'Its 10:00 PM. Do you know where your double agents are? Even as I speak, they could be pilfering the personnel files, or stealing security passes, or maybe even laundering money and leaving you hanging out to dry.'
SneakSneak
"Und dann hat sie gesagt, 'Oh, so hat mir noch niemand die Zunge rausgestreckt. Aber hier ist zu viel los, kommst du nachher auf mein Zimmer?'"
SneakSneak
"Heh. Und was ist mit deiner Frau?"
"Was soll mit meiner Frau sein? Die war in Zrich. Die hat doch keine Ahnung."
SneakSneak
"Ganz schn durchtrieben, Mann. Wirklich cool. Real Smooth."
SneakSneakBRIIING!
"Hey, hast du was gehrt? Was war das?"
"Hm? War das ein Telefon?"
Once again, Ryouji Kaji found himself in a particularly tight situation. Being where you generally weren't supposed to was easy for him; trying to be as silent as a ninja and sneak past security guards, while having a cell phone ringing in his pocket, wasn't.
"shit.."
Cursing softly, he pulled the evil device from his pocket and killed the shrill noise by turning it on. "what?" he snarled as vehemently as he could, given his present circumstances -IE, Nerv-Germany's Central Dogma, twenty or so levels below that which his security clearance allowed.
"Schnell! Ruf ein Sicherheitsteam!"
"Wir SIND das Sicherheitsteam!"
"Bist du dir da sicher?"
"Do you have it yet?"
Kaji ducked behind a corner just as a guard appeared from the opposite direction, the automatic rifle normally about the man's shoulders now in his hands.
"look, Gendou.. this is NOT a good time."
"That is irrelevant. Do you have the objective?"
Kaji rolled his eyes and his body to the left, ducking into a large office as the guard came nearer. "No, I don't."
"When will you?"
Kaji eyed the filing cabinets before him warily, as if they were rabid beasts. "If you bugger off and let me work? Maybe twenty minutes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm hanging up before the guard sees me and decides that I'm not supposed to be here -which, of course, I'm NOT. Tell me again why I'm doing this?" He dropped his voice lower as a sharp Taptaptaping began to echo about him. "And make it quick!"
"As I told you during your mission briefing, we need to gain possession of Unit Two and retrieve Adam; Seele is the only organization who possesses information on its whereabouts -and you, currently, are the only one who can get it for me."
"Yeah? Well, if Seele has it, why am I running around this blonde fraulin?" God save me from bureaucratic fools..
"Nerv-G is almost exclusively staffed with Seele compromised personnel, which is how I want it. Easier to get the information you want if your enemy is willing to give it to you, if only to keep up appearances. Oh, that and Adam may possibly be housed in the Nerv-G facility as well."
"..uh huh.. Well, Ta Ta dearie. Mr. Smith's here." He jabbed the off button, removed the battery, and hurled the cellular across the hall and into an elevator; the phone somehow managing to ricochet off the interior and hit the 'up' button. Kaji smiled. "Yes! Score one for our hero."
"Schnell, da hinten!"
Both guards, hearing the friendly Bing, ran to the elevator, only to watch it ascend without them. Swearing, the young men dashed for the only other elevator on this level, which happened to be clear across the complex.
That suited Kaji just fine...
\-/' Neon Genesis Evangelion: Honor's Duty " Stanza Five: Cardiac Arrested
One foot after the other.. Maya thought, not walking as much as sulking back to her small apartment within the Geofront. C'mon, damn it.. this isn't too bad.. I've lost the chance to talk to Ritsu before... She clenched her teeth and her fists, beginning to growl slightly, But.. Damn! I was so close this time! I coulda talked to her, I know it! If only..
"..if only that damn fool of an idiot Ikari hadn't come in right then.. I'd've.. I'd've.." She sighed, finding herself in front of her door. She pulled her keys from her pocket and unlocked it, stepping through, her anger at Ikari dissipating as the door behind her closed and locked again with a loud Click. I'd've been out with Ritsu.. and not here.. alone.. She slid down the hard steel surface of the door until she was sitting in the foyer, her arms wrapped around her knees, crying softly.
".. not here.. alone.. again.." She managed between sobs.
After several long, tear filled moments she calmed herself, standing shakily, and looked at the mirror across from her; the tired, downcast, heartbroken soul that stared back almost caused her to break down again. She took a few tentative steps closer, wiping her eyes on the long sleeves of her uniform. "C'mon, Ibuki!" She said softy, her lips trembling, "There's always tomorrow. And then the day after.. and the one after that.. and -I'm so pathetic."
She slumped forward, her forehead pressing against the cool reflective surface of the mirror, both she and her double crying softly. She took a deep, shuddering breath and forced herself to stop. She slowly opened her eyes, looking at the table she kept in front of the mirror.
Which, oddly enough, had a book on it.
Maya, being a romance novel junkie, owned several hundred especially cheesy volumes in her collection (Which she normally kept out of sight in the sturdy cedar box under her television). This happened to be one of the Limburger order. It should also be noted that it looked well used. With one final sniff, she scooped the book into her arms, meaning to place it out of sight with its sisters; regardless, curiosity overcame her on the way, and she opened the book to the marker.
\\"Oh, Louise .. Hold me!" Sheridan cried softly, embracing the object of her desire. "Just for a moment.. I feel so safe in your arms."\\
\\Louise lightly stroked Sheridan's luxurious, yet boyishly short mane of blonde hair affectionately as he whispered to her, "Sheridan, my darling, I would do anything for you.."\\
\\"Oh, Hank! I am so glad you called..\\
\\"HANK?"\\
Thump
The book met the floor as Maya slowly raised her numb hands to her cheeks, looking forlornly at the telephone. "..'So glad you called'.." she quoted.
If the book, entitled 'Passions', had half the brain Louise might have had before taking so many steroids, it would have noted that this was the one hundred and sixty first time this same scenario had replayed itself over the exact same number of days.
"..no, I.. I couldn't just call her.. I mean, what would I say? What would she say? Ouuooo.. it'd be so embarrassing!"
Tune in tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel, ne? Fortunately for our sanity, no.
As embarrassing as tugging on Ritsuko's labcoat like a small child because you were scared of Captain Katsuragi's tone of voice? some small, possibly annoyed, romance novel hating portion of her psyche responded. Just call 'er, least she can do is not talk to you, ya?
Maya's lower lip began to tremble softly as she stepped ever closer to the phone. "b-bu-b-but.. I don't know her number!"
If the voice in her head could sweat drop, it would have been doing so while cursing. Use the phonebook, ya moron!
"oh.."
\-/'
The worst part of Shinji's day hadn't been fighting the Angel.. Oh no. The worst part wasn't even when Misato had beaten him soundly over the head with a hot Wok.
No, the worst part of his day was when Misato and Ritsuko had both lugged the keg out of his soon to be bedroom.. and then decided that the promptest way of disposing of it was through consumption.
"After all, what's a party without beer?" Misato had argued.
He was currently sandwiched somewhere in between the two women, a position he had been desiring not four hours ago, and which they had wanted no part in. But if Shinji had one rule when it came to women, it was never to do anything with one that was drunk; it spoils the fun. He had found it fairly easy to uphold that rule, being one to avoid alcohol and the type of people who consumed mass quantities of it, until now. Misa and Ritsu, on the other hand, were a wee bit harder to avoid.
Shinji sighed, slumping in the group embrace as the women broke into another drinking song, and contemplated his glass of water. Why he was drinking water is simply an act of genius: it's hard to spike water with beer. Alas, it was also his fifteenth glass this evening, the previous 14 having fallen pray to beer contamination; and since Misato had opened a bottle of Sake not ten minutes ago, he feared his current glass was spiked as well. I'm not even gonna touch it..
"Gwaaaaa!"
Misato had wrapped her arm around his neck while he was thinking, and proceeded to give him a nugie. "Innut'is fun!"
"Hey! Oww, damnit! Lemme go! That hurts!" She did so, laughing at him. He growled softly. "Oh, yess.. FUN. Sittin' here, crammed between two beautiful women-"
"Waaaaarrrkk!" Pen-Pen warked indignantly, then took another long pull from his Yebisu.
"-... Okay, Two women and a Penguin who are all thoroughly smashed and outrank me."
"Pen-Pen outranks you?"
Ritsuko 'Sig Hail'ed the floundering fowl. "Mein Fuhrer! Leader of the Avian race!"
Pen-Pen returned it, the motion upsetting his balance. He fell backwards with a loud Clang and a surprised "WarK!". The good doctor found this amusing.
Shinji elbowed Ritsuko in the ribs, albeit gently, while Misato set about righting the penguin. "Not funny."
Misato straightened the bird out, raised his arms, and adjusted the angle of his head slightly. She then let go. Pen-Pen pin-wheeled his arms for a brief moment before Clanking to the floor again. Misato shrugged, and set about removing his back-pack unit. "Me thinks the bird is too tipsy to wear this right now."
She handed it to Shinji. "Hold this."
"Eh? Umn, sure." He watched as she propped the bird up next to the table. This time, he stayed up. "What is this thing, anyway?" Ritsuko's arm went around his neck as she leaned in closer, and he could smell the alcohol on her breath.
"It's a really cool toy. A Personal Jet Ski, yeah! Those little holes on top are the intake nozzles, and the back has the propeller and exhaust vents. Solar powered, battery has a life of twelve hours in use, and cost twenty two thousand yen to build."
"So.." he said, "Dropping it would be a bad thing."
Ritsuko shrugged, pulling away. "It's fairly impact resistant, has to be, 'cause he falls on it all the time."
"But he's a penguin, why's he need a jet ski?"
"Something they did to him in the test labs.." Misato said softly, "..screwed him up, big time. He can swim, but not too good any more; so we convinced the guy's down in R&D to build that for him. It's got a built in ballast and a heater, too."
"Ah. Explains the Nerv logo on the underside."
Pen-pen looked to Misato and squeaked.
"Ok, okay. But if you fall over, it's your fault." She said, snatching the jet ski from Shinji and attempting to get it back on.
Ritsuko shook her head and reached for another beer. Shinji placed his hand on hers, effectively stopping her. She looked to him quizzically.
"You do realize you have work tomorrow morning, right?"
"Nerv's regulations state that in the event of an angel attack, all staff on duty during said attack have the following day as leave, in hopes of keeping stress low and moral high." She said, smiling. "So, no work tomorrow Shin-chan."
"Ah, that's why you're getting so drunk. And here I thought you were just celebrating my win."
"Awww, nah. THAT was a given!" Misato said, blinking at the clasps to Pen-Pen's jet ski. "Why are there FOUR of these things?"
".. So then there're backup personnel, right?" Shinji said to Ritsuko.
"Of course! ..unless it's Saturday tomorrow-"
"It is." Misato supplied.
"-'cause then they have the day off too. It is..?" Ritsuko turned her eyes skyward, letting the gears turn. "Then.."
"Then..?" Shinji said softly, beginning to feel an odd sense of dread fall over him.
"Then Third shift should show up and take over.. But they haven't been hired yet 'cause the Personnel Department's been dragging their asses. Misato, Call HQ and tell Second Shift to keep working?"
"Can't. It's twenty after twelve."
Shinji looked to Misato, who leaned on him heavily; taking a brake and reaching for another bottle of Sake. "Why..? Don't tell me they get off at.."
"Midnight?" She finished for him, smiling. "Uh huh, they do."
His head spun back to Ritsuko fast enough to generate a small breeze. "Then who's watchin' for the Angels?"
"The Magi'll monitor the sensors.. no worries. If they spot something, their proggied to call me up on my phone.." She pointed to a phone across the room which was covered in various cat-shaped stickers, "Over there."
Shinji blinked. The phone rang. Shinji sweat-dropped.
Ritsuko adopted the look of 'cute-yet-thoroughly-surprised'. "Hot damn. I knew it, my hands are cursed. I should never point at anything ever again. Never. Eyourg" Using the table as a boost, she stood up and blearily walked over to the phone. "Moshi-Moshi?"
Shinji had exactly two seconds of terror as Dr. Akagi's expression changed from one of cheerful drunkenness to professionalism. Then.. "..No, I do not want to change my long distance carrier." Click.
Shinji relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. The phone rang again.
'\-/'
Maya almost dropped the phone when she heard Dr. Akagi's voice. "Moshi-Moshi?"
"A.. a.. ano.. G-g-g-good E-evening, Sempai.."
"Maya, that you?"
Maya thought she could hear a gasp of terror from somewhere in the background, but couldn't be sure. "H-hai.." She said, nervously twining her fingers in the phone cord. "Yes, it.. it's me."
"What's up, something wrong? You've never called me at home before.."
She panicked. "Oh, nonononono! Nothing wrong, I just.. umn, just wanted to chat? Yes.." She took a calming breath. "Yes, Chat. Hehe.."
"Oh, sure, hang on a sec.." then a muffled, "Shinji! You can breathe now, She's only called to talk."
"Damnit! What'cha tryin' ta do, kill me? Don't look so serious!"
Maya blinked. So that's where the Commander's son had gotten off to. "Ikari-kun is over there? Why?"
"He saved our asses and my daughter's life, Maya. I think I'm kinda indebted to him, a bit.."
She nodded. "Oh, yeah.."
"Hey! Shinji! Come over here and help me get this strap on Pen-Pen, would ya? I'm having a hell of a time!"
"What? Misato! You've got it on him backwards! Move, will you?"
"Oh, geeze. Will you two cut it out, I'm on the phone!"
Maya blinked. "Umn, Sempai? What's going on over there?"
"Huh? Oh. Well, it's like this -Hey!"
"WarK!"
"Get back here you little runt! Shinji, grab him!"
"Hey! Get out from between my legs, Pen-Pen, I'm gonna fall! Misato, can't you keep him busy?"
"How? Strip and bounce?"
"Now that would be interesting.."
"Waaark!"
"Eugh! Don't wave that thing at me, you littl-!"
"Ha! Got you! Shinji, put it on him now!"
"Umn.. How exactly does this thing strap on?" There was a pause. "Damn, I just can't seem to get it on Pen-Pen just right.."
"Just a second and I'll help you with it.. I think you have it positioned wrong."
Maya's mouth felt dry. "Ano.. I'll call back. Later." MUCH Later.
"Huh? Maya? Wait, it's o-" Click
Maya looked at the phone. She had done the impossible. She had hung up on her Sempai! "But just what in the hell are they doing over there?"
A moment of pure silence settled over her, broken only by the keen whaling of a passing car-train.
"Note to self: When you go on your dinner date with Ritsuko, make sure the restaurant serves liquor.."
'\-/'
Ritsuko blinked at the phone, then placed it back on its cradle. "Damn, you two scared her off. Now, hand me the bird."
Misato gingerly passed the struggling penguin to Ritsu, and Shinji handed her the jet ski. A few snaps later, and it was in place. "Not too hard, was it?"
Misato waved her off, heading towards the table and a beer. "Yeah, yeah.."
She knelt and let the frustrated Pen-Pen go, and he quickly waddled back to his beer. He picked it up and moved clear across the room, settling down with a ruffled squawk. "You think he's upset?" Shinji asked. Ritsuko just shrugged.
The phone rang again. "Today is just not my day." Ritsu sighed, picking up the receiver. "Moshi-Moshi..? Haaaa!"
Shinji's head snapped quickly over to the doctor, terror revisited as Ritsuko's beautiful face tightened in concern. Then.. "I'm so sorry you're lonely, sweetheart. I'll be sure to visit you tomorrow.. umn, afternoon. Wha..? No, I'm not Drunk! Well, not that drunk. Maybe a little.." He exhaled all the tension he had built up as Ritsu laughed nervously. "Ok, ok.. umn, say.. would you like to talk to Shinji?"
Said boy made the universal 'Who, me?' gesture. Ritsu smiled and waggled the phone at him. Misato giggled slightly and tossed an empty beer can at his head. He caught it. "Go get 'er, lover-boi!"
"Mou.." he complained, crumpling the can and tossing it into the large pile with its brothers. He took the phone from the smiling doctor and grimaced slightly before speaking. "Umn.. Moshi-Moshi?"
A soft, tired "Hi." answered, followed by a short laugh. "Sorry, but you sound scared."
"I am." He grumped. "Your mom said that there's no one at Command till Sunday, 'Cause they got tomorrow off, and Second shift's got it off.."
A small peal of laughter came through the handset. "..and Third shift hasn't been hired yet. Well, Hospital staff is here, I'm here.. If an Angel attacks, you'll save me again.. won't you?"
"Re-.. Ayanami, I.. Of course I would."
"Mnnmm.. You can call me Rei, you know.. And I know you'd save me, you're that kind of guy, ne?"
He blew out a puff of air as he leaned against the wall. "I try to be. How ya feeling? You doing ok?"
"Yeah, a bit better. My arm feels fuzzy, like it's there, but not. It's.. odd, really. Mom says it'll go away after a while, so I guess it's okay."
"Yeah?" He said, not knowing how to sympathize with that. "Er.. Your ma seems to know what she's doin'.. most of the time." Ritsuko 'Duh'ed him upside the back of the head. "Gaa! Hey! Watch the hair!"
He heard Rei suppress a giggle. "Now that you had coming. Don't you go talkin' smack 'bout my ma, foo."
"Err.. Right."
"Hey, Umn.. Shinji-kun, I gotta go. Head nurse is staring at me."
"Ok, Umn, Sleep well Rei. I'll come by and visit ya tomorro-"
"Nope, nuh uh, no way, BuzzzzzT" Misato said, tossing yet another Yebisu can at the pile of empties and missing terribly, knocking Pen-Pen in the noggin instead.
"Warrrrrk!"
"Umn, Sorry."
"I can't see Rei? Why not?"
"'Cause you gots school, bub." Ikari looked from the purple haired one to the blonde haired one, but both women were nodding. He sighed in resignation.
"..Okaaayy.. Scratch that, I'll see ya 'round noonish, then."
"Why?" Ayanami asked.
"Looks like I have school. Joy upon joy."
"Ah, it isn't that bad. Kurasawa-sensei'll bore you to tears, though. He always talks about the second impact on Saturdays. Eeep! Umn, now I really have to go. Later Shinji!"
"Yeah, later."
After hanging up, he leveled both women with a glare. "Who's idea was it to send me to school when I did all the hard work yesterday and both of you get the day off tomorrow?"
"Your father's." came the reply, in stereo.
Shinji deflated. "Mooooouu... damn it." He closed his eyes, shook his head, then headed for his room. "Would one of you be so kind as to wake me tomorrow morning?"
"Not a chance."
"That we'd be kind," Asked Ritsuko, "Or that we'll even see morning..?"
"Both.." Misato replied, eyeing her beer can before tossing it away and grabbing a fresh one.
"Mnnmm.. I suppose you're right."
Shinji's eyebrow twitched. "Good Night Ladies."
"Night."
"Night!"
"Warrk!"
The eyebrow twitched again as he slid his door shut. Luckily, his travel bag had arrived at the apartment while he was in the hospital. He opened it, rummaged a bit, and retrieved his alarm clock. After plugging it into the wall, he set the time and the alarm, then adjusted the volume to 'Raise the Dead' and flopped into the futon.
"This is ridiculous.."
'\-/'
"Class.. We have a new student." The elderly sensei, Kurasawa Mijimou, said as he pushed up his glasses. "Ikari-kun, would you please introduce yourself..?"
Shinji, dressed in a standard boys school uniform, gave the older man a curt nod in affirmation. After scrawling his name across the chalkboard in hideously lazy Kanji, he turned to face the class. "I'm Ikari Shinji. I'm a second year student, transferred here from Kobe." He did a quick bow, then yawned. "And I'm tired. Where do I sit?"
Sensei looked a bit miffed at being treated so badly, but pointed him in the right direction. "Behind Kanazaki-san. Kanazaki, raise your hand please?"
And so, the drudgery started. Until noon.
"..and so, the great civilization of man, that had take-"
Slide The door slid open, cutting the old man off. Shinji paused in mid yawn, and almost yelled in surprise. "R-!"
"Ayanami Kizuko!" Shouted the class rep, a girl with brown hair and the name of Hikari. Shinji found the name easy to remember because of the similarity to his. "You're late! This is the second time this week you've interrupted class before lunch break! Why can't you just come in after lunch is over!"
"Miss Hikari! That will be enough. Ayanami, please take your seat."
"Yes, sir." The wounded girl replied.
So that's Rei's sister.. Shinji thought, looking her over, a wolfish smile tugging at his lips. "What a babe.."
The girl seated in front of him turned a bit, nodding. "Yeah, I thought so too, but she's as cold as ice. Not that I wouldn't mind helping her undress anyway.. Her sister on the other hand-" Her eyes went hazy and she sighed, slumping in her seat a little, her hands clasped under her chin. She squealed in delight. "Now there's a babe!"
Shinji idly caught the chalk eraser after it bounced off her head. "Kanazaki! Be quiet!"
"Cough Cough! Yes, sir!"
"Humnn..." He said, watching Kizuko weave her way to her desk, tossing the eraser in the air and catching it again a few times. As she sat, her single crimson eye locked with his, and an electric trill went up his spine, causing him to drop the eraser. Oh hoo..
Lunch break couldn't come too soon for him.
'\-/'
"So.. you're Rei's sister, huh?"
She turned halfway from her place at the roof's railing to look at him. "And you are Commander Ikari's son, correct?"
"It would appear so." He said, joining her, looking out over the school grounds. The students milled about, eating, talking with friends, and playing as high school students will. He could feel her looking at him, as if she were trying to measure his worth. He ignored it and enjoyed the view.
At length, she spoke. "Granted."
Startled by the quiet girl, he turned to look at her. "What?"
"You may use Unit Zero." she said, looking over the schoolyard once more.
"Oh. Umn, Thanks. Always good to know your soul won't be destroyed while you fight to save the world in a piece of ornery equipment.." He deadpanned.
She failed to smile; she just nodded.
Shinji's eyebrow twitched. "eeeehhh.. yeah. So, how long have you been in on this project?"
"Seven years."
"That so?" His voice lifted, carrying the note of the genuinely interested. "I guess my father was getting prepared. Like a Chef! He's got all the ingredients ready to serve us up a nice big slice of disaster pie.." He snorted. "Feh. What a good analogy I made."
"..." She continued to watch the world as it went by.
"Not funny?" he asked, leaning his back against the rail.
"..?" He attracted her gaze for a second, before it turned elsewhere.
He waited for her to say something, anything, simply watching her. She didn't seem to mind.
After an hour, Shinji felt fairly convinced he could draw her portrait blindfolded.
"Kizuko," he said a moment later, observing her from the corner of his eye, ".. from this day on, I swear I'll be doing everything in my power to make you laugh."
"...?" She took a step back from the railing, looking at him curiously. "Why?"
"Its just Joy. Purely. You'll feel like a Neuman! Err, woman."
"I do not understand.." She said, cocking her head at a slight angle.
"It's a joke."
"A Joke?" She paused, looking down. "Ah, a grouping of words into a structure designed to elicit humor from another and promote happiness." She looked up at him again, tilting her head to the other side with a cute expression of puzzlement written there. "You wish to promote happiness within me?"
He blinked. "Err.. yeah. That's one way of puttin' it."
"Why?"
"Why not?" Shrugging, he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It's what I do. Makes me happy to make others happy, you know?"
"No."
He shook his head. "That's sad, really." He took a dramatic pose as he continued, "But, worry not your pretty little head! You'll learn happiness if I have to write it into your Eva's basic programming!"
"Altering the Evangelion's BeOS Parameters is punishable by death." She said in a complete monotone.
A bit of spark left his pose. "BeOS! So, if I install Windows2ndImpact, I'm a dead man?"
She blinked.
"..." he picked his flair up again with gusto. "Then death it will be, if it comes to that." He bowed to her, then headed for the stairwell. "Until later then, Ayanami. Food need eat."
She blinked twice (SqueegieSqueegie) before resuming her people watching. He is.. Odd.
'\-/'
School was almost ended. The buildings were not yet locked, awaiting the return of various club members to retrieve their things. The cleaning shift was in full swing, rearranging chairs and desks for the few classrooms still in use.
That didn't stop one individual.
12:47.13 PM. ShinSeiki Kotogakkou, Women's Locker Room.
Swipe
"Plain White. Gotta love the old fashion girls.."
Swipe
"Atomic Purple! Talk about setting a trend.."
Swipe
"Ouuooo... See through lace.. Very Risqué. I like."
Swipe
"A Black Bra! Life.. is mysterious.."
Swipe
"Goldenrod! You mean, they actually make stuff in this color?"
Swipe
"Oh ho ho ho! I can't believe this.. This is so 80's Anime.. This is going into my Personal collection."
Voices. Faint, but growing louder. His hypersensitive ears alerted him of the danger of discovery. He looked forlornly at the veritable treasure trove that yet lay before him; but strengthened his resolve. There's always tomorrow!
With one final look, he cinched his pack and called out his trademark phrase.
"High-Ho! Silkies, Away!"
'\-/'
Something was hitting her lightly on the head. Rei ignored it, snuggling deeper into the hospital sheets. Whatever it was tapped her again, more insistently. She made a small sound of displeasure.
"Yo."
"Mnnnnmmm.. Goway."
"Geeze, you're Lazy. I even brought flowers."
Rei pulled the covers over her head. "Ma, goway."
"I ain't your Mom." The voice said, which caused her to wake up a bit more. "And quit hidin' under there!" She tried to surround herself with more fabric, but it wouldn't give. In fact, it went the other way.
"Aaah!"
"EH!"
The covers were back in place, but the sight of Rei's bosom was still firmly engraved on his mind. "Shinji!"
"pink. I like pink."
She blushed, wrapping the covers about herself as tightly as she could with one arm. "Mou... Jerk."
He pulled them off again. She tried to resist him, but he was too strong. His hands explored her body, touching her, enticing her. And finally, as his roving hands moved down across her flat stomach, invad-
'\-/'
He pulled the covers off again. This time for real. "Rei, Wake up."
"Eyaaaaaah!"
Crack
"Owwwww!" Shinji could feel the hot hand print across his jaw as he looked at her bra and panty clad form in confusion. Then in curiosity. He leaned over her, causing her to back away, and him to lean closer in response. Her right hand was trying to keep him at bay by being firmly planted on his chest, her pushing with all her strength. "Hold still, would you?"
Despite her outrage, and probably because of her still sleepy condition, she stopped trying to push him away for a moment. "What?"
"Hold still."
He was still staring at her intently. But not at her at her, she realized, but at her left shoulder and arm. "What are you doing?" She said, as he covered the rest of her with the blankets.
"There's no scar."
She blinked sleepily. "No.. Scar?"
"No, none. And there really should be. How.. odd."
With a look of absolute disdain for him, she grumbled something about dreams. "Whatever. Where're the flowers?"
"Flowers? What flowers?"
She grumbled again. "Ogle me and don't even bring me flowers.. some people."
He shrugged. "Sorry. Didn't know you slept in your undies. I'll have to remember that if your mom ever sends me in to wake you up."
She shook her head, then looked down in embarrassment, her face obscured by her blue hair. "I don't sleep like this normally. It's Nerv hospital regulation. So they can have you in a plugsuit in under twelve seconds if you're catatonic."
"You're still almost nekkid." He said, slouching in the chair next to her bed.
"Your Point..?" She ground out. He simply smiled back. "Pervert."
"This, said to the guy who saved your life? TiskTisk, I said I was sorry."
"You don't Act like it."
"You're right -I don't. How could I be? You're beautiful."
"Grrrrrrr..."
He laughed. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry.." He said, bowing in his chair, right hand held vertically in front of his face as he did so. "Really, I am. If I'd've known, I wouldn't've done that." He coughed into his hand. "Anyway, glad to see you're up."
"I'm sure you'd rather see me 'nekkid' than 'up'."
"Of course.." He said, openly leering at her for a second before composing himself. "But that ain't gonna happen."
She noticed something. "What's that in your shirt pocket? Fabric?"
"Huh?" He looked, then stuffed it deeper into said pocket. "Oh, umn, just a handkerchief."
"Pink?"
He ruffled. "Somethin' wrong with that? I happen to like Pink."
"With 'Hello Kitty' on it?"
His eyebrow twitched. "Hello Kitty is Rad, I'll have you know." He managed between clenched teeth. "I prefer KeroKeropi, but today was just a Hello Kitty day."
"And lace trim?" She said, placidly.
Damn it! She knows.. "Lay. Off."
"Pervert."
He grumbled darkly, folding his arms over his chest and looking off to the side. "Well, at least you know to be on your toes now."
"Indeed."
He shuddered. "Could you, like, never say that again? You sound just like pops.."
"And now you sound like your sister!"
"..sorry.."
'\-/' Stanza Five: Cardiac Arrested " End
Author's Note:
Updated German bits submitted by Swedish15 from As I don't speak German, I fully appreciate the corrections from someone who does. Thanks!
-JJ Corley