Disclaimer: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Author's notes: Title huh? Well this next chapter is going to start off where the last one left off. Going to actually start the story off (I think) the last few chapters were really a prepping for the full story. After reviewing my last chapters I had found some typos that I should fix. I'll get working on that. Other then that I really can't think of much else.
Chapter 5 A few good things...
Shinji just set down the plates for the two agents. The other two already ate and relieved these two so they could eat. One of the agents smiled and thanked Shinji.
"Oh... no problem" he said with a smile. He returned to the group of kids in the living room.
"So how is everything?"
"It's great Shinji thank you," Hikari said cheerfully
"You outdid yourself baka"
"Uum...thanks"
"Hey Shinji what brought on this new mood you been in lately?" Toji asked with a mouthful.
"Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to speak with your mouth full?" Hikari huffed disapprovingly. Toji just rolled his eyes.
"I'm sure you can teach him a few things" Kensuke's glasses flashed with a smirk.
"What!?!" Hikari choked out.
"Actually I think you probably be into the dominating stuff huh?" Asuka was enjoying this.
"You're supposed to be on my side!"
Toji just laughed at the continuing harassment of the Class Rep and himself. He turned his attention to Shinji.
"I don't know I just am" Shinji answered his previous question with a smile.
"Well that's good, emotions can be a good thing even if they are unexpected" Toji smiled a small smile. Hikari in the mean time was glowing red at the comments from the combined efforts of Kensuke and Asuka.
"I don't understand" came a soft voice. Shinji looked up to see Rei's confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"If something is unexpected it can complicate things. So how are unexpected emotions a good thing?"
"Because I guess the unexpected ones are the most rare..." Shinji thoughtfully said.
"...And the most agreeable" Toji finished.
"For instance?" Rei needed examples.
"Well for instance... 'Love' err happiness is one, you cant exactly expect that. It took me a while to learn that" Shinji answered solemnly. Kensuke's head snapped back from the shoe that Hikari threw.
"I think I understand a little"
"Good, understanding is another unexpected emotion" Toji said evenly.
"This is more complicated then it seems" Rei said flatly confused.
"But agreeable" Shinji finished with a smile. The two boys returned to the continuing war that was being waged between the three other children. Rei just returned to her thoughts.
'Emotions. Unexpected variables. They seem to be able to navigate through such things without many problems. Suzahara seems to be more skilled then Ikari. But he seems to be troubled. Ikari has difficulty with emotions just like myself but he is not afraid to show such things. Class Representative Horaki is... blushing... I will ask her about this later'
The rest of the night went fairly well with little problems except for a few barbs thrown at each other here and there. At the end of the night the children said their goodbyes and turn to leave.
"Pilot Suzahara you are not permitted to leave" said a stern faced agent
"Huh? Why not?"
"Commander's orders"
"Something going on at Nerv and they want all of us in one place," Shinji whispered into his ear.
"But my dad is going to kill me!" Toji winced. Hikari giggled at his squirming.
"Your parents have already been notified" The agent said once again.
"I'll set up something for you to sleep on"
"Ah damn it...thanks Shinji"
"No problem" Shinji smiled.
'He's smiling a lot lately...' thought Asuka '... damn him'
'He is smiling a lot more then usual. Why?' thought Asuka's blue counterpart.
"You want to stay too Kensuke?"
"Sure as long as you got a phone line I can plug into" Aida patted his laptop case.
"I'm sure we got one" Shinji laughed.
"Well I guess I'll be going home" Hikari yawned
"Oh no you don't! You are not leaving me in here with these three PERVERTS!" Asuka shouted.
"But Asuka..." Hikari protested glancing towards Toji's direction.
"I'm not going to hear it! You're staying at that's that!"
"Ok ok ok, I'll stay!"
Shinji snickered quietly while Rei looked on passively. PenPen knew he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. After everything settled down the three boys retreated to Shinji's room to avoid a raging Asuka. Asuka in turn went to take a bath and left Hikari in the living room to have a chat with PenPen.
"What do you think?"
"Wark?" 'What the hell are you asking me for? I'm a penguin for Pete's sake!'
"Class Representative Horaki"
"Ahh!" this is the second time that she nearly took a stroll out of here skin. "Oh Ayanami don't do that"
"What?"
"Uuumm never mind. And you don't have to call me by my position ok" Rei stared blankly at her. "Ok, well you can call me Hikari ok?" Again Rei just stared. "Uuumm we're friends now...right?"
"...Yes" came a soft thoughtful reply.
"Good, now what can I do for you?"
"Why do you blush?"
"Uuk..." Hikari choked on Rei's question. "Well that's complicated"
"How so?"
'Oh boy this is embarrassing' she began blushing again.
"You're blushing again"
"Uum yeah that's because this is kinda of embarrassing" she rub the back of her head. Rei just quirked an eyebrow.
"You blush because you are embarrassed?"
"Well ya..."
"About the said situation commented about you and Suzahara?"
"Uuk..." she started choking again and grew redder "...yeah"
"I see..."
"Why do you ask?"
"..." Rei started a slight blush now
"Huh?" this was a first for her to see Rei like this... but then again it was starting to become the norm in this household. "Are... you embarrassed?"
"...Yes"
"What about?" Hikari was getting excited now, she thought for a minute. "It's about Shinji isn't it, I knew it" Rei just got redder.
"No..." she lied
Hikari bought it. She blinked at her response. "Oh...it's not Suzahara is it?" she asked glumly. All the blush disappeared out of Rei's face immediately and a look of confusion took it's place.
"No" she stated flatly.
"Oh good" Hikari sighed. "Why do you ask this anyhow?"
"Today I saw myself blushing in my mirror"
"Is it your first time?" Hikari asked bewildered.
"No... I have done it before but I have not fully known why... until now...thank you" 'Still doesn't get easier to say'
Hikari smiled cheerfully. "No problem Rei-chan that's what friends are for" she got up and wandered towards Asuka's room to prepare her a place too sleep "Well good night Rei-chan" she called back.
Rei was confused. She looked at her small teacher "Chan? Friend?" 'This is confusing'
'You are clueless' PenPen just looked at her with a deadpan face.
Morning came for the Eastern United States the location of the U.N. meetings. Gendo and Fuyutski ate breakfast with an even pace in a restaurant overlooking the harbor. The sun started to shine on the waking city, and Fuyutski looked upon the scene with a smile.
"I could get used to this"
"Used to what?" Gendo yawned. He didn't get much sleep the night before. He was up all night with the new security protocols.
"To that," he pointed with his thumb "We don't have very many of these in Tokyo-3"
"Indeed" He started to rub the bridge of his nose "We are not fortunate enough to enjoy such privileges" he put his glasses back on. "Men like us can not live in the present we must always look to the future to protect what we have today"
"Yes.....it's your turn" Fuyutski stated flatly. Gendo looked down at the check.
"Indeed" he grumbled.
"Commander Ikari"
Gendo looked up to see an older gentleman approach them. He was wearing a military uniform and had gray hair; his mustache was as gray as his head.
"My name is Colonel William Gibbson of the United States Air Force" he extended his hand.....Gendo just stared at him..... for a long time. The colonel withdrew his hand.
He chuckled lightly. "They said you were the tough sort" Gendo just stared at the colonel with his stone face. The man produced a file and gave it to him. "I have been ordered by the President to accompany you to Tokyo-3 and perform an inspection to see just exactly how much we need to send to your aid"
"We need no ones aid" Ikari shot his comment.
"That's precisely what I'm going to find out" he shot back
"And may I ask why you are not leaving with the rest of the inspectors?"
"That will be addressed later, anyways the President would like this done as soon as possible. You see we have bigger fish to fry and we would not like to restrict our military resources to your protection."
"That makes two of us," the professor grumbled.
"Very well we leave in an 30 minutes" Gendo said standing.
"So soon" Gibbson blinked.
"Is there a problem?"
"No no, no problem at all I'll call my assistant to retrieve my "Go" bag. I like to prepare for every contingency"
"So do I"
'Cold' Ayanami was not sleeping well; she had too many things on her mind. She was sitting in the kitchen with her knees pulled up to her chest. And to make it worse she was cold.
'Friend'
'Horaki said she was my friend. What is a friend? Is it different then family? Is it less then or is it a different form?'
'No' she buried her head into her knees. 'Too much. Too much to think about'
'I have to focus. Yes focus. First I will understand family then friends then.....happiness?' she picked her head up.
'Happiness'
'A unexpected feeling that man values highly.....'
'No!' She buried her head again. 'Too much! Too much' She hugged her knees tighter.
"Cold"
Just then she felt a coat drape over her shoulders and a sense of warmth made its presence known. She looked up and saw a very tired Misato. "Good evening Major"
"Good morning you mean, it's 2:00 am in the morning. What are you still doing up?"
"Thinking....."
"About Shinji?"
'Why does everyone assume that?' She started too blush slightly.
Misato caught the blush and decided to log it for future use. '17 November Rei Ayanami blushed when asked if she was thinking about one Shinji Ikari. Potential Tease Factor (PTT): Very High' It was scary how Misato's mind worked like a computer when it came to teasing the children. "Then what about?" she said with a large grin.
'Perhaps the Major is mentally unstable' thought Rei. "Family"
"Huh? Oh that again" her grin disappeared.
"Yes"
"Rei, that's not something that one can identify accurately. It's something that one feels"
"One feels?"
"Yes, family just happens it's a bond like I said before"
"It just happens.....and I should not dwell on defining such a thing?"
"No, you should just let it happen, ok?"
"And what are friends?"
"Friends are just an extension of one's family. Even close friends start to be considered family. Do you understand?" A little hesitant at first Rei began to nod as confidence set in. "Good, feeling better now?" again Rei nodded. "Good now get to bed and sleep well"
"Yes Major" Rei stood up and handed the jacket over to Misato. At that moment Misato realized what she was wearing.....which was nothing but a long buttoned shirt that barely covered her waist area.
"Uum Rei you might give Shinji a heart attack"
"Why? He seems healthy. Is he ill?"
"Uum never mind figure of speech" she sighed "Now get to bed"
"Yes Major"
"Call me Misato outside of Nerv" Rei nodded. She began to walk towards her room. "And don't dream too much about Shinji" Misato called back. Rei stopped dead in her tracks and whipped her head towards Misato her face blushing and her eyes were wide. Then she quickly stepped into her room still blushing.
"How..... embarrassing" Rei sighed sitting in her bed.....still blushing.
'PAYDIRT!!! Ayanami tomorrow your mine!' Misato thought mischievously then yawned and retired herself.
Shinji opened his eyes and found himself in his world. A world where the only thing was a train to nowhere. This time he wasn't sitting; he was standing. The echo of things his father said ringing in his ears.
"Only infants need parents, you are not an infant....."
'No I am not, but people still need a family and you _were_ part of my family...... and still are'
"Do not look for me Shinji....."
'Well I will damn it' his fist was starting to open and close again. An image of Unit-01 crushing a plug flashed across his mind. 'You used my hands to hurt my friend. Why?' Another image flashed through his mind of Suzahara running next to him to get to Nerv. 'But he's better now. Why?'
"Stand on your own feet....."
'But I need to learn how damn it, that's not something someone can do right off the bat!' He slumped into a nearby seat. 'Life is just too damn complicated' He leaned back looking at the ceiling. A flash of the Hospital ceiling went through his mind. 'Would I welcome death to protect those I care about?'
"You know you would"
"Ahh!!" Shinji heart was pacing till he remembered he was still in a dream. He heard laughing, so he turned his head to see a silver haired boy holding his stomach while laughing. "Koaru? What are you doing in my dream?"
"Taking a stroll," he laughed a bit.
"Huh?"
"Never mind" he waved "So Shinji how's life?"
"The same I guess"
"Well you guessed wrong"
"Huh?" the cryptic angel was easily confusing Shinji.
"Are you fighting any angels?"
"No"
"Is everyone the same?"
"Not quite"
"Have you had any near death experiences lately..... besides Asuka?" stifling a laugh.
"No" Shinji was still confused.
"Then life is not the same now is it?" Shinji just blinked.
"Shinji life continually changes, it's just like a river"
"Oh" Shinji said pretending to understand..... though he was still confused.
"How's Rei doing?"
"Rei? I don't know I haven't talked to her much"
"Why not?"
"I.....don't know"
"Well she was pretty confused when you were sleeping"
"Why"
"She didn't know exactly how to....." Kaoru tried to search for the right word.
"How to what?"
"Live" Shinji just blinked again
"Huh?"
"Your easily confused. Oh well is Asuka feeling better?"
"Yeah she seems to be her old self again....."
"But she is still having a problem with people beating her, right?
"How'd you know?" the angel just looked at him with a blank expression. "Oh right never mind"
"I also hear Toji's alright as well as everyone else"
"Yeah....but....."
"But what?"
"We don't know how"
"Ahh the answer for that is in your own mind Shinji" he tapped his head to illustrate his point.
"Huh?"
"Wow your dense"
"Hey!"
"Anyways I can't explain now your about to wake up"
"Huh?" Kaoru just rolled his eyes.
*WHAP*
"Owww" Shinji sat up when Aida's hand hit him in the face. "Damn it" he said while rubbing his sore nose. He was squinting his eyes cause the sun was coming through his window brightly. "I guess I'll go make breakfast"
Shinji wasn't the only one awake Hikari had woken too. She walked into the kitchen and found Shinji preparing to start breakfast.
"Oh no you don't!"
"Ahh" he nearly toppled over from the voice behind him. "Will you people stop doing that!?!"
"No"
"Oh" he blinked.
"I'm cooking breakfast"
"Why?"
"Cause you cooked last night and I want to cook now. Kind of like paying you back"
"You don't have too"
"But I want to it feels like I'm taking advantage of your kindness. I like to do things for people too it's just the way I am. It makes me feel good. And anyways you need a break you're a little edgy"
"Hey!"
"Shoo" Hikari was using a broom to shoo the Evangelion pilot out of the kitchen..... it worked.
"Ok ok ok"
'He's too sweet! Almost as sweet as Toji' she started to blush with a smile on her face. 'Now what to make' she went right to work.
Groggily Toji sat up when the smell of food hit his nose. "Food..... hum..... must eat.....yes" mumbling seemed to be his communication of choice when wakened in the morning. He stumbled down the hallway till he ran into, or rather ran into him, something soft. After colliding with the ground he was finally able to register a guess of what was sitting on top of him, the scream and the high-speed impact of a fist against his head soon verified that hypothesis.
"Mumph murm ow" all he could do was mumble into the ground while the irate German beat the snot out of him on top.
"Sie dummer perverser Mensch! Fordern Sie wie Sie anschauen mich wie das heraus!"
"What!?! What the hell are you saying?!? Stop hitting me!"
"Ich werde Sie zeigen, nimmt dieses und dieses und das!"
"Damn it stop!!"
"Oh boy so much for the quiet morning" Shinji just rolled his eyes when he heard a door open he looked to only have his jaw hit the floor. Rei was standing in her doorway rubbing one of her eyes in her long shirt except her shirt wasn't buttoned..... and Shinji found out precisely what she sleeps in.....nothing. Rei looked at his stare and started to feel a little awkward.
'Why is he looking at me like that?' Rei thought uneasily. Shinji's nose started to bleed while half of what was left of his mind was screaming 'WHY ME!!!!' and the other half '......' Finally Rei looked down and noticed her lack of dress, after remembering what Misato had said the night before she started to button her shirt. Shinji on the other hand was sitting on the couch staring at a seemingly interesting spot on the wall.
"Would you two shut up!" Misato yelled over the two arguing teens. Everyone turned and looked at her and noticed her state of dress.
"MISATO!!!" Both Asuka and Shinji screamed.
"Whoa" Toji and Hikari's eyes were wide.
"Mumph Boom hehe" Aida was still asleep.
"Welcome back sir"
"....."
'Eesh grumpy' The lieutenant thought.
"This is Nerv" he gestured as the three older men walked into the main passage way.
"I would like to see the Eva cages as soon as possible"
"....."
'Wow he's taking this well' Fuyutski thought.
'.....' Gendo did nothing but stare straight ahead.
The three walked down the corridor and entered into the cages. The looming figure of Unit-02 was present.
"Impressive.....where are the other two?"
"They both are inoperative at the moment"
"So our reports were wrong. Our intelligence showed that all three Evas fought in the last battle you had"
"Those were decoys, to fool our enemies"
"Ahh good plan. So you only have one operational Eva?"
"Correct"
"But the work on the other two Evas has been accelerated" Maya chimed in.
"Never the less they are not here therefore useless, and that means you are weakened"
"Correct" Gendo pushed his glasses back onto his nose. 'What is he getting at?'
The colonel face showed he was deep in thought. 'We need Nerv to survive' He looked up satisfied with his decision. "You only have one working Eva, correct?"
"Yes....." Gendo was starting to get annoyed.
"You want another one?"
Author's notes: This chapter was fairly...... I don't know. Pointless? WAFFY? Oh well hopefully the next chapter will have more meat in it. And like to give credit to friend of mine for the morning scene. Oh well please give me your comments and complaints so I can write this out better. (Actually considering rewriting this chapter.) Cheers.
Author's notes: Title huh? Well this next chapter is going to start off where the last one left off. Going to actually start the story off (I think) the last few chapters were really a prepping for the full story. After reviewing my last chapters I had found some typos that I should fix. I'll get working on that. Other then that I really can't think of much else.
Chapter 5 A few good things...
Shinji just set down the plates for the two agents. The other two already ate and relieved these two so they could eat. One of the agents smiled and thanked Shinji.
"Oh... no problem" he said with a smile. He returned to the group of kids in the living room.
"So how is everything?"
"It's great Shinji thank you," Hikari said cheerfully
"You outdid yourself baka"
"Uum...thanks"
"Hey Shinji what brought on this new mood you been in lately?" Toji asked with a mouthful.
"Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to speak with your mouth full?" Hikari huffed disapprovingly. Toji just rolled his eyes.
"I'm sure you can teach him a few things" Kensuke's glasses flashed with a smirk.
"What!?!" Hikari choked out.
"Actually I think you probably be into the dominating stuff huh?" Asuka was enjoying this.
"You're supposed to be on my side!"
Toji just laughed at the continuing harassment of the Class Rep and himself. He turned his attention to Shinji.
"I don't know I just am" Shinji answered his previous question with a smile.
"Well that's good, emotions can be a good thing even if they are unexpected" Toji smiled a small smile. Hikari in the mean time was glowing red at the comments from the combined efforts of Kensuke and Asuka.
"I don't understand" came a soft voice. Shinji looked up to see Rei's confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"If something is unexpected it can complicate things. So how are unexpected emotions a good thing?"
"Because I guess the unexpected ones are the most rare..." Shinji thoughtfully said.
"...And the most agreeable" Toji finished.
"For instance?" Rei needed examples.
"Well for instance... 'Love' err happiness is one, you cant exactly expect that. It took me a while to learn that" Shinji answered solemnly. Kensuke's head snapped back from the shoe that Hikari threw.
"I think I understand a little"
"Good, understanding is another unexpected emotion" Toji said evenly.
"This is more complicated then it seems" Rei said flatly confused.
"But agreeable" Shinji finished with a smile. The two boys returned to the continuing war that was being waged between the three other children. Rei just returned to her thoughts.
'Emotions. Unexpected variables. They seem to be able to navigate through such things without many problems. Suzahara seems to be more skilled then Ikari. But he seems to be troubled. Ikari has difficulty with emotions just like myself but he is not afraid to show such things. Class Representative Horaki is... blushing... I will ask her about this later'
The rest of the night went fairly well with little problems except for a few barbs thrown at each other here and there. At the end of the night the children said their goodbyes and turn to leave.
"Pilot Suzahara you are not permitted to leave" said a stern faced agent
"Huh? Why not?"
"Commander's orders"
"Something going on at Nerv and they want all of us in one place," Shinji whispered into his ear.
"But my dad is going to kill me!" Toji winced. Hikari giggled at his squirming.
"Your parents have already been notified" The agent said once again.
"I'll set up something for you to sleep on"
"Ah damn it...thanks Shinji"
"No problem" Shinji smiled.
'He's smiling a lot lately...' thought Asuka '... damn him'
'He is smiling a lot more then usual. Why?' thought Asuka's blue counterpart.
"You want to stay too Kensuke?"
"Sure as long as you got a phone line I can plug into" Aida patted his laptop case.
"I'm sure we got one" Shinji laughed.
"Well I guess I'll be going home" Hikari yawned
"Oh no you don't! You are not leaving me in here with these three PERVERTS!" Asuka shouted.
"But Asuka..." Hikari protested glancing towards Toji's direction.
"I'm not going to hear it! You're staying at that's that!"
"Ok ok ok, I'll stay!"
Shinji snickered quietly while Rei looked on passively. PenPen knew he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. After everything settled down the three boys retreated to Shinji's room to avoid a raging Asuka. Asuka in turn went to take a bath and left Hikari in the living room to have a chat with PenPen.
"What do you think?"
"Wark?" 'What the hell are you asking me for? I'm a penguin for Pete's sake!'
"Class Representative Horaki"
"Ahh!" this is the second time that she nearly took a stroll out of here skin. "Oh Ayanami don't do that"
"What?"
"Uuumm never mind. And you don't have to call me by my position ok" Rei stared blankly at her. "Ok, well you can call me Hikari ok?" Again Rei just stared. "Uuumm we're friends now...right?"
"...Yes" came a soft thoughtful reply.
"Good, now what can I do for you?"
"Why do you blush?"
"Uuk..." Hikari choked on Rei's question. "Well that's complicated"
"How so?"
'Oh boy this is embarrassing' she began blushing again.
"You're blushing again"
"Uum yeah that's because this is kinda of embarrassing" she rub the back of her head. Rei just quirked an eyebrow.
"You blush because you are embarrassed?"
"Well ya..."
"About the said situation commented about you and Suzahara?"
"Uuk..." she started choking again and grew redder "...yeah"
"I see..."
"Why do you ask?"
"..." Rei started a slight blush now
"Huh?" this was a first for her to see Rei like this... but then again it was starting to become the norm in this household. "Are... you embarrassed?"
"...Yes"
"What about?" Hikari was getting excited now, she thought for a minute. "It's about Shinji isn't it, I knew it" Rei just got redder.
"No..." she lied
Hikari bought it. She blinked at her response. "Oh...it's not Suzahara is it?" she asked glumly. All the blush disappeared out of Rei's face immediately and a look of confusion took it's place.
"No" she stated flatly.
"Oh good" Hikari sighed. "Why do you ask this anyhow?"
"Today I saw myself blushing in my mirror"
"Is it your first time?" Hikari asked bewildered.
"No... I have done it before but I have not fully known why... until now...thank you" 'Still doesn't get easier to say'
Hikari smiled cheerfully. "No problem Rei-chan that's what friends are for" she got up and wandered towards Asuka's room to prepare her a place too sleep "Well good night Rei-chan" she called back.
Rei was confused. She looked at her small teacher "Chan? Friend?" 'This is confusing'
'You are clueless' PenPen just looked at her with a deadpan face.
Morning came for the Eastern United States the location of the U.N. meetings. Gendo and Fuyutski ate breakfast with an even pace in a restaurant overlooking the harbor. The sun started to shine on the waking city, and Fuyutski looked upon the scene with a smile.
"I could get used to this"
"Used to what?" Gendo yawned. He didn't get much sleep the night before. He was up all night with the new security protocols.
"To that," he pointed with his thumb "We don't have very many of these in Tokyo-3"
"Indeed" He started to rub the bridge of his nose "We are not fortunate enough to enjoy such privileges" he put his glasses back on. "Men like us can not live in the present we must always look to the future to protect what we have today"
"Yes.....it's your turn" Fuyutski stated flatly. Gendo looked down at the check.
"Indeed" he grumbled.
"Commander Ikari"
Gendo looked up to see an older gentleman approach them. He was wearing a military uniform and had gray hair; his mustache was as gray as his head.
"My name is Colonel William Gibbson of the United States Air Force" he extended his hand.....Gendo just stared at him..... for a long time. The colonel withdrew his hand.
He chuckled lightly. "They said you were the tough sort" Gendo just stared at the colonel with his stone face. The man produced a file and gave it to him. "I have been ordered by the President to accompany you to Tokyo-3 and perform an inspection to see just exactly how much we need to send to your aid"
"We need no ones aid" Ikari shot his comment.
"That's precisely what I'm going to find out" he shot back
"And may I ask why you are not leaving with the rest of the inspectors?"
"That will be addressed later, anyways the President would like this done as soon as possible. You see we have bigger fish to fry and we would not like to restrict our military resources to your protection."
"That makes two of us," the professor grumbled.
"Very well we leave in an 30 minutes" Gendo said standing.
"So soon" Gibbson blinked.
"Is there a problem?"
"No no, no problem at all I'll call my assistant to retrieve my "Go" bag. I like to prepare for every contingency"
"So do I"
'Cold' Ayanami was not sleeping well; she had too many things on her mind. She was sitting in the kitchen with her knees pulled up to her chest. And to make it worse she was cold.
'Friend'
'Horaki said she was my friend. What is a friend? Is it different then family? Is it less then or is it a different form?'
'No' she buried her head into her knees. 'Too much. Too much to think about'
'I have to focus. Yes focus. First I will understand family then friends then.....happiness?' she picked her head up.
'Happiness'
'A unexpected feeling that man values highly.....'
'No!' She buried her head again. 'Too much! Too much' She hugged her knees tighter.
"Cold"
Just then she felt a coat drape over her shoulders and a sense of warmth made its presence known. She looked up and saw a very tired Misato. "Good evening Major"
"Good morning you mean, it's 2:00 am in the morning. What are you still doing up?"
"Thinking....."
"About Shinji?"
'Why does everyone assume that?' She started too blush slightly.
Misato caught the blush and decided to log it for future use. '17 November Rei Ayanami blushed when asked if she was thinking about one Shinji Ikari. Potential Tease Factor (PTT): Very High' It was scary how Misato's mind worked like a computer when it came to teasing the children. "Then what about?" she said with a large grin.
'Perhaps the Major is mentally unstable' thought Rei. "Family"
"Huh? Oh that again" her grin disappeared.
"Yes"
"Rei, that's not something that one can identify accurately. It's something that one feels"
"One feels?"
"Yes, family just happens it's a bond like I said before"
"It just happens.....and I should not dwell on defining such a thing?"
"No, you should just let it happen, ok?"
"And what are friends?"
"Friends are just an extension of one's family. Even close friends start to be considered family. Do you understand?" A little hesitant at first Rei began to nod as confidence set in. "Good, feeling better now?" again Rei nodded. "Good now get to bed and sleep well"
"Yes Major" Rei stood up and handed the jacket over to Misato. At that moment Misato realized what she was wearing.....which was nothing but a long buttoned shirt that barely covered her waist area.
"Uum Rei you might give Shinji a heart attack"
"Why? He seems healthy. Is he ill?"
"Uum never mind figure of speech" she sighed "Now get to bed"
"Yes Major"
"Call me Misato outside of Nerv" Rei nodded. She began to walk towards her room. "And don't dream too much about Shinji" Misato called back. Rei stopped dead in her tracks and whipped her head towards Misato her face blushing and her eyes were wide. Then she quickly stepped into her room still blushing.
"How..... embarrassing" Rei sighed sitting in her bed.....still blushing.
'PAYDIRT!!! Ayanami tomorrow your mine!' Misato thought mischievously then yawned and retired herself.
Shinji opened his eyes and found himself in his world. A world where the only thing was a train to nowhere. This time he wasn't sitting; he was standing. The echo of things his father said ringing in his ears.
"Only infants need parents, you are not an infant....."
'No I am not, but people still need a family and you _were_ part of my family...... and still are'
"Do not look for me Shinji....."
'Well I will damn it' his fist was starting to open and close again. An image of Unit-01 crushing a plug flashed across his mind. 'You used my hands to hurt my friend. Why?' Another image flashed through his mind of Suzahara running next to him to get to Nerv. 'But he's better now. Why?'
"Stand on your own feet....."
'But I need to learn how damn it, that's not something someone can do right off the bat!' He slumped into a nearby seat. 'Life is just too damn complicated' He leaned back looking at the ceiling. A flash of the Hospital ceiling went through his mind. 'Would I welcome death to protect those I care about?'
"You know you would"
"Ahh!!" Shinji heart was pacing till he remembered he was still in a dream. He heard laughing, so he turned his head to see a silver haired boy holding his stomach while laughing. "Koaru? What are you doing in my dream?"
"Taking a stroll," he laughed a bit.
"Huh?"
"Never mind" he waved "So Shinji how's life?"
"The same I guess"
"Well you guessed wrong"
"Huh?" the cryptic angel was easily confusing Shinji.
"Are you fighting any angels?"
"No"
"Is everyone the same?"
"Not quite"
"Have you had any near death experiences lately..... besides Asuka?" stifling a laugh.
"No" Shinji was still confused.
"Then life is not the same now is it?" Shinji just blinked.
"Shinji life continually changes, it's just like a river"
"Oh" Shinji said pretending to understand..... though he was still confused.
"How's Rei doing?"
"Rei? I don't know I haven't talked to her much"
"Why not?"
"I.....don't know"
"Well she was pretty confused when you were sleeping"
"Why"
"She didn't know exactly how to....." Kaoru tried to search for the right word.
"How to what?"
"Live" Shinji just blinked again
"Huh?"
"Your easily confused. Oh well is Asuka feeling better?"
"Yeah she seems to be her old self again....."
"But she is still having a problem with people beating her, right?
"How'd you know?" the angel just looked at him with a blank expression. "Oh right never mind"
"I also hear Toji's alright as well as everyone else"
"Yeah....but....."
"But what?"
"We don't know how"
"Ahh the answer for that is in your own mind Shinji" he tapped his head to illustrate his point.
"Huh?"
"Wow your dense"
"Hey!"
"Anyways I can't explain now your about to wake up"
"Huh?" Kaoru just rolled his eyes.
*WHAP*
"Owww" Shinji sat up when Aida's hand hit him in the face. "Damn it" he said while rubbing his sore nose. He was squinting his eyes cause the sun was coming through his window brightly. "I guess I'll go make breakfast"
Shinji wasn't the only one awake Hikari had woken too. She walked into the kitchen and found Shinji preparing to start breakfast.
"Oh no you don't!"
"Ahh" he nearly toppled over from the voice behind him. "Will you people stop doing that!?!"
"No"
"Oh" he blinked.
"I'm cooking breakfast"
"Why?"
"Cause you cooked last night and I want to cook now. Kind of like paying you back"
"You don't have too"
"But I want to it feels like I'm taking advantage of your kindness. I like to do things for people too it's just the way I am. It makes me feel good. And anyways you need a break you're a little edgy"
"Hey!"
"Shoo" Hikari was using a broom to shoo the Evangelion pilot out of the kitchen..... it worked.
"Ok ok ok"
'He's too sweet! Almost as sweet as Toji' she started to blush with a smile on her face. 'Now what to make' she went right to work.
Groggily Toji sat up when the smell of food hit his nose. "Food..... hum..... must eat.....yes" mumbling seemed to be his communication of choice when wakened in the morning. He stumbled down the hallway till he ran into, or rather ran into him, something soft. After colliding with the ground he was finally able to register a guess of what was sitting on top of him, the scream and the high-speed impact of a fist against his head soon verified that hypothesis.
"Mumph murm ow" all he could do was mumble into the ground while the irate German beat the snot out of him on top.
"Sie dummer perverser Mensch! Fordern Sie wie Sie anschauen mich wie das heraus!"
"What!?! What the hell are you saying?!? Stop hitting me!"
"Ich werde Sie zeigen, nimmt dieses und dieses und das!"
"Damn it stop!!"
"Oh boy so much for the quiet morning" Shinji just rolled his eyes when he heard a door open he looked to only have his jaw hit the floor. Rei was standing in her doorway rubbing one of her eyes in her long shirt except her shirt wasn't buttoned..... and Shinji found out precisely what she sleeps in.....nothing. Rei looked at his stare and started to feel a little awkward.
'Why is he looking at me like that?' Rei thought uneasily. Shinji's nose started to bleed while half of what was left of his mind was screaming 'WHY ME!!!!' and the other half '......' Finally Rei looked down and noticed her lack of dress, after remembering what Misato had said the night before she started to button her shirt. Shinji on the other hand was sitting on the couch staring at a seemingly interesting spot on the wall.
"Would you two shut up!" Misato yelled over the two arguing teens. Everyone turned and looked at her and noticed her state of dress.
"MISATO!!!" Both Asuka and Shinji screamed.
"Whoa" Toji and Hikari's eyes were wide.
"Mumph Boom hehe" Aida was still asleep.
"Welcome back sir"
"....."
'Eesh grumpy' The lieutenant thought.
"This is Nerv" he gestured as the three older men walked into the main passage way.
"I would like to see the Eva cages as soon as possible"
"....."
'Wow he's taking this well' Fuyutski thought.
'.....' Gendo did nothing but stare straight ahead.
The three walked down the corridor and entered into the cages. The looming figure of Unit-02 was present.
"Impressive.....where are the other two?"
"They both are inoperative at the moment"
"So our reports were wrong. Our intelligence showed that all three Evas fought in the last battle you had"
"Those were decoys, to fool our enemies"
"Ahh good plan. So you only have one operational Eva?"
"Correct"
"But the work on the other two Evas has been accelerated" Maya chimed in.
"Never the less they are not here therefore useless, and that means you are weakened"
"Correct" Gendo pushed his glasses back onto his nose. 'What is he getting at?'
The colonel face showed he was deep in thought. 'We need Nerv to survive' He looked up satisfied with his decision. "You only have one working Eva, correct?"
"Yes....." Gendo was starting to get annoyed.
"You want another one?"
Author's notes: This chapter was fairly...... I don't know. Pointless? WAFFY? Oh well hopefully the next chapter will have more meat in it. And like to give credit to friend of mine for the morning scene. Oh well please give me your comments and complaints so I can write this out better. (Actually considering rewriting this chapter.) Cheers.
