Neon Genesis Evangelion: Parallel

by JonBob0008

An AU rewrite. Ch. 14 removed. I'm revamping the story due to the fact that my ACC was disliked so much. He was removed, however it may be a while before I update. I apologize for everything...

9. The Three Stooges' Day Out

This is the longest chapter I've written yet. It serves rightfully so, since we're seriously behind schedule. But that's ok, because this is really where the story starts to get good. I can't believe how fast I updated. I hope you enjoy this chapter, because it's my favorite one so far.

Chapter 9 "The Three Stooges' Day Out"

***

Two weeks had passed since the events that occurred in the last angel attack. Shinji was sitting in class working on what looked like back homework assignments. He was just about caught up, and he had a look of great anticipation as the last work sheet was being complete. When he did so, a huge smile and a great sigh of relief came over him. He then opened his laptop and messaged his friends.

*

Shinji: Halleluiah! I thought I'd never finish all this work!

*

Shinji had already made-up with his friends the Monday after the angel attack. He apologized, explained that he was just having a temporary break down, and said that he was here to stay, as long as he was alive. Forgiven, the three of them have continued their friendship as normal. Well, as normal as the three of them could be.

*

Touji: Took you long enough. I'd swear, if you'd hadn't finished, I was gonna burn the rest.

Kensuke: Hmmm….

Touji: What's on your mind?

Kensuke: I just had this thought. Now that you are done, why don't the three of us go out to the arcade, or better yet, play war on the outskirts of the city. I think I can find some uniforms for you guys.

Touji: …….………I motion for the arcade.

Shinji: I don't know. I never was into video games. And I don't have any money.

Touji: How can you not be into video games? That's like not being into women. It's not right.

Kensuke: What I can't understand is if your guardian is so hot, why don't you make a move on her?

Shinji: ………………Fine, I'll go to the arcade with you. And stop talking about Misato like that. It makes me feel weird in my stomach.

Kensuke: Are you sure that it's your stomach that feels weird?

*

The young Ikari turned around and gave a nasty glare at his four-eyed friend, who along with Touji was laughing his head off.

*

Shinji: Keep that up, and I just might never let you see her.

Kensuke: Oh come on, you know I'm kidding.

*

It was then that the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Shinji gathered his things, and headed out the door. His friends accompanied him as he left the school.

Shinji spoke with a sigh of relief as they began to walk towards NERV. "Today is the last day in which I have to go through the major bulk of my training. I have to finalize all aspects of my training. In other words, I have to take a test in order to see if I'm ready. If I pass after that, I no longer have to go in everyday. I'll once again start going in every other day."

Kensuke smiled at the news. "Hey that's great! Does that mean that you'll have tomorrow off?"

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, if I pass."

The dark-haired boy entered the conversation. "So how do you think you'll do?"

The young pilot shrugged. "Who knows? I'm sure I'll do a heck of a lot better than I would have two weeks ago."

"Yeah." Said Suzuhara. "If you pass, then we can really have some fun. We'll make a day out of it."

Shinji nodded. "Sure. I'll call you guys to tell you if I pass or not." It was then that the three of them reached headquarters. Shinji entered, leaving his two friends behind.

**

Shinji was undergoing the final test that he had to pass. All of the previous test, which included memorization of all supply locations, demonstration of all combat maneuvers, harmonics testing and physical conditioning, were completed with a passing margin. This final test was, of course, weapons combat, which included use of the G2-EX with and with out the targeting computer, and several tests that used the Prog. Knife. He currently using the knife, slashing away at simulated dummies, aiming for vital spots, or areas that had a core. None of the dummies moved, but as Shinji already knew, that was still being worked on at the moment. It was then that the simulation changed, replacing the dummies with bulls-eyes. In response, Shinji had to return to his rifle, firing at each of the targets.

Finally, the test was over. Adams, who was once again supervising the test, began to read the results. "Hmmm. Gee, I wonder…"

Shinji blinked, wondering what was on the American's mind. "Wonder what?"

The weapons developer shook his head. "I just don't think you did good enough to pass…"

Shinji's heart jumped into his throat. "What?!!"

Adams then chuckled. "I'm just kidding. You did great!"

The young teenage boy gave a sigh of relief. "That wasn't funny…"

"Yeah it was." Spoke Steven. "I'm sure you're just itching to get that day off tomorrow."

"Well, yeah." Confirmed Shinji. "So how well did I do?"

Steve began to read off the results. "Well, in accuracy with the targeting computer, you scored a 96 percent. With out it, you scored a 54 percent. With the knife test, you scored an overall 83 percent. All scores are within the parameters for you to pass this test. Congratulations! Enjoy your day off!"

Shinji hollered in excitement. "Alright! Finally!"

It wasn't long before he was extracted from the entry plug and sent to the showers. After doing that and changing into his normal clothes, he met up with Misato, who seemed to be equally happy. "Hey there Shinji. I got some great news."

Shinji raised an eyebrow, wondering what the news was. "And what is that? If it's the fact that I passed all my tests, I'm way ahead of you."

Misato shook her head, and handed Shinji a piece of paper. Shinji looked at it, and realized that the piece of paper was a check. A check for 150,000 yen. Shinji's jaw dropped. He'd never seen so much money in his life. "Oh my god! What's this for?"

"It's your paycheck." Answered the guardian. "This is a job you know. You'll be receiving one every month from now on. Although I will have to tell you that half of that will need to be used to pay for bills and buy food, alright?"

Shinji nodded. "Even still, I don't know what I'd spend this money on."

Katsuragi grabbed the boy gently by the shoulder and began to walk out towards the exit. "Let's go cash that check. Then we can go out to any restaurant you would like to go, as long as you pay and the place isn't formal. My best dress is still at the dry cleaners."

Shinji rolled his eyes. "I don't think it would be appropriate for me to take you out to a formal restaurant anyway."

Misato sighed. "Yeah, I suppose so. Still, you should be looking out for good restaurants. You might have to take a special lady friend with you one day."

Shinji shook his head. "I have no intentions of having a girlfriend anytime soon. My Sensei told me that girls would only distract me."

"You're no fun." Said the female captain. "You have your whole life to do boring stuff. Why not have fun now?"

"I think my life is exciting enough." Said Shinji.

**

Later that evening, after Shinji and Misato ate out, Shinji used his cell-phone to call Kensuke, since he was usually easier to get a hold of, and Touji was usually with him anyway. The blond-haired boy picked up his phone. "Hello?"

"Hello Kensuke. I passed all my tests." Said Shinji.

Kensuke smiled. "Awesome! Now we can play at the arcade, and play war on the same day!"

There was a voice in the background that sounded like Touji. "We're not playing war! I'm sick and tired of playing war!"

Kensuke turned to the voice. "But we have Shinji with us now. It'll be more fun."

"And what exactly will he be doing?" Asked the voice sarcastically. "Is he going to play the wounded soldier?"

"Oh come on Touji. Please?!" Pleaded the dorky kid."

"NO!!!" Yelled Touji.

Aida was disappointed. "Fine…"

Shinji revealed that he now had money. "I wanted to tell you guys that I paid today. I have about 60,000 yen for us to spend."

Kensuke's eyed bulged out. "60,000 YEN!!!! Oh hell, with that much money, we should go to the media store and pick up some comics, music and other stuff. How's that sound?"

Both Shinji and Touji agreed. "Sure."

Kensuke then had another idea. "Let's get some miniatures, so that we can also play D&D later tomorrow night."

Touji once again interrupted. "We're not playing Dungeons and Dragons, either. I hate that game more than war."

The four-eyed teen frowned. "But it'll be more fun now that we have Shinji with us. Trust me."

Suzuhara once again disagreed. "NO!!!"

Shinji then had a question. "Hey guys, what arcade are we going to?"

"This place called Shi-to's." Answered Kensuke. "It's pretty awesome."

"I've been there before." Said Shinji. "It's not bad I guess."

"When?" Asked Kensuke. "We've never seen you there."

"I went there a while ago, at around 8:00 or something." Answered the brown-haired boy.

Kensuke seemed confused. "How'd you get in there at that time? They never let minors in there that late?"

"I was with Steve at the time." Spoke the young Ikari. "He bribed the doorman."

"Are you serious?" Asked Aida. "Hey wait a minute. Isn't that the guy with all the weapons?"

"Yes." Answered Shinji.

The nerdish teen suddenly became over-excited. "WE HAVE TO MEET THAT GUY!!!!! I WANT TO SEE AN OICW!!!"

Shinji sweat dropped. "I guess…I'd probably have to talk to him before hand. He doesn't like people knowing about that kind of stuff."

Kensuke pleaded with the brown-haired boy. "Oh please, you gotta let me see his weapons collection. It'll be a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

Shinji gave up. "Alright, Alright! I'll take you to his place tomorrow. Just make sure that you behave, alright?"

"SURE THING!!!!" Screamed Aida in exhilaration.

Just then, Touji grabbed the phone from Kensuke. "Hey, if we're going to see that gun guy, why don't we also meet Misato? God she's gorgeous!"

Shinji rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine! We'll see what happens."

"AWESOME!!" Screamed Suzuhara.

"Ok, so where do I meet you guys tomorrow?" Asked Shinji.

Touji answered the question. "It's at the Downtown Media Shop. It should be able to locate it on that map of yours."

Shinji nodded. "Ok. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"See ya." Answered Touji as he hung up the phone.

Shinji then laid back one his bed and smiled. 'Wow. I'm going out on my first hangout with some friends. I hope this is a lot of fun."

It was then that Shinji closed his eyes and dreamily fell asleep. So far it was the happiest he'd been in a long while.

**

Shinji awoke, feeling well rested. He hurriedly showered and ate his breakfast, and then he went out the door, waving goodbye to his guardian as he went. He pulled out his map and located the mall in which the store he was supposed to meet his friends was at. He quickly spotted it, and he was pleased to find that it was only a fifteen-minute walk. Enjoying the fresh air, he decided to take pleasure in the stroll. It was one of the best days he'd seen in the city, bright, sunny, and mildly warm. It made the day seem only better, especially when he found the store he was looking for. It wasn't particularly large, about the size of any specialty shop. Also, he quickly spotted his two friends, sitting out front, looking somewhat inpatient. Kensuke was currently packing up his camcorder into his pack.

Touji got up and was the first to call out. "What the hell took you so long? Did you have to walk?"

Shinji apologized. "Sorry, I wanted to sleep in. Then I decided to walk so I could enjoy the day. It's pretty nice out."

Touji seemed rather disappointed. "But if Misato drove you, I would have been able to see her."

Shinji face-faulted upon hearing that. Touji then helped him up. "You can make it up to me buy buying me something."

The young Ikari was not amused. "Oh gee. Sorry deprive you of your needs. What exactly do you want me to buy?" Shinji then thought about it. "Why am I buying?"

Kensuke spoke out load from where he was sitting, still trying to pack his camcorder. "We're kinda broke at the moment. We'll pay you back when we can."

Shinji sighed. "Sure, why not? It not like I can think of anything to spend this money on anyway."

"There's this comic book." Said the dark-haired boy. "It's all about these two alien races killing each other. I gotta have it!"

"Sounds complicated." Spoke Shinji sarcastically. He then turns to Kensuke. "You want anything?"

Kensuke seemed equally enthused about want he wanted. "Oh yeah!! I want this new anime DVD. It has these two girls who sing and act like vampires!!"

Shinji sweat dropped. "Vampires?"

Kensuke nodded. "Yeah! They're really awesome!"

Shinji shook his head as he walked into the store. "The things people will buy…."

The three of them entered the store, but they immediately dispersed, each going to a different section. Touji went to comics, Shinji went to music, and Kensuke went to DVDs. Shinji was the first to become disappointed. "Oh man. I can't find any cassettes. This sucks…"

Kensuke found what he was looking for, and hurried up to Shinji to show it off. "Look! Here it is! Aren't they hot?!"

Shinji stared at the case. "They're cartoons…."

"Yeah, so?" Asked Aida. "They're still hot."

'Boy do I know how to pick them.' Thought Shinji.

It was then that Touji showed up with a frown. "It couldn't find it. It was gone…" It was then that he pulled out a white and black striped baseball cap. "I'm getting this instead." He then puts it on sideways. "Does it make me look tough?"

"More like dumb." Responded the teenage pilot. "Well, now that you guys found what you want, can you give me a hand? I can't find any cassettes."

Both Suzuhara and Aida stared blankly at the young Ikari. They then laughed their heads off. Touji was almost crying. "And he says I'm dumb!"

Kensuke tried to stop laughing. "This is the twenty-first century. They don't make tape cassettes anymore."

Shinji blinked in surprise. "Really?"

The other two began to laugh again. This pissed Shinji off slightly. "Cut it out guys. It's not funny."

"Yeah it is." Said Kensuke. "Have you ever heard of the Compact Disk?"

Shinji shook his head, slightly ashamed to answer. His answer was once again met with astounding laughter. The two of them were almost on the ground. After about two minutes, Touji looked upon the naive friend, and spoke. "Dude, you gotta stop. You're gonna kill me."

Shinji gritted his teeth. "Instead of laughing at me, why don't you guys teach me, so I don't look like an idiot anymore."

Kensuke nodded. "Sure thing! I'm sure that once you go with CDs, you'll never go back."

"If you say so." Responded Shinji.

It was then that Kensuke began to bring Shinji into the wonderful world of Compact Disks, and their derivative, the DVD. He introduced him to different CD players, and then also told him how they worked. After all that, Shinji then set about looking for an appropriate player, which he found for a decent price. After that, Shinji went to pick out CDs, to which he picked Mozart, Bach and Beethoven.

Both Touji and Kensuke shook their heads. "You're into classical music?" Asked Touji.

The young Ikari nodded. "Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

"It's so…lame…" Said Suzuhara.

Aida agreed. "We need to broaden your horizons."

Shinji began to walk up to the counter. "Well you can broaden them another day. I need to make sure this money lasts me all month."

Touji and Kensuke sighed. "Fine."

Shinji paid for all of them items, including a pack of gum that Kensuke grabbed. The three of them left, fumbling through all their items. Kensuke put three pieces of gum in his mouth and began to chew vigorously. Touji made sure to thank his new friend. "Hey thanks for paying for these. I'll make it up to you next Monday at school. Now we can head for the arcade!!"

Kensuke interrupted. "No we can't! We're going to that one guys place, aren't we Shinji."

Shinji seemed a little unsure. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling about it. I just don't think he'd let you guys look at his stuff."

Kensuke begged him. "Oh please!!! I have to be able to see those guns. PLEASE!!!"

Shinji rolled his eyes and reluctantly agreed. "Fine, but if I get into trouble, I…I…I don't know."

Kensuke jumped with excitement and began to blow a bubble. The bubble was so big that it burst in his face, covering the glasses. "Ack!! I can't see!"

Both Shinji and Touji began to laugh at their unfortunate friend, who was now in the middle of cleaning his glasses of.

Aida wasn't laughing. "You know how hard it is to clean off gum off your glasses. It takes forever."

"That's why it's so funny." Teased the dark-haired boy.

After Kensuke cleaned off his glasses, the three of them headed off to the industrial district, home of the renowned weapons developer. It took about a half an hour of walking, which seemed like an eternity thanks to Kensuke's constant babbling about all the things he's hoped he'd see when he got there.

When they got there, Shinji saw that the garage door was open. Curious, he slowly walked up towards the large door, but he stopped when he remembered something. He then went and found a nearby stick and waved it in the doorway. Noticing the strange looks that he was getting from his friends, Shinji turned to them to reassure them. "Trust me on this one. There are times where you just don't want to go through any of the doors here."

After being convinced that the security system was not on, all three boys entered the warehouse. Shinji called out to see if the weapons developer was home. "Steve! Steve are you here?!" There was no answer.

Kensuke began to wander around the warehouse, looking at the numerous boxes that hid their contents. He began to imagine what could possibly be contained with each one, hoping that pretty soon he'd know. "Man this is so cool! What do you think are in any of these?"

Shinji answered that question. "Most of them are prototype of failed attempts. Some of the stuff he tried to create either didn't work, or were too impractical to be effective in combat. One item he made was a type of glue dispenser, but it was discovered that removing the massive amounts of glue would cost more than repairing buildings that would take damage from bullets."

Touji seemed confused. "Why would they want to glue up an angel?"

The teenage pilot also had an answer to this question. "At the time, they thought it might be a good idea to be able to capture a live angle, in order to study and learn from it, but after they got a glimpse of what an angel could do, it was concluded that effort would be futile."

Kensuke scratched his head and turned to Shinji. "So where is this weapons collection? It doesn't seem like any of these would be it."

Shinji pointed toward the living quarter upstairs. "It up there, but there's no guarantee that you'll be able to get in there. It's usually locked up."

Kensuke began to run up the stairs. "I don't care. It's worth a look."

Shinji run after him. "Wait! Don't you think it's rude to just barge in? We shouldn't even be in here without Steve's permission!"

Touji rolled his eyes. "God! Can't he just calm down about all that military stuff. It's not that exciting." He then follows the other two.

All three of them enter the living room. Kensuke withdrew his camcorder, readying it for when he saw what he was looking for. "So where's that weapons…." Before he finished what he was about to ask, he noted the soldier uniform hanging in the living room. "Oh my god! This uniform! It's for U.N. Special Forces! You never told me that he was a soldier!"

Shinji scratched the back of his head. "Never really came to mind, but I guess he is."

Aida pointed the camcorder right at the uniform. "This is incredible. It's still in great condition. I wonder if he wore this into combat…Wait! He must have. There's a faint bloodstain on the right leg, and a bullet hole on the left shoulder. WOW!!"

The brown-haired boy leaned towards his larger friend. "So how long have you been friends with him?"

Touji shrugged. "I guess since the beginning of middle school. Don't ask me why. I guess I feel sorry for him."

Kensuke then looked around and saw the photograph above the television. He walked towards it and gazed upon it, studying it. It then appeared as if that he was able to read the writing on it. "Who's the guy in the picture?"

Shinji walked up next to the blond-haired kid. "That was a war buddy of Steve's. According to him, he died in combat."

When hearing this, Kensuke eyes began to well up. He then began to cry. "Oh it's so sad! The military life can be so hard!"

Shinji backed away, revealing yet another sweat drop. Hoping to maybe divert the dorks attention, Shinji looked in the direction of where the weapons store room was. He was pleased to see that it was unlocked. "Kensuke! The room where the guns are kept is open. Wanna see it?"

Immediately, the four-eyed boy stopped crying and put on another look of animation. "REALLY?!!" He then goes darting into the room head first, not missing a beat.

Upon reaching the room, he stood still, and absorbed what was before him. The variety of guns was quite impressive; comparable to anything he'd seen in a museum. The only difference was that these guns were right in arms reach, and were in working condition. As soon as both Shinji and Touji entered a room, Aida asked them a question. "Have I peed my pants, yet?"

Touji responded. "No…"

Kensuke was still in utter awe. "Tell me when I do, ok?"

Both Shinji and Touji face-faulted.

Each of the three of them looked at each individual weapon, determining what each one was. Kensuke turned on his camcorder and took shots of every gun he came across. Eventually, he eyes met with 'Buster', which seemed to be the highlight of the whole showcase. It was within a glass container this time.

"Oh…Oh my god." Barely spoke Kensuke. "It…it's a ….M2 Browning machine gun…THIS THING'S AN ANTIQUE!!!" He began to examine the entire thing. "It looks like it's in perfect working order! I bet you that it could still be used! This is amazing!! I bet he could sell this to a museum for a fortune!"

"It's illegal." Said Shinji. "I believe that if he got caught with it, he'd be fucked."

Kensuke frowned. "I wish I could shoot it…"

Shinji looked around the room. He then spotted the weapons that he remembered as the OICW. He pointed them out to Kensuke. "Hey! Here are the OICWs that I told you about."

Aida turned his head in Shinji's direction, and gazed upon the two guns. He then smiled and quite literally crawled all the way up to them. "These are it, huh?"

Shinji nodded. "We came all the way here to see these. Happy now?"

Kensuke went and picked one up. It was rather heavy, and the boy had some difficultly adjusting it so that it was comfortable. As soon as he did so, he began to aim the gun around the room. "This is awesome!!!"

"Having fun?" Came a voice near the door.

Three of them looked towards the door. Shinji jumped when he realized that it was none other than the weapons developer himself. 'Oh God! I'm dead!'

When Kensuke looked towards Adams, he simultaneously pointed the gun at him as well. Steve put a hand up in fear. "Whoa! Careful there! That thing's loaded!"

The blond-haired boy was shocked. "It is?!"

Adams then walk right up to the boy and grabbed the gun from him. "Of course not. You'd think I'd be that dumb?"

Shinji walked up to him in an apologetic tone. "I'm really sorry about this. He wanted to see you gun collection, and I wasn't able to say no."

The American nodded. "I see. You know that no one else was supposed to know about this. Now, I have no choice."

Shinji blinked. "No choice about what?"

Steven walked up to a box and opened it. He then looks at Touji and Kensuke. "You two! Hold out your hands!"

Both reluctantly complied. Touji seemed a little more nervous than his close friend. "What are you going to do?"

It was then that Adams pulled out two hand grenades and pulled the pins out of them with his thumbs. He then placed each one in the two boys' hands. "Now make sure you don't let go of the release mechanism. If you do, they will explode." He then ran out of the room.

Shinji followed closely behind. "You're not actually going to kill them are you?!"

Touji and Kensuke stood still, watching the grenades carefully. They were shaking in utter fear, and neither one was ready to die.

Kensuke slowly looked up to his friend. "Am I peeing my pants now?"

Touji shook his head. "Not yet…Am I?"

Kensuke slowly shook his head. "No."

"Good…" Spoke the dark-haired teen.

Aida was almost crying. "So do you think that this is the end of us? Cause if it is, it was nice knowing you."

Touji dug deep and had an idea. "We're not dead yet. If we slowly walk outside and throw these, we'll be safe."

Kensuke nodded. "Sounds like a plan." They then very cautiously walked out of the room, heading towards the front door.

Shinji and Steve were watching from the living room. It wasn't long before they saw the other two walking out of the room, their faces completely pale. Shinji screamed in fright. "AHH GET AWAY FROM US!! YOU'LL KILL US ALL!!!"

It was by then that Adams began to laugh his ass off. Trying his best contain himself, he hollered to the boys holding the grenades. "It's ok…they're…just duds…"

Hearing the American, they stared warily at the explosive devices in their hands. They then dropped them and ducked for cover. The weapons developer then walked up and grabbed each grenade. "See? They're fake." He then inspected them a little closer, and took up a look of terror. "OH DEAR GOD THEY'RE REAL!!!" This once again caused everyone one to cower in fear of approaching death. Adams then began to laugh his ass off again. "You guys…Hahahaha…are so gullible…"

Realizing that there was no danger in the situation, the three younger males sighed in relief and became slightly upset. Touji was the first to respond. "That wasn't funny. You scared the hell out of us!"

The American laughed again. "Come on! Did you really think that I'd pull the pin off of a live grenade in my own house? I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid."

Shinji then approached Steven. "Are you mad at me? I should have asked before I just barged in. It was very rude."

Adams shook his head. "Nah, the laugh had more than made up for that. I just need one more thing." He then looked towards Kensuke. "Can I have that camcorder of yours? Just for a sec."

Aida blinked and took out his camcorder. "What for?"

Adams grabbed it and popped out the disk within it. "Sorry, but I can't have any incriminating evidence leaving this household." He then steps on the disk, smashing it.

Kensuke screams when he sees the disk being smashed. "NO!"

Steven collects the pieces and disposes of them. "Sorry. It's really important that no one finds out about this collection of mine. It could cost me my job."

Tears flowed down the four-eyed boy's eyes. "It's all gone…"

Adams then hands the camcorder back to the boy. "Relax. I'll tell you what. I'll make it up to you by giving you a full tour of my collection, ok?"

Kensuke brightened up. "Ok!!"

Shinji rolled his eyes. 'Oh no…not another one…'

Adams them began his own special little tour of all of his weapons. He pointed out each one, described it, and explained with own experiences with some of them. Kensuke's eyes were glued to the American, absorbing every little tidbit that was thrown at him. Touji only showed mild interest, sometimes drifting during the tour. Shinji however, was completely bored out of his mind, considering that this wasn't something that interested him, and he'd already gone through the whole tour before.

Upon completion of the tour, Steve noticed the blond-haired boy's complete focus on him. "You're really into this stuff aren't you?"

Aida nodded. "Yes, yes, yes!!! Anything that has to do with the military is so cool!!" He then grabs the American by his shirt. "Please tell me more!! Tell about your adventures and stuff. You were in the Special Forces, right?! I gotta know!!"

Adams sweat dropped. 'Nut bag…' He then decided to agree. "Alright, but before hand, why don't I give you guys something to drink?"

All three boys agreed, walking into the kitchen with Adams. He grabs sodas for each of them. "You guys wait in the living room, I'll bring out something special."

Following the tactical advisor's request, Shinji, Touji and Kensuke waited in the living room, taking a seat on the couch. Moments later, Steven came back with a display case. Within the display case, there contained a variety of medals. Aida's eyes bulged out when he looked upon all of them medals. "Oh my god! A Distinguished Service Cross, a Citation Star, a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, a Soldier's medal, four Purple Hearts, fourteen Campaign Ribbons, and two Combat Infantry Badges!! That's incredible!!"

Steve smiled. "Yeah, when you're in combat for six years, medals kinda just fall on your lap. If I'd just gotten the Medal of Honor, even Misato would have to salute me no matter what. It really sucks that I never got it." He then began to think back. "Let me tell you how I got most of these medals."

**

Gendo was talking on the telephone at his desk. His sub-commander was close by, trying his best to make out what was being said on the other line. Gendo then hung up, and folded his hand in front of him. "That was the status report on Unit 02. Both it and its pilot are being shipped out today. They will arrive in Hawaii in approximately one week."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "So are we sending Captain Katsuragi out to supervise its transport?"

"We will do so when it reaches Hawaii." Said Gendo. "Need I remind you that it isn't the only thing being transported overseas?"

Kouzou understood. "So I take it that Kaji is on the transport heading towards Tokyo 3."

The older Ikari nodded. "Yes. The next step in the Human Advancement Instrumentality Project is under way."

It was then that Rei Ayanami entered the office. She stood at attention in front of the Commander's desk. "You'd wished to see me?"

Gendo nodded while standing up. "Yes, Rei. Let us go out to lunch."

**

A good hour of time had just past by since Adams had begun to talk about his exploits during his years as a soldier. The overwhelming about of information that went right into Kensuke's brain numbed him. Touji had just kicked back and relaxed as he listened. Shinji, however, was bored almost to sleep. His eyes were getting slowly heavier, and he was struggling to stay alert.

His attention was quickly caught when he noticed a green shape walking across the room. The other three were too occupied to notice its presence. He watched as the iguana slowly began to climb up the side of the couch. When it reached the armrest near Touji, he began to slowly climb up the boy's back. This obviously caught Suzuhara's attention, as he jumped straight up and stood still as he felt the creature continue to climb. "What the hell is on my back?!"

The weapons developer smiled when he saw his friend's antics. "Oh that's just my pet iguana named Felix. He has a habit of climbing on people. He must find our body heat relaxing." The lizard continued to climb until it reached the top of Touji's head, in which he rested his head on top of it. "Aw look at that. He likes you."

Touji couldn't say the same about the lizard. "Nobody's allowed to use my head as a pillow! Take it off!"

Adams went and carefully grabbed the iguana off of the dark-haired kid's head. "Now now. Behave yourself."

Felix lowered his head in disappointment. It then walked away, heading towards its cage.

It was now that Adams felt that he needed to get some things done. "Well you guys, it was really nice getting to know you and all, but I have errands to run. Maybe someday I'll let you guys come back or something."

Kensuke nodded in excitement. "You bet!! You're like my hero!!"

Steve scratched the back of his head. "That's pretty cool I guess."

Kensuke then leaned forward. "Can I have my own OICW, or rocket launcher?"

Everyone else face-faulted, and Adams was quick to respond. "NO!!"

Shortly afterwards, the three boys left, walking across the street in order to be able to go to their next stop. Shinji began to stare at the apartment across the street intently, remembering that Rei lived there.

His actions didn't go unnoticed. "Hey Shinji. Whatcha looking at?" Asked Touji

Shinji shook his head in denial. "Oh…nothing…"

The other two boys stopped, easily realizing the dishonestly in his words. Kensuke then smiled. "Come on! What's with the house that you're staring at?"

Knowing that he was caught, Shinji reluctantly told the truth. "That's Rei Ayanami's house."

His honesty was not rewarded with kindness. Both of the other boys gained evil grins when an idea came to both of them at the same time. Touji went up to the young Ikari and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "Shinji, there comes a time when you must become a man. I think that this time is now."

Kensuke also walked up to the young pilot. "Yeah, I think that your destiny will involve you and that apartment. And I know exactly want you need to do."

Shinji blinked. "I need to do what?"

"You have to sneak into Rei's house and steal something!" Exclaimed Suzuhara.

Shinji's eyes bulged out. "What! Are you serious?!"

Both boys nodded. "If you steal something, I'll add on an extra 500 yen to what I owe you already." Said Touji.

Shinji narrowed his eyes. "I'm not going into her house without her permission, especially to steal something."

His statement was ignored however, and he was being pushed by his friends towards the apartment. "You have no choice." Said Kensuke.

"Yeah!" Said Touji. "Consider this a hazing ritual."

"Another one?" Asked the brown-haired boy.

"Yes!!" Answered both boys.

Shinji eventually reached the bottom of the front steps. He looked back before venturing forward. "What if she's home. I can't steal anything while she's here."

Touji answered him. "I'll tell you what, I'll make the deal sweeter. If you steal a piece of her underwear, we'll give you 1000 yen, and if you get caught, we'll double what we were going to give you. I wouldn't say no to that!!"

The young Ikari still wasn't convinced. "And what if I decide not to do this?"

Kensuke began to walk away. "Come on Touji. It's obvious that he's a coward. He's afraid of a girl and a piece of underwear. How could he ever save humanity?"

Touji also began to walk away. "You're right. I thought he was cool. Guess we were wrong. Good bye Ikari!"

The young pilot was deeply hurt by the remarks. "Hey! You're not actually going to leave me behind are you?"

The other two continued to play along. "Who was that?" Asked Touji.

Kensuke shrugged. "Maybe it was that Shinji kid. You know, the one who was a wuss. He's not cool enough to hang out with us."

Realizing that his friends were actually going to ditch him, Shinji grudgingly agreed. "Ok, fine! I'll do it!"

Suzuhara and Aida immediately turned around and ran towards him. "Way to go!" Yelled Kensuke. "I knew you could do it."

Shinji nervously began to ascend the stairs. Touji gave some words of encouragement. "Hey, don't worry about it. She'll love you forever for it!"

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "She will?"

Touji nodded. "Yeah, girls are into that kind of thing. They think it's manly."

Swallowing hard, Shinji climbed to the top of the steps and push the doorbell. No sound was heard. Taking deep breaths, Shinji grabbed the rusted doorknob, and slowly turned it, thus opening the door. He placed his head inside, and then entered the household.

As soon as he entered, both of the other boys began to laugh their heads off.

"Oh my god! I can't believe he's actually doing this." Revealed the dark-haired boy. "I don't think I could have."

Kensuke raised his head with pride. "Nothing like reverse psychology. He actually thought we were going to ditch him."

Touji snickered. "Yeah, and I think he believed me when I told him that Rei would 'love him forever' for doing this."

The blond-haired boy laughed. "Yeah, I remember when you used to try and trick me by saying that. Good thing I never believed you."

Touji narrowed his eyes. "You lie like a whore! I remember the time I made you go into the girls' locker room with your camcorder. You believed what I said then!"

Kensuke frowned when hearing the memory. "I never even got a chance to see them in their underwear. They ganged up on me and pummeled me into oblivion…"

**

Shinji waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark room before moving. He called out to see if anybody was home. "Hello?! Ayanami!! Are you home!!" When convinced that he was indeed alone within the apartment, he removed his shoes and began to walk deeper with the confines of the girls home. The air was stale, and the walls were unpainted. At first glance, it appeared that the place was abandoned. "Maybe I have the wrong house." But his suspicions were soon averted when gazed upon what appeared to be both her living room and her bedroom. It was obvious that the place was very small, and was only made to accommodate one person.

The room was surprisingly unclean, with blood stained pillows, and bunches of bloody paper towels all over the floor, obviously remnants of when she'd became injured during the original start-up test. "This place looks awful. She'd be as bad as Misato, if only she drank beer and had more stuff. Does she have anything else besides the basic essentials?"

It was then that he'd spotted a pair of glasses on top of a dresser. He walked up to the dresser and picked them up. He noticed that they were bent and broken. "Are these hers? They don't look like they'd fit her." It was then that he saw writing on the side of the glasses. It read G. Ikari. "My father's glasses. Why does she have his glasses?" He then thought about it, guessing that it was probably something of sentimental value, and he decides to put them down. "I don't think I'd want to take these."

He then realized that he was standing right in front of a dresser, and contained within the dresser is underwear. Sweating, he slowly reached down to pull open the top drawer. Just as he grabbed the handle, a thought of guilt fled over him. "Why am I doing this? This isn't right. Since when was it manly to steal someone's underwear, and more so, how would Rei love me for doing this? Those guys out there are probably laughing at me. But then again, another 1000 yen wouldn't hurt. I'm sure Misato would need it for something."

He then slowly opened the drawer, revealing exactly what he was expecting, underwear. Shinji blushed a deep red when he saw the undergarments. "Bras, panties, and socks. Socks!! That's it. I'll just take a pair of socks. That's pretty harmless. Socks count as underwear. I'm sure she'll never notice." He then grabs a pair of socks and begins to head out the door. Not forgetting to put his shoes back on, he then walked out the door with a smile on his face.

An anxious Touji and Kensuke greeted him. "So what did you steal?"

"I stole some underwear. See?" Said Shinji as he held up the pair of socks.

The other two frowned at his friend's cowardice. "Oh come on!" Yelled Suzuhara. "Socks aren't underwear."

"Yeah they are!" Retorted Shinji.

Kensuke shook his head. "Bra or panties are underwear. Socks don't count."

"Yeah." Spoke the dark-haired boy. "And for your trickery, you have to get both a bra and panties in order to get any money at all. Those two, or nothing at all!"

The young Ikari hung his head in frustration. "Oh come on. Do I have to?"

Both boys nodded. "Yes you do."

Shinji rolled his eyes and turned around. "Fine!" He then enters the building once again.

Both of the boys were once again left in anticipation. "So, when he comes back, let's divide up." Suggested Touji. "I'll take the panties, and you'll take the bra. Deal?!"

Kensuke disagreed. "No way! I want the panties! You can have the bra!"

Touji got in his friends face. "What?! What are you, some sort of pervert?"

"I'm a pervert?!! Why you…" Yelled Aida until he spotted someone walking towards them about a block away. Someone with blue hair and was dressed in a school uniform.

Kensuke nearly panicked. "Oh shit! Rei's coming!"

Touji turned his head to see the truth. "Fuck! What do we do?!"

Trying to think fast, Kensuke came up with an idea. "Quick! Just follow my lead!" Kensuke then began to walk up the steps and attempted to ring the doorbell. To no surprise, nothing happened. He then began to act, to which he was failing miserably. "Oh-no. No-one-answered. Oh-my. Isn't-this-the-right-house?" He then looks towards his friend, hoping he could keep up.

Touji did his best, his acting being equally bad. "I-don't-know. I-thought-it-was-the-right-house."

Kensuke continued. "Well-if-this-isn't-the-right-house, whose-house-is-it?"

By now, Rei was now within mere steps form the front steps. Touji pretended to be surprised. "Oh! This-must-be-Rei's-house! We-have-the-wrong-house!"

"Oh-my!" Acted Aida. "Indeed, we-have-the-wrong-house. We-must-leave-now." He then walked down the steps just as Rei began to walk up them.

Touji began to march away with his friend. "Yes, we-must-leave…in-order-to-find-the-right-house." The two of them began to march away, complete with goofy, innocent smiles. Rei only stared briefly at them, puzzled by their unusual behavior. Putting it to the back of her mind, she then entered her home, not realizing that she was not alone.

As soon as she entered the apartment, the other two boys turned around and began to panic. "Oh shit!" Yelled Touji. "Ikari's done for!"

"I'll say!" Agreed the four-eyed boy. "What should we do?!"

Then a voice was heard behind them. "Just what are you guys up to?!"

**

Shinji was now standing once again in front of the dresser, opening the top drawer and replacing the sock he just took. He neglected to take off his shoes this time, hoping to just quickly get in and out so that he could get this ordeal over with. "I can't believe they said that socks don't count as underwear. What were they planning on using the bra and panties for anyway? I think that this is kinda sick, but then again I'm still stupid enough to do it, so I guess I'm no better."

He stared deeply at the unholy undergarments before him. Slowly reaching down with sweaty palms, he goes and grabs each of one type by the tips of his thumbs and fore fingers. He then holds them away from himself, as if he was worried about being tainted by them.

It was then that he heard the front door open. 'Oh fuck! What the hell do I do!!!'

Hastily looking around the apartment, he quickly dashed with the underwear into the only hiding place he could think of in such short notice…the bathroom.

Ayanami soon entered the main room, dropping off her belongings, and taking a quick sit on her bed. She then notices that her dresser drawer was open. Confused as to why it would be open, she got up and closed it, trying to remember if she was the one who left it open.

Shinji's situation looked pretty grim. The only place for him to hide within the bathroom was the shower. He quickly darted in there, pulled the shower curtain, and ducked into a corner while he prayed for salvation. 'Oh dear god! What was I thinking?! Of all places to hide, why the bathroom? She's bound to come in here, and then she'll see me…holding her underwear! If I make it out of this one alive, I'll become a devout…anything!'

A few minutes passed, with no signs of anything to worry about. Shinji looked around to see if there were any windows in the bathroom…there were none. 'Aw shit. Why did I let those guys talk me into this? This is their fault. If they hadn't forced me to do this, I'd make it to see the next sunrise.' He then frowned on his last train of thought. 'Who am I kidding? This is every bit my fault as it is theirs. I had the choice of not doing this, but I became worried that I'd lose my friends. Now, I might as well not have any.'

He then began to try and think of the best-case scenario. 'Maybe she won't kill me. Maybe she'll only beat me up, or maybe she'll never know I'm here. Maybe, she'll take a nap or go out again. How long is it till night time?' He then checks his watch and find out that it was only 2:00 P.M. 'Aw man! I'm a goner…'

Things went from bad to worse when the door suddenly opened. None other than Rei Ayanami had just entered the bathroom. Shinji tensed up for his own awaiting demise. 'Nice knowing you, Shinji.' He noticed, though, that she hadn't seen him yet. 'Maybe she won't notice. Maybe she'll do her business and never know I'm here. I'm invisible. I'm Super Stealth Shinji. Impossible to see with the untrained eye.'

His irrational thought pattern was interrupted when he noticed that she didn't come in to use the toilet. Instead, she began to undress, staring away from the shower. 'NO!!! NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Oh god please tell me she's not getting undressed. My god, she's down to her underwear! I'm dead…this is it. I'm not stealthy. I'm not invisible. I'm just plain dead. Hope she doesn't mangle my corpse too badly. '

He tucked himself tightly into the corner, tensing up for the inevitable. He closed his eyes, hoping, praying that this wasn't real. It wasn't long before the shower curtain slid open, revealing his presence. "Pilot Ikari?"

Shinji slowly opened his eyes and turned them towards the voice. To his astonishment, he was greeted by a full frontal view of his fellow co-pilot, staring down at him. The view of her completely caught the boy of guard, his face turning crimson, and his nose beginning to bleed. He tried his best to force himself to look at her face, and not below her shoulders. "Ak ah uh um oh heh he hi Rei uh um oh uuuuhhhh." He then remembered the underwear he was holding, and he decided to reach out and hand them over. "Ca…care to cover up?"

Surprisingly enough, the blue-haired albino seemed completely unaware of her nudity, as if she was unaware that it was unnatural to let yourself be seen like that. She simply grabbed the undergarments and stepped to the side. "You may leave now."

He was hesitant at first, wondering if this was a trick. Shinji then walked out, hoping that she wouldn't change her mind. Upon leaving the bathroom, he stopped and began to talk out loud so she could hear him. "I'm really sorry! This was sort of a…hazing ritual. I really wasn't going to take your…stuff. It was just a bet. You know, it really…."

His words were interrupted when he heard the sounds of running water. He then gathered that he was being ignored. Not wanting to stay any longer, he quickly headed out the door. "What a strange girl…."

**

Touji, Kensuke, and now Steve were waiting outside of Rei's apartment, trying to figure out what their poor friend's fate had been. Steve had caught notice of their behavior when he went outside to mow the lawn. By now, he already knew what was going on.

"You think he's dead?" Asked Touji. "I haven't heard anything."

"Maybe she's one of those silent, killer, ninja types." Said Aida while trying to do some funky ninja moves. "He probably never saw it coming."

"Judging from my vast array of experience…" Spoke Adams. "They're probably making out."

The other two boys widened their eyes. "Really?!"

The American shook his head. "Nah."

It was then that Shinji exited the building, trying his best to hide the fact that his nerves were shot. He of course failed miserably, considering the fact that his nose was still bleeding. "Uh…Hey guys."

The other three darted up to him. "So what happened?" Asked Touji. "Did you get punched in the face?"

Shinji blinked for a moment, only just realizing the situation with his nose. "Oh, this? Uh…no. No! I was just picking my nose."

Adams saw right through the naive young man. "I know what happened. You saw something, didn't you?"

Shinji shook his head and shrugged. "Nope, didn't see anything. Nothing happened at all."

The other two boys didn't believe him. "Come on! What happened? What did you see? Did you see her in her underwear?"

The young Ikari decided to go with that. "Yep…yep you got me. That's what I saw."

The weapons developer didn't buy it. "You're a terrible liar. Admit it." He then leaned forward with an evil smile. "You saw her naked."

Suzuhara and Aida's jaws dropped to the ground. "NO WAY!! REALLY?!!"

Shinji hung his head and wiped the blood from his nose. "Yes…."

Touji shook his head. "Bullshit! How'd you pull that off?!"

Shinji then went about explaining what exactly happened a few minutes ago. When he'd finished explaining, the other two boys frowned.

"Now I wish I had gone and done it." Said the dark-haired boy. "She maybe weird, but she still doesn't look too bad."

Kensuke was nearly teary eyed. "Someday, I'll get to see a girl naked. Someday!!"

Adams chuckled. "Ah, memories of childhood. Hey, she didn't to do for what you did. Maybe she likes ya!"

Shinji shook his head. "I doubt it. It wasn't like that. It was kinda like she didn't care. It's…weird." Shinji then became somewhat upset. "I went through all that, and I wasn't even able to live up to the bet. Now I get nothing."

The tactical advisor patted the young pilot on the shoulder. "You did steal something. You stole a look at her goods. Hell, I'll treat you for that. Let me take you guys to the arcade. I'll buy the tokens."

Kensuke and Touji jumped up with joy, while Shinji raised an eyebrow. "I thought you had errands."

Adams waved his hand forward. "It's the weekend. I'll do them later. Follow me to my car."

Three boys followed him back to the wear house where the car was parked. Touji seemed the most impressed with it. "Dude! You're car looks awesome!"

"Thanks." Said the American as all four of them piled in. "I built it myself."

"Cool!" Said Touji as the car sped off towards the arcade.

A few minutes later, they entered Shi-to's, each of the four of them grabbing a small handful of tokens from the machine, courtesy of Adams. Shinji was undecided as to what he wanted to play, considering that he still wasn't into video games, but since he was here, he might as well play something. His decision was made for him, though, when everyone gathered around the "Men of War" game, which was the favorite of everyone but Shinji. Shinji knew of the American's skill at this game and decided to warn the others. "If I were you, I wouldn't play Steve at this. He's…pretty good."

Adams tried to be modest. "Eh…I'm alright…"

Touji and Kensuke were not so modest. "You better watch out." Said Touji. "Him and I are ranked 9th and 10th respectively."

The tactical advisor's modesty quickly disappeared when he heard this. "Is that so? Well, I didn't want to be a show off, but now that you laid your cards on the table, so will I. I, too, am on the top 10 list."

Kensuke blinked. "If you're on the top 10 list, then that means that you're higher ranked than we are!"

Adams nodded. "Yep."

The other two looked up at the top 10 list above them, only to see Adams's name, still at the top.

"AAHHH!" Screamed Aida. "That's you?!"

Touji seemed a little less worried. "That's pretty good, but it doesn't mean that you're invincible."

"Try me." Challenged the American.

Touji tuned to Shinji. "Are you helping us out, or not?"

The young pilot shrugged. "I guess, but I don't know how much help I could be."

Kensuke gathered his courage and stood up. "Alright! Three on one! You're going down!"

Adams put on his game face. "Every one gets five lives. You can pick the board. Good luck!

And so the game began, 3 on 1. Kensuke picked a snowy baseboard, which was his favorite. Touji was pretty good at this board, too. Shinji was just going with the flow.

Adams devised his strategy. 'Okay, I'll pick off the strongest one, first, that being Kensuke. Then I'll mow down Touji. Then I'll toy with Shinji. I'd hate to do it, but I can't help it.'

Despite their best effort, neither of the two more experienced boys could keep up with the combat experienced Adams. He when about with his plan, killing each one, life by life, while remaining relatively unharmed. It wasn't long before Suzuhara and Aida were eliminated.

Touji was severely disappointed. "Damn man! I couldn't even touch him. This sucks."

Kensuke was star struck. "Man! If he's this good at this game, imagine what he could do in real life?!"

"I guess Shinji's done for." Said Touji. "We couldn't even take one life from him, and Shinji's just a novice."

"Thanks the bode of confidence…." Said Shinji as he hid in a corner, expecting imminent death. He didn't wait long.

"Come on Shinji!" Yelled the captain. "If you keep getting killed like this in a game, how can we trust you to save the world?"

Shinji gritted his teeth when hearing this. "Fine! If that's how you want to play it."

"That's the stuff." Encouraged Steven as he killed Shinji again. "Never give up! Try again."

With in two minutes, Shinji was down to his last life. Knowing that he didn't have much more to go on, he went and grabbed the nearest weapon, a grenade launcher. He then set about trying to find his target.

The American decided to have some fun. Instead of finishing off his opponent, he decides to toy with him a little longer. Every time Shinji saw him, he got away, causing Shinji to become all the more frustrated. "Damn it! Stay still!"

Adams was having a ball. He knew he had the game in the bag. There was no reason for him to drag it out, other than to improve his oversized ego. He just wanted one more minute of fun.

Shinji was about to give up. He knew he couldn't win. He was out skilled in everyway. It was only a matter of time before he lost. He went into a secluded area, and waited to be finished off. Little did he realize that by doing that, he threw his opponent off.

"Where'd the hell did you go?" Asked a confused Adams. "There's no way I lost track of you."

Shinji then saw on his screen the soldier being controlled by Adams. It moved around the screen aimlessly, looking for him. The young Ikari went wide-eyed. 'I have the advantage! I could attack him from here, and he wouldn't realize it until it was too late!' She then lined up with launcher and shot one grenade. It landed, perfectly, on Adams's soldier's head, blowing it to smithereens.

Everyone, including Shinji, went wide-eyed. Touji looked towards Kensuke. "Did you see that? How did he do that?"

More surprised than any of them was Steve. "Impossible. I can't die! Not to you. No way!" Angered by the boy's luck, Adams quickly finished him off. "That was the luckiest shot I'd ever seen." He then stood up and walked up to Shinji, patting him on the back. "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than it is to be good."

Touji and Kensuke also congratulated Shinji. "Man!" Said Kensuke. "You totally surprised us. Maybe you have some talent."

"If luck is a talent…" Spoke Shinji. "Then I think I have too much. And not always of the good kind, either."

Adams got ready to leave. "Well guys, hate to tell you this, but it's time to go. Want me to drop you off at your houses?"

The three boys looked at their watches and noted that it was 4:00 P.M. Touji gasped. "We can't go home! We still need to see Misato!"

Steven raised an eyebrow. "Misato? Why?"

Kensuke answered that one. "I need to find out how attractive she is. According to Touji, she's a babe!"

Shinji hung his head. "You guys have no idea what she can be like."

Adams seconded the notion. "I'll say. Slob city, here we come. So I'm dropping all three of you at her place, huh? Great…"

It was shortly after that when they left and headed towards the Katsuragi residence. Along the way, Touji looked to the American with a question. "Do you dislike Misato?"

Adams nodded. "We're not the best of buddies. It's goes back to two years ago. Let me tell you what happened."

Shinji interrupted. "I don't think that's necessary. I'll tell him."

Adams raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference? I know exactly what happened. I remember it like it was yesterday."

Shinji interrupted again. "Misato's version was different."

The Captain narrowed his eyes. "Oh really! As much as she drank, I'm surprised that she had a version. I bet you that she told you that she cooked up some gourmet meal."

Shinji evaded the question. "Ritsuko was there too, wasn't she?"

Adams nodded. "Yeah! Ask her, you'll see. My version is the correct one. She'll vouch for me."

It was then that they finally pulled into the parking lot of Shinji's home. As the three boys exited the car, Steve had one word of advise. "Whatever you guys do, don't eat her cooking!" With that, he sped off, heading off god know where.

Touji and Kensuke began to talk about the American as the three of them went up the elevator.

"I guess he's cool." Said Suzuhara. "I personally thought he talked too much about himself at times, though."

Kensuke shook his head. "No way! He's awesome! I wish I could be like him!"

Shinji rolled his eyes. "You think too highly of him. He can be weird at times, even weirder when he's around Misato."

"I don't care." Spoke Aida. "I still think he's my new hero."

Touji smirked. "Wait till you meet Misato. One look at her, and you'll forget all about heroes, cause you'll wish you could be hers."

The blond-haired boy shrugged. "If you say so."

The elevator doors opened. 'I just hope that she's properly attired.' Thought Shinji.

Shortly after that, they reached the front door of Shinji's apartment. Pushing the open button, Shinji opened the door, revealing the inside of his home. The three of them walked in and adjusted to the surroundings. Shinji made his presence known. "I'm home!"

"Oh! Shinji's home." Called out a voice from the living room, easily identified as Shinji's guardian. She poked her head into the kitchen doorway and waved. "Hi Shinji! Welcome ho…I see you brought some company." She then walked into the kitchen to greet the visitors. She was indeed properly enough attired, wearing a Tang-top and jeans. "Hello! As you may have guess, I'm Shinji's guardian, Misato Katsuragi." She then looks at the dark-haired boy, easily remembering his face. "I recognize you. You behaving yourself?"

Touji bowed while blushing heavily. "Yes Misato! And while I'm here, you can expect nothing but complete politeness."

"That's good to know. I'm glad you two settled your differences and are friends." Said the captain as she then turned to the four-eyed kid. "And you are?"

Kensuke stood at attention and saluted her. "Ma'am! I am Kensuke Aida, ma'am!"

Misato sweat dropped. "Nice to meet you, too. I just want the both of you to make yourself at home."

Both boys nodded excitedly. "YES MA'AM!!!"

"Thank you!" Said Misato as she grabbed a beer and walked back into the living room.

Kensuke turned to his long-time friend. "You are so right! She is gorgeous!"

Touji smirked. "How could you doubt me? I know da babes, man! What I can't understand is why Ikari here doesn't feel the same way."

Shinji shook his head. "She's just not the kind of woman I'm interested in, if I were even interested in woman in the first place."

Touji and Kensuke stared at their friend blankly. "Are you saying that you're gay?"

Shinji face-faulted. "NO!!" He then picked himself up. "I'm just saying that I'm not really ready for dating and all the like. I already told you that I'm trying not to be distracted by girls. My Sensei told me it was a bad idea."

Touji waved his index finger. "He said girls. He didn't say anything about women."

Kensuke nodded. "Yeah! You have to know the difference."

Shinji groaned. "Why did I let you two in here?"

They walked into the living room and were soon greeted by Ritsuko, who was also apparently visiting and was casually dressed. The guest table was out, and her and Misato were enjoying drinks. "Hello Shinji. Are you having a good day? You're not the only one who got the day off."

Shinji nodded. "My day has been pretty good. How are you?"

Ritsuko yawn as she took a sip of her sake. "I've been waiting for a day off for what feels like years. You think you have it rough."

Touji whispered in the young Ikari's ear. "Why didn't you tell us that you had another babe living in your home?"

Shinji turned to his friend and shook his head. "She doesn't live with us. She's a friend of Misato's, and she's the head supervisor of NERV." He then decided to make introductions. "Guys, this is Ritsuko Akagi. Ritsuko, this is Kensuke Aida and Touji Suzuhara."

Ritsuko nodded and smiled. "Charmed."

Misato began to look through her purse. "Hmm. I was about to cook dinner, but I wasn't expecting more company."

Touji tried to be a gentleman. "Oh Misato! You needn't worry about us. We're not hungry."

Just then, Shinji's, Touji's and Kensuke's stomachs began to growl. Misato frowned upon hearing them. She got up to get her jacket. "Nonsense! You guys must be starving. Unfortunately, I need to go out to get more food."

Shinji attempted to talk her out of it. "Don't worry about cooking. Why not just order take-out?"

Misato smiled and patted the boy on the back. "I thank you for thinking about me, but I'm kinda sick of take-out."

'I was mostly thinking about me…' Thought Shinji.

Misato grabbed her purse and began to head out the door. "Besides, I saw this recipe on TV, and I want to try it out! Ritsuko, would you mind watching them, I won't be long." She then walked out the door before her friend could answer.

Ritsuko sighed. "As if I hate doing nothing…."

Kensuke went teary eyed. "I can't believe it! Misato is going to cook for us!"

Touji was equally excited. "She must think I'm studly or something. Yeah, that's it!"

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Didn't you listen to what Steve said?"

Neither boy listened to Shinji. They began to mumble to themselves about what the Director of Operations could have possibly wanted to cook.

Ritsuko chuckled. "I don't think she'll ever learn to cook. I still have some bad memories from back in college went she tried to cook. Almost burnt down my dorm several times."

It was then that Shinji had an idea. Being that she was here, Shinji decided to ask Ritsuko about the day Adams and Misato first met, just out of curiosity. "Ritsuko?! I was wondering. Since I've been here, I've heard two versions of the story when…"

Before Shinji could finish his sentence, the blond-haired scientist already beat him to the punch. "Let me guess, the day that Adams and Misato first met two years ago. Oh dear god, what did they tell you? Did Misato say something about being able to cook? Did Adams say he was an actual gentleman?"

Shinji nodded. "Pretty much…"

Ritsuko laughed. "Take a seat you three. As the only sober person there that night, I will tell you what actually happened that night. Let me tell you that if I had the opportunity, I would have shot both of them that night."

After Shinji, Touji and Kensuke sat down, she began to tell the story. "Like I said, it happened about two years ago….

**

The scene flashes back to Misato's house. Misato was quickly trying to prepare dinner, obviously expecting company.

**

"Misato had just been hired as NERV's new Director of Operations. She was pretty much alone, I being the only person she really knew. I figured it might be a good idea to introduce Adams, so I suggested a dinner at her place. To be truthful, I was thinking about setting those two up. What I was thinking, I'll never know…"

**

The doorbell rings, leaving Misato in a slight panic. She rushes to the door and opens it, greeting her old college friend, and a then shaven Steven Adams.

"Good evening!" Said Misato. "Welcome to my home. Sorry if it's a little messy, I just moved in."

**

"Believe it or not, it didn't start off all that bad between them. They were both polite and sincere. Things didn't get out of hand until later."

**

Steven held out his hand. "I'm Lieutenant Steven Adams, Head Weapons Developer of NERV. And you are?"

Misato shook his hand back. "I'm Captain Misato Katsuragi, Director of Operations at NERV."

Adams seemed surprised. "Wow! So you're my new boss? I better behave myself then."

Misato smirked. "As long as you know your place." She then turn around and headed to the kitchen. "Make yourselves at home!"

**

"It seemed so nice that they seemed to be getting along. I was almost sure that those two would be fine, but things slowly began to fall apart once we entered the house."

Shinji interrupted. "This certainly seems different so far. Their introductions in their versions were less pleasant."

Doctor Akagi rolled her eyes. "As plastered as they both got, it not surprising that they're versions were way off."

**

Both Ritsuko and Steven stood in the living room looking around the apartment, trying to find a place to sit. Misato appeared out of the kitchen. "I'm really sorry to ask you this, but could you two help pick up the place while I cook. Like I said, I didn't have time to clean it sooner." She then went back into the kitchen.

Adams stared at the garbage and shook his head. "Nonono! I can't touch garbage. Not in these clothes. I just bought these, and they cost me a mint."

Ritsuko narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to help?"

"If I stain these clothes." Said the American. "I'll kill myself. I'll tell you what, I'll help you by getting a garbage bag."

**

"And that's about all he did to help me. I ended up cleaning the whole house, while he sat on his ass and started drinking that nasty whiskey he likes so much. Almost as bad as him was Misato, who was chugging a beer while the food she was cooking was boiling over…"

**

Ritsuko looked into the kitchen and gasped as a pot of instant noodles boiled over. "Misato! The food!"

The young female captain looked over to the food and spit out her beer. "Oh shit!!!" She went over to turn down the stove, but it was too late. The package was ruined. "Eh…I guess I'll try again."

Akagi slapped her forehead. "Are you telling me that you still can't cook? How long has it been?"

Misato narrowed her eyes. "Relax, I'll get it right next time."

Ritsuko groaned. "Lousy hosts."

She then hears Steve gasping as he took another shot of whiskey from a liter bottle. "Ahhh! Now that's the stuff! Wants some Ritsuko?"

"Lousy house guests as well…." Spoke Ritsuko under her breath. She then turns to the weapons developer. "You know I can't drink tonight, I'm the designated driver."

"More for me…" Said Adams as he took another shot. "For this wait, I hope it's good!"

Ritsuko leaned over to the American. "I hope so, too. Back in college, I heard she could burn water."

Adams blinked and then poured another shot. "Better be prepared."

**

Finally, after two hours, Misato finished cooking. I was already beginning to think that the evening was ruined, but little did I know that it was about to get worse. By the time dinner was done, both of them were trashed."

**

Misato started to slowly stumble into the living room, carrying all the food. Before reaching the table, she tripped, almost falling over. She managed to catch herself, but a bowl of instant curry fell off the serving plate and onto Ritsuko. "AAHHH!!"

Misato put a hand to her face in embarrassment. "Oops! Sorry!!"

Adams began to laugh. "HA HA!! Better you than me!"

Akagi gritted her teeth and stood up to head to the bathroom. On her way, she mumbled something about drunken clumsy oafs who need to be shot.

While she washed up, Steven quickly grabbed a bowl of instant noodles and began to chow down. His blood alcohol content slowed his nervous system, so it took a second before he felt the horrendous taste reach his brain. He stopped suddenly, while his eye began to twitch. He then spat out what was in his mouth and screamed. "OH DEAR GOD!! I'VE HAD C-RATIONS THAT TASTED BETTER THAN THIS!!!" He then jumped up and quickly run into the bathroom. He barrels through Ritsuko to reach the toilet in order to puke his guts out."

**

I figured that he was going to puke eventually from all that booze. I guess it was good that he got it over with. The only problem was that now that he had an empty stomach, it encouraged him to drink more…"

**

Ritsuko got herself up and began to walk into the living room, rubbing her head. Misato was obviously upset to hear that her cooking wasn't a success. "Did you hear him?! He insulted my cooking!!" She then picks up a bowl of instant noodles and hands them to Ritsuko. "Tell me! It's not bad, right?"

Ritsuko picked up the bowl and stared ominously at it. She then pick up her chopsticks and took a bite. No sooner that she did that she also stood up and ran towards the bathroom, plowing through the weapons developer as she did.

Adams lied still on the floor, dazed by the unexpected charge. "Did someone get the license plate of that truck?"

Misato had a vein pop out of her head. "You two are the most ungrateful guest I've ever had!!"

Upon emptying the content of her stomach, Akagi slowly walked back into the living room with an idea. "Why don't we just order delivery? Who's going to pay?"

Misato shrugged meekly, still upset that both of her guests disliked her cooking. "I don't know. I don't have any money."

Adams scratched the back of his head. "I think I left my money at home, so it can't be me."

The blond-haired scientist slapped her forehead. "Fine! I'll buy!"

Adams gave a sympathetic smile. "Sorry! I'll pay you back went you can."

**

"He never did pay me back. I was starting to think that maybe I should just go home and ditch those two so that I wouldn't have to be bothered, but when I saw them starting to drink more, I realized that I'd probably have to stay behind, just in case something were to happen, like them killing themselves or each other."

**

All the food had finally been delivered. Everybody was starting to eat and things were starting to settle down. Adams had drunk more than half of his liter of whiskey, and Misato had over seven beers cans on the table. The air was still a little tense though, so Ritsuko decided to try and lighten the mood by having Misato and Steve get to know each other. "So why don't you guys tell us something about yourselves?"

Adams immediately took this opportunity and ran with it. "Oh me? Where should I start?"

**

"Oh man, I had never anyone talk about themselves like he did that night. Boy did he brag…"

**

"I was a high school all-star in my football team. I got more yards than anyone."

**

"And brag…"

**

"I was chosen as a special ops soldier, having missions from all over the world."

**

"And brag…"

**

"In the academy, I came up with this theory on progressive technology. I'm trying to create a weapon with it that'll be awesome!"

**

"And brag…"

**

"I recently got promoted to head weapons developers. The guy before me was a total dumbass that got nothing done."

By now, both Ritsuko and Misato were bored out of their minds. Misato had nearly passed out, and Ritsuko was thinking about shooting the arrogant American.

Finally, Adams mentioned a topic that peaked Misato's interest. "I just built this new car. It's great!"

Misato picked her head up when she heard this. "You built a car, huh? I have a pretty nice car, too."

**

"Finally, they had something they could relate to. I figured that maybe the night wouldn't be a total disaster, but once again, I was wrong."

**

Adams gave an arrogant laugh. "So tell me about this car of yours."

Misato gave a confident smile. "I just recently got it. It's a sports car from the foremost builders of car in the whole nation of Japan."

"Puhh." Said the weapons developer. "I bet it wouldn't hold a candle to my car. I have some great high performance parts in it."

Misato narrowed her eyes. "Well my car can produce up to 426 horsepower."

"Mine can produce 435!" Retorted Adams.

Misato fired back, slowly rising from her seat. "Well, it hardly matters since I would easily out drive you!"

The American also rose. "A woman out driving me? HA!"

Misato was standing by now. "What do mean by that?!!"

Adams was also standing. "I'm saying woman can't drive!"

"Bullshit!!" Said Katsuragi. "Let's go right now! I'm going to go kick your ass right now!!"

"You're on!!" Said Steve as he went for the door.

Ritsuko stopped in. "Stop it you two! You're too drunk to go out driving, especially to race. Besides, Adams's car isn't even here!"

The lieutenant frowned. "Aw man! I forgot…" He then holds out his hand towards Akagi, as if he wanted her car keys. "Can I use your car? I could probably beat her even with your car."

"NO!!!" Replied the blond scientist bluntly. "Now sit down!!"

Both drunks were upset by her response, and each begrudgingly sat back down. Misato began to mumble, saying how the male was probably lying about his car.

Steven overheard her. "What makes you think I'm lying?"

"If you built a car like you said you did, it would probably bankrupt you!" Responded the Director of Operations.

"Hardly." Said Adams. "My paycheck covers it easily."

Misato raised an eyebrow. "How much do you gat paid?"

**

"That is where it all began. The jealously over salaries. Even those I get paid more than either one of them, being that I was sober, I knew better than to jump into this one. It did make things worse, sadly. It was their first full-fledged argument. The first of many…"

**

As soon as Misato heard the figures that the American was paid, she was overwhelmed with jealousy. "What the fuck?! Why is it that you're getting paid more than me?!"

Steve drank another shot of whiskey. "It helps to be educated…"

Misato slammed her fist on the table. "I am educated!! I'm also your boss!! There is no way that you should get more money than me!!"

Adams pulled his lower eyelid down with his middle finger and stuck his tongue. "Sucks to be you…"

Misato gritted her teeth. "You fucking asshole!! You think you're better than me?!! You don't know anything about me, or what I've done or been through!!"

"I didn't say anything to that effect." Said Adams. "But if you think you've seen shit, let me just tell you that I've been in the military seen you were middle school. I have seen some shit. The kind of shit that would make you wet your pants!"

"You think you're so hot just because you seen a few fire fights, but you've never seen what I saw the day second impact happened." Yelled Misato.

"Oh what? Did you lose your little puppy? I'm so sorry." Responded Adams

Misato clenched her fist. "I'll forgive you for your ignorance. But the things I have seen are things that no one has ever saw. And even to this day, I will never forget them."

"Whatever…" Said Adams.

By now, Ritsuko was nearly banging her head against the table. 'This is getting out of hand.'

**

"It was then that they began to insult each other's sex life…"

**

Misato decided to go on the offensive. "I bet you Americans are all talk and no action. In fact, I bet that's your philosophy in everything, including sex!"

Adams laughed. "Go ahead and think whatever you want! No decent American would ever touch you!"

"Well I don't see any decent Americans around here!" Retorted the Captain. "I'd bet you'd be desperate enough to try and pull something on me!"

The lieutenant pointed at Misato's chest. "With jugs as fake as those? Hardly!"

A vein popped out of Misato's head. "Moron!! These are real!! If anything needs an enlargement, it's probably your dick!!" She then takes her purse and pulls out some lipstick. "I bet that it is this small…no." She then pulls off the cap and screws the bottom to shorten its length. "This is probably more accurate!!"

"As loose as you are, it might as well be!!!" Screamed Steve.

Misato stood up and clenched her fists. "OH YEAH!!"

Adams Also stood up. "YEAH!!"

Ritsuko was now pissed. She decided to put an end to their childish arguing. "WILL YOU BOTH FUCKING SHUT UP? GOD, YOU BOTH ARE ACTING LIKE CHILDREN. IF I'D KNOWN THAT THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED, I WOULDN'T HAVE SET THIS NIGHT UP."

Both of them stared at Ritsuko, then at each other, and sneered. Adams then gathered his things and began to stumble for the door. "What a shitty night. I hope to god that I never run into her at work."

"You're lucky I don't fire you ass!!" Yelled the purple-haired woman.

Ritsuko stood up and began to head out. "We're leaving. Sorry things didn't work out."

Misato walked to her room. "Whatever…"

**

"It was then that I sent Adams home, and I'm sorry that I ever set the night up. If it weren't for that, things might have been different now. But oh well…"

Shinji thought about the whole story. "Well, that certainly sounds a little more accurate than the other two stories. I never realized that you suffered so much that night. Heck, they said that the other hit on them."

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. "If either one hand, I'd be in jail for murder right now."

Shinji nodded. "It's too bad for you. You had to see it all."

Ritsuko yawn as she began to get drowsy. "Yeah, a lot of people don't realize that my life's pretty hard. I put in terrible hours, hardly get any sleep, and almost never get to have fun. My life is a wreck."

Kensuke began to cry. "I feel so sorry for you, Ritsuko. You can bet that you have sympathy from me!"

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. "Uh…thanks…"

It was then that the front door opened, revealing Misato with her arms full of groceries and beer. "I'm home! I'll start dinner immediately!"

The blond scientist took this as her cue to leave. "Oh dear, looks like I have to go. See ya later everyone!"

Misato saddened. "You're not staying for dinner, but I got enough for everyone."

Ritsuko hurried out the door. "Sorrygottowork!!" She then left the building, screeching the tires as she left.

Misato shrugged. "Oh well, it's not like I paid for it anyway."

The young Ikari overheard his guardian. "What do you mean that you didn't pay for it?"

Katsuragi began to chuckle. "I'll tell how it happened. I was on my way to the grocery store when I had to stop at a red light. To my luck, to my right was none other than that ass Adams…"

**

[Flashback]

Misato rolled down her window to call out the American who was still in his car… "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Adams rolled down his window as well. "Grocery shopping, like that's any of your business."

Misato had an idea. "First one there has to pay for the other's groceries. Deal?"

The weapons developer smiled at the challenge. "You sure that you can afford to pay for my groceries?"

Misato gave a confident grin. "I'm not going to lose, so I'm not worried."

"That's too bad. I just filled my car with fluids." Said Steve. "You don't a chance!"

The Director of Operations gave him the thumbs down. "You can't cheat with that stupid bike of yours, so I think you're done for!"

Adams began to roll up his window just before the light turn green. "I won't need to take short cuts to beat you. My cars got more beef anyway!"

It was then that the light turned green and both cars sped away, squealing the tires.

**

"I had him from the start!" Said Misato. "His gears were set up for greater top end and lower acceleration, so I got the better start. We didn't have to make any turns along the way either, but I knew something that he didn't. As Director of Operations, I get a report on damage to the city every time we have something happen, so I already knew that there was road construction on the road we were on. The construction was on his side of the road, and he wasn't able to pass me fast enough to get by. He had to back off and essentially lose the race. It went just as I planned."

Both Kensuke and Touji applauded her.

"Way to go Misato!" Cheered Touji. "I'm certainly not surprised!"

Kensuke was quite impressed. "I bet he was quite upset. He had a decent car."

Misato laughed as she gabbed a beer. "He thinks that I'm a retard. I'll tell you that you don't get my position in NERV for being stupid. I made sure I got him for as much as I could."

**

[Flashback]

Misato had taken her shopping cart and filled it with all sorts of unnecessary items ranging from beer, snacks, candy, tons of paper towels and toilet paper, among other items. Adams inspected the contents of the cart. "Three cases of beer, five bags of chips, chocolate syrup and ice cream…you were not going to buy all this when you left for the store!!"

Misato shrugged. "I'm telling you, these are things I need."

A vein popped out of the Americans forehead. "You're full of shit!!"

The purple-haired woman pushed the car to the line. "Too bad. You had to agree. It's your fault."

Adam began to mumble as he pulled out his wallet. "Damn angels. They still fuck me over even after death…"

**

"And here I am, with 10,000 yen of free groceries." Declared Misato. "Now I'll start cooking. I saw this recipe for Lo Mein, and then I'm going to experiment with fried ice cream. I figured I should try and venture away form instant foods."

Shinji sweat dropped. "I don't think I like the word 'experiment' when it come to you and cooking…"

Touji tried to kiss up the older female. "I can't wait to try your cooking, Misato!"

Kensuke joined in, giving her a puppy look. "Me too!!"

Shinji began to walk away. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

**

Shinji, Touji, and Kensuke were heading towards Kensuke's house. Both Suzuhara and Aida were nearly doubled over in stomach pain.

Touji swallowed hard to ignore the pain. "Oh man…don't tell her this, but that was the worst Lo Mein I've ever had…"

"And the fried ice cream was melted." Said Kensuke. "She literally scooped ice cream into a fryer and served it to us."

Shinji hung his head. "You think you have it bad, you don't have to clean up the kitchen when you get back."

Touji smiled at his new friend. "All in all though, I still think she's awesome. The cooking part can be fixed. I could teach her."

Kensuke nodded in agreement. "I guess if I had to pick between Steve and Misato, I'd have to go with my hormones and pick Misato."

"That's my man." Said Suzuhara as he patted his four-eyed friend on the back.

Kensuke began to get dreamy-eyed. "Your job is awesome, Shinji! Not only do you get to meet some great people and live with a babe, but you also get to pilot that awesome robot! I envy you."

Shinji smiled. "I guess so."

It was then that Shinji's cell phone went off. He picked it up to be answered by Misato.

"Shinji!" Said Misato excitedly. "I have some great news! I was recently called to go to Hawaii in order to supervise the transport of Unit 02! Well, since I was afraid of leaving you alone, I asked if it would be all right if you went with me. Although I knew it was a security risk having you leave Tokyo 3, I figured that Rei might be able to hold the fort in Unit 01 for a week. I figured that you deserved it anyway. Strangely enough, I got approval by the Commander himself."

Shinji was shocked. "My father approved that?"

"Yeah." Continued Misato. "Heck, if it's okay with their parents, you could bring your friends along, too."

"Um…ok..." Said Shinji as he turned to his friends. "Misato just got us a trip to Hawaii. If you guys wanna come and if it's okay with your parents, you guys can come, too."

Touji and Kensuke nearly fell over in excitement. "HAWAII!!! NO WAY!!!"

Misato decided to go. "I'll tell you more when you come home. Talk to you then. Bye!"

Shinji put away his cell-phone, confused about his father allowing him to leave Tokyo 3. "I don't get it. Why would my father let me leave to Hawaii? It just doesn't sound like him to do something like this…"

"Who cares?!" Yelled Touji. "We're going to Hawaii!"

Kensuke jumped with joy. "Another perk with being the friend of an Eva pilot. We get a vacation at one of the best vacation spots in the world!"

Shinji scratched his head. "You guys sure are excited. You still don't have permission, yet."

"Quick!" Yelled Touji as he began to run. "The sooner we get home, the sooner we can get permission!"

"I agree!" Yelled Kensuke as he began to run as well.

Shinji was left behind. He quickly tried to catch up. "Hey! Wait for me!!"

**

Gendo was just about to leave his office with Fuyutsuki. He was gathering his jacket before he headed out. "Miss Katsuragi has agreed to supervise the transport of Unit 02. I've also allowed the Third Child to join her. They will be sent to Hawaii in one week."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "I suppose you allowed Ikari to go in order to assist the transport of the 'package.' Do you think that will be a good idea?"

"The Instrumentality Project takes priority over the defense of NERV. Sending a more experienced pilot to assist the Second Child would help insure that the 'package' is protected. After all, that 'package' is the angels' real target anyway. Besides, Rei can use Unit 01 in the meantime while the Third Child is out."

"I just hope that this isn't a mistake." Said Kouzou as the two of them walked out the door."

***End Ch. 9***

I have some bad news. I'm about to start college for that first time tomorrow, which means that my time to write this will be very limited. I will do my very best to keep up, but updates may be slow until summer time, so bear with me.

BTW, as a courtesy to all my readers, here's the real recipe for Fried Ice Cream:

Fried Ice Cream

1 cup finely crushed corn flakes

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1-quart vanilla ice cream

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons milk

Vegetable oil for frying

Chocolate sauce for accompaniment

Strawberry sauce for accompaniment

Sweetened whipped cream for accompaniment

Chocolate shavings for garnish

Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C).

For topping, combine corn flakes, coconut and brown sugar on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time, or until lightly browned. (Watch closely to prevent burning.) Set aside to cool.

Scoop vanilla ice cream into 4 large balls, or cut into 4 squares (size depends on your preference). Freeze the ice cream balls or squares until firm.

Whisk egg and milk together. Dip ice cream in egg wash and roll in topping to coat well. Freeze again until firm.

When ready to serve, heat oil to 360*F (180*C) in deep fryer. Take 1 ice cream ball/square out of freezer at a time. Fry for just a few seconds. Remove immediately and drain on paper towels.

To serve, drizzle fried ice cream with chocolate or strawberry sauce, place a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on top and garnish with chocolate shavings.

Makes 4 servings.

Obviously, Misato made it wrong.

We have a great chapter coming up next. The three Stooges, Misato, and Adams will go to Hawaii. We will also introduce Asuka, Kaji, and Unit 02. The next angel battle is also coming up, so keep reading. Thank you!!