Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion. All I own are the clothes on my back, a couple books, a rubber duck, and my Original Characters. Hideki Onno and Gainax own Eva.

Author Notes and Review Answers:

1) Thanks for all the reviews so far, and keep them coming. I love the feedback you guys are giving me, as it helps me figure out what holes in my writing need to be plugged up.

2) I will be leaving for Air Force Basic Training on Dec 29, so this fic and any others I may start will be put on temporary hold until I am done with that and able to get back to a computer.

3) My new daughter has been deemed perfectly healthy and is home keeping me up at night like babies usually do.

dragon-cloud16: Shinji really does know more than wind-based spells. He'll actually create a new one in this chapter that isn't wind-aligned, so I hope you like how it turns out in the Angel fight. And interesting comparison with Ichigo's hollow, but that isn't quite what Nikki's inner voice is. You'll find out much later in the fic, but that voice is pretty important to the story, so keep your eyes out. Thanks for the feedback and I hope you continue enjoying the fic.

bob999999999: I'll try not to make things too complicated, but I'm going for a fairly deep plot with this story. Hopefully, I don't confuse you or anyone else too much. Just yell at me if you need something explained.

LoPe21: Thank you very much, and I always enjoy reading your reviews. You're comments have been giving me a lot of insight. As for Yui, that's just how she is. Just cause she's a super genius doesn't mean she can't be a child at heart sometimes. I actually have what they told me is an above average IQ, yet I'm a dirty practical joker. And I was planning on explaining why Rei is coming out in this chapter. I wanted to do it in Chapter 4, but couldn't find room for it, since it involves Ritsuko and Gendo talking at NERV. The major romantic foundations for Shinji are gonna be laid in this chapter and the next two so once Chapter 8 rolls around and the polls have been finalized, I'll be ready to veer off towards the winner. Again, thanks a lot for your comments and have fun reading!

RDF-73: Love the comments, and thanks for your praise. Orpheus is a bit of a scientist and engineer for the team so he's used to observing things. Keep sending more great comments.

Finally, we've got all that taken care of. Let's get back to the juicy stuff. Onward and upward!

NGE Magic Files, Book 1: The Angel Wars
By BeastLord Zwieg

Chapter 5: Shamshel Appears! The Seismic Impulse

Misato Katsuragi was NOT a happy camper, for more than one reason. During the last month, almost everything she knew had been thrown out the window and replaced with a reality that sounded like it was more at home in a fiction story. First off, about a week before the attack of the Third Angel, she had gone to pick up Rei for her activation test. On walking in, she noticed the young girl taking some medication. Curious, she inspected the label as Rei walked to her car and wrote down the medication's name. A little Internet searching later, and the beautiful captain was downright furious. What Rei had been prescribed, by none other than Ritsuko Akagi, her best friend and former college roommate, was a powerful emotional suppressant. Misato would not stand for that, as while her military training encouraged controlling your emotions during combat situations, using drugs to suck the life and emotion from a person was just plain disgusting. So, being the level-headed woman she is, she kicked down the door to Ritsuko's office and pointed her handgun right at the other woman's skull before demanding that Rei be taken off the medicine.

The good doctor had been rather agreeable to those demands, though for her own reasons rather than the threat of a bullet suppository to her brain. During one of her recent 'personal meetings' with Gendo, the man had told her in no uncertain terms that he only cared for his plans and not for her. That understandably pissed the bottle blonde off to no end. Misato's little tirade just gave her the perfect excuse for an idea to screw around with Gendo's precious scenario: take Rei off her meds and watch the sparks fly as the girl came into her emotions. With any luck, she would betray the bearded old bastard before long.

Then there were the events of the Angel battle itself. Shinji Ikari, the Third Child, had brought with him to Tokyo-3 a pair of friends willing to take a bullet for him in an instant and a skill set that sounded like something straight out of an anime. Magic. The bloody Third Child and his friends were bloody sorcerers and alchemists. Shinji himself was a wind magic specialist and could be intimidating when he was pissed and holding his twin daggers. Orpheus was the only non-sorcerer of the three but more than made up for it with his quick mind and incredible martial arts skills. The boy had uprighted a two ton car by himself with his bare hands! Nikki was the group's medic and could probably win a dart championship with her throwing accuracy. Together the trio had taken NERV by storm, especially when Shinji had pulverized the Angel with minimal effort using Eva Unit-01.

Now she was stuck watching her new charge and his friends closely as they recovered from a vicous battle against their rivals from the Ru-Jukas Academy of Magic and Alchemy. Nikki was the only one in relatively decent condition after the fight, suffering only from a bout of exhaustion, but the boys on the other hand had to be forcibly bed-ridden as Nikki and Ritsuko tried their best to fix them. Their bodies had taken quite a pounding and Orpheus needed to have his right arm stitched back together. From what Misato had seen, it looked as if somebody had tried to gut him when he instead used his arm as a sacrificial lamb. Luckily, most of their injuries were healed up and they were walking around without problems. Thanks to Nikki's healing magic, they only missed five days of school rather than the two weeks she had been expecting. The trio's new friends Hikari Horaki, Touji Suzuhara, and Kensuke Aida also came to visit them every day. Even Rei came by occasionally when she wasn't busy with NERV duties.

As for Misato, she was just grateful the three children had survived the ordeal. She still wanted to have Section-2 overhauled and its current members put in front of a firing squad for their negligence during the fight, but Gendo had rejected that immediately.

"So how was your shopping trip?" the older woman asked as Nikki walked through the door with several bags under her arms.

The brunette smiled and set the bags down, pulling out an assortment of clothes. "It was a blast! Kodama really knows how to dress for all occasions. She oughta be a fashion designer to be honest. What do you think?" she replied, pulling out a bottle green sleeveless v-neck dress and holding it up to her body.

Misato rubbed her chin and gave the girl a thumbs up. "Looks perfect on you Nikki. I think it brings out your eyes. I bet Orpheus would love it," she said. Nikki blushed scarlet at the mention of the tall martial artist.

"So you figured it out huh?"

Misato giggled. "Nicole Hildebrandt, the only reason I bet Orpheus hasn't realized it yet is because he's too busy wrestling with his own feelings. Either that, or he's just plain thick..."

Both women had a laugh at that. Shinji and Orpheus had gone out to buy groceries, saying in no uncertain terms that they needed to get out of the house more often or they would go batty. That, and they didn't want to suffer eating anymore of Misato's special instant curry.

Nikki sighed and sat down next to the woman who had officially placed herself as the trio's guardian. "Do you really think he likes me though Misato? I've tried giving him subtle hints and everything, but he's so damn noble that every time I want him to look he blushes and takes off. He may be brave when dealing with a life or death situation, but he has more honor than the Knights of the Round Table..."

Misato smirked. "Then screw subtlety and go for a more...direct approach," she advised with a mischeivious tone in her voice.

The younger girl gulped audibly. "I'm almost afraid to ask what you mean by a direct approach."

The purple-haired military officer pulled Nikki closer and whispered a few words in her ear. The girl blushed like a cherry tomato immediately and looked at Misato in shock. "I'm not sure I could do that. What if...he hates me for it?"

"Nikki, shut up and do it. It isn't like I told you to do something horrible. Besides, if you want to be with him then you better get your practice in now."

"But I've never done this before. I don't want to screw anything up."

Misato groaned and rubbed her temple in frustration. 'No wonder these two haven't gotten together yet,' she thought. 'They're so afraid of mucking it up that they won't give it a shot.'

"Tell you what Nikki. Just give it a try and if Orpheus can't stand you afterwards, I'll let you hurt me in any way you want. Hell, I'll even let you shoot me with my own gun if this doesn't work," she offered to the now visibly gaping girl.

Nikki looked at her feet and wringed her hands nervously. 'Hmm I guess it's worth a try. I just hope it works.'

"Alright, I'll do it," she finally answered after five minutes of knocking the idea around in her head.

Misato grinned. "Perfect. You can do it as soon as he walks in the door. No time like the present after all."

The sorceress's eyes bulged. "What?! You can't be serious Misato. Shinji's gonna be right next to him. I can't do it with everyone watching!" she yelled. As if called there by divine means, the door opened just at that time and the boys in question walked in. Misato looked at her charge expectantly and waved her hand in a 'Go on' motion. The look she was giving the younger girl that clearly said 'Do it or I'll make you'may have also been a hint.

Nikki gulped again and got up. Shinji looked up slightly as he finished removing his shoes. "Hey Nikki what's up? Did you enjoy your day out today?" he asked, not really noticing the anxious look on her face.

When he didn't get a response, Shinji took on a more serious glance. "You okay Nikki?" Orpheus looked up as well and gave her a concerned gaze.

Of all the reactions either boy could have expected, what actually happened was probably near the bottom of their lists. Nikki strolled face-to-face with Orpheus, a confident look on her face that hid her true anxiety. Then, without warning, she wrapped an hand around Orpheus's head and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Shinji's jaw dropped in a split nanosecond. Inside his mind, Yui had instantly gone from mother hen to cheerleader. 'Woohoo! You go girl!' she screamed. Her son could actually feel her jumping around in his head waving what he could only imagine were pom-poms. Orpheus for his part was too stunned to react in any way, shape, or form. After kissing him for a full minute, Nikki pulled away. Cocking her head to the side, she flashed him a cute smile and ran into one of the spare bedrooms, blushing the whole way.

Orpheus looked over at Shinji and blinked. "What exactly just happened?" he asked.

Shinji shook his head and cocked an eyebrow at Misato, who was trying to stifle her giggles on the couch. "I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you, Orph. But I am going to ask you this: what do you plan to do about it?"

The martial artist scratched his head and sighed wistfully. "I don't-"

Shinji smacked him in the back of the head before he could finish. "Tell me you don't know and I will set your ass on fire. Literally. Now get in there and do what your heart tells you. One thing Renaldo always told me to do was listen to my heart. Now it's time for you to take his advice too," he ordered.

Orpheus stood still for a moment, thinking about what he was just told. Eventually, he nodded and made his way down the hall to the spare bedroom where Nikki had set up her own personal workshop. Gathering his resolve, he knocked twice on the door. A soft reply of "Come in" encouraged him as he slowly opened the door.

Nikki glanced up at Orpheus from her place on the small bed with a small smile on her lips and her cheeks still flushed. He sat down next to her and smiled back sheepishly. "So, uh..." he began, but Nikki placed a finger to his lips.

"Orpheus Rainier Gundor...just shut up and kiss me." With a courage he never felt in battle, the young man simply leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Shinji, peeking through the door to check on them, turned away and walked back into the den to tell Misato the good news. 'It's about damn time...'

(NERV HQ: Commander's Office)
Gendo Ikari was a powerful man. In fact, one could make a statement that he was the most powerful person in Japan in terms of his influence and mental prowess. It was that strength that had initially attracted the lovely Ritsuko Akagi to him in the first place. However, now she simply viewed him as a selfish, disgusting excuse for a human who only cared for himself.

"Dr. Akagi, how are things progressing with the Third Child's training?" Gendo asked the bottle blonde scientist as she stood in front of him and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki to give her weekly report.

"Well so far, Pilot Ikari has raised his sync ratio consistently since his arrival. Where it was 71 percent in his first sortie, he has risen it to a solid 80 percent. His weapons training is going better than expected as well. Unfortunately, he has expressed some discomfort with the use of the pallet rifles. My best guess is that he isn't used to wielding a gun," she explained in a professional manner.

Gendo crossed his hands in front of his face. "I see. On another issue, is there anything that may explain his unique...abilities that I've heard rumors of?"

"No, sir. He still won't tell me anything during the briefings, and Captain Katsuragi has said that she couldn't get anything out of him either."

The bearded man growled. "Then try harder. We must learn as much as we can about these skills of his so that we can use them to our advantage. Perhaps we should administer a medication similar to Rei's and see if that loosens his tongue. As for Rei, has her prescription been re-filled?"

Ritsuko nodded. "I just gave her a new bottle yesterday. I went ahead and upped the dosage as it appeared she was becoming a little emotional, plus I found her reading a romance novel of all things."

"Good. I will not let anything interfere with the scenario, and Rei must be kept completely under thumb. You are dismissed Dr. Akagi."

Nodding to her now former lover, Ritsuko turned and walked out the door. As she returned to her office, she couldn't help but smile to herself. Ironically, since Gendo expected his subordinates to always tell the truth on threat of death, it made it even easier to lie right to his face, so long as you acted cool and told him exactly what he wanted to hear. After learning of what his father had been doing to Rei, Shinji promised Ritsuko some rudimentary knowledge of his magic and alchemy abilities so long as the head of Project E kept the old buzzard off his back. Earning valuable knowledge while undermining Gendo Ikari at the same time? To Ritsuko, it was a win-win situation.

(The next day: Tokyo-3 Municipal Junior High)
"So Orph finally asked her out huh?" Touji asked.

Shinji nodded and leaned his head back. P.E. was one of his favorite classes, as he usually had time to relax after completing the day's exercises. Currently, he was sitting next to Touji and Kensuke by the bleachers while the latter two were watching the girls' swimming class overhead. "Yup, and I for one am glad. Those two were just tap dancing around each other for years, and it was starting to drive me nuts," he said happily. Feeling somebody's eyes on him, the young sorcerer looked up and saw Rei gazing at him intently.

"Well, well, well...who're you ogling up there Ikari?" Touji teased, bumping his elbow into Shinji's ribs.

Kensuke took a closer look. "Looks like he's checking Rei out."

Shinji turned his eyes towards to two boys and grinned evilly. "You guys do remember that I could quite literally set your hair alight at any given moment, correct?" he warned. The two backed off, holding their hands up in defeat.

"Okay we surrender! I don't think the barbeque look would be all that great on me," Touji said. Suddenly, the three heard footsteps and saw that Orpheus was coming back from his extra laps. Shinji always admired Orpheus for his determination in making himself stronger. Then again, now that he and Nikki were dating, he felt that he had a real reason to become stronger.

"Enjoy yourself Orph?" Shinji asked as the sweating boy sat down and took a swig of water from his bottle.

"Yeah. Thanks to these new weights you and Dr. Akagi made for me, I feel like my training is much more effective," he answered. He turned his head upwards and saw Nikki staring down at him with a smile on her face. Orpheus blushed and waved to the brunette, who waved back enthusiastically while Hikari laughed next to her.

"Hey Shinji," Orpheus continued. "What did you and Misato talk about while Nikki and I were um...busy?"

Touji snickered at the wording his friend used. "Dude just admit that you two were making out like it was the last thing you were allowed to do."

Shinji smiled. "Not much. Misato mentioned that I have another sync test after school, so maybe we can hit the arcade after I'm done."

Suddenly, an alarm blared throughout the city. A quick ring told Shinji that his cell phone needed answering. He flipped it open. "This is Shinji...oh hey Misato is something wrong? What? Ok we'll be right there!" He tucked his phone into his pocket and got up, a serious look on his face.

"Looks like duty calls guys," he explained. "We'll have to take a rain check on the arcade. Orph, grab your girlfriend and let's vamoose. Misato says that another Angel has been spotted heading this way. Oh and Ken...?"

"Yeah Shinji?" the boy asked.

"I know you probably really wanna see the battle, but I'm warning you to stay in the shelter and not do anything stupid. Do something stupid, and I promise I'll shove a size 20 boot up your ass. From 50 meters away. Got it?" Shinji warned.

The military otaku started sweating bullets. "I got it."

Orpheus chuckled and got up, beckoning Nikki down with a wave of his hand as everyone else retreated to the safety of the shelters. Soon the three were changed and in the back of a Section-2 sedan as they sped towards NERV.

Upon reaching HQ, Shinji took off towards the locker rooms to change into the plug suit Ritsuko had designed for him while Orpheus and Nikki went straight to Central Dogma, where Misato was waiting for them.

"What's the situation Misato?" Orpheus asked as the pair walked calmly through the doors. Looking up, he noticed that Commander Ikari was nowhere to be seen. 'Old fart's probably hiding under his desk...' he thought.

"So far the Angel hasn't attacked anything and is advancing slowly, but we're sending Shinji up in Unit-01 to head it off before it does any major damage," the young captain replied.

"Misato," Shinji called through the audio com link. "Unit-01 is ready for launch. What's the plan when I get topside?"

Ritsuko was the one who answered him. "Shinji, we're sending you to Access Point 3-A where you'll retrieve a pallet rifle from a nearby weapon cell and engage the Angel from long distance. Any questions?"

Shinji groaned as the Eva was hooked to the launch pad. "Yeah I got a couple. If you want me to attack from long distance, why not just let me toss a fireball at it or something? It worked well enough the last time. And second, to do damage with a rifle, don't I need to neutrilize this thing's AT Field?"

Ritsuko looked insulted at the second question. "That's correct, though I fail to see your point."

"Dr. Akagi, I say this with as much respect as I can possibly muster: Your plan is doomed to fail. To neutrilize the AT Field, I need to be in close quarters, close enough in fact to render the rifle practically useless. How can I do both at the same time, unless you want me to try smashing this monster's head in with the butt of the rifle?"

Ritsuko stood stock still, her mind trying to process how easily Shinji had disassembled her plan. Misato looked at her friend with a satisfied smirk gracing her features. "I have to admit that Shinji brings up a very valid point, Rits. I say we just let him wing it like he did last time. If it isn't broke, why fix it?"

Shinji laughed and thanked Misato for her approval. Soon, Unit-01 arrived on the surface and the door to the hatch opened, sending the Third Child face-to-face with Shamshel, the Fourth Angel.

Shinji blinked. "Um...guys? Do these Angels get progressively uglier or is it just me?" he asked. Yui felt the same way her son looked. 'As a mother, I would have to rate this one an M for Mature. What half-assed committee drew up the plans for THAT thing? It looks like a cross between a centipede and a dildo...'

Ritsuko placed her chin on her fist as she analyzed the Angel's appearance. "Personally, it reminds me of one of Misato's old toys from college," she concluded. The purple-haired woman blanched and pulled the doctor into a vicious headlock as the bridge technicians all blushed at the same time.

"Misato you can get kinky with Doc Akagi later, but we've got an Angel to kill right now," Shinji jibed as he charged a spell. Shamshel raised itself up so that its face was directly across from Unit-01's.

"Let's see how you like this one ugly. Flare Arrow!" the pilot exclaimed, pitching a mini barrage of fiery bolts at the Angel. Shinji was shocked, however, to see his spell bounce right off the AT Field. Even Orpheus and Nikki were dumbstruck.

"Uh oh...looks like they've adapted to our spells," Nikki guessed as the Angel lashed out with a pair of energy whips. Shinji threw himself backwards to avoid the attack but was picked up by the leg and tossed clear across the city.

"Damn you God! This is why I'm killing your Angels!" Shinji screamed as Unit-01 landed head first in the ground, looking like a deformed purple carrot.

Orpheus looked behind him at the bridge crew. "I think...he's pissed."

Shinji pulled his Eva's head from the ground and glared at the incoming celestial being. "Ok, so magic won't work this time unless I blast it point blank. Damn, that's gonna be tough to do as long as those whips can keep me at bay." The pilot racked his brain for a strategy.

'Shinji, you mentioned the other day that it's possible for you to create new spells. Why not try making a new close range one using the Prog knife as a focus like your Storm Blades?' Yui suggested.

The Third Child frowned noticably. "It's a sound plan mom, but first we need to get past those whips. And if even one thing goes wrong, then we'll be blown straight to hell," he said softly. As he strategized, Shamshel advanced quickly and sent another whip lash at its opponent. Shinji growled and dove behind a building for protection. Too bad that the whips sliced right through the steel as if it wasn't even there.

"Captain Katsuragi, the umbilical cable has been cut. Pilot Ikari has only five minutes of battery power remaining!" Maya Ibuki exclaimed as Shinji dragged himself to his feet again, clutching his shoulder.

"Damn it, those things can cut through anything. How am I supposed to get close?" he asked himself in desperation. Even Yui was stymied by how best to attack the Angel.

Orpheus snapped his fingers. "If you can't neutrilize those whips, Shinji, then just plow through them!" he yelled. Everyone looked at the martial artist like he was nuts.

"Orpheus are you crazy?" Misato asked him loudly. "He'll get skewered!"

Shinji smirked to himself as he realized what his best friend was planning, even as he kept being thrown through skyscrapers like a toy doll. "Actually, it seems like the only logical option left Misato, considering my predicament. I must say that I'm getting motion sickness up here."

"Hell no! I am NOT losing you to some psychotic plan Shinji Ikari. How do you plan to withstand that thing's attacks?" she exclaimed, her eyes looking into Shinji's over the visual feed pleadingly.

Nikki put a calming hand on the older woman's shoulder. "He can increase the hardness of the Eva's armor and turn himself into a walking tank. Was that your plan Orpheus?"

"Bingo," he answered with a smirk.

Shinji nodded and knelt into a stance, engaging the prog knife. Glancing at the monitor, he noticed that the battery had less than two minutes of power left. "Armadillo Shell!" he cried, placing a hand on Unit-01's chest armor and sending several pulses of mana through the outer layer of metal. A soft brown glow encompassed the hulking mech as Shinji stared down the Angel.

"Here goes nothing," he said, steeling himself as he positioned the knife in both hands, using his left hand to cup the bottom of the handle. Shamshel lashed out, but Shinji was ready this time. The timer hit one minute just as he ducked underneath the weapons and charged the Angel.

The entry plug turned blood red from the warning lights, and Shinji roared defiantly as he shoulder charged the creature. Smashing both feet deep into the ground for leverage, he thrusted his weapon upwards, digging the blade halfway into the core with sparks flying everywhere. Shinji felt a painful stab near his spine as his enemy brought the whips back and pierced his barrier spell. A determined look in his eyes, the young man drained mana from the ground itself through the Eva's feet.

"I hope to whatever deity is out there that this works," he prayed. He built up a massive concentration of earth mana in the torso of Unit-01, slowly focusing it into his hands. The timer had reached 10 seconds and the entire NERV crew was watching anxiously.

"Here goes nothing. Seismic Impulse!" Shinji screamed, forcing every ounce of mana he had gathered through the prog knife and right into the core. As the energy reached the tip of the blade, Shinji released his hold on it, letting it expand like a shotgun blast. The resulting shockwave rippled through the core, which had begun to crack even more severely, into the rest of Shamshel's body. Parts of the Angel's body were torn open by the sheer amount of energy being shoved into it and blood erupted like magma from the wounds.

Just as the timer reached five seconds, the core exploded inward, the shrapnel damaging the body even more as it collapsed to the ground in a bloody mass of torn flesh. Shinji felt a wave of relief flood him as the whips evaporated from his back. The entry plug immediately went dark and the young pilot leaned his head back happily now that both the Angel and Unit-01 had gone silent.

'Renaldo was right. Draining mana from the environment is exhausting, especially when using the feet as a contact point...and using the Eva just makes it worse,' he thought as Misato gave the orders to have Shinji retreived and brought straight to NERV Medical for a check-up.

Shinji was quickly pulled from the entry plug and set on a wheelchair when his legs gave out from under him as he tried to stand. Orpheus slapped his friend on the back once he was rolled into the hospital. "Only you could pull off something as crazy as this Shinji. Way to go," he praised.

Misato reached in and pulled Shinji into a bone-crushing hug. "You crazy nut, don't you ever do anything that reckless again! You're my friend Shinji, and I don't want to see you get killed."

Nikki giggled and tried to pry the older woman off of him. "You can suffocate him later Misato, but he's probably worn out right now and needs to rest some," she said soothingly.

Misato sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "Damn, I need a beer." Suddenly, she felt a hand clench her free one and she looked down to see Shinji leveling a penetrating gaze through her eyes.

"Misato, I'm asking you this as a friend: try to cut back on your drinking okay? To be perfectly honest we think you've got enough liquor in that apartment of yours to kill a rhino. Just do us this one favor and take it easy, cause Orph, Nikki, and I have seen what alcohol can do to a person and it isn't pretty at all," he said.

The woman gasped as she saw a flash of hurt in Shinji's eyes. 'I must be going out of my mind if I'm seriously considering this, but then again...no, they're right. I really have let myself go since Kaji and I split...' she thought quietly as Shinji was led to the Medical Ward with his teammates at his side. Misato was left alone in the cage, thinking about what she had been asked to do.

(In the Commander's Office)
Kozo Fuyutsuki was ready to put in for a much-needed vacation. The elderly man was also pretty sure that crap like this wasn't in his job description. Currently, he was trying to convince NERV's Supreme Commander to come out from under his desk, where he was hiding with a horrified look on his face.

"I'm getting way too old for this shit. Gendo...I'm not sure what you're doing, but you really need to get out from under there. Pilot Ikari has just successfully defeated the Fourth," he said.

The Bastard King simply shook his head an quivered underneath the large piece of furniture. "I don't care, and Sensei you need to hide too. Please don't let those scary elf people eat my socks!" he screamed, curling into a ball and sucking on his thumb childishly.

Kozo slapped a hand to his face. "God damn it, he must've gotten into the bad weed again..."

Well that takes care of Chapter 5. Sorry if it isn't up to par with what everyone was expecting, but I've been up to my ears in taking care of the new baby, so I'm just plain worn out. Just as a warning, the next chapter is going to be almost pure humor. In fact, I've gone ahead and picked out a theme song just for this coming chapter. You'll just have to wait and see what the theme will be, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Okay then, now for the current ship standings:

Misato: 17

Rei: 16

Sophia: 10

Hikari: 8

Asuka: 5

Maya: 2

New O/C: 2

Mana: 1

Amazingly, our favorite purple-haired beauty has overtaken Rei in the polls, though it's still a close race. The two have begun to pull away from Sophia and will likely leave her in the dust for the last two chapters of voting. Still, it should be interesting to see how the voting turns out.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed for this chapter and thanks for all the congratulations I received about my daughter. She's starting to sleep a little better and isn't waking up as much during the night. Hopefully it just keeps getting better.

Next time on The Angel Wars, Chapter 6: Search the City! The Great Pen-Pen Chase.

This is BeastLord Zwieg, signing off until the next chapter. Have fun reading everybody!