Disclaimer: I own no characters or such otherwise mentioned things. All attack names for the Eva characters whom use such things will be made up, others are from the game Dragon Ball Z: Budokai
********
In the year 2000, mankind suffered a disaster, the magnitude of which hasn't been seen since the extinction of the dinosaurs: 2nd Impact. In the years following that event, certain measures were taken to see to it that the beings that caused the disaster, giants known only as 'Angels' would not have an easy task of making a 3rd Impact should they return. Using a small amount of bio-matter from the 1st Angel, 'Adam': scientists discovered that the Angel's bodies were not dissimilar to our own and that they could accelerate and control its growth. Soon, scientists were able to clone body parts and organs for amputees and cancer sufferers. But the militaries of earth also saw applications for this, and under the banner of defence, the UN commissioned Japan's foremost authority on biomechanics, Yui Ikari, to begin 'Project Evangelion'.
The Eva project was commissioned to create bio-mechs of great size; speed and strength to defend the earth against the Angels if they returned, many believed that they would. It took almost 4 years for the first Eva, Unit 00, to be built and become operational. It was just the prototype, now that the designers and engineers knew how to d it, the set about creating mans' most powerful weapon: Evangelion Unit 01. Like a human, it would have behavioural guidelines and firewalls in its programming, but like a human those barriers and guidelines could be abolished. While work proceeded on that end, another scientist, Naoko Akagi, a world renowned neurologist and neural programmer, set about building the interface to these great beasts. It consisted of a suit for its pilot and two small tabs worn on the head near the frontal lobes of the brain. To conduct the neural waves, chemical engineer Kazuhiko Katsuragi developed Link Connection Liquid, or 'LCL' an amber gelatinous compound that was oxygenated and could conduct neural waves: it's make up was similar to the fluid found in the brain and womb of a pregnant woman.
Standing above this esteemed group was UN appointed Japanese Armed Forces General Gendo Ikari, husband of Yui Ikari. His right hand man was Colonel Kouzou Fuyutski, a man who had fought in the last armed conflict before 2nd Impact: he was old and wise, but also strong in both body and spirit. Watching these mortals was a group of aliens whom had taken it upon themselves to observe mankind: they were astonished and impressed that mankind had recovered so quickly after loosing half of their kin in a single act, but a greater peril than the Angels was on the way: a creature named Buu would enter the earth solar system in a year. The aliens were scholars, not warriors. However, they knew of a race that could blend in reasonably well with humans and could provide the strength necessary to defeat them, but only a few survived; and even fewer attained the power required to beat Buu but it was man's only hope. The alien watchers, known as the Kais were able to track down a young man with extraordinary fighting skills and a honed ability to use 'Ki', the energy that exists with in all living beings.
"Is he the one?" North Kai, the overseer for the northern quadrant of the galaxy asked
"We do not know, but he is the strongest of them all" the Grand Kai answered
"Send the other one too; the difference in power is minimal" South Kai insisted
"SILENCE" boomed the Supreme Kai. "The Old Kai has ordained that they shall both go," he said
An old and haggard looking man about 4 feet tall staggered into view, but his age and appearance belied a great power, but the beings they chose for this job held greater power than even the Supreme Kai could fathom. He tapped his stick on the ground to call order
"This really is a terrible breach of our oath: but mankind cannot combat the beast known as Buu. Even the war machines will prove no match for him. We must send warriors" the old man still had a deep and powerful voice
"Trunks and Goten are all that remain of the Fusion Fighters, the others have gone to Other World and the Mystic has long since departed this plane for a higher existence," Supreme Kai added.
"Remind them to keep the power down until Buu arrives: the humans mastered Ki many years ago, but few use it to fight" West Kai piped up. Old Kai just rolled his eyes
And so the decision was made: the two Saiyen warriors, Goten and Trunks would depart with their Potarra earrings to Earth with the express purpose to defend it from Buu, but were free to do as they pleased until he arrived. That would be in 1 year. The two teens were powerful fighters and when they fused with the Potarra, they became the world's current most powerful warrior, the Fusion Fighter known as Gotenks, a force to be reckoned with. The Supreme and Old Kai watched them leave for Earth, and when they were out of sight, the Supreme Kai turned to his predecessor
"Are they going to be able to keep focused? They are teenagers after all, it may be that they fall in love or even die" Shin, the Supreme Kai, said to the Old Kai
"Ha, ha: your concern is unnecessary Shin; I recall that even you were able to find love in your position. And if they should be struck by the emotion of love, who knows? It may make them fight that little bit more to defeat Buu," he said, casting an eye at Shin's wife who was a powerful goddess
Old Kai turned and retired to his chambers, his stick going 'click' as he used it in the marble hallways of Kaishin: the Palace of the Kais and he dwelled a little on his successor's words
[Love… if I know Saiyens: fighting when their mate's life is at stake turns them into vicious and merciless warriors; and those who are as powerful as Goten and Trunks soon make dust of evil, in all its forms] he thought
He looked back at the Earth and frowned: behind Eva, although their purpose was to save mankind, he could sense an evil group behind the plotting to destroy the Earth and for a brief second, felt pity for the evil men on that planet. Trunks and Goten took to it rather unkindly and great evil was punished by its total destruction at their hands. Each of them had the same characteristics as their father in some ways, Trunks was pure but not above using covert means and subterfuge to achieve a goal, while Goten was good at charming people, women especially. He let out a loud belly laugh as he imagined a rather charming and well-chiselled Saiyen like Goten in a planet full of young women.
*************************************
It is 2015: a young man waits for someone to come and pick him up from a phone booth, with him is his friend of many years, now girlfriend; Hikari. For this is where our story; begins…
*************************************
Shinji rang the number his father gave him in his last letter to try and contact the woman who was supposed to get him and Hikari. Her name was Misato Katsuragi; she was a Captain in the organisation that his father worked for. Hikari was there because his old man had sent two tickets and Shinji brought her: she had relatives in Tokyo 3 who would take care of her here and the school the pair attended was closing for repairs.
"Are you sure this is the place, Shinji?" Hikari asked while eating an ice cream
"Yeah, this is the place the old guy said to come to" he replied
Hikari wasn't sure that Shinji had the right address but was willing to take it on blind faith that he did: she and Shinji had been friends for many years, and he had never steered her wrong in anything the two embarked on together, not to say they didn't get into a few spots, but he never deliberately led her into danger: it just seemed to follow the poor kid around like a lost and hungry puppy. Shinji looked up and for a brief second, he saw someone: she looked like his mother but was his age, hade blue hair and red eyes, those and her pale skin told Shinji she suffered from albinism. A flock of birds disturbed his trance and he looked up, then back; she was gone.
Before Shinji could ask if Hikari had seen the girl as well, a loud explosion rang in the pair's ears. The noise made the whole area shake, which was deserted for some reason. Shinji's eyes widened when he felt a large amount of power in the distance, it was there for a few seconds and then it was gone.
"Did you feel that?" he asked
"Feel what?" Hikari queried in return
"A huge amount of power, a level I've never thought possible" he said, confused.
Hikari was beginning to wonder if Shinji's training with his uncle Kazuhiko hadn't fried his brain from one to many blows and blasts to the head, when a great rumble nearly shook the pair to the ground. Moments later, a green giant came around the corner.
"Okay, that isn't something you see everyday" Hikari said as she and Shinji prepared to run for it.
Before they could make their escape however, a blue Renault Alpine skidded into view and the door opened. A woman of about 30 years old was driving.
"Sorry I'm late" she said and glanced beside her "GET IN!" she screamed.
Shinji and Hikari were only to happy to oblige and jumped into the car, of course it ended up with Hikari sitting in Shinji's lap, but no one was really in the mood to care if the two were sitting on each other. The woman kicked the car into gear and sped off, but the car had taken a bit of damage to the roof but it still went like a scald cat on speed. Silence Reined until they were clear of any danger.
"Well, I'm Misato, Misato Katsuragi" the driver introduced herself as they approached a boom gate.
"I'm Shinji, and the lovely young lady sitting in my lap is Hikari, my girlfriend" Shinji said, a rare, sly smile gracing his innocent features.
"Shinji!" Hikari was a bit embarrassed but she still smiled and introduced herself to Misato.
*******
Meanwhile…
*******
In a secluded and run down part of the city: Trunks and Goten, the Fusion Fighters took in this new place. They were familiar with many Earth cultures, they were especially well learned in the field of Japanese culture, and since it appeared that they had landed in Japan, they would be fine.
"We need a domicile" Trunks, in his monotone voice said
"Agreed. I'll need a place to bring my dates" Goten said, trying to joke with his friend.
"Come on" Trunks said dryly and began walking, and scanning for power levels
[Hmmm; I sense three large human power levels in this country. And one that has barely enough Ki to sustain life] he frowned as he tried to locate this very unusual power
Goten saw a large building with its tenant register on the door: 1 person, no name was posted but he assumed that no one would notice them, as long as they stayed out of sight at any rate.
"We should get something on the floor above this person, we don't want to startle them by flying past their windows at night" Goten said
Trunks wasn't paying any attention, he was still puzzling over the seriously low power level and was wondering if maybe it was just a terminally ill person in a hospital
********
He was half right: the power Trunks was sensing belonged to a girl his age with blue hair and red eyes: the albino known as Rei Ayanami: 15, pilot of Evangelion Unit 00. The girl in question was in hospital; she had been injured during a test on her Eva about 2 weeks ago. But that was not the reason her power was so weak; truth was that it was always this way, she didn't know why and had never thought to question it.
[I wonder if the commander's son is here yet?], she thought. The commander had promised her that his son would come and help.
The entrance of a blonde scientist known as Ritsuko disrupted her thoughts. They were step sisters, Ritsuko's mother had married Rei's father and Ritsuko was nice, but Rei was just so anti-social that it created a rift, (that the blonde had many times tried to fix and was not planning on giving up yet), to develop. She sat on the edge of the bed and smiled at her younger sibling
"Feeling better?" she asked kindly, smiling
"A bit" Rei replied softly, trying to go to sleep, she was exhausted.
"Okay, I'm just gonna take your readings and leave you in peace. By the way, the commander's son was collected a few minutes ago, he'll be here soon" Ritsuko said
The blonde couldn't help but grin at the girl's reaction; she had been waiting to meet him because she wanted to learn how to use Sha-Kai-Ken, a form of martial arts and the commander also said the boy was to become a pilot, like herself, and she then might have a friend with which to disperse the loneliness she felt as a pilot, and frankly Ritsuko couldn't blame her; her job was the most stressful of all of them, even though there was serious pressure on her as well: she didn't have to go out and fight with those things and nearly die from the fight.
*******
Trunks and Goten, unknowingly had taken up residence in the same building as Rei. Trunks looked around and wondered if there was any conceivable reason that anyone would want to live here: it was noisy, unsafe and the building itself was a pigsty; he even wagered the only clean room would be the permanent resident, whose identity they still did not know.
"Almost makes me wonder if this race is worth saving" Trunks said in disgust
"You are so critical; half of them are dead and almost 45% of their land masses are under water from the polar caps melting. They've done well" Goten was always willing to give others the benefit of the doubt.
"We'd better search for jobs. And it may also be prudent to enrol in the local school" Trunks outlined a battel plan
"Oh come on Trunks, we're smarter than half these people no sweat and we can always hunt for meat" Goten was right
But Trunks wasn't buying it anyway
"Nice try hotshot, we work and we get some mullah" he replied
A loud noise made the pair look outside: a giant purple robot was having some rough and tumble with a green giant. Goten smiled
"COOL. GIANT WRESTLING!" he cried and began watching
[Ah, so that is the famous Evangelion 01, not bad, for a bunch of primitives] he was still being critical
The battle raged on for almost an hour, Trunks discovered that the Ki of the pilot was the 3rd strongest in the country. He could even tell from the wavelengths how old the pilot was. The pilot was 15: he couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl but at a guess, he'd say it was a male. The battle ended with the purple machine rupturing a red globe on the green alien's chest, causing a massive explosion, which the boys both pointedly ignored because it was only small fry compared to what they could do.
"Poor sport, I say" Trunks said in a mock English aristocratic tone
"Oh rather" Goten replied in similar fashion
The two laughed, not knowing that these attacks, would soon impact on many.
********
Shinji woke up the next day in hospital: Hikari was asleep with her head was lying on the side of Shinji's bed. A smile spread across the boy's face: how he loved her, and why she him he never knew, but was glad of the love. His mother was taken from him long ago: it was nearly unbearable for him and his father. Gendo sent him to live with his uncle and aunt a year after Yui's death. The pair still got on, but the father-son bond was gone, and both saw that it was never coming back, they could laugh, speak and eat together but their relationship was more of friends or brothers than father and son. Yui died during an accident in the lab. Shinji didn't know all the details, nor did he want to.
"Hikari, wake up babe" he nudged her sleeping form while whispering.
"Shinji, huh?" she babbled and rubbed her eyes.
"How's the other girl?" Shinji asked: his father had wheeled Rei out to guilt him into piloting rather than trying to engage the creature in a battle of Ki
"She's cool, Misato is with her now; the blonde we met is her step sister. I'll get them," she said
Shinji grinned and pulled her onto the bed with him "You know, this cot is really comfortable and since it's a private room and we're alone…" he trailed off allowing Hikari to imagine the rest
"You!" she blushed and whacked him upside the head
"Am I interrupting?" a female voice asked
The pair looked up and saw Misato grinning like a Cheshire cat at the two teens. Shinji blushed: he could act like that in front of Hikari when they were alone but with other people around it was really embarrassing and hard for him to get past a hug with her
"N, no; nothing at all" he stammered
"Oh but Shinji, I thought you were ready to rip my clothes off and make hot, steamy passionate love to me, right here" Hikari said, making the poor boy blush to such an extent that he was cherry red.
Misato and Hikari however were in stitches of laughter on the ground making Shinji want to become so incredibly small so he could escape their torture. After checking him out of the hospital, Misato informed him that due to his father's work he was unable to stay with him but she had offered to let him stay with her.
[I'm not so sure that's a great idea] he was nervous because Misato, no matter how playful was still really flirtatious and it was kind of disturbing.
[If she cracks onto him badly,] Hikari was also thinking bad of the arrangements but was more plotting to kill Misato if she tried to seduce Shinji
"Okay, Hikari I'll drop you off at your sister's house after we go shopping, although you are welcome to attend the housewarming party at my place for Shinji" she said as they got into her car
"Well I'll ask Kodama first" she said, Misato nodded.
A few minutes later, they trio had gone shopping and were practically swimming in junk food and soft drink, but Misato had filled a good section of the boot with beer and were on their way to Kodama's house. It was a nice place in the inner suburbs. Kodama was a university professor and her boyfriend was a police officer, between them they made a good amount of money to live on. Kodama and Kenji were on their way to an important function and asked Misato if Hikari could bunk at her place for the night
"Hi Shinji, long time no see" Kodama said and smiled; her sister had acquired a rather handsome young man for a boyfriend.
"Okay, no problem Ms. Horaki, I'll keep them out of trouble" Misato said as they sped off into the distance.
Kodama twitched "Maybe I should have stayed home with Hikari" she said quietly
********
Rei trudged home in the dark, wearing only a school uniform and a smile: Shinji had promised her he'd try teaching her Sha-Kai-Ken, starting tomorrow. Ritsuko had dropped her pen and clipboard in shock as she saw the girl she knew as stoic and reserved smile so bright.
[I'll be able to pilot better now] she thought.
Rei was so wrapped up in her own world she didn't notice the dark stranger following her, nor the somewhat malicious glint in his eyes. He was quick and Rei was only able to gurgle in shock before he clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Well hello girly, I wonder if you'll help me. I need a little stress relief and my doctor recommended sex," he said, tracing his tongue over her ear.
Humans with Ki training have heightened senses, but Rei was well beyond Shinji's hearing range, but Trunks was closer and had better hearing. He heard the gurgle and for lack of anything else to do while Goten went out clubbing, went to investigate. Trunks was a warrior; but violence against females, especially young ones still disturbed him and made his blood boil in fury, so when he caught a glimpse of this, thing, with Rei, his control evaded him.
"Put her down scumbag" he said and floated to the ground, his voice colder than ice
"And if I don't, what then little man?" he asked and flicked out a knife and put it to Rei's throat, scaring the girl even more
"Then I'll come over there; grab her off you, put her down, go back and break every bone in your body and then I'll kill you" Trunks said in a matter of fact voice.
Trunks began powering up for effect. He used his basic skills: this joker was a bar fighter, not a Ki warrior like him. It stunned the would-be paedophile and rapist so much his grip went lose and Rei scrambled off
"Wha?" the man said
"Too late" Trunks said and blasted him: there was no body, not even ashes: it was as if Trunks erased him from existence.
Rei watched the young boy with interest [He seems powerful, maybe he could fight the commander and make a good sparring partner] she thought.
Trunks turned around and went to see if Rei was all right. He realised now that she was the one with the weak Ki level. Determined to find out, he pulled her out of the shadows and he stood for a brief second, mesmerised by her beauty: long legs, nice body, soft looking skin and smooth hair, and the red eyes made him remember his homeland
"It's okay, I won't hurt you" he said, "Are you injured?" Trunks enquired
"No. I am scared, but not physically hurt," she said, trying to take in every detail of Trunks for further analysis in private.
"I see. Where do you live?" he asked
Rei pointed to the building Trunks came out of "There, 4th floor" she answered.
Trunks escorted her to the front door and if he'd had his way, he'd have combed the apartment for any kind of undesirable bottom feeding pond scum. Trunks also began to feel an odd sensation in his neck
[Must be a sore muscle] he fobbed it off and awaited Rei's answer to a question he posed earlier:
"Why do you live here, its dank and unsanitary," he had asked
"Because I would rather be alone in harms way than with my family in safety" she answered him before she bowed
"Thank for assisting me" she said plainly and closed the door.
Trunks walked all the way back to his apartment rubbing his neck.
********
Goten was having a great time; the club was lively and pulsing, and to boot: no booze. Goten was a clubber but not a drinker, unless you counted Creaming Sodas which he drank like water. He was sitting at the 'bar' having one of his favourite drinks when he spied a rather striking redhead with long hair and blue eyes
"There is a god," he said
He gauged her power level and was interested to find out that it was the 2nd most powerful in the country, so with a glint in his eye and a smirk on his lips, he sauntered over to her
"Well hello" he said in a deep voice
"What do you want?" she replied, her voice was Japanese with a hint of German and American
"Well I thought I'd start with your company, then maybe to take you onto that dance floor" he said and sipped his soda
The young girl turned an eye to him: Goten had an interesting face, filled with innocence and danger at the same time and his eyes were like two onyx globes with an opal hue
"You got a name boy?" she asked
"It's Goten, and you girly?" he responded
"Asuka, Asuka Langley Soryu. I'm an Evangelion pilot," she said
[Ah ha, so this is her] he thought and began a conversation
"I saw a large purple robot fighting a large green thing. Was that you?" he asked
"No, my Eva is red and was under repair at the time: that was Shinji. He's the commander's son" she said, a look of fatigue on her face.
"Tired, I thought you needed a great deal of stamina to be an Eva pilot" he said
Asuka made a sarcastic laugh and drank her drink and looked at Goten
"Yes well I was kept up all night last night by a certain Captain and her boyfriend last night, they're very 'active', if you get my drift" Asuka griped
Goten and Asuka were in each other's company for the rest of the night before she had to go home. Goten, being the kind and considerate lad that he was, offered to walk her home, a blushing Asuka accepted. Asuka led Goten to the same apartment block that Shinji was in at the time
[Ah, so they live together eh, well, I'll just let him know in my own subtle way that she's off limits] he schemed
In the apartment: Misato, Shinji, Hikari, Kaji and the resident penguin all drank and ate merrily. Asuka could hear them from the stairs as she swiped her card
"Care to venture into danger with me?" she asked Goten, he nodded
They entered and all Goten's fears eased: Shinji was in the process of hugging his girlfriend with a great deal of affection in his eyes, he noticed Asuka was slightly jealous, and in an unplanned move, put his arm around her waist
"Hi, Asuka! Who's the hunk behind you?" the inebriated Captain asked
"I'm Goten" he answered and tightened his grip on Asuka
Meanwhile, Asuka was blushing so much that she didn't notice Shinji had gotten up and had introduced himself, Hikari did the same.
"Ms. Soryu, I'm Shinji, the other pilot," Shinji said, bowing a little
"Huh, oh, ah, yeah. I'm Asuka. And you are?" she asked, looking at Hikari
"I'm Hikari Horaki, Shinji's girlfriend. Nice to meet you Asuka" Hikari said
[They seem friendly enough, we should get on] she thought; her fatigue was taking control.
"Well Asuka, I'll see you tomorrow. Which school do you go to?" Goten asked
"HS 101, about five minutes walk that way" she answered and pointed east.
"Oh, so that's where it is. My school too, see you there" he said and left
Goten made his way home quickly but Trunks was still awake
"Meet any young, sexy and willing women?" he asked
"Met one that was the former two, part 3 is just a matter of time. Damn neck, must have pulled something," he muttered before going to sleep.
***********
Morning brought a sore and stiff awakening from almost everyone in the Katsuragi house: the three children in it began to get ready for school. Shinji was already enrolled, and Kodama has enrolled Hikari a week ago before she came to Tokyo 3
"Here Hikari, you can borrow some of my clothes. We're about the same measurements" Asuka said and threw a uniform Hikari's way
"Thanks" she replied and began to get dressed
Hikari had a change of underclothes of her own, sensibly declining Misato's offer of her more 'mature' lingerie until she could get home. Shinji, being the only decent cook in the house threw together breakfast before he got dressed. Misato offered to drive them but they said they'd rather walk.
On the other side of town: three other children also began preparations for school: Rei, Trunks and Goten. Rei's breakfast was a bland meal of cereal in milk, and a piece of fruit. Goten and Trunks ate a somewhat more substantial meal of bacon, eggs, hash browns, and orange juice all thanks to capsule technology and were pretty full completion of the meal.
"So we just go in and register?" Trunks asked
Goten nodded "Yep, that's it" he assured Trunks
[Not to mention that Asuka goes to this school] Goten kept this part to himself.
Unintentionally the boys met Rei on the way to school. After a somewhat interesting introduction, they trudged on, all except Goten looking down. Goten and Trunks made a beeline for the register when they arrived
"Hi, we'd like to enrol" Goten said
The secretary blinked "Here, fill these out and you're in" she said in disbelief
"Thank you" Trunks said and took the forms and a pen for each of them.
They boys quickly filled out the relevant details and fibbed about their parents: Trunks gave her back the forms.
"Okay, it seems you're with the celebrities: class 2-A, the Eva pilots" she said and sent them on their way.
Shinji, Hikari and Asuka were as board as anything when the class rep, Kaoru Nagisa announced the arrival of two new students
"Allow me to introduce: Trunks Briefs and Goten Son" the boy said, barely containing his laughter at Trunks's name.
The two kids in question walked into the room: Goten was all smiles but Trunks was exactly like his dad: silent, cold, and mean looking.
"Hi, I'm Goten" the younger Saiyen said and smiled
The entire girl's except Hikari swooned, but Goten was looking at Asuka, and the spare seat beside her.
"I'm Trunks," his voice sounded like an ice wind
"I see, Goten: take a seat beside Ms. Soryu, Trunks, you'll have to sit next Ms. Ayanami" Kaoru said.
Goten nearly bounced to the chair while Trunks walked slowly to the desk: he gave a small head bow to Rei, she returned the gesture before Trunks sat down: Goten watched this small exchange and smirked
[If I didn't know any better, I'd say he liked her] Goten mused
He turned his attention to the teacher and listened for about 3 seconds, but before long his gaze was rooted to Asuka. It didn't leave her form until it was time for P.E. The students filed out, joking and laughing, except the obvious two. The teacher lined them up and asked a question
"Okay; who here uses Ki?" he scanned the kids: Asuka, Hikari, Shinji, Goten and Trunks stepped forward, so did Rei after some hesitation.
"Right, you lot can train a bit while the rest of you are divided: boys are doing basketball and girls are swimming; go" he said.
While the others went about their sports, Goten and Shinji, Hikari and Asuka and Rei and Trunks began to train. Hikari and Asuka began by having a spar: Goten and Shinji were going to fly spar. Rei was however unsure what to do because she knew Trunks was stronger than her with or without his Ki
"Do you want to learn how to fight?" he asked
"I wished to learn Sha-Kai-Ken from Ikari, but he cannot teach me. My Ki is to low" she answered
"I can teach you to increase your Ki" Trunks said
Rei blinked "That is impossible, it only increases with age" she said
Trunks grinned and raised his Ki to a level higher than Asuka, making everyone stop and look at him.
[Damn it Trunks, why chose now to show off] Goten griped as the bouts were stopped to check out the new development
Rei could scarcely believe it: scientists had been trying to discover how to raise Ki levels for years, and this young man her age had done it right in front of her, without even twitching. It was at that time Rei thought maybe a fighter stronger than Gendo Ikari had emerged, and for some reason that frightened and comforted her at the same time.
"I can teach you to do this, if you're willing to learn" he said, a deadpan look on his face.
"I am willing," she said
"Very well. Meet me in my apartment, room 7-A: I live in the same building as you do" he said and turned on his heel. Rei did the same.
Asuka looked at Goten while Hikari followed Rei and Shinji followed Trunks; she was amazed that he used Ki at all, but to know one of its greatest secrets was something that she was unprepared for
"Can you, increase your Ki?" she asked: he nodded.
Asuka smiled her razor sharp smile "Teach me" she demanded
"What?" Goten was speechless
"Teach me to raise my Ki, or I'll fight you until you agree" she said
[This girl was definitely a Saiyen in a past life; she's got the attitude, the smirk and the power] Goten observed
"Okay, deal" he said and sat down in the sun.
************
Shinji caught up with Trunks
"What the hell was that?" he asked
"What are you talking about, human?" Trunks snarled
"How can you teach Rei to raise her Ki, she has a problem that inhibits its growth" Shinji blasted
"You are such an arrogant race: there are those who have dedicated their very existence to learning the sacred martial arts of Ki manipulation" Trunks spoke in a high and mighty voice
"But, I thought raising it was impossible" Shinji said, dumbfounded
"Yet you sensed me raise it, to be stronger than all three of you" Trunks retorted, absently he rubbed his neck
**********
Hikari went and found Rei: she was sitting against a wall staring out at the city: they city she defended for a living, the city which owed her an unpayable debt and the city in which she was weakest.
"Rei, you okay?" Hikari asked
"Yes" she answered [Is it possible, can I become stronger?] Rei wondered
"You gave us a scare, Trunks didn't hurt you did he?" Hikari asked
Rei shook her head and continued to stare forward and in an unconscious move; Rei reached up and rubbed her neck. Hikari sat down beside Rei and looked at with concern.
"Rei, I want to be your friend, even if we only meet here in school. And as a friend, I'm giving some advice: don't take things at face value" she said
Rei looked at Hikari with some contempt
"I do not believe that Mr. Briefs would lie, nor would he ever hurt me" she bit back and explained her first encounter with him
Hikari was speechless and not to mention scared of Trunks: people with his kind of power were often seen as very noble, and Trunks seemed that way, but was he friend or foe?
"Okay, well I can't stop you from trusting him, just be careful, okay?" Hikari asked
Rei nodded, if only just to get Hikari to leave her alone. She rubbed her neck again
[I must ask Ritsuko to give me a pain killer] she decided.
************
Hikari was running as fast she could to find Shinji; she had to speak to him before the boy did anything rash, like challenging Trunks to a fight.
"Don't be a fool Shinji; graveyards are full of fools; and heroes" she said, reflecting on her boyfriend's new position as a hero.
She found Shinji simply chatting with Goten and Asuka in a friendly manner under a tree: Trunks was nowhere to be seen. Sighing with relief, Hikari sat down and tried to pick up on the conversation, which soon became obvious to her.
"You can't be serious Goten!" Asuka cried out
"Why not; it seems like a reasonable assumption to me, I do know him best after all" he said in defence of his argument
"No way, those two are, no offence, colder than the artic in winter at night. In fact, it would probably take conditions like that to get them close enough to kiss" Shinji said
"I am assuming we're talking about Trunks and Rei here" Hikari said, groaning.
"Yep, Goten here seems to think that Trunks and Rei are made for each other" Asuka chuckled while she pointed at Goten.
"Well, I still think you're mad Goten; I don't think Trunks offering to train Rei is an 'I-love-you-lets-fuck' invitation type thing" Shinji maintained his position that the relationship was impossible
Hikari on the other hand, wasn't so sure that Shinji and Asuka were right, maybe Goten was. She pondered it in class for the rest of the day.
*******
Goten was going to Asuka's house, Shinji and Hikari were going to a movie so that left Rei and Trunks
"Why don't you train her tonight, you're only teaching her to increase her Ki level after all" Goten said, no small amount of slyness in his voice
[Back off. Ah, this damn neck pain] Trunks griped
"I may just do that, Goten" he replied to his more cheery friend.
The group parted ways at a T-junction: Shinji and Hikari off to the Cineplex, Asuka and Goten off to Asuka's house and Rei and Trunks on their way back to the small cruddy apartment block they called home. After a silent trip back to the apartment block, Trunks spoke
"If you wish, the training can begin. But only the basics" he said
"That would be very…nice" Rei paused to find an appropriate word to complete the sentence.
"Dress in an appropriate Gi, allow for plenty of movement and one that stays on the body, little flapping" he instructed before leaving.
Rei simply nodded her head and went into her own apartment to get ready while Trunks walked up to prepare his apartment for use as a makeshift dojo. He sighed as he entered and cleared away most of the stuff: the mattresses on the ground, a small table and some sitting cushions: his and Goten's clothes were all in capsules, so they were easily hidden.
[Why am I training her, she has such little Ki that even with the ability to raise it higher most young children would defeat her, so why?] Trunks lamented his decision to train Rei, but not totally.
Trunks had spent as much time as he possibly could, sensing the girl, anytime an old childhood nightmare came, he somehow searched out this Ki signal, and for reasons he did not understand; it brought him comfort. He also began to feel sorry for her because she, Asuka and Shinji were expected to save the world from aliens. He also had a nagging thought that the Angels and Buu were connected and that somehow, his arrival would spell death for at least one of the pilots, he just wasn't sure whom. His thoughts were disrupted by a quiet knocking on the door; shaking his head, Trunks answered it.
"I am ready Mr. Briefs" Rei said as she stepped inside the now prepared dojo.
Trunks scrutinised the Gi; a pair of soft-soled training boots, dark purple pants, vest and top. The top was a long sleeved t-shirt and the vest covered it, showing only the black sleeves of the top. A gold dragon graced the leg of the pants, the head at the bottom and the tail curled up on the thigh. Trunks briefly envisioned his tail there, but shook the thought almost as soon as it came.
"The Gi is very well designed. I approve" he said and beckoned her to sit on the mat, knees crossed.
Rei sat as he asked her to. Trunks soon copied the gesture and sat facing Rei: he hadn't noticed the red tie around her head. He shrugged and began a verbal instruction
"Okay, you follow my movements to the best of your abilities and under no circumstances are you to question what I say or ask of you. Understand?" he asked
Rei nodded curtly to signify her willingness to learn whatever Trunks could teach her
"Good. We begin, now" he said
***********
Goten and Asuka were watching a video in the lounge room of the Katsuragi apartment; the pair were on the couch and laughing at the hysterical antics of the crew on screen
"That Bobo is a crack" Goten chortled
"Pauly and Sleek too" Asuka agreed as the two pizza boys in the show were thrown out of the club after Pauly called them narcissistic wankers for dancing with no shirts on.
"Where did you get this stuff Asuka? Its classic" Goten gasped as the ending credits rolled
"I've had them for years: I saw the show on re-runs in America when I was younger. I loved it and went out and grabbed it as soon as possible" she said and placed the video in its case again.
Misato watched from her vantage point at the kitchen table and giggled: Asuka didn't warm to strangers, yet this Goten kid had managed to pick her up in club, talk her into letting him taking her home and then, come over and watch TV with her.
[She's either on drugs or in love. Either is going to cause a problem] she thought and looked sad.
Misato hated to burst the young girl's bubble but her emotional involvement in others was dangerous in her position and Misato didn't want Asuka to get hurt, in any way if she could help it. For now though, Misato was content to watch Asuka seem to have a normal relationship with the young man. Misato pondered Goten; he seemed really nice, in fact she was sure that he had looped his arm around Asuka last night when she came home so she didn't feel left out among the group. Misato at first as she would any boy, questioned his motives with Asuka, but he had a great naivety and was genuinely sweet, like a big puppy.
"Okay, Goten, what next?" Asuka asked
Goten allowed a sly grin to cross his face and for a brief second, Misato though he was going to say 'sex', but
"VIDEO GAMES" he cried out loudly, making Asuka and Misato laugh
"Okay, I'll break out the Playstation 2" Asuka replied and went to her room to get it.
And so the evening went on, they played games, watched movies and did homework; all the while each wanted to badly get a neck massage because they both had somehow strained a muscle in them.
*********
Rei felt like she was on top of the world: she had seen some amazing things in her life, but watching Trunks raise his Ki level with a physical field was spectacular: the pair were in a clearing almost 100 miles out of Tokyo 3, to avoid any kind of interruption. Right now Trunks was demonstrating an attack his father had taught him: Gallic Cannon
"You build the energy up in the arms first, and then as you would a ball, throw it forward" he said and fired a small one at a large boulder.
"Okay" she replied
Rei then attempted to copy the move, she had moderate success and was able to do about a third of the damage Trunks had done. He had taught her to raise her Ki, and she was actually not as weak as Trunks first thought, she was nearly up to Hikari's level
[I am impressed, but I have this feeling that there is a hidden talent lying in there. All I need to do is bring it forward] he thought
The training continued for many more hours and it was nearly midnight before they stopped, but before they went back, Trunks felt he had to reveal some of his power to Rei, if only to show her he was capable of teaching her everything.
"Rei, wait. There is something I should show you: if I am to be your teacher, you must trust me. And trust is impossible when secrets are kept. So I am going to show you my most special ability. Not my full power, for that will be revealed in due course," he explained at length
Rei simply nodded and sat down, obviously awaiting Trunks's demonstration. Trunks took up a crouching position and began to power up, very strongly. Rei was almost afraid: a power of this magnitude was uncharted and long thought to be impossible, but here was someone her age putting out enough power to run the whole of Japan for at least a week. Then Rei observed an odd occurrence: Trunks's hair was starting to flash yellow, and his eyes had changed to green.
[What?] Rei thought
"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Trunks let out a blood-curdling scream as he was enveloped by light and flash of bright yellow was seen.
Rei had to shield her eyes from the brightness and nearly gasped at the level of power Trunks now had. When she opened her eyes, it was like she was in a dream or a fantasy world: his bright golden hair flowed like fire on top of his head and his now green eyes were as hard as tempered steel. A low hum could be heard from the field around Trunks's body
"That's, amazing" she said and reached over to touch the field
"It's very hot, I wouldn't recommend touching it" Trunks warned her before an injury was incurred
Rei retracted her hand but was still mesmerised by what Trunks had done
[How did he do that?], she wondered
Trunks powered down his field but his power level was still up and beyond anything the Earth had ever seen. Trunks now allowed Rei to approach him. She ran her hand over his hair; it was the part that interested her the most. It was hard but flexible and smoother than silk. Rei examined Trunks's eyes: inside them sat a deep-rooted pain that was buried beneath his barriers of strength and power: but she had a feeling that if the right person tried to get past them: they would.
*********
Goten was making his way slowly home after playing enough rounds on Tekken to make him blanch at even the thought of training Asuka, but he promised he'd teach her
"What did I get myself into?" he wondered and climbed the steps to the apartment
He smiled at what he saw when he came in: Trunks was asleep on his futon and Goten had sensed that he was powered up to Super Saiyen 1 a few minutes ago and he was curious to know why. He decided to wait until morning to interrogate his friend though and lay down to sleep.
*************
The next morning Trunks woke up early and walked out onto the balcony of the apartment. Whilst he gazed out over the city, Trunks reflected on the task he and Goten had been given: to destroy Majin Buu and defend the Earth from attacks of his nature. Trunks wasn't happy with the assignment: he hated this planet because he lived on an alternate one and humans had been nothing but cruel to his family and friends of Saiyen heritage and he didn't believe that humans were worth saving. So far, nothing bar their perseverance had begun to change that solid opinion.
He and Goten did the usual beginning to the day with a big meal in silence and left the apartment for school. As yesterday they met Rei, then Shinji, Hikari and Asuka for the walk. Asuka and Goten were with Shinji and Hikari discussing the current vibe they could all sense between their stoic friends who walked a few feet behind them
"There is a definite vibe there. All it needs a bit of tweaking and voila" Goten said, Hikari was the only one who still believed him
Asuka and Shinji didn't believe him at all
"Bull" Asuka said and patted Goten's shoulder
"Asuka. I know Trunks very well; there is a small light in his eyes again, I haven't seen it in a long time" he replied as they entered the school gate
Trunks saw a large gathering of students around what he assumed was a Ki battle: the seniors were fighting. Asuka shook her head and grumbled about the seniors always showing off even though she could beat them.
"Hey, check it out Toji, there's Rei" the boy with brown hair spoke to his friend with the black hair.
The boy Toji was one of the seniors, cast his eye on Rei and almost instantly Trunks hated him with passion: Toji was a foot taller than he was but had nowhere near the muscle or the power, but still carried himself with confidence. He ignored her however
"So what? For all I care the bitch can die, she turned me down, and nobody, turns down Toji Suzaharra," he spat in a cruel voice
When Trunks saw Rei visibly flinch at the older boy's voice, he growled like a beast, really loudly and was ready to go over and drop him like a sack of hammers, but Rei put her hand on his shoulder and told him not to. Goten was becoming more convinced by the second of what was happening to Trunks
[The SoB is bonding with her, slowly, but bonding none the less] he observed
Trunks just threw snarls and hatful looks at Toji. When he was snarling, Toji caught a glimpse of Trunks's fangs
Fangs on Saiyens are not dissimilar to vampire fangs but are shorter and less pointy. However any similarities end at shape and position in the mouth, for instead of taking, Saiyen fangs inject a special enzyme into the blood that is coded to allow a mental link between the two people. If a non-Saiyen bites a Saiyen, then the Saiyen blood takes a sample of the saliva on the teeth and creates an enzyme for them, completing the bond: this is how Saiyens know that they're in love, their neck starts to ache when they're around a certain person.
***************
Once that was settled, Trunks and the others continued on their way to class; Goten was just looking at Shinji and Asuka while grinning an 'I told you so' grin. They ignored him.
Class was going smoothly, but then a siren began wailing
"What?" Goten looked confused
"Its the alert siren: an Angel is here" Rei said, looking out over the horizon trying to spot it
"Well, come on Shinji; Rei. We got work to do" Asuka had that grin again
"Bye Hikari" Shinji said and kissed her forehead before leaving
"I see you later Asuka, darling" Goten teased: Asuka playfully punched him as she left, Shinji in tow
Hikari and Goten left, knowing that if anything was going to happen between the remaining two, privacy was needed. They tiptoed out, giggling like little toddlers.
"This is kind of, awkward" Trunks said, making a nervous face
Rei just stared blankly at him; it had occurred to her that Trunks cared: because he showed her something that was obviously very precious to him and a big part of his hidden nature because that kind of ability was, as far as she knew, totally unknown in history, but she saw it, heard it, and touched it therefore it was real
"I know. I have never been good at this kind of interaction," she confessed
"Well, I'll be blunt. Come back, everyone has a life worth living. Especially you, you're saving the world." Trunks said
Before Rei could protest, Trunks gave Rei a small hug; nothing crushing or overly intimate, but a hug that you give a person you care for in any shape or form. He smiled and left after releasing her, something she'd never seen him do. Rei was totally mesmerised by the action: she pondered it there, as she ran to Nerv, got changed and even pondered it to the point before she broke surface in Eva 00; ready to engage in combat.
Hikari, like most people went to the shelters, but Goten and Trunks went and hid in the mountains near the battlefield: they were going to wait and watch this little adventure. The hill they chose was almost a kilometre from the Angel itself, but the pair guessed it could transverse that distance no problem: the Angel was shellfish like, with two small arms flanking its head with a red dome like the last one, in its chest area. Trunks guessed that was the weak spot.
[All they have to do is rupture that dome, and boom, bye, bye birdie] Trunks reasoned
Goten had much the same thoughts but he wanted a better fight than last time from the Evangelion, he was also looking forward to seeing the other Evangelions as well, especially Asuka's
[It's going to be red] he thought
************
Indeed Goten was right: Asuka's Eva was red. Trunks disregarded Shinji's and looked for Rei's, searching for her Ki. He soon saw among some trees a giant blue object
[Bingo] he thought and began to scan the Angel
He couldn't sense any Ki from them at all which meant either they had none, or were suppressing it really well.
The battle raged, each Eva used various weapons to try and halt the advance of the creature, but it soon became obvious that hand to hand combat was the only way to go, so they all ditched the rifles and cannons for knives and spears and began to attack it head on. Shinji used a spear and stuck the creature in the side. Seeing his plan, Asuka did the same
{Rei, use one of the rifles, the A.T. Field is down!} Shinji yelled over the radio
Before Rei could act however, the small arms on the Angel grew long whips that glowed with energy and used them to stab Rei through each shoulder
"HEY!" before Goten could stop him, Trunks shot towards the Angel
All Shinji and Asuka saw was a golden streak hit the Angel and begin to drag it upwards and out of their hands in seconds and with ease: a steady power level was also raising like a wave at sea
"GET BACK" a voice screamed
*************
The power was so great that all the cameras in the area went off line, making it a black out for Nerv personnel: except one man. Gendo Ikari, he was able to sense Ki and right now he was pondering the sheer volume of power that he could sense from outside
[Such a power has been thought impossible, but this is the second time I have sensed this one. Who does it belong to? That is the question] he thought.
*************
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGG" Trunks was making a great deal of noise and light as he powered up his ultimate attack: Burning Attack.
Shinji and Asuka were struggling to stop from being blown off the ground and listened to what was going on. Soon the light stopped but the Angel did not, it was going to fast, Trunks put his hands forward
"EAT THIS" he screamed "BURNING ATTACK" he fired
The energy wave hit the Angel, sending it higher into the air, Shinji and Asuka let go of their spears: the Angel went a few feet higher and then the wave exploded: there was nothing left of the Angel
Trunks saw his work there was done and zipped down to Rei's Eva: a white tube was poking out of the neck, he could tell it was hot but he grabbed the metal and yanked the whole door plus some wall off as well, Rei was out cold. He reached over to her and shook her gently
"Rei, wake up!" Trunks cried out desperately.
The girl responded by opening her eyes and groaning as she sat up, blinking with surprise as she saw the ruined plug around her, more precisely to the side where the door once was
"Trunks?" she said softly, his hair was still gold, and he had used a great deal of energy but was still in the transformed state
"You're, okay" he breathed and collapsed, his hair going lavender again before he even hit the ground.