Disclaimer: Zzzz.....Huh? Wha?.....Zzzzzzz
Author's notes: I have one question though. Do any of the characters seem out of character? The one I have real trouble with writing is Asuka and Misato without making them look too stupid. Rei I have to put her back into her shell a bit, she came out too fast.(That didn't sound right) Anyways I really appreciate any comments you may have. As far as the story goes this next part is going to be hard for me to write without having things progress too quickly. Oh and guess what Misato, Shinji, Ritsuko, Kaji, and Rei will be sent to go retrieve the next pilot.(Courtesy of the U.S.) This is going to have to be a multi-chapter sequence of events because I don't want to too take away from the other characters still in Tokyo-3 while keeping the pace the same. And please tell me if this story is going too slow. Anyways enjoy and be sure to review.
Chapter 5 Backup.....
"I assume you want some sort of compensation for this "offer"" Gendo said smugly.
"Just take care of its expenses, it is too costly for us to handle"
"How come I think you're hiding something"
"Because obviously I am"
"Explain"
"With all this Angel business almost every country has been pouring money into making Eva units. Now that the Angels are defeated we should see a reduction in Eva expenses right?"
"Yes" Fuyutski answered
"Well there isn't. It seems that many countries are pumping as much money as they can afford and in most cases more then they can afford into their respective Eva development and research. Our country seen this before"
"Oh?"
"Yes the Cold War, the nuclear armament race that took its toll on the Soviet Union. We're seeing the warning signs in this"
"But you have made no effort to bring this up to the U.N."
"Of course not. Much of the world is trying to make as many Evas as fast as possible, at this rate many of them will be financially crippled"
"Why would the do something this foolish?" Maya's curiosity was piqued, she spoke without thinking of the company she was with. When she finally noticed the three pairs of eyes staring at her, she retreated behind her clipboard.
"Because none of them want to be on the wrong end of the world's most powerful fighting machine" Gendo answered evenly.
"Yes, that and they caught word that the U.S. has secretly built an army of Eva units"
"When did you manage to do this?" Fuyutski was not at all pleased with what this man was saying.
"We didn't. We leaked information saying we did"
"Why" Fuyutski also wasn't quite sure that he believed him.
"So no other country would attack them or their allies with fear of reprisal" Gendo answered.
"It's an old trick but it did the job"
"So the world is going bankrupt and you're going to sit back and watch....." Fuyutski was starting to become impressed. 'These Americans manipulate well' ".....tell me, what will you gain out of this?"
"Nothing except preservation"
"Explain"
"Everyone's scared now. The Angels rocked their feeling of safety so much that they think that soon someone is going to take advantage of their weakness. The world has gone paranoid, and with the Evas that can be a very dangerous thing"
"Why don't you do something to stop it" Maya again.
"We will when the time is right"
"You're still hiding something"
"I know"
Shinji was placing the dishes from breakfast into the cupboards while the rest chatted in the living room. 'So many dishes this is going to take awhile'
"Hey Shinji"
"Oh hi Kensuke, Toji what's up?"
"Let us do that you take it easy" Toji spoke up.
"No that's ok I'm fine I can get it"
"I said I'm doing the dishes Ikari" Toji narrowed his eyes in his bully manner.
"Uum ok?" Toji's eyes lightened
"We just want do something nice for you for a change, you made an awesome dinner last night" Kensuke chimed in.
"Oh ok then" Shiji said sheepishly not quite sure what to think. 'I think they're planning something, check that I know they are' He walked into the living room where Asuka and Hikari were laying on the ground watching the T.V. in their normal manner. "I'll guess I'll clean up a bit"
"Already did that baka" Asuka said not looking at him.
"I did?"
"No stupid! Hikari and I did"
"Oh, I guess I'll wash the clothes then"
"That will not be necessary Pilot Ikari"
"Ahh!" The quiet voice caught him off guard. "Oh Ayanami please don't do that"
"Do what?"
"Never mind" he said with a sigh. 'I think I need a nap or a sedation or something' he let out another sigh. That moment the phone decided to ring. " Hello?" Shinji answered.
"Shinji? I need to speak with Major Katsuragi"
"Oh uhh yes sir" He punched the hold button and set the receiver down. Rei looked at him with her usual look. "It's the commander" he answered her silent question. ' What a minute how the hell.....oh forget it' he walked to Misato's room. She went back too sleep after the commotion earlier this morning. "Misato phone for you"
"Mmm..... tell them to call later"
"I don't think that's a good idea, it's the commander" He heard a loud bang as Misato tried to get out of bed and reach the phone. 'Lazy lazy woman' he shook his head thinking. He turned and saw Rei sitting at a table with a cup of tea. He decided to make himself one and sat down across from her.
"Ikari-kun"
"Uum yes?"
"I need to ask you a question? You do things for people why? Is this because they are a part of your family and friends?"
"Well ya but there's other reasons too"
"Explain please?"
"Well doing things for others makes me feel good, and it makes others feel good too"
"Is that why they are doing things for you?"
"Uuh hey ya they are" he said with a smile. He heard a crash in the kitchen and cringed.
"Why do you do things for me? I haven't done anything in return"
"Well ya you do" She stared at him at he got the hint that he should continue. "Oh uum you did the laundry"
"I live here that should be expected of me is it not?"
"Uum ya I guess.....you destroyed your Eva to save me"
"I am replaceable it was the least costly action" Shinji cringed as he heard her say replaceable. Memories started to inch into his mind but he suppressed them effectively. Rei seeing the look on his downcast face was intrigued and a little concerned. "What's wrong Ikari-kun?"
"You were there when I woke up....." this last comment derailed all of Rei's thoughts. Blush began to edge across her face. "..... more then once" his face was still looking down.
"....."
"....."
".....Doing some things make you happy "Rei seemed to be summarizing her conversation "Does..... playing..... your cello..... make you happy?" the blush on her face only seemed to deepen slightly as she tried to fight it down with no results.
'My cello? Has she seen me pl.....'
"SHINJI!!!!"
"AAHHH!!" Shinji quickly lost his balance and fell over backwards and landed with a thud. Misato was tearing out of her room with her clothes half on and stuffing more in a travel bag. Rei was helping Shinji up.
"Are you well? You seem to be falling over a lot as of late" Rei asked evenly all of her blush was gone.
"Rei, Shinji you two get into your rooms and pack some clothes! Plan for a week!"
"What's going on?" Asuka was confused.
"No time go now" The two children did as they were told and packed quickly as they could.
"They will be leaving within the hour" Gendo set the receiver down.
"We do have one condition however"
"Of course you do. What is it?"
"That you use our pilot and spare for this unit"
"Very well"
"Here are the personnel records on the two pilots"
"Ryoji!"
"Yes sir" Kaji walked up and took the folder from Gendo.
"You will go with the Major and provide security for the Children and this new pilot"
"Yes sir" he said with a smile 'Time with the major'
"And I am confident that there will be no more incidents between you and the Major" Kaji's face faulted. Gendo smirked "Good"
The car screeched to a halt as it entered the Nerv Tran. Misato started to rummage through her bags to see if she did indeed to get everything that she needed. Rei looked over at Shinji and leaned over to him.
"Ikari-kun you can let go, the car has stopped"
"Huh? Oh right" he let go.
The three of them proceeded to the air pads to board a transport that was prepared for them. Another transport was there. Shinji watched as his father boarded with a strange man. He entered his transport and searched for a place to sit, to his dismay all the seats were taken by the grown ups...... and their bags except for one.....next to Rei Ayanami. 'They planned this' his eyes narrowed at a smiling Major.
"What?" she asked innocently. All Shinji could do was roll his eyes. He took "his" seat next to Rei and sighed as he heard a snickering coming from his guardian. 'They're so cute. Phase 1 completed phase 2 will commence in 2 hr 27 min and 57 56 55 54 53.....' she couldn't wait. Ritsuko boarded the plane last with her respectable luggage and found that miraculously there was room for her to sit down. Shinji rolled his eyes again. Rei never seemed to notice that Shinji was so close by. Soon the plane was taking off and was airborne.
"Hey Rits-chan" Misato called over
"Hmm?" eyes not looking up from the records.
"Where we going anyhoo?"
This time she raised her head "The desert"
"Huh? Why?"
"That's where the pilot is located. It seems the U.S still have a base in Southwest Asia"
"The middle east?"
"Yep, the pilot was performing some training exercises there"
"Training huh, maybe that will be useful to us"
"Undoubtedly, here's his file" Misato took it and flipped it open it was fairly thick.
"Is this for real?"
"Yep years of military training and he's only 15"
"That's weird"
"Well not really children have seem to be proven useful in combat"
"But he's only 15?"
"But it said he took the training willingly and wasn't forced. He's much like Asuka in that manner, he already graduated regular schooling. He just decided to go into the military instead of college"
"The young are wasted on war....." Misato said in a whisper.
"Hmm?"
"Oh.....nothing"
Towards the back of the plane Shinji was straining to hear what Ritsuko was saying. After a while he quitted and settled back in his seat. Then a sigh came from his right emanating from the blue haired girl next to him.
"I wonder?" she asked no one.
"What?" her head whipped around with a slight look of alarm then was gone just as fast. "Ikari?"
"Uum there weren't any seats left when I got on and......uum well this was uum all that was left" he said fighting down the blush with no avail.
'He's embarrassed' she turned her head and saw the Major smiling quite largely at them. 'She planned this' her eyes narrowed slightly but disappeared however Shinji caught it.
'She's thinking of the same thing I am' he smiled 'I'm actually getting to know her'
The flight was long, very long, painfully long and Shinji forgot his SDAT.
'Just let me die' he thought in desperation looking around trying to find something. He let out a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Rei asked reading her book.
"I forgot my SDAT and I'm bored" Shinji sighed out. Rei knew boredom it was a relatively safe feeling. She sat there in silent thoughts for a moment before she closed her book and leaned over to get her bag. After a few seconds of searching she produced a book.
"Here you go Ikari-kun" she handed him a book.
"Oh thanks Rei" He took the book happily "That's very kind of you"
Rei just kept looking into her book "You're welcome" She kept staring into her book but she wasn't reading. ' Kind? Rei? He called me Rei again'
Further into the flight Shinji was asleep and Rei was watching him. 'He sleeps soundly, he dreams too. I dream..... now. What does he dream about? Kindness? He said I was kind for letting him read a book that I have no use for. Why was that kind? It makes sense to.....'
"Awe you two are too cute"
"Major?" Rei looked up questionably.
"You and him sitting together so close, and you staring at him while he's sleeping" she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.
"....."
"I'll take that as a yes"
"To what?"
"The fact that you like him"
'This again' she began to blush again under the major's assumption.
"I knew it you do have a thing for him"
'Need to settle this or she will embarrass me again' a flashback to the night before flashed through her mind.
***************
".....well with you staring at Wondergirl all day you perv!"
"It's not like that!"
***************
"It's not like that" Rei stated simply.
"You even sound like him now" Misato started to giggle.
'.....ineffective though it should be expected'
"Leave them alone Misato" Kaji said from behind her.
'Good.....Ryoji will remove the Major's attention from us err me.....us?'
"Aww your no fun"
"Let the two love birds sleep peacefully" he grinned.
'.....'
"Colonel Raber the Nerv transport will be arriving in two hours now"
"Good prepare their quarters and have them see me the moment they land"
"Yes sir"
"This sucks! How come Wondergirl and Wonder Wimp get to go off somewhere while I stay here!"
"Because your the only active pilot you need to stay here for defense of Nerv" Maya was put in charge of the remaining two Children and she wasn't having the greatest time about it either.
"I would think that Nerv could get along without me for a little while!"
"But Asuka you're our best pilot we couldn't defend ourselves without one of you and you are the best we got" 'Please God let this work'
"Humph" Asuka turned on her heel and headed directly for her room slamming the door behind her.
PenPen poked his head out and found that indeed the "Loud One" was gone. He waddled over to the fridge and grabbed a can of beer. Maya meanwhile was lying on the couch trying to think of what she did wrong.
'How did I get myself into this mess?' PenPen walked up and handed her the beer.
"Wark"
"Uum thanks anyways I don't..... alright"
*Knock Knock Knock*
Maya got up with beer in her hand. The door slid open and Hyuga and Aoba were standing on the other side.
"Hey Maya-chan" they both smiled.
"Oh hey guys what's up?"
"We thought you could use some help with the two children"
"Oh thanks"
"I can see you're already started drinking" Hyuga said as he pushed up his glasses.
"That's not fair!" The other two just laughed.
A few hours later the three friends were sitting in the living room just chatting away.
".....then when I entered the room and the fourth child was sitting there staring at me saying something like "Shinji gets all the luck" or something like that" Maya was telling the days events to her two friends. ".....then I had too keep Asuka from blowing up, that in itself deserves a promotion!"
"Jeez I'm sorry" Aoba laughed. Maya just sat there and huffed.
"What do you two think about this new Eva unit?"
"Well it would be nice not to be so dependent on one person" Maya cringed as she expected to her raving from the red head. "But we had to make a deal with the Americans to get it and right now I don't trust that"
"Understandable we never had to deal with human opponents before.....too much" Aoba said
"I don't understand it" Hyuga was deep in thought.
"What?" the other two said in unison.
"Four months ago when we awoke in the HQ"
"Oh that again I don't know either. It's kind of unnerving" Maya said nervously.
"Yeah the last thing I remember was fighting" Aoba added.
"Me too" said the other two in unison..... again.
"So what exactly happened?"
"Dunno, but..... I think Third Impact happened and failed" Hyuga was in a posture of thinking.
"Huh?" It was amazing how in sync these three were.
"Just a feeling" The other two just nodded in unison.....again.
"We need to get out more" declared Aoba. "Yeah we need to out of Nerv awhile and take a break maybe even meet people"
"I would love to go out with someone but....." Maya trailed off. The two other leaned in to hear her.
"But what?"
"It's nothing"
"Spill it....."
"It's nothing it's just that she OHH!" she clapped both her hands over her mouth. The two other lieutenants just blinked..... hard.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa WHOA whoa whoa back up a sec.....her?" Aoba asked. Maya just looked down and nodded.
"I had no idea" Hyuga blinked. Maya was turning redder and redder by the second.
"Oh well that's cool" Aoba smiled and Hyuga nodded. Maya looked up with a bit of surprise.
"Really?"
"Yeah....." Aoba said "One question though.....Do you swing one way or both?"
Maya turned extremely red. She bowed her head and whispered "Both" More in a weak squeaky sound then a whisper.
"Oh that's good" Hyuga said relieved, both of the other two just stared at him wide eyed. "WHAT!"
"Colonel my name is Major Katsuragi and I am here to take charge of your Eva unit and it's pilots" she extended her hand smiling for a greeting.
"Sorry to disappoint you Major but you're not taking charge of anything here"
"Huh?" Misato's eye was twitching.
"Number one the Eva is not here, and number two the pilot is a member of the United States Armed Forces and will always be attached to us even during his tour with Nerv.
"Understood Colonel" 'You old grizzled goat'
"Very well Airman Jacobson here will drive you too your quarters"
While the three adults handled the Colonel, Rei Ayanami was busy taking in the view.
"So.....dead"
"Hmmm?" Shinji was close enough to her to hear her whisper somewhat.
"The land here is..... dead" she was referring to the endless desert.
Shinji looked up and noticed what she was talking about. "Yeah....." he couldn't help feel a little down by the surrounding environment.
"Come on you two stop flirting and get in the car err jeep......tank thingy, whatever" Misato called back.
"Uuk" Shinji began to turn red while Rei just stared at the Misato with her normal mask. 'Flirt?'
After about a fifteen-minute drive they soon arrived at their "quarters". Misato wasn't too pleased in seeing that she was to stay in a tent with Ritsuko AND Kaji.
'Ahh jeez my job never gets easy' her eye twitched 'at least it's air conditioned'
"Hmm a night in a tent alone with two lovely ladies how interesting" Kaji mused.
"TRY ANYTHING YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!!!!!!!!"
"Ok ok"
The two children on the other hand found that they were too share their quarters as well. This did not bode well for Shinji.
"No we are changing this. Rei your going to be in our tent and Kaji you sleep in Shinji's!" Misato declared.
'Good, that would have been embarrassing' both children thought at the same time.
"Sorry Major no can do" the man driving the Jeep said.
"Why not?!?"
"Because the two pilots count as Class A security asset, you only count as Class C the children need to be taken to a more heavily guarded part of the camp and you don't have clearance to be admitted"
"What the hell do you mean I don't have clearance I'm the Director of Operations for Nerv for Pete's sake!!!"
"Sorry Major orders are orders"
"Humph fine!"
'Not good' both children thought at the same time.
"When will we meet the new pilot?" Shinji asked trying to forget the current dilemia.
"Tomorrow morning. They said he needs to complete the last of his training then he's good to go" Ritsuko answered. After that the five Nerv members proceeded to their quarters for some much needed rest but God knows three of them weren't going to sleep easy that night. The two children were dropped off in a heavily guarded part of the camp, reserved for the more important "assets". They walked into the tent and found, to Shinji's relief, that it was split in half with a fabric wall to divide them.
"Uum Ayanami?" she turned to look at him. He pulled out the book and held it out to her "Uum thanks for the book"
She regarded the book and looked back at him "Have you finished it?"
"Uum no"
"Then keep it"
"Oh th..... thank you" he blushed.
"Are you embarrassed?"
"Uum kind of"
"Why?"
"Well I am embarrassed about sleeping in the same room as you when we are sleeping and that is not quite normal..... I guess" Shinji spoke really fast so fast that Rei almost didn't comprehend.
"I see" 'me too' she thought. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure" Shinji said still blushing.
"What is flirting?"
"Uum....." Shinji was at a loss. "..... you should try asking Misato that question"
"Yes perhaps....."
"Well I'm going to go to bed now..... goodnight"
"Goodnight Ikari-kun"
As they retreated to their respective sides both exhaled a breath that they have been holding for a long time. Shinji kicked off his shoes and opened his bag to retrieve clothes for tomorrow. After laying them out he crawled into the sleeping bag and cot that was provided for him.
'Why should I be embarrassed, we both been in more embarrassing positions this should not be a problem. But why is it?'
'Because its Rei Ayanami the albino beauty. The quiet one. The graceful one. The Red Eyed Blue Haired HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'
As Shinji turned towards Rei's side of the tent he noticed that her light was on..... and she was getting dressed for bed, which meant she wasn't going to wear anything at all. And the light was casting a perfect shadow of everything she was doing on the canvas separator. Shinji couldn't help but watch in shock, with his eyes wide open and blood trickling down his nose. But then after a few seconds all his fears and accelerated heartbeats stopped as he grew amazingly calm. He sat up and watched, her skirt fell away, he regarded her long legs something he always noticed except he never really realized just how long and attractive they were. Next came the blouse now he could view her entire body and every curve. He had to admit it she was gorgeous every curve screamed it. She reached up to undo her bra, Shinji looked away. The moment he did he froze in shock.
'Why did I look away? Why did I not want to see that?' His logical side was telling him all the reasons he should be looking but didn't help him with why he wasn't. His emotional side stayed quiet. 'Why?' He eventually turned back to see that Rei was done with her preparations for bed. She stood up straight and stretched her hands high above her head stretching herself out. After a moment she stopped, dropped her hands, and turned towards Shinji. If he could see her he would have noticed the tinge of red on her cheeks.
'Why do I feel this way?' She shut off her light and crawled into her sleeping bag, 'Too many questions. Not enough answers.'
Shinji was left with his thoughts. 'Did she notice me? Nah couldn't have' He lay back down and stared at his new ceiling. 'She's... intoxicating' Smiling, after finding the right word to describe her, he drifted off to a sleep. And both Children slept better then they have in a long time.
Morning came and so did the heat. After a brief episode of hysterics Misato and her two tent mates emerged for the day. Kaji was in one of his better moods, Ritsuko was indifferent as usual, and Misato... needed a beer badly. The two Children arrived with a driver and all loaded up to head down to greet their new companion.
"Good Morning Major I trust you slept well"
"..."
"Well shall we" he motioned towards his office.
"Shall we what?" Misato was still grumpy.
"Fill out the necessary paperwork" he opened his door to reveal a mountain of paperwork that she needed to sign.
"I have to sign all that?" she pointed hesitantly.
"Yep" Misato's eye twitched.
'Oh this isn't fair'
"Where's the pilot?" Shinji queried.
"Oh he's out at the close quarters range I'll have a driver take you"
"Oh thank you"
"Ritsuko, Kaji get in here and help me with this!" Misato called from the office. Both Ritsuko and Kaji groaned rather loudly.
Author's note: Me sleepy. Thanks for the title catch I would have never found it. Well there you have it. Six chapters in and the plot still hasn't really taken off yet. I think I will combine some of the earlier chapters together so this won't go on for too long. Tell me what you think.(Especially the tent part)
Author's notes: I have one question though. Do any of the characters seem out of character? The one I have real trouble with writing is Asuka and Misato without making them look too stupid. Rei I have to put her back into her shell a bit, she came out too fast.(That didn't sound right) Anyways I really appreciate any comments you may have. As far as the story goes this next part is going to be hard for me to write without having things progress too quickly. Oh and guess what Misato, Shinji, Ritsuko, Kaji, and Rei will be sent to go retrieve the next pilot.(Courtesy of the U.S.) This is going to have to be a multi-chapter sequence of events because I don't want to too take away from the other characters still in Tokyo-3 while keeping the pace the same. And please tell me if this story is going too slow. Anyways enjoy and be sure to review.
Chapter 5 Backup.....
"I assume you want some sort of compensation for this "offer"" Gendo said smugly.
"Just take care of its expenses, it is too costly for us to handle"
"How come I think you're hiding something"
"Because obviously I am"
"Explain"
"With all this Angel business almost every country has been pouring money into making Eva units. Now that the Angels are defeated we should see a reduction in Eva expenses right?"
"Yes" Fuyutski answered
"Well there isn't. It seems that many countries are pumping as much money as they can afford and in most cases more then they can afford into their respective Eva development and research. Our country seen this before"
"Oh?"
"Yes the Cold War, the nuclear armament race that took its toll on the Soviet Union. We're seeing the warning signs in this"
"But you have made no effort to bring this up to the U.N."
"Of course not. Much of the world is trying to make as many Evas as fast as possible, at this rate many of them will be financially crippled"
"Why would the do something this foolish?" Maya's curiosity was piqued, she spoke without thinking of the company she was with. When she finally noticed the three pairs of eyes staring at her, she retreated behind her clipboard.
"Because none of them want to be on the wrong end of the world's most powerful fighting machine" Gendo answered evenly.
"Yes, that and they caught word that the U.S. has secretly built an army of Eva units"
"When did you manage to do this?" Fuyutski was not at all pleased with what this man was saying.
"We didn't. We leaked information saying we did"
"Why" Fuyutski also wasn't quite sure that he believed him.
"So no other country would attack them or their allies with fear of reprisal" Gendo answered.
"It's an old trick but it did the job"
"So the world is going bankrupt and you're going to sit back and watch....." Fuyutski was starting to become impressed. 'These Americans manipulate well' ".....tell me, what will you gain out of this?"
"Nothing except preservation"
"Explain"
"Everyone's scared now. The Angels rocked their feeling of safety so much that they think that soon someone is going to take advantage of their weakness. The world has gone paranoid, and with the Evas that can be a very dangerous thing"
"Why don't you do something to stop it" Maya again.
"We will when the time is right"
"You're still hiding something"
"I know"
Shinji was placing the dishes from breakfast into the cupboards while the rest chatted in the living room. 'So many dishes this is going to take awhile'
"Hey Shinji"
"Oh hi Kensuke, Toji what's up?"
"Let us do that you take it easy" Toji spoke up.
"No that's ok I'm fine I can get it"
"I said I'm doing the dishes Ikari" Toji narrowed his eyes in his bully manner.
"Uum ok?" Toji's eyes lightened
"We just want do something nice for you for a change, you made an awesome dinner last night" Kensuke chimed in.
"Oh ok then" Shiji said sheepishly not quite sure what to think. 'I think they're planning something, check that I know they are' He walked into the living room where Asuka and Hikari were laying on the ground watching the T.V. in their normal manner. "I'll guess I'll clean up a bit"
"Already did that baka" Asuka said not looking at him.
"I did?"
"No stupid! Hikari and I did"
"Oh, I guess I'll wash the clothes then"
"That will not be necessary Pilot Ikari"
"Ahh!" The quiet voice caught him off guard. "Oh Ayanami please don't do that"
"Do what?"
"Never mind" he said with a sigh. 'I think I need a nap or a sedation or something' he let out another sigh. That moment the phone decided to ring. " Hello?" Shinji answered.
"Shinji? I need to speak with Major Katsuragi"
"Oh uhh yes sir" He punched the hold button and set the receiver down. Rei looked at him with her usual look. "It's the commander" he answered her silent question. ' What a minute how the hell.....oh forget it' he walked to Misato's room. She went back too sleep after the commotion earlier this morning. "Misato phone for you"
"Mmm..... tell them to call later"
"I don't think that's a good idea, it's the commander" He heard a loud bang as Misato tried to get out of bed and reach the phone. 'Lazy lazy woman' he shook his head thinking. He turned and saw Rei sitting at a table with a cup of tea. He decided to make himself one and sat down across from her.
"Ikari-kun"
"Uum yes?"
"I need to ask you a question? You do things for people why? Is this because they are a part of your family and friends?"
"Well ya but there's other reasons too"
"Explain please?"
"Well doing things for others makes me feel good, and it makes others feel good too"
"Is that why they are doing things for you?"
"Uuh hey ya they are" he said with a smile. He heard a crash in the kitchen and cringed.
"Why do you do things for me? I haven't done anything in return"
"Well ya you do" She stared at him at he got the hint that he should continue. "Oh uum you did the laundry"
"I live here that should be expected of me is it not?"
"Uum ya I guess.....you destroyed your Eva to save me"
"I am replaceable it was the least costly action" Shinji cringed as he heard her say replaceable. Memories started to inch into his mind but he suppressed them effectively. Rei seeing the look on his downcast face was intrigued and a little concerned. "What's wrong Ikari-kun?"
"You were there when I woke up....." this last comment derailed all of Rei's thoughts. Blush began to edge across her face. "..... more then once" his face was still looking down.
"....."
"....."
".....Doing some things make you happy "Rei seemed to be summarizing her conversation "Does..... playing..... your cello..... make you happy?" the blush on her face only seemed to deepen slightly as she tried to fight it down with no results.
'My cello? Has she seen me pl.....'
"SHINJI!!!!"
"AAHHH!!" Shinji quickly lost his balance and fell over backwards and landed with a thud. Misato was tearing out of her room with her clothes half on and stuffing more in a travel bag. Rei was helping Shinji up.
"Are you well? You seem to be falling over a lot as of late" Rei asked evenly all of her blush was gone.
"Rei, Shinji you two get into your rooms and pack some clothes! Plan for a week!"
"What's going on?" Asuka was confused.
"No time go now" The two children did as they were told and packed quickly as they could.
"They will be leaving within the hour" Gendo set the receiver down.
"We do have one condition however"
"Of course you do. What is it?"
"That you use our pilot and spare for this unit"
"Very well"
"Here are the personnel records on the two pilots"
"Ryoji!"
"Yes sir" Kaji walked up and took the folder from Gendo.
"You will go with the Major and provide security for the Children and this new pilot"
"Yes sir" he said with a smile 'Time with the major'
"And I am confident that there will be no more incidents between you and the Major" Kaji's face faulted. Gendo smirked "Good"
The car screeched to a halt as it entered the Nerv Tran. Misato started to rummage through her bags to see if she did indeed to get everything that she needed. Rei looked over at Shinji and leaned over to him.
"Ikari-kun you can let go, the car has stopped"
"Huh? Oh right" he let go.
The three of them proceeded to the air pads to board a transport that was prepared for them. Another transport was there. Shinji watched as his father boarded with a strange man. He entered his transport and searched for a place to sit, to his dismay all the seats were taken by the grown ups...... and their bags except for one.....next to Rei Ayanami. 'They planned this' his eyes narrowed at a smiling Major.
"What?" she asked innocently. All Shinji could do was roll his eyes. He took "his" seat next to Rei and sighed as he heard a snickering coming from his guardian. 'They're so cute. Phase 1 completed phase 2 will commence in 2 hr 27 min and 57 56 55 54 53.....' she couldn't wait. Ritsuko boarded the plane last with her respectable luggage and found that miraculously there was room for her to sit down. Shinji rolled his eyes again. Rei never seemed to notice that Shinji was so close by. Soon the plane was taking off and was airborne.
"Hey Rits-chan" Misato called over
"Hmm?" eyes not looking up from the records.
"Where we going anyhoo?"
This time she raised her head "The desert"
"Huh? Why?"
"That's where the pilot is located. It seems the U.S still have a base in Southwest Asia"
"The middle east?"
"Yep, the pilot was performing some training exercises there"
"Training huh, maybe that will be useful to us"
"Undoubtedly, here's his file" Misato took it and flipped it open it was fairly thick.
"Is this for real?"
"Yep years of military training and he's only 15"
"That's weird"
"Well not really children have seem to be proven useful in combat"
"But he's only 15?"
"But it said he took the training willingly and wasn't forced. He's much like Asuka in that manner, he already graduated regular schooling. He just decided to go into the military instead of college"
"The young are wasted on war....." Misato said in a whisper.
"Hmm?"
"Oh.....nothing"
Towards the back of the plane Shinji was straining to hear what Ritsuko was saying. After a while he quitted and settled back in his seat. Then a sigh came from his right emanating from the blue haired girl next to him.
"I wonder?" she asked no one.
"What?" her head whipped around with a slight look of alarm then was gone just as fast. "Ikari?"
"Uum there weren't any seats left when I got on and......uum well this was uum all that was left" he said fighting down the blush with no avail.
'He's embarrassed' she turned her head and saw the Major smiling quite largely at them. 'She planned this' her eyes narrowed slightly but disappeared however Shinji caught it.
'She's thinking of the same thing I am' he smiled 'I'm actually getting to know her'
The flight was long, very long, painfully long and Shinji forgot his SDAT.
'Just let me die' he thought in desperation looking around trying to find something. He let out a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Rei asked reading her book.
"I forgot my SDAT and I'm bored" Shinji sighed out. Rei knew boredom it was a relatively safe feeling. She sat there in silent thoughts for a moment before she closed her book and leaned over to get her bag. After a few seconds of searching she produced a book.
"Here you go Ikari-kun" she handed him a book.
"Oh thanks Rei" He took the book happily "That's very kind of you"
Rei just kept looking into her book "You're welcome" She kept staring into her book but she wasn't reading. ' Kind? Rei? He called me Rei again'
Further into the flight Shinji was asleep and Rei was watching him. 'He sleeps soundly, he dreams too. I dream..... now. What does he dream about? Kindness? He said I was kind for letting him read a book that I have no use for. Why was that kind? It makes sense to.....'
"Awe you two are too cute"
"Major?" Rei looked up questionably.
"You and him sitting together so close, and you staring at him while he's sleeping" she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.
"....."
"I'll take that as a yes"
"To what?"
"The fact that you like him"
'This again' she began to blush again under the major's assumption.
"I knew it you do have a thing for him"
'Need to settle this or she will embarrass me again' a flashback to the night before flashed through her mind.
***************
".....well with you staring at Wondergirl all day you perv!"
"It's not like that!"
***************
"It's not like that" Rei stated simply.
"You even sound like him now" Misato started to giggle.
'.....ineffective though it should be expected'
"Leave them alone Misato" Kaji said from behind her.
'Good.....Ryoji will remove the Major's attention from us err me.....us?'
"Aww your no fun"
"Let the two love birds sleep peacefully" he grinned.
'.....'
"Colonel Raber the Nerv transport will be arriving in two hours now"
"Good prepare their quarters and have them see me the moment they land"
"Yes sir"
"This sucks! How come Wondergirl and Wonder Wimp get to go off somewhere while I stay here!"
"Because your the only active pilot you need to stay here for defense of Nerv" Maya was put in charge of the remaining two Children and she wasn't having the greatest time about it either.
"I would think that Nerv could get along without me for a little while!"
"But Asuka you're our best pilot we couldn't defend ourselves without one of you and you are the best we got" 'Please God let this work'
"Humph" Asuka turned on her heel and headed directly for her room slamming the door behind her.
PenPen poked his head out and found that indeed the "Loud One" was gone. He waddled over to the fridge and grabbed a can of beer. Maya meanwhile was lying on the couch trying to think of what she did wrong.
'How did I get myself into this mess?' PenPen walked up and handed her the beer.
"Wark"
"Uum thanks anyways I don't..... alright"
*Knock Knock Knock*
Maya got up with beer in her hand. The door slid open and Hyuga and Aoba were standing on the other side.
"Hey Maya-chan" they both smiled.
"Oh hey guys what's up?"
"We thought you could use some help with the two children"
"Oh thanks"
"I can see you're already started drinking" Hyuga said as he pushed up his glasses.
"That's not fair!" The other two just laughed.
A few hours later the three friends were sitting in the living room just chatting away.
".....then when I entered the room and the fourth child was sitting there staring at me saying something like "Shinji gets all the luck" or something like that" Maya was telling the days events to her two friends. ".....then I had too keep Asuka from blowing up, that in itself deserves a promotion!"
"Jeez I'm sorry" Aoba laughed. Maya just sat there and huffed.
"What do you two think about this new Eva unit?"
"Well it would be nice not to be so dependent on one person" Maya cringed as she expected to her raving from the red head. "But we had to make a deal with the Americans to get it and right now I don't trust that"
"Understandable we never had to deal with human opponents before.....too much" Aoba said
"I don't understand it" Hyuga was deep in thought.
"What?" the other two said in unison.
"Four months ago when we awoke in the HQ"
"Oh that again I don't know either. It's kind of unnerving" Maya said nervously.
"Yeah the last thing I remember was fighting" Aoba added.
"Me too" said the other two in unison..... again.
"So what exactly happened?"
"Dunno, but..... I think Third Impact happened and failed" Hyuga was in a posture of thinking.
"Huh?" It was amazing how in sync these three were.
"Just a feeling" The other two just nodded in unison.....again.
"We need to get out more" declared Aoba. "Yeah we need to out of Nerv awhile and take a break maybe even meet people"
"I would love to go out with someone but....." Maya trailed off. The two other leaned in to hear her.
"But what?"
"It's nothing"
"Spill it....."
"It's nothing it's just that she OHH!" she clapped both her hands over her mouth. The two other lieutenants just blinked..... hard.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa WHOA whoa whoa back up a sec.....her?" Aoba asked. Maya just looked down and nodded.
"I had no idea" Hyuga blinked. Maya was turning redder and redder by the second.
"Oh well that's cool" Aoba smiled and Hyuga nodded. Maya looked up with a bit of surprise.
"Really?"
"Yeah....." Aoba said "One question though.....Do you swing one way or both?"
Maya turned extremely red. She bowed her head and whispered "Both" More in a weak squeaky sound then a whisper.
"Oh that's good" Hyuga said relieved, both of the other two just stared at him wide eyed. "WHAT!"
"Colonel my name is Major Katsuragi and I am here to take charge of your Eva unit and it's pilots" she extended her hand smiling for a greeting.
"Sorry to disappoint you Major but you're not taking charge of anything here"
"Huh?" Misato's eye was twitching.
"Number one the Eva is not here, and number two the pilot is a member of the United States Armed Forces and will always be attached to us even during his tour with Nerv.
"Understood Colonel" 'You old grizzled goat'
"Very well Airman Jacobson here will drive you too your quarters"
While the three adults handled the Colonel, Rei Ayanami was busy taking in the view.
"So.....dead"
"Hmmm?" Shinji was close enough to her to hear her whisper somewhat.
"The land here is..... dead" she was referring to the endless desert.
Shinji looked up and noticed what she was talking about. "Yeah....." he couldn't help feel a little down by the surrounding environment.
"Come on you two stop flirting and get in the car err jeep......tank thingy, whatever" Misato called back.
"Uuk" Shinji began to turn red while Rei just stared at the Misato with her normal mask. 'Flirt?'
After about a fifteen-minute drive they soon arrived at their "quarters". Misato wasn't too pleased in seeing that she was to stay in a tent with Ritsuko AND Kaji.
'Ahh jeez my job never gets easy' her eye twitched 'at least it's air conditioned'
"Hmm a night in a tent alone with two lovely ladies how interesting" Kaji mused.
"TRY ANYTHING YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!!!!!!!!"
"Ok ok"
The two children on the other hand found that they were too share their quarters as well. This did not bode well for Shinji.
"No we are changing this. Rei your going to be in our tent and Kaji you sleep in Shinji's!" Misato declared.
'Good, that would have been embarrassing' both children thought at the same time.
"Sorry Major no can do" the man driving the Jeep said.
"Why not?!?"
"Because the two pilots count as Class A security asset, you only count as Class C the children need to be taken to a more heavily guarded part of the camp and you don't have clearance to be admitted"
"What the hell do you mean I don't have clearance I'm the Director of Operations for Nerv for Pete's sake!!!"
"Sorry Major orders are orders"
"Humph fine!"
'Not good' both children thought at the same time.
"When will we meet the new pilot?" Shinji asked trying to forget the current dilemia.
"Tomorrow morning. They said he needs to complete the last of his training then he's good to go" Ritsuko answered. After that the five Nerv members proceeded to their quarters for some much needed rest but God knows three of them weren't going to sleep easy that night. The two children were dropped off in a heavily guarded part of the camp, reserved for the more important "assets". They walked into the tent and found, to Shinji's relief, that it was split in half with a fabric wall to divide them.
"Uum Ayanami?" she turned to look at him. He pulled out the book and held it out to her "Uum thanks for the book"
She regarded the book and looked back at him "Have you finished it?"
"Uum no"
"Then keep it"
"Oh th..... thank you" he blushed.
"Are you embarrassed?"
"Uum kind of"
"Why?"
"Well I am embarrassed about sleeping in the same room as you when we are sleeping and that is not quite normal..... I guess" Shinji spoke really fast so fast that Rei almost didn't comprehend.
"I see" 'me too' she thought. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure" Shinji said still blushing.
"What is flirting?"
"Uum....." Shinji was at a loss. "..... you should try asking Misato that question"
"Yes perhaps....."
"Well I'm going to go to bed now..... goodnight"
"Goodnight Ikari-kun"
As they retreated to their respective sides both exhaled a breath that they have been holding for a long time. Shinji kicked off his shoes and opened his bag to retrieve clothes for tomorrow. After laying them out he crawled into the sleeping bag and cot that was provided for him.
'Why should I be embarrassed, we both been in more embarrassing positions this should not be a problem. But why is it?'
'Because its Rei Ayanami the albino beauty. The quiet one. The graceful one. The Red Eyed Blue Haired HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'
As Shinji turned towards Rei's side of the tent he noticed that her light was on..... and she was getting dressed for bed, which meant she wasn't going to wear anything at all. And the light was casting a perfect shadow of everything she was doing on the canvas separator. Shinji couldn't help but watch in shock, with his eyes wide open and blood trickling down his nose. But then after a few seconds all his fears and accelerated heartbeats stopped as he grew amazingly calm. He sat up and watched, her skirt fell away, he regarded her long legs something he always noticed except he never really realized just how long and attractive they were. Next came the blouse now he could view her entire body and every curve. He had to admit it she was gorgeous every curve screamed it. She reached up to undo her bra, Shinji looked away. The moment he did he froze in shock.
'Why did I look away? Why did I not want to see that?' His logical side was telling him all the reasons he should be looking but didn't help him with why he wasn't. His emotional side stayed quiet. 'Why?' He eventually turned back to see that Rei was done with her preparations for bed. She stood up straight and stretched her hands high above her head stretching herself out. After a moment she stopped, dropped her hands, and turned towards Shinji. If he could see her he would have noticed the tinge of red on her cheeks.
'Why do I feel this way?' She shut off her light and crawled into her sleeping bag, 'Too many questions. Not enough answers.'
Shinji was left with his thoughts. 'Did she notice me? Nah couldn't have' He lay back down and stared at his new ceiling. 'She's... intoxicating' Smiling, after finding the right word to describe her, he drifted off to a sleep. And both Children slept better then they have in a long time.
Morning came and so did the heat. After a brief episode of hysterics Misato and her two tent mates emerged for the day. Kaji was in one of his better moods, Ritsuko was indifferent as usual, and Misato... needed a beer badly. The two Children arrived with a driver and all loaded up to head down to greet their new companion.
"Good Morning Major I trust you slept well"
"..."
"Well shall we" he motioned towards his office.
"Shall we what?" Misato was still grumpy.
"Fill out the necessary paperwork" he opened his door to reveal a mountain of paperwork that she needed to sign.
"I have to sign all that?" she pointed hesitantly.
"Yep" Misato's eye twitched.
'Oh this isn't fair'
"Where's the pilot?" Shinji queried.
"Oh he's out at the close quarters range I'll have a driver take you"
"Oh thank you"
"Ritsuko, Kaji get in here and help me with this!" Misato called from the office. Both Ritsuko and Kaji groaned rather loudly.
Author's note: Me sleepy. Thanks for the title catch I would have never found it. Well there you have it. Six chapters in and the plot still hasn't really taken off yet. I think I will combine some of the earlier chapters together so this won't go on for too long. Tell me what you think.(Especially the tent part)
