-Chapter 8 of ULSI

-Been a while since I've updated this story hasn't it? Like 11 months since the last update (keeps going up as I keep delaying this fic. :-P)! Sorry about that! But as you know, I've been busy recently with school, and what little time I have to myself, was spent working on the tons of stories I have in front of it. Concerning Evangelion, Fullmetal Evangelion and Valliant Shinji being the two stories that took up most of my time in this area (and as a common theme in these Author's Notes, these two came together and were a much more original experience from the get go). But don't worry! As this update shows, I have not forgotten this one! Especially now that everything has finally came together, and a MUCH more original story will now appear.

-For those waiting for Fullmetal Evangelion, it's coming! Slowly. But it's coming! I imagine that it would be about this chapter's length, or possibly even more! Given that this chapter is over 10000 words… -- Yeah. Sorry for the delay but I am planning it to be quite long to make up for it. :-P

-Oh, and warning, Babelfish translation of Asuka's words (since the US DVD has her words subbed… in English)! Accuracy could be questionable. :-P

-Without further ado, on with the story!

---

Commander Ikari's Office

Gendo was on the phone in the darkened room. "Correct. I have already arranged it with the committee." Gendo said through the phone. "The cargo left from Sasebo Port yesterday, and is making its way here across the Pacific Ocean." After a short silence, Gendo continued. "No. I do not understand what had happened that would make this move necessary. But I will continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding it." Another pause. "That is all." He hanged up the phone and sat down in his chair.

Ritsuko entered the darkened room just as Gendo finished the call.

Before she could say anything, Gendo spoke. "Do you have any new information on what occurred during the testing?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "The best explanation we could come up with would be that a hidden self-destruct program had been activated. A program that we were unable to detect when we made our own 'modifications'," Ritsuko said in a matter of fact tone. "It was the most likely scenario out of all the possibilities that the Magi came up with at least, with a 13.5 percent likelihood. The next likely scenario, an unforeseen crack in the reactor core came in at 11.8 percent. Unfortunately, none of these scenarios could give a satisfactory explanation on why the Robot JA would just stop, conveniently over the control facility."

"Hmph," Gendo sounded as he took all this in. He stared at Ritsuko through his dark shaded sunglasses. "Has an Angel attack been ruled out?"

"For the most part," Ritsuko nodded as she looked into her folder. "Not only would it go against the Dead Sea Scrolls, but it did not fit their style at all. After all, this wasn't anywhere near their intended target."

"That is true," Gendo relayed. "While the timetable had shifted a bit from the prophecy, all attacks had followed the order presented in them. This would have been a massive anomaly unforeseen by everyone. Even with the knowledge that it won't exactly follow the scrolls."

"Agreed," Ritsuko replied. She then relayed her own question that she had wondered for a while. "By the way, how has Seele taken all this?"

"They are rightfully concerned about this unforeseen event. Though they are not complaining. Again, given the unfortunate incident where half of the JDSF's top command were wiped out, Seele took it upon themselves to fill in the power vacuum," Gendo replied.

Ritsuko frowned a bit after hearing that. "That could be an unintentional problem for us."

"True," Gendo said. "But I have already prepared for this… shift in power. If they should move against us, we should be ready."

Helicopter to Carrier

A helicopter was flying through the cloud-covered sky. Below it was the vast Pacific Ocean, sparkling in the sun. It's destination? A carrier from a bygone era that from the helicopter's perch appeared as a mere child's toy in the vast ocean below them. Currently occupied in the whirl bird was one Misato, Shinji, Kensuke, Touji and... Hikari.

"Wow! A MIG-55 D transport helicopter!" Kensuke excitedly said as he was videotaping it all. At the moment, the military fanatic was in 7th Heaven. "I'd never believe I'd get the chance to fly in one. Thank god I have buddy like you, Shinji!"

"Huh?" Shinji eyed Kensuke wearily.

Misato looked back from her seat next to the pilot to stare at the boys… and one girl. "I thought you guys must be sick of being cramped up, so I invited you on a date!"

"What! Today is really a date?" Touji said excited. He then touched his cap. "I bought this cap especially for today, Misato!"

"Pddt." Hakari rolled her eyes. "Only if you like one night stands with someone as morally loose as Misato," she said under her breath.

"Eh." Misato narrowed her eyes and glared at the girl for a few second. "Tell me again why SHE'S here?"

"Yeah…why is the Class Rep here?" Touji said as he glared back at her from the side.

"I don't know." Shinji answered. "I mean, when she heard that you were taking us on a little trip, she insisted on coming. I have to admit, it's a little cramp back here."

"Well there was only room for two of your friends Shinji." Misato said. "Which is why I said bring TWO of your friends. Not three."

"Well I'm sorry but I have to make sure that Shin… 'these guys' conduct remains good. I can't just send them off on their own to allow something questionable to happen! That is after all, a part of the job of Class Representative. Making sure my fellow students are on the road to a successful life uncorrupted by certain adults." Hikari glared daggers at Misato. "Especially with you!"

"Huh?" Shinji was confused. "Is that really a part of the job of being Class Representative?"

Kensuke also blinked at this. "Since when has the job of a Class Rep become our mother?"

"Oh but I want that to happen!" Touji said with his eyes glazing over. Images of Misato and him in, um, unique poses, and quite naked, filled his mind. A drip of blood came out of his nose.

"PERVERT!" Hikari whacked Touji upside the head. Her once lofty opinion of Touji continued to erode with each passing offense. 'What did I ever see in him!'

Given the close confines in the back, the subsequent hit knocked the two boys next to Touji to the side of the helicopter.

"Ow!" Kensuke said as he hit the side of the helicopter. "Watch it over there! This camera isn't cheap you know! Especially with this extra important mission here!"

"Hmph!" Hikari crossed her arms and fumed.

Shinji rubbed the side of his right arm. He decided to right himself immediate and just stare in front of him. Though thoroughly confused about the recent turn of events, he also didn't want to make a big fuss about it either.

Misato continued to glare at Hikari. Her opinion of her dropped just a bit. 'I'll think I will add her on my list, right under Maya.'

As Touji readjusted his cap, he stared out the window as best as he could. "By the way, where are we headed anyways?"

Misato sighed before she put back her cheery expression. "We'll take a little jaunt across the Pacific on that gorgeous cruiser." 'And then maybe we could throw a certain freckled faced girl overboard. I don't think anyone would miss her. Too bad Maya couldn't come.'

As they passed through the clouds, the fleet came into focus.

Kensuke's face lit up with delight. He focused the camera on the approaching ship. "Wow! Five aircraft carriers and four battleships! What a fleet! I'm absolutely sure the best thing in life is having a great buddy!"

Touji raised an eyebrow as he stared at the carrier. "That's your 'gorgeous cruiser'?"

"Yeah, she sure is gorgeous! That's the pride of the U.N., the glorious regular carrier

'Over the Rainbow'!" Kensuke said as a little bit of droll came out of his mouth.

Hikari stared wearily at Kensuke. "You're not thinking naughty thoughts about it are you?"

"WHAT!" Kensuke turned the camera on Hikari's disgusted expression. "Since when did you join the moral police here?"

"It's huge." Shinji, ignoring the commotion happening around him, commented as he stared at the carrier.

Hikari stared down at Kensuke's pants. "Well, I'm glad Shinji wasn't referring to you."

"Eh?" Touji's eyebrow raised as he too, stared at Kensuke's pants. A horrified expression washed over him. "KENSUKE!"

"What?" A red faced Kensuke said as he tried to sink down in the cramped seat. "It's not what it looks like…"

"Oh god. I am not hearing this." Misato's eyes went from side to side. "As for Miss Class Rep… and she calls me morally loose," she said under her breath. She then tried to refocus the conversation back to the carrier. "WELL…" Getting everyone's attention on her instead of…Kensuke. "I'm surprised that such a relic still afloat."

Kensuke smiled as he returned his attention to the carrier. "Naw. It's not so bad! It's a vintage model from just before the Second Impact."

Hikari attempted to cover her face so that she wasn't seeing Kensuke's… "Let's get this over with."

A few minutes later, and the helicopter landed on the deck of the carrier 'Over the Rainbow'.

Over the Rainbow

"Oh! Cool! Awesome! Cool! Incredible! Cool! Mega Cool! Wow! This is way too cool!" Kensuke excited relayed as he videotaped every aspect of the ship as he possibly can get. "This kinds of thing brings a tear to the heart of a real man!"

Touji rolled his eyes. "Which means you have no concept of that." Touji said under his breath. Suddenly, the wind picked up and sent his hat flying.

Shinji followed behind him, yawning.

Hikari followed closely behind Shinji, shivering all the while. "If I knew it was going to be this cold, I would have brought a jacket!"

"If I knew it was going to be this cold, I would have brought a jacket." Misato mocked as she followed Hikari, holding her arms and shivering just as the wind started to pick up. "Well excuse me! Not my problem a prissy stuck-up little girl like you came along and landed on a MILITARY boat in the middle of the OCEAN!" 'Now, just stand on the edge so that the wind might throw you overboard!'

Hikari glared at Misato menacingly. 'Better watch it Miss Katsuragi! Or there might be some divine intervention heading your way!'

Touji continued to chase after his hat. "Damn it! Stop! Stop now!" After coming to a stop next to a girl's foot, Touji sighed in relief. "My hat!" Suddenly, said girl stomped on said hat. "Eh?" Touji followed up the leg to see who was currently stepping on his hat.

A red headed girl, wearing a fairly simple and quite small yellow dress, grinned as she focused her attention on Misato. "Hello Misato! How have you been?"

Misato gave as warm of a smile as she can to the half-Japanese and half-German girl. "Fine. How 'bout' you? You've grown some, haven't you?"

The half-German girl's grinned widened as she puffed up her chest. "And how! I'm not just taller, my figure's filled out as well."

Hikari's face gave a tint of red as she looked at the half-German girl's assets. A wave of jealousy washed over her. 'Damn! Why does everyone have bigger breast than me!'

Kensuke focused the camera on this newcomer. 'Wow! Have to say she's a babe!'

Misato turned to the others as she made her announcement. "Let me introduce you. This is pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, the Second Child, Asuka Langley Shoryu."

'So she's the Second Child!' Shinji thought as he turned his attention to the Asuka.

'Damn! That means she would be working a lot with Shinji!' Hikari thought before she raised an eyebrow. 'Wait, why do I care? I thought I liked Touji! Even with his… idiotic Whorsato obsession!' Hikari glared at Touji.

'Well, she isn't bad looking.' Touji had to admit.

Suddenly, a errant wind blew at that very moment, raising Asuka's dress. Exposing the fact that she, well, was going commando.

"Wha!" Kensuke's mouth dropped at the sight he was seeing through his viewfinder.

Touji's eyes widened considerably. Since he was literally under Asuka at the time, he had an up close and personal view.

"WAH!" Hikari's mouth shot open, and her eyes nearly bulged out.

"Huh?" Shinji wasn't really paying complete attention in that area. Though he did note that there was a bit more skin showing there than he would normally expect.

"Ah!" Asuka slapped Touji, and then Shinji. This caused Hikari to wince at the sound. For Kensuke, Asuka shoved the camera into Kensuke's eyes, breaking the lens and giving him a black eye.

"That's the viewing fee. Quite a bargain don't you think?" Asuka said in arrogant tone.

Kensuke deeply frowned at the proceedings. Not only does he now have a broken camera, he also discovered Asuka's true behavior. 'She may be pretty, but she's a bitch!' "But what about her?" Kensuke complained as he pointed at Hikari.

Asuka rolled her eyes. "She's a girl moron! Why would I slap her? Unless she swings that way…"

"I am not a lesbian!" Hikari bashed Kensuke on the head.

"Ow! Sorry!" Kensuke winced as he caught a glimpse of Hikari's expression.

Touji was incensed. It wasn't all that exciting! Now, if it was Misato's… "What? You think it's worth that! Yeah right! And I'm straight! Here, take a look at mine!" Touji stood up and dropped his pants and his boxers.

Hikari mouth flew open at the scene in front of her. Touji's butt! 'OH MY! I have to say cute butt… HEY! You're not supposed to be showing that!'

Asuka's mouth also flew open, though more in disgust. "You insolent dork!" She loudly slapped Touji's other cheek.

"You idiot!" Hikari followed suit and punched Touji in the back of the head. "Don't you know how rude and disgusting that is! Not to mention immoral!"

"That's right!" Asuka proudly agreed.

"Which goes the same to you!" Hikari said as she pointed to the girl. "I don't know what is up with European girls, but around here, we don't go around flashing people!"

Asuka narrowed her eyes. She was seriously reconsidering her earlier assertion of not slapping a girl. "Oh really? And why are you on this ship anyways?" She turned to Misato who simply shrugged at that response.

"To protect these boys from immoral misdeeds of course!" Hikari shot her head to Misato.

Asuka noted whom Hikari was staring at. "Well, I have to admit, you may have a point from all the stories I have heard about her."

Misato shut her fist as it began to shake menacingly. 'Oh yeah. She is SO going on my list! Asuka isn't winning any points either!'

Shinji simply looked up and endured it. He decided saying nothing, and doing nothing was a wise thing to do at this point.

Deciding it wasn't worth continuing this line of conversation; Asuka decided to change the subject to the reason why this group is here. "So, which one is the famous Third Child?" Asuka then turned to Kensuke and frowned at the military geek. "Don't tell me it's him."

Misato shook her head. "Don't worry, here he is." She indicated to Shinji.

Asuka began examine Shinji very closely. "Well, he looks kind of dull."

"I don't know. I think he's kind of cute." Hikari blurted out. She then instantly covered her mouth as she realized what she had said.

This caused Misato and Asuka to swiftly refocus their attention on Hikari.

Asuka gave a mischievous grin. "So Miss Morality, you don't happen to have immoral thoughts on the Third Child late at night do you?"

"What! Of course not!" Hikari said as she backed down a bit. "I don't think like that! Honest!" 'I mean, he's just a classmate! That's all! I mean, so what if I wonder how he would look like without a shirt on. Or pants on. Or underwear. Oh god what am I thinking!' A deep red blush washed over her face.

Misato growled. 'Oh, I'm definitely keeping an eye on you!'

Seeing the blush, and Misato's growl, Asuka's grin disappeared as she whipped her head back to Shinji. 'Now what could be so special about you?'

Shinji was completely confused about what exactly was going on. 'I wonder what got them all excited over?'

-later…

Over the Rainbow Bridge

"Would you sign this document?" Misato said, handing a paper to the Admiral.

The group was now in the bridge of the ship with Misato trying to take control of the situation. The gray bearded Admiral was obviously peeved that his ship was now host to a bunch of children, including two that claimed to be the pilot of the machine that the fleet was entrusted with. It was certainly a waste of time in his mind, especially given that the entire Pacific fleet was called upon on this transport mission. It was bad enough that the budget left them badly undermanned, under equipped, and under maintained. Now they were given the task of protecting the very reason why they were denied this funding.

And speaking of said children, Shinji was for the most part was not focusing his attention on any one thing. His eyes were moving from side to side, making sure he wasn't staying on one object for too long. He was doing this all while Misato and the Admiral talked in front of him. Asuka smugly looked up, and kept her eyes closed shut at the proceedings. Touji looked dreamily at Misato, with Hikari glaring dangerously at him. Kensuke was the only one not bunched up in the same general vicinity since he was focused on videotaping the ship's navigator.

The Admiral could only shake his head at the juvenile antics happening around him. 'This is an active warship! Not some silly tourist attraction!' He then glared at Misato and frowned deeply before he finally gave an answer to her request. "Not yet. Eva Unit 02 and its pilot have been entrusted to us by the Third Branch in Germany. I won't let you waltz in, and do as you please!"

"Then when will you transfer them to us?" Misato continued, obviously peeved by the seemingly rude attitude of the captain.

"Once we've unloaded in New Yokosuka." The Commander said. Despite the name of his rank, was really the second in command of the ship after the Admiral.

The Admiral gave a stern look at Misato. "The ocean is ours jurisdiction. You will follow our orders here."

"I understand." Misato said as she reposed herself. "However, I should remind you that, in the case of an emergency, our, NERV's authority overrides yours."

Touji continued to look dreamily into space. "She's cool!"

Hikari growled at Touji. "Only if you like loose sluts like her." She said under her breath. She then eyed the two other boys in the room. 'At least Kensuke isn't focusing his attention on Whorsato. Though I don't exactly like where his camera is focusing in on. I mean, what's so interesting about the sailor's pants?' She mentally noted before moving on to Shinji. 'And Shinji… at least he appears to be reliable! And he lives with that woman!'

"She looks like Ritsuko." Shinji offhandedly commented.

Misato eyed Shinji carefully. "What do you mean by that Shinji?"

Hikari began to giggle a bit. 'I don't know who this Ritsuko person is, but I'm assuming it wasn't someone she'd like to be compared with.'

"Uh!" Shinji shrank a bit from his position. "I meant that… um, that…"

Misato's eyebrow began to twitch. "Yes Shinji?" However, a new voice spoke up, which would make her forget about Shinji at the moment.

"Hmm. Same snappy personality! Just as I remembered!" A certain male said as he stood in the hallway.

"Eh!" Misato face distorted as she sees the man at the doorway. "EH!"

Asuka's eyes lit up, and she waved at the man. "Kaji!"

Hikari eyed the newcomer, then at Asuka's gleeful expression. "You do realize that he's like, forty right?"

Asuka glared a bit at Hikari. "So what? He's still the hottest and greatest man in the world! Certainly better than that dweed there." She said as she stared at Shinji. "And I think he's thirty anyways."

"Huh?" Shinji said as he scratched the back of his head in confusion.

Hikari sighed. "Well, it's your life." She then eyed Shinji fondly. 'At least that means that I don't have to worry… WAIT! I thought I was on this trip to keep Touji out of trouble! Not look at Shinji! What's happening to me!' Hikari thought, as her face blushed red.

Asuka eyed Hikari's blush. She narrowed her eyes a bit. As far as she could see, Shinji was the most boring guy she has ever met. Why would she like him?

The Admiral eyed Kaji in disapproval. "Mr. Kaji, I must insist that you not invite yourself onto the bridge."

"Oh, sorry about that." Kaji said nonchalantly.

Misato dropped her folder full of papers. 'What… what's he doing on board!' She then quickly picked up the folder and its contents, and ushered the children down the stairs. 'I got to get away from that moron!' Before she followed them, she turned around, faced the captain, and saluted. "Well, excuse us. Transport us to New Yokusuka as ordered."

"This is a date?" Touji questioned again when he was in the middle of the stairway. It certainly didn't seem like it to him.

"Only you would take Misato seriously." Hikari commented with a glare.

"Cool! This is so cool!" Kensuke said, too excited to care about anything that was happening behind him. Just being here on this ship was a dream of a lifetime.

Outside the Elevator

"Hold that elevator!" Kaji said as he, with Asuka in tow, rushed to the elevator. Both finally reached the small elevator that was currently occupied by Misato, Shinji, Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari.

"I don't think so!" Misato said as she slammed her foot into Kaji's belly.

"Oft." Kaji slumped a little from the kick. "My my Misato. You're meaner than usual!"

"Hmph." Misato glared at Kaji. "Well if you're not blind, something I'm not so sure about, this elevator is full! So either catch the next one or take the stairs!" Misato vociferated as the doors slammed shut.

"Grrr!" Asuka's eyes burned with fire. She slammed her foot at the now shut door. "That bitch! What gave her the right to give orders around here!"

"Well she is a Captain at NERV." Kaji playfully said, which Asuka was not appreciating one bit. Finally, he decided to change tactics with this conversation. "That's Misato for you." Kaji lifted his hands in the air. He then rubbed his chin as he thought of something. "Though I have to admit, she is more… bitchy than normal. True, we haven't seen each other for years, but this is still quite unusual. Maybe it has to do with Mister Shinji Ikari… I did hear that he was living with her after all."

Asuka raised an eyebrow at the mention of the Third Child again. "Mein gott. What is that woman thinking?" She then noted the other female that came along this journey. 'And that schoolgirl seemed to be enamored in him as well. Well, she also seemed to like that other dweeb. But I can see her getting closer to the Third Child.' Asuka contemplated this for a second, before she cracked her knuckles, as her face was now full of determination. 'Okay Shinji Ikari, what exactly makes you so special? I'm going to find out if it is the last thing I do!'

Elevator

"Even without them, it is still a little cramped in here!" Touji muttered as he struggled to find some space in the elevator. He then suddenly felt a low thud of pain coming from his head. "Ow! What was that for Class Rep?"

"Don't touch me perv!" Hikari bites back at him.

"What? I can't help it!" Touji defended as he struggled to get some space between him and the domineering Class Rep. "Besides, Shinji's touching you in places that are far worse than…" He finds his face suddenly tasting the cold steel of the elevator wall. "OW!"

"Stop bad mouthing Shinji!" Hikari said as she retracted her fist. "Shinji would never be thinking dirty thoughts about me. Isn't that right Shinji?"

Shinji blinked, completely muddled-headed over the situation. "Um… wha?"

"You don't right?" Hikari said as she glared at him.

"No! Of course not!" Shinji quickly replied. "I'd never think that!"

Hikari smiled at Shinji's answer. "See Mister Suzahara! You should learn a thing or two from Shinji!"

"So it's Shinji now?" Kensuke noted as he continued to videotape the elevator's decent.

A slight blush appeared on Hikari's face. "I… I mean Mister Ikari!"

Misato glared down at the wannabe prissy girl. "Yeah whatever. Not like anyone wants to touch your ugly face anyways." Misato muttered under her breath.

Hikari shot her head at Misato. "Excuse me if I don't have humongous boobs and flaunt them everywhere you dirty slut!"

"Excuse me!" Misato growled at Hikari. "Mind repeating that?"

"I think her boobs are just fine." Touji offhandedly said.

His comments put a dead stop to the conversation as both Misato and Hikari spun their heads and focused on Touji.

Touji gulped as he could feel the stares behind him. "Um, what?"

After a few seconds of silence, Hikari decided to strike up the conversation again. Though she decided it was best to change the subject. "So, do you mind telling me about this… Kaji guy? I'd like to know why that red head was so into him."

"Hmph." Misato grunted back. "He's a jerk for one thing. A bastard, a moron, idiot, ARGH! And why is he here!"

"I take it you don't like him." Hikari said, further pissing off Misato.

"Of course not!" Misato fumed. She quickly crossed her arms, which due to the confined space they were in, caused both Shinji and Kensuke to hit the walls of the elevator. "I guess I should feel sorry for Asuka then. She will find out soon enough that Kaji isn't worth a dime! I'm sure Shinji is more of a man than him!"

"Ah man! Why does Shinji have to keep coming up?" Touji frowned. 'I wish I was living with Misato! I'll show her a good time!'

"Eh?" Misato blinked with realization. "Yeah why does he keep coming up in conversation?"

"Touji!" Hikari slammed her fist into Touji's back. "Stop thinking perverted thoughts!"

"Ow! How did you…AH!" Touji found his face plastered to the elevator wall again.

'If I just ignore what's going on around me… maybe it'll all just go away and nothing bad will happen!' Shinji thought as his mind began to wonder.

Finally, the elevator reached its destination, and the doors finally opened.

Mess Hall

Misato, Touji, Hikari, Kensuke, and Shinji, all sat at one of the tables drinking coffee. The cool steel room was relatively clean, minus the occasional rust stain on the wall. It was also mostly devoid of human life with the exception of said group there. The TV was on running a television show, which was being shown either by tape or from a satellite feed. Every so often, they would get an announcement over the PA system about a given exercise-taking place at the time.

Hikari yawned. "This has been a boring trip so far."

Misato eyed Hikari as she began sipping her tea. "Well, like I said, you didn't have to come missy!"

"Heh! And leave these three boys unattended in YOUR care? I think not!" Hikari fired back.

"I should've thrown you over the side when I had the chance." Misato muttered. "Give the world another reason to celebrate!"

Touji and Kensuke eyed Hikari wearily.

'Is she going to follow us around everywhere now?' Kensuke thought with a bit of dejection. 'What's she going to think if she finds my Warcraft collections?'

'So what now? Do I have to ask her for permission to date now?' Touji thought with a bit of gloom. 'Because there is going to be nothing stopping me from being with the lovely Misato!'

Shinji simply started drinking the tea as he felt that the art of public disassociation was a wise move here.

At that moment, Kaji and Asuka entered the room. "Hello everyone! Miss me?"

"Eh?" Misato viewed him entering the room, before turning in disgust. "Nope! Didn't miss you at all."

"Oh, I feel so hurt." Kaji said as he took his seat. A fake expression of disappointment washed over his face. "Don't you miss me even a little?"

Misato grumbled a bit before she answered. "No. I didn't miss you at all! Besides, what are you doing here anyways? I seriously doubt it was to see me."

Kaji gave a grinned and then nodded towards Asuka. "Accompany her. I'm on a business trip from Germany."

Misato grumbled again about her continued misfortune. "Man, was I careless. I should have anticipated this."

After going over to the counter and pouring himself a cup of coffee, Kaji sat down at the table across from Misato. Which was much to her dismay. Asuka, though slightly jealous about the attention Kaji was giving Misato, tried her best in prevented this from surfacing as she sat down next to Kaji. After all, as long as this stayed in the past, she can be with her Kaji!

Of course, the question that Kaji asked to Misato added brought great distress for the red head. "Do you have a boyfriend now?"

Misato stared at the metallic wall as she attempted to avoid all eye contact with a certain man. She was also fending off attempts by said man from playing footsie with her. "That's none of your own business. AND KEEP YOUR FEET ON YOUR SIDE!" Misato gave a sharp kick to Kaji's shin.

"Ow!" Kaji said as he began rubbing his now sore shin. "How can you be so mean?"

"Hmph." Misato grunted.

Kaji simply shook his head. 'Something must be eating at Misato's mind.' A grin spread across his face. 'I'm going to have a little fun with her.' He than focused his attention towards Shinji. Maybe he'll be more responsive than Misato. "I understand that you're living with Katsuragi here, aren't you?"

"Yes?" Shinji meekly replied.

"Something that will be rectified soon." Hikari offhandedly added.

"Grrrrr." Misato's fingers subconsciously dug into her forearms.

"Hehehe." Kaji chuckled at the young girl's reaction. "So, tell me, is she still wild in bed?

"Wha… wha…?" Shinji's mouth went wide.

"AH!" Hikari, Asuka, Touji, and even Kensuke all held a shocked expression on their face. All three had their arms in the air, and were all leaning back away from Misato and Kaji.

'Oh, I know what game you're trying to play Kaji.' Misato thought as a scowl developed on her forehead. 'Let's see if you'll like this!' "And so what if that's true? Especially since Shinji's more of a man than you!"

Kaji smiled for a second. "So, she hasn't chang… wait! What!" Kaji's mouth flew open after realizing what Misato just said.

"That's right!" Misato raised her nose into the air and proudly smiled. "Everyday Shinji climbs my mountains!"

"Mountains?" Shinji repeated. "I don't climb moun…"

"AH!" Hikari fell out of her seat in disbelief. Her eyes showed deep concern and fear towards Shinji's innocence. "Shin… Shinji! Tell me it isn't true!"

"Wha?" Shinji's eyes widened, as he was utterly confused about what was going on. "What do you mean Misato? I don't climb mountains!"

"AHHHHH!" Asuka also leaned back so much that she fell out of her seat. "She's a bigger whore than I thought!"

"Shinji!" Touji had stream of tears flowing down his face. "Is this why you never invite us to your apartment? You lucky dog!"

"But I…" Shinji tried to wave away his two jealous friends. "But we never did anything!"

"Oh don't be modest Shinji!" Misato teased. "You know you like to play many games with me! Like hide the sausage! Isn't that right Shinji?"

"Sausages?" Shinji was completely befuddled over that statement. "But I never bought any sausages!"

"Hehehe." Misato giggled. Obviously the reference completely went over Shinji's head. "Oh, I'm not talking about the sausages that you eat Shinji."

"How could you Shinji!" Kensuke also had streams of tears flowing down his face. "I thought we were friends!"

"But… but… but…" Shinji stuttered as the situation threatened to spin out of control. "I don't know what kind of sausages Misato is talking about! I mean, what kind of sausages don't you eat!"

Lucky for him, Misato decided to reel it in before things got too out of hand. It started as a low giggle that developed into a very loud laughing. "HeheheheBWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Gotcha you arrogant moron!" She stuck her tongue out at Kaji.

Hikari was the first to respond to Misato's sudden outburst. "So… it wasn't true?"

Misato eyed Hikari. "Of course it isn't true! What, you think I'm really that loose in morals?"

"Well…"

Misato's smile started to fade. "Well it's not!"

Touji and Kensuke sighed after hearing this.

Kaji was still a bit dazed until he too, quickly chuckled at all this. "I see you're more cunning than usual Misato!"

"Hmph!" Misato quickly broke eye contact with Kaji. "That's what you get for trying to screw with me after so many years!"

"Heh. Oh we did more than just 'screw' Misato." Kaji said, causing Asuka's face to turn bright red, Hikari's mouth to drop, and Misato to shake as she tried to contain her anger.

Shinji continued to blink as he tried to figure out what this all had to do with him. "So, it was all a joke?"

"Of course it is idiot!" Asuka spat out. 'What kind of question was that? He can't be THAT clueless can he?' Asuka thought in major disbelief.

"I see." Shinji said, relieved. "So, what do you mean by mountains and sausages Misato?"

Misato slapped her head after hearing Shinji's question. "I'll tell you later Shinji."

Kaji sighed. 'Well, I know nothing is happening between them given how clueless he is. Speaking of Shinji…' He then turned to Shinji. "So tell me Shinji Ikari, is Misato really this fun back at home?"

"Hey!" Hikari pointed her finger at Kaji. "I don't like your veiled insulations of perversion here!"

Asuka narrowed her eyes at the haughty Class Rep. While she admit, she liked Hikari's domineering attitude, she didn't quite like it being used against her Kaji. "Oh please! My Kaji doesn't mean it that way! Right Kaji?"

Kaji raised his hand at Hikari. "Of course not! Though I'm not sure what Miss Misato would think of that!"

Misato's fist was shaking. 'This is a freaking nightmare!' She thought as images of her taking out her gun and blowing away Kaji's head flooded her mind. The more she thought about it, the more appealing that option was becoming to her. She might make it into a double attack and add a certain freckled brunet girl into the mix as well. The only thing holding her back was the tons of paperwork she would have to deal with.

Shinji, ignoring most of the comments not pertaining to him, answered Kaji as best as he can without getting into too much trouble. "Yeah? By the way, how do you know my name?"

"You mean besides that it was spoken during this little commotion?" Kaji smirked at the fairly silly question.

"Oh um…" Shinji said a little embarrassed. "Yeah."

"Well, to be fair, I did know your name before Shinji." Kaji added. Grinning all the while since he noted Shinji's apparent obliviousness of his own popularity. "I ought to know you. You're pretty famous in our business. The Third Child, who piloted an Eva in battle with no training."

"Oh that?" Shinji asked. "It was just luck."

"Luck is a part of your destiny. It's your talent." Kaji continued. He then looked at his watch. "Well, I'll see you later Shinji. I have some business to take care of."

"Um, okay! See you." Shinji waved as Kaji stood up.

"Hmph!" Asuka sounded as she too stood up and followed Kaji. "Wait for me Kaji! I don't want to be left with these idiots!"

"Good riddance!" Misato said as her scowl deepened. "What a nightmare this is turning out to be!"

"Yeah…" Touji said dreamily. "Now I can't get the image of Misato nak…"

WHACK! Hikari bashed Touji right on the head. "IDIOT!"

-Later…

Over the Rainbow – Outside Walkway

Asuka and Kaji were both leaning on the railing. Asuka then turned around and peered into the ocean. She allowed the cool breeze to wash over her. After the quite strange incident in the mess hall, she was just glad to be with her Kaji.

Kaji eyed Asuka and smiled. "So, what do you think about Mister Shinji Ikari?"

Asuka's smile faded as the conversation returned to the Third Child… again! "He's boring and an idiot. That's the great Third Child? What a disappointment. I don't know what the others see in him! Well, besides the other dorks since they can easily relate!"

"Hmm." Kaji grinned. "Maybe it has to do with the fact that his sync ratio was well over 40 percent in combat with no training."

"Mien Gott!" Asuka's eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets after that comment. "So that's what this is all about!" As she thought about this a bit more, she later discarded that notion. 'That might explain Misato's infatuation in him. But what about that freckled girl?' She needed to get to the bottom of this. She stormed towards the stairs. "Okay Shinji! You think you're the man or something? Well, wait until you get to know a REAL pilot now!"

Kaji watched Asuka storm off. "Heh. Try not to scare him too much Asuka!"

Stairway

Touji, Kensuke, Hikari, and Misato were all walking down the stairway after their second meeting with the Admiral. Again, the reaction was the same as before. The Admiral rebuked anything Misato had to say, and told her that she had no business being on this ship until they will get to New Yokusuka. They were now all heading to the lower decks.

"That Mr. Kaji sure is pretty lively." Shinji said as he followed Misato down the stairs.

Misato deeply frowned at that comment. "He hasn't changed at all, that jerk!"

"Hey, Third Child!" Asuka said at the top of the stairs.

Shinji, Touji, Kensuke, Hikari, and Misato all stared up at the red head.

"Come with me!" Asuka ordered.

"Why do you want Shinji?" Hikari frowned at the girl's sudden reappearance, and now demand.

"Don't worry! I'm going to bring back your boyfriend in one piece!" Asuka said as she waited for Shinji to follow her. "I just want to show him something! That's all!"

"He's… not my boyfriend!" Hikari rebutted. Though she had to admit, she kind of liked the sound of that.

"Whatever." Asuka frowned. "Now are you coming!"

"Um… okay!" Shinji said as he quickly raced up the stairs. "I'm coming!"

Touji narrowed his eyes at Shinji's reaction. "We really need to implant a spine into Shinji."

Kensuke scratched the side of his cheek. "Maybe we should introduce him to comic books? Maybe he could emulate those fifties comic heroes!"

Misato shivered at that moment. Something about that idea terrified her. She wasn't exactly sure why though.

-Later…

Transport Ship

Shinji, along with Asuka, held up the cover for Unit 02. Shinji stared at the massive red object. "Red? I didn't know that Unit 02 was red."

"The color is not the only difference." Asuka said as she ran up to the top of Unit 02. "After all, unit 00 and 01 were created as part of the developing process, prototype and test type. The fact that it synchronized with an untrained pilot like you is proof of that. However, Unit 02 is a little different. Created for actual combat conditions, this is the worlds first true Evangelion. This is the final model!" Asuka finished.

Shinji blinked at that bit of information. "Um, I see."

Asuka frowned at Shinji's simple answer. "Is that all you can say? What exactly does that girl see in you!"

"What girl?" Shinji asked confused with the question.

"What do you mean what girl?" Asuka said. "Haven't you noticed what that brown haired girl been doing all this time?"

"You mean Hikari?" Shinji said as he scratched the back of his head. "Um, I don't know what you're talking about. We're just friends."

Asuka's mouth was wide open in utter befuddlement. The corner of her mouth began to twitch as a disturbing thought entered her mind. "Don't tell me. PLEASE don't tell me that you are THAT clue…" Suddenly, the ship started to shake. "…leeeeesssssssssss!"

Shinji ignored Asuka's last comment as he was now focused on the new crisis. "What was that?"

Asuka was forced to leave the issue of Shinji behind for now as the sound of explosions reached her ears. "An undersea shock wave? Something exploded nearby!"

Both Shinji and Asuka ran up onto the deck of the ship and stared at what was happening. Ship after ship was being attacked and destroyed by some underwater creature. This creature was fast, slicing up ships in nearly an instant despite all the counter measures deployed by the fleet against it.

"What's that? Is that an Angel!" Shinji said in a shocked tone.

"Is that a real one?" Asuka said in amazement.

Shinji's eyes widened as he realized what this meant. "Oh, my gosh! We've got to go back, and find Misato."

Asuka turned away from the sea as realization hit her. A huge grin spread across her face. "This is my chance!"

Over the Rainbow

Within the hallway outside the Bridge, Hikari, Touji, and Kensuke all stood petrified when the sirens began sounding. Misato on the other hand, held a grin on her face since she knew what this meant.

'It looks like NERV's intuition was correct!' Misato thought with glee. 'There would be an Angel attack here out on open sea!'

Behind Misato, was a panic stricken Hikari. "An… Angel attack… here?" Hikari shakily said as she frantically eyed the flashing sirens above her. "But, but, but we're in the middle of the ocean!"

"Um, weren't the other Angels like, first appeared in the sea?" Kensuke noted as he instantly recovered from the initially shock. 'This means I can capture an Angel attack out at sea! And watch the great UN Navy deal with the Angel!'

Misato rolled her eyes at Hikari's statement. 'Oooooo. Scared little girl now isn't she? Maybe I should end her misery right now and throw her overboard!'

Another explosion boomed outside the ship.

"Agh!" The 'strong' man Touji yelped. "Shouldn't the Navy be doing something about this!"

"Correction!" Misato said as she began to storm the Bridge. "This is a job for NERV!"

Inside the Bridge, the Admiral and the Commander both stared at the scene that was happening outside. The Admiral was looking through binoculars at the circling threat, while the Commander held the microphone ready to give orders when needed. Neither of them paid much attention to Misato's sudden intrusion. Not that she could blame them given that right outside the window, their ships were falling victim to the Angel's sudden appearance.

"Hello, NERV special delivery!" Misato said in a voice that was probably a little too cheery for the occasion. "Would you like to order some information on this enemy and counter measures to use against it?"

"This is a combat situation! No unauthorized personal allowed," The Captain shot back annoyed.

Kensuke peaked through from the side with his camera. 'Oh boy! A real Angel attack! A second one I get to record! Oh boy oh boy oh boy!'

"This is just my opinion, but I'd say that must be an Angel attack!" Misato incredulously said.

"All Ships, fire at will!" The Commander yelled through the microphone.

Tons of explosions are heard outside the ship as the missiles and the death charges are all launched at the Angel.

"It's pointless." Misato said with a frown. She then entered the Bridge in order to get a better look at the attacking Angel. Kensuke, Touji, and a reluctant Hikari followed after her. "But what is this Angel doing here? My God, is it after Unit 02?"

"It's going to be alright, it's going to be alright, it's going to be alright…" Hikari said over and over and over again.

Transport Ship

Asuka sped through the ship's side as she headed towards her Eva with Shinji in tow. 'This is my chance!'

"Where are you taking me?" Shinji said, confused and a little scared about what the red head had planned.

'Can't he stop whining for second?' Asuka thought with disgust. She suddenly stopped in front of an open door and peered down the darkened corridor. 'Hmm. I do need to change. Certainly not in front of this weirdo!' "Just wait here a second." Asuka said, letting go of Shinji and trotted down the stairway with her bag in hand. Feeling that she was safe from Shinji's prying eyes, she quickly stripped and began getting into a plug-suit.

"I can't believe this." Shinji said with a sigh. Curious to see if Asuka was done, Shinji looked down the stairway to see Asuka's bareback turned against his. 'I take that as a no.'

Asuka, sensing Shinji's eyes on here, scowled. "Don't peep you pervert!"

Shinji's heart skipped a beat after being exposed. "Sorry!" He quickly shuffled back to the stairway's wall, away from Asuka's line of sight.

"Why are all boys such perverted jerks?" Asuka said as she closed her hands a few times, checking to see how well it fits her. She then pushed the button, which sucked all the air out, making the suit skintight. 'And him most of all!' Asuka thought in disgust. 'What does the other people see in him!' She pivoted her head back to where Shinji was. 'Maybe this will get a better picture once we start fighting.' She frowned at the thought. 'Though I prefer to do this myself, I still must see what makes him so special!'

Over the Rainbow

"Why won't it sink?" The Admiral said in a slightly alarmed tone. All of their countermeasures against the Angel have failed. Their best weapons that they had on board were of no match for it.

"I knew it. Only an Eva can beat it!" Touji said offhandedly.

The Admiral looked at Touji slightly wide eyed.

Kensuke also blinked at him. 'Touji said that? Wow! I thought I would be the first one that would say it!'

Misato grinned. 'Still trying to score points with me? Hmph! Well too bad. I have my eyes set on… um, wait. Who do I have my eyes set on?' Suddenly an image of Kaji flashed before her. "AGH! Not him! Not him!"

"It's going to be alright, it's going to be alright, it's… huh?" Hikari, startled out of her raving, suddenly focused on Misato with a bit of eagerness in her eyes. "So you're not trying to corrupt Shinji?"

"What?" Misato said at the sudden intrusion. A scowl appeared at the young girl that had somehow found a way to push her buttons. "Of course I'm trying to cu…" Misato stopped herself when she realized what she was about to say. 'What the? What is going on with me?'

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Hikari suddenly collapsed onto the cold metallic floor.

Misato and the others all stared at the now unconscious girl. Misato gently tapped Hikari with her foot to see if she would stir. She didn't. 'Maybe this was my intention.' Misato thought as a grin appeared on her face.

Touji blinked in bemusement. "Class Rep?"

"Ehhh…" Kensuke sounded as he videotaped the unconscious girl.

The Admiral slapped his forehead in disbelief. "Freaking children!"

"Well, for her safety, we should throw her overboard." Misato offhandedly replied.

Everyone suddenly stared at Misato.

"What?" Misato said after she felt all of their eyes trained on her.

Transport Ship to Unit 02

'I can't believe I have to wear this plug-suit.' A red faced Shinji thought as he tried to cover the extra, attributes on the red plug-suit. 'Why do I have to join in this endeavor?'

"Now, I'll show you how magnificent my piloting is!" Asuka said as she peered into the now open plug. "Just don't disturb me!"

"Um, okay!" Shinji replied. "So…why do I have to join…"

"Of course you have to come!" Asuka said, grating her teeth. "Besides, if that Angel destroys this ship, you don't want to be here now do you? NOW GET IN!"

"Okay! I'm getting in!" Shinji said as he slid right into the plug. "Now… wait, if the Angel attacks and destroys the ship, then my clothes will go down with it!"

"Yeah, so what? You still have that plug suit! And get behind the seat! I'm the pilot here!" Asuka ordered the scared boy. After Shinji moved accordingly, Asuka followed afterwards, landing directly into the seat. "Now DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING you are going to regret!" Asuka warned.

"I won't!" Shinji quickly replied. "But about my clothes, I can't go out wearing this! Can't we…"

"NO!" Asuka shot back with fury. Whatever made this whiny kid special… she was certainly NOT seeing it. "To maximize the sync ratio, you can't bring your dirty clothes into this environment!"

"But when I…"

"NO AND THAT'S FINAL!" Asuka screamed back at Shinji as the entry plug closed and whirled into the Eva. Once the LCL filled the entry plug, Asuka took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Wasn't easy when she was sitting next to Shinji, the WORST kid she had ever faced (besides the other two Stooges at least. Stooges? Hmm. There are three of them…). He was certainly the densest kid she has met. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he was a pilot. 'Okay Shinji! Let's see if you can even comprehend the word 'teamwork'. Not that I needed you here in the first place...'

Shinji wearily gripped the seat as the entry plug goes red.

Asuka began speaking in German. "LCL füllender Eintragung Steckereinlaß. Anfangenaktivierung Reihenfolge. Bestätigt. Öffnung Nerv-Führungen. Bestätigt. Engagierende Herzmonitoren. Bestätigt. Synchrounisierung Anfang!"

The entry plug than becomes multicolored as it begins the initiating sequence with the Eva. Something Shinji had grown used to over the months. Suddenly, it all goes red, with the words, Fehler flashing everywhere.

"It's a program error? What happened?" Shinji questioned.

Asuka frowned deeply. 'Typical. Just as I had expected from HIM!' "Thought noise. I told you not to disturb me."

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

Asuka glared at Shinji. "You're thinking in Japanese, aren't you? Think in German!"

"Oh, okay. Strudel, bratwurst…" Shinji said as he tried to think of all the German words he knew.

Asuka was shaking. She could only take so much of Shinji's stupidity. "Fine, stop trying! Switch the language to basic Japanese. Evangelion, Unit 02, activate."

Over the Rainbow

"Well, someone should move her." Misato waved the others away. "Anyways…" Misato glared outside of the window. "Hmm. Odd. The Angel seems to be looking for something. Is it the Eva?" Her eyes then narrow. "Or is it something else?"

Touji continued to poke Hikari. "Class Rep?"

Hikari's eyes slow fluttered open. "Huh? Wha?" She then notices Touji poking her. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING PERV!" Hikari slapped Touji's face, leaving a nice red handprint

"OW!" Touji said, rubbing the new bruise. "I was only worried about you!"

"Well I… huh, really?" Hikari's face instantly lit up at his words.

"Feh. Not anymore." Touji scowled.

"GAH!" Hikari slapped Touji's other cheek.

"Telex from the Othello! Unit 02 is in the process of activation." The announcer said through the speakers.

"What the…" The Admiral said in shock. His spun his head to where he could see the transport ship outside.

Misato ran up to the window. "Nice going, Asuka!" She proudly proclaimed.

The Admiral frantically grabbed the microphone. "No! Abort the activation sequence! Reset it!"

Misato then pushed the Admiral away, and grabbed the microphone. "I don't care Asuka. Go for it!"

"What are you doing! Eva and its pilot are under our control! You're violating my authority!" The Admiral said with indignation. He too, was trying to shove Misato away.

Touji and Kensuke stared at the scene in front of them, both in complete disbelief.

Hikari also frowned at the scene as well. "And they're supposed to be the adults here?" Hikari shook her head. 'There must be a way to get Shinji out of that household!'

As Misato and the Admiral continued to fight, the Commander realized something as he stared at the now activating Unit 02. "You do know that Unit 02 is still using the type-B equipment?"

"What?" Misato screamed in shock. "They are!"

The Admiral scowled. "Our job was to deliver it to Japan. We didn't expect, more than that…"

Misato waved him off. "Feh. Fine then! We'll just have to fix that once it is activated. Hopefully." Misato scowled. 'In the meantime, they would have to fight it above water somehow.'

Inside Unit 02

"If we fall in the ocean, we're done for." Shinji yelled, knowing what it meant to not have the type-B equipment installed.

"And if we don't, we're be fine, right?" Asuka arrogantly replied. 'One way or the other, I'm going to SHOW you what it takes to beat this Angel! Third Child!'

Over the Rainbow

"Shinji, are you in there too?" Misato said in bemusement.

"Yes." Shinji replied to the intercom.

"WHAT!" Hikari yelled after hearing Shinji's voice. "Shinji… and that redhead! They better not be doing anything immoral!"

Misato scowled. "I seriously doubt that little girl!" She then turned back to the microphone. "You're not right Shin…"

"Of course not!" Asuka yelled back through the intercom. "There is NO way I'd do that with this pervert!"

"What she said." Shinji replied afterwards.

"Kids. Bunch of stupid kids!" The Captain said, banging his head on the console.

Misato sighed. "Okay! Anyways, this is a good opportunity to show what these 'kids' can do. As long as they don't kill each other first… Asuka, launch!"

Inside Unit 02

"Hmm. I'll try not to kill the Third Child." Asuka said mockingly. 'Even if he is certainly trying to make me do it!' She added mentally with a growl.

Shinji ignored Asuka's comments as he sees the Angel fast approaching. "It's coming!" Shinji yelled as he could see the Angel speeding right towards them.

"Launching!" Asuka yelled as she made Unit 02 launch into the sky, right before the transport ship was ripped in half by the Angel.

"There goes my street clothes." Shinji said dejected.

"What are you bitching about?" Asuka growled at Shinji. "Focus on the Angel dufus!"

"Okay!" Shinji quickly replied just as the Eva lands on an AEGIS destroyer. The ship rocked back and forth as it tried to absorb the Eva's impact. After the rocking stopped, the Eva stood up, with the massive covering wrapped around it like a cape.

"Where is it?" Asuka said as she looked around for the Angel.

"That way!" Shinji said pointing at the fast approaching Angel. He then peered on the console as the numbers quickly count down. "We've got just 58 seconds left!"

"I am well aware of that!" Asuka said before speaking through the intercom. "Misato! Get the external power supply socket onto the flight deck."

"I've got it!" Misato said through the intercom.

Over the Rainbow

"AH! The ships!" Kensuke sulked as he sees one ship after another either sink. To Kensuke, it was like watching someone being murdered. "The UN's finest ships! I can't stand seeing such horrors befall them!"

"I think we have more important matters to worry about Kensuke!" Touji commented. "Like the fact that the Eva is coming straight here!"

"Wait, the fighting machine is coming here?" Hikari said shakily. "But, but, but… wouldn't that draw the Angel here!"

"Um… yeah… but…" Misato said which caused said girl to scream her head off.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH! We're all going to die!" Hikari began spinning around in circle.

"Um… Class Rep?" Touji shakily raised his hand towards the hysterical girl. "Just calm down, I'm sure that red head and Shin…"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Red headed girl and Shinji!"

Misato slapped her forehead. "Could someone calm down Miss Horaki please?"

At that moment, Asuka's words ring through the intercom. "Here we go! Jump!"

"Jump?" Shinji followed.

From the bridge, the crew they could see Unit 02 jumping from one ship to the other, discarding the covering in the process. Each ship received heavy damage to their decks by the heavy Eva.

"It's going to be alright, it's going to be alright, it's going to be alright…" Hikari said over and over again after she had, um, calmed down somewhat.

Unfortunately, now Touji and Kensuke were beginning to panic. "Eeeeeeeehhhhh…"

"The power socket is in place." A sailor's voice sounded through the intercom.

"Reactor complete." Another sailor's voice followed.

"The deck is ready for Eva landing." The final sailor voiced.

"All hands, prepare for impact!" Commander yelled as they see the Eva flying towards them.

"I can't believe this!" The Admiral exclaimed.

"Eva Unit 02, coming in on deck!" Asuka voice yelled through the telecom.

"No! We're all going to die!" Hikari screamed at the top of her lungs.

Misato's eyebrow began twitching. "Would you shut…"

Suddenly, the ship was rocked back and forth as Unit 02 slammed into the flight deck. Jets on the flight deck slide into the sea as the ship began to list heavily on the port side of the ship. All members on the bridge braced themselves for the sudden rocking motion. All the while, Hikari was screaming at the top of lungs.

"No! What a waste!" Kensuke said as he watched the jets sink into the sea.

"Since Shinji along with that red headed girl is in that robot, does that mean Shinji can get off that machine now?" Hikari said wearily.

Misato's eyes narrowed. "What is your obsession with Shinji and Asuka? Oh, and her name again is Asuka Langley Shoryu, Miss Horaki!"

"Target is approaching rapidly!" The Commander said.

"Target? As in Angel? AHHhhhhhhhh…" Hikari screamed, or at least attempted to scream if it wasn't for the fact that Misato was now choking her.

Misato snarled at Hikari. "Get a hold of yourself you stupid little…"

"It's coming, 9 o'clock." Shinji yells through the intercom.

"Switching to external power." Asuka followed as she commands Unit 02 to hook up the plug into the back of it. "Switch completed."

That comment made Misato drop Hikari for a bit. Hikari held her neck as she began breathing fresh air again as Misato rushed towards the window to see what was happening.

"Psychopath!" Hikari yelled at Misato.

Misato's eyebrow began to twitch as she tried to ignore Hikari's comment.

"But we don't have any weapons." Shinji noted, ringing through the intercom.

"The progressive knife should be enough." Asuka's voice followed shortly thereafter. The knife port opened up revealing the blade, and was quickly taken by Unit 02's massive hand. Unit 02 whipped the knife in front of itself, extended the blade of the retractable knife, and prepared to take on the incoming Angel.

"It's bigger than I thought." Shinji voice sounded through the intercom.

"That's what I figured!" Asuka's confident voice followed.

"Bigger? What's bigger?" Hikari frantically said. "He doesn't mean…"

"Gah! Can't you get your mind out of the gutter for one second!" Misato said, as she was about to lunge towards Hikari.

"What? I was talking about the Angel! It's you that should get your mind out of the gutter!" Hikari spat back.

Before Misato could render Hikari unconscious, the Captain spoke up in a terrified tone. "What are they going to do now!"

Misato straightened up immediately. She gave one final glare at Hikari before speaking up. "Hand-to-Hand combat is the best way to defeat Angels."

Suddenly, the speeding Angel jumped out of the water, skirting it a bit before crashing onto the carrier's deck, crushing a few jets along the way, and slamming Unit 02 hard. Unit 02 was forced to drop the knife as it tried to hold the Eva back from taking out the ship's control tower. The knife in turn, decapitated a jet in the process.

All the while, Hikari was holding on to a pipe, Kensuke continued to film, and Touji tried to maintain his balance on the moving ship.

"Good work, Asuka!" Misato proudly exclaimed through the microphone. She apparently did not see the fact that Unit 02 lost the knife in the process.

"This isn't a game! Look at the mess you made of the deck!" The Admiral whined.

Unit 02 moved back a few steps as it struggled to keep standing as the Angel kept pushing and pushing. Suddenly, it stepped on an elevator, losing its balanced, and slammed the Angel into the Control Tower.

Everyone on the bridge covered their faces as the glass shattered in front of them.

As the carrier began to list towards the port side, Unit 02 and the Angel plunged into the water, dragging it down with it.

"See? It's sinking!" The Admiral noted as the Angel and Unit 02 fall off of the carrier.

Ugh…is it over?" Hikari sickly said. Her hands were still shaking by the recent experience.

"Asuka! It's impossible to fight underwater using the type-B equipment!" Misato said through the microphone.

"You never know, unless you try!" Asuka responded back.

Misato sighed. 'Maybe it wasn't the best idea to have Asuka pilot it. Of course, than again, Shinji can't really pilot Unit 02… and Asuka wouldn't allow it anyways.'

The cable was quickly dropping into the sea. Banging sounds could be heard through the telecom, indicating that the Eva was being dragged on the sea floor, which was once a city that used to be a part of Japan. As it sweeps across the deck, it takes out the few remaining jets that had escaped the initial massacre caused by Unit 02 and the Angel when they were on deck.

'That can't be a good thing.' Misato mentally noted.

"What a waste!" Kensuke commented as he watched helplessly as the remaining jets were destroyed.

Touji sighed. "Don't you have anything else to worry about besides losing a few jets?" He then looked at Hikari curled up in a ball and was rocking her head back and forth. Touji sighed. 'Poor girl… maybe I should…'

His thoughts were interrupted by Misato's booming voice. "How much cable is left?"

"Another 1,200 meters!" The Commander replied.

"What are you going to do?" The Admiral said dejectedly as he surrendered himself to the notion that everything was now out of his power.

"We can deal with it somehow." Misato answered, though she was unsure of herself given this new dilemma.

Hikari took a few deep breaths in order to calm her nerves now that the danger seemed, less immediate. After she recovered, she glared menacingly at Misato. "Oh that sounds so reassuring Miss Katsuragi!"

Misato gritted her teeth. "I don't see you doing anything that will help the situation! Screaming like the little bitch you are!"

"Why… you…" Hikari's face flashed a bright shade of red, rivaling Misato's jacket in its brightness.

"Got a problem with that?" Misato started to grin in satisfaction.

Touji blinked amazed at Misato and Hikari. Though a part of him was still worried about Hikari, he found himself staring at Misato more. He would later admit, to himself at least, that an angry Misato only made her look hotter. But at the moment, there did seem to be a more important issue to contend with. "Um…girls?" Touji said, interrupting Misato's and Hikari's little fight. "Miss Misato, the cable is about to run out."

"Oh." Misato said as she quickly dived back to the microphone. At the same time, Hikari gave her a raspberry. "Just keep pushing your luck girl!"

"What!" Asuka yelled through the telecom.

"Sorry, I wasn't talking to you Asuka." Misato eyed Hikari for a moment before returning to the microphone. "The cable is about to run out! Brace for the shock!"

As the cable wound down, the ship reverberated with a short shockwave. Of course, what they felt was nothing like what Shinji and Asuka were feeling at this point.

"Eva missed the target!" A naval officer said, who was looking at the sonar screen.

'How the hell am I supposed to defeat this Angel being this far underwater?' Misato frustratingly thought.

"I've got to change the disk!" Kensuke said as he fumbled through his jacket for another one.

At that moment, the roar of a jet fighter can be heard, coming up from one of the carrier's elevators.

"My God! A Yak 38 Custom!" Kensuke excitedly said.

"You can tell what kind of jet it is just by listening to the engine?" Hikari stared at Kensuke with bemusement.

"Of course!" Kensuke said excitedly. "I have the all the jet sounds on my computer! I listen to them every night!" His eyes glistened at the memories.

Hikari stuck her tongue out in disgust. "You need to get out more Kensuke!"

"Hey, Katsuragi!" Kaji waved back at her from the back seat of the jet.

"Kaji." Misato said as her eyes narrowed a bit at the sight she was seeing.

"I've got something to deliver, so I'll be taking off now." Kaji added.

This only served to piss off Misato even more. "Grrrrrrrrrrrr!"

"Launch!" Kaji ordered the pilot. "Take care of the rest of this, Captain Katsuragi." He added as the jet sped off into the sky.

"Yes!" Kensuke said as he eagerly placed the camera up, ready to record the Yak 38 Custom… only to discover that he was just a few seconds too late and it was already out of view. "Ahhhhh…"

"He ran away. I don't believe it!" Touji said in slight amazement.

"The target is approaching Eva again!" The Commander relayed back to Misato.

'Damn!' Misato frowned. 'First the coward leaves, and now I'm stuck trying to figure out a way to deal with this!'

Unit 02

"It's coming again!" Shinji said alarmed. He stared in front of him as the Angel made its way around one of the sunken buildings.

"I'll finish you off this time." Asuka grinned menacingly. She pulled on the controls expecting Unit 02 to move. Except… "What! It's not working!"

"That's because this is B-type equipment." Shinji reminded her.

Asuka started to panic. 'What am I going to do now? Wait, what am I going to do? He's supposed to be the special one!' "What're you going to do!"

Shinji looked at Asuka stunned given the fact that she used 'you' instead of 'we' or even 'I'. "What am I going to do?"

"You're the Third Child aren't you? The one everybody worships right! Do something!" Asuka hastily replied.

Shinji blinked confused. "What do you mean? Everyone doesn't worship me! I mean I know everyone thinks I do a good job and all."

"Come on! You can't be…"

Suddenly, Asuka was cut short as Unit 02 shakes.

"WHAT?" Asuka said. Completely shocked at what just happened.

"We're inside… we're inside the Angel!" Shinji noted.

"But…but…" Asuka's eyes went wide as her whole body became petrified. "But… do something!"

Over The Rainbow

"Eva 02 has entered the target's body." One of the naval officers on the bridge said.

"Does that mean the Eva's been eaten?" Kensuke said off handedly.

"No Shinji!" Hikari said in a panicked voice.

"No Shinji?" Misato, trying to keep her cool against Hikari, eyed her. "What about Asuka?"

"Well… her too." Hikari rectified. "Hey, it wasn't like we got to know each other yet!"

"Whatever…" Misato rubbed her eyes. 'Besides, I have more important things to worry about now…'

'Phew. At least those two seem to be… tolerating each other at the moment.' Touji thought as he peered out into the sea again. As he looked at the cable line, and the fact that the Angel, which reminded him of a fish, held Unit 02 in its mouth… "Hmm. You know what? This is like fishing!" Touji said.

Misato's eyes lit up after she heard Touji's words. "Fishing? Yes, fishing!"

Eva Unit 02

"From a bad situation to a worse one." Shinji commented as he looked all around the view screen. They were completely inside the Angel. Well, at least the upper portion of Unit 02 was.

"Shut up!" Asuka growled. She then noticed that Mister 'Special' was on her lap. "You pervert! What the hell are you doing! Get off my lap you dufus!"

"But we have to free ourselves!" Shinji noted.

"And how does sitting on my lap solve that problem!" The fiery redhead throttled Shinji at that moment.

"Hey! This isn…AH!" Shinji said as he tried to dislodge Asuka's hands away from his throat.

"Asuka, do you read me? Don't let go of it!" Misato added.

"Eh…" Asuka said, stopping her choking of Shinji.

"Wait, she wants us to do what?" Shinji said in amazement.

Over the Rainbow

"Admiral…" Misato said as she stared the Captain down.

"What?" The Admiral said. At the moment, he didn't know what else Misato would want from him since for the most part, she was in command now.

"I'm requesting your cooperation." Misato asked in a strict indifferent tone.

Yak 38 Custom

'So this is what its all about.' Kaji said as he held the case tightly in front of him. 'And what all these Angels are after. Hmph. And what the survival of humanity hinges on.' He then looked out of the cockpit at the slowly disappearing image of the now greatly reduced UN fleet. "Of course, it might all be for naught if Misato fails here."

"You don't see that happening do you?" The pilot said in front of him.

"Nope, I'm completely confident that she can do it." Kaji smirked as he looked back at the fleet. "Especially with Shinji there."

"Why's that?" The pilot said back. "Is this Shinji someone amazing or something?"

"You could say that." Kaji said. "Oh yes. I think we'll be hearing a lot about him!"

Eva Unit 02

"Hey, don't use Unit 02 without my permission!" Asuka said while bashing Shinji over the head. "And I told you to get off of my lap you freaking pervert!"

"Do you two understand the operation?" Misato's voiced through the telecom.

"Operation? Mind repeating it?" Shinji said as he tried to shake off Asuka's attacks. "Asuka's being… difficult."

"Difficult!" Asuka's nostrils flared. "I'll show you…"

"Asuka! STOP IT RIGHT NOW! We have more important things here!" Misato yelled. "And… UGH! Okay! I'll give you the short version. We'll reel you back to the ship. In the meantime, try and get the Angel's mouth open. Two battleships will be sunk so that their weapons will be fired once they are inside the Angel's mouth. That should destroy the Angel. Got it!"

"Got it!" Shinji said as he continued to fight off Asuka. "We'll do my best."

"I'm counting on the both of you." Misato said before the communication cut out.

"You hear that Asu…OW!" Shinji said as Asuka began pulling his hair. "Asuka!"

"Get off of my lap PERVERT!" Asuka continued giving little punches to Shinji.

Suddenly, the Eva shook as they began to be reeled back.

"Eva has started to surface! T-minus 70 to contact!" They hear through the telecom.

"Hey, now you're touching my… get off!" Asuka said, continued to punch Shinji around.

"But we've got to open its mouth, or we'll be killed!" Shinji yelled back at Asuka. "Or do you want to be killed!"

"T-Minus 60 to contact." The naval officer said.

"Fine!" Asuka fumed. "Well, what are you waiting for? Open the damn thing!"

"Eva continues to surface, T-Minus 50 to contact." The naval officer continued.

Shinji struggled to pull back the controls, and in turn, force the Eva to open the Angel's mouth. No luck. "No, it won't open!"

Asuka frowned. "Some HERO you are! Bah! There is no time left!" Asuka grabbed the controllers along with Shinji.

"Target has passed beneath the Tempest!" The female naval officer relayed.

"Hurry, or you won't make it!" Misato's voice rang through the cockpit.

Asuka's gritted her teeth as she was 'forced' to get closer to Shinji. "Don't get any strange ideas." Asuka scorned.

"What?" Shinji said incredulously.

"Anyway, just concentrate on your thoughts." Asuka said as she refocused their attention on the Angel. 'The great Third Child? Hmph! Well looks like it will be ME to the rescue now!'

"You can say that again!" Shinji said as he too, refocused his attention towards the Angel.

Both Shinji and Asuka used all of their strength to pull back the controllers.

"T-Minus 20 to contact!" The naval officer said as he counted down the time the Battleships was meant to make contact with the Angel. "T-Minus 15 to contact!"

'Open! Open! Open! Open!' Shinji kept thinking over and over again.

'Open! Open! Open! Open!' Asuka thought in unison.

Slowly, the Angel's jaw slowly gave way as it struggled to keep its mouth shut. Each passing second, the Eva controllers slid back and forth a bit as the Angel refused to relent. Suddenly, with both Shinji and Asuka's thoughts aligned, their sync ratio with the Eva shot up. The Eva eyes suddenly glowed and, with the sudden burst of strength, it forced the Angel's mouth apart. Mere seconds later, the two battleships slammed into the now open mouth, as the Eva let go and was quickly reeled back into safety.

"Fire!" Misato's voice rang out.

Shinji and Asuka watched as the two battleships fired their weapons into the Angel's belly. The Angel expanded like a blowfish and then, when it couldn't take anymore, exploded. Sending Angel parts all over the sea.

The Eva, with the help of the sudden rush of energy from the underwater explosion, shot out of the water, and landed onto the deck of the Over The Rainbow. The Eva, now severed from its power cable, suddenly sank limply onto the carrier's surface as the remaining bits of its power shut down.

Both Shinji and Asuka were panting hard. Relief washed over them instantly as they both knew that they were alive, and safe on board the carrier.

"Well I hope you know, this changes nothing between us!" Asuka said in a condescending tone.

Shinji sighed. "Like I expected anything else."

"And what exactly does that girl see in you? What does Misato see in you?" Asuka's eyes narrowed.

"A pilot?" Shinji said unsure of his answer.

"Don't give me that! You can't possibly be THAT clueless can you?" At that moment, reality set in for Asuka about their current seating arrangement. "NOW GET OFF MY LAP!" Asuka screamed at the poor pilot in front of her. She gave a quick jab for added effect.

"Ow!" Shinji said as he rubbed the back of where Asuka hit him.

-Later…

Nerv Headquarters – Gendo Ikari's Office

"Well, I'll be on my way." Kaji said to the stoic man, currently admiring his new acquisition. "I will of course, be around if you need me."

"Of course Mister Ryoji." Gendo said while grinning. He stared into the open case in front of him. "We'll keep in touch."

After one final wave, Kaji casually walked out of the office. His thoughts though, were not on Adam, the main ingredient for the Human Instrumentality Project, but on the famous Third Child. 'You certainly must be something to get everyone talking about you Shinji Ikari. And you can bet we will be seeing a lot of each other too!'

As the door shut behind Kaji, Kozou stepped into the light behind Gendo.

Without turning to look at him, Gendo spoke to Kozou. "I hear that you still have some concerns over Rei?"

"I believe that she has been given too much freedom." Kozou stated. "From what I have heard, she had personally requested that she'd spend more time with the Third. This is not something I'd expect Rei Ayanami to have done."

"Hmph." Gendo grunted. "I admit this is not something I expected Rei to be doing. Still I see no reason to deny her request. Though if an issue did come up, we can always restrict her movements again."

"That is true." Kozou replied.

"Speaking of her movements," Gendo continued. "Where exactly is Rei right now?"

Port of New Yokosuka

The ships pulled into New Yokosuka. Many had scars due to the recent Angel attack. Not to mention damage to their decks from the jumping Evangelion itself. The Over the Ranbow was docked and was currently unloading its valuable cargo, Unit 02. Kensuke, Touji, and Hikari were on one side of the gangplank leading from the ship to the port. On the other side of the gangplank, was a moving walkway that at the moment had no occupants.

"Is he out yet? Is he out yet?" Hikari repeated over and over again as she jumped up and down on the gangplank.

Kensuke, who was trying to videotape the movement of the Eva from the ship to the port, frowned at the excited girl next to her. He then turned his camera towards her. "You change moods pretty fast Class Rep."

"Huh?" Hikari said, stopping her jumping for a moment.

"Wasn't it you that was huddling in the corner in fear just a while ago?" Touji said grinning.

"Well… but… we were in real danger!" Hikari shot back. "You would too if you were in my situation!"

"Um Class Rep… we were." Touji noted.

"Well um…" Hikari said as she decided it best to quickly change subjects. "If it wasn't for Shinji, we would have been killed!"

"Um, what about that red head, Asuka something?" Kensuke added.

"And… her too." Hikari quickly added.

Touji sighed as he laid back. Suddenly, the he noticed movement on the walking platform. "Speaking of Asuka…"

Asuka held her head high as she passed by Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari. As she passed by Hikari, their eyes met for a moment, and a bolt of lightning sparked between them. 'Must be because I get to spend time with dweeb boy. Again, why is he so special? Hmm. Speaking of special…'

"Hmph!" Hikari sounded as she quickly looked away from Asuka. Suddenly, she saw a whisk of brown hair at the corner of her eye coming down the gangplank. "Ah! That must be Shin…ji!"

"Eh!" Touji noted the same thing. "Kensuke check it out!"

"What?" Kensuke suddenly turned his camera on Shinji. "What the? Pdddtt…."

Shinji tried covering up the extra 'attributes' of the red plug suit. His face was bright red as he noticed the attention he was getting. "Oh come on…"

"Shinji…" Hikari said in a worried tone. "You don't… you know…"

"No!" Shinji said, apparently caught on with what Hikari was thinking. "It's just that, Asuka forced me to wear her plug suit. And since all my normal clothes went down with the transport ship…"

Kensuke and Touji continued laughing.

Hikari sighed in relief. "Well, if that's it…" She slapped the back of Kensuke and Touji's head. "Stop laughing you two! Can't you see Shinji is having a hard enough time dealing with this already?"

"Ow." Kensuke and Touji said in unison. "Sorry Fuhrer."

Hikari whacked them again.

-Meanwhile…

In a jeep driving past the ship on the dock, Misato and Ritsuko were having a discussion together. Both were sitting in the back seat with Ritsuko looking over the data that they collected on the Evas.

"They broke their synchronization records, didn't they?" Ritsuko said amazed as she stared at the paper in front of her.

"For only seven seconds. It must have been due to the danger." Misato added.

Asuka zoomed up to the Jeep, forcing it to stop. She looked around, but didn't see the one she wanted to see. "Hey, where's Kaji?" She said excitedly to the two.

Misato glared at Asuka. "He ran off. That idiot's got to be back at headquarters by now."

Asuka's smile started to fade. "He's not here?"

"Yup, not here." Misato said as she looked away from the half-German. "Speaking of 'not here', where's Miss Ibuki? I would have half expected her to be here to greet Shinji. Little slut." Misato added the last line under her breath.

Ritsuko frowned at the question. "I gave her some extra work back at headquarters. Though I had to restrain her a bit given how eager she was in seeing him again."

Asuka's smile completely faded when she heard that. "Wait, Maya? Who's she? And why is SHE so eager to see the Third Child?"

"She's Ritsuko's assistant slash girlfriend." Misato added teasingly. "Though it is apparent that even Ritsuko can't control her girlfriend from trying to corrupt Shinji!"

Ritsuko's eyes narrowed. "Grr. First, I am NOT a lesbian, and she certainly NOT my girlfriend. Second, I don't think she intends to corrupt Shinji. And third… is that Rei Ayanami I see over there?"

Misato instantly stood up from her seat. "Wait, Rei Ayanami is here too?" She then looked and noticed the blue-headed girl standing at the bottom of the gangplank. "Where did she come from? And why is she here?"

Asuka also spun her head around to see Rei. Needless to say, her mouth dropped when she noticed the first person that she went up to talk to. Of course, she would have been more shocked if she knew Rei's personality, but she would find out more about that later. Instead…

"Hello Mister Ikari." Rei said nonchalantly at him.

"Huh? Miss Ayanami? You're here?" Shinji said, blinking in surprise.

"Is that not obvious?" Rei asked confused.

Shinji began stuttered. "Um, well, I meant was… um, did my father send you?"

"He did not." Rei continued. "I came at my own accord."

Hikari followed closely behind Shinji. "Rei Ayanami? You're here too?"

Rei turned her head slightly to see Hikari. "I have already answered that question. And Class Representative, I did not expect you to be here."

Hikari found herself at a loss of words. "Well I um…"

"So, anyways…" Shinji said, scratching the back of his head. "Um, so you came all the way here… to meet the Second Child right?"

Asuka stood next to Shinji and introduced herself. "Asuka Langley Sohryu! I am the Second Child! You must be the first, Rei Ayanami correct?"

Rei stared at Asuka for a second, before turning her attention back to Shinji. "I am only interested in the Third."

Asuka found herself gritting her teeth. "Why you…" She suddenly stopped herself. 'Okay, let's reassess what's happening, Misato seems a bit more protective of Shinji. Hikari definitely has something towards him. Ritsuko's assistant also has what sounds like an unhealthy attachment towards Shinji, and now… the First Child, Rei Ayanami!' She then glared at Shinji, who shivered at attention she was giving him. 'Okay Shinji! There is DEFINITELY something up with you! And I'm going to find out what it is!'

"I am here to accompany you." Rei stepped forward towards Shinji. Apparently not caring for his personal space. "Is this a problem?"

Shinji blushed a bit at the closeness. "Um… no?"

"Things have certainly become quite interesting I would have to say." Misato added, frowning at the scene.

Ritsuko also frowned. 'Rei certainly has changed. Though I'm not sure if this is a good thing.'

Hikari gave a low growl after seeing Rei and Shinji so close together.

-Later…

District 13 Tokyo 3 Junior High School Class 2-A

Hikari stared back at Rei Ayanami, who seemed to be doing her favorite pastime. Staring out of the window. She tried to get her head around the mystery that was Rei. She was further confounded by Rei's recent appearance at the New Yokosuka docks. 'I never expected Rei to be like that! Then again…' She didn't want to bring herself to say the next line since; after all, she wanted Rei to be more open right? Even if that meant being more open towards Shinji…

Touji stared back at Shinji and Kensuke as they conversed with each other. Their conversation was on a certain redhead. "She may have looked cute, but she was a real bitch."

"Well, we won't have to see her again." Kensuke said with some relief in his voice.

"Um… well… what about…" Shinji started to say before he looked back at Rei. 'I wonder why she came all the way to the docks to see me?'

"Yeah, old Mister Big Shot has to see her at work though. I really feel sorry for you." Touji added.

"I don't know." Hikari said as she jumped into the conversation. "She might not be all that bad once you get to know her. After all, she is…"

"She is what?" Kensuke said until he noticed red hair at the corner of his eye. "Huh? WHA!" He pointed a shaking finger at the front of the class.

"Huh?" Touji said as he followed the finger. "WHA!"

Shinji simply stared with his mouth open at the sight.

In front of them was the aforementioned redhead from earlier. She was now sporting a school uniform, and writing her name on the chalkboard. She then spun around wearing a smile on her face before she began her introduction. "My name is Asuka Langley Sohryu. I'm very pleased to meet you!" She then glared at Shinji. "And I'm keeping an eye on you Shinji!" She said as she pointed at him.

Shinji blinked confused. "Me? What'd I do?"

Hikari frowned. 'You're not laying a hand on my Shinji!'

Rei Ayanami ignored the antics that were going on in front her as she thought of another issue to contend with. 'So, 'Adam' is here to begin the Human Instrumentality Project. Hehehe. But it isn't 'Adam' that I want.'

---

-------End of Chapter 8

I did it! After long delays due to time constraints, I finally finished this chapter! LONG chapter… to go with my LONG absence from this story. I'll try to keep these Author Notes short so I will say just a few things.

One, this is the LONG awaited debut of Asuka. Since I was following the episodes per chapter, well, number 8 it is!

Second, this should be the 'break' from the canon in terms of following VERY closely to the original story is concerned. The later chapters should be more 'original' in that, I'll be adding a new character (Mana), as well as trying to ignore most of the 'minor' events in favor of the big ones. That and of course, I think the changes I've made should have blossomed to the point that following strictly with the canon would not be wise.

And Third… for fans of my FMA/Eva fic, SORRY FOR THE DELAY! Not only do I have this fic to worry about, but well, time had been short for me! Now that this update is out of the way, I can FINALLY finish my update for Chapter 11. I'm hoping future updates would be this long for either fic but, well, don't hold your breath.

-Next update, now that Asuka has joined in on the fun, what will happen for our poor hero? Until then… later!