Disclaimer: Check the Prologue.
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AN: The Muse has been very generous lately, visiting me so often with gifts about this... Still, if I were you, I wouldn't be too surprised, or angered, if several weeks pass before I update... The Seventh and Eighth Rules are going to be two bigger, in all terms, chapters, so...
Also, my thanks to Brax The Great, for pointing out grammar errors.
To nicknack: The song is from Flaw. If curious about them, visit http:(slash)(slash)www(dot)flaw(dot)com
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This is narrative.
"This is a dialogue."
"THIS IS SHOUTING."
'This is a quote/EMPHASIS made either during a dialogue or narrative.'
These are thoughts.
These are mouthed and facial expressions before, during, and after, a dialogue.
This tells where and when the following happens.
(These will be Author Notes)
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"No shirts. No shoes."
-Tyler Durden
8:22
Tokyo-3 High-School
"... Well, look at the good side of things, at least one of us has managed to find female companionship outside his home, unlike us Touji. Heck, not even at home I have some, so I'm constantly in disadvantage, unlike you two."
"Yeah, yeah, keep bickering Kensuke. Just admit it; you don't have a girlfriend because you lack the guts for it. Nice soldier you would give one day..."
HAH "As if you're any better! Asides Mari, you don't have one for even a worst reason: you've already fallen for a girl!"
Now standing as stiff-straight as a board, Touji said
"WHAT? HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT..." Finally noticing their battle field was the classroom 2-A, and blush starting to form, he gulped in dry, quite forcibly, before turning to Kensuke and giving him a punch in his left arm. And a strong one at that, bearing clenched teeth. Kensuke, unprepared, lost balance and rammed against two desks, ending on the floor, with his limbs twisted and mixed, among the desks.
Touji, with a look of triumph, huffed, after puffing out his chest, and turned to his desk. However, his trek was immediately intercepted by the Class Rep., whom pulled his left ear up high. Now screaming in a high-pitched tone, while standing in his toes, he turned, slowly thanks to Hikari's firm grip, and tip-toed to Kensuke. Hikari released him, and said
"Now the two of you will arrange those desks. And Touji, you've just won class-cleaning today!"
Asuka, who had from the start of all this been on her seat, amusedly observing, said out loud to Hikari, much to the latter's chagrin (1)
"That means the two of you are going to be the last to exit the room. Nice move, Hikari, nice indeed..." By the end, she was mimicking Rei's pose, glancing outside, watching everything inside the room through the window's reflex.
Now Hikari was the one who was blushing, although quite a bit stronger than Touji. Surprise and betrayal-hurt being replaced by a fake innocent expression, Hikari threw a comment sarcastically
Oh "That's right, I forgot today it was the two of us working late. I doubt, though, that you'll complain. Especially Shinji, considering you've been his private nurse, always keeping him under surveillance. Wonder why, though..."
Asuka, now sticking with a smile, simply nodded and stretched her arms, silently announcing her defeat to Hikari and the rest of the class.
Kensuke, nearing his seat, asked Asuka, while rubbing his arm
"So, where's Shinji?"
Asuka, sparing him a glance, answered slightly bothered
"They won't be coming for two or four months, at least."
Touji, curious, asked while sitting on his desk
"Why?"
Asuka, now looking at the ceiling, said
"It's confidential. However, let's just say the two played a prank on NERV, and now they'll be paying the fee for it in NERVs cells."
Now with most of the class, well those who had arrived so far, expecting her to tell their deeds, she simply raised an eyebrow, and said
"If the Commander finds about this, I'll be joining Wonder Girl in her cell... - Out loud – We had been running a test in our Plugs, when NERV evacuated us to the lake. We stood there for hours, waiting for them, when Misato contacted us. I answered their call and warned them I was bored and pissed, before they tried to contact Shinji. He didn't answered, so they, logically, assumed that, being the baka he is, never found nor remembered to activate his own radio. When they contacted Rei... First she answered well, but then Shinji's voice came up in her transmission, and then the two of them acted as if they were making out in Rei's Plug, with moans and wild screams from both. Suffice to say that the Commanders didn't like it one bit..."
Kensuke, now amazed beyond limits, asked
"But, what about the video-feed? Couldn't they take a look inside the Plugs and find out they were joking?"
"Nope, due to the nature of the test, NERV had the Plug's cameras offline permanently."
"But they were just joking, right?" asked Hikari, slightly edgy.
Asuka, smirking, replied
"Well, I don't know... The things they were saying and moaning... Tsk Sounded very real to me... How was it Shinji said... - Now making her voice more manly – 'Oh Rei, these are so soft and beautiful' and he sounded as if he meant it, so..." Finishing it with a shrug and a smile, Asuka mentally congratulated herself when she saw that the class was flabbergasted.
Touji, truly amazed, asked
"That's it? Kind of stupid for NERV to lock them up just for this..."
Asuka, half-smiling and with mischievous eyes, said
"No, that wasn't all. After they got us out of the Plugs, we were taken to the Bridge, and those two faced the Commander. Shinji told him that he had convinced Rei to do this with him, and that he was the only one to blame. The Commander, in turn, asked Rei if such was true. Rei, instead of saving her own ass, just went to one of the technicians and asked him to play one music out loud."
Kensuke, intrigued, asked Asuka what music was it, to which Asuka simply told them it was a music telling the Commander to shove his glasses where the sun didn't shone...
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Commander's Office, NERV HQ, Geofront
Gendo was lying on his chair with his coat buttoned open, legs stretched out with his shoes near him, left arm dangling and his right hand holding a bag of ice on his forehead, with his glasses and gloves resting on the desk.
Kouzou entered the office, though he wasn't looking much better. Approaching the desk, he said
"I take it that our plans have suffered a major setback with this... incident."
Gendo, not moving, replied in an exhausted tone
"Indeed... According to Akagi, our memory banks of the Dummy Plug are already 'infected'. If we terminate the Second and create a Third now, she'll be the same."
Kouzou, surprised, stated
"Then we have to start it from the very beginning."
Gendo, now clearly angered, replied
"We don't have a timetable available for this. Leliel will appear soon. We need to have an operable Rei when he shows up."
Kouzou, now with a defeated expression on his face, said
"Then it seems we're in SEELE's hands for a while..."
Gendo, still not moving, concurred only with a hum...
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Akagi Ritsuko's Office
Taking another drag from her cigar, Ritsuko could do little more than smile at her ceiling. Grinning as if she had just won an arm's wrestle with an Angel, she used her left foot to make her chair spin.
Seeing the ceiling's lights forming a circle around her, she made a mental note, so that she could remember to give Shinji something nice as a gift, as a reward, for his recent actions... That and buy a dress or two for Rei as well... Revealing, cut-open dresses, preferably...
Now with a grin from ear to ear, she gave a stronger push with her left foot, spinning with her chair, not stopping with the dizziness...
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NERV's Cells Quarters
Giving a nod to the guard standing outside Shinji's cell, who had a light bruise underneath his left eye; Aoba opened the door, and stepped inside.
The cell was completely dark, the only light coming now from the corridor. Hearing the shuffling of clothes, he looked at the bunk, and saw Shinji come to the light. Smiling, he said
"Shigeru, I need two favours from you. – Aoba agreed with a nod – First, check Rei and tell her guards to take good care of her; second, I want you to gather as much as possible about NERV, all kinds of information you can get. I'm working a plan here..."
Shigeru, half-confused, asked
"What kind of plan?"
Shinji, smirking, replied
"Anything related with taking out NERV and SEELE!"
"SEELE? Who're they?"
"They're the funds behind NERV. I'll explain everything to you as soon as I leave. It won't be easy, and I'm gonna need the help from our 'friends'. Just believe me when I tell you my plan is justifiable."
Shigeru, curious about his reasons, agreed, and left the cell. Giving a nod to the guard outside, he went to Rei's cell.
Reaching it, he addressed the guard, who was someone he had met last night, and told him to treat Rei well.
He then went back to the bridge, already mentally mapping the works of NERV and the best way to get them. He had no idea what was this all about, why Shinji wanted to eliminate an organization who protected mankind, but, conceding doubt to everything, he told himself that, whatever it was, the least he could do was give it a shot and check it out...
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TBC
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1- Yes, I do know they're best friends, but such naughty and back-stabbing things can be expected from any couple. And yes, I speak for self-experience...
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AN: My apologies for being shorter than the previous, but it were necessary, because of the cliff-hanger. So, as you can see, the final showdown between the heroes and villains is coming soon. The Seventh Rule will be the culmination of preparations and schemes, and The Eighth Rule will be the epic battle of Shinji against Gendo. Son vs. Father :) Just don't expect something open, like members of the Fight Club assaulting NERV with tanks, but something very subtle, almost invisible, with only an epic final.