Fan fiction Title: Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Revision 1.6
15 January 2005
A Ranma½ – Neon Genesis Evangelion cross-over.
by juandelacruz
Disclaimer:
Ranma½ and Neon Genesis Evangelion are owned by their respective copyright owners. No profit is being made from this work of fan fiction.
This is post manga and anime for Ranma.
Chapter One: Ranma Saotome, pleased ta meet ya!
The boy, who looked to be around fourteen years old, trudged wearily behind his four companions, all girls who appeared to be the same age, as they headed into the city, casually shouldering their packs which seemed too large and heavy for the youths carrying them.
"Look, I already said I'm sorry for the gazillionth time." He let his pig-tail sway gently in the breeze.
Silence greeted his plea.
"Com'on, girls. How long are you all gonna ignore me?" He pleaded again to his long time companions of more than fifteen years. "It's been over three weeks already. How was I to know those were aging mushrooms I cooked for dinner?" He stopped short as the girls turned around and faced him. He put on his best smile and twiddled his thumbs in front of his chest. "Umm, hehe. Forgive me? Please?"
One by one Akane, Kodachi, Shampoo and Ukyou sighed. They couldn't maintain their annoyance at their male companion anymore. He did look cute as a fourteen year old.
"Ranchan, we already forgave you, okay? We just don't feel like talking to you right now."
"What kinda forgiveness is that?" He hated it when they ignored him. He would rather have them try to pound him. At least then he could try to avoid their hits. Or run away. But this, the silent treatment, it really got on his nerves. There was no way he could defend himself against it.
"Ranma, just shut up. You're making it worse by bugging us."
"Hey, you try being ignored for almost three weeks and let's see how you handle it, Akane. Besides it's not like I'm the only one who screws up now and then."
"Oh, just forget about it, okay, Ranma? We're almost to Tokai (1). We'll go back and search for the mushroom forest again after we buy some supplies there." With that the four girls turned their attention away from their male companion and continued on towards the city.
Ranma sighed in defeat as he followed behind the girls. At least they finally talked to me. He thought. He grimaced as he remembered what happened almost three weeks before that caused his present predicament.
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"Girls, dinner's ready!" Thirty-something year old Ranma called out as he watched the stew simmer. It was his turn to make their supper that day and he had picked some mushrooms he found along the trail earlier that morning.
"Smells good, Airen." Shampoo complimented as she sat down by their campfire followed by the other girls.
"Yeah, Ranchan. What's in it?" Ukyou asked as she held out her bowl.
"Oh, I just added some mushrooms to the stew. I thought it'd give the stew a little more variety." The pig-tailed man answered as he handed back the bowl. "The stew tastes pretty good, too, if I do say so myself."
"Itadakimas!" The five said when all had been served.
"Hmmm... Not bad, Ranma." Akane commented as she chewed a piece of mushroom.
"Yes, it indeed is flavorful, Ranma-sama."
He swallowed the piece of mushroom in his mouth. "Thanks, girls. I'm glad you all like it." The man said just before his eyes widened in shock as the pony-tailed gymnast began to shrink before his eyes. "Wha? Wha? What the hell's happening!" He managed to blurt out before he started to feel strange himself. His eyes flicked over to the three other women and saw the same transformation come over them.
Silence fell over the group as each looked at their companions with eyes bulging.
"What the hell just happened!" Ukyou demanded to no one in particular.
"The mushrooms!" Ranma and Akane yelled together as realization dawned on the two.
"Mushrooms!" Kodachi and Shampoo asked in bewilderment.
"Forget about the damned mushrooms!" Ukyou interjected. "What the hell happened to us!"
"The mushrooms! That's what happened to us!"
"What are you talking about, Akane! You're not making any sense!"
"I think what we just ate were aging mushrooms!"
"Aging mushrooms?" Kodachi asked dubiously.
"Yes! You see, back in Nerima," Akane paused as she remembered the past. She shook her head to clear the memories. Remembering those times always brought back pain. "Back in Nerima, before..." Her voice broke and she looked down. She felt an arm go around her shoulder. She turned her head to see the comforting arm belonged to Shampoo.
"It's all right, Akane. You don't have to."
"I'm okay. It's just that, it's just that it brought back memories of..."
No one said said anything as each was lost in their own memories of the past.
"Thanks, Shampoo." Akane continued as she finally composed herself. "Anyway, back in Nerima Ryouga found these aging mushrooms that when eaten they change the age of the ones who ate them into whatever the height of the mushroom they ate."
"I don't understand." Kodachi complained.
Akane twisted her younger hands in frustration. "If you eat an aging mushroom that's ten centimeters tall, your body becomes that of a ten-year old!"
"Oh."
Silence descended on the four girls as they digested what just happened.
"We can't really blame him." Ukyou said quietly.
"Right, it was an accident. He didn't really do it on purpose." Shampoo added.
"The mushrooms did look and taste ordinary." Akane put in.
"Yes, it could have happened to anyone." Kodachi agreed.
The girls all sighed. They had worked out their relationships a long time ago. Strange things had a tendency to happen in the aftermath of what the world called the 'Second Impact.'
Uh-oh. I think I really blew it this time. Why did they have to be aging mushrooms? Ranma thought to himself in the silence. Double uh-oh. I don't like the looks on their faces. Survival instincts took over and he began to edge away from the girls.
As one the girls turned towards the cause of their aging problem.
"Ranma, you idiot!" Fixed relationships or not they needed to vent their frustration.
Only the man turned boy was no longer there.
"Where the hell is he!"
"There!" Ukyou pointed to a fast receding blur.
"Come back here!"
"Com'on, girls! I didn't know they were aging mushrooms! Honest!"
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"Off!" Akane staggered slightly as she hefted her pack onto her back the following morning. "This sucks. This body isn't as strong as my older body." She adjusted her pack and was able to regain her balance.
"Yeah. I know what you mean, sugar." Ukyou grimaced as she adjusted her own pack to make it more comfortable on her now slimmer shoulders.
"I just hope we find those mushrooms fast. I'd really hate to be stuck like this."
"Yes, indeed. I do not relish the prospect of living in this body for long."
"Are you certain those same mushrooms will return our bodies to their original forms, Akane?"
"Yes, I'm sure. That's what we did to return Ryouga and Ranma back to sixteen years old when they both turned into two very annoying five-year olds. You wouldn't believe all the trouble those two caused. We grew the mushrooms until they reached a height of sixteen centimeters."
"Hey, I wasn't annoying." Ranma butted in with indignation. "In fact, if I remember correctly I was very cute. Everybody said so and all the girls couldn't keep their hands offa me. Not that it was any different when I was sixteen."
The girls all gave him a half-lidded gaze.
"I hope for your sake we find those mushrooms, Ranchan."
"Uh, um, hehe. Of course we'll find those mushrooms. Trust me, I know exactly where I picked the mushrooms this morning. Hehe." Ranma said with false confidence. He wasn't really paying attention where they were when he picked the mushrooms. He scratched the back of his head nervously as the girls looked at him full of doubt.
"Well, lead on then." Akane said impatiently.
"Right. Right. It's this way." Ranma pointed back down the trail they walked on the previous day. Oh, man. Oh, man. I just hope I remember where exactly along this trail I picked them. He turned away so the girls wouldn't see the worried look on his face.
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"Are you sure this is the place where you picked the mushrooms, Ranchan?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I remember that dead tree and that boulder over there. See?"
"Well, where are they then?" Akane asked irritably as they looked around.
"They should be just around here somewhere..." Ranma looked around and saw no sign of any mushroom. "Uh, then again maybe they're a bit further on... hehe."
"Airen! It's already sundown! We couldn't have walked that far yesterday!"
"I know! I know! They have ta be around here somewhere." The boy looked around feverishly for anything that might resemble a mushroom.
The girls groaned. They had this sinking feeling in their stomachs they were stuck as they were for God knows how long.
"We might as well start looking here and work our way back to where we camped out yesterday." Shampoo suggested.
"Best idea I've heard whole day."
"But how shall we recognize the mushrooms we require?"
"I guess we'll have to try every mushroom we find unless we're sure it's poisonous."
"Ugh! I feel sick just thinking about how many mushrooms we might have to eat."
"Well, why don't we have him eat them? He's the one who got us into this mess."
"Urk!"
"I'm all for that."
"Me, too."
"Me, three."
"Now, girls, let's not be too hasty here..." Ranma tried to calmly reason. He closed his mouth at the looks he received.
"All right, then. First we gather mushrooms, grow them to thirty-two centimeters if they're smaller and then have Ranchan try them."
Ranma groaned. Why me?
"Sounds like a plan. It's getting dark so let's start first thing tomorrow morning. We'll spread out, ten meters in between each with the trail at the center and walk our way back."
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"Shampoo?" Akane asked as they sat around their campfire later after dinner.
"Yes, Akane?"
"What's it like? Changing bodies, I mean. It's the first time it's ever happened to me."
"Are you asking about my curse?"
"Yes."
"Hey, why doncha ask me?"
"Because we don't feel like talking to you, baka, so shut up."
Shampoo looked into fire as she poked at it with a stick. "I can't really describe it, Akane. I don't think you'll ever truly understand unless you experience it yourself."
Ukyou asked next. "How does it compare to this?"
"This... this doesn't compare to my curse at all. I mean if becoming fourteen years old was all that my curse did to me I wouldn't have minded it much. You never really appreciate how wonderful it is to have hands or being able to speak until you lose it."
"At least ya didn't hafta worry 'bout becomin' somebody's meal. Now Ryouga and Mousse..." Ranma trailed off as the girls looked at him in annoyance. He swallowed. "I'll just shut up now." I guess I'm gonna sleep alone tonight.
Shampoo resumed poking the fire. "Actually, that's true. The two had it worse. As a cat I at least had fangs and claws to defend myself. Piglets and ducks don't have either."
I'd like to hear ya say that after ya feel one of
Chan's bites. Ranma thought to himself miserably as he doodled on the ground beside his right foot with a finger, incidentally using the part most bitten by the lost pig. Argh! Not the silent treatment again. I'd rather face the smiling three year death.
Akane joined the Amazon in poking the fire. "I see what you mean. I guess I should be thankful I just became younger. Still, it's... frustarting adjusting to this new body. It's so much smaller and weaker but... at least I'm still human and don't have to worry about water. But you... how in God's name were you able to cope with your curse?"
"Simple. I had to."
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So they searched for several days, with Ranma eating almost three dozen kinds of mushrooms. Some causing diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps but finding not even one single aging mushroom. They finally decided to call off the search when they began to run out of supplies, intending to resume searching after they replenished their supplies in the nearest city.
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"Man, where are all the people?" Ranma asked as they stood at an empty intersection in the city.
"Yeah. Why are all the streets deserted?" Shampoo agreed as they looked around. "How are we going to buy supplies if there's no one around?"
"Well, let's just look around some more. We might still see someone." Kodachi suggested before she started walking down one street. "Let's head towards the city center. There should be more people there."
The others shrugged as they followed.
"Hey, look! I see someone over there!" Ukyou pointed towards a train station. "There on the steps."
"Looks like just a kid." Ranma observed.
"So what? We can still ask him why there are no people around." Akane started towards the lone boy sitting on the steps. "And maybe he knows where we can buy the supplies we need."
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What a weird lady. Shinji thought as he looked at the picture he held in his hand as he sat on the steps of the train station. And she's my father's what? He nearly leaped out of his skin when he heard someone speak right next to his right ear.
"Isn't she a little too old for you?" Ranma said as he leaned over the boy's shoulder.
"AAAHHH!"
He smirked as he saw the boy leap nearly two meters into the air while tightly grasping the front of his shirt. He clutched the back of his head a moment later as Akane hit him behind the head. "Ow!"
"Don't be a jerk, Ranma." Akane scolded quietly before turning to the stranger who was now sprawled on his back on the ground with eyes wide as saucers, still clutching his shirt and breathing heavily. "I'm sorry if Ranma scared you. He can be such a jerk at times."
"Here, you dropped these." Shampoo handed back the picture, letter and envelope she picked up. Her eyebrows went up a little as she saw the photograph and read what was written on it. Note the cleavage? Like it's anything to write about. Mine's bigger. She sighed as she remembered their problem. Or used to be bigger. She tsked before leaning back and whispering to her companions. "Airen's wrong, the woman is way too old for him. Heck, she could even be old enough to be his mother."
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"Achoo! Damn. I hope I'm not coming down with anything."
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Kodachi and Ukyou shook their heads. What was the world coming to with women seducing boys barely into their puberty?
Akane shushed them to be quiet. "Anyway, I'm sorry if we scared you but can you tell us why there aren't any people around?" She held out her hand and helped the boy up when he took it. "And maybe where we can buy some camping supplies?"
"Uh, I'm sorry but I just got here myself. I was supposed to meet the lady in the picture two stations down but all the trains stopped suddenly and everyone rushed out. I tried to call her but all the phones are dead. I guess I should walk the rest of the way." Shinji replied as he replaced the picture, letter and envelope in the left breast pocket of his school uniform. "Sorry I couldn't help you more." He shouldered his bag.
"Oh." All were disappointed with the answer.
"Hey, mind if we come along with you? Maybe your girlfriend can help us." Ranma asked with a grin. His grin widened as he saw the boy blush.
Whap!
"Stop teasing him, Ranma. Really." Akane turned back to Shinji and didn't see Ranma stick his tongue out at her. The others just rolled their eyes at the antics of the two. After fifteen years together they were used to it.
Uncute tomboy. The pig-tailed boy held out his hand and smiled sincerely. "Hi, I'm Ranma! Ranma Saotome. Pleased ta meet ya!"
"Um, Shinji. Shinji Ikari."
A bit shy, aren't we? Ranma observed as Shinji shook his hand tentatively. "And here's Akane," He pointed to each girl in turn. "Dachi, Shampoo and Ucchan."
Shinji bowed to each girl, too timid to shake hands, as he felt a little heat rising to his face. Wow! They're all so cute! He glanced at the other boy. How lucky can someone get? He blinked as his mind processed the girls' names. "Um, 'Shampoo'?" Your name's 'Shampoo'?" He asked the purple-haired girl.
"I'm Chinese." Shampoo explained briefly. Seventeen years in Japan has taught her that was the best explanation to give. Most Japanese simply accepted the answer and didn't probe more.
"Oh."
"So, where are we headed, Shinji?"
"Um, I guess this way." Shinji pointed towards the direction where the train tracks continued.
"Okay, lead the way, Shinji."
"Um, right." With that Shinji started walking in the direction he pointed. After a couple of blocks he began to breathe slightly harder. He wondered why until he realized he was unconsciously trying to keep pace with his new acquaintances who were walking more briskly than he normally did even with the much heavier packs they carried.
"Um..."
"Hmmm?" Ukyou, who was nearest, turned to the new boy. "Did you say something?" She noticed the heavier than usual breaths. "Hey, are you all right?"
"Uh, fine." Shinji answered in between intakes of air. "Just not used to walking this fast."
"Oh. Sorry." Ukyou apologized. "Hey, Ranchan!" She called out to the pace setter.
The boy called craned his neck. "Yeah, Ucchan?"
"Slow down! Shinji here can't keep up."
"Oh, okay." Ranma slowed down. "This fine with ya, Shinji?"
"Uh, yeah. Thanks. I'm sorry for slowing you guys down."
"Nah, it's all right. So how far do ya figure we have ta walk before we meet this girlfriend of yours?"
Shinji colored again. "She's not my girlfriend..."
"Whatever ya say..." Ranma said in a tone that said he didn't believe Shinji's denial.
"No, really, she's not..."
Shinji reply was interrupted by the sound of screaming jet engines. They all looked up to see the latest air superiority fighter of the U.N., an F-22 Lightning, roar overhead at less than five-hundred meters.
"They sure are flying low."
Ranma frowned and nodded as he tensed. He recognized an attack run when he saw one. What the hell's going on? He suddenly whirled around. "Everybody down!" He lunged at Shinji and forced the other boy to the ground. He knew the girls would get down without hesitation.
"Wha!" Shinji began to blurt out before his question was drowned out by sound of a cruise missile's jet engines passing barely fifty meters above the street. He crossed his arms over his head in reflex.
The fading sounds of the cruise missile was followed by loud explosions. Shinji raised his head cautiously to see Ranma and the girls on their knees and scanning their surroundings, paying closer attention to the direction the cruise missile went to and from where the explosions were coming from.
"Wha-what's going on?" He asked the other boy. He noted the shaking in his voice. How can they be so calm at a time like this? Shinji asked himself before noticing the set looks on the other teen-agers as they continued to scan the area. It's like they've been through this before.
Ranma didn't glance at the slimmer boy, instead focusing his attention on the explosions which seemed to be getting closer. "Don't know." He stood up in a crouch. "But I intend to find out. Girls, stay here and take care of Shinji. I'll be back as soon as I can." He easily leaped to the top of the nearest street light, from there to a power pole and finally to the roof of a five story building.
"Ho-how did he do that?" Shinji asked once he got over the shock of seeing someone do unbelievable physical feats.
"Do what?" The short-haired girl asked.
"Jump that high."
"Oh. That's simple. He..." Akane's answer was interrupted when Ranma came running back. She did not like the look on his face. "Ranma, what's wrong?" She asked the boy once he was within earshot.
"We gotta get out of here! Something... big is comin' this way and it's not friendly!" Ranma replied when he reached them.
"What? What's coming this way?"
In reply, he pointed his thumb in the direction he came from. The rest saw what he was talking about when it loomed over some buildings. They all stared in disbelief.
"What the hell is that thing!" Ukyou asked for all of them. They watched as several missiles exploded in front of the giant with no visible effect.
"I don't know what it is but it's coming this way!"
"Ranma-sama, I think it's a very good idea for us to get out of it's way." Kodachi offered.
"I totally agree, Dachi. Hey, Shinji!" He shouted at their new friend. "How fast can you run!" He asked. He didn't asked the girls. He knew they could keep up with him even with the packs.
"Uh, um, not very fast."
"Oh, well. Don't get any funny ideas 'cause you're not my type but..." Shinji let out a yelp as he was scooped up by Ranma. He wrapped his arms by reflex around the other boy's neck. "I said don't get any funny ideas!"
"S-sorry." Shinji pulled back his arms.
Ranma grunted in reply as he began to run at break neck speeds after the girls through the streets. After a couple of blocks Shinji's eyes bulged out as they started to roof hop.
"Ranchan, look! It's the cradle snatcher!"
Ranma followed the chef's arm and saw a woman standing by a car parked at the train station. He also recognized her as the lady in the photo.
"Well, looks like your ride's here, Shinji."
"Huh?" was all Shinji was able to say before his stomach lurched into his mouth as Ranma dropped over three dozen meters to land on the street right in front of Misato.
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"Where the hell could he have gone off to?" Nerv Captain Misato Katsuragi bit her lower lip in worry as she looked all around for any sign of the boy she was supposed to pick up. "Damn it. This is the station where the train he was on was stopped. Why didn't he just wait for me!"
She was about to go back into her car to start searching when something, or rather someone, dropped less than a meter in front of her.
"AAAUUUGGGHHH!" Misato shrieked as she stumbled back in shock. Her right hand went to grab her service pistol and got nothing but air. She grimaced as she remembered she left it behind so as not to scare the boy she was going to meet. When she recognized the boy being put on the ground by another boy she relaxed and stood.
"Shinji? Shinji Ikari?" She asked just to be sure.
"Y-yes, uh, Miss Katsuragi?" The timid boy stuttered. He was still a bit unnerved by the unexpected ride.
The female captain nodded and was approaching the two teen-agers when Akane, Kodachi, Shampoo and Ukyou dropped behind the two boys.
"GGGAAAHHH!" Misato jumped back, her hand again reaching for air. "Who the hell are you people! Where the hell did you all come from! And stop dropping out of no..." Her voice trailed off as she realized from what direction the children had come from. She looked up to see nothing but buildings, the lowest of which was a good thirty meters high. She looked back down at the teen-agers with wild eyes. "Where the hell did you all drop from!"
"Uh, miss. I hate to be rude," Ranma interrupted. "But I think you and Shinji here should get going. There's... something coming this way."
"The angel!" Misato snapped back to reality as she remembered the alert. Of all the time for an Angel to appear...
"Angel?" Shampoo repeated.
"No time to explain! We have to go! You!" She pointed at Shinji. "Get in the car now. The rest of you..." Damn, they won't fit in the car. What to do with them? She pointed down another street. "The nearest shelter is..."
Misato was interrupted by a whistle. She whirled around until she saw the source of the whistle, an errant air-to-surface missile heading directly to where they were standing. "Oh, shit! Incoming! Run!" She tried to push the children out of the way but knew it was no use. No way will they able to get away far and fast enough. They were all dead unless a miracle saved them.
She was about to throw herself over Shinji when she felt herself being scooped up. She twisted around to see the other boy holding her. Ranma didn't see the horrified looks on the girls when they saw him grab the 'cradle snatcher.'
"Shampoo, get Shinji!" Misato heard the boy yell before she felt the ground fall away from her feet. Her mouth gaped as she saw the five unknown teens easily leap more than ten meters in a single bound. They just turned a corner when the missile hit. The five teens quickly made their way to the rooftops.
"Aaahhh!" Misato shouted when she remembered something. "My car!" She struggled to get loose from Ranma's grip to no avail. Damn. This boy's strong! "Let me go!"
Ranma looked at the woman he was carrying in annoyance. "Quit moving, lady! You wanna fall?"
Misato looked down and felt her stomach lurch into her throat. They were leaping between rooftops fifty meters high. How the hell did we get up here? In all the commotion she didn't notice them climbing. Then she remembered why she was struggling.
"But my car..."
Ranma looked at her with sympathy. "Sorry, lady, but your car's wasted. That missile was heading directly for it."
"But, but... I still have thirty-three payments left on her." Misato whimpered.
The look of sympathy changed to one of incredulity. She's thinking about that at a time like this? Ranma shook his head and continued on in silence, allowing the woman he was carrying mumble on in grief and misery.
After several blocks he stopped on a rooftop and set Misato down who immediately collapsed to her knees. He looked at his companions. "Everybody okay? Nobody got hurt or something?" Everyone nodded, even Shinji although shakily.
"My car..."
"What's wrong with her?" Shinji asked, forgetting about his own wracked nerves.
"Dunno. She keeps on mumbling about her car."
"Really weird lady."
"Yup. Couldn't agree more."
After several moments of watching the giant move on and letting the others rest Ranma decided to intrude on Misato's misery. She seemed to be the only one who knew something.
"Um, sorry to interrupt your wallowing in misery, miss, but we need to keep moving. That thing isn't moving towards us right now but who knows."
That snapped the female captain out her funk. "Right! The angel." She grabbed Shinji's hand. "We have to go, Shinji." She started dragging the bewildered boy behind her until she reached the edge of the roof. She glanced around for a way down and gave up after several moments. She walked back to the group. "Um, how do we get down from here?" Misato asked Ranma who seemed to be the leader.
The boy questioned scratched the back of his head. "With us, I guess. Look, I think it's a good idea if you two stayed with us for the meantime."
"Why is that?"
"Cause we can move much faster than you can walk without your car. I'll make ya a deal, if you can tell us where we can buy some camping supplies we'll take you two to where you need to go and then we'll get out of here." Ranma proposed.
Misato considered the offer briefly. "What's your name?"
"Ranma, Ranma Saotome."
The Nerv captain held out her hand. "Misato Katsuragi." It's not like she had much choice at the moment. "Fine, Saotome. If you can take us back to our HQ quickly and in one piece I can give you all the supplies you need."
"It's a deal, Miss Katsuragi." Ranma shook the woman's hand.
They were well away from the giant when the N2 mine went off.
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"We did it!" The military officer sitting to the left yelled as he stood up. The main screen showed the aftermath of the N2 mine explosion.
"I'm sorry but there's nothing for you to do, anymore. The Evas are no longer necessary." The one on the right said smugly to the two men in front of them, one sitting while the other stood to the right and behind of the first. He savored saying that. The Evas did cost a lot of money. Money that could have gone to making and buying better armaments for their armed forces.
"Target status?" The most senior officer, who sat in the middle, asked.
"Continuing radio-wave interference from the explosion. We're still standing by for target destruct confirmation."
The first officer snorted. "A blast of that force! Can there be any doubt?"
His gloating was cut short when the sensors came back online.
"We're picking up energy readings from ground zero!" The operator announced.
The announcement sent the officer sitting in the middle shooting to his feet. "What!"
"Visuals are back online." It confirmed their fears. The Angel was not destroyed by their greatest weapon. One by one the general officers slumped back into their seats.
"Our trump card... for nothing!" The second officer said bitterly.
"We sacrificed a whole city." The middle mumbled quietly, aghast.
"It's a monster." The first officer declared right before the red telephone in front of their commanding general rang. He watched silently as his superior answered the call. He had a good idea what the call was about and he didn't like it. They were confirmed a few moments later as his senior hung up.
"Ikari." The general paused as he waited for the man he called to stand up and face him. "We just received word from HQ. Effective immediately command authority for this operation has been transferred to you."
The man named Gendo Ikari smiled.
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"So Shinji, watcha doin' here in Tokyo-3? You visitin' relatives or somethin'?" Ranma asked the other boy as they sat opposite one another in a train when the train entered a tunnel blocking his view out the window. Where they were headed the six teen-agers had no idea but the lone adult seemed to know where she was going.
"Um, I guess you can say that." Shinji looked down before answering. With no immediate threats to his life his mind went back to the reason why he was here.
Ranma smiled wryly. "Hell of a time for ya ta go visitin'."
"Uh, yeah." The shy boy answered without enthusiasm.
"Anything wrong, Shinji?" Ukyou asked. She sat together with the others. "Why the long face?"
Shinji didn't answer. Instead he turned to Misato who sat beside him like a bodyguard. "Miss Katsuragi, why did my father summon me here? I thought he'd totally forgotten about me."
The question and statement raised several eyebrows. Ranma and the girls waited for the answer.
"Wouldn't it be better if you asked him yourself?"
"We're on our way to meet him, aren't we?"
"You're not comfortable with your father, are you?"
"It's not that. It's just that this is inconvenient. Besides, even if I do meet him I know we'd just end up butting heads."
Silence reigned until the train emerged from the tunnel. The view took the breaths away from the teens.
"Aiyah." Shampoo breathed.
"You said it, Shampoo. I've never seen anything like this." Akane agreed as she joined the others in looking out the windows.
"Wow! A real geofront!" Shinji exclaimed excitedly. The meeting with his father forgotten for the moment.
"Yup." Misato confirmed proudly. "Our secret base of operations... Nerv HQ. The keystone for the resurrection of the world and the stronghold of humanity." She remembered she had an audience. She addressed the five unexpected teens. "Um, forget you heard any of that, okay? It's classified."
"Don't worry, lady, I'd really rather not remember something that corny anyway."
Misato's right eyebrow twitched.
Ukyou quickly clamped her right hand over Ranma's mouth before he could say something more to further tick off their hostess. "Uh, um. Don't mind him, Miss Katsuragi. He's just being, uh, himself. Um, A jackass. Hehe." To Ranma she whispered. "Be polite, Ranchan."
Misato let her breath out. He's just a kid. Don't let him get on your nerves. A jackass but just a kid. You've handled bigger jackasses before. "Right. Anyway, this is a classified installation. Forget you ever saw it." Too bad though. He's rather cute.
"Um, yes, ma'am."
With that Misato turned her attention away from the teens. The ride continued on in silence, the children gawking at the scenes around them.
xxxxxxxxxx
Misato disembarked from the emergency train into Nerv headquarters first.
"Fujiwara!" Misato called over the sergeant in charge of the security detail at the gate who jogged over.
"Yes, ma'am?" The sergeant saluted.
"Fujiwara, I want you to take care of these five teen-agers." The Nerv captain indicated Ranma and company with a wave of a hand. "I want you to make them safe and comfortable but do not let them out of your sight or in any of the restricted areas. I will come back for them when the alert is over. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Shinji, come with me."
"Do you think Shinji's going to be fine?" Akane asked no one in particular as they watched the two disappear down one hallway. "Something about the way he talked about his father bothered me."
Her companions nodded their agreement.
Ranma shrugged. "Whatever it is, it's none of our business."
Akane sighed. "I guess you're right. He just seemed so sad and..." She struggled to find the word.
"Lonely." Shampoo helpfully supplied.
"Yeah, that's it. Lonely. I wish we could do something nice for him."
Ranma sighed. "Look, if it's gonna make you girls feel better, why don't ya talk to him if we see him again? Four cute girls taking time to talk to a guy? I'm sure that'll cheer any guy up some."
The girls just hmmmed.
xxxxxxxxxx
"Uh, Miss Katsuragi?"
"Yes, what is it Shinji? And you can call me Misato."
"Um, okay."
"So what did you want to ask?"
"Uh, we've been walking around for quite a while now... Haven't we reached my father's office yet?"
Misato sweat dropped. "Ah... just shut up and follow me, okay? I know where we're going. Here, read this." She tossed him a booklet.
Yeah, right. She's lost. We passed this way a few minutes ago. Shinji looked at the booklet. 'Welcome to Nerv'?
That's funny. I was positive this was the right direction...
xxxxxxxxxx
Fujiwara led the teens left to his care to one of the base's cafeteria.
"You children can stay here. You can order anything you want on the menu. I'll arrange it with the staff."
Children? I'm older than you, bub. Ranma thought as he looked up at the sergeant but held his tongue this time. Well, at least we get to eat free food even if it's just, ugh, cafeteria food.
"Thank you, sir." Ukyou said in behalf of their group. "We'll try to stay out of your way and trouble, sir."
"Good. I'd appreciate that. If you need anything, you can ask Tanaka and Tanuki here." Fujiwara indicated the two privates who accompanied them.
"We understand , sir." Ukyou replied. "Uh, sir?"
"Yes?"
"If it isn't too much to ask , do you think you can arrange for us to take a bath somewhere?" The chestnut haired girl asked hopefully. "Or even just a shower. We'd really appreciate it."
"Oh, I'll see what I can do. I'll ask if we can let you kids use the showers in one of the gyms. I'll let Private Tanaka know if I come up with something."
"Thank you very much, sir."
"Well, if that's all I'll leave you kids then. I have to get back to my post."
"Yes, sir. Thank you again, sir."
Ukyou watched the man enter what she assumed to be the cafeteria's kitchen then come out a few minutes later.
"It's all arranged. You can have anything on today's menu." He said before walking out the cafeteria.
When the man was out the door Ranma approached one of the tables. He put down his pack and sat on one of the steel and plastic chairs. He waited for the girls to do the same.
"How long do you think we'll have to wait, Ranma-sama?"
The boy shrugged. "Dunno, Kodachi. If the alert's about that giant then we might be here a while." He turned to one of the guards. "Hey, Tanaka!" The guard glared at him. Ranma was about to ask what the man's problem was when he felt an elbow jab him lightly in the ribs. He turned to the owner of the offending body part. "What is it, Dachi?"
"Remember to be more polite when addressing adults, Ranma-sama." The raven-haired girl whispered. "To them we are merely fourteen year old children hence they expect certain courtesies and deference from someone such as what we appear to be. We do not want to aggravate every adult person we meet."
"Oh, man." This is really beginning to suck. He pinched the bridge of his nose before facing the security guard again. "Uh, I mean, Mr. Tanaka, sir, what is the alert all about? Is it about that giant we saw in the city?"
Tanaka thought for a moment before answering. Since they already saw the Angel he didn't see anything wrong answering the question. "Yes, the alerts' due to the Angel. That's what we call the giant you saw. Aside from that I can't tell you anything anymore."
"Um, do you know how long the alert will be?"
"Sorry, don't know and can't tell."
Ranma grumbled a little. It was so typical of secretive shadow organizations. He snorted. Need to know. Yeah, right. It was the same in the unit they served in during the short but vicious period of conflict right after Second Impact when nations seemed bent on finishing what Second Impact started. He shook his head. Those were times he would rather not dwell on. Oh, well. None of my business. He stood up.
"Where are you going, Airen?"
"I'm gonna get some food. Any of ya want anythin'?"
"Is food all you think about, baka?" Akane asked.
"Of course not. I also think about making hot, passionate love to all of you at the same time." Actually Ranma didn't but he knew it would throw the girl out of kilter and off his case. If there was someone more hung up about sex than he was, it was Akane.
He smirked as he saw Akane blush and ignored the raised eyebrows of their two guardians.
"Ranma!" The dark blue-haired girl exclaimed in embarrassment. "Right now?" She shyly continued in a whisper.
"Just kidding, Akane. Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna get some food."
"Wait up, Airen, I'll get some, too." Shampoo skipped to catch up with the boy leaving their three companions behind.
"Why that..."
"He got you there, sugar."
Akane hmphed. After all this time, Ranma could still annoy her without much effort. While she was no longer as stuck up about sex as before, and she had to admit she enjoyed it as much, maybe even more, as the others, she still wasn't as comfortable talking about it as the other girls. Or even Ranma. A fact they all took some glee in needling her with.
"Really, Akane. After all this time one would think you would be more at ease conversing on the subject of lovemaking."
"Yeah, Akane. It's been what? Almost twelve years?"
The three didn't noticed the eyes of Tanaka and Tanuki going wide at that. The two guards looked at one another and counted on their fingers. Fourteen or fifteen at the most minus twelve... The two blinked together, disbelief clear on their faces.
The short-haired girl hmphed again and turned just in time to see Ranma and Shampoo sit down. They looked over the food on the trays.
Ranma, as usual, had a small mountain on his tray. "Hey, aren't you guys hungry? The food here looks decent."
"Looks can be deceiving, Ranchan."
"Picky, picky. It's not like they serve the slop that Akane used to cook."
"Hey!"
"Well, ya can't deny it, Akane."
The girl just hmphed again and turned away.
"Hey, com'on. I said, 'used ta cook', Akane. Your cooking is almost as good as the others as long as ya don't get carried away being, um, creative. Yeah, creative, that's it. No need to be like that."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really. How many times do I hafta tell ya that?"
Ranma took a sip from the beef ramen. "Hey, not bad. Not as good as what you girls make but not bad at all. You should all try it." He held out the bowl.
"Really?" Ukyou took a sip. "Hey, you're right!" She handed back the bowl and grabbed one each of Akane's and Kodachi's hands. "Come on. Let's get some."
"Fine, fine. Just unhand me, Ukyou."
Ranma began to eat in earnest as the three went to where the food was being served. He noticed the looks the two privates were giving him. "What?" He asked as he put down the now empty bowl.
"How can someone eat that fast?"
The pig-tailed martial artist started on some roast beef. They served international cuisine in Nerv HQ. "Oh. This is nothin'. Ya shoulda seen me a few years ago before the girls made me eat slower."
Tanaka and Tanuki blinked. "That's slow?"
"Yup." The boy answered as he wiped the sauce from the empty plate with a piece of bread. He reached for a T-bone steak.
"..."
"Not bad." Ranma commented as he finished cleaning the bone of any meat. Next were some yakisoba noodles.
The two Nerv security men shook their heads.
"And I thought Suzuki was a pig."
"Yeah. This kid beats Suzuki hands down. I think he can eat at least twice as much as Suzuki."
"Hmmm... the noodles are a bit soggy but good enough. I wonder how the fried chicken are?"
"He can't be human."
"Nope, hundred percent human." Ranma smirked as he looked at the two men while thumping his chest. "Now for the pork chops."
Shampoo shook her head in amusement. She ate her dumplings and fried rice at a leisurely pace. "Airen..."
"Yeah, yeah. Shampoo. I'll slow down when I get seconds." The boy answered as he stood. "The shrimp tempura, pork ramen, burger steaks and sukiyaki looked delicious. You want any, Shampoo?"
When the girl shook her head he headed back to the line passing the three other girls on their way back. He grinned and waved to acknowledge the cheers of the cafeteria's staff who won the bet on whether or not he could eat everything he took and still come back for seconds.
xxxxxxxxxx
Shinji Looked up from the booklet he was reading. He was getting tired of walking around in circles and was about to ask again when the door to the elevator they were riding opened and in stepped a short-haired blond woman wearing a white lab coat over... He blinked. Is that a one piece swimsuit she's wearing? Are all the women working here weird? It did show off the woman's nice figure and long legs so he couldn't really complain. He noted his companion's reaction to the new arrival.
"Um, Ritsuko, hehe..."
He watched the woman called Ritsuko approach Misato until the two were almost nose to nose, making his eyebrows rise a bit and causing Misato to take a step back.
"You're late, Captain Katsuragi! So late I was sent to get you. What do you think you're doing? We're short of men and time! We don't have time for such nonsense!"
"So-sorry!" Misato apologized sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head. "But I have a good excuse this time!"
"You got lost again, didn't you?"
"W-well, yes. I still don't have the layout of this place down... but aside from that I really, really do have a good excuse!"
Ritsuko let out her breath and then noticed the boy with Misato. She looked at him with undisguised interest. "So this is him? The third child?"
"Yes, according to the Marduk report."
"I'm Ritsuko Akagi from the First Engineering Division, the supervisor of Project E. Pleased to meet you."
What's this 'third child' stuff? "Um, I'm Shinji Ikari. Nice to meet you, too."
"If you don't mind, Shinji, there's something I want to show you before you see your father."
"Um, okay, ma'am."
The three rode the elevator in silence for several seconds.
"So what's your excuse, Misato?" Ritsuko asked from out of the blue without turning away from looking at the shiny, stainless steel doors as they rode the elevator.
"Wha-what?" Misato stammered, caught off-guard by the sudden question.
"I asked what your excuse for being late is."
"Oh." The Nerv captain composed herself. "Would you believe those jerks in the U.N. military blew up my car with one of their stupid missiles! And I still have thirty-three payments left to make on her!" Misato practically wailed inside the elevator and making both listeners wince. "I swear I'm going to make the bastards pay for it!" She continued to rant.
Ritsuko sighed again as she rubbed her forehead. "And I suppose you commandeered someone else's car to get here?"
"Oh, no. I didn't have to do that."
"So how did you and Shinji get back here?"
"Um, that's the part you're not going to believe..."
"Humor me."
"Well, since you insist. Would you believe we were carried by teen-agers about Shinji's age from Tokai all the way to Tokyo-3 in less than fifteen minutes?"
The Supervisor for Project E raised her eyebrows, the only sign she heard what Misato said. She slowly turned around to look the captain in the eye as if looking for an indication of something.
"Have you been drinking while on duty, Captain Katsuragi?"
Misato blinked before she was able to sputter indignantly. "Wha! No! Of course not!" She suffered through the skeptical gaze her college friend gave her. "No! Really! Honest! Cross my heart!"
"And I'm supposed to believe that teen-agers nowadays are able to travel almost sixty kilometers per hour while carrying a grown woman?"
"Well, no..."
"Good, else I might have been forced to report you as being unfit for your responsibilities."
"We traveled a straight line through the forest. They jumped from tree branch to tree branch so we made good time. I'm guessing they made around thirty kilometers per hour at the most."
The blond woman looked at her colleague with half-lidded eyes. "That's it. I'm reporting you to the Commander after this alert is over, Captain Katsuragi. On second thought, I'm reporting you as soon as I find a comm station. You're a danger to everyone!"
The violet haired grabbed her friend startling Ritsuko. "No! If you don't believe me you can meet them yourself! I left them with one of the security detachments!" She turned and grabbed the boy with them. "Shinji! Tell her I'm not making this all up!"
"Mi-Misato isn't making all this up, Dr. Akagi." Shinji averred as best as he could while being shaken and stirred.
"So you brought unauthorized personnel into Nerv HQ?"
"No! I mean... what was I supposed to do? Leave them out there? If it wasn't for them, Shinji and I would be dead from the missile that took out my car. And don't worry, they looked like nice kids," Except for that boy. "and I instructed the sergeant in charge of the security detail to keep an eye on them."
"Very well." Ritsuko turned away.
"So you believe me?"
"No. We'll resume this discussion after the alert is over."
The elevator chimed as they reached their floor.
xxxxxxxxxx
"Man, I'm stuffed!" Ranma patted his flat stomach in contentment. The girls just rolled their eyes while Tanaka and Tanuki gaped.
"Where the hell did you put away all that food you ate!" Tanuki couldn't contain his astonishment any longer.
"Here." The boy continued patting his stomach.
"..."
Tanaka shook himself out his daze. "Right. Um, before I forget, the sarge said you kids can use the showers in Gym E. We can show you there after you're all through eating."
"Oh, thank God for small favors." Akane said. "I really need to clean up."
"Yeah. Well, I guess we can go there now since all of us are through eating, right?" All eyes went to the boy in the middle of several trays.
"Hmmm? Oh, sure. I'm done here. Just give me a minute to return all the trays."
Fifteen minutes later they were walking through Gym E on their way to the showers. Ranma looked around at the impressive, but currently empty, gym.
The gym was approximately square shaped and measured fifty meters to the side with the ceiling almost twenty meters above the polished parquet wood floor. The teens noted weight-lifting equipment and a room for squash to one side while markings for basketball and volleyball courts were on the floor.
Nice gym. A thought came to Ranma's head. "Uh, Tanaka, sir?"
"What is it?"
"D'ya think we can stay here instead of the cafeteria?"
"Why?"
"Well, since we ain't got nothin' else ta do except wait around for what's her name..."
"Captain Katsuragi."
"Really? That lady's a captain?"
Tanaka and Tanuki gave a flat look. Weird or not the captain was a good officer and they didn't appreciate fourteen year olds looking down on her.
"Uh, yeah, right. Hehe. Sorry, didn't mean ta insult your captain or anything. Anyway, I thought I'd work out a little before taking a shower since we ain't got anything better ta do while we wait."
Tanaka thought a moment before answering. "I'll ask the sarge."
"Sure. Thanks for asking, sir."
A couple of minutes later the private came back. "The sarge says it's okay as long as you don't cause any trouble."
Ranma grinned "No problem and thanks, sir." He walked to the side and put down his pack. He turned and smirked challengingly at his female companions. "Well, girls, what do you say we really put these new bodies through their paces?" He cracked his knuckles.
The girls all just smiled back.
xxxxxxxxxx
"Off!" Ranma had some of his breath knocked out of him as Shampoo connected with a side-kick to his chest. He rolled with the hit and came to his feet almost a dozen meters away in a defensive stance, ready for any follow-up attack. He warily watched as the Akane, Kodachi and Ukyou came to the Amazon's side who was just lowering her upraised right leg and smirking. They were all smirking.
He rubbed his chest with his left hand. "Nice hit, Shampoo. Didn't see that coming." The girls were getting better at coordinating their attacks. Their latest combination had him scrambling and twisting in order to block or dodge all their strikes. Have ta be quicker and more alert next time.
"Really, Airen. What were you thinking taking on all of us at the same time so soon in your new body?"
Ranma shrugged. "Heh. Ya all know it wouldn't be a challenge otherwise. How am I gonna improve if I always kick your butts? I don't even sweat if I go one on one with any of ya. Two on one and I might sweat a little. Three on one and ya might get me ta start ta breath a bit hard. So four on one is the only way ya girls are ever gonna get one over me." He grew his own smirk as he saw the girls' expressions darken.
"Ooohhh, we're going to enjoy wiping the floor with your sorry ass, Ranchan."
"Not if I wipe it with yer nice, round asses first."
"We're going to make you eat those words, Ranma."
"Enough talk. Bring it on, little girls." He emphasized the taunt.
With a cry of feminine indignation the four girls charged.
Off to the side the two privates just gawked.
xxxxxxxxxx
Ranma and the girls suddenly stopped in mid-fight. They relaxed their stances and looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Did you feel that, Ranma-sama?"
"Yeah, Kodachi. We all did. The room shook just a little."
"I have a bad feeling about this, Ranma."
"Yeah, Akane, my spider sense is tingling."
"Just like you to joke at a time like this. Seriously, what do you think it was?"
"Dunno. Maybe something, maybe nothing. This is Japan, after all."
"You don't actually believe that, do you, Ranchan?"
"No, Ucchan. I might have if I didn't know there was a gigantic green thing heading this way. We'd better be on our toes for now until they take care of the giant."
"Do you really think they can take care of it, Airen?"
"Who knows? But these people seems to be the only ones who knows anything about them. And its not like we can do anything about it."
"That fact bothers me, Ranma. I mean, how come we never heard anything about all this?"
"You oughta know how things works, Akane. The U.N. probably fed the public some bullshit to cover it up and we never bothered to keep ourselves informed when we left the JSSDF."
"Still... something this big?"
Ranma just shrugged.
Ukyou looked at their guardians to make sure they were out of earshot. "Maybe we should talk to the general, Ranchan."
Ranma blanched but recovered quickly. "The old man? Nah, don't want to bother him unless it's absolutely necessary."
"You don't think finding out more about the giant and this Nerv organization is necessary, Ranma?"
"Well... I still don't want to bother him. I heard he's a busy man, being promoted and all." And like hell I'm gonna give him another chance to embarrass me like the way he did the last time. I think the men lost all respect for me. Ranma shivered internally.
"Coming from you, Ranma-sama, the general wouldn't consider it a bother."
"Yeah. He'd probably be crying with joy to hear from you again. It's been what? Five, six years since he last heard from you? You're like the son he lost, Airen."
"That's it, isn't it, Ranchan? You don't want to see the general cause he treats you too much like his son, isn't it?"
"Like you girls didn't know! Last time you four were the ones laughing the hardest!"
"Well, it did raise the troops' morale."
"And you two looked so cute!"
"Cute! Are you nuts! What's so cute 'bout that hairy old bastard hugging me!"
"Aw, come on, Airen. It's wasn't that bad. He was just overcome with emotion."
"Oh, no?" Ranma turned to the purple-haired girl. "You guys just hope the old goat never gets to..." He shivered as he made the quotation marks with his two hands "spoil you."
"Aw, come on, Ranma. It'll be good for the both of you to see each other again. He really thinks of you as his son."
"And you four as his daughters." Ranma sighed. He rubbed his temples. Why me? "Okay, okay. When we leave here, we head towards Tokyo-2. We'll see him then, satisfied?"
The girls nodded.
I really, really don't wanna know what the old man's gonna do when he sees my new look. He was bad enough before.
xxxxxxxxxx
Misato let out a breath. "So Shinji's fine?"
"Yes. Pilot Ikari is unconscious but all vital signs are within normal parameters. Medical and Recovery crews are in transit to the site."
"Good." The captain turned to the scientist. "It couldn't have been a good experience for him."
"No, I suppose it couldn't have."
"He might not pilot again."
"That is a possibility."
Above them, Nerv's second-in-command, Kozo Fuyutsuki, leaned over the shoulder of his superior. "It doesn't look good."
"Yes."
"Will your son pilot again?"
"Yes. Do not worry about that. We can manipulate him as we wish."
"What do you plan to do if an Angel attacks while both our pilots are hospitalized?"
"If the two pilots aren't dead..." Gendo didn't finish the sentence.
"Perhaps we can convince Germany to release the second child and Unit-02 to us."
"Unlikely at the moment."
"I see." Fuyutsuki straightened and the two turned back to the activities below them.
"Damn it! If an Angel attacks now we won't be able to stop it!"
"Yes, perhaps we should ask the Marduk Institute if they found more children."
"Children? The children! Oh, shit! I almost forgot all about them!"
"About who?"
"The teen-agers I was telling you about! The ones who brought me and Shinji here!" Misato grabbed a transmitter and contacted the guard post she left Ranma and company at.
"Command Center to Guard Post Three-Six-Five. This is Captain Katsuragi. Is Sergeant Fujiwara there?"
A face appeared on one of the video monitors.
"Yes, ma'am, this is Sergeant Fujiwara."
"Sergeant, how are the kids I left with you?"
"They're fine, ma'am. They're presently at Gym E, ma'am."
"Gym E? What are they doing there?"
"They asked if they could take a bath or shower and I found Gym E wasn't being used so I gave them permission. I had Privates Tanaka and Tanuki keep on eye on them at all times and they didn't cause any problems."
Misato breathed a sigh of relief.
"Uh, ma'am?"
"Yes, what is it, sergeant?"
"I think you should see this, ma'am."
"What is it?"
"It's a video recording of what the children did while they were in the gym, ma'am."
"What's on it? I thought they didn't cause any problems, sargeant."
"Well, yes, ma'am, but..." Fujiwara trailed off, unsure how to describe what he saw when Tanaka called him earlier.
"Well, spit it out already, sargeant! We don't have all day!"
"It's better if you see it for yourself, ma'am."
"Then play it already!"
"Yes, ma'am."
After a few seconds the video began playing on one of the monitors. All they saw were blurs of colors that looked human shaped.
"Wait, wait, wait. Sergeant, how do you expect us to see anything if you're playing the video in fast forward?"
"Uh, ma'am, that's normal playback speed, not fast forward."
The entire bridge crew who were watching blinked.
Interesting. The commander of Nerv thought as he watched along with everyone else.
"Repeat what you last said, sergeant. I thought you said that was normal playback speed."
"That's what I said, ma'am. Believe it or not, that's normal playback speed, ma'am. The kids are moving that fast."
Misato felt a vein bulge on her forehead before something occurred to her. She turned to Ritsuko with a triumphant grin while pointing her right index finger at the scientist. "See! See! I told you so! But would you believe me! Noooo!" She crowed. "You'd rather think I was drinking while on duty! Hah! Report me to the Commander, my ass!"
The bridge operator crew sweatdropped at the manic look on the Operations Director's face who was now practically in Dr. Akagi's face, forcing the other woman to lean backwards, and continuing to rant like a lunatic.
At that moment Ranma and the girls broke apart for a second to evaluate each other before continuing the fight allowing the bridge crew to see their faces for the first time.
"Captain Katsuragi."
"Urk!" Misato stopped abruptly from waving a pair of victory fans and turned stiffly to face the voice of doom that had spoken from above. The fans vanished. "Yes, Commander?" She was suddenly all business.
"Who are those children?"
"Uh, I met them when I went to pick up your son, Commander. The boy's name is Ranma Saotome. I wasn't able to get the girls' names, however. Saotome seems to be the leader of their group. They saved our lives and then helped us get back to Tokyo-3 when a missile destroyed my car. In return I promised to provide them with some camping supplies."
"How old are they?"
"Um, they appear to be your son's age, Commander."
"I see." A suitable dramatic pause where everyone unconsciously waited with bated breath. "Dr. Akagi."
"Yes, Commander?"
"We are in need of pilots and those children seem to have potential." Fuyutsuki raised an eyebrow at that. "The Marduk Institute may have missed them."
"Understood, Commander. I will take care of it right away."
"Good. I leave it to you then."
Fuyutsuki leaned over Gendo's shoulder again. "Do you think that's wise, Ikari? We know very little about those children."
"And we won't find out more unless we ask. The risks are acceptable if we proceed with caution, telling them only what they need to know." Shinji's father answered through his hands. "They may prove useful. If not, we simply send them on their way."
"Very well." Fuyutsuki straightened again.
xxxxxxxxxx
A couple of hours later Ranma, Akane, Kodachi, Shampoo and Ukyou were lounging around the gym after they had showered and dressed in new clothes. They looked up when they heard the door to the gym open and saw several people enter. They recognized Misato and Sergeant Fujiwara immediately as the new arrivals walked over to where they were. They stood up when they saw Tanaka and Tanuki snap to attention and salute the captain which she returned.
Katsuragi addressed the teens. "I hope everyone's fine."
"Um, yeah. We're fine although a couple of hours ago I thought the whole building was gonna come down on us."
"Oh, that. Nothing to worry about anymore."
"Then you guys beat the Angel?"
"Yes." Misato answered with pride.
"Cool! How'd you do it?"
"Sorry but I can't tell you." Misato apologized. "So aside from that, how was your stay?"
Ranma shrugged. Feh. "Fine. The sergeant and his men have been very hospitable."
"Good. Before we give you your supplies and send you kids on your way, there's someone who wants to talk to you first, if you don't mind."
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Talk?" His eyes flicked over to the blond woman in the white lab coat.
Ritsuko noticed the boy looking at her. "Yes. I'm Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, First Engineering Division and the Supervisor of Project E and this is Lieutenant Maya Ibuki, she will be assisting me." The lady scientist indicated the uniformed short-haired young woman beside her who was clutching something like a tablet PC to her chest.
"Nice to meet ya." He bowed politely to both women. "I'm Ranma Saotome and these are Akane Tendou, Kodachi Kunou, Shampoo and Ukyou Kounji."
Maya recorded the names on the tablet computer for future reference. Background checks would be done later.
"Pleasure to meet you also." Ritsuko replied before blinking. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. "Shampoo? Your name's Shampoo?" She asked the purple-haired girl.
The purple haired girl sighed inwardly. I really, really hate that question. Can't they just give it a rest already? Outwardly she smiled. "I'm Chinese."
"Oh, I see. You seem to speak Japanese very well. No accent at all."
"Thank you. I've had years of practice."
Ritsuko nodded at the explanation.
"Anyway, what is it ya wanna talk to us about?"
"I think it would be better if we talk in a more comfortable setting."
"Can't you give us a hint of what you wanna talk about? That way we won't waste anyone's time more than necessary. I'm sure you're all pretty busy here."
Ritsuko didn't let her surprise come to her face. He doesn't talk like a fourteen year old. Very self-assured. "Very well. I will go straight to the point, then. We, meaning Nerv, were intrigued by the abilities you've shown."
"Abilities we've shown?" Ranma looked around and spotted what he was looking for. "Security cameras."
With good deductive abilities. I will have to be careful in how I deal with him. "Yes, the sergeant was kind enough to record your little sparring session earlier..."
"He didn't record anything in showers, did he?"
Ritsuko was slightly taken aback by the question. "Ah, I do not think so."
"Good. I don't wanna beat up someone who's been treating us good so far."
Sergeant Fujiwara bristled a little but checked himself. If the sparring session they witnessed was any indication of the kid's skill level then the only thing he would accomplish by confronting the boy would be to embarrass himself. Snot-nosed punk kid.
"I'm sure the sergeant appreciates it. Anyway, as I have said, we were intrigued by the abilities you've shown in your sparring session. I admit when Captain Katsuragi told me how you carried her and Shinji back here from Tokai, I was more than skeptical but now I see there may have been some merit in the claims she made. That is why we have a proposition for all of you."
"What kind of proposition?"
"Like I said, it would be better if we talk about it in a more comfortable setting."
"How long will this talk take?"
"A couple of hours at the most. Like you said we are all very busy people. If you do not agree to our proposition, Nerv will not only give you all the camping supplies you need, we will provide transportation to where ever you are headed and even some cash as compensation for any inconvenience it might cause you. Interested?"
Ranma looked at his companions who all shrugged. "Sure. Why not? It's not like we have somewhere to be real bad in the next two hours. And I wouldn't mind having another chance to eat at that cafeteria of yours again."
"Thank you and I'm sure I can arrange for some food to be brought to the conference room. Now if you children will follow me..."
"Uh, excuse me, Dr. Akagi?"
"Yes... Akane, correct?"
"Yes. Um, do you know what happened to Shinji?"
Ritsuko's face took on a calculating look. She considered doctoring the truth but decided they would find out the facts about Shinji later if they proved capable of synchronizing with the Evas and agreed to pilot them for Nerv. Best to earn some trust for now. She choosed her words carefully. "Shinji is fine but he is recovering at the moment."
"Recovering? From what, Dr. Akagi? He looked perfectly fine a few hours ago." Ukyou said.
"He was the one who fought and defeated the Angel."
Ranma boggled. "Really! That kid! Ya gotta be kidding!" Can't imagine it.
"I am quite serious, Mr. Saotome. Shinji fought and defeated the Angel."
"How?" Respect for the other boy went up a notch.
"I'm sorry but I cannot tell you more for security reasons. I hope you understand."
Ranma grumbled and pouted. "Yeah, yeah." Just when things were starting to get interesting.
Maya giggled softly at the dour but cute look on Ranma's face. She blushed and hid her smile behind the tablet PC when her senior gave her a questioning look. The lieutenant blushed even deeper when Misato leaned over her shoulder and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I think he's a bit too young for you, Maya."
"Captain!" Ritsuko's protégé was scandalized, her eyes wide and mouth forming a circle as she turned to her superior. "It's not like that!" Misato and the guards snickered.
"Besides," The violet haired one continued in what she hoped to be a voice full of wisdom as she saw an opportunity to get back at Ranma. "He may be cute but he's a jackass. His girlfriends said so themselves, right?" Misato looked in the general direction of Ukyou who reddened in guilt.
"Um, I didn't really mean..." Ukyou tried to correct Misato but the older looking woman ignored her and continued to speak to Maya. The chef sent an apologetic look to Ranma.
"You deserve someone better, Maya. Much better."
The guards nodded in full agreement. She deserved better.
Ranma gave Misato and the guards dirty looks and was about to protest in his defense when Ritsuko sighed and cleared her throat to get the conversation back on track. She returned her attention to the pigtailed boy.
"However, if our meeting prove fruitful, Ranma, you might learn much more than just how Shinji was able to fight and defeat the Angel." Dr. Akagi offered as enticement, noting the boy's interest on the subject.
Ranma and the girls quirked an eyebrow each. "In that case, you've got my attention, Dr. Akagi."
"Excellent! However, Ranma, you should keep in mind that everything you are about to learn are classified information. You are not to talk about it with anyone else. Understood?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Ranma waved his hand dismissively as he bent to pick up his pack. "So lead on then."
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Author's notes.
1. I don't know what the name of the city the first scene in NGE took place in is. I don't think it was Tokyo-3. If anyone knows please let me know.
Well, I thought I'd try my hand at a cross-over for a change. So how do you guys like it? Why Ranma and NGE? No particular reason.
I'm also thinking of making this into one possible future for "A Mother's Tale." Just one possibility, mind you and I'll take care not to tell too many spoilers.
The opening scene of NGE I took from both the anime and manga. I'll probably take elements from both the anime and manga throughout the fic.
There's not much NGE but that should change in the next chapter.
As always, feedback will be welcomed. If I messed up anything, let me know.
Thanks to the people on the AniFics Anime FanFiction Forum for all their comments and feedback.
To those waiting for updates to "A Mother's Tale" and "Kiddie Adventure" don't worry too much. I'm working on them. Really, I am. Honest! Is this the kind of face that lies?