Disclaimer: I don not own NGE. Wish I did, but I don't; remember I'm lazy for the most part.
January 15, 2033
Tokyo-3
Geo Front: Gendo Ikari's office. 04:30 hours
"Krefta, I have the information you requested." Gendo said to Krefta.
Krefta finished the last bit of his coffee. "Is that so?"
Gendo slid a disk to Krefta. "It's all there. Location, time, layout of the complex, and security forces."
Krefta nodded and reached for the coffee pot that sat there on the desk and poured him an other cup of coffee. "Excellent… Would you like to meet the other two other children that will accompany Natsuki?"
Gendo nodded.
Looking tourds the shadows of the office, two people wake out in to the little light that was in the office. "Chairmen." The two said.
"Mr. Ikari these are what we have growing in my labs, these are the Children of SEELE." Krefta said.
Gendo nodded. "Vary well, operations will start tomorrow morning."
Katsuragi house hold; 05:40 hours
Laying there in his bed, Kenji slept soundly… well that is until his alarm clock went off making his eyes snap open; reaching over to the night stand shutting off the alarm clock. Then he went back to sleep. That is until his mother flung the door open
"Move it mister, you've got school!"
Kenji rolled over and pulled the blankets up over his head.
"Did you hear me?" Misato asked.
Again there was a moan from under the blankets.
Not having the time to deal with Kenji, Misato walked up to her son's bed and reached under the covers and grabbed his foot and started to pull on it, dragging him out to the edge of his bed.
"Okay mom, knock it off!" Kenji snapped. "I'm up!"
"Twenty minutes Kenji, then I'm leaving with out you and you'll just have to find your own ride to school." Misato stated then left Kenji to get ready for school.
Down stairs Misato like always hurried to get ready. And with the slight complication of a hang over; she didn't need Kenji making things harder. Making sure that her uniform was clean and on correctly. Misato then grabbed some paper work that she needed or work.
"I don't hear you moving!" She shouted up to the second floor. But instead of a reply from Kenji she heard the bathroom door shut. 'That's better….'
Making sure that her paper work was in order Misato flipped through her speech note cards making sure that those where in good order so she would sound like a total moron in front of the world during the unavailing of the new mecks that are to replace the Evangelion and provide defince for not only the country of Japan but for several other countries of the world, it was truly going to be a great day for NERV.
'The people of NERV and Tokyo-3 present the people of the world the Ferrum Ferus, and these tools of peace will be on the front lines against the terrorism….' Misato stood there looking at her note cards. 'God that was the biggest load of crap I've heard. And that all came from my head…. I need help.'
Hearing the water shut off, Misato went to the bottom of the stairs. "You're running out of time!"
Up in the bathroom Kenji just stood there as he brushed his teeth and let out a heavy sigh when he heard his mother. Then he spat out the contents that was in his mouth. "I can only move so fast mom….." he said loud enough that only he could hear it, but it didn't work all that well.
"I heard that!"
Kenji sighed. 'The super hearing of mothers.'
Walking across the hall way to his room in just his boxers, Kenji went about getting his school uniform on. Finding a clean pair of pants and a white button up shirt Kenji got dressed. When he was done he found his hair tie and tied his long hair back to the style much like the one his father has in the photo Kenji kept. Then he put on his uniform coat and walked out of the room but before walking out he stopped and turned to the photo.
"Well dad I'm off now." Kenji said then he shut off the lights to his room and went down stairs for something quick bite to eat before going to school.
When Kenji got down on the main floor of the house he found his mother pouring over a lot of index cards. "Kenji can you go start the car, I'll get a pop tart started for you." Misato said to her son with out looking up from her work.
"Yeah okay mom."
Buttoning up his uniform coat, Kenji put on his shoes and grabbed the keys to his mothers aging Alpine A130. Kenji went out side where he found the car parked. The Alpine had seen better days and for a classic it really needed a better owner. And not someone as bad as a driver as his mother, to be honest Kenji has always wondered how the car had lasted this long. Getting in Kenji pressed down on the clutch and started the car and set the heater, after all it was cold out.
Walking back inside the house Kenji found a warm pop tart waiting for him on the table. "Mom the cars' started. But it's pretty cold out I would wait before we leave."
Still looking over her notes, Misato didn't even hear her son.
"MOM!"
Looking up when she heard Kenji called out for her, Misato smiled. "Yeah… Sorry what did you need?" Misato said as she scratched the back of her head.
"I said that it's pretty cold out there, we might want to wait before we go." Kenji said again.
His mother shook her head. "No time, I've got to drop you off at school then I've got to haul ass across town to NERV and get ready for the unavailing of the Ferrum Ferus."
The ride to school was cold, and the ride as always was a little rough because of his mothers driving. "Kenji tell me what do you think about my speech?" Misato asked as she handed her son the index cards.
Flipping through the cards, Kenji skimmed the speech. "It's okay I guess…. Public speaking isn't really my thing. That's why I've kept clear of that class."
"Okay what do you really think?" Misato asked looking for an honest answer.
"Uncle Shinji could do better." Kenji said handing the cards back to his mother.
"Thanks…. I love you too."
When they arrived at the school, Misato pulled the Alpine over. "Okay be good, no skipping and if you do make it count."
"Okay mom… hay how late are you working tonight?" Kenji asked as he climbed out of the car.
"With all that's happening to day… Late, really late, why?" Replied Misato.
"Well I thought that we can get something to eat, I know that you'll be doing lots of paper work and making sure that the new mech's test run goes good. That and I also really need to water dad's water melon patch."
Misato looked at her son, she really didn't want him around NERV and the Geo Front but she really couldn't keep him from one of the few things his own father had left behind. "Yeah okay, meet you later this after noon."
"Okay see you later mom." Kenji said as he closed the car door. And waved to his mother as she drove off to work.
"Yo Ryoji!"
Turning to who called out his name. Kenji waved to his friend Toshiaki. And started to walk to him. "Hay what's up."
The two friends walked off in to the school.
"Nothing much… You know Ryoji; your mom is pretty hot." Toshiaki said as he brought his arm around Kenji.
"Dude… knock it off. And one more commit about my mom, I'm going to kick your ass." Kenji said as he brought his fist up to Toshiaki chin.
"Alright man…I'm just letting you know."
"Kenji! Toshiaki!"
Hearing their names being called, the two friends turned to see Aya and Natsuki walking tourds them.
"Now Aya and Natsuki they're a different type of hot… So man level with me. Who you screwing? Aya or Natsuki… Or wait both?"
Removing his friends arm and giving a slight push, Kenji stared his friend down. "Lay off will you. It's not like that. We're all just good friends."
Toshiaki shrugged his shoulders. "Alright man, I'm just messing with you, chill."
Just then Aya and Natsuki reached the spot where Kenji and Toshiaki was standing.
"Hay you two what's going on?" Aya asked.
"Nothing much miss Krefta, Ryoji and I where just….. Talking about an assaiment we got in one of our classes…. Catch you guys later." Toshiaki waved as he walked off, heading in to the school.
Then the two girls looked at Kenji looking for a better answer, but all they got was Kenji looking away. Not what they where looking for, but if that was the answer they got from Kenji that was more then likely all they'll ever get from him.
"Come on Natsuki… tell him." Aya said as she pulled at her friend's arm; making her get close to Kenji.
"Uh… My mom and dad called this morning…." Natsuki said, but there was something in her voice that didn't sound right. "They're going to be in Las Vaguis for a week and want me to come and visit."
Kenji smiled. "That's great news, when are you leaving?"
"Tonight…" Natsuki replied sounding a little down.
NERV surface headquarters; 11:00 hours
Walking up to a podium, Misato adjusts her note cards for her speech as hundreds of news reporters look at her. Trying not to show any type of fear of the masses. Misato adjusts the microphone that's in front of her. "Uh… Can everyone out there hear me?"
Several reporters nod to reply to Misato.
"Thank you ladies and Gentlemen for coming today. We the people of NERV are proud to present the Ferrum Ferus, and these tools of peace will be on the front lines against the terrorism…."
Just then a large hanger door started to open, reviling the inside of the NERV surface complex and a Mech standing there. Its silver armor shined in the sunlight.
"The Ferrum Freus; Latin for iron savage will be deployed all over the world….." Misato went on with the speech.
From Kenji's government class he and his other classmates watched the speech. To everyone else thought that Misato's speech was pretty good, but Kenji could tell that his mother was pulling it all out of her ass.
"pist!"
Turning to the source of the sound, Kenji found that Aya and Natsuki where peeking in to the class. Aya held up her school laptop and Natsuki pointed to it. Nodding Kenji turned back around and opened his laptop; there was a message there waiting for him.
'Hay you wanna skip out and find something fun to do before Natsuki has to leave?'
Kenji then clicked on the reply button then started to type. 'Yeah sure, what did you two have in mind?' He typed.
Out in the hall Aya and Natsuki read the message. "That's a good question, Aya." Natsuki said. "Got anything planed?"
Aya thought about it then it hit her and she started to type. 'Remember we needed to take care of something… something that the three of us needed to talk about.'
Natsuki looked at her friend. "What's that?"
"Just hold on." Replied Aya.
In the class room, Kenji sat there in his desk reading the message. And he knew who it was right away. It was that time that's he's been dreading for sometime. He and Aya needed to tell Natsuki about the two of them. And the relationship they've started.
'Yeah… we'll do this in between classes. I'll meet you two at the west stair well.'
"Hay Ryoji your mom is pretty hot." One of the other students said out loud.
Kenji rolled his eyes. "Thanks….."
When class ended and the students started their walk to their next class, Kenji at first appearance looked like he was doing the same. But in reality he was making his way to the west stair well, far from where his next class was. Opening the door he found Anata and Natsuki there sitting on the steps waiting for him.
"You two wait long?" he asked with a smile.
"About time you got here." Aya stated. "We almost got busted."
"So teacher came this way for a smoke." Natsuki added.
"Well why don't us three go to our favorite park and make things interesting?" Kenji asked with a smirk.
Slipping out of the school was easy. All they did was go out the door that was at the base of the stairs. Then it was a short trine ride across Tokyo-3, after that they just had to go across the street from the station. Being that school was still going on there wasn't any children out playing at the park. So they took their spots on the swings where Kenji pulled a joint from his back pack.
"Who got greens last?" He asked as he searched himself for a lighter.
"I've got a light." Natsuki said as she pulled a lighter from her own back pack. "And I think it was me who had it last."
Kenji then handed the joint to Aya, and then Natsuki handed the lighter to Aya. "I think that you two just want to see me high."
"It's worth a laugh." Kenji said. Then he looked over just in time to see Aya light up the joint. "And no one's stopping you."
Taking in a fairly large hit, Aya exhaled after holding it in for a good thirty seconds and started to cough. "Here who's next… Here Kenji." Aya handed the joint to the boy next to her.
Taking a good hit himself, Kenji held it in for a fare amount of time. The he too exhaled. "Yeah… but who else would you two can find to have a great time with?"
Kenji handed the joint to Aya who handed it to Natsuki. She then too took her turn. "I think there is a guy that offered a good price for some good looking nug."
"Yeah but I give it to you two for free…. Can't beat that." Kenji added.
And so one joint led to two and two lead to four; needless to say to see the three friends where vary, vary high. Letting the effect set in the three realized that it was cold out.
"Hay Kenji…" Natsuki said looking over at Kenji from the swing she was sitting on. "Didn't your aunt and uncle move out this way not too long ago?"
Kenji sat there in the swing thinking about it for a couple of seconds. "Yeah…… he lives just at the other end of the park……" Kenji finally replied. "Why?"
"Duh Kenji." Aya chimed in. "Your uncle Shinji cooks… he can make us food, munchies man."
Kenji sat there then it dawned on him. "Oh yeah… he dose cook….. "
Getting up from their swings, Kenji and Natsuki started to walk away
"Uhh….. Guys?" Aya called out from the swing she was sitting in. making Kenji and Natsuki turn back around. "I need a little help getting up from the swing…."
Walking back to the swings Kenji helped Aya up, and let her lean on his as they mad their way through the park. It wasn't too far from the swings to where Shinji and Asuka now resided at... maybe a good fifteen minute walk, but for the three it seemed to be a much longer walk.
At the Ikari's house, Asuka had just finally got her daughter down for a nap. She was silently slipping out of Yui's room when the door bell went off making the toddler scream. Just about to the point of pulling her own hair out, Asuka took a deep breath and picked up Yui.
"SHhhhhhh…… I know, mommy's tired too…." Asuka said to Yui then she and her daughter went to the door to see who it was.
Making her way to the door, Asuka skillfully navigated her way through a mine field of children's toys. Hearing the door bell go off again Asuka had a little twitch at the corner of her eye. "Shinji, can you get that!"
Down the hall, Shinji sat in a small home office where he typed his papers in the field of Bio-tech. early in his college years he found that he was good in that area and took after his mother. Hearing his wife's calls… okay more like yelling orders, Shinji quickly shot from his desk and rushed for the door. "I'm getting it!"
Getting to the door just as the door bell went off a third time; Shinji saw the three teens out on his door step. "Kenji? Aya, Natsuki? What are you three doing here… what are you three doing here?"
Kenji scratched the back of his head. "Well uncle Shinji we where in the area and thought that we should stop by."
"What oh sure come in." Shinji said as he stepped aside. "Come in get warm. I was just about ready to start dinner; you three want to join us?"
The three walked in and took their shoes there at the door. "That'll be great"
Finally making her way down the stairs, Asuka instantly smelly a piney sent in the air and knew what was going on. 'Pot heads…'
"Hi Aunt Asuka." Kenji greeted. "And how are you little one."
The toddler started to squirm in her mother's arms and reached out for Kenji. Asuka was more then glad to let her go to Kenji, she could use the break.
"Have you been making trouble for you mom?" Kenji asked Yui.
"So cute!" the two girls squealed.
Yui was really a mirror image of her mother. With the bright red hair and the blue eyes, but she was daddy's little girl and when ever Asuka would to something to punish her she would run to Shinji.
It was some time before dinner was done, during that time Natsuki and Aya played with Yui while Kenji walked around the photos that where up on the walls. There where lots of photos of Yui, then there where the photos of while his aunt and uncle where young, back when they piloted the Eva's.
"Dinner should be ready in about an hour!" Shinji called from the kitchen.
Making his way to the bathroom, nature was calling for Kenji... just as he left the room Aya then got up from the floor and fallowed, as she left the room Natsuki noticed this strange behavior.
Out in the hall, Kenji was just about to go in to the bathroom when Aya had grabbed his arm stopping him. "Yeah? You need something?" Kenji asked. "I kind of need to go."
"I was wondering when we where going to talk to Natsuki?" Aya asked. "You know about us."
Kenji let a heavy sigh. "Do you really want to tell her just before she leaves to visit her parents? It's going to be there in the back of her mind during the whole trip. Would that be right?"
Aya frowned and looked away slightly. "I guess it wouldn't… but still it's something we need to tell her." Aya then grabbed on to Kenji's hoody, and then pulled him close to her. "Look it's something we need to do. Sure last time we where going to tell her we couldn't because she was in the hospital. But what other time will we have to talk about it."
"It's okay you guys."
Turning to see that Natsuki was standing there at the other end of the hall, a fake smile was across her face. "Look I know you two are getting pretty close, and I'm cool with that."
Kenji could tell that his friend was lying. "You're fine with this?"
"Yeah sure… we've been friends for ever. I can tell when something up with you guys. I figured that it was only a matter of time." Natsuki replied.
"Really?" Aya beamed. "It means so much!"
Aya ran up to Natsuki and hugged her.
When dinner finally came around, there was an awkward feeling that hung in the air. And everyone at the table knew it… well all but Yui who just sat there playing with her food while Shinji tried to get her to eat and not play. Kenji sat there in between Natsuki and Aya. He could tell that Aya was happy, really happy that Natsuki said that she was alright with the two of them. But Kenji could tell that she wasn't telling all and it was tarring her up inside. It was tarring him up inside. In reality Kenji and Aya where the only two people she really could trust, and the memories of them she knew where real. Instead of the hazy memories of that of her parents and the trips she's taken to visit them.
Later on when dinner was over the three decided that they needed to start heading out so Natsuki could pack.
"Well I hope you guys could stay longer." Shinji said.
"I've got to pack for my trip." Natsuki stated. "Dinner was great."
"I'm glad that it isn't my mom's cooking." Kenji added.
"Come on my dad is probably wondering what happened to us… thanks for dinner Mr. and Mrs. Ikari." Aya said as she slipped on her shoes. "Are you coming with us?"
Kenji shook his head. "I want to, but I've got to get home my self. My mom is probably wondering what's happened to me too." Kenji then finished tying his shoes. "Thanks Uncle Shinji Aunt Asuka."
Shinji and Asuka watched the three friends leave and walk down the side walk where Kenji flagged down a taxi for the girls.
"Why do you cook for them when they've got the munchies?" Asuka asked as she switched arms. Making it a little bit easier to hold the sleeping two year old.
Shinji waved one last time before closing the door. "Oh come on Asuka, remember that party Kensuke had after Graduation?"
Asuka thought about, her eyes drifting up tords the ceiling.
Several years ago just after high school graduation
Sitting there in a circle, Kensuke sits in a comfortable love seat. It's not too great looking but its comfortable and that all that matters. "You know… they should call these something… I should name them my self." Kensuke said as he bit in to a frozen pop cycle. "It's pineapple."
Next to him Rei sat there and the once quite girl was not speaking nonstop. "Ilovewatermelontheyshouldmakemorethingsoutofit,watermelonpie,watermeloncake…."
Then next to her was Hikari and all she did was sit there laughing. That's it just laughing. For no good reason, maybe she was laughing at Rei as she talked nonstop about watermelon or it was at nothing at all. But one thing was for sure she was having a great time.
Across from her sat Shinji in an old recliner. "You know, I've figured something out…. When we pilot, we're like gods…."
"Of course Baka… well at least I'm a goddess…." Asuka stated.
Across from her Hikari kept on laughing.
Then Toji sitting next to Kensuke joining in on eating the pineapple pop cycles. "You know…." He said while he took another bite of the pop cycle. "We should name them. What about pineapple pops?" Toji said, not noticing that there was the box of the pop cycles sitting right in front of him clearly labeled pineapple pops.
Shaking her head, Asuka snapped out of her flash back. "That was years ago."
Out side Kenji made sure that Aya and Natsuki got a cab alright and even paid for the trip.
"Are you sure that you don't want a ride?" Aya asked, her head sticking out of the window.
"Yeah it's pretty cold." Natsuki added.
"That's alright." Kenji said. "It's really not that far of a walk from here."
"If you're sure…."
"Okay….."
"Natsuki you have a safe trip, and Aya I'll give you a call later." Kenji said. Then he turned and started to walk home.
Inside the cab, Natsuki looked over at Aya. And studied her smile before she even spoke. "Okay spill it." Natsuki said. "How long has this been going on?"
Aya shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know… a month or so. Maybe longer."
"I'm happy for you." Natsuki stated.
The ride back to the Krefta house hold was a long a quite one, to quite for the two girls. Normally when the two where together they wouldn't stop talking.
After the some ten minute car ride back home, Natsuki went about packing her things. It didn't take long. Because she knew some how that the trip wouldn't last long. It was always something with her father… then she met Mr. Krefta at the door.
"Ready Natsuki?" Krefta asked.
"Yes Mr. Krefta." Natsuki replied. "Bye Aya, try not to take advantage of Kenji while I'm gone."
"Yeah right… Have fun Natsuki."
Across town, Kenji walked home. It really wasn't that cold out; it probably wouldn't be that bad at all if he had zipped up his coat. But truly the cold was the last thing on his mind. Feeling a chill, Kenji looked up just as it started to snow. 'I need to water the melons in the morning…'
It was just short of an hour later when Natsuki was finally able to board the plane. After all the security checks and checking in her bag. Walking down the isle of the plane, Natsuki didn't notice that there weren't a whole lot of people on board. Reading her ticket she searched for her seat, and then she finally found it.
"Seat 13B" Natsuki said to her self. Sitting down at the seat, she reached for a magazine that was in the pouch in front of her. Flipping through the pages she tried to find something to read just until she could turn on her old MP3 player. She didn't even notice the man coming up behind her. Pulling a stun gun from his coat, he approached the girl. Then when he was with in striking distance; he brought the stun gun down on the back of Natsuki's neck.
AAAAHHHHHH!
Yelling out in pain, Natsuki's body went stiff then she went limp in her seat, the only thing keeping her in her seat was the harness. Then her attacker reached in to his coat pocket, this time pulling out a cell phone.
"She's ready… Yes chairmen. I under stand." The man said then he hung up phone. That's when the other passengers stood up from their seats. "Get her ready for the mission."
"Yes sir."