"Give me the 6th Legion, and I'll give you Central America as a gift for foundation day."
Legate Gregory Johnson to Princeps Henry Abrams, September 1st 2012
8:01am, Monday the 19th of June, State of Japan, Tokyo-3, NERV quarters.
The only thing moving through the apartment at this time of day was himself.
Pen-pen was still fast asleep inside his refrigerated paradise, and the tell tale signs of discarded clothing leading to Misato's room, being all Shinji needed to know of his guardian's status.
As per his now functioning routine, the meek sixteen year old started collecting the pieces of scattered garments whilst occasionally blushing with embarrassment upon picking up a bra or pants, before piling them up near the washing machine. Usually he would have thrown them straight in, but he found a great deal of his time was absorbed by a new experience for him.
School.
His teacher had home educated him for most of his life, so he never went to school. There were distant memories of a pre-school he attended back when mother was alive, but they were foggy at best.
He'd been taken aback by the sheer amount he was being taught, as his teacher had only ever educated him on Maths, Japanese and a small amount of English, or High Imperial as the Empire insisted on calling it. But at this school, Sengokuhara high school, he was learning about other languages, such as Russian, German, Federal English, and of course the hated but very much important Chinese.
This on top of every other subject any school worth its salt would teach, should have been overwhelming to him.
But it wasn't.
Shinji liked it, as it turned out he had an aptitude for discovery and learning, especially on Monday's such as this. Because the primary topic taught that day was history, specifically that of the past seventeen years.
And it was this in particular he loved.
A sudden warking caught his attention. The Penguin was awake, its beady black eyes staring straight at him.
"You can get food and drink yourself, I know you can." Shinji chastised.
The Penguin quietly and gently warked again.
Sighing, the boy walked over to the fridge and pulled out a can of beer, before taking it over to Pen-pen. Kneeling down, he handed the flightless bird the can, with the bird taking said can with its opposable wing. It warked softly again, giving his knee an affectionate rub, before going back into his fridge.
Shinji shook his head as he stood up. The bizarre creature had repeated this procedure every single day for the past few weeks. When he'd asked Misato about it, she'd laughed and said "There isn't much to be done about it. Grumpy bastard always gets what he wants in the end."
I don't think I'll ever understand this place.
But that was not to say he didn't like it here. In fact, he was beginning to prefer it to his previous apartment in Kure, sorry thing that it was. After teacher died he'd lived in it for two years by himself, so it was a strange sensation to not be alone again. But certainly not an unwelcome one.
Having attended to his magnum opus of keeping the home clean, Shinji slid two slices of bread into the toaster and got some margarine out of the fridge. It was easier to get at today, as Misato had reached that point in the week when she started running out of beer cans. A few minutes later after the toast was ready, buttered, and eaten, he gathered his school things together and left them on the table. As he had just one more thing to do before setting off.
Gently, he tapped on Misato's door, getting a moan in response.
"Katsuragi-san?" He ventured.
"Uh...not so loud. I only got back from the night shift at five...come in..."
Stepping in, Shinji bore witness to a fully grown woman hiding beneath the sheets of her bed.
"Good morning, Katsuragi-san. Sorry to bother you but I'm heading off to school now. I've left your dirty washing by the washing machine, so you only have to put it in..." He stopped mid-sentence as the sheets were pulled back, Misato slowly sitting up whilst gently rubbing her eyes.
She nodded at his polite bow, whilst taking in how well her charge's navy blue high school uniform suited him.
My carer's come to visit me has he? Oh Shinji-kun, you're such a nice young man. Awkward but nice. How have you not got yourself a girl yet?
"You aren't bothering me, Shinji-kun. Thanks for getting all my chores done." She chuckled, before continuing. "How's school going for you?"
"I'm...enjoying it."
"Good...good...you made any friends yet?"
"No."
Misato sighed as she rubbed the sleepy dust from her eyes.
"Don't worry, you'll make some soon. I promise."
"I'm sure I will." He forced a smile was contemplating how silly such a thing was.
How can anyone as useless as me have friends?
"I'll let you rest." He bowed his head slightly before walking out of the room.
"Have a nice day...I'll try and have something like that...in a few hours..." Misato slipped back beneath the sheets with the inevitability of a sinking ship.
Smiling, Shinji closed the door.
She's so nice to me. I probably don't deserve any of it.
Picking his bag up and slinging it over his shoulder, he left the apartment through the front door, before closing it shut with his own key card. It had taken forever to get it, with him going from one NERV department to another.
Walking down the flights of stairs in the empty apartment block, as most of the residents were NERV staff and at work, he eventually found himself in the searing heat of the constant Japanese summer. It was at times like this he wished he didn't have to wear his long sleeved regulation school uniform, as nice as it was.
8:15am, residential district-9
Seiichi Oshiro's eyes flickered open.
It had been more than a week before he and the rest of the Akuma crew were allowed to take their leave. But under pain of death they weren't permitted to leave the city, much to his Sergeant's frustration. Although Seiichi did sympathise with him, he didn't quite know his pain.
For whilst Kiyoshi had called his daughter and her carer, and Eiji had gone into the city centre to gamble and get drunk with the men, Seiichi had experienced an evening of pure ecstasy.
Mikasa Torogi's naked form lay curled up next to him under the sheets which covered them both, her fingers gently laid upon his chest.
She'd waited for him, like she'd promised. After hearing of the 1st armoured division's near annihilation, Mikasa had been sick with worry, only to receive a call from her boyfriend later that day confirming he was alive. And thus, as you can well imagine, their reunion had been rather...emotional.
"Mmmm..." Mikasa stirred, her hand moving down his chest.
"Morning, Princess." Seiichi smiled as he stroked back a strand of her black hair.
His girlfriend slowly lifted her upper half off the bed, her blue eyes making contact with his brown ones.
"Morning." She leaned in for a rather long kiss before drawing back.
"Did my pervert enjoy himself last night?"
"Yes...Spirits above I've missed this."
"Yes..." She gently moved her finger in a circular pattern on his chest whilst smiling fondly at memories of the previous night.
Oh I've got you wrapped around my little finger, Seiichi Oshiro. Although to be frank, I think I'm quite wrapped around yours as well...
"Well, as we're both not quite awake, I think we could do with some adrenaline..." She laughed at her boyfriend's blush before leaning in for another kiss.
A sudden banging on the door killed the mood.
"What the...?" Mikasa scowled before getting out of bed and wrapping a dressing gown around her slender form, before walking off to her apartment door. As you can imagine, this did not help Seiichi with his blushing issue whatsoever.
Realising his rather night was over, the twenty-seven year old tank gunner sat up and massaged his face, before finding a dressing gown himself. Walking out into the small hallway, he almost bumped into Mikasa as she seemed to be coming back to the bedroom, which momentarily got his hopes up.
But the curious look on her face killed that hope instantly.
"There's a guy in State Army uniform at the door, says he's looking for you...quite rudely..." She titled her head when her boyfriend groaned in annoyance.
"Fuck's sake..." Not getting an answer from him, she stood aside and let him walk past her to the front door. Looking through the hole, he groaned again before unlocking the door and letting the intruder upon their peaceful morning hobble in on a cybernetic limb.
"Took your fucking time..." Eiji Fukui rubbed his head as he moaned in pain.
"Eiji...what...the hell...are you doing here?"
"I couldn't get hold of any fucking pills last night so I've got this thudding fucking head ache and I need your help man!"
"So basically you have a hangover...you baka."
"Eiji? As in the legendary Eiji Fukui?" Mikasa raised an eyebrow at the hungover soldier.
"Who wants to know..." The pain in his head momentarily subsided as his face brightened in realisation.
"Oh so you're Mikasa? By the heavens you're a pretty thing aren't you..." Having stepped in her direction, the pain returned to Eiji's head causing him to stumble, with Seiichi having to hold him upright.
"Sorry, Fukui-san, I'm already taken." She sent a quick smile in Seiichi's direction before turning away.
"I'm going to have a shower. There's some pills in the cupboard, just make sure he takes water with them!" Her voice became more and more muffled before the bathroom door closed behind her.
For once in that home, the lock clicked into place.
"Isn't she nice..." Eiji kept looking in the direction through which Mikasa had left with a smile, as his mind filled with thoughts of that silky dressing gown just slipping off her curvaceous young body...
A back of the hand from Seiichi stopped this immediately.
"Spirits, I was having a nice time."
8:45 am, Pacific Ocean, Challenger Deep
There should have been no light within the deepest place on Earth. No creatures measuring roughly one-hundred and eighty metres in length should have been able to cruise through the black depths. But both these things were real.
Like a tear in both this dimension and the next, a glowing crack in the ocean floor spewed out orange energy that hardly any instruments on Earth could read. And what currently hovered above it, would be difficult for most of the Planet's people to comprehend. An insect like creature, with a bulbous arrow like head attached to its slim and dagger like body, gently began to put distance between itself and the crack having no intention to return there.
For if he was successful, which of course the arrogant Heir assumed, then he would have no need of even going back through that rift in the universe to get home, for home would instead come to him.
The Oceans were never this deep in our age...what was it Haniel said? That Ejrod broke into seven great pieces, separated by many leagues of water? Hah, Gahgiel would be in his element...
The Divine Heir suddenly stopped and watched a bizarre creature , even by his own people's standards, swim past his head. It had some sort of light on the end of an appendage attached to its hideous face, illuminating its proportionately large jaws and eyes.
It is what we would call, an Angler fish.
But of course Shamshel, second son of the Divine Sovereign, known to the few men that knew as the "5th Seraph," had no idea what it was.
Peculiar...
As he rose from the seabed, with even the rift being obscured by unending black, he began to see more of the inhabitants of the deep ocean, such as glowing jellyfish and other strange creatures.
There was...never anything like this back in our age. Our seas did not have that much life in them. Still...I would say this is quite pretty.
He ascended past these things, using his wall of light to gently push them aside.
Shamshel may have enjoyed inflicting suffering upon others, but not on animals which didn't know any better, not like his bastard of a half brother Arael. Besides, upon his impending victory, Gahghiel would be most displeased if any of the Water life came to harm.
Upon that thought, the Seraph let loose a great telepathic sigh.
Great, Haamma above! Destroying the restriction will be child's play compared to dragging my brother out of these depths, Gods he's going to be here forever!
The Seraph stopped its inner whinging and kept ascending, bringing his unfathomably ancient mind to the task at hand.
One step at a time. First I must obliterate the restriction so my siblings and the Royal army may sweep over all Ejrod and return it to my Father's rule. And then, with a little luck...
At that moment, if he'd been in his true form, Shamshel's features would have contorted into a terrifying scowl.
I will avenge you, Sachiel.
9:00am, Tokyo-3, Sengokuhara high school.
Front row, second seat. That was where he would sit for six hours every single day of the week, save for Saturdays and Sundays.
His class was meant to be made up of some thirty students, but owing to the recent gargantuan monster cutting into the heart of one of the world's most powerful nations with relative ease thing, eight of them were not present.
Shinji hadn't expected that many to leave, as his people were stubborn on the whole idea of we have lost two capital cities already, we won't lose this one.
To be honest, although he was something of a wimp, he didn't really disagree with such sentiment. But right now, he wasn't dwelling on such things as he had his earphones jammed in, pleasantly humming ode to joy as quietly as possible.
Having arrived some fifteen minutes before after a ten minute walk and a half hour metro journey, he'd already put all his belongings in their proper place and thus could take time to relax, while his classmates would arrive, unload their pens and note books, and babble about whatever inane gossip that would be the topic of conversation for the day.
That was one of the few things Shinji didn't overly like about being around people.
They talked too much, and for no good reason.
The only person who didn't do that, unfortunately didn't say much to begin with however.
Over in her corner, all by herself as usual, sat Rei Ayanami. A person who could be regarded as his sister.
She still seemed injured from whatever the hell had occurred that other day, with bandages around her head and arm. A flash black to her hissing in agony whilst he'd held her all those weeks ago, made him metaphorically grimace. He still hadn't figured out what on Earth he was going to do with her, having not exchanged a word with the albino since their chat in the hospital. He got the most occasional of acknowledgements from her, but that was it.
Although he did understand it was nothing personal, as Rei didn't talk to anyone unless spoken to.
However, when their tutor questioned her during lessons, she'd proven herself to be something of a genius, answering everything thrown at her. And yet for all that she could not talk to others.
A part of Shinji was humoured by finding someone with worse people skills than him. But that part was totally overshadowed by the sadness he felt.
She seemed so alone, and although it didn't seem to bother her, it scratched at his spine like nothing else. He wanted to try and help her, somehow, but he just had no clue how to do it. He may have more people skills than her, but that wasn't saying much.
I've got to figure that out someday...
It was less than a moment after the door scraped open, the command to rise was barked.
Shinji obeyed, as he knew disobeying the pig tailed dictator Hikari Horaki, warranted certain death. In other words he'd been so engrossed by his walkman, he hadn't heard her command one time and got smacked on the back of the head by that book she carried around.
From that experience, he'd learned quite the lesson.
Don't ask any questions, just for the love of the Spirits, obey.
The other commands to bow and sit were given, before the tutor stood in front of his desk, arms folded.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, sensei."
Shinji genuinely liked his tutor, despite the man at first glance appearing to be simply that, a boring old man. But the ever present twinkle in his eyes, and the sheer amount of energy he put into whatever they were being taught, honestly made the young man take notice of him.
In fact it could be said Mr Sisata was the reason he actually enjoyed education.
"Right, class, if you would all be kind enough to get out your books and turn to page 490. Today we are moving on from the birth of the North American Federation, to our new topic for the next three weeks. And this will be the ascension of Imperial Britain. Now if I could ask you to get out your pens and paper out, we shall begin." Mr Sisata patiently waited for those who'd been talking far too much, to frantically yank out their things from their bags.
Once everyone was ready to begin the day, Sisata clapped his hands together.
"All ready then? Good, we'll start with the fall of the Blair and New Labour administration in the year 2000..."