I don't own anything. (My new idiot-proof disclaimer.)
Lycanthrope
-Chapter Sixteen: Dinner
"So the Rei Ayanami in the hospital room is a clone?" Shinji nodded and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "How could she be the same age as the original? Do you think that NERV figured out how to accelerate age or something?"
"I doubt it," Shinji said. "Maybe they just have a fucking tank full of Rei clones somewhere."
"Like an Ayanami Tank, or how about a Rei-aquarium?" Yuki asked.
"Ah shut up," Shinji growled. "It's more likely than age acceleration."
"Neither sounds too likely if you ask me," Asuka said. Shinji was about to point out that no one had asked her, but he stopped himself.
"Why would NERV need a tank full of Ayanamis?" Touji asked.
"She said she was the third," Shinji said with a shrug. "Maybe she just annoys the wrong people a lot."
"Kill one get another free," Yuki said with a laugh. "So what exactly are we going to do?"
"Nothing," Shinji said. "We let this play out and see what happens?"
"What about Tabris?" Touji asked.
"The Seventeenth?" Shinji asked. "Not much we can do until he shows up."
"True," Asuka said. "Can I kill him when he shows up?"
"Sure," Shinji said. "Have fun."
"Really?" Asuka shrieked. She flung her arms around Shinji's neck and gave him a tight hug. "Thanks Shinji!"
"That's pathetic," Touji said with a sigh.
"Him caving in so easily to women?" Yuki asked. "Actually I kind of like it."
"Not that," Touji said. "It's pathetic that he's already turning blue."
"Oh," Yuki said. "Asuka? Can I have my mate back? Please?"
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"I can't believe they're still out there." Misato glared at the clamoring reporters on the sidewalk below her and walked back into her apartment. "Don't they have anything better to do?"
"Nope," Shinji said. He folded the newspaper he had been reading and tossed it on the table. Misato picked it up and glanced at the front page.
"Two more Evangelion pilots identified," she read aloud. "This paper has recently discovered the identities of two more of the four Evangelion pilots."
"Lovely isn't it?" Shinji asked. "They began interviewing students around the school."
"Why didn't the students already go to the media?" Misato asked.
"They probably thought that we were common knowledge," Shinji said with a shrug. "Do you have anything really high proof in a glass bottle?"
"Why?" Misato asked suspiciously.
"Two words," Shinji said with a grin, "Molotov cocktail."
"Oh that would look just great plastered on the front page," Misato said sarcastically. "Shinji Ikari, pilot of Evangelion Unit Zero-One and savior of the world, burns half a dozen reporters alive."
"Fire-roasted reporter," Shinji said. Misato watched as he licked his lips and shuddered slightly. There was definitely something wrong with her charges. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but they were about as far from normal as one could get.
"So how's school?"
"It's alright," Shinji said with a shrug.
"I just got the report cards," Misato said.
"Oh really," Shinji said absently as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag.
"You and Asuka both have perfect scores," Misato said. "You English grades went from mediocre to perfect."
"English isn't that hard of a language," Shinji said with a shrug.
"A lot of it comes from Latin. Once I figured that out it was easy."
"You speak Latin?" Misato asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Shinji said.
"Where did you learn Latin?" Misato asked.
"From Bob," Shinji said.
"Ah," Misato said, "the mysterious Bob. Have you invited them over for dinner?"
"I forgot," Shinji said as he began flicking his lighter open and closed.
"Call them now," Misato prodded. "It's not too late."
"Alright already," Shinji grumbled as he flipped his lighter shut and pressed his cigarette's lit end against the pad of his thumb. He stood up and tucked the extinguished cigarette behind his ear and shuffled to the kitchen.
"Didn't that hurt?" Misato called.
"Not really," Shinji answered.
(::::::::::::::ii:::::::::::::)
"Hello?"
"It's Shinji." Bob raised his eyebrow.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Shinji said. "My guardian wants to know if you and Angel want to come over for dinner."
"What are you eating?" Bob asked.
"My guardian if she doesn't get off my case," Shinji growled.
"I don't see why we can't make it," Bob said. "Hey Angel!"
"Yeah?" the younger lycan asked.
"You want to go over to Shinji's for dinner?"
"Is he cooking?"
"Probably," Bob said.
"Sure," Angel said. "He's really good at that."
"What time do you want us to be over?" Bob asked.
"In about an hour," Shinji answered. "Sound good to you Pops?"
"That's fine," Bob said. "How about I bring a bottle of that really good scotch?"
"Misato might like it," Shinji answered. "Go right ahead."
"See you then," Bob said.
"Right." Shinji hung up and Bob did the same.
"So Shinji invited us over for dinner?" Angel asked. "At his guardian's urgings I presume."
"Sounded that way," Bob said with a frown. "Why on Earth would he not want his guardian to meet us?" He spun around quickly and pressed a finger to Angel's lips. "No smart ass comments." Angel pouted slightly and stepped back.
"I guess we shouldn't disappoint his low expectations of us."
"What did you have in mind?" Bob asked, a grin starting to grow on his lips.
"Nothing," Angel said quickly. "I don't want to get shot."
"Shinji wouldn't shoot us," Bob said, "no matter what we did."
"Correction," Angel said. "Shinji wouldn't shoot us with silver."
"You have a point."
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"What's wrong with you?" Yuki watched as her mate stopped playing with his lighter.
"Misato made me invite Pops and Angel over for dinner," he growled.
"Oh dear," Yuki said. "When are they due?"
"Any minute now," Shinji said. The doorbell rang and Yuki watched in shock as Shinji picked up his semi-auto and jacked the action.
"Shinji," she said warningly.
"It's not loaded with silver," he said as he slipped the pistol under his shirt. "After all, if I killed Bob then I'd turn back into a human."
"Really?" Shinji nodded and stood up the answer the door.
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Misato watched as Shinji pushed the door open and stepped aside to allow two people to step inside. She had been expecting many things, but she had not been expecting two very-average looking people. "Ms. Katsuragi?" the man asked with a pleasant smile.
"Yes," Misato said. "Are you Bob and Angel?"
"That's us," the woman said. Misato turned and looked at Shinji. He was glaring at the two like he was warning them not to do anything stupid. Then Misato noticed something else.
"When did you get your ears pierced?"
"Huh?" Shinji asked in confusion.
"You're ears," Bob said slowly. "They have holes now." Misato watched in amusement as the young woman elbowed the man in the stomach.
"I did it a little while ago."
"They weren't like that half an hour ago," Misato said. Shinji reached up and pulled at one of the silver-colored loops in his ears. "What are they?"
"Platinum," Shinji said. "I'm allergic to silver."
"I didn't know that," Misato said. "Did you do it?"
"Yeah," Shinji said. "It's cheaper then getting them done by a professional."
"Those are good," Bob commented. "They look perfectly even to each other."
"Thanks," Shinji said.
"They're too small," Yuki complained as she tugged on one of them. "You need bigger hoops."
"I don't even want to know why," Shinji said.
"So she can lead you around by the ear," Bob said. "Angel used to do it to me, but she ripped one of my earrings out." Shinji and Misato both winced.
"Just go grab a seat on the couch," Shinji said. "Dinner will be ready really soon."
"What are we having?" Bob asked.
"Steak," Shinji said. "I didn't have much time to marinade, so it may be a lit chewy."
"Fine by me," Bob said as he sat down on the couch. Misato sat in one of the armchairs.
"So where did you meet Shinji?" she asked.
"It was a few months ago," Bob said. "We ran into each other while he was walking home."
"So how'd you two end up being friends?"
"Unfortunate circumstances," Shinji and Bob answered at the same time in the same dry tone.
"You two," Yuki said.
"If they were any more alike then they really would be father and son," Angel said. "Sometimes that scares me."
"Why?" Yuki asked.
"Because that would make her an old. . ." Shinji was cut off as Angel slammed her fist into the back of his head. Misato watched this strange little drama with a mixture of wonder and amusement.
"Oh. Kaji called."
"What?" Shinji demanded, looking up sharply.
"Kaji called," Misato repeated. "He was looking for you."
"Oh shit." Shinji quickly pulled his boots on and sprinted to the door. "I have to go!"
"What about. . ." the door slammed shut, "dinner?" Bob finished.
(::::::::::::::ii:::::::::::::)
Kaji was being followed. He could tell quite easily by his pursuer's loud footsteps. 'God damn you Ikari.' Kaji stopped walking and turned to face the man. He recognized him as a Section-2 agent. The man withdrew his hand from his coat and held up a gleaming black 9mm semi-auto. Then something dark rose out of the shadows behind the man and Kaji smiled. "You're late. I've been waiting." The Section-2 agent didn't notice and drew the hammer back on his pistol. That was when Shinji made his move. The Section-2 agent's arm bent sudden in the one direction and the pistol fell from his grip. Kaji looked away in disgust as Shinji bared his teeth and sank them into the man's trachea.
"I forgot." Kaji turned back and watched as Shinji wiped at the blood on his face. "Sorry."
"I thought I was going to die," Kaji said. "That is just not good for my heart."
"Everyone dies," Shinji said. "It just wasn't your time." The young man finished wiping the blood off his face and grinned. "I have to get going."
"Really," Kaji said. "Where to?"
"Dinner," Shinji said. Kaji nodded and walked up to the Section-2 agent.
"Great."
"What?" Shinji asked.
"Couldn't you have just shot him?" Kaji asked.
"I needed a little pre-dinner snack," Shinji said. "So what are you going to do now?"
"Cover my tracks," Kaji said as he picked up the man's pistol and shot the corpse several times. "He's about my size, isn't he?"
"Maybe a centimeter taller and two kilos heavier," Shinji said.
"Give me a hand," Kaji grumbled as he tried to drag the man. Shinji sighed in annoyance and simply picked up the corpse with one hand.
"Where do you want it?"
"In the dumpster." Shinji shoved the dead man into the dumpster and stepped back. Kaji picked up a small, rectangular bottle and emptied its contents into the dumpster.
"Gasoline?"
"I knew they would make their move here," Kaji said.
"So where are you going?"
"Deep undercover," Kaji said as he lit a match and tossed it into the metal box. Soon the air was saturated with the sickly sweet smell of burning flesh. Kaji turned and looked at his savior. "Shinji?"
"Huh?" the younger man grunted.
"You're drooling."
(::::::::::::::ii:::::::::::::)
"Where the hell did you rush off to in such a hurry?" Shinji ignored his sire and kicked off his boots.
"I had to help a friend," he said finally.
"You snuck out to get a snack," Bob growled, pointing accusingly as the red stains on Shinji's button-down shirt. He cursed and quickly pulled it off.
"Just because I come home covered in blood doesn't mean I was having fun," he growled lowly.
"Tell me otherwise," Bob said.
"Okay," Shinji said in exasperation. "I went out and had some fun, but it was to help a friend."
"Yeah right."
"Really," Shinji insisted. "I'm going to go finish preparing dinner."
"You have blood on your hands," Bob muttered. "Don't let your guardian see." The young lycan walked into the kitchen and Bob walked back to where the others were waiting. "The chef has finally returned."
"Where'd run off to?" Yuki asked in annoyance. "I'm hungry."
"He said he went out to help a friend," Bob said. "Bastard ran out to get something to eat."
"I'm going to go have a word with him," Yuki said as she stood up and walked into the kitchen.
"Is it a good idea to leave them in the same room alone?" Misato asked.
"They aren't. . .that. . .bad. Oh boy." Bob groaned in annoyance and rubbed his temples. "Hey Asuka?"
"Yeah?" the young redhead asked.
"Doesn't that smell good?" Bob continued. "Why don't you go see how things are coming along?"
"I'm not an idiot," Asuka said as she stood up. "I'm just hungry."
"Alright," Bob said. Asuka walked to the kitchen and Misato laughed.
"They act like a pair of. . ."
"Animals in heat?" Bob interjected.
"I was going to say teenagers," Misato said.
"That too," Bob said.
"I don't see that much of a difference," Angel said.
"Dinner's ready!" Shinji called. "Now get in here or we're going to eat it all."
"They wouldn't. . ." Misato began.
"They have before," Bob said as he rocketed to his feet.
-End
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-Author's notes. Here's just another little filler chapter. I wanted to wrap up Kaji's part in this story, so he probably won't be showing up real soon. Kaworu will probably show up in the next chapter.