Disclaimer: See disclaimer about my ownerships…you know, I wonder, does it matter if u put up a disclaimer? I don't think the company that made NGE still even making copies of it anymore.
Version 1.4: any pervious version should be deleted
Chapter two: The Otaku and the Albino
The next school day
Kensuke, the boy Otaku who spends his time with only Cameras, guns and computers, is annoyed. Irritated by his latest failure to hack NERV's MAGI system, he decides to arrive early to class and forgo his daily in take of anti-depressants. Just for the hell of it. As he arrives in class, he looks around and saw only Rei, the class Rep, Toji (surprisingly) and the usual 6-7 people that usually arrive early. Like any other day, he wave at his good friend before sitting down. And like any other day, Toji turns around to chat with Kensuke, who opens up his pack and pull out a can of soda one hand, pop it open then start drinking the reddish content inside.
After exchanging the usual false pleasantries that teenage boys give to each other, Toji, thoughtless of other people's feeling always, decide to begin his usual teasing when Shinji (his favorite target) and the devil is not around: "Did you find a girlfriend yet? Or are you still watching those girls on your computer?"
The words register a pang of regret in Kensuke's heart, but he quickly hid it. Being one of the few single boys in the class, the fact he did not have a "girlfriend" is a subject of constant teasing by the male population. Not that he is not interested, but repeat rejections, compounds with late night sessions with his computer had made him a little bit withdrawn sometimes, especially in the morning when he is without his. Toji, literally a stud and a jock, has no problem attracting famine attention, in fact, it was often whispered in the girl's locker room (despite Hikari's attempt to crush them) that more than one change session have turned into a discussion of the boy's manhood.
"No, I do not have an girlfriend. I got better things to do that chasing girls, thank you very much."
"Oh come now," Toji, with his trademark lecherous grin, "Surely you got have someone in mind…or do you plan to make love to your computer at night, or your toy guns…"
THAT DOES IT! Kensuke thought; but his face betray no emotions except for the pressure he puts on the can of soda. Staring into the reflection of the school-issued laptop, he realizes the usual methods of having the class Rep drag Toji away does not work at the moment because she is watering the plants across the room. It is obvious she has the hot for the Jock, and of course, Toji is too stupid to realize it, more than once Hikari had jerked him away when another girl is making an advance, and he surely hated her for it, yet never did anything but wince. Both of them could not understand it, but they already have something together.
With no other allies in sight, Kensuke decide to say something before he lose his grip on his fragile sanity: "Toji, friend, let me explain something to you…girls are evil vampires, and I am not in the mood to be sucked dry."
"So you are gay now?" Toji asks, joking as usual.
"No, no, no," Using a tone that is fit for an Chinese communist Commandant, a British detective or an American teacher that have zero respect for his student, "allow me to explain something to you, friend Toji. In fact, allow me to prove it in scientific terms;
ONE. Girlfriend, not female friend, always want two things, time and money from you, at least, those are the two primary things they want. So a girlfriend is equal to time multiplied by money
TWO. We all knows the old universal term, time is money, so that make the girl in question equal to money times money, or money squared.
THREE. We know that money is the root of all evils, so therefore, money is equal to the square root of evil.
FOUR: So which means, girlfriend is equal to evil squared then square rooted.
FIVE: And what does that equal to class?"
Toji, to say the very least, is speechless. Of course, Toji is always speechless when he got lectured in math, and before anyone can blink, he is transformed from a Jock on top of the world, to a student that stood silently as his teacher berated him for not doing his homework. Kensuke is smiling, just so slightly, knowing his days won't be so bad after all. And Kensuke knows for a fact no one in the class right now would come to the idiot's defense.
But of all things he considered, the Ayanmi factor was not one of those. Especially since the last time he saw her she was several seats back and staring out the window, and now she appears right behind him.
"Mr. Aida, I think you do every girl in this class a disservice by saying all girls are evil. In fact, I think you simply made that up to cover your own inadequacies with the opposite sex."
The effects of her words were dramatic, to say the very least; as an lungful of atomized soda explodes out of Kensuke mouth and cover his deck, laptop and Toji. Grasping for air, he turns around, only to see Rei walking back toward her seat, and if anyone is watching VERY carefully, they would see a ghost of a smile painted on her face as she walk back to her seat.
"Did I just get blindsided by Rei??" isthe only thing Kensuke can think.
Thankfully, the shocking words or a spray of soda did nothing to dispel Kensuke's hold over the Jock, but it did something else; it replace it with the grand shock that everyone else shared in the room, Rei talked-and more than five words too! Even Hikari, normally a bastion of unshakable faith, drop her Water Jar with a bang.
If Rei's words didn't outright KILL Kensuke, the next thing that happens surely did: Shinji, with a glum face that spoke in volumes and in several different ways, just march in with not one, but TWO brides to Satan, each one hugging one of his arms. And to make the matter worse, both of them, as if on cue, escort Shinji to his seat, give him a peak in the cheek (which nearly made him faint) then advance on the two Stooges with knuckle cracking and death glittering in their eyes. Kensuke, shocked as hell, didn't even feel it as the two redheads of doom pull out his camcorder from his bag and slam it on his head.
As the Otaku spiral down into the tunnel of unconsciousness and his soda splashed all over his chest like blood, one thought remains on his mind:
"Yup, today is going to be a bad day."
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20 minutes later…
As the Paramedics finally clear the room of the two unconscious stooges, the sensei walks in with a folder in hand. As usual, he introduces to the class their new student, Tsuka, the sister of the most chased girl in the school. Then begin his droning sermons about the Second Impact; ignoring the fact two Class-one assault-and battery just took place, or the Asuka twins that now flank each side of Shinji. Both of them smiling at him fondly, and a wave dangerously audible gashing of livers can be heard from the rest of the male population. Opening up his laptop, Shinji quickly moved to delete the torrent of message-bombs that is now threatening to overload his laptop. With topic ranging from the expected: "Is she really Asuka's sister? Come on man you don't need two of them! You lucky son of a bitch" to the more odd ball ones like "Is she a NERV experiment?" to the more dangerous ones: "You are dead now, punk."
Shinji however, didn't flinch. Already expecting such problems, for once there is no way he can blame this to be his fault, The two Asukas' plan bound to put his health in jeopardy anyway. He is well aware this is for a show anyway, well…he is half a sure since Tsuka seem to be…rather warm to him …
Then a small beep caught his attention as an IM box popped up.
Red Angel: I must say Shinji, you have to look appreciated! You nearly blew our plan, if those stooges had even a bit of sense, they would gotten away and so would my revenge!
Ikari : (Sigh) you know, you got what you wanted, why don't you just leave me alone.
Red Angel: Hey Shinji, you are getting worshipped by two Langleys, why complain?
Ikari: #1, I am not being worshipped, nor do I wish to be, #2
Ikari: #2 I am in seriously danger now. The whole class, no the whole school thinks I am having the time of my life with you two, and the entire male population is this close from crucifying me alive for it.
Red Angel: Danger, for the invincible third child??
Ikari :…
Red angel: Look, baka, if you are so afraid, just select all the "threat" mails and forward them to sector II agents that is probably now lurking out in the hall. Let them deal with it, I fully wish them to focus all their negative attention on these perverts who cant get a life. And you know those guys in Sec 2 have absolutely zero sense of humor.
Ikari: Asuka!
Red Angel: It is your neck.
Red angel signed off at 9:22 AM
Shinji can only sigh as he turns off his Laptop; this is going to be a long day.
Sitting from Shinji's left is Tsuka, who is now increasingly annoyed at the mass amount of mails from new and loving fans. Not to mention going through the EXACT same Second Impact lesson…again. Her implant is silent, perhaps still busy cracking the MAGI code.
But the bigger question floating in her head is:
I am cheating my Shinji, who could be right now looking for me? By trying to steal a younger version of him? Or worse, am I making my younger self-jealous? I know I had some feeling for him even now, just always too proud to admit it. Oh crap, how can cheat myself? Is stealing your own boyfriend wrong?? ARGH!! Oh my Shinji, where are you now? Are you even still alive?
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Later that evening...
Tokyo-3 City Hospital
It is pitch dark when Kensuke wake up from his slumber. Tired, sick and without taking his "happy pills", the young otaku is on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Looking around his surrounding, he sees no one around and the two other hospital beds lied empty. To his left on a cabinet is a mirror, curious, Kensuke look into it. His right arm is in a cast, a X-bandage cover his right cheek, most of his head wrapped in Gauze, covering one right eye in the process.
"Ouch."
So you really brought it this time, huh Kensuke old boy? He thought.
This time you got no one to blame, not Toji, not the devil. You should know better than to take Asuka's picture and sell them. A dry voice in his head informed him.
It was for revenge.
Ah-huh, those photos you keep under your bed is also as revenge?
You shut up.
When the voice gives no reply, Kensuke sighed.
That is another problem without Prozac… you can't hide from yourself without it.
Kensuke turns around and walk out the door.
It was almost eerie as Kensuke walk down the deserted halls to the front desk. The health system got so much better these days so not too many people goes to the hospital anymore, barring an EVA attack or a "accidental" N2 mine explosion. There is a single nurse stationed there, reading an old manga the Otaku saw a few months ago in school while listening to some crappy late night romance show. The boy didn't care, he walk right past her and it was not until he cleared the lobby did he hear the nurse shout something from behind, muffled by the glass.
He continues to march on for a while, until he reached a train stop roughly ten blocks away from where he started. He swipe his Credit Card through the machine and it spit back a ticket, and he then walk down the stairs to wait for the train. There was no one at the station, except for a certain albino girl with blue hair dressed in a conservative school uniform.
Rei. Like usual, stare across the platform as if the mysteries of life is lying on other side.
Do you think she even thinks? The dry voice in Kensuke's head asks.
I think so, I mean she does well on her tests and she is an EVA pilot right? So they have to be smart, cool under fire… an image of Shinji popped up, and dead of any independent thought. The voice finishes it for him.
A children's crusade.
What? The voice asks in surprise.
People like Rei and Shinji and even Asuka remind me of the Middle Ages stories I used to read; where the pope commanded everyone to go on a crusade to free the holy land. The Children, full of idealism and hope, banded together in the ages of 10-16 and marched down to the holy land when the adults knew it was hopeless, they end up all dead before reaching the holy land, with the lucky ones sold to slavery in the Arab states.
What does that tell you about your desire to pilot an EVA?
"DAMNIT WILL YOU SHUT UP!" Kensuke screams in fury as he realizes the voice just pushed another of his buttons.
"Mr. Aida, I did not realize my voice was so loud."
"Huh?" Turning around, he see Rei staring at him, standing less than three steps away, so close he could smell the mint in her Breath. The last time he saw her she was almost on the other end of the station.
She can move that's for sure.
"Ah Ayanmi, I am sorry, I am so sorry! I was talking to myself out loud." Kensuke franticly tries to cover his fear, as the morning incident pop back into his mind like a fist.
Like usual, Rei did not answer, but instead she choose to continue to stare at him. If her eyes were laser, the poor Otaku would be fried to crisp within microseconds.
"Err…Look Ayanmi, I am sorry about the morning thing, I was trying to get the jock off my back and I didn't realize I hurt your feelings."
Rei continue to stare at Kensuke as if she is trying to stare through him, while Kensuke could barely keep the sweat off his face or the creeping feeling of doom that is threatening to engulf him.
Like a black widow she watches... The dry voice whispers in his mind.
She stares.
Then she stares.
Then she stared some more.
"You are different."
"Huh?"
"You seem to be more observant, and less…active…than before."
"Oh, that is because I didn't have my happy pills" Opps, I didn't mean it that way. Great, she must think I am some crazy pothead now. Quickly, Kensuke fished out the small bottle he had in his pants pocket and show it to Rei as proof it is legal.
Rei ignores the bottle and continue to look into Kensuke's eye then asks: "What is happiness?"
"I really can't explain it. It is like…well, not sad."
"So are those the pills that make you act like who you are normally?"
Great, she now mark me as some introverted-freak"Yea, I guess."
"Then can I try some?"
Ayanmi, happy, well, that certainly is a concept the normal Kensuke would have loved to oblige, but for the safely of the universe, the dry voice in his head vetoed that thought. For once he have to agree…Asuka already do enough damage to this city per Angel attack as it is, and heaven knows what would happen to Toyoko-3 if a giggling, laughing otaku Rei joins in.
"No, I don't recommend it. I use it only because I have a
chemical imbalance. Ask your doctors if you think you need it will ya? Drugs
are never solutions to anything. And a mentally healthy young girl like you
don't need anything cruel like this." Kensuke thought he was going to spit over
the word healthy.
"I don't understand."
As she talk on, a light fill the tunnel as a train roar into the station, out of the corner of his eyes, Kensuke knew it was not for him, in fact, it was an Express Train to the outer district of the city. In an act of bravery, he put his bandage-less arm on Rei's shoulder and said: "Ayanmi, look it is my train, I have to go now, but if you ever come in the class smiling and feel like to talk, I will explain everything to you."
Without another word, Kensuke got on to train. And for the next uncomfortable five seconds, he can feel Rei's eyes boring into his back, and then she looks away and said:
"I will hold you to it."
Kensuke, in his surprise, pause to look back. But the Albino girl is already out of sight and the door hissed and close with the finality of a coffin being slammed shut. It was not until two and a half hour later, when Kensuke got off the train to change to a different one, he realizes his Prozac bottle was missing.
