it. His Lesson 41 of Higher Learning has been posted, wohoo!! So remember people, read Strike Fiss the first chance you have, he's pure class and talent.