Chapter 16: A New Day
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Hello everyone, Ninetri9 back with another chapter. If you're wondering where my 'humor' went, it's on vacation. I couldn't think of anything for it, so it's on vacation till then. But you still get my main story, so chin up
Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does. All original characters are mine though, and if there is any resemblance to characters of other stories or to real people, it is coincidental
And now, on with the show!
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School
The next day, Shinji and Asuka were walking slowly to school. Neither one looked at the other, being too embarrassed to talk. A light breeze blew between Shinji's bare legs, causing him to jump slightly.
"I'm never going to get used to wearing this"
Asuka said, "What, I thought you'd be thrilled at being able to feel how the great Asuka Langley Sohryu is day to day"
Placing a hand to his/her belly, Shinji said, "Right now I don't feel so good"
Spotting a newspaper stand, Asuka looked at the date on one of the newspapers, "Ah, as I thought"
"What?"
"Third week, it's my period"
Looking through half-closed eyes, Shinji asked, "Could have fooled me"
Frowning, the former girl said, "What was that?"
"You heard me"
Surprise filled Asuka's face at the sudden temper from her fellow pilot. From him, this was new; apparently a boy during the monthly course is as irritable as a girl.
Silence fell between the two as they continued to school. Tension grew to the point where Asuka wanted to scream from frustration.
"Asuka"
Grunting her reply, Shinji continued, "I'm sorry"
Looking at the boy turned girl, she replied, "No, I should apologize too, I didn't mean to make you angry"
Surprised, Shinji looked back to himself and saw how he must have looked normally, morose and depressed. Grabbing his old hand, Shinji gave Asuka a small smile. Blushing, Asuka squeezed back, smiling as she did so.
When they reached the school, the two disengaged their hands.
"Remember, don't talk to anyone, or else" Asuka said threateningly
Shinji couldn't help but notice that her tone seemed more relaxed, less intense. Glad that some good came from the botched exorcism, he nodded in confirmation.
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Class 2-A
Hikari was sitting at her desk, slightly worried. She had attempted to call Asuka the night before, both on her cell and at home. Looking up, she jumped up, happy to see that Asuka and Shinji enter the room. Almost as soon as they came in, the other two stooges mobbed Shinji, asking questions furiously. Separating Shinji from Asuka, they dragged him a short distance away.
Getting up, Hikari couldn't help but notice that Asuka seemed to be uncomfortable.
"Asuka-chan, are you all right? I tried to call you, but I couldn't get you either on your cell or your apartment phone"
"Oh, I must have left my phone off"
The pigtailed girl noticed that, although she said this in the same sort of tone as she usually would, it seemed different.
"You seem different, but I can't figure out how?"
Surprisingly, Asuka began to nervously twiddle her fingers, not looking at Hikari
Meanwhile, at the boys table, Touji and Kensuke were futilely trying to pry information from the silent boy.
"Come on Shinji! What happened yesterday?"
Kensuke took notice that, although his head was down as per usual, Shinji didn't truly seem down. In fact, the boy seemed to be getting more and more irritated.
The bell rang and everyone returned to their seats for another long and dull lesson about Second Impact.
Outside, sitting in the tree, was the combined ninja Shuri-Shara. He had an open scroll and was currently reading from it. Next to him on another branch was a pile of more scrolls. Sighing, the ninja looked through the window to see that most of the students had fallen asleep.
"Damn, I wish something exciting would happen"
Being two people with opposite personalities, there were times when one became more powerful and overrode his normal person. Shara was currently becoming the dominant persona, as she usually does. The kunoichi was loud and impetuous, making it hard to control her, even with her merged with Shuri. That boy was cool and collected, but had a hard time of keeping up with his more energetic younger sister because he was so shy.
He turned his attention back to his scroll, never noticing the group of black suited men advancing slowly on his tree.
Quietly advancing, the men were careful to not let the inattentive ninja to regain his lost attentiveness. The men were quite lucky to catch one of the travelers with his guard down; it would mean promotions and pay raises.
Just as the first man was about arms reach of the tree, he was caught up in a concealed net that launched him at the others. Reacting to the faint cry, Shuri-Shara looked up to see Section 2 completely surrounding him. Not getting up, he pulled out a kunai and cut a near invisible wire that was close to him. The snapped wire activated a trap that caused a section of earth to launch a group of agents flying twenty feet away.
The yells from the agents had finally attracted the attention of the students as they clamored to the windows to see the action. Smirking, Shuri-Shara decided to give them a show. Putting his scrolls away, he jumped out of the tree and landed on top of one of the still standing agents
Jumping just as the agent reached up to grab him, the ninja kicked sideways, knocking the man several feet away. Rolling across the ground, Shuri-Shara threw a few smoke bombs. The remaining agents cautiously entered the fog, hands held in front of them as they stumbled about, coughing. Casually stepping out of the smoke, the ninja then plucked something else from his pocket and threw it over his shoulder and into the fog.
A muted pop was heard, followed quickly by loud cries of the agents. The smokescreen lifted, revealing goo covered agents. The green sticky substance bound them to the ground and to each other.
Hearing bursts of laughter, Shuri-Shara looked up to see that the kids were hanging on to each other as they shook with mirth. Making several bows in accompany to the applause the students were giving, the ninja then jumped away from the scene
Standing next to each other, Shinji and Asuka shared a glance. Both knew that the ninja was going to get into a whole lot of trouble when Iak got him. They had seen Sai after his 'conversation' with the strict Aerolan. He had been shaking as though he was feverish, and was careful to be extra polite to everyone.
Hikari soon pulled the class back to order and the students began to fall asleep to the dull droning of their teacher.
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Avatar Base
Misato and Kaji were discussing their future plans with the Avatars.
Iak was playing with a flute in his hands, rolling it gently between his fingers and Rikku was sitting next to him on the couch
"Okay, so you return to Nerv, but do not tell anyone about us" the black-winged Aerolan said
Nodding, Misato looked at her watch and got up, "I guess now is as good a time as any to head there"
Leaning into his chair, Kaji said, "I think I may take a walk"
Rikku got up and reached behind the couch, pulling out a wad of clothing, "Here, you're going to need to disguise yourself"
Nodding his thanks, Kaji got up, "I'm going to need to check with my contacts, find out some news"
Shaking her head, Misato retorted, "I can't believe you still want to play spy, especially after what they told you about what would happen"
Giving her a smile, Kaji gave her a peck on the cheek as he left to change into his disguise.
"That man" Misato said as she sighed in exasperation
Getting up, she asked, "Can you send me on my way?"
Iak got up and headed to one of the terminals. Typing furiously, a portal soon opened for Misato. She stepped through the portal just as Kaji came back, looking very different wearing a false beard and moustache.
"Alright, I'm going out the conventional way if you don't mind"
Waving his hand, the man stepped through the main entrance, and out into the world.
Rikku turned to ask Iak, "You think we should have told him we're on the fiftieth floor and that the elevator is out?"
Iak only shrugged as he looked at his watch, "It's time for my shift"
Rikku sighed as the serious man prepped for his job overlooking the teens. Entering the kitchen, she came back with a large bento box in her hands.
"Here, don't want you fainting on the job do we?" Rikku said with a wink
Smiling, Iak took the box and gave her a kiss on the lips. Iak then stepped to the balcony and launched himself into the air.
Rikku smiled as she placed her finger to her lips. She turned to find that someone was attempting to contact the base on one of the terminals. Activating the communication program, she saw a computerized chibi version of Hunter.
"Hey Loot, how are things in the US?"
"Going according to plan"
Cairn and Kaitos' computerized avatars appeared on the computer, joining Hunter's
Leaning on a toothpick-like cane, Kaitos asked, "Anything new on your end?"
Rolling her eyes, Rikku said, "I already sent you guys a report, so don't pretend you don't know"
Cairn laughed in his deep voice as he calmed the girl, "Relax, we know. I can't help laughing whenever I think of their predicament"
Shaking her head, Rikku asked, business-like, "Any signs of the Thirteenth?"
The ever serious Hunter replied, "None as of yet, but not from lack of trying"
Kaitos interjected, "Hey, could you let Iak know that I almost finished his Eva?"
Frowning, she replied, "I thought he said not to make him an Eva"
Nonplussed, the cripple replied, "But he's the most powerful fighter, we need his help out on the battle field"
The other two looked at him with dangerous looks. Kaitos ignored them, either well accustomed to the death glares, or not even noticing them.
Rikku sighed, "Fine, let us know of any new updates"
Hunter saluted then his chibi avatar marched off screen. Cairn followed with a wave, which was mimicked by Kaitos.
Closing the application, Rikku stretched her arms above her head. Looking out the window, she saw the sun shining brightly out on the landscape.
It's been awhile since I've flown, and it's such a nice day
Making up her mind, she changed into some flight friendly clothes and took flight, carrying a small bag on her back. She was going to find a secluded place to try something to make their time here more enjoyable.
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School
It was lunchtime, and Keevan was seated beneath a tree enjoying his lunch. He had just finished when a shadow overcast him. Looking up, he saw that Iak had flown in and landed next to him.
"How are things here?"
For a moment, Keevan was confused, but his face lit up in recollection.
"Other than Shuri-Shara's prank, it's been mostly quiet"
Iak nodded as he sat down, "Do you know where I can find him?"
Reaching into his bag, the boy pulled out his multipurpose crystal ball. Rubbing it slightly, it began to show a small image. On it, the ninja had split to two and were exploring the shopping center, the younger sister dragging the elder. Rubbing his temple, Iak got back up.
"I can't believe how irresponsible these people are"
Keevan knew that he included Sai along with the twins.
Sighing, Iak stretched his wings out, "I'm going to have to lecture them, again"
He then took off, leaving Keevan to enjoy the rest of his lunch period.
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Secluded Location
Hikari was looking around, looking for Asuka. All morning she had been acting strange, as though trying to hide something. Not finding any clue of Asuka anywhere, the class rep went to the only place she knew that the red-head would be.
Sneaking quietly, Hikari found her hypothesis justified. Both Shinji and Asuka were having lunch far from any other person. Though she didn't really want to interrupt them, Hikari needed to know if something was wrong with her best friend.
She stopped as she heard them speaking quietly
"Hey, did you tell anyone?"
The red-head replied, "N-n-no, I s-swear I d-didn't"
Eyes widening, Hikari leaned as close as possible to hear more. Never had she ever seen Asuka looks so scared or nervous.
"Good, cause I would have to hit you otherwise"
Worry began to fill her face, as random thoughts began to swirl through her head.
Asuka flushed as she said in a slightly angry tone, "Who'd believe us anyway?"
Shinji placed his arm around Asuka's shoulder as he said, "I know, but we need to keep this a secret"
"I don't know how long I can keep this up though, sooner or later someone's going to figure out"
One thought flashed through Hikari's mind, connecting everything she knew. The increased intimacy between the teens, need for privacy, and yesterday's disappearance combined with Asuka's changed behavior.
Deciding to get to the truth, the brunette stepped into view, startling Shinji and Asuka
"Oh no"
Hands on her hips and a stern look on her face, Hikari demanded, "What's going on between you two?"
Asuka got up and made soothing gesture with her hands, "Horaki-san, it isn't what you think"
An eyebrow rose in disbelief, she asked, "Oh really? You and Shinji are gone a whole day and you return completely changed, what can I assume from this?"
Both looked blankly at her, wondering what she could be thinking
"Look, nothing happened. We just didn't feel like going to school yesterday" Shinji said
Eyes narrowed, Hikari asked, "Didn't feel like it? What were you doing yesterday that you would ditch school for?"
Asuka and Shinji looked to one another before turning back and saying in unison, "None of your business!"
Tapping her foot, Hikari said, "It is my business if two of the students in my class are skipping class for 'private' reasons"
Asuka held up to hands as she said, "Please, this is personal, we don't need anyone finding out-"
She cut off as Shinji nudged her with his elbow, but it was enough for Hikari. Seeing the nervousness of the two, constant glances to one another, it gave her the answer she thought to this riddle.
"I can't believe the two of you could be so irresponsible as to do this"
Now the two teens in question were looking at each other in confusion. What was Hikari talking about?
"I think you can stop making assumptions"
All three of them turned to see that Iak was perched on a nearby tree top. Mouth agape, Hikari watched as Iak stretched his wings and flew down to them. Just as he landed, Hikari fell over in a slump as she fainted.
Shinji, in Asuka's body, said, "That went as well as expected"
Screwing Shinji's face into a thoughtful look, Asuka asked, "What do we tell her when she wakes up?"
"She's not going to let up", Iak said, "even if she doesn't remember this, she'll remember your absence and question it. If she keeps digging, she'll find out about us, so we may as well put it all up front"
Both teens were apprehensive of putting someone else into the loop, mostly because of all the weirdness they go through on an almost daily basis. On the other hand, Hikari will continue to make presumptions until she figured it out, and that would cause some problems.
"Iak, do you mind if we brought her to your base to talk?" Shinji asked
Looking back at the teens, the winged man pulled out two cell phones from his pocket, "I'm sorry, I was supposed to give this to you. These are specially built for contact with us. All our numbers are programmed into it and it has a portal function that allows you to warp directly outside the door to our base"
They each took one and examined them. The phones appeared to be normal, all the normal functions and buttons that are supposed to be there were there. The only difference was a green button at the bottom of the keypad.
Pointing to said anomaly, Iak explained, "Push the button and a portal opens at your position. In the vicinity of the base the button will be yellow. When that is pushed then, it will open a portal that will lead to outside your old apartment"
Both nodded in understanding as Iak waved farewell and took off. Shinji and Asuka looked at each other before sighing. Today was going to be a very long day.
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Nerv HQ
Misato was currently sitting in isolation, having denied the Commander any information of the past twenty-four hours. The dark room served to mess up with her sense of time, so she didn't know what time it was, or how long she waited here. After what seemed to be eternity, the door to the cell finally opened, allowing light to enter. Shielding her eyes from the sudden glare, Misato saw a Section 2 agent waiting in the doorway.
"Come with us"
The woman got up and followed the agent out. Misato saw that there were three more agents waiting outside. One joined the first agent while the other two followed behind her. Together, they marched down to the Commander's office. Once inside, the four agents took up post outside, leaving the Major with Gendo and Fuyutsuki.
For a few long moments, all was in silence. Misato looked at Gendo, he looked back emotionlessly.
Finally, the Commander said, "You have been absent for the past day"
Impassively, Misato replied, "Is that so?"
Picking up a paper from his desktop, Gendo said, "At 12:45 pm, one being of unknown origins was found in your apartment. Section 2 came and apprehended said being, taking casualties. Four hours later, you and the children were reported to have been in your apartment, after which, you all disappeared"
Placing the paper report back on the desk, he interlaced his fingers in front of his face.
"I want to know where you were for the past twenty-four hours and what has occurred in that time"
The purple-haired woman was silent, her face matching the blankness on the elder Ikari's face. It was a staring contest that surpassed all others, with very high stakes. The contest ended when the phone on Gendo's desk rang. Not looking up, he picked up the phone
"Yes"
"…"
"Very well"
Gendo then hung up and turned his full attention back on Misato.
"The agents have yet to find your abode, but they are following the pilots. Sooner or later I will know what I want. It would be easier on everyone if you tell me what you know"
Misato only said, "Not even in even your worst nightmare"
The Commander knew that the Major was far too valuable to get rid of, so he had no choice to let her go. That didn't mean that he wouldn't keep trying.
"You may leave, but know that you are to be under strict guard. Twenty-four hour surveillance"
Narrowing her eyes, Misato restrained the urge to spit on her commanding officer. Getting up stiffly, she bowed slightly before taking controlled steps through the door. Just outside, the four agents, as well as six more, took positions around the woman as she headed down the hall.
Inside the office, Fuyutsuki was rubbing his temples, "Ikari, they will easily stop your agents, so why did you order them to follow her?"
Hands interlaced in front of his face, Gendo made no reply. Sighing in exasperation, the Sub-commander let it lie, knowing that he'll find out later.
Outside, Misato stormed through the streets, trailing ten agents. It was also most likely that there were more agents, unseen and hidden. Unknown was that most of them were already taken out. Flitting among the shadows like small birds, Shuri and Shara took out one agent after another
Meeting on a rooftop, Shara said boisterously, "I've got eight already, what about you?"
Calmly scanning the area, the elder sibling said, "Fourteen, now help me find the rest, I'm sure there's another somewhere near here"
Mouth gaping, the kunoichi narrowed her eyes dangerously. Deciding to prove her immense abilities, Shara soon found an agent disguised as an old man and was about to point him out
"That old man and the woman with the carriage will be tough, they're in public view. There is also one amongst the bushes by that park"
Quickly looking around, Shara found that her brother was telling the truth. Frowning, the girl tapped her brother on the shoulder.
"How do you know that?"
Gulping, Shuri said, "Um, well, it's easy, I mean, they are looking towards Misato on the sly"
Nodding, Shara disappeared, leaving a momentarily confused boy. Looking over, the ninja saw that Shara had transformed into a disguised mugger and had already taken out the old man. Uniformed men were chasing her, going into an alley after her. Sighing out of exhaustion and exasperation, Shuri followed up on the distraction and took out the hiding agents. When the ninjas met up again, all that was left was the ten agents that continued to follow Misato.
"I've gotten up to twenty" Shara said proudly, "Bet you didn't get much more than that"
Sighing, Shuri replied, "This is a mission, not a contest"
Pouting slightly, the kunoichi made pleading tones, "Oh come on, I ain't going to hurt you"
"Twenty-eight"
Shuri jumped away as Shara gaped in shock. Angrily, she followed him across the rooftops.
Misato was warily watching the agents that continued to follow her. There was no way for her to escape them, and she couldn't contact the Avatars, for fear of being tapped. Looking up, she was surprised to see two police men coming up in front of them.
"Excuse me, Misato Katsuragi?"
The woman nodded in reply
The police officer on the right said, "We are going to need to take you down to the station"
Cocking an eyebrow, the purple-haired buxom replied, "For what reasons?"
The other officer said, "For ecological crimes, poisoning food given to a rare female bird"
Catching the faint wink from that officer, Misato added the clues together and smiled slightly.
"Alright officer, I'll come peacefully"
One of the agents came up, "I'm sorry, but we cannot allow you to take the Major in without proper cause"
The officer that had winked said, "Then please allows us to discuss things in private"
Leading the agent around the corner, both officers were gone for five long minutes. After the wait, the agent and one of the officers reappeared.
"We got the okay, you may go Major" the agent said tersely
The other agents were looking warily at their comrade
"So long as one of us stays with her, it will be alright, the Commander said for the rest of you to head back to base"
Upon hearing that the Commander had ordered for this put all doubts from the agents' minds and put them to ease. The agents did an about face and headed back to base as the officer led Misato away.
"Neat trick, but who are you?" Misato said with slight apprehension
Two puffs of smoke, and Shuri revealed himself to be the officer and Shara showed that she was the agent.
Both were smiling broadly as they led Misato passed a tied up agent
"Neat trick, how do you do that?"
With a wink, Shara said, "Special ninjutsu trick, Art of Transformation"
Nodding in approval, Misato said, "Nice, I guess it's good to have ninja allies"
Shuri had pulled out a cell and had pushed a button on it. Almost immediately a portal opened in front of them.
"Go ahead", gestured Shuri, "we still have something to do"
"Thanks again for getting me out of that jam" Misato said, giving the twins a thumb up
She stepped through, and the portal closed behind her
Sighing, Shara stretched left and right as she said, "Now we need to find Kaji"
"This is going to take awhile" Shuri said, "He's pretty good at hiding"
The ninjas took off, in search of the elusive man.
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School
Hikari was staring at both Shinji and Asuka, causing them to feel very uncomfortable. After recovering from her fainting spell, the two promised to tell her the truth if she came home with them. Sharing the same expression, the two sat to wait the rest of the day in boredom and tension.
Finally, the bell rang to end the day. Shinji saw that Hikari was waiting right at the door for them
Sighing, Shinji said, "I don't know how she's going to take this"
Clapping a hand on her former shoulder, Asuka said, "Relax, Hikari's a good person. She'll understand"
"I certainly hope so" Shinji said grumpily
That didn't stop them from being nervous as they felt the rep's stare on them. Walking side by side with Hikari following them, the trip through the streets of Tokyo-3 made in silence. They soon made it to Misato's old apartment complex.
They stood outside as though waiting for something. The wait had finally gotten to Hikari, and she really didn't feel like waiting any longer
"Well, what are we waiting for?" she asked in her no nonsense voice
She saw that Shinji and Asuka were sharing a look. Then Asuka pulled out her cell and pushed a button on it. What happened next caused the brunette's mouth to drop and her eyes to widen. A whirling green vortex just opened up in front of her. In the midst of her shock, Hikari saw that Shinji and Asuka were waiting for her.
"W-w-what's g-going on?" she stuttered
Gently grabbing her hands, Asuka, in Shinji's body said, "Relax, trust us"
Nodding her head, Hikari followed the teens through the vortex. After they stepped through, the portal disappeared. Watching from the shadows was an agent.
Pulling out a phone, he called the Commander, "I have lost visual on the Second and Third children"
"Return to base, collect as many others as you can"
"Roger"
The agent then left, collecting all the agents that he could on his way to base. Something was about to come up, and the Commander wanted them back.
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Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Please send your reviews and I'll get back as soon as I can.