Evangelion ½



*thoughts*

<Telepathy>

[Signs]

emphasis

SHOUTS

Chines

          If you think I own the characters of Ranma ½ or Neon Genesis
Evangelion then you haven’t been getting your daily-recommended dose of
Fanfiction, cause I don’t.



          Ranma Saotome was in a bad mood.  It had been four months since
he had proven he had what it took to take out a demigod, but his life was
just as bad as before.

          *Why can’t they just lay off for a little while?* he thought in
irritation.  He was currently hiking back from his last attempt to maintain
his sanity, a training trip that no one had been invited on or even
informed of, that had ended in total disaster when one irritant after
another had located him in one manner or another and proceeded to try and
beat the living daylights out of him for one reason or another.  *I’m sick
and tired of this and if something doesn’t change soon I’m going to snap!
I’ve come closer and closer after Phoenix Mountain, each time I lose my
temper a little faster and have more trouble raining it in.*  Then he
thought about the work he’d managed to get done before the untimely
interruption, *I did manage to get some of those techniques down, though
the energy absorption one is kinda hard to be sure of unless I actually use
it on someone, and the teleport one should work if I could get come up with
enough power to make it work, but it was fun while it lasted, and besides
if I look on the bright side it can’t get any worse,* he thought as he
bounded across the rooftops toward the Tendo Dojo.

          “Looks like they haven’t made it back yet,” sighed Ranma in
relief as he descended toward the Tendos’ backyard to find no one but
Kasumi waiting there.

          “Hello Ranma,” she greeted cheerfully.

          “Hello Kasumi have the rest of them made it back yet?” asked
Ranma.  *Better safe then sorry.*

          “No they all seemed to have left in a hurry a few hours ago when
Nabiki received word that you had been seen leaving Nerima and heading out
into the woods,” responded the oldest Tendo daughter.

          “Thank goodness I have time for a little peace and quiet before
it starts again,” said Ranma.  “I’m going to get a bath in before they get
back, if anyone ask could you tell them that I’m going down to the public
baths downtown?” he asked as he headed toward the bathroom.

          “But if you’re going to the public baths why are you headed
toward the bathroom?” she asked.

          “Uh, I’m going to get my things that I left in there,” said Ranma
quickly and getting away before Kasumi could tell him that she had just
cleaned in there and his bathing things weren’t in there.

          “I’m sure that he’ll find them,” she said as she started humming
to herself.

          *Oh man what am I going to do when they get back, its all going
to start all over again.  I’m the strongest martial artist here, even if
the old ghoul hasn’t noticed that under extreme stress is where I do my
best work she should have noticed that my ki is much stronger then when I
fought Saffron.  There’s nothing like a life or death struggle to push you
to the limits of your abilities and once you’ve reached those limits you
can train on them and push the limit higher yet!* he thought gleefully
thinking how much his ki limits had increased.  *I may have had to resort
to shear inspiration in the end but I threw everything I had and then some
into it first.  Its amazing how much you can expand your limits when
someone is trying to kill you.*

          “WHERE IS THAT PERVERT?” Ranma heard Akane demanded from the
front door.

          “He said he was going to the public baths,” he dimly heard Kasumi
saying in a much more civil tone.

          Ranma winced as he heard the whole of the Wrecking Crew minus its
main focus stamped out the door.  Then his mind drifted back to the
thoughts that he had been pursuing when Akane’s arrival interrupted them,
*So if I’m the strongest then there is no reason on earth that I should be
the one that’s always getting pushed around.  The only reason that they can
get away with it is because they know that I won’t seriously hurt them.*
Then his last statement hit him.  *Maybe if I let my temper go once or
twice then it will convince them to back off?* he wondered.  *I guess just
about anything’s worth a try once.  No that might be a little extreme,* he
reconsidered.

          Ranma had made it out of the bath and was laying on the couch
when the rest of them realized that he wasn’t at the public baths and came
storming back to the dojo.

          “Where have you been you ungrateful boy?” demanded Genma.  Just
before the rest of them put in their two cents worth in a jumble that made
no sense at all.

          “After you all interrupted my training trip I came back here,
told Kasumi I was going to the public baths, then decided that I wasn’t
going and took a bath here,” said Ranma as a matter of fact.  He was
leaning back in the chair but still maintaining a careful watch on those
around him.

          “Shampoo come to help husband, but kitchen destroyer interrupt
and make difficult,” said Shampoo leaning over the back of the couch to
drape herself across Ranma’s shoulders.

          Akane saw red, *How dare he ignore my anger and paw that purple
haired bimbo?!*  “RANMA NO BAKA!” she shouted as she brought her mallet
down squarely on her target.

          “AHH!  Who kitchen destroyer aiming at?” demanded Shampoo.  Her
support had disappeared leaving her to slide down the back of the couch
into the way of Akane’s mallet, and barely enough time to get out of the
way.

          “How did you do that?” asked Nabiki looking between where Ranma
was and where he used to be.  “RANMA?” she shouted at him when he ignored
her first question.

          *That’s it!* thought Ranma as the rest of the Wrecking Crew
prepared to make their move.  *I’m going to show them what attacking the
best means this time!* he thought, completely forgetting his earlier
decision not to.

          The full crew jumped either at Ranma or someone else at the same
time, like they had been waiting for the bell, and they all fell back as
Ranma’s aura flared purple and he struck out left, right, and center.
Akane was stopped by a kick that sent her spinning to the floor, Shampoo
got nailed with a backhand the sent her and the couch flipping over, Moose
and Kuno got tangled up together and went down, Ranma grabbed Ukyo’s arm
after she extended for a spatula strike and tossed her away, Genma got four
kicks and five punches before he finally went down, and Ranma smile as that
left just Ryoga.  “Goodnight P-chan,” he hissed as he punched Ryoga across
the face with the strength he had acquired since Phoenix Mountain.  The
lost boy dropped without a sound.

          “What just happened?” asked Nabiki blinking at the new scene in
front of her.  The whole battle had been little more then a blur to her and
suddenly Ranma was standing alone, his battle aura slowly disappearing, in
the middle of a small war zone.

          “Oh my!” gasped Kasumi when she came back into the living room
and saw the mayhem.

          Surprise pulled the others, except for Ryoga, back to their feet.

          “Why husband attack Shampoo?” asked Shampoo crossly.

          “But Ranchan we were friends,” protested Ukyo.

          “ENOUGH!” yelled Ranma cutting them off.  “I have had it, I just
wish I could go somewhere where I could actually make a real friend,
somewhere where I could make a difference not just wait around here until
someone finally gets lucky and kills me or gets a potion or magic doohickey
to work right!”

          Many people have wished that things were different, and the
majority of those have went unanswered, but this time Fate decided to
intervene.

          “Where you serious just now?” asked a tall dark haired stranger,
he was suddenly standing in the doorway.

          “What?” asked Ranma, momentarily shaken out of his anger by the
appearance of this new guy.

          “Where you serious about wanting to leave?  To go to a place with
the above said conditions?” the man asked again.

          Ranma looked around him, taking in the looks on the faces of
those that had made his life miserable for the last year, “Yes.”

          “I can offer you the chance, nothing more,” warned the stranger.
“There are however, conditions attached.”

          “I’m listening,” said Ranma.

          “Do you think that we could have this conversation in private?”
asked the stranger.

          “In this house you’ve got to be kidding me,” laughed Ranma.
“Nabiki there has this whole house wired, including the bathroom!”

          “Then I will have to take steps,” said the stranger with a shrug
and the two of them where encased in a clear dome the stopped all sound
from exiting.

          “Wow that’s pretty neat,” said Ranma looking at the dome and the
scowl on Nabiki’s face.  Then he quit grinning, “What did you mean there
were conditions to your offer?”

          “I should probably tell you more about the situation.  There is a
world that has one that I admire.  Unfortunately he is virtually alone, and
being set up.  I have been forbidden to interfere directly in this matter,
which would include sending an avatar of my own, so I have this offer to
make to you.  I will give you two gifts and in exchange you will follow my
wishes as to the Fate of that world.  Do we have a deal?”

          “You will give me two things and a chance to make a difference
and find a real friend and in exchange I am to make your vision of the
future come to pass?”

          “Actually I will offer you three gifts but the third will only
activate at a certain time and place.”

          “What gifts and what’s the chance that I can succeed?” asked
Ranma cautiously.

          “Very good, never agree without reading the fine print,” said the
stranger.  “The first gift would be the gift of telepathy, particularly the
ability to connect with those that are not human amongst that world.  The
second will be the ability to control your curse.  There however will be
limits, you will be able to suppress the change but in exchange you will
have to spend one day as a girl per week.  Actually its more like twenty
four hours in each one hundred and sixty eight.  The third gift will be a
protection from an attack that you would not normally be able to defend
yourself against.  There is an excellent chance that with hard work and
practice you can develop your telepathy so that you many obtain information
that you will need instead of just communicating with certain beings.  I
can also tell you that there is a young man that also feels the desire for
a friend, the two of you could become powerful allies.  I will even offer
the option that if you can make this work that I will make you a full
avatar of Fate, do we have a deal?”

          *A chance to actually do something with my life other then stay
here and die or raise kids, or agree and take a chance to save a world,*
thought Ranma.  *Its not like anyone around here needs me, and it sounds
like this guy does need some help.*  “Deal,” he said simply.

          “Then we can proceed.  I have already made the necessary
preparations, your new identity will be provided for you and your first
lesson in telepathy will be to absorb from me the details.”

          “Wouldn’t that be a fourth gift?” asked Ranma suddenly.

          “No this is a mission critical supply, without this information
our enemies will quickly spot that you aren’t who you say you are.  Oh did
I mention that you would have to go back to being fourteen years old?”

          “WHAT?”***



          Far way in Tokyo-3 Shinji Ikari lay on his bed after having
survived the attack by the twelfth angel and the harrowing ordeal of
watching the life support on his Evangelion drain away.  His SDAT player
lay running on the bed beside him but his thoughts were occupied by the
last thing that the vision of his mother had told him.

          “Don’t worry my son, help is coming,” she had said.  “Watch for
the Wild Horse.”***



          “Sir!” Dr. Akagi called to Commander Ikari.  “The MAGI have just
supplied us with a new candidate for the Fourth Child, and pilot of
Evangelion unit 3.  Apparently he was schooled at home by his parents and a
glitch with his birth records prevented them from identifying him earlier,
but it seems there was an accident and his parents are dead.  He has been
enrolled in school, that was when the MAGI picked up on him.”

          “I see, will we have any trouble convincing him to join us?”
asked Commander Ikari.

          “No I don’t think so.”

          “What is his name?”

          “Ranma Saotome.”***



          “Class we have a new student with us today.  Ranma Saotome will
be joining us, up until now he was schooled at home, so the rest of you
should help him get settled in,” said Hikari, the class rep.

          “Hello,” greeted Ranma with a smile on his fourteen-year-old
face.  *Reading the fine print only helps if its there to be read!* he
through hard in the direction of a certain being.  *At least I got to keep
my speed and strength as well as my ki reserves.*

          “Wow, he’s cute,” giggled one of the girls in the back, barely
loud enough for everyone to hear then she blushed when she realized it had
carried further then she though.

          *Wild Horse, could this Ranma be the help that my mother
promised?* wondered Shinji.

          Ranma took a seat in the back.  *Hmm, that must be Shinji over
there, and that red head must be Asuka.*  His eyes skimmed across the class
and landed on the blue haired Rei looking out the window.  *And that would
be Rei the first child.*  Ranma blinked then grinned, *I wonder…*  <Shinji
if you can hear me don’t say anything but nod your head,> thought Ranma
pushing it as hard as he could to the brown haired third child.

          *What?!* thought Shinji as he heard someone talking do him.  He
looked around quickly and saw Ranma watching him.  Very slowly he nodded to
him and saw his grin get wider.

          <Shinji this is telepathy, don’t talk out loud but see if you can
push your thoughts out to me,> instructed Ranma.

          *Can* <you hear> *me?* thought Shinji in Ranma’s direction.

          <Sorta, think about a telephone wire between us,> suggested Ranma
getting the basics of the send.

          *A telephone wire?* wondered Shinji, then he shrugged.  <Can you
hear me?> he asked again this time visualizing a telephone wire stretched
between them.

          <Wow, that didn’t take long,> said Ranma.  <My name is Ranma
Saotome.  I was sent here by someone that wanted to help you.  He said that
you needed a friend, so did I.>

          <My> *mother said* <you would> *be coming,* thought Shinji.

          <Hmm, looks like we need some more practice, I’ll see you at
lunch,> said Ranma.

          *This is a strange day even for me,* thought Shinji.  *The new
kid is the guy that my mother told me was coming, and he can talk to me
telepathically!*  He waited impatiently for the clock to make its rounds
till lunch time.

          The class emptied out quickly leaving Ranma, Shinji, and Toji.

          “You’re off the hook,” Ranma told Toji startling him out of his
thoughts.

          “Huh?” asked the boy blankly.

          “You aren’t the fourth child, I am,” said Ranma.  “You don’t have
to agonize over whether or not to pilot.  If you are so reluctant why are
you even considering it?” asked Ranma curiously.

          “YOU’RE the fourth child?” demanded Shinji, but stopped as Ranma
gestured at him.

          “Because they promised to put my little sister in their private
hospital in the Geofront,” Toji told them.  “Now I guess I stalled them too
long and they found someone else.”

          “What’s her name?” asked Ranma in surprise.  *Fate said NERV
isn’t the nice guy type, but dangling that in front of someone to make them
pilot?*

          “Sara Suzuhara, why?” asked Toji.

          “I need to find a phone,” Ranma told them.

          “Here you can borrow mine,” offered Shinji.

          “Thank you,” said Ranma pulling a slip of paper out of his pocket
and dialed.  “Hello Dr. Akagi?  This is Ranma Saotome.  Yes I will agree on
one condition.  Sara Suzuhara will get the same treatment that you offered
if Toji would pilot for you.  Yes I’m serious.  That’s what I want, if you
can do that I’ll pilot unit 3.  Fine I’ll see you tomorrow then.  You’ll
pick me up?  Eight o’clock is good.” said Ranma on the phone, then hung up
and handed it back to Shinji.  “Thanks,” said Ranma.  “What?” he asked when
they were staring at him.

          “You just asked for my sister to get the same thing that she
would get if I piloted,” said Toji.

          “Yeah, why not, there wasn’t anything that I wanted that badly
and it seem like the least I could do for doing you out of it,” said Ranma.

          “So you’re going to be the pilot for Unit 3?” asked Shinji.

          “So they tell me,” agreed Ranma.  “I’ve always wanted to pilot a
giant mecha.  Toji maybe you should go tell your sister the good news, and
help her get ready to move.”

          “So how did you do that thing earlier?” asked Shinji after Toji
had ran out of the room and toward the hospital.

          “I was given the ability as a gift, but I’m not sure how you
manage to do it,” replied Ranma.  “However I was told that with practice I
would become better, care to help me?”

          “I think I would like that,” said Shinji.

          “Then lets meet after school and we can go over to my place.  In
the mean time what do you do around here when you’re not piloting giant
robots and fighting creature that are trying to destroy humanity?” asked
Ranma.

          “I-well you’ll think its stupid,” said Shinji.

          “What?” pressed Ranma.

          “I play the cello.  What do you do?”

          “The cello, never did learn to play an instrument.  I practice
martial arts.”

          “Really are you any good?” asked Shinji.

          “I’m the best,” said Ranma, smirking at the third child.

          “The best?” asked Shinji.

          “I haven’t had a chance to take one anyone around here yet, but
I’ve never been defeated back home.”

          “Shinji!” yelled Asuka.

          “What?” he called back.

          “Get out here!” she ordered.

          “You’d better go,” suggested Ranma.

          “Yeah,” Shinji agreed.

          “His ki is strong, wonder if he’d like to learn martial arts?”
wondered Ranma out loud as Shinji ran out to where Asuka was sitting.

          “Did you hear?  Toji isn’t going to be the pilot of Unit 3 after
all!” Asuka told Shinji as soon as he made it down to where she was
sitting.

          “I know.”

          “Then how come you didn’t tell me?” she demanded.

          “Cause I was still hearing about it when you called me,” said
Shinji.

          Shinji was saved from Asuka as the bell signaled the beginning of
class.

          <Ranma?> thought Shinji.

          <Yeah?> asked Ranma picking up on it.

          <Just making> *sure it* <wasn’t a dream,> sent Shinji.

          <See you after school.>***



          “Make yourself at home,” Ranma told Shinji as they entered
Ranma’s apartment.  *I’ve got to admit that Fate at least made my life
fairly comfortable while I’m here.*

          “Thank you, you have a nice apartment,” responded Shinji looking
around the two-bedroom apartment.

          “Thanks,” said Ranma.  He checked all of this senses to see if
there was anyone lurking around, and he hadn’t got any sensation that he
was being watched like he had a the school so he decided to level with
Shinji.  “You didn’t tell Dr. Akagi about your mother telling you I was
come did you,” said Ranma.

          “Why would you think that?” asked Shinji.

          “Cause if she had known that Unit 1 could suddenly predict the
future she never would have let you leave NERV.  I’m going to level with
you cause I don’t think that we’re being spied on right now, not like a
school.  Although you do seem to have two very persisted shadows tagging
along behind you.”

          “Shadows?”

          “Probably some kinda security, can’t let the kid that’s got to
save the world get killed by some mugger on the street now can we?  What
your mother didn’t apparently tell you was that I was sent here from
another world or dimension, something like that.  Where I come from there
was no Second Impact, no NERV, and no Evas.  I’m really seventeen years old
and had a life that was not that hard to part with all things considered.
I was sent here to help you out.  The person that sent me doesn’t want me
to tell anyone who he is, but he has been forbidden to do anything about
this himself so he offered me the chance to do it.”

          “You were sent to help me?” asked Shinji.  “Not save the world?”

          “Nope I’m here to help you save the world,” said Ranma simply.
“If you don’t mind me pointing out, you seem to have very strong ki for
someone who isn’t a martial artist.”

          “Ki?”

          “You know ki, life force, spirit energy,” said Ranma.  “High end
martial artists normally use it to do things that seem supernatural to
normal people.  Yours is pretty high for not being trained.”

          “It is?” asked Shinji trying to picture himself as a martial
artist.

          “Yeah, want to learn how to use it?” asked Ranma.

          “You mean me become a martial artist?” asked Shinji in shock.

          “Why not.  You’re the savior of humanity I don’t think a few
combat skills would be out of place do you?”

          “I guess not, but its just the idea of me being a martial
artist.”

          “I’ll tell you what lets work on being telepathic today and
tomorrow you can get started on the road of martial arts mastery,” offered
Ranma.

          “OK!” agreed Shinji excitedly.***



          “Oh man I shouldn’t have stayed up working with Shinji so late
last night,” muttered Ranma as he drug himself out of bed and got ready to
face the activation of Unit 3.  *At least we got the short range telepathy
thing worked out.*

          “Right on time,” said Dr. Akagi as he walked out the front door
of his apartment building.

          “Don’t mind me I’m not a morning person,” said Ranma stumbling
over to truck transporting the group for the activation and climbing in.
He strapped himself into the seat and began meditating.  He had learned the
value of meditation on his training trips after Phoenix Mountain.  *Anger
is one of the most common ways to harness ki, the power flares in response
to emotion, but it only comes with high emotion and lashes out
powerfully…and without control.  Tapping it while calm gives one control
over it and with control comes the ability to find ones limits and push
those limits till they move,* thought Ranma as he began gathering his
energy and drawing energy in from around him.

          “We’re here,” said Misato suddenly breaking Ranma concentration.

          “I’m ready,” he said calmly and simply.

          “Wow this guy is cool as a cucumber,” whispered one of the techs
as Ranma was lead toward the waiting entry plug.

          “Yeah, it ain’t even me that’s going to get in that thing and I’m
nervous as hell!” whispered back his friend.***



          “Sir an explosion was just detected at Matsushiro!” shouted
Shigeru.

          “The MAGI have just reported an angel!” shouted Maya.

          “Go to first stage alert,” said Commander Ikari calmly from his
chair.  “Launch the Evangelions.”

          “Yes sir.”

          As the information came in that it was unit three Commander
Fuyutsuki looked over at Commander Ikari, “As we expected.”

          Gendo Ikari smiled slightly, *Everything is going as planned.
“Transmit the abort signal, eject the units entry plug.”

          “Its not working sir!” said Maya.  “Non of the codes are being
excepted!”

          “What about the pilot?” asked Commander Ikari.

          “His heart is still beating and he is still breathing, but he is
probably…” said Makoto.

          “I see, then we must except the loss of Evangelion unit three.
Reclassify it as the thirteenth angel.

          “What?” came the stunned whispers from the bridge crew.

          “The target must be destroyed,” said Gendo, still calm and
collected.***



          “That’s an Eva!” said Shinji looking at the screen with the words
‘13th angel’ on it showing Unit 3.

          “That is the target,” corrected Commander Ikari.

          “But if its an Eva then there must be a pilot!” shouted Shinji.

          “You mean you still don’t know?” asked Asuka in astonishment.
The transmission from Unit 2 was suddenly cut off.

          “Unit 2 has stopped transmitting!” came the call from the bridge.

          “Rei stop it, but avoid close range combat.  I’ll send Unit 1 in
to support you,” ordered Commander Ikari.

          “Yes sir,” responded Rei.

          “Sir Unit 0 has stopped transmitting!”

          “Unit 1 the target is approaching you, contact in twenty seconds,
you must destroy it,” Commander Ikari informed Shinji.

          “But what about the pilot?” asked Shinji.  “What about…” began
Shinji but he was cut off by a thought.

          <Shinji!  Shinji, fight unit 3!> yelled out Ranma.  <Go for the
throat and end it quick!  PLEASE!>

          <Ranma?  Why?> asked Shinji.

          <Trust me it’ll be ok!>

          “Unit 1 engaging target,” said Shinji, his conference with Ranma
having taken place so fast there was barely a pause.

          The two commanders looked at each other quickly in startlement as
Unit 1 leaped to the attack.

          <Shinji project your AT field through Unit 3,> instructed Ranma
as Unit 1 latched onto the throat of Unit 3.

          “Sir Unit 1 just projected its AT field through the angel!” said
Maya in astonishment.  “And sir the blue pattern is…GONE?!” she read from
her terminal in numb shock.  She shook her head, “The MAGI are unanimous,
the angel is destroyed, but Unit 3 only needs minor repairs!”

          “They are positive?” asked Commander Ikari projecting his
perpetual calmness.  *THIS CAN’T BE!  UNIT 3 WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DESTORYED
TO DEFEAT THE 13TH ANGEL!* he ranted inside the privacy of his own
thoughts.  Beside him similar thoughts were running through Commander
Fuyutsuki.***



          “Good luck,” said the Tech as he finished helping Ranma into the
plug.

          “Thanks,” responded Ranma.  Then he centered his thoughts firmly
on Fate’s words about his telepathy, ‘the first gift would be the gift of
telepathy, particularly the ability to connect with those that are not
human amongst that world’.  *I don’t think he meant the penguin,* thought
Ranma with a snort after having heard about Shinji’s more unusual roommate
last night.  He extended his perception toward the waiting Evangelion and
caught a flicker of someone or something at home, and he could feel the
pulsing energy of a being’s ki around him as the entry plug was inserted.
<HELLO!> he shouted into Unit 3.

          <hello?> came a response so faint that he nearly didn’t hear it.

          <Are you there?> asked Ranma.

          <Who are you?  No one has ever talked to me before!>

          <My name is Ranma.  Do you know who you are?>

          <I am Evangelion Unit 3, my purpose is to destroy angels,> said
the Evangelion as though it had memorized it from repetition.

          <You are more then that.  The people who created you think of you
as a beast, a weapon, I know that you are more then that.  I would like to
be your friend,> offered Ranma.

          <You mean you would talk to me?> asked the voice.

          *Humanities only hope against the angels, one of its strongest
warriors, surrounded by people, and its lonely, how familiar,* thought
Ranma, noticing that Unit 3’s situation was not unlike his own past.
<Yes.  You know that each Evangelion has a pilot right?>

          <Yes.>

          <Well if you don’t have any objections I would like to be yours.
Instead of my giving all of the orders and you obeying them lets be
partners, after all this is your body, but I have fighting experience and
skills that you lack,> offered Ranma.

          <Agreed,> agreed the Evangelion cheerfully.

          <WHAT?!> thought Ranma as the Evangelion suddenly opened its mind
to him and their thoughts merged, not a full merger creating one being, but
an overlap where the two halves joined together and could communicate fast
as thought.

          On the outside the command center started phase two activation
and suddenly the angel laying dormant inside Unit 3 awoke.

          *What’s going on?* thought Ranma/Unit 3.  <AHHH,> they screamed,
their body and senses were being assaulted by the invading angel.  *We have
to fight back!*

          The struggle seemed to last an eternity as Ranma/Unit 3 tried to
regain control and the angel sought to crush them.

          They were unable to stop it from taking out Unit 2, but they
prevented it from doing too much damage in the process.

          <No you don’t!> they shouted as the angel prepared to try and
merge with Unit 0.  They briefly regained control and sent the body jumping
away from Unit 0.

          *What in the world is this?* wondered Ranma.  A complex series of
ki lines was drifting across his mind, and then memory prompted him.  ‘The
third gift will be a protection from an attack that you would not normally
be able to defend yourself against.’  *I guess this is it, we can’t seem to
beat this thing the way we’re going at it, but I don’t want NERV to know
what’s going on, after all they’re the enemy.*  The an idea occurred to
him.  <Shinji!  Shinji, fight unit 3!> yelled out Ranma.  <Go for the
throat and end it quick!  PLEASE!>

          <Ranma?  Why?> asked Shinji.

          <Trust me it’ll be ok!> Ranma assured him.  <Shinji project your
AT field through Unit 3,> instructed Ranma as Unit 1 latched onto the
throat of Unit 3.  *As soon as he does, we take out the angel,* thought
Ranma/Unit 3.

          <THAT HURTS!> shouted Unit 3 as Unit 1’s AT field ripped through
their joined bodies.

          <Very!> agreed Ranma as he unrolled the twisting lines of ki and
let them go to work.  In seconds the angel was rolled up into a ishing net
of ki lines.

          <Now what happens?> asked Unit 3.

          <I have no idea,> admitted Ranma.  *OH NO!* he thought as the
intention of the ki lines were made clear to him, they destroyed the
angel’s soul, but the parasitic body had already merged with Unit 3.
Ranma’s body had been contaminated thought the LCL as well, so they were
both part angel now, or in the case of Unit 3 more angel, including a split
in two and as yet unregenerate S2 organ apiece.

          *The angel mapped everything in our bodies right?* thought
Ranma/Unit 3.  *We should make some changes.*  Neither of the two knew the
first thing about robotics, computer programming, or creating Evangelions,
but thanks to the angels invasion of their entire body they knew everything
about it, including how to make NERV’s sensors lie to them!

          <Thank you Shinji.  We’re fine,> Ranma sent to Shinji even as
Maya was informing Commander Ikari that the MAGI were indeed sure that the
13th angel was destroyed and Unit 3 only moderately damage and the pilot
seemed to be passed out.

          <I’m glad you’re ok,> sent Shinji.  <Wait a minute, WE ARE FINE?>

          <I’ll explain as soon as NERV gets done with me.  Meet me at my
place after debriefing is done,> Ranma told him.

          <Uh, sure,> said the baffled Shinji.***



          Fate was looking out over the world laughing so hard he had to
hold his sides and was spilling his popcorn all over the place.

          “Don’t you think that was cheating just a little bit?” asked a
voice that was both right next to him and all around him at the same time.

          “What was cheating?” asked Fate.

          “Setting it up so that Ranma would absorb that angel and its S2
organ as well as its AT field?”

          “That’s what’s so funny, I didn’t.”

          “Huh?”

          “That was designed to protect him from the mind merging effect of
the third impact until I could send him back if he failed.  After all good
avatars are hard to find,” said Fate.  “That net he used was supposed to
surround him and stop the anti-AT field, instead he used if for attack and
it shredded the soul of Bardiel and since Bardiel’s body was merged with
both Unit 3 and Ranma their bodies absorbed the pieces into their own when
Bardiel died, adaptation, or Darwinism if you prefer.  Ranma/Unit 3 proved
to be stronger and more adaptable, they took a defensive measure adapted it
to their situation and kicked ass, so they survived and Bardiel didn’t, end
of story,” said Fate.  Then he smiled, “You’re side doesn’t seem to be
doing so well, care for some popcorn?”

          The other being vanished from Fate’s VIP box.

          “He never was a very graceful looser,” said Fate, then he started
humming a happy tune to himself.  He pulled a pennant out of nowhere that
said ‘GO RANMA!’ on it and got set to watch the rest of the game.***



          “So you’re the pilot of Unit 3 huh?” asked Asuka.  “I hope you’re
not a pervert like the baka here,” she said gesturing at Shinji as she
walked past them.

          “What was that all about?” asked Ranma as he and Shinji hit the
showers.

          “Oh, she always does things like running into me and then
accusing me of, of touching her,” said Shinji hesitating briefly.  <Ranma
are you ready to talk?>

          <Sure, what did you want to know?>

          <Why did you have me attack you and how did we defeat the angel
without destroying its core?>

          <I destroyed the angel, using a one shot attack, but I needed you
to attack and distract NERV from realizing that I was the one the destroyed
it.>

          <Why I would think that you would want to prove that you were the
best on your first time out by taking out an angel by yourself?>

          <Because I didn’t blow it up, I absorbed it,> said Ranma grimly.
<By the way did you know that the Evas are alive?>

          <Yeah everyone knows that,> responded Shinji.

          <Does everyone know that there is a personality inside?> asked
Ranma watching for his reaction.

          <HUH?  They have a personality?>

          <Well Unit 3 does, I assume that the rest of them do as well,>
said Ranma.

          <How come no one has noticed before?>

          <Has anyone ever tried to contact them telepathically before?>

          <Well I guess probably not,> admitted Shinji.

          <The Evas are aware?> asked a third voice suddenly in the middle
of their private conference.

          <Who in the world are you?> asked Shinji with wide eyes looking
around the locker room.

          <What he said,> seconded Ranma.

          <I am Rei, pilot Ikari,> said the voice.

          <You’ve got to be kidding me,> said Ranma.

          <I am not kidding you, I am Rei Ayanami.>

          <Can we trust you?> asked Ranma.

          <Trust me?  Trust me with what?> asked Rei.

          <Trust her with what?> asked Shinji at the same time.

          <The idea that someone can listen in on conversations that I
thought were private is not something I like to have happen to me!  I want
to know if we can trust her with our secrets or is she going to go running
to Commander Ikari the instant our back is turned,> elaborated Ranma having
gotten the whole rundown on the NERV roster while working on telepathy with
Shinji the night before.

          <What is it that you wish to keep private from Commander Ikari?>
asked Rei.

          <Everything at the moment,> said Ranma.  *Hmm, Fate said that
some of the humans are just as dangerous to humanity as the angels.*  <What
do you want the future to be like?> he asked Rei.

          <What do I want the future to be?> asked Rei.  <No one has ever
asked me what I wanted before.>

          <What do you mean?> asked Shinji.

          <I have always been told to do this or do that, but never asked
what I wished to do,> explained Rei.

          <Would you mind if I offered some advice?> asked Ranma.

          <No I would not, this situation is causing those emotions that I
have read about to stir,> said Rei.

          <What to do you mean those emotions that you have read about?
You mean you don’t know about emotions?> asked Shinji.

          <No Commander Ikari said that they were not important, but I have
done research on my own time and discovered many things,> said Rei.

          <Guys I hate to break this up, but I think we should all get out
of the shower and head out of here before someone wants to know what’s
going on,> suggested Ranma.

          <Right,> agreed Shinji.  <Rei if you want to talk then I would be
more then happy to do so.  We could go to the park and talk and Ranma could
give you the advice that he offered,> he suggested.

          <I would appreciate that.>

          “Hey Shinji do you think that they would mind if we stopped so I
could look at Unit 1 before we go?” Ranma asked Shinji out loud.

          “Uh, no I don’t think so,” said Shinji.

          “Would you like to come with us?  We really should get to know
each other if we are going to work together,” Ranma asked Rei as the three
of them walked out into the hallway outside the showers.

          “Why would we need to get to know each other just to work
together?” asked Rei.

          “You’re wasting your time with wondergirl,” said Asuka from the
door of the girls’ shower.

          “Because how can you trust someone in a fight if you don’t know
them?  We are going to have to fight together at some point and if we trust
each other then we will fight together more effectively,” said Ranma
logically.

          “Your reasons are sound, we should get to know each other,”
agreed Rei.  “I believe that you wished to see Unit 1 before we left?”

          “Yes I did, and I have no idea how to get there,” admitted Ranma.

          “This way,” said Shinji pointing and the three moved off toward
Unit 1’s cage leaving a gapping Asuka in their wake.

          “Did he just get more response out of wondergirl in five minutes
then I have in the entire time I’ve been here?” wondered Asuka, voicing her
thoughts out loud.

          “So this is the famous Unit 1 the berserker?” asked Ranma looking
into the demonic face of Evangelion Unit 1.

          “This is Unit 1,” agreed Shinji.

          <Greetings Evangelion,> sent Ranma.

          <Hello?> asked a female voice.

          <Hello,> echoed another voice.

          <MOTHER?> sputtered Shinji in amazement.  *It never occurred to
me that I could contact my mother with this telepathy!*

          <Yes Shinji and this is Sakura, your sister,> said the woman.

          <Hello Shinji, its good to meet you for real at last,> said
Sakura.  <I’m happy to meet you as well, Ranma.>

          <And I you.  This is Rei Ayanami, the…> said Ranma.

          <Pilot of Unit 0,> finished Yui for him.

          <Yes, I am the pilot of Unit 0,> said Rei.  <How did you know
that?>

          <I have been in here a while, and I have made contact with all of
the Evangeilons except for Unit 3 for some reason he’s been exceptionally
quite,> explained Yui.

          <He’s had a rough day,> explained Ranma.

          <So how did you defeat the angel?> Yui asked Ranma.

          <You are mistaken, Mrs. Ikari, pilot Ikari defeated the angel
with Unit 1,> corrected Rei.

          <I was there and he did put on a good show including projecting
the AT field through Unit 3, but Ranma somehow absorbed the angel,> said
Yui.

          <While I have enjoyed our conversation we should be going before
someone notices that we seem to spend a large amount of time standing
around looking at each other,” said Ranma.

          <You are right,> agreed Shinji.  <I’m sorry mother, but Ranma is
right we have to go.>

          <Goodbye for now my dear Shinji,> whispered Yui.

          <Goodbye Shinji,> said Sakura.

          <I’ll talk to you later,> Ranma and Shinji told them both.***



          “What was your advice pilot Saotome?” asked Rei once they were
out into the nearby park.

          “Would you call me Ranma, please?” asked Ranma.

          “Very well Ranma.  What is your advice?” she asked.

          “You said that no one ever asked you what you wanted right?”
asked Ranma.

          “Correct.”

          “If no one is willing to ask you what you want then decide what
you want and go for it yourself,” said Ranma.

          “How do I decide what I want?” asked Rei.

          “Find out what makes you happy and go for it.”

          “But what if it is something that I can not make happen on my
own?” asked Rei.

          “Then you call on your friends for help,” said Shinji.

          “But I have no friends,” said Rei softly.

          “But Rei that’s not true, I’m your friend and I’m sure that Ranma
would be your friend,” protested Shinji.

          “I can always use a friend,” agreed Ranma.

          “Friends?” asked Rei.  “This is another subject that Commander
Ikari didn’t feel that I needed to pursue.”

          “Friends are those people that you can count on the most outside
of your family.  They are there for you when you need help, when things are
at their darkest your friends are there,” said Shinji.

          “What do friends do together?” asked Rei.

          “Well sometimes they talk about things that they enjoy together,
sometimes they do things that they enjoy together.  Actually Ranma was
going to teach me martial arts today.  Would you like to join us?”

          “Martial arts?  You are going to study combat?” asked Rei in
surprise.

          “Why is it that everyone assumes that Martial arts has to be
about hurting people?” asked Ranma in exasperation.

          “What other point does it have?” asked Rei.

          “It can have a number of purposes.  It can be done for exercise,
recreation, and my personal favorite, because I enjoy testing my limits!”
said Ranma.  “That part is usually done either sparing or combat, but it
doesn’t have to be.  Tournaments, and competitions are also excellent ways
to prove who is better.”

          “You find martial arts relaxing, and helps you focus?” asked Rei
with a hint of shock.

          “Yes I do.  I find that katas can clear the mind as well as
meditation, which I didn’t learn about until I got rid of my first sensei
and began training on my own,” explained Ranma.

          “Then I would like to join you for your training,” said Rei.

          “Then lets get started,” said Ranma.  “This one of the most
common opening stances…”***



          “Shinji is a natural, just like he’s a natural pilot I guess.  It
just seems to come easy to him, and Rei is a quick learner as well.  Though
she is going to need more work to pick it up then Shinji,” Ranma was
muttering to himself as he let himself into his apartment.  *At least Fate
set me up with a nice life here.  I’ve got this apartment, and enough money
from my ‘parents’ death’ to make a comfortable living.  It’s the simple
things that you admire the most,* he thought as he relaxed in a hot bath
that nothing short of an angel attack was going to disturb him from.

          <Ranma,> a call drifted through the stillness of his apartment as
he lay relaxing in the tub.

          <Shinji?!> asked Ranma, alarmed that Shinji had managed to get
into his apartment without him even noticing it.

          <No,> came the voice again, this time Ranma noticed that it was
definitely female.

          <Yui?!> he asked in astonishment finally recognizing the voice
after centering his concentration on it.

          <Yes,> she responded.

          <How did you contact me all the way from NERV?> asked Ranma.

          <Because like you I am true telepath.  I have had my gift from
the time I was eleven, being as you’re male I would guess that it came when
you where twelve or thirteen, but we are true telepaths, destined by fate
to have this gift, out of the other three that share our gift two had just
a touch of it imparted by the Second Impact, of the third I am not sure,>
explained Yui.

          <A true telepath?  Other three?> asked Ranma completely confused.

          <Your gift was imparted to you as well wasn’t it?> asked the
voice, picking up on the confusion.

          <I may not have been as quick to pick it up as you,> offered
Ranma.

          <No, I noticed it earlier and thought it just a fluke, you seem
totally unaware that telepathy is not actually transmitted in words.
Thoughts are transmitted, and there is usually an image or images that
accompany each thought.  I don’t mean to pry, but if you wish to keep
whatever it is that you are so desperately hide from me you should get some
training…besides I am a woman of principles, I wouldn’t peek at your privet
thoughts anymore then I would sneak into your house and peek into your
shower,> said Yui with a light voice.

          <You’re in a forty story body, you couldn’t sneak into my house
without me knowing unless I was dead or in another country!> laughed Ranma
responding to her light tone.

          <Touché!> giggled Yui.

          <???>

          Yui giggled again as the puzzled feeling seeped across the mental
contact.  <It means touch, it was used centuries ago in France during their
fencing matches, it was an admittance of being tagged and that the opponent
had scored,> she explained.

          <Oh.>

          <You know I haven’t had another human to talk to for eleven
years,> she said.

          <Eleven years?> asked Ranma.  <Why so long?>

          <Because unless you’re a telepath there is no way to contact me,
and they are truly rare in the world.  Until you and Shinji contacted me I
had spoken to no one other then Sakura since I was absorbed into her eleven
years ago.>

          <That must have been lonely,> said Ranma sympathetically.

          <It could have been a great deal worse if Sakura hadn’t been with
me but yes we’ve both been very lonely, and I would imagine that the rest
of the Evangelions are the same way.  Unit 2 is of course newer then the
rest of us, but still.>

          <I thought that you said you had talked to the other Evangelions
except for unit 3?> asked Ranma.

          <I have briefly touched their minds, but they seem to be to
deeply buried to easily respond, and without the proper training they lack
the ability to sustain contact over any kind of distance,> explained Yui.

          <Well I guess if you haven’t had any one to talk to for the last
eleven years and now you do I’m going to get my ears talked off aren’t I?>
asked Ranma with a dramatic sigh.

          <Well if you don’t mind I wouldn’t mind someone to talk to,>
agreed Yui shyly.

          <Well I guess not, but I have a condition,> proposed Ranma.

          <What condition?>

          <As you pointed out I have very little idea how to use my power,
you however seem to be something of an experience telepath.  I could use
some training, particularly if I’m going to do what has been asked of me,>
explained Rnama.

          <What has been asked of you?  That you fight angels?> asked Yui.

          <I guess if you’re going to be my teacher I’m going to have to
tell you anyway,> sighed Ranma this time for real.  <Ok for starters I
wasn’t born on this world.  I was born in a world that had never
experienced Second Impact, angel attacks, or ever heard of Evangelions.  I
was taken on a ten year training trip when I was six…>  Ranma continued to
tell his tail and carried on over the top of Yui’s gasps and cries of
outrage.  <And so Fate offered me a chance to find true friendship and a
chance to help save the world,> finished Ranma.

          <That was one of the most…horrible, disgusting, revolting?> Yui
tried to find a word to describe her feelings.  <Things I have ever heard!>
she finished unable to find a word that would adequately describe her
feelings of the matter.

          <You might as well calm down its over now and there is nothing
that you could do to them now,> suggested Ranma.

          <Oh all right,> agreed Yui, <but if I could catch up to those
people they would be severally hurting right now!>  Then a sudden thought
hit her, <That means that you are really what seventeen, eighteen by now?>

          <My real age is something like seventeen going on eighteen or so,
my father didn’t think that birthdays were something that we needed to be
concerned with on the trip, so I’m really not sure,> admitted Ranma.

          <And you really turn into a girl with cold water?>

          <I can suppress the change now but I have to spend at least one
day in seven as a girl,> Ranma reminded her.

          <I don’t suppose that I could see what you look like as a girl
can I?> asked Yui.

          <I’d rather not show my girl side in NERV if you don’t mind.>

          <You know I have a condition of my own,> said Yui.

          <A condition?>

          <Yes, I want you to do something for me.>

          <Like what?>

          <I want you to get an education,> said Yui simply.

          <I’m already going to school,> said Ranma.

          <And you’ve already admitted to me that you never take school
seriously, and you have completely neglected your true education, you
merely do what you have to to get by.  So I’m asking you to take it
seriously.>

          <But I’ve never been very good at school,> protested Ranma.

          <Nonsense, anyone that can have had such a sketchy education as
yourself and still place in the correct grade is a very formidable mind,
besides I will help you,> Yui told him.

          <You will help me?> asked Ranma.

          <I do or rather did have a PhD in bioengineering,> Yui told him.
<Its Dr. Ikari to my colleagues.>

          <Wow, you are really a doctor?>

          <Well I have a doctorates degree, I’m not a medical doctor,
besides who did you think designed the Evas?> she asked him.

          <You made the Evas?> gasped Ranma.

          <My true master piece was Unit 1.  I took bits of material from
the original angel, Adam and created Unit 0 and then genetic material from
Lilith the second angel to create Unit 1, that is why when I was trapped
inside I came to think of her as my daughter. >

          <WOW!>

          <Now did you know that it is possible for two telepaths to share
their senses?>

          <Share their senses?>

          <If you are willing to let me in I can tap your senses, see what
you see and hear what you hear.  The firs thing that lets us do is let me
make good on my promise to tutor you.  The second is that if you will let
me you can change, look into your mirror, and let me see this curse of
yours,> said Yui, slyly.

          <Oh ok, how do we do this?> asked Ranma, realizing when he’d been
out maneuvered.

          <So what do you think?> asked Ranma-chan ten minutes later.  She
was looking into the mirror and Yui Ikari looked out through her eyes with
her.

          <CUTE!> giggled Yui.  <I think that you are an exceptional
student, and your lucky that your girl body looks that good.  If you’re
going to get stuck with a cursed form at least its something good!>  Then
she hesitated for a moment, <You know I don’t know what you look like as a
guy.  I couldn’t look out through Sakura’s sense without alerting NERV that
something very funny was going on and we can’t afford to be short on Evas
while the angels are trying to destroy us.  I know what Shinji looks like
because I’ve seen him and Rei inside the plug, but I’ve never seen you as a
guy.>

          <I look like this,> said Ranma shaking the warm water out of his
eyes.

          <I must say that you got exceptionally lucky with both of your
bodies, though this one looks a little young, but I can see why you would
have so many girls after your body by the time you’re eighteen,> teased
Yui.

          <Gee thanks.  So from what Shinji says this sensei seems to
concentrate solely on the Second Impact, how am I supposed to get an
education from that?>

          <Have you ever heard of a library?>

          <Yes I have,> said Ranma in an offended tone.

          <Then you should get a library card then I can pick out the books
that you need to study and then we can get to work on your education.  I’m
sure that we can find enough to finish your education with that.>

          <If you’re sure,> agreed Ranma.  <So other then my impending
education what else would you like to talk about?  I know I’ve told you my
entire life story and other then a few facts I don’t know a thing about
you!>

          <You want to talk about me?> asked Yui in surprise.

          <Well you’re going to be my teacher, you’re the mom of one of my
new best friends, and now it seems that you’re the…stepmom I guess of my
other new best friend.>

          <Well I see your point,> agreed Yui.  Then she began to relate
her life story to him.  <Well you’ve been more then polite tonight, but I
guess I should let you get to sleep otherwise you won’t have any energy to
spare for tomorrow, and since you’re education begins in earnest tomorrow
you should make sure that you are well rested.>

          <Can I ask a question before you go to sleep?> asked Unit 3

          <How long have you been listening?> asked Ranma in surprise.

          <And more importantly how where you listening?” asked Yui.

          <Well I heard you talking to Ranma about how lonely you where and
I was feeling the same way so I decided to listen in.  I didn’t do anything
wrong did I?>

          <Well I don’t really mind, but next time you should either
announce yourself or not listen in on other peoples conversations,> said
Ranma.

          <I guess I don’t have any real problem with you having heard
anything that I said either,> agreed Yui.

          <What was your question?> asked Ranma.

          <Can I have a name?> asked Unit 3.

          <A name?  Of course, what name would you like?> asked Ranma.

          <I don’t know, I’ve never had a real name before, besides
shouldn’t you be the one to name me?> asked Unit 3.

          <How about Tenchi?> offered Ranma.

          <Why?> asked Yui.

          <You told me that the Evas where created here on earth from the
angels right?  So I thought that Heaven and Earth was an appropriate name,>
explained Ranma.

          <Tenchi, Heaven and Earth, I like it,> said Unit 3.

          <You know you never did answer my question, how did you contact
us?  Even with my help and training Sakura can’t reach out of the cage, so
how did you, without training, manage to reach this far?> asked Yui.

          <I don’t know,> admitted Tenchi.  <But every since we came
together to fight the angel I have a line to him.  I can tell where Ranma’s
at just by concentrating on him for a moment.  And I was able to contact
him just by pushing my thoughts along that line.>

          <Now that is incredible.  The two of you have actually formed a
bond!  Even Sakura and Shinji haven’t managed to do that yet,> said Yui in
wonder.

          <So I take it you know something about this?> asked Ranma.

          <Well theoretically since both the pilots and the Evas are
telepathic they could form a bond or even combine into one being if they
worked at it hard enough,> explained Yui.  <However I think that we’ve
talked enough of the night away for Ranma.  We can sleep all day long
tomorrow but he’s going to have to get up and go to school.>

          <Yes, and I am sorry, I just…> said Tenchi.

          <Don’t worry about it Tenchi.  We’re all friends here,> Ranma
told him.  <’sides I can always sleep in class tomorrow,> he said.

          <Don’t even think about it,> threatened Yui.

          <All right, all right, I’m going to bed then,> agreed Ranma.***



          <GOOD MORNING!> called Yui into Ranma’s still sleeping mind

          <early.  loud.  who?  fight?> came the mumbled, half conscious
thoughts of Ranma in reply.

          <Its time to get up, you have to get to school!> called Yui.

          <But its still early!> protested Ranma staring groggily at the
time.

          <You’re not a morning person are you?> asked Yui.

          <Never,> agreed Ranma readily.

          <Then you should get started early enough that you have plenty of
time to get ready and get to school!> finished Yui sharply as his thoughts
started sliding back into the jumble of sleep.

          <All right I’m up!  Good morning Yui.  Good morning Tenchi,>
greeted Ranma feeling the presence of his partner as well as his new
teacher.

          <Good morning,> Tenchi returned the greeting.  <Did you sleep
well?>

          <I slept fine, the wake up call could have been pushed back a few
hours though,> sighed Ranma.

          <Would you quit gripping already,> suggested Yui.  <You’ve got a
long day ahead of you so you really should get up and get started.>

          <Consider me going,> said Ranma dragging himself out of bed and
heading to the shower.  <Do you mind?> he asked still feeling Yui’s
presence as he approached the bathroom.

          <Do I mind what?> asked Yui puzzled by the sudden question.
*What in the world is he talking about?* she thought.

          <That!> said Ranma pointing to the full length mirror.  <I seem
to remember someone telling me that two telepaths could share their
senses.>

          <And?> asked Yui still puzzled.  *Where is he going with this, I
taught him to share senses last night?*

          <I’m going to take a SHOWER and I thought that I might have just
a little privacy!> said Ranma.  *Either she is as hentai as Akane always
accused me of being or she really didn’t think of that…naw someone as smart
as her would have had to have thought of that.*

          *Shower, sharing senses!* thought Yui.  *You know it’s a good
thing that Evas can’t blush otherwise NERV would be going nuts right now!*
<I’m so sorry I just didn’t think of that,> sent Yui as she hastily shut
down the connection to Ranma.

          <Ok, I’m done,> called Ranma twenty minutes later after he
climbed out of the shower.

          <I am sorry about that, it had been so long that I had
forgotten,> apologized Yui again.

          <Don’t worry about it, it’s an honest mistake, besides its not
like you where going to come running in and glomp onto me or anything like
Shampoo!>

          <Uh, no I don’t think that you have to worry about that,> agreed
Yui.  <If I took off and came running after you NERV would probably have a
heart attack!> she laughed.

          <So any idea what I’m going to have to do for these synch tests
that Dr. Akagi has me scheduled for?>

          <I would like to know that as well.  We altered parts of me so
that NERV wouldn’t get completely accurate readings, but we did’t know
enough about Evas to guaranty that they are going to believe them,> added
Tenchi.

          <Well as for synch tests, since they didn’t have any real
readings on you from your first activation they are going to want to know
just how well you can mesh with Tenchi.  As for how well you can get the
sensors in Tenchi’s body to lie to NERV you happen to have one of the best
authorities on Evas in the world right here, besides I had another idea.  I
worked with Dr. Akagi while she was working on the MAGI.  She always seemed
a little cold but Gendo showed me most of the information available on the
MAGI and while I may have forgotten a lot of it I do remember quit a bit.>

          <How does having knowledge of the MAGI help us?> asked Ranma.

          <Because you absorbed the thirteenth angel and that must have had
at least some impact on your body, if we can alter the MAGI then we can
keep it a secret.  We can also turn off the security cameras, but only if
we can get the correct passwords to the system.> said Yui.

          <And how do we get those?> asked Tenchi with just a touch of
sarcasm.

          <That’s easy Gendo is very predictable most of the time.  I bet I
could tell you ever password he’s ever used,> said Yui.  <Now I think you
had better get going Ranma, you don’t want to be late for school!>

          <All right I’m going, I’m going,> he said heading out the door
with a piece of toast still hanging out of his mouth.

          “Good morning Shinji,” called Ranma as he noticed Shinji and
Asuka approaching the school from the other direction.  “Good morning
Asuka.”

          “Good morning Ranma,” Shinji returned the greeting.  “Sleep
well?”

          “Sure,” responded Ranma.  “Well we don’t want to be late for
class.”  *Particularly me!*

          They scrambled into class in time for Hikari to do her rise bow
sit routine.  The Sensei immediately began to lecture on the Second Impact
and most of the class promptly tuned him out.

          <Ok Sensei I’m ready for my first lesson!> called Ranma as soon
as the droning monologue started.

          <Well lets find out just what it is that you already know,> said
Yui.  She followed with a string of questions that where designed to tell
her approximately what level Ranma was in most subjects.  <Well you’re
about where I thought that you might be, so now we’re going to have to come
up with some kind of curriculum for you.  Do you have any idea of what you
want to do?  I mean what kind of career that you would want to pursue?>

          <Uh, I have no idea,>

          <Well I guess we could just work on the basic high school diploma
and in the mean time you can decide just what it is that you want to do
with the rest of your life since I don’t think that you will be able to be
an Eva pilot for to long, either its going to end or you’re going to run
out of angels to kill,> explained Yui.

          <You mean you are actually going to ask me what I want to do with
my life?> asked Ranma.

          <Why wouldn’t I?  It would be just a little bit presumptuous for
me to just wade in and tell you what you’re going to do for the rest of my
life,> said Yui.

          <I think that you are the first person other then Fate, who
offered me a choice, to ever consider what I wanted.  Everyone else simply
assumes that they know for sure what I want so what’s the point of
bothering me about it,> explained Ranma.  <I’ve told you my life story you
know exactly how that always seemed to turn out.>

          <Well that is very true I won’t dream of trying to force you into
a line of work that you don’t care to be in,> promised Yui.  <On the other
hand while you think about what it is that you eventually what to do with
your life we can always get started on the high school basics,> she added
pointedly.

          <Right,> sighed Ranma.

          <Lets start with math, math can be very important in some
situations.  Remember unlike normal teachers I can tell when your mind
starts to wander!> she added sharply as he immediately started to drift off
in response to a teacher’s lecture.

          <Yes ma’am!>***



          As the morning passed Shinji kept glancing over at Ranma to see
if something was wrong but he seemed to be occupied with some thought or
another, much like Rei always was.

          *I hope nothing is wrong!* thought Shinji in near alarm.
<Ranma?> he sent, but got no rely as if Ranma was concentrating so hard
that he didn’t even hear the call.

          “Is everything ok?” Shinji asked Ranma the minute the class
stated to clear out after the lunch bell rang.

          “Yeah everything is fine,” Ranma told him.  <Your mother
contacted me last night after we parted company.  It seems that since mine
and her talent for telepathy is somewhat stronger then most people she was
able to reach out to me from Sakura’s cage in the Geofront.>

          <WHAT?!>

          <She contacted me to tell me that she was lonely and wanted to
talk, one thing led to another and now she’s going to teach me how to be a
telepath.  The only thing is that she had a condition.  She’s going to
teach me as in make sure that I get an education that will let me get a job
after we are finished with this one.>

          <So if I get stronger I can contact her as well?> asked Shinji
excitedly.

          <Well either that or you could just contact her in the Geofront,>
suggested Ranma logically.

          <Do you mind if I join this conversation?> asked Rei from the
doorway.

          <Not at all,> responded Shinji quickly.

          <I wish to inquire if we will continue our activities of last
night,> explained Rei.

          <So you enjoyed it?> asked Ranma.

          <Enjoyed it?> asked Rei.

          <Did you find pleasure in our activities?> asked Shinji, mindful
of his promise to help Rei with her emotions.  <You wish to continue them?>

          <Yes.  My body was tired, but it seem as though it was a good
tiredness, not as though I had driven myself to far, but as though I had
gently drained my body until there was a pleasant relaxation left in its
wake,> said Rei, struggling to explain herself and these emotions that she
was allowing herself to feel for the first time.

          <Then yes we can continue to exercise in the evenings,> agreed
Ranma.  <Should we do it every night or only certain nights?>

          <One should practice new skills as often as possible to become
proficient,> pointed out Rei.

          <Then every night it is, but we may make an exception for nights
after a battle,> said Ranma adding his condition.

          <Agreed,> confirmed Rei and Shinji.

          “I have no idea how you three can stand to eat lunch in complete
silence,” said Toji from the door.  He waked over to Ranma and held out his
hand, “My sister was transferred yesterday morning, now she is as safe as
she can be from angels and is getting the best medical treatment that NERV
can provide.  All thanks to you.”

          “Like I said it was the least I could do after doing you out of
your spot to pilot an Eva,” responded Ranma taking the offered hand.

          “I never wanted to be a pilot,” said Toji flatly.  “Even if you
say it was the least you could do I still owe you a favor.  If you need my
help you just ask for it,” promised Toji just as the bell rang to signal
that class was going to restart and everyone came flooding back into the
room.

          <Well I guess that means we can get back to work doesn’t it,>
said Yui promptly as the Sensei once more started to drone on about the
Second Impact.

          <Slave driver!> teased Ranma.***



          “Ok time for the new guy to see who’s the best,” said Asuka
gleefully after the four pilots had been lowered into their Evas in
preparation for a synch test.

          <Yui I need your help, I don’t want NERV to know!> sent out Ranma
desperately.

          <Relax Ranma.  I’m right here.  They are going to measure just
how well the two of you can link, so you just have to control the depth of
your meld.  How well do you want to do?  Do you want to come in last, in
the middle, or on top?> asked Yui.

          <On top of course, I am the best after all!> answered Ranma
promptly.

          <Ok then start your meld.  Hold it right there.  That puts you
about twenty points above Asuka, the current champ,> instructed Yui
carefully monitoring the depth of their link.

          “So how far behind is he?” Asuka asked Dr. Akagi.

          “Uh, Asuka both he and Shinji have passed you by twenty points,
and Rei has caught up to you!” said Ritsuko excitedly.

          “WHAT?!” demanded Asuka.

          “Wait Ranma had jumped ahead of Shinji by five points,”
interrupted Maya.  “And they all seem to be holding steady at the new
levels.”

          Shinji looked down at the screen showing Ranma only to see the
new pilot wink at him.  *WOW, just practicing my telepathy was enough to
jump me twenty points ahead of Asuka!*  Then a sudden thought hit him.
<Ranma are you hiding your synch ratio?  And did you jump yours up five
points when we tied?>

          <Uh, well, that is,> stammered Ranma reluctant to admit that he
had deliberately upstaged his new friend.

          <Yes he is.  His telepathy is very strong so he naturally can
synch better then the rest of you, but he doesn’t want NERV to suddenly
decide that he’s more valuable as a specimen then as a pilot,> put in Yui.
<Besides if he gets yank off the project then I wouldn’t have anyone to
talk to most of the time.>

          <Mother?  Could I become strong enough for us to talk while I’m
not in the Geofront?> asked Shinji.

          <Honestly I’m not sure.  I was a natural telepath and there is a
possibility that you would have inherited that from me, but the Second
Impact made sure of it, so I have no way to gauge just how strong you can
become, but we can certainly try, and in the mean time there is nothing
that says you have to leave here the instant that you are finished fighting
or testing,> pointed out Yui.  Sakura, Tenchi, Rei, and Ranma all stayed
out of the family reunion taking place just above, or in one case inside,
their heads.

          “Ok that’s it for today,” said Ritsuko as Asuka started fuming
that she was beaten not only by the third child, but by the fourth as well.

          <You two do realize that this little stunt is going to make Asuka
imposable to live with don’t you?> asked Yui.

          <She’s not that nice most of the time anyway,> noted Shinji.

          “Ranma we need to you stay for some additional testing,” added
Ritsuko interrupting their mental exchange.

          “Sure,” agreed Ranma.  <Yui!> he called sharply as Ritsuko and
the other techs where helping the other three pilots out of their plugs and
shut down the testing area, temporally leaving Ranma alone in the control
room.

          <I see it, we have to work fast!> sent back Yui.  <Sorry about
this Ranma,> she told him as she took control of his body and dropped into
the chair in front of the main terminal.  Within seconds she had correctly
puzzled out Gendo’s current password and was inside the system.

          <You’re pretty good at this,> said Ranma from the passenger’s
seat in his own body.

          <Thank you I had a roommate in collage that enjoyed this kind of
thing.  She loved the thrill and the challenge.  One semester she broke
into every computer system on campus just to see if she could do it and get
back out without a trace, and since they never caught her I guess she did,>
Yui told him.  <She considered this to be one the basic survival skills of
this world and made sure that I could make my way in the wide and dangerous
world before she graduated,> she smirked.

          When Ritsuko walked back into the room to collect Ranma he was
sitting in a chair looking out through the windows that showed the Eva
cages.

          “Lets head on down to the infirmary so we can finish the tests,”
she said.

          “Ok,” agreed Ranma without question.  <So what exactly did you
do?> he asked Yui.

          <I used Gendo’s authority to add your name and password to the
commander list, camouflaged it so that it looks like you’re still at the
basic pilot access level, and then erased the tracks on everything that I
did.  However since Unit 1 is hooked into the system I can use your access
code and tell the system that Unit 1 is quite while I use the system.  That
means that I have access to all of NERV’s records.>

          <WOW!> whistled Ranma in admiration.

          <Yeah, all of which is absolutely useless in our current
situation, because if Ritsuko discovers that you are part angel we are all
in big trouble!> pointed out Yui.

          <Uh, just how do we stop her from doing that?> asked Ranma in
panic.

          <We use a skill that I worked out when I was very young and only
use in the most desperate situations!>

          <What is it?> asked Ranma.

          <Watch,> she ordered him.  As soon as Ritsuko led Ranma into the
exam room he felt Yui reach out with a hammer touch of telepathy and turn
Ritsuko’s mind off like a switch.

          <What did you just do?> asked Ranma waving his hand in front of
the blank eyes of the doctor.

          <Her mind is sleeping.  I’m going give her the memory of having
done a complete physical that checked out perfectly on you,> explained
Yui.  <That way we can keep the secret that you are part angel now.  Since
that will leave us plenty of time to sit here while we allow enough time
for that physical to have happened I thought I’d teach you a bit more about
being a telepath, any objections?>

          <No objections at all, but won’t the security monitors prove that
she isn’t giving me a physical?> asked Ranma.

          <Have some faith!> retorted Yui.  <I have the MAGI showing the
security system a copy of Shinji’s last physical with an image of you
superimposed on it.>

          <Sorry,> apologized Ranma for doubting her.  <So what are you
going to show me today?>

          <Well since there seems to be a reason for it, lets talk about
switching someone’s mind off and implanting the memories that we want to be
there in there.>

          <Ranma I would really like to know how you do that?> said Yui in
admiration after he had successfully inserted an artificial memory into
Ritsuko’s mind and removed it again.  <Its like you can adapt to virtually
any situation.  When you concentrate you absorb information like a sponge,
quickly and completely.  Most people can grasp the surface, but you grab
the whole thing at once!>

          <Uh, thank you,> said Ranma blushing at the praise.  <So do we
have time to learn something else?>

          <If you would put that much effort into your school work then you
would be ready to graduate from collage by the time that you finally manage
to kill off all of the angels,> laughed Yui.  <Besides you have an
appointment with my son and Rei to teach them martial arts don’t you?>

          <So I do, will you finish this?> he asked Yui.

          <I will finish this for you, but you have to promise me my time
tomorrow,> answered Yui.

          <DEAL!> answered Ranma racing out the door, only to pull up short
at the intersection.  <Uh, do you happen to know which way I go to get out
of here?>***



          “What tests did Dr. Akagi wish to perform?” asked Rei when Ranma
arrived at their meeting place at the park.

          “She wanted to get a full physical because yesterday was my first
time piloting an Eva,” explained Ranma.

          “So what are you doing out here with the rookie and wondergirl?”
Asuka asked Shinji.

          “We were meeting to practice martial arts,” explained Shinji.

          “The spineless wonder studying martial arts?” asked Asuka with a
laugh.

          “You have a problem with people learning new things?” asked Ranma
with a raised eyebrow.

          “The idea of him learning martial arts is just too funny,” said
Asuka.

          “I don’t know, he seems to be just as good at martial arts as he
is with an Eva,” said Ranma with just a touch of a smile.

          “WHY YOU!” shouted Asuka.  Then with a lightening change of mood
she turned, “You three feel free to pretend you’re some version of Bruce
Lee, but I know better!”

          “I guess she wasn’t kidding that Asuka wasn’t going to find our
little joke in the synch tests funny,” Ranma said to Shinji.

          “Joke?” asked Rei.  “I don’t see how making such high synch
scores can be a joke.”

          “What do you mean a joke?” demanded Asuka at the same time.

          <Poor choice of words perhaps?> asked Yui.

          “A poor choice of words,” repeated Ranma.

          <Maybe you meant to say something along the lines of increase,
sudden boost?>

          “Our sudden increase,” explained Ranma.

          <How original,> snickered Yui.

          “Don’t worry I am the best and I’ll prove it in the next battle,”
said Asuka turning and stalking away once again reminded that she had been
badly beaten by both Unit 3 and by Ranma’s synch scores.

          <What do you two know of our increase that I do not?> asked Rei
turning her unblinking crimson gaze on Shinji and Ranma.

          <The core of being an Evangelion pilot is being a telepath.  The
three of us have been practicing at a level that Asuka isn’t even aware of
so naturally our scores are going to shoot up while hers stays the same,>
explained Ranma.

          <When did you acquire an expertise on Evangelions?> asked Rei, no
hint of sarcasm just curiosity.

          <Yui Ikari was the brains behind the development of Unit 0 and
was personally responsible for the construction of Unit 1, she has been
giving me a great deal of information on them,> explained Ranma.  “You know
after a workout a nice swim would be just the thing, do you think that they
would let us in to use the pool after we’re done here?”

          “I do not see why not.  I use the pool to keep physically in
shape to pilot,” said Rei.

          <Shinji mention that you don’t want to swim, but would go along
to keep us company,> suggested Ranma.

          “I can’t swim, but I’ll tag along to keep you company,” offered
Shinji.  <Why?>

          “That would be nice of you, but we’ll never get to that swim if
we don’t get started,” pointed out Ranma.  <While we swim you can speak to
your mom!>

          <GREAT!> said Shinji, throwing himself into the lesson so he
could speak with his mother again.***



          “I love swimming again,” sighed Ranma, still male, paddling
around NERV’s pool.

          <Mom?> called Shinji from the table that he had parked himself at
the moment he came in.

          <Count me out of this conversation,> said Ranma.  He firmly
pushed the sound of Yui and Shinji’s voices so that they were just a barely
noticeable buzz in the back of his mind.

          <Thank you for bringing my son back here so I could talk to him,>
said Yui clearly and distinctly in his mind.

          <HUH?> sputtered Ranma, he was so surprised that he slid under
and had to splash around to get his head above water.  <Don’t do that!>

          “Ranma could I stay with you tonight?” asked Shinji in the locker
room changing after their time at the pool.

          “Uh, sure, but why?  I thought you lived with Misato?” responded
Ranma.

          “Well Misato called while you where in the pool and it seems that
Asuka took being beat worse then I thought and I just don’t feel like
putting up with it tonight.”  <I feel so good after talking to mother after
so long I don’t want to go back there tonight,> pleaded Shinji.  <Besides I
want to practice and see if I can get strong enough to talk to mother, if I
suddenly start hanging around here all the time they are going to get
suspicious no matter what excuse I use.>

          “I used to know someone like that.  Could never handle admitting
that they weren’t the best, but at least Asuka works at it and actually
trained, not like this other girl,” sympathized Ranma.

          “So I really can stay?” asked Shinji.

          “Sure,” agreed Ranma stepping out into the hallway.  “Rei would
you like us to walk you home?”

          “That will not be necessary Ranma.  I can find my own apartment
without aid,” responded Rei.

          “I know that,” laughed Ranma.  “I was just wondering if you would
like some company on the walk back.”  <Besides its got to be lonely living
all alone like that all the time, with no friends or family.>

          “I would like that,” said Rei after a moments thought.  <Yes it
is lonely, I had not noticed this fact until I met Shinji and later you.
How is it that you live alone and don’t seem troubled by this?>

          <For a long time I lived with some people that I only seemed to
want to use me for one thing or another.  The piece and quite are truly a
nice change, but I’m sure that in time I will also begin to feel lonely
without someone around,> explained Ranma.

          <Would you mind if I stayed the night at your apartment as well?>
she asked after a moments silence.

          <Uh, why?> asked Ranma surprised at the request.

          <I told you that I feel lonely if I am at my apartment alone.>
Images of an empty shell of an apartment flashed long with the words, sharp
and clear.  Then she thought about it for a moment and asked, <You accepted
Shinji’s request almost immediately, but you asked me why first, why is
that?>

          <Uh, well you see Shinji is a boy and a boy staying the night is
nothing unusual friends stay at each others houses all the time, but you’re
a girl and girls don’t normally sleep over at a boy’s house,> stammered out
Ranma.

          Shinji who had been listening to the conversation started
blushing so hard it almost looked purple as his mind led him down the same
lane as Ranma’s but having seen Rei naked his thought path was a bit more
visual then Ranma’s.

          <Why not?> asked Rei while looking at Ranma’s light blush and
Shinji’s purple blush with a  puzzled look.

          <Because they would think that…that they…> fumbled Ranma.

          <They would think that we where having a physical relationship?>
asked Rei.

          <Yeah,> agreed Ranma still blushing lightly.

          <Why would you be concerned with what our classmates think, we
would know better and it would keep you from having to avoid the females in
class as you have been so far if they assume that we are together,> pointed
out Rei logically.

          <Uh, well I guess it would,> admitted Ranma hesitantly.  <Sure
come on over,> he said.  <If we don’t want to spend all night doing martial
arts then we should probably stop and pick up some board games or something
on the way back.>

          <In that case does anyone have any money?> asked Shinji.

          <Yeah I’ve got some,> Ranma told them.  <So what do you guys like
to play?>***



          “Hello?” asked Shinji answering his cell phone.  He, Ranma, and
Rei were in the middle of small stakes poker game.

          “Shinji its one in the morning!  WHERE ARE YOU?” demanded Misato
from the other end of the phone.

          “Who is it?” asked Ranma when Shinji pulled the phone away from
his ear wincing.

          “Its Misato,” explained Shinji.  Then he turned his attention
back to the phone and told her, “Sorry I forgot to call and tell you I
won’t be back tonight, I’m stay over at a friends house.”

          “YOU FORGOT TO MENTION THAT YOU WOULDN’T BE HOME?” yelled Misato
again.  Then she seemed to calm down a moment, “Who was that other voice?”

          At the same time Rei yelled, “Come on Shinji we need you over
here!” as the last hand finished with her winning, again.

          “Was that Rei?!” asked Misato in disbelief.  Shinji could feel
her eyes narrowing over the phone as she said, “That first voice was male
and that second one was Rei, just where are you and what are you doing?”

          “Like I said I’m sorry I forgot to tell you, but when you told me
that Asuka was in such a bad mood I made arrangements to stay somewhere
else for the night,” said Shinji.  “I’ll see you after school tomorrow ok.”

          “Uh, sure,” said Misato still trying to figure out what Shinji,
Rei, and some third person could be up to at one in the morning.  Her mind
promptly supplied an idea, but she refused to think about it.

          “Where is that BAKA?” yelled Asuka from Misato’s side of the
phone.

          “Uh, I’ll talk to you later,” said Shinji hanging up.

          “What was that all about?” asked Ranma.

          “I forgot to call and tell Misato that I wouldn’t be back tonight
and she was worried about me,” Shinji told him.  “Asuka was also wondering
what was going on.”

          “Oh well, guess we should turn in since we do have school
tomorrow,” said Ranma.  “I know the two of you might be able to sleep in
class, but I seem to have a little trouble doing that.  So Rei can have the
spare bedroom, Shinji can take my room, and I’ll take the couch for the
night.”

          “But that’s not right, I’m the guest,” protested Shinji.

          “Exactly so you really should go along with what I want since
you’re a guest in my house,” agreed Ranma.  “Besides I’ve slept in far
worse places then my living room couch.”

          “If you insist,” agreed Shinji reluctantly.

          “I do, and since Rei is the only girl here she gets to use the
bathtub first,” agreed Ranma.

          “I get to go first?” asked Rei.

          “Of course.  Feel free to make use of the tub and soak if you
like,” offered Ranma.  “I’m just going to crash on the couch and take a
shower in the morning.”

          “Thank you,” said Rei simply and headed toward the bathroom.
Then she stopped, “I forgot to bring spare cloths,” she said turning to
Ranma.

          “Oh sure, look in the closet in the spare bedroom and barrow
anything that you like,” offered Ranma without a thought.

          “Thank you,” she said again.  Ranma was nearly stretched out on
the couch and Shinji was at the bedroom door before Shinji turned.

          “Why do you have girls cloths in the closet in the spare
bedroom?” he asked Ranma.

          “Don’t worry about it, just go to sleep,” suggested Ranma.

          “Right!”  *You know on second thought he’s right, I don’t think I
want to know.*  Then another thought occurred to him, *For the first time I
don’t feel alone.  I finally feel like I belong somewhere!* ***



          <Rise and shine,> called Yui early the next morning.

          <Uh, you really are a morning person aren’t you?> grumbled Ranma
as he managed to wake up more completely to her call this morning.

          <Well I’m like this now, I used to be up all night working and
not get up any earlier then you do, but since I don’t have much use for
sleep these days I can make sure that you get up on time.  Besides Rei and
Shinji are still most likely sleeping in as well.>

          <All right, all right I’m going!> agreed Ranma rolling off the
couch, snuck into his room, grabbed a set of cloths and headed towards the
shower.

          “Come on Shinji, its time to get ready!” called Ranma knocking on
the door.

          “what?” called back Shinji.

          “Get up and get ready to go to school!” yelled back Ranma.  The
he walked down the short hallway and knocked on Rei’s door, “Rei its time
to get up and get ready for school.”

          “I’ll be out in a moment,” called back Rei.

          “Ahh, another morning person,” sighed Ranma in disgust heading
toward the kitchen.

          “Where is Shinji?” asked Rei coming into the kitchen.

          “Probably still sleeping,” said Ranma offering her a piece of
toast.  <SHINJI ITS TIME FOR SCHOOL!>

          <AHHH!  WHAT?  RANMA?> sent back Shinji coming awake all at once.

          <I said its time to get up and go to school,> said Ranma again.

          <I’ll be out> *in a* <minute,> agreed Shinji briefly losing
control of his sending.

          “Good morning,” greeted Ranma as Shinji finally drug himself into
the kitchen.  “You still have time for a quick shower and toast before
we’re all late for class.”

          “Thanks,” responded Shinji heading toward the bathroom.

          “We do not have time,” pointed out Rei.  “If we do not leave soon
we will not be able to make it to class on time.”

          “Don’t worry I can get us to class on time,” Ranma assured her.

          “Sorry I took so long,” apologized Shinji as they finally got
moving out the door.

          “Don’t worry about it,” suggested Ranma.  “Shinji hop on my
back,” he ordered.

          “Ok,” agreed Shinji hesitantly climbing onto Ranma’s back.

          “’scuse me,” Ranma said to Rei as he scooped her up in his arms
and bounded to the nearest roof top.  *Time to let it out!* thought Ranma
in glee as he let his ki out from under control and started building it up
for the first time in this world.

          “WOW!” breathed Shinji as Ranma set Rei down and let him slide
off of his back.  “That was some trip!”

          “How did you do that?” asked Rei curiously.

          “That is one of the uses for ki.  You can strengthen and speed up
your body,” explained Ranma as they hurried down the hallway and made it
into class just in time for the bell to ring, and Asuka to glare at Shinji.

          <Its class time!> laughed Yui evilly as Ranma dropped into his
seat.

          <Could you do me a favor, instead of a normal class could you
teach me how to keep conversations private, and maybe to probe people?>
asked Ranma.

          <You want to know how to invade the thoughts of others?> asked
Yui.  *That really doesn’t sound like something that Ranma would have an
interest in?* she thought to herself even as she asked him the question.

          <If that’s what its going to take to get Shinji the information
that he needs to save the world then that’s what I’m going to have to do,>
Ranma informed his teacher.

          <I see.  Very well.  There are two ways to keep your conversation
from being overheard.  The first is to make it a very narrow band between
you and the person or persons you are talking too.  This only keeps people
from overhearing you, it doesn’t prevent them from listening in
deliberately.  The second actually involves shielding the conversation
against anyone trying to listen in.  The second can be broken by someone
that is a stronger telepath then you, but unless they are both much
stronger and very skilled you will be able to sense them.  However sense
you are much more of a hands-on kinda guy we might as well get started…>

          While Ranma was getting his education Shinji was busy fielding
questions as to why he had arrived with Rei, why Asuka was so mad at him
this morning, and was the new guy really the fourth child and the pilot of
Evangelion Unit 3.

          *Lunch is going to come as a relief,* thought Shinji looking at
the questions piling up on his screen.  *Hmm, Ranma is almost certainly
busy I wonder if Rei is?*  <Rei?>

          <Shinji?> asked Rei.

          <Yes, I was wondering if you would like to talk since we have
time while Sensei drones on,> explained Shinji.

          <Yes I would.  I have some questions for you, you do not have to
answer if you do not want to,> Rei told him.

          <I’ll do my best to answer,> promised Shinji.  *Hmm, either she
is getting better at letting her emotions out, or maybe its just with
telepathy.  No, last night she was enjoying herself beating me and Ranma at
poker,* remembered Shinji.

          <Why is it that I have never before felt lonely in my apartment,
but after meeting you and Ranma I do not wish to go back to the apartment
anymore?>

          <I think it has to do with the fact that you have been taught to
suppress your emotions and just do as you where told rather then think and
feel for yourself.  Now that you are letting your feelings out you are
rather like me.  I’ve never felt that I belong anywhere since mother died.
Last night I felt that feeling of family for the first time in ten years,
and I felt it with you and Ranma.>

          <So you are saying that I’m feeling like I have a family now and
I want to be with them?> asked Rei, puzzlement coloring her tone.

          <I’m saying that that may be the reason.  Emotions don’t always
work according to logic, or at least no logic that I am familiar with.>

          <If Ranma protested so much for me asking to stay one night I
wonder if he would be willing to let me move out of my apartment and in
with him?> wondered Rei.

          “<Move in?!>” blurted out Shinji both mentally and audibly and
then blushed bright red as the whole class turned to stare at his outburst.

          “Something you would like to share Mr. Ikari?” asked the Sensei.

          “No sorry Sensei,” responded the still blushing Shinji.

          “Then be quite in my class!”

          “Yes Sensei,” agreed Shinji meekly.

          <You seem somewhat startled by my proposal to move in with
Ranma,> pointed out Rei.

          <Yes I was startled.  Even more so then a girl spending the night
a girl moving in with a boy will cause people to talk.  They will probably
say all kinds of nasty things about you!>

          <But you and pilot Soryu live in the same house,> pointed out
Rei.

          <Yes, but we have an adult guardian living in the house with us
as well,> explained Shinji.

          <I still do not see the problem with a boy and a girl living
together.  Do they think that Major Katsuragi provides sufficient
supervision for the two of you?> asked Rei with disbelief clearly present
in her mental voice.

          <Most likely they don’t consider it at all,> admitted Shinji.

          <I still do not understand,> confided Rei.

          <Society is uncomfortable with fourteen year old boys and girls
living together unsupervised,> tried Shinji again.

          <Does that truly make sense?> asked Rei.

          <It doesn’t have to does it?> asked Shinji.  <There is so much
around here that doesn’t make sense.>

          The bell for lunch rang before Rei could answer and there was a
brief moment of stillness and suddenly the room was nearly empty.  The only
people remaining were Ranma, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei.

          “So just where were you last night?” demanded Asuka glaring at
Shinji.

          “We where playing poker last night at about one we finally gave
up and went to bed,” put in Ranma.  “I thought Misato was Shinji’s
guardian?” he added as an after thought.

          “And why did Misato say wondergirl was there?” pressed Asuka.

          “I was playing poker as well,” spoke up Rei.

          “Winning too,” added Shinji with a grin.

          “You where playing poker with them?” asked Asuka in complete
disbelief.

          “Yes,” agreed Rei.

          Anything else that Asuka may have said was interrupted by the
ringing of three cell phones.

          “An angel?” asked Shinji answering his phone.

          “An angel,” confirmed Misato from his phone.  “I’ll be there to
pick you up in just a moment so be out front and waiting!” she ordered.

          “Right,” confirmed Shinji.

          “Nice driving,” complimented Ranma as the five of them piled out
of Misato’s car after a nerve-shattering ride to NERV headquarters.

          “He can’t possibly be serious can he?” asked Asuka after they
where in the changing room.

          “Ranma does not mind fast,” offered Rei as they changed to their
plug suits as fast as they could to get ready to face the angel.

          <Hello Tenchi, ready to go?> asked Ranma while they inserted his
plug.

          <Ready!> responded Tenchi eager to fight an angel for the first
time.

          <Good afternoon, mom.  Hello again Sakura,> greeted Shinji
settling into his plug.

          <Greetings brother,> returned Sakura.

          <I’m so glad that we can actually talk these days,> gushed Yui.

          <Hello Unit 0,> said Rei upon entering her own plug.

          <Hello?> asked Unit 0.

          <You seem more awake then Ranma described Unit 3,> pointed out
Rei.

          <I have spoken to others briefly, but you have never heard me
before,> said Unit 0.

          <What is your name?>

          <I do not have one,> Unit 0 told her.

          “Attention all pilots, the angel is breaking through into the
Geofront and you are being launched inside to intercept!” yelled Misato
from the bridge.

          “Understood,” stated Rei.

          “Ready,” called Shinji.

          “Lets beat this thing up!” shouted Asuka.

          “Ready!” responded Ranma with bright eyes.  *All right, finally a
fight I can enjoy!*

          “Launch the Evangelions!” yelled Misato.

          The four Evangelions reached the surface just in time to see the
blast the punched though into the Geofront from above.

          <Yui, you said that these AT field thingies can stop these kinda
blasts right?> asked Ranma.

          <Not blasts this powerful,> said Yui.

          <Ok, how about reflect?> he asked.

          <Yeah, just line them up in an angel and the blast should reflect
off like a mirror, but you should be careful about where they’re going to
go after that though!>

          <Shinji, figure out the angels.  Use the three AT fields to
reflect the blast around in a circle, I’ll keep it busy!> instructed Ranma.

          <What in the world are you talking about?> asked Shinji just as
Ranma charged the angel.

          The angel unfolded its blade arms as Unit 3 charged and the
watchers could almost see the smile as the two blades flashed towards the
helplessly charging Unit 3.

          “Don’t think so!” laughed Ranma as he and Tenchi twisted out of
the way of the attack and landed a solid jump kick to the angel’s face.

          “WOW!” said Misato as the pair continued to evade the striking
arms of the angel and hand out a series of kicks and punches in reply.

          <Any time now Shinji!> called Ranma realizing that most of the
damage of his attacks where being absorbed by the AT field and the rest was
healing itself.

          “Right,” agreed Shinji shaking off the stunned expression.  He
quickly ordered Rei and Asuka into position while taking his own.

          “Who put you in charge?” demanded Asuka after he had given the
positions.

          “Shinji do you have a plan?” asked Misato.  *That’s strange.
Shinji almost never tries to develop battle tactics.*

          “Yes I do, but we have to do this in a hurry!”

          “Everyone into your position,” Misato seconded Shinji’s orders.

          “Ready for me?” asked Ranma.

          “When ever you are,” Shinji informed him.

          “Here we go,” warned Ranma.  He and Tenchi backed off far enough
that the angel prepared to fire its blast at them instead of using its
blade arms, they where standing right in front of Shinji.  The angel fired
and the Unit 3 pair dodged it cleanly.  The blast carried on toward Shinji
who bounced it off of his AT field sending it toward Asuka, who bounced it
to Rei who sent it right back at the angel.

          “Nice shot,” complimented Ranma looking at the billowing cloud of
dust obscuring the angel.

          “I get to finish it off,” said Asuka.  She moved Unit 2 over to
the clearing dust.

          “Asuka,” called Ranma in warning.  “Be careful.”

          “What could happen?” asked Asuka with complete disregard of the
warning.  She pointed her rifle at the cloud and prepared to fire as soon
as there was a target.

          *There is something wrong,* thought Ranma/Tenchi.

          “Is something wrong Ranma?” asked Rei.  She could see him on the
monitor that showed her the pilot of Unit 3.  She looked back up just in
time to see the two blade arms fly out of the dissipating dust cloud and
slice the arms from Unit 2.

          “AHHHHH!” screamed Asuka as one of the arms snapped up and cut
Unit 2’s head from its shoulders.

          “REI!” shouted Ranma.  The angel fired another blast at the
distracted Unit 0, a blast that Rei had no choice but to try and take head
on.

          “What’s their status?” demanded Misato watching in horror as Unit
3 leapt into the way taking the blast and somehow twisting around Unit 0
even as they where blown backwards so that Unit 3 hit the building and Unit
0 hit Unit 3 sending it completely though the building.

          Shinji stood there stunned as three of the four Evangelions where
taken out in seconds.

          <MOVE SHINJI!> shouted Yui.  The angel attacked again slicing
through the power cable of the dodging Unit 1.

          “NOOO!” shouted Shinji as the internal battery clock started
ticking down to no power.  He charged the angel attacking with a fury.  The
angel held off the attack for the required five minutes until Unit 1
shutdown from lack of power.

          *What in the world is that?* wondered Ranma/Tenchi sensing a
powerful ki presences throbbing nearby.

          “Rei?  Shinji? Asuka?” asked Ranma trying to place the signature
but failing.

          “UNIT 3 IS UP!” shouted Maya.  The screen zoomed in to show Unit
3 standing up in the ruins of the building and shaking its head.

          <Now that’s power,> whistled Ranma in admiration looking at Unit
1 and the well of ki inside.

          Unit 1 held up its hand and shredded the incoming blade arm and
grabbed it in the middle pulling the angel in close and punching it in the
face.  After letting it reel back Unit 1 pulled it in close again and began
to use it as a punching balloon.  Finally Unit 1 let it fall and began to
rip into the angel with its teeth.

          “Now there’s something you don’t see everyday,” said Ranma with
his eyes wide.  <Shinji…Sukura…Yui?> called Ranma into Unit 1 getting no
response.

          “Is it done?” asked Maya having covered her eyes to keep from
seeing the Eva eat the angel.

          “Yes, its over,” said Misato finally.  “Get the pilots out of
there and into debriefing,” she ordered.***



          <So what happened to you?> asked Ranma after he felt Yui calling
out to him as he sat in debriefing.

          <I have no idea.  One minute I’m telling Shinji to watch out and
the next I’m waking up back in the cages,> she explained.  <Do you have any
idea what happened?>

          <I figured out what Unit 1’s berserker is.  Other then that
you’re going to have to wait till after this debriefing is over before we
discus it.>

          “Shinji that was some first rate tactics out there,”
congratulated Misato to start the debriefing.

          “I…” began Shinji.

          <Just go with it, there is no way to explain without telling more
then we want to,> Ranma told him.

          “Thank you,” Shinji said.

          “Asuka, you should have known to watch out for surprises from the
angels.  Rei you got distracted to easily.  Ranma, that was some great work
distracting the angel while the others set up, and while I understand that
you wish to protect your teammates you should take care not to expose
yourself and Unit 3 to unnecessary risks that could cripple our ability to
defend ourselves,” summed up Misato.

          “But won’t the loss of Unit 0 be just as crippling as the loss of
Unit 3?” asked Ranma blinking at her.

          “Well yes it would, but next time just tackle her out of the way
or something,” suggested Misato flustered.  *To be perfectly honest, and
too close to Commander Ikari for my taste the loss of Rei and Unit 0 would
be far easier to survive then our newest pilot that seems to have uncanny
skills,* thought Misato.

          “Uh, Misato, Unit 3 didn’t have a scratch on it,” Shinji pointed
out.

          “He should still be more careful!” growled out Misato.  *Trying
to tell these kids to be careful is kinda like asking Ritsuko a direct
question about the secrets around here, talk all you want it ain’t gonna
get you anywhere!*

          “I came to congratulate Pilot Saotome for an excellent piece of
delaying action, and Pilot Ikari for a sound battle plan,” said Commander
Ikari stepping into the briefing room.  “Also Unit 1 will be locked down
until such time as we can determine that it is still safe.”

          “Commander Ikari,” said Rei getting his attention.

          “Yes Rei?”

          “I wish to move out of my apartment.”

          “You need a different apartment?” asked Commander Ikari with a
calm face, but inside he was puzzled.

          “No, I wish to move in with Pilot Saotome,” said Rei still using
her unemotional voice.

          “WHAT?” asked Misato and Asuka at the same time.

          “HUH?” asked Gendo and Ranma at the same time, in the same voice
that showed a complete lack of understanding. Shinji seem to be the only
one unaffected by this sudden announcement.

          “You want to move in with me/him?” they continued in sync.

          “Yes I wish to move in with Pilot Saotome,” confirmed Rei.  Then
she turned to Ranma, “You do have a spare bedroom do you not?”

          “Well yeah,” admitted Ranma.

          “I will not be an inconvenience,” she promised.

          “Uh, well it really won’t look right us living together without
an adult, but I guess its ok with me if it doesn’t bother you,” Ranma
managed to get out at last.  Gendo was still standing there stunned at this
turn of events.

          “The doll wants to move in with a boy?” asked Asuka with wide
eyes.  Then she looked Ranma up and down, “At least she picked someone
better then the spineless wonder.”

          “Do you have to go out of your way to be nasty or does it just
come naturally after so much practice?” asked Ranma in response when he saw
faint hurt in both Rei and Shinji’s eyes.

          Asuka just glared at him, while Rei smiled, Shinji tried to hid a
laugh, Misato watched on impassively, and Gendo was still struggling with
the possibility that his precious Rei was asking to move in with a guy,
alone and unsupervised at that.

          “Commander Ikari?” asked Rei still not having gotten an answer.

          “Uh, Rei why do you feel you need to move?” asked Gendo at last.

          “Pilot Saotome pointed out on the first day that we met that we
should get to know each other so that we can fight together more
effectively.  Today he saved my life and protected Unit 0 from destruction,
I wish to see if living in the same quarters will have a similar effect as
the synchronizing did on Pilots Ikari and Soryu, but on a lesser level of
course.  If Unit 1 is out of action we will have to compensate because it
has been the most effective unit to date.  Now Pilot Saotome is the best
pilot and if the two of us can learn to compensate for each others
movements better we will be able to effectively stop the angels even if
Unit 1 remains unreliable,” explained Rei at length.

          “I see,” said Gendo.  *Things are getting father and farther off
course, this would give us a much better chance of stopping the last three
angels should something else go wrong though,* thought Gendo mulling it
over.

          “I should have known that the…that Rei wouldn’t be interested in
a boy,” laughed Asuka changing from a more negative name after a sharp look
from Ranma.

          “Very well,” said Gendo.  “You may move in with Pilot Saotome
effective immediately.”

          “I will make sure that our future combat record will justify the
move,” said Rei.

          <Is that what that outburst in class was all about?> asked Ranma
on a narrow band to Shinji, recalling Shinji blurting out something about
moving in.

          <Yeah, she mentioned this earlier,> sent back Shinji.

          “Shinji if you’ll wait a minute I’ll give you and Asuka a ride
home,” promised Misato.  Gendo had disappeared while Ranma and Shinji were
talking.

          “I was going to go over to Ranma’s first.  I’ll see you later
though,” Shinji told her.

          “That reminds me where were you last night?  You never did tell
me,” asked Misato.

          “I was staying over at a friends house,” explained Shinji.

          “And Rei?” asked Asuka.  “Maybe I had the right idea, but the
wrong boy!”

          “We already told you we where over at my place playing poker,
during which Rei took most of our money,” put in Ranma.  <Asuka reminds me
of a less physical Akane.  You still doing ok?> Ranma asked Tenchi.

          <I’m fine.  That was some nice work earlier,> he said.

          <You weren’t too bad yourself,> put in Sakura.  <What happened
after you four where knocked down?>

          <You and Shinji took out the angel,> Tenchi told her.  <That was
pretty impressive too, you guys used that thing for a punching bag!>

          <Hello?> asked another voice timidly.

          <Unit 0?> asked Yui.

          <Yes, I am Unit 0,> continued the shy voice.  <I spoke to my
pilot for the first time today, but we were interrupted by the fight.  I’m
sorry about that I should have been paying more attention,> Unit 0
apologized to Tenchi and Ranma.

          “Hello Earth to Ranma!” yelled Asuka waving a hand in front of
his face.

          “What?” he asked sharply turning to look at her.

          “I asked how you felt about a bunch of pilots inviting themselves
over?” she repeated.

          “Where you asking if I minded Shinji and Rei, or where you asking
if you could come over too?” asked Ranma.  <Rei, Shinji, Unit 0 has started
talking,> he told the other two.

          “Why would I want to hang out with you three?  I’m going to go
and see if Hikari wants to go shopping!”

          <Hello,> Rei greeted Unit 0.  <Do you still wish for me to give
you a name?>

          <Yes I would like that very much,> agreed Unit 0.

          <How about Sei?> asked Rei.

          <Sei, I have never had a name before,> whispered Sei.

          <Welcome to the family Sei,> greeted Tenchi.

          <Welcome,> said the others.

          <I’m sorry that we can not talk further, but we can not
communicate beyond the Geofront,> explained Rei as the three’s travel had
carried them nearly to the entrance.

          <I understand,> said Sei.

          <However we will be perfectly willing to keep you company,> said
Tenchi.

          <How is it that you can all suddenly talk to each other and Yui
couldn’t make contact before?> asked Ranma.

          <My guess would be that it is the fact that they have been awoken
by their pilots.  The personality has been largely dormant until it was
woken in each of them.  Once that happens they seem to have no trouble
making contact,> said Yui.  <Now Ranma you said you figured out Unit 1’s
berserker mode?>

          <Yeah, but I hope that the pilot doesn’t have to wake the
personality other wise how are we going to get Unit 2 in this?> asked
Ranma.

          <Would you answer my question?> asked Yui pointedly.

          <Shinji, Rei do you want to hear this?> Ranma asked the two
walking beside him.

          <Yes I do,> said Shinji.

          <I would like to as well,> spoke up Rei.

          <Ok, Unit 1’s berserker isn’t Unit 1’s at all,> said Ranma
triumphantly.

          <I hope you’re ready to explain that,> said Yui after a moments
silence.

          <Shinji remember I told you that you had strong ki for a non
martial artist?>

          <Yeah.>

          <Well the reason is because when people you care about are in
danger you break down your own walls.  Your ki combines with Sakura’s,
powering Unit 1, and you let your own killer instincts out of the box.
Though I don’t think its completely you, unless you have had a desire to
eat angel recently?> asked Ranma.

          <I ATE IT?> demanded Shinji.

          <I can probably explain that one,> said Yui.  <Sakura, like all
of the Evangelions, did not have a working S2 organ.  Tenchi and Ranma both
acquired one when they absorbed the 13th angel.  Sakura tore the 14th
angel’s out of its body and incorporated it into herself.  Now Units 1 and
3 can both operate indefinitely under their own power,> explained Yui.
<However it looks like at the moment that all three of the organs are
currently not functioning.  Which leads me to ask how you and Tenchi
stopped that blast from at least hurting you.>

          <Well I took mine and Tenchi’s ki and let him add it to his AT
field and that provided enough power to stop that blast.>

          <Ok dealing with you people is giving me a head ache so I’m going
to go back and talk to the Evangelions,> said Yui.

          <Uh, Yui you do realize that you’ve been talking to all three of
us all this time and we’re nearly at my place right?> asked Ranma.

          <Wow, I guess I used you as a repeater.  I connected with you and
you connected with Rei and Shinji!> gasped Yui.  Then she was suddenly
gone, as if cut off.

          “We must have reached her limit,” said Shinji.

          <You should never refer to a mental conversation in an audible
one,> chided Rei.

          “So what do you have to move in?” Ranma asked Rei as they walked
into his apartment.  “What are you two staring at?” he asked after coming
back out of the kitchen with three glasses of juice, not noticing that his
voice was higher then normal.

          “Where’s Ranma?” demanded Rei.

          “Who are you?” asked Shinji at the same time.

          “I am Ranma.  It didn’t take me that long to get the juice,”
complained Ranma-chan.

          “Ranma’s a guy and you are not,” pointed out Rei.

          “Huh?” asked Ranma-chan looking down at herself.  “Oh man my six
days must be up!”  <Guys its me!  I have a curse that used to turn me into
a girl with a splash of cold water, but now its under control, but I have
to spend one day in seven as a girl!> explained Ranma.  “That’s why I had
the closet full of girls cloths in the guest room for Rei to use!”

          “You’re Ranma?” asked Shinji.  “I mean we’ve seen some weird
stuff, but this…”

          “Ok, the first day I met you I told you that I was from another
world and I had been sent here to help you save this world, by someone that
didn’t want me to tell anyone his name, remember?” asked Ranma-chan.

          “You are Ranma,” whispered Shinji.

          “This is the result of a curse?” asked Rei.

          “Yeah.  I guess I’d better explain myself to the two of you since
Rei’s going to move in and I’m not going to cut Shinji out.  It all started
ten years ago…”  Ranma gave the quick summery of his life.  Training trip,
no details, curse, and fiancée problems, “That’s the short version if we
ever get really board then we can see about the full thing.”

          “So this isn’t just some illusion this is the real thing?  You
turn into a girl?” asked Shinji.  “I mean its not just a look, but the full
transformation?”

          “No its not just an illusion, it’s a full transformation,”
Ranma-chan assured them.  “Good thing it’s a Friday since I don’t want
anyone else to know about this I’m going to stay right here until my time
is up and I can go back to being a guy,” said Ranma-chan firmly, just as
the doorbell rang.  “Why me?” she asked plaintively.

          “I’ll get it,” volunteered Rei.  “What do you want Asuka?” she
asked the second child.  <Asuka is here,> she informed the other two.

          <That’s all I need!> sighed Ranma.

          “Move over Wondergirl,” ordered Asuka pushing her way past Rei.

          “What are you doing here?” asked Ranma-chan.

          “Who are you?” asked Asuka.

          “I’m Ranko Tendo,” Ranma-chan told her with a skim of frost.
“And what are you doing in this apartment?” she asked again.

          “I came here to see Ranma Saotome about something,” said Asuka.

          “Well, he’s not here right now.  I’ll have him call you when he
gets back,” offered Ranma-chan.

          “I’ll wait here,” said Asuka moving to sit down.

          “Not unless you can learn to be more polite in the future.  You
spend all of your time tormenting my friends, so I will have Ranma call you
when he gets back, it will probably be tomorrow before he can bet back to
you,” Ranma-chan informed her.

          “What do you mean?” demanded Asuka.

          “I mean that unless you learn to be more polite to my friends
then you are not welcome here,” said Ranma-chan flatly.  “You may be used
to getting anything you want and getting away with anything that you want
because you are an Evangelion pilot and a popular girl, but not here!”

          “But…but,” stammered Asuka stumped that anyone would chew her out
like this.  *I’m the best pilot and the most beautiful girl in school!  But
she’s just as pretty and doesn’t seem to be awed at you’re status as a
pilot as a matter of fact there seems to be number of pilots around here!*
whispered the traitorous side of her mind.

          “I will talk to Ranma when he gets back and when you learn to be
more polite you are welcome to come back,” offered Ranma-chan walking Asuka
to the door and shutting it behind her.

          “You just threw your fellow pilot out of your house?” asked
Shinji in slight shock.

          “She reminds me of one of my fiancées from back home.  I’ve got
some serious ego problems and I know it, but I keep it up because it lets
me power my attacks better.  They on the other hand just assume that they
are the best there is and that entitles them to anything that they want and
allowed to do anything that they want,” said Ranma-chan.

          “Well you do have a point, but still…” said Shinji.

          “Don’t worry about it,” suggested Ranma-chan.  “Either she’ll get
over it or she’ll be completely impossible to live with for the rest of her
life.”

          “Thank you for throwing that second option out there.  You two
live here, and won’t have to put up with her all the time,” said Shinji
sourly.

          “Well enough with everyone else, I’ve told you two my life story
so lets break out the cards, and you guys can tell me yours.  After that
well if we’re still up then we’ll see,” said Ranma-chan.

          “I guess I can go first,” said Shinji.  “I remember after my
mother died, my father…”

          They traded stories late into the night, and Shinji called to
once again tell Misato that he wouldn’t be home.***



          “So what do we do today?” asked Shinji the next morning when they
had gathered around the table.

          “Well like I said I don’t want to go out in public like this so
I’d like to say inside and do something,” spoke up Ranma-chan.

          “What did you have in mind?” asked Rei.

          “How about we pull up the couch, pop some popcorn, and watch some
movies,” suggested Ranma-chan.

          “I have never understood the interest people have in watching
movies.  Is it not all make believe?” asked Rei.

          “That’s true, but it is for entertainment purposes.  You just
imagine that it is real, that it could happen,” said Shinji.

          “Do you have something else that you would rather do?” asked
Ranma-chan.

          “We did not have a chance to do our workout last night,” pointed
out Rei.  “Could we not do it today?”

          “I guess we could at that,” agreed Ranma-chan.  “Unless you have
a problem?” she asked Shinji.

          “I have no problem with it at all,” said Shinji.

          It took Shinji and Rei a very short time to realize that Ranma
was considerably faster in her girl body then she was in her male body.

          “I can’t believe that we spent all day practicing martial arts
and meditation,” said Shinji that evening.

          “I found it to be very satisfying as well as relaxing.  I also
found it to be very enjoyable,” admitted Rei, seemingly surprised by her
own admission that she liked doing it.

          “I did to, but then I always enjoy practicing the art.  Shinji
you are very close to being ready to attempt to manipulate your energy on a
conscious level.  Rei you still have some more work before you are ready,
but you are coming along quickly,” congratulated Ranma-chan.

          “Thank you but I really must be going,” said Shinji.  “I’ve been
spending too much time here recently.  I should be getting back to Misato’s
apartment for a while.  The two of them have probably reduced it to a
disaster area in the two days I’ve been gone.”

          “Ok, we’re going to hit the sack and I guess we’ll see you
later,” said Ranma-chan.

          “Uh, before I go, wasn’t your twenty four hours up earlier this
afternoon?” he asked.

          “Well yeah, but if it’s a certain number of hours a week that I
have to be a girl, then getting some of them out of the way seems like a
good idea doesn’t it?” asked Ranma-chan.

          “Yeah, but Asuka is going to want to know what happened to you
and if you call as a girl she is really going to get suspicious,” pointed
out Shinji.

          “Good point,” agreed Ranma-chan grabbing a glass of hot water out
of the kitchen and dialing the phone.  “Hello is Asuka there?” asked Ranma
when Misato answered the phone.  “Hello, yes Ranko said that I should call
you, something about you wanted to seem me about something?  How did I
achieve my sync ratio?  I learned a new skill.  Yes they asked me and I
taught it to them.  I don’t know.  Yes I know what Ranko said to you and I
have to agree with it for the most part.  Now I understand that hostility
is a way of keeping the rest of the world from hurting you, but enough is
enough already.  I had to put up with a lot before I came here, and I don’t
feel like putting up with anymore so if you would like to join us then I
suggest that you be just a little bit nicer.  Yes Shinji will be coming
back tonight.  That’s right.  Ok, well meet for lunch on Monday then, I’ll
ask Rei if she would like to come, and you can invite Shinji.  Right see
you Monday then,” agreed Ranma hanging up the phone.

          “Did what I think just happen just happen?” asked Shinji.

          “That would depend on what you thought just happened,” said
Ranma.

          “Did you and Asuka just agree to meet for lunch on Monday, with
the possibility of teaching her telepathy?” asked Shinji.

          “Yes I did,” admitted Ranma.

          “This aught to be a really interesting lunch period,” said Shinji
shaking his head on the way out the door.

          “Don’t worry it’ll come out right in the end,” Ranma assured him.

          “I’m back,” called Shinji closing the door to Misato’s apartment.

          “I’m glad you’re back,” said Misato.  “I was beginning to think
you had decided to move in with Rei,” she teased.

          “Where have you been all day?” demanded Asuka without any of the
added comments she would have felt compelled to make the day before.  “I
was working with Ranma and Rei,” said Shinji.  “I understand that you will
be joining Monday?”

          “I might,” said Asuka.

          Misato just blinked at the civil way that they were talking to
each other, no names, no smart remarks, just civil comments.  *Something is
going on here!*  Then she blinked quickly, *But I have no idea what it
could be.* ***



          “AHHH!” yelled Ranma.

          Rei’s eyes snapped open as Ranma’s cry rang through the apartment
at three thirty in the morning.  *Something is wrong with Ranma.*  She ran
down the hall and slammed the door to Ranma’s room open to see him curled
into a ball holding his stomach.  “What is wrong?” she asked.

          “I don’t know, something is burning!” he hissed through clenched
teeth.

          *This must be something serious!* thought Rei in alarm knowing
how much it took to hurt Ranma.

          <Ranma?> called Yui.  <Is something wrong?>

          “<There is something burning in my stomach!>” responded Ranma
both audibly and mentally.  “<It feels like something is trying to get
out.>”

          <I think it is something trying to get out,> said Yui.  <Look at
your energy!>

          <What about it?> asked Ranma not bothering to channel his
thoughts exclusively to Yui.  *Concentrate, calm, block the pain.*

          “Ranma you aura!” gasped Rei.

          “What about it?” asked Ranma still working to control the pain so
that it wouldn’t overwhelm him.

          “Look at it,” she advised.

          “WOW,” muttered Ranma taking a good look at his now raging battle
aura.  “What is going on here?”

          <I would say that your S2 organ has come awake and is feeding
your battle aura,> said Yui clinically.  <Quit trying to suppress your
energy and just let it out,> she advised.

          <And that’s going to do what?> asked Ranma, to his complete
surprise the instant he stopped trying to suppress his energy the burning
stopped.  <What just happened?>

          <The burning was the energy trying to escape.  You’re body can
only hold so much, the excess energy was overloading your ability to
contain it.  Now you’re going to have to learn how to control it, before
you will be able to completely hide your energy again,> Yui told him.

          “What was that?” asked Rei, who had only been able to hear part
of the conversation.

          “It seems that my S2 organ has woken up finally and that was a
sample of what it can do,” explained Ranma.

          “Yes that makes sense, an S2 organ can take matter and convert it
to energy on a one for one basis,” said Rei thoughtfully.

          “It what?” asked Ranma slightly confused.

          “It can take anything, gas, liquid, or solid and turn it into
energy.  It seems that in your body it fuels your ki as well,” explained
Rei.

          “You mean this thing inside me can take the air around me and
turn it into ki?” asked Ranma incredulously.

          <That’s exactly what she’s saying,> spoke up Yui.

          “Now that’s something useful!” said Ranma with wide eyes.

          “Uh, Ranma your aura is still growing,” pointed out Rei in alarm.

          “Huh?  Oh man how do I turn this thing off?” asked Ranma as his
aura was now a six-foot circle of blue light and still creeping outward.

          <RANMA!> yelled Tenchi happily.  <My S2 organ has finally
activated!  Now I don’t have to rely on that stupid cable for power!>

          <Mine did too, and now I don’t know how to turn it OFF!>
responded Ranma, whose aura was seven feet and still expanding.

          <Oh, here you do it like this,> instructed Tenchi.  Instructions
flowed into the area of their minds that overlapped and from there into
Ranma’s mind.

          <How did you know how to control this?> asked Ranma as his aura
collapsed as he shut down its power source.

          <I am descended from Adam, I just know how they work, the same
way I can project an AT field,> answered Tenchi.  <Uh, if your S2 is active
has your AT field strengthened yet?>

          <What do you mean strengthened?> asked Ranma.

          <Every soul has an AT field, it’s its boundary it keeps the soul
and life force in where they belong rather then just oozing all over the
place.  Angels, Evangelions, Rei, and now you have AT fields strong enough
that it is possible to stop physical attacks.  I would think that they can
stop ki attack pretty handily too,> lectured Tenchi, clearly enjoying being
in the know this time.

          <What do you mean Rei?> asked Ranma sharply.

          <Like me and you she is part angel.  I don’t know how or why, but
she is.  Her AT field is stronger then most people, and she has the
distinctive feeling that says angel to me.>

          “Excuse me, Ranma?” said Rei.  *He seems to be talking to
someone, but I can’t tell what they’re saying, or even who it is,* thought
Rei.  She could not hear Yui, and Ranma and Tenchi had slipped into private
mode.

          “I’m sorry, Tenchi called to tell me that his activated too.  We
started talking and I got caught up in it,” apologized Ranma.

          “No problem.  We should go back to bed any way,” accepted Rei.

          “We can talk about it in the morning,” promised Ranma.

          “Good night,” said Rei walking back toward her own room.***



          “Good morning,” greeted Rei bright and early the next morning.

          “Why me?” asked Ranma plaintively dragging himself toward the
shower.

          “Why you what?” asked Rei curiously.

          “Why did I ever agree to let a morning person move into my
place,” explained Ranma with a smile to make sure she didn’t take him too
seriously.

          <Because she was lonely and you can’t bare to see those you would
call friend in distress,> said Yui cheerfully.

          “<Never mind I remember now.  I already had a morning person that
spends more time here then in her own body,>” said Ranma, giving a mental
cough he pointed at the bathroom door, Yui took the hint and vanished
without even a parting shot.

          “May I ask you a question?” asked Rei after Ranma showed up at
the breakfast table.

          “Of course, I’ll even do my best to answer it,” joked Ranma
getting a small smile out of Rei.

          <My how clever,> cooed Yui sarcastically.

          <Can’t you knock or something before you do that?> asked Ranma
jumping slightly in his chair.

          “I moved in with you so that I didn’t have to go back to my
apartment alone and I was indeed much happier here then I have been at my
own apartment, but it wasn’t the same last night.  It seemed as though
something was missing, do you know what I am talking about?” asked Rei.

          <You asked for it,> giggled Yui giving Ranma a sensation of cold
chills.

          “Something missing?” asked Ranma.  “No I didn’t notice anything
different about the feel of the place last night.  Besides the only thing
that has changed is that Shinji didn’t sleep here last night,” pointed out
Ranma stopping, cutting the end off suddenly.  *Could she…nah.  She just
started listening to her emotions recently she couldn’t possibly have
developed deep feelings for Shinji already.*

          “Ok, thank you for your observation.  Now if you don’t mind I
would like to discus what happened last night,” said Rei.

          <It could have happened alright,> put in Yui.  <Haven’t you ever
heard of love at first sight?  A gallant, handsome, young man comes in and
saves you, your heart takes off at a gallop, and bang you’re in love.>

          “Last night mine and Tenchi’s S2 organs became active.  Tenchi
apparently had an instinctive knowledge of how to control them because of
his decent from Adam.  We started discussing AT fields and in the process
Tenchi said that you give him the same feeling as an angel and your AT
field should be capable of stopping physical objects,” listed Ranma in
rapid fire.

          <Actually now that I think about it its more like an Evangelion,
kinda a half angel,> put in Tenchi.

          “Tenchi sai-” started Ranma, but he was cut off.

          “I heard him, was I supposed to?” asked Rei with curiosity
showing in her tone.

          <How come you didn’t yell at him for not knocking?> demanded Yui
in a huff.

          “Well me and Tenchi are linked a bit more closely then most
people so it probably lets him extend his range out from me and vice
versa,” offered Ranma.  <I knew he was there, and he knew I knew so
therefore he didn’t startle me the way you do.  Come to think of it that’s
probably why I can hear you so well.  He hears it and sends it on to me.>

          “So to him I feel similar to a real angel, but not quite?” asked
Rei.

          <Yes, Ranma has been giving me the same sensation since he
absorbed the 13th angel,> agreed Tenchi.

          <So both of us are half angel now?  That would mean that…>
trailed off Rei.

          <Something truly strange is going on around here,> agreed Ranma.

          “So what do you normally do on Sundays?” asked Rei.

          “This is the first Sunday that I’ve ever spent in this world,”
pointed out Ranma.  “In the past I’ve always had some rivals, fiancées, or
unpleasant challengers show up or something.”

          Ranma jumped as a trumpet fanfare sounded in his mind.

          <If she doesn’t mind, I would like to get some more training in,>
spoke up Yui.  <Was that sufficient for a knock?>

          “Is something wrong?” asked Rei.

          “No, I asked Yui not to just drop in unannounced and she’s
decided that she is going to announce herself with trumpet fanfares and she
just tried out the first on me, it startled me,” explained Ranma.  “She
said that she would like to give me further instruction in being a
telepath, that is if you don’t mind,” he apologized.

          “I told you when I asked to come here that I would not be an
inconvenience to you,” Rei reminded him.  “So if you wish to take time to
study then I will be quite,” she promised.

          “I-thank you for understanding,” said Ranma.

          <Then I guess we’d better get started,> said Yui.  <What would
you like to learn today?>

          <Well when we first met outside of NERV you told me that you were
a natural telepath.  I am assuming that there are others out there.  That
being the case I was wondering if you could show me how to protect my
thoughts from those that might be trying to peek in?>

          <You want to learn how to shield your thoughts?  Is that all?>

          <All?>

          <You’ve been doing it on what I guess now to be an instinctive
level since I met you.  I can show you how to do it professionally.  And
after that we can get to some important education!>

          Ranma sighed in defeat as Rei went to her room.***



          <So we’re going to meet with Asuka for lunch?> asked Shinji
Monday just before the lunch bell rang.

          <Well actually only I was invited, and I of course invited Rei,
but she was supposed to invite you, did she?>

          <Actually she surprised me, she asked me.  Not only that but she
asked me civilly!> said Shinji showing his surprise at that state of
affairs.  <As a matter of fact she’s been very civil since I went back to
Misato’s place Saturday night.>

          <Well I did tell her that if she wanted to hang around with me
that she would have to be more civil to my friends,> pointed out Ranma.

          <I guess its time,> said Shinji when the bell interrupted their
conversation.

          <Lets go talk.  Rei are you ready?> asked Ranma.

          <I am ready,> responded Rei.

          <Then lets go.>

          “So what did you want to talk to us about?” asked Ranma simply as
they met Asuka outside.

          “I wanted to ask you about how you managed to achieved the sync
ratio,” said Asuka simply.  “And I was wondering if…well
if…ifwecouldstartover,” finished Asuka in a rush.  She turned to Shinji and
Rei, “I would like to apologize to you two as well.”

          “Uh, apology excepted,” stammered Shinji completely shocked that
Asuka would apologize to him or anyone.

          “What brought this on?” asked Ranma.  A quick look at her aura
showed honesty in her words.



          ***Flashback***

          *How dare she?!* thought Asuka with a snarl as Ranko threw her
out of the apartment.  *I am Asuka Soryu Langley!  I am the best Eva pilot
there is!*

          *Are you really?  Didn’t Shinji save your life when you went
after the eighth angel?  He came up with the battle plan that let you win
and then dived in to rescue you when your cable snapped?* argued a voice.

          *Well yeah, but he’s a spinless wonder!*

          *Didn’t he prove that even after all of the abuse that you heaped
on him he was perfectly willing to work with you to defeat the seventh
angel as well.  Not to mention that he has never backed down from an angel
fight, even with no training.*

          *The wind up doll certainly isn’t needed.*

          *She was raised by commander Ikari, isn’t that as much reason as
any not to show feelings?  Didn’t Ranma keep Unit 3 from killing you while
it was under the influence of the 13th angel?  Didn’t he beat your best
score by twenty points in the sync test?* asked that same persistent voice.

          *That girl had no right to talk to me that way!* thought Asuka
mustering one more burst of resentment.

          *You invaded another pilots house, and probably hers as well.
You can hardly expect a warm greeting.  You have also been insulting her
friends for some time now,* finished the voice.

          *I just lost an argument, to myself no less,* thought Asuka as
she threw herself down on her bed to think about the argument that she had
just lost.

          ***End Flashback***



          “I’ve been doing some thinking since you and Ranko challenged me,
and I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t like myself very much,”
admitted Asuka.

          “Well if you don’t like yourself then change,” suggested Ranma.

          “Just like that?” asked Asuka in surprise.

          “Well I don’t know about just like that,” said Ranma snapping his
fingers, “but there is no reason that if you truly want to change that you
can’t.”

          “Then I guess to start off I should apologize to you Shinji
Ikari, and you Rei Ayanami for the way that I have treated you,” said Asuka
with a low bow.

          <I do not believe this,> said Yui in wonder.  <I’ve seen the way
that she treats them, and now she suddenly apologies and wants to make
nice?>

          “Then I as your friends will help you,” said Ranma ignoring Yui.

          “I will help you as well,” agreed Shinji.

          “Then I will also offer my assistance,” put in Rei.

          “Even after everything you will be my friend?” asked Asuka.

          “Sure.  Its not like any of the rest of us are any better about
our lives.  Ranma is the most normal of the pilots and that is frankly a
scary thought,” put in Shinji.  “Each of us has gone through some traumatic
times, and that leaves a mark on us.  Rei has been suppressing her
emotions, I hid from everything and ran away from what I couldn’t hide
from, and you put all of yourself into anger and being an Eva pilot.  They
where all responses to similar circumstances.”  Every one stared at
Shinji.  “What?  Just because I didn’t graduate collage yet doesn’t mean
I’m stupid or never read anything in my life,” he protested.  “My old
teacher had a big library on psychology and I used to read some of them.”

          “What about Ranma?” asked Asuka.  “He doesn’t fit into your
profile of traumatic events.”

          “Other then his parents both dying recently,” pointed Rei.

          “Oh yeah, I forgot.  He seems perfectly content living alone that
I forget that he recently lost his parents.  I am sorry for opening
wounds,” she told Ranma.

          “That’s all right.  Since lunch is nearly over why don’t we meet
at my place after school.  There’s some other things that I’d like to talk
to you about if you don’t mind,” said Ranma just in time for the bell to
ring sending everyone running back to class.  <Now was there something that
you wanted to talk about?> he asked Yui.

          <You believe her?> she asked.

          <Yes, I know how to read someone’s aura and hers was showing that
she was honest about this.  I have no doubt that it will take time and
work, but if you haven’t noticed Shinji is asserting himself more, and Rei
is allowing her emotions to show more, everyone changes, it just takes time
and opportunity.>

          <You have changed a great deal during you stay as well.  Without
you having to live on reflexes alone, getting a proper nights sleep, having
real friends, and a brilliant teacher you are much more thoughtful.  You
also seem to have given up this girls are weak and useless things, and you
don’t spend twenty minutes an hour reminding everyone that you are the best
anymore either.>

          <Would you like to know why?>

          <Absolutely!>

          <The girl thing, was you and Rei.  Rei had unbelievable power,
and you are far smarter then me.  Now I know that Rei’s power comes from a
not fully active S2 organ, and your knowledge comes from collage, but she
has survived and you passed collage while I’m barely passing high school.
The ego thing was needed.  I was raised to be the best, and for the longest
time I didn’t want to disappoint my family, especially my mother once we
met up with her again.  Then after I started using the Mouko Takabishi and
I needed my ego just to survive Nermia.  Without the Mouko Takabishi I
would have been nearly defenseless against a number of my enemies.  Now I
don’t need that anymore.  My own S2 organ can give me pretty much all the
power I need, and after the mess they left for me I don’t much care what my
parents think, so I don’t need my ego.  I still have my drive to be the
best, but I don’t have to go around and prove it to everyone I come across
or shout it out to the world anymore, its something that I need to do for
myself,> explained Ranma with an uncharacteristic dissection of his
feelings and actions.

          <You have come a long way in a short time,> said Yui.  <You have
changed a great deal and I think you should be proud of the direction that
that change has carried you.>

          <In my world I was alone and friendless.  Here I’ve encountered
people that has at least as many problems as I did and few recourses for
surviving them.  It’s a martial artist duty to protect the weak.  Shinji
and Rei were neither weak, but they where untrained and unable to take care
of themselves.  Together we are far stronger.>

          <My, maybe you should take up Philosophy or become a motivational
speaker when you graduate,> said Yui.

          <That was just a little bit long winded and…> trailed off Ranma
looking for the right word.

          <correct?> supplied Yui.  <You’re right.  However this soul
searching won’t save you from you school work today!>

          <I guy can hope can’t he?>***



          “So what did you want to talk about?” asked Asuka as they entered
Ranma’s apartment.

          “Well first off I wanted to show you something that may make you
just a little bit upset,” said Ranma.

          “What’s that?” asked Asuka looking at him curiously.

          “This,” said Ranma-chan after having dumped a glass of water from
the kitchen.

          “Ranko?” asked Asuka blinking at the red head in front of her.
“What happened to Ranma?”

          “Asuka its me.  I have a curse that makes me turn into a girl
when I’m splashed with cold water.  I have some ability to control, but I
do have to spend some time as a girl each week.  I had just started my
required time when you showed up the other day and I didn’t want anyone
that I didn’t trust to know about my secret.  I use the name Ranko when I
am like this to outsiders.  To change back I just apply hot water, except
when I’m in the required portion of my time,” explained Ranma to the
stunned second child.

          “You change between a girl and a boy?  Which one are you real?”
asked Asuka.

          “I’m a guy and the girl form is just a curse.  The second secret
is one that the three of us-” <Are telepaths just like you,> finished Ranma
mentally.

          “How did you do that?!” demanded Asuka in surprise.

          <Like he said the three of us are telepaths.  It’s the most
important requirement for being and Eva pilot,> put in Shinji.

          <They are correct,> said Rei.

          “You mean I can do this too?” asked Asuka with what seemed to be
permanently wide eyes.

          “You do it every time that you climb into the entry plug of Unit
2,” pointed out Ranma.

          “This is the reason that you three haven’t been falling asleep in
class for the last few days!” accused Asuka.  “So how does this work?” she
asked eagerly.

          <Just concentrate and push your thoughts out toward one of us,>
instructed Ranma.

          <It helps if you imagine a wire between you and who you are
trying to talk to,” offered Shinji.

          <Like this?> asked Asuka.

          <Yeah,> agreed Ranma.

          <Wow,> *that* <isn’t> *so* <hard!> laughed Asuka fading in and
out.

          “What?” she asked seeing the look on their faces.

          “We only heard every other word,” Rei informed her.

          <Is this> *better?* asked Asuka.

          <Don’t worry you just need some practice,> Ranma assured her.

          <So what are we waiting for?> asked Asuka.

          “Well I guess we could play some more poker while you practice
your telepathy,” offered Ranma.

          <Well we should be getting back to Misato’s,> said Shinji after
four hours of poker and telepathy.

          <Yeah she’s going to want to know where we’ve been all day,>
agreed Asuka.  A full afternoon of practice had improved Asuka’s telepathy
immensely.

          “Lets get together again tomorrow,” suggested Asuka.

          “Don’t we have sync tests tomorrow?” asked Ranma.

          “Oh yeah, I guess we do.  Maybe we can do something after the
test,” she suggested.

          “I’ll see what I can do,” offered Ranma.

          “Ranma, may I talk to you?” asked Rei after the other two had
left.

          “Of course.  After all if we’re both part angle then I guess I’m
your big brother,” grinned Ranma.

          “I have never had family before,” said Rei thoughtfully.  Then
she got back to the point she was trying to make, “Do you remember our
conversation the other morning where I asked you if you found something
missing?”

          “Yeah sure,” agreed Ranma not seeing where this was going.

          “I found out what it was that I was missing,” said Rei simply.

          “And that would be?”

          “That feeling disappeared this morning in class and has remained
gone all day today.  Therefore logically it must be Shinji.  When he is
near I feel complete, whole, and joy,” she explained showing her emotions
fully for the first time since Ranma had known her.  “Do you think this is
love?”

          “I don’t know.  You see I’m not sure that I have ever been in
love,” said Ranma softly.  “I don’t know for sure what love is, not for
real.”

          “Then how do you feel about the second child?  You seem to have
feelings of some form for her,” pointed out Rei.

          “What makes you say that?” asked Ranma blushing.

          “You told her that you didn’t like her, yet she asks to be
forgiven and you tell her nearly all of your secrets,” pointed out Rei.
“And you seemed to be aware of more of her past then myself of Shinji was
aware of, you spoke of anger being the way she keeps people from hurting
her,” Rei reminded her.

          “Yui has obtained access to the files of NERV.  I have read all
of the files on Asuka.  She was the only one of the pilots that I didn’t
trust, so I looked up everything that I could on her,” explained Ranma.
“She’s had a rough life and she reminds me a lot of me in so ways.  She’s a
fighter and doesn’t give up easily.”

          “Then I guess we both need to find out exactly what it is that we
feel,” laughed Ranma, “in the mean time I’m going to take the rest of the
day off and do a little work out outside the city.”

          “Why outside the city?” asked Rei.

          “Because if I move out far enough then I don’t have to worry
about the MAGI picking me up,” grinned Ranma.

          “I’ll see you later then,” said Rei.

          *Lets open this up and see what it can do,* thought Ranma letting
his S2 organ power up his battle aura and sped toward the outskirts of
town.  Once clear he powered up his aura and started putting his new power
through its paces.

          *This is gonna be FUN!* thought Ranma powering up.***



          “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time,” laughed Ranma as he
bounced around his chosen training ground with the nearly unlimited energy
provided by his S2 organ.  He slid to a stop, held out his hand with the
palm up, and unleashed a rain of smaller energy blasts.  They flew up and
came crashing back down reducing the hill he had targeted to a smoking
crater.

          “I wonder what the old ghoul would think if she could see this?”
he asked allowing that energy to flow into the Katchu Tenken Amagaruken and
his enhanced speed was enough to allow him to break the sound barrier.  He
grinned as another idea occurred to him.  *The Katchu Tenken Amagaruken
works by concentrating energy into the hands and arms allowing the body to
exceed what it is normally capable of…but now I have more energy at my
desposel then the old ghoul could dream of so…I should be able to adapt the
Amagaruken so that with sufficient power I can do the same thing to my
whole body!*  Ranma gather the energy and spread the Amagaruken through out
his whole body.  “YES!” shouted Ranma as his body accelerated to match the
speed of the Katchu Tenken Amagaruken.

          “Did you enjoy your workout?” Rei asked Ranma when he returned to
the apartment.

          “Did I ever,” sighed Ranma flopping down on the couch.  “I can’t
believe the stuff you can do with the shear amount of power an S2 organ can
give you!”

          “Does it really provide unlimited energy?”

          “It can provide unlimited energy, but our bodies seem to still be
mostly human, so there is a limit to the amount of punishment that body can
absorb.  So you have to be a little bit careful about what you do with it,”
explained Ranma.

          “I’ll keep that in mind,” promised Rei.

          “Good, now I’m going to take a hot bath and head down to the
library cause Yui has a little project for me,” said Ranma.  “Would you
like to come along?”

          “I have to go to NERV to meet with Commander Ikari,” Rei told
him.

          “Then I’ll see you later tonight,” said Ranma heading toward the
bathroom.***



          <Well shall we get started?> asked Ranma as the four pilots
crossed into NERV headquarters.

          <Get started with what?> asked Asuka.

          <Well I thought we’d do the introductions and then when they
shove us into the Eva’s you could wake up Unit 2,> explained Ranma.  <First
up is Yui Ikari, the brain behind our good friends and Shinji and Unit 1’s
mother.>

          <Hello,> greeted Yui.

          <This is Sakura, Unit 1 and Yui’s other child,> continued Ranma.

          <Hello, its nice to meet you,> said Sakura.

          <This is Sei, also known as Unit 0.>

          <Hello,> greeted Sei.

          <And this is my good friend Tenchi, also known Unit 3,> finished
Ranma.

          <Nice to finally meet you when our third party isn’t trying to
kill you,> greeted Tenchi.

          <Everyone this is Asuka and sometime today she will be waking up
and introducing Unit 2 for us, then our little family will be complete,>
Ranma told them.

          <Hello everyone,> said Asuka.  *Wow Shinji’s mother is still part
of Unit 1, and all of the Evangelions are aware!* she thought nervously.
*Unlike the rest of the people I meet around here these people actually
mean something.*

          <So you’re finally ready to talk to me are you?> asked Unit 2 as
Asuka prepared to communicate with her.

          <I thought I had to wake you up?> gasped Asuka.

          <The others chattering away over my head served to wake me up,
but for some reason until communicating with our pilots for the first time
we can’t seem to communicate outside ourselves,> explained Unit 2.

          <Well then shall we introduce you to everyone?>

          <Not until you help me with a name.>

          <Oh, I’m sorry, what kind of name would you like?> apologized
Asuka.  <How about Akemi?>

          <Akemi,> said Unit 2 listening to the sound.  <I like it!>

          <Everyone this is Akemi,> yelled Asuka to the rest of the group.

          “Ok everyone settle in cause this is going to be a long session,”
suggested Ritsuko looking at the monitors showing the four pilots.

          <Well I guess we have plenty of time to talk,> quipped Ranma
settling back in his plug.***



          “Well that was fun,” said Asuka sarcastically as the four made
their good-byes and headed away from the Geofront.

          “Oh yeah, I can’t remember the last time I had such a blast,”
seconded Ranma.  “Did you still want to get together tonight?”

          “Yeah, lets the two of us go out to dinner,” suggested Asuka.

          “You mean like a date?” asked Ranma with his eyes getting a
little wider.

          “You make going out with the most beautiful girl in Tokyo-3 sound
like a fate worse then death!” growled Asuka.

          “If you know his whole story you wouldn’t be so quick to condemn
him,” offered Shinji.

          “Shinji if they are going out on a date then perhaps we should go
as well,” suggested Rei.

          “Shall we make it a double date then?” Asuka asked Rei.

          “Sure,” agreed Rei.  “Where do you think they should take us?”

          “Where did you learn about dates?” asked Asuka.  “You always
seemed so withdrawn before.”

          “I’ve been doing some research on the subject while Ranma was
working with Yui,” explained Rei.

          “I think we’ve just been shanghaied,” Ranma said to Shinji as
they watched the two girls deciding where the two boys were going to take
them for dinner.

          “I would say we’ve diffidently been shanghaied,” agreed Shinji.
“On the other hand is that such a bad thing?” he asked looking at the two
girls walking away from them.

          “Shinji I do believe you’re making progress coming out of your
self imposed isolation,” laughed Ranma.***



          “So what are you doing here today?” Kaji asked Ranma the next
day.  Ranma was hanging around the snack and drink area.

          “Oh not much just hanging around, didn’t have much to do today,”
explained Ranma.  *Or rather nothing I’m willing to tell the neighborhood
spy anyway,* finished Ranma to himself.  <Can you check the system and see
where Gendo is?> Ranma asked Yui.  <I’m going to take a look and see just
what it is that we’re up against.>

          <Sure thing.  According to the MAGI he’s in his office,>
responded Yui.  <Uh, could you do me a favor when you probe him?>

          <Of course teacher mine,> responded Ranma without hesitation.

          <Could you probe all of his memories, including the ones about
me?> she asked him hesitantly.

          <Uh, sure thing.  Is there something you would like to talk to me
about?  You know you can trust me with anything.>

          “I can’t imagine anyone hanging around here just because they
didn’t have anything to do,” pried Kaji.

          “Well can you really blame me for hanging around where there are
so many pretty girls?” asked Ranma winking as two female techs blushed on
their way though.

          “Can’t argue with you there,” agreed Kaji watching the two techs
continue on their way.  “Maybe I’ll see you later,” he said standing up.

          *Maybe I’ll see you later?* wondered Ranma puzzled at the choice
of wording.  *Sorry,* he silently apologized for what he was about to do.
A quick peek told him everything that he needed to know.  Kaji had made the
wrong move and Seele was going to kill him, and he knew it.  <Yui, I’ve got
to do this thing with Gendo fast.  I’m going to save Kaji.  Even if he is a
spy and a womanizer he’s still a pretty good guy.>

          <Do you have any idea how you’re going to save him?> asked Yui as
Ranma marched into the bathroom, cloaked himself in the Umi sen ken, and
raced though the halls towards Gendo’s office.

          <I’ve got an idea or two, but lets do this quick so I have some
time to work with,> responded Ranma.

          <Then I’ve got a trick to share with you.  Its possible to
download a person’s memories and look through them later at your leisure.>

          <Where did you pick up that trick?>

          <How do you think I made such good grades in collage?  Instead of
studying the notes for each class I just downloaded the relevant portion of
the professors memories and suddenly I’m a PhD in the subject.>

          <Ok, so we download Gendo and then I’ll help Kaji.  Then later we
can spend time figuring out just what is going on,> proposed Ranma as he
slid to a stop in front of the door to Gendo’s office.  <So how do you do
this trick with the downloading thing?>

          <Like this,> she said explaining the procedure in detail.

          <Ok here goes nothing.>***



          <You forgot to warn me about the headache that went with that
little technique!> said Ranma sourly as he raced to the place that he knew
from Kaji’s thoughts that he was going to wait for the assassin.

          <Don’t worry about it it’ll pass quickly.  So what are you going
to do when Seele notices that Kaji isn’t as dead as he’s supposed to be?>

          <We’ll wing it,> Ranma assured her.

          “You’re late,” Kaji was saying as Ranma, once again cloaked in
the Umi sen ken, arrived in the rat-infested apartment.  The man he was
talking too raised his gun, and then suddenly let it fall back to his side
and his eyes took on a blank look.  “What just happened?” asked Kaji to no
one in particular not really expecting an answer.

          “I happened,” explained Ranma dropping the Umi sen ken.

          “And where did you come from, and what did you happen?” asked
Kaji with his eyebrows up in his hairline from surprise.

          “I need to know if I can trust you?  Asuka does, but I’m afraid
that’s not enough for me,” said Ranma.

          “If you’re hiding secrets like this from NERV I can see why you
need to know but how do I establish that I’m trust worthy.  I don’t think
you’re going to take my word for it.”

          “No I won’t.  I know that you work, uh used to work,” he
corrected himself as he looked at the guy still staring blankly at them,
“for Seele.  On the other hand, they just tried to kill you for trying to
expose their secrets.  The thing I need to know is whether I can trust you
not to expose my secrets.”

          “Again just how am I supposed to prove that you can trust me?”
asked Kaji.

          “Shinji thinks of you as a friend, there for I can’t simply
rummage around in your thoughts like I can those people that I consider
enemies.  However if I have permission I don’t see a problem with it do
you?” asked Ranma.

          “Rummage through my thoughts?” asked Kaji blankly.  Then he
looked at the blank eyed gunman.  “Ok I’ll bite.  If I say yes what
happens?”

          “I read the thoughts in your head, if I find something that says
you can be trusted then we fix this,” explained Ranma.

          “And if I say no?”

          Ranma started the Soul of Ice technique showing the cold
emotionless interior in his eyes, “Then this guy wakes up and finishes his
assignment.”  *Please don’t let him see I’m bluffing!* thought Ranma.

          <If I can’t tell whether or not you’re bluffing there is no way
that he’ll be able to,> Yui assured him.

          “Then go ahead, what have I got to lose,” Kaji told him.

          After a complete rummaging Ranma looked at him and said, “Ok, you
passed.”  Then he turned to the gunman and implanted a complete memory of
having walked in and shot Kaji then checked the body for confirmation.
Ranma then walked over and turned the guy around, pointed him toward the
door, and snapped his fingers.  The man, thinking his assignment was
complete walked out the door without looking back.

          “So what happened to him?” asked Kaji blinking at the sight.

          “He clearly remembers walking in, shooting you, and then checking
the body for confirmation,” explained Ranma.  “Now he’s on his way to tell
his superiors that his mission is complete.  I suggest that you find a nice
quiet place to lay low for a while.”

          “I assume that you are preparing to make a move against NERV and
or Seele otherwise you wouldn’t have been this couscous?”

          “Yep,” agreed Ranma.

          “Who all is on your side?” asked Kaji.  “I could offer you a
great deal of help.”

          “If we need more help then four Evangelions can offer I don’t
think your one gun is going to help much, but thanks for the offer.”

          “All three of the other pilots are with you?” asked Kaji his eyes
wide.  Then they narrowed, “You may need more then just violence to do the
job.”

          “True,” agreed Ranma not willing to give away too much to him.

          “Then you need a way to get in touch with me,” said Kaji.

          Ranma smiled as his devious streak that had awakened after
associating with Yui’s sense of humor offered the perfect suggestion.
“I’ll tell you what, keep an eye on the personals section of that dating
website that’s always being advertised if you see an ad that says…” Ranma
laughed as Kaji’s eyes widened as he explained his idea.

          “If you say so,” agreed Kaji.  “I think I’d better find a better
hiding place, they seem to have found this one rather quickly,” he said
shaking his head as he walked off.

          <Shinji!> yelled Ranma loud enough to be heard across Tokyo-3.

          <Ranma?  Is something wrong?> asked Shinji.

          <Sort of.  You’d better get back to Misato’s apartment she’s
going to need you.>

          Shinji raced back to the apartment just in time to hear Kaji’s
recording playing for Misato.  “Oh Misato, I’m so sorry,” said Shinji
walking around to hug her.  “Kaji was a friend of mine too.”***



          The next two months pass sleepily as the angels thankfully stay
quiet as repairs to Units 0 and 2 are completed.  The four pilots spend
most of their time, free or otherwise, together seemingly as a group, but a
closer look shows Ranma and Asuka spend more and more time together and
Shinji and Rei.  Dates in all but name are common between the pairs, but
everything is kept discreet to keep NERV from discovering their growing
relationships.

          Yui continues to tutor Ranma at an advanced pace, fully intending
to have him ready to graduate the collage of his choice before the angels
are defeated.  She does however seem to spend most of her time with him
when Asuka is not around and is seldom available when Asuka is present.

          Asuka occasionally falls back into her old personality, but now
has people she knows care for her and she can depend on so her new more
cheerful and easy going personality gradually takes over.  Her telepathy
grows with practice allowing her to catch her companions, leaving them with
a staggering total sync ratio.  She begins to study martial arts, but
struggles behind the rest of them.  She carries on her study with cheerful
determination rather then the intense one-upmanship that she had displayed
until now.

          Rei continues to allow her emotions out, but only in the presence
of her fellow pilot and the Evangelions.  She begins to use the flickering
energy of her not quite inactive S2 organ.  She takes pains to conceal her
growing relationship with Shinji as well as her emotions and martial arts
skill from everyone at NERV in particular Gendo Ikari.

          Shinji surprises them all when he quickly achieves enough control
over his own energy to lunch his own ki blast.  Using a curious blend of
anger/determination/confidence the blast tends to alter colors like a
strobe light but manages to nearly match some of Ryoga’s earlier attempts
with his own depression blast.  His growing confidence is noted by many,
and puzzles most.  He smiles more and easier and seldom retreats to his
SDAT player as the time moves on.

          Ranma begins to move toward independence, learning many things
from Yui not intentionally taught as they progressed though his lessons.
He learns to control his AT field from working with the Evas’ knowledge and
very low power fields far outside the Tokyo-3 city limits.  He and Yui
delve into the memories copied from Gendo Ikari.  They learned of his and
Seele’s plans for third impact as well as the manner in which he has
treated his son, which infuriated Yui to the point that Unit 1 scared the
NERV staff silly as it began to activate on its own.  They also learned of
the history of NERV, and everything that Gendo had done in the name of
being reunited with Yui, and most importantly Yui finally found the truth
of Gendo’s feelings for her, separating the truth from his words and the
whispered rumors.***



          *Its hard to believe that two months have passed so quickly,*
thought Ranma staring over the balcony rail at the city of Tokyo-3.  *It
seems like just yesterday that I wished to be free of the life that I had
been given and ended up facing off with a bunch of nuts and the occasional
angel for the fate of this world!  Speaking of which I wonder what Fate
thinks of the moves I’ve made?*  A small grin worked its way across his
face as he considered the havoc that he was in position to cause if he so
desired.  His partner and himself could cause untold havoc on this city and
world and there was very little chance that the only beings powerful enough
to stop them would interfere without a very good reason.  *NERV has no idea
of what they’ve unleashed, and I most desperately hope that neither them or
Seele learns before it bites them on the ass!*

          “Ranma it is time for breakfast,” called Rei from the kitchen.
“And we don’t want to be late for school!”

          “Speak for yourself,” muttered Ranma, his thoughts shattered.
“I’ll be right in,” he called loud enough for the first child to hear him.

          “Do you think that anyone has noticed anything different?” asked
Rei as they quickly ate breakfast.

          “I’m sure that they have.  We’ve all changed, the only advantage
that I have is that they don’t have much to compare me to before,”
responded Ranma.  “There has been to many changes in the way we act,
particularly around one another, for anyone not to notice that something is
going on.”

          “Yes you do have a point, do you think that anyone is beginning
to figure out our secrets?”

          “Probably not.  We’ve been to careful to have been found out, but
we have the problem that we have few resources of our own so when we move
is will have to be swift and decisive.”

          “Agreed, shall we race to school again?” asked Rei.

          “I always consider it to be more like jogging then racing,” Ranma
told her holding the door for her as they vaulted up the stairs to roof
level.

          “That was a nice run to start the day,” gasped out Rei as they
caught their breath on the building two blocks down from the school.

          “Yeah,” agreed Ranma only slightly winded from the run across the
rooftops.

          “There is Shinji and Asuka,” pointed Rei, jumping off of the roof
and hurtling toward the ground.

          “I wonder if she even noticed that we’re about ten stories higher
then our normal building before she jumped?” Ranma asked the railing as he
vaulted over to rescue his roommate from hitting the ground much harder
then she was prepared for.

          “Thank you Ranma,” said Rei gratefully as Ranma caught her and
cushioned her impact so that she was not injured.

          “Ranma I thought you knew that you should never be caught with
your arms around another woman,” coughed Asuka from behind them.

          “Ranma merely saved me when I misjudged the distance to the
ground,” explained Rei.

          <Honest!> put in Ranma.

          “Ok I believe you,” agreed Asuka.

          “Shall we get to class before we’re late?” asked Shinji pointing
at the time.

          “Oh man I can’t be late,” yipped Ranma shooting ahead in a cloud
of dust to the building.

          <Your mom must be a real slave driver,> Asuka teased Shinji.

          <Yeah, well, what else do you think would ever make Ranma pay
attention to his studies?> he shot back.

          <I guess you’ve got a point.>***



          “Looks like vacation is over,” quipped Ranma as the four pilots
cell phones rang at the same time.  Everyone stopped what they where doing
and immediately turned to look at the pilots as they listened to Misato.

          “If you’ll excuse us Sensei we have to meet Major Katsuragi in
the parking lot,” said Shinji standing up.

          “You might want to get under cover,” suggested Ranma as the four
pilots marched out.  <Well I wonder what they three of us are going to have
to face?>

          <There are four of us,> pointed out Rei.

          <Yeah, but I don’t think that Shinji and Sakura are going to be
joining us today.  Unit 1 is too important to Gendo for that,> pointed out
Ranma.

          “What are you guys waiting for?” demanded Misato as she slid to a
stop in front of the doors to the school.  “GET IT!”

          “Can’t you go any faster?” Ranma asked Misato leaning forward in
his seat.

          “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” demanded Asuka from the backseat.
“There is no way that she could possibly drive any faster!”

          “Wanna bet?” asked Misato grinning at them, her foot lowered a
little more.

          *Daring Misato to do anything should be outlawed,* thought
Shinji, still shaking slightly from the ride, as he climbed into the entry
plug for Unit 1 which was not to be launched as per his fathers orders.
<You guys be careful out there!>

          <Don’t worry Third child, the great Asuka Soryu Langley is on the
job!> sent back Asuka.

          <We will be careful,> added Rei.

          <Don’t worry we’ll take care of them,> Tenchi assured him.

          <That’s nice, but who’s going to take care of you two lunatics?>
demanded Yui shortly just as the com systems connected them all to the on
going conversation on the bridge.

          “It orbit is just outside our defense envelop,” Makoto was
saying.

          “It’s maintaining a constant distance from us,” added Shigeru.

          “So does that mean it’s looking for a nice comfy place to land,
or that it’s going to destroy us from way up there?” asked Misato.

          “We can’t attack it from this distance,” Makoto put in nervously.

          “Yeah, and unless it comes into our range there isn’t much we can
do offensively, the Evas weren’t designed to combat an enemy that is still
in orbit,” agreed Misato.  “Equip Units 0, 2, and 3 for long range combat.
Asuka take the lead, Ranma, Rei cover her.”

          “Aren’t we going to use Unit 1?” asked Makoto as the pilots gave
their affirmatives.

          “Unit 1 stays in cryostasis, those are commander Ikari’s orders,”
responded Misato.  *And after what’s happened we’d better except that,* she
thought.

          The Evas deployed to the surface and retrieved the longest ranged
rifles that NERV could send and strained to get a target lock even as the
rain pounded down.

          “The target is still out of range,” put in Makoto.

          “Why are you so slow?” demanded Asuka.  “You aren’t afraid of us
are you?” she laughed as the computer struggled to lock on.  As she
finished almost as if in reply a bright beam of light lanced though the
clouds and illuminated Unit 2 as warning lights began to flash on the
bridge.

          “The enemy has a particle beam weapon?” demanded Misato as her
first response to the sudden attack.

          “No, no thermal emissions detected!” responded Shigeru.

          “Abnormal reading in Asuka’s psychograph!” yelled Maya partly
turning her chair to look behind her.  “Mental contamination eminent!”

          “It’s attacking across her ego borderline,” said Ritsuko in
astonishment.  “The angels understand our psychology that well?” she
demanded.

          “DAMN YOU!” yelled Asuka beginning to fire her rifle at the still
out of range angel.  She fired apparently at random as she grabbed her
head.

          “Damn her rifle is out of ammunition!” warned Shigeru.

          “What’s that beam made of?” demanded Misato.

          “It’s some kind of energy oscillation using a physical
wavelength,” explained Makoto.  “It’s similar to an AT field.”

          “How’s Asuka?” asked Ritsuko.

          “The mental contamination is crossing her ego borderline,”
reported Maya.

          “NO don’t, don’t come into me!” yelled Asuka as the angel began
tearing at her mind.  She was curling up in the entry plug with her hands
pressed to her head, Unit 2 mimicking her actions.  “GET OUT OF MY MIND!”

          “ASUKA!” yelled Misato.

          “Major, Unit 3!” yelled Shigeru pointing at the screen.

          “Ranma what are you doing?!” demanded Misato as sharp as she
could.

          “Saving Asuka!” snapped Ranma.  <Ready Tenchi?>

          <Ready!> responded Tenchi as they crashed into the beam and Unit
2.

          “<Now!>” yelled Ranma.  Unit 3 pushed out with their AT field as
well as their hands sending Unit 2 spinning away from them with sufficient
force to slide under one of the nearby overpasses.  *Time to see what we
can do!* thought Unit 3.  Their combined personality of Unit 3 drew on the
strength of Tenchi and Ranma to erect a mental barrier that succeeded in
holding the angel’s attack at bay.  *Its only a matter of time,* thought
Unit 3 as the angel continued to bore in with all of its considerable
strength.

          “Ma’am Ranma’s psychograph appears to be nearly normal!” gasped
out Maya.  “Though he’s showing a great deal of strain according to the
monitors.”

          “Its almost like he’s found a way to protect himself!” said
Ritsuko.

          “If he has it is most likely a temporary solution at best ma’am,”
pointed out Maya pointing to the indicators on the screen that showed Ranma
was under immense stress.

          “Rei get ready to,” Misato was interrupted as Unit 0 fired before
being ordered to.

          “Its no good, there wasn’t enough energy to penetrate the AT
field its too far for our weapons,” reported Shigeru as the beam scattered
on impact.

          “We’re already at the maximum output, we can’t get anymore
power,” responded Makoto.

          “Ranma is starting to weaken, there is a faint stirring in his
psychograph,” put in Maya.

          “RANMA?” gasped Asuka from where she and Akemi had landed.

          “The target hasn’t moved,” pointed out Shigeru.

          “The possibility of the target moving into Unit 0’s range is
0.02%,” added Makoto.

          “We’ve got to do something,” said Misato trying out various plans
in her head.

          “Misato let me go out in Unit 1,” begged Shinji.

          “Forget it, this angel’s ability to attack the pilots mind is too
dangerous,” said Commander Fuyutsuki.

          “Yes we can’t allow Unit 1 to be touched by an angel,” agreed
Gendo.

          “But that can’t happen as long as I’m not defeated!” protested
Shinji.

          “There is no guarantee of that,” argued Gendo.

          “If we don’t do something Ranma is going to end up facing the
same thing that happened to Asuka!” yelled Shinji his anger starting to
show.

          “That is true,” agreed Gendo.  “Rei go to Dogma and get the
lance.”

          “Use the Lance of Longinus?  You can’t do that Ikari!” protested
Fuyutsuki.

          “There is no other way to destroy a target that remains in orbit
beyond the reach of our AT fields,” Gendo argued.  “Proceed.”

          “But I thought that if Adam and Eva came into contact it would
cause Third Impact!  We can’t take that chance commander its much to
dangerous!” protested Misato.  *So that was another lie,* she thought as he
just stared at her.  *But if contact with an angel didn’t cause Second
Impact what did?  If something like this won’t cause Third Impact what
really happened to cause Second Impact?* wondered Misato as Unit 0
descended towards Dogma.

          Even as Unit 0 approached the lance where it was stuck in the
giant figure the two commanders argued about the use of the lance.

          “The angel is starting to break though,” reported Maya as Unit 0
moved toward its position.

          “The angel has broken though!” said Maya suddenly as Ranma’s
psychograph began to show the same effects as Asuka’s had.

          “Hurry Rei!” urged Misato.

          “Ready,” called Rei as the lance coiled up to form a javelin.

          “FIRE!” yelled Misato.

          The lance flashed upward tearing the cloud cover apart and
punching through the angel’s AT field like it wasn’t there and on through
the angel just as easily, but even as Unit 0 attacked the angel sent its
last burst of strength against the breaking defenses of Ranma’s mind.

          “Target annihilated,” reported Makoto.

          “Eva Unit 3 has been released, but Ranma looks to be
unconscious,” reported Maya.

          “I need a status update on the lance,” said Fuyutsuki.

          “It reached escape velocity,” responded Makoto.  “It’s now moving
into a lunar orbit sir.”

          “So its almost impossible to recover now,” said Fuyutsuki.

          “Right there are no methods available for recovering an object of
that much mass,” agreed Makoto.

          “What’s the status of Units 2 and 3?” asked Misato.

          “Both Eva’s are being retrieved and the pilots are being taken to
quarantine,” reported Maya.

          “Lets get them some help!” shouted Misato sending the rescue
crews scurrying for the pilots, because it was safer out there then with
Misato at the moment.***



          *This doesn’t feel like what Asuka described,* thought Ranma
feeling his barriers collapse.

          <That’s because it isn’t,> said a voice.

          <You would be the angel then?> asked Ranma.

          <Yes I would, and since you are after all a half brother I’m
going to leave you a much more interesting present.  I’m going to let the
part of you that you always try to lock away destroy you,” laughed the
angel even as it felt the lance below preparing to seek its life.  <Let the
best Ranma win.>  Its final attack hit even as the lance tore though it.

          *What in the world does that mean?* thought Ranma as he blacked
out.

          “Whoa, what happened?” groaned Ranma as he got up from where he
was laying.  “This doesn’t look like NERV to me,” he muttered as he
surveyed the plain of black glass that stretched out in all directions, and
the featureless lead gray sky above.

          Something behind him hissed.

          “I really don’t want to know,” sighed Ranma as he jumped aside
and turned to face…himself.  “That’s me!”  Then he noticed something.
*That’s the way that the Nekoken has always been described to me!* he
thought with a shiver of fear.  *So that’s what it meant!  It turned the
Nekoken buried inside me loose to destroy my normal mind leaving only the
cat behind!  Hey how come I can even think the c-word all of a sudden and
me doing a cat impression right there doesn’t seem to be effecting me
either?*  His time to ponder was short as neko-Ranma lunged at him.

          *This is going to be a long afternoon!* thought Ranma as he spun
to the side and blinked as neko-Ranma’s claws tore his shirt in passing.
He settled into his own stance and waited to see what neko-Ranma would do.
It didn’t long for neko-Ranma to start his attack again.***



          “So what happened to Ranma after he pushed me out of danger?”
Asuka demanded from Misato, who was the first person that she had seen
without a biohazard suit, without preamble.  After a few hours of tests
that proved that she had not been contaminated she was not in the mood to
be patient anymore.

          “That thing attacked your mind and when we found out that we
didn’t have a weapon that could penetrate the angel’s AT field Ranma
charged in and shoved you out of the way.  He seemed to have some kinda of
temporary defense against it, because he held it at bay for a time.
Commander Ikari ordered Rei to get the lance and use it to take out the
angel.  Just before Rei took out the angel Ranma’s defenses broke and it
started attacking his mind like it did yours, and when it was destroyed he
lost consciousness and he has not regained consciousness in the last three
hours that you’ve been undergoing tests,” Misato informed her.

          “I want to see him!”

          “Right.  Rei and Shinji have been sitting with him since you were
unavailable, he’s already passed his tests that says he’s safe, but I
haven’t heard anything cause I’ve been waiting to see you,” explained
Misato.  Then she looked at her for a moment, “Are you ok?  Did that
thing…”

          “I’m fine, Ranma saved me before it could do anything worse then
dig up some old memories, now I want to SEE HIM!” said Asuka.  <Akemi are
you ok?>

          <I’m fine, and so are the others.  Ranma seems to be the only one
that didn’t come out ok,> responded Akemi.

          “In a hurry to see your boyfriend?” teased Misato.

          “He’s not my boyfriend!” snapped Asuka.  “He did save me though,”
she pointed out in a softer tone.  Misato just nodded and lead the way
towards Ranma’s room.

          “So how is he?” asked Misato as they approached Ritsuko, Shinji,
and Rei outside Ranma’s room.

          “Physically he’s fine.  We’re getting brainwave activity, but
its…,” Ritsuko paused trying to come up with something that they would
understand.  “The readings we’re getting says he should be conscious, but
he’s not, and we really don’t know why,” she admitted finally.

          “You don’t know why?  You’re supposed to be the great Dr. Akagi!”
yelled Asuka.  “AND YOU CAN’T EVEN TELL WHAT’S WRONG WITH HIM!”

          “Calm down Asuka,” soothed Shinji.  “They’re doing everything
that they can.”  <Asuka you’re going to give everything away if you’re not
careful, you’ve pretty much already given away that you and Ranma are
close.>

          “We’re staying here,” said Asuka finally then she firmly sat down
on a chair next to Ranma’s bedside.

          Shinji just shrugged, *That’s a better result then I figured on
anyway.*  Then a sudden thought occurred to him, <Tenchi are you ok?>

          <I’m fine.  Me and Ranma were linked but it turns out that the
attack didn’t hurt me.  I guess that its attack was no good against Evas
cause Akemi wasn’t hurt either.  But I can’t get in contact with Ranma
either.  Its like I’m being blocked out.  The only thing we can do now is
wait for Ranma to come back to us.>

          “Well that outburst was unexpected,” said Ritsuko after pulling
Misato out into the hallway.

          “I don’t know, all four of them seem to be getting alone better
then ever, and like she said he probably saved her life or at least her
sanity with his move, so she is naturally going to feel somewhat
responsible for the results,” explained Misato.

          “Ok, she can stay for a while, but she’s been though a lot so I’m
going to send her home in a few hours,” agreed Ritusko.

          “Good luck,” said Misato sincerely looking though the window at
the four pilots, one on the bed, the two girls firmly planted on the
chairs, and Shinji standing between them.***



          “Where is Asuka?” asked Misato as she hung up the phone?
“Ritsuko said that she sent you all home at the same time.

          “Uh, she’s fine,” said Shinji giving a guilty look in Misato’s
direction.

          “I didn’t ask how she was, I asked where she was,” said Misato
giving him a sharper look.

          “Uh, well, that is,” stalled Shinji, then he sighed as the phone
rang.  “Don’t you think you should get that?” he asked when she kept him
pined with her stare.

          “Hello?” asked Misato turning to pick up the phone.  “Asuka,
where are you?  You’re not coming home?  Why not?  Who’s house?  Well how
do you like that?” demanded Misato slamming the receiver down.  “She hung
up on me!”  Then she turned back, “Ok, your reprieve is over, where is
she?” she demanded, before she realized that he had escaped.  “Did you
honestly think that this would save you?” she demanded as the bathroom door
crashed open.

          “MISATO WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?” demanded Shinji, grabbing
the washcloth and using its small cover in an attempt to preserve a sense
of modesty while doing a full body blush.

          “I want to know where Asuka is right now,” she said.  “The faster
you tell me the faster I’ll leave.”

          “She’soveratRei’splace!” said Shinji.  “Now would you please
leave!”

          “I don’t know I kinda like the view,” teased Misato, happy now
that she had the information that she wanted.

          “Misato, you told me that you would leave if I told you,”
protested Shinji, managing to turn even redder.

          “All right, I’m going,” she agreed, sounding reluctant.  “Rei’s a
lucky girl,” she added by way of a parting shot.  She headed toward Ranma
and Rei’s apartment.

          “Hello Major Katsuragi,” greeted Rei.

          “Hello Rei.  May I come in?” asked Misato.

          “Of course,” agreed Rei holding the door open for the major.

          “Where is Asuka?”

          “She has gone to bed,” Rei informed her.

          “Sure she has,” said Misato pushing open the door to Ranma’s
bedroom expecting to find Asuka trying to avoid her.  She stopped at the
scene inside.  Asuka was in one of Ranma’s shirts under the blankets curled
up with his pillow.  “She’s taking this hard isn’t she?” Misato asked
returning to the living room.

          “We have all become fond of Ranma.  He has saved my life as well
as the life of Asuka,” Rei reminded her.

          “Can’t you people trust me?” demanded Misato, her irritation with
having the pilots continue to hide things from her spilling out.

          “Trust you with what?” asked Rei innocently.

          “The four of you have been getting closer and you’re admitting
that, but the part that you four are still hiding is that you’re starting
to form pairs as well.  You and Shinji and Ranma and Asuka, isn’t that
right?” asked Misato staring into Rei’s red eyes.

          “How did you…how did you figure it out?” asked Rei.

          “Like I said you have been hiding it and I can’t quite figure out
why, but there have been small signals that no one at NERV has been privy
too.  Asuka no longer objects to doing things with the rest of you, the
four of you go out, but Asuka gets back first with Ranma and then Shinji
comes back in about the amount of time that it takes to get back from this
apartment.  Then there is the fact that you four are spending nearly all of
your off time together, but when you come back you and Shinji have been one
place, judging by the bags you were carrying, and Ranma and Asuka had been
someplace else.  Now would you be willing to tell me why you are hiding
this from NERV?”

          “Because we no longer trust NERV, and we do not wish our new
relationships to be used for their gains,” said Rei with a hint of what she
thought of NERV and its commanders.  “Would you like me to be honest with
you?”

          “Yes I would,” said Misato.

          “Then given your desire for vengeance against the angels that
took your father, we’re not sure that we can trust you,” said Rei.  “We
object to being used by anyone.  Now good night Major Katsuragi,” finished
Rei holding the front door open for her.

          *Did I just get thrown out by REI of all people?* thought Misato
in astonishment, standing in the hallway.  As soon as she could make it
back to her apartment she knocked on Shinji’s door.  “Shinji I need some
answers!” she called.

          “I thought I gave you the answer you wanted?” said Shinji with a
look in his eyes that made Misato know that he was on guard against her.

          “So you don’t trust me either do you?” she asked trying to hide
the pain that showed from that knowledge.

          “What do you mean?” asked Shinji.

          “Rei told me.  That the four of you don’t trust anyone from NERV
anymore, the rest of them because you never really have, and me because I
want vengeance for my father,” explained Misato.
          “We don’t mind that you hate the angels for what they did, but
you shouldn’t try to use us for your revenge, good night,” said Shinji
simply.***



          “Good morning Asuka,” greeted Rei after Asuka dragged herself out
of bed.

          “Good morning Rei.  I’m-”

          “Going to visit Ranma, I know,” said Rei, cutting her off.  “I’ve
already called and informed the school that you are going to the NERV
infirmary.  They naturally assumed that you where not feeling well.”

          “I…thank you very much,” said Asuka finally.

          “I still don’t know how Dr. Akagi convinced you to come home in
the first place,” said Rei shaking her head.



          ***Flashback***

          “You need to go home and get some rest,” Ritsuko instructed Asuka
who was still sitting by Ranma’s bedside.

          “I don’t want to go,” Asuka said firmly.

          <You should go Asuka,> said Yui.  <Right now you can’t help him,
and you won’t be able to help him later if you don’t take care of
yourself.>

          <You want me to just leave him?> she demanded.

          <We will watch over him while you are gone,> Sakura assured her.

          <Yes the three of us will stay with him until you can come back
tomorrow,> Akemi told her.

          <The three of you?> asked Asuka.

          <We’ll be here too,> Tenchi spoke up.  <But those three have been
acting peculiar recently,> he added on a private band.

          <Peculiar?  In what why?> asked Asuka finally allowing herself to
be gently lead toward the exit to the medical wing.

          <I’m not sure, but they’ve just been acting strange,> said
Tenchi.

          <Do you think they’re ok?>

          <I’m sure they’re fine, but I’ll keep an eye on them for you if
you like,> he offered.

          <Yes, thank you.  Good night,> she said as she left the building
convinced that Ranma would be ok while she took a short nap and a shower,
but she wasn’t going home!

          ***End Flashback***



          “Oh she had some help,” said Asuka.  “Now if you’ll excuse me I’m
going to see Ranma now.”

          “Of course, should I bring you your school work?” asked Rei.

          “Don’t bother,” suggested Asuka.

          “Very well, I must meet Shinji before class,” Rei informed her as
they parted ways at the street.

          “Enjoy your day in class,” suggested Asuka quickly walking
towards NERV headquarters.

          “So Asuka went to Ranma did she?” asked Shinji catching up with
Rei a block or so before the school.

          “Can we honestly complain about her seeking to be with him?”
asked Rei.

          “No I guess we can’t,” agreed Shinji.  Continuing to school they
where interrupted by the whispers of a new student.  “So who is this new
student?” Shinji asked Toji as soon as they had made it to class.

          “I have no idea, but what about Ranma?  I heard that he was hurt
pretty bad by this angel,” asked Toji.

          “He’s in a coma,” explained Shinji.  “Auska is with him.”

          “The demon herself is sitting vigil beside the bed of the guy
that beat her sync score,” gasped Toji grabbing his heart dramatically.

          “All right class we have a new student!” the class representative
said.  The new student walked in, silver hair, red eyes and a warm smile.

          <Please tell me that you can think of another reason for someone
to have red eyes,> Shinji sent to Rei.

          <I know of no other reason for someone to have red eyes.  I am
the only one that I know with them, and that comes from my angel part.  It
is therefore logical that this new student is also part angel!> sent back
Rei.

          “This is Kaoru Nagisa, and he has just transferred to this school
for a time,” continued the class rep oblivious to Shinji and Rei’s quick
conversation.

          “Are you an Eva pilot?” yelled one of the students from the back
of the classroom.

          “I was sent to be the replacement pilot for Pilot Saotome,”
admitted Kaoru.

          <Over Tenchi’s dead body,> commented Shinji wincing.

          <If then,> agreed Rei thinking of Tenchi’s most likely response
to this guy walking up and announcing that he was the new pilot of Unit 3.

          <So what do we do?> asked Shinji.

          <Maybe we should talk to him during lunch break,> suggested Rei.

          <I guess we should, but what do we say?  Hey did you know you’re
part angle, oh and don’t get to attached to Unit 3 if you try and take
Ranma’s place he might just decide to hurt you?> asked Shinji with a short
laugh.

          <Perhaps we should approach the matter somewhat more direct,>
suggested Rei sarcastically.

          <I guess but I still think his reaction would be priceless,>
agreed Shinji.  Rei just rolled her eyes at him.***



          <How is he?> asked Asuka as soon as she cleared the security gate
to the Geofront.

          <He’s still physically fine, but none of us can reach him
mentally.  Its like he’s locked deep down in side himself, cause we know
he’s in there we just can’t get him to respond,> said Tenchi without even
offering a good morning.

          <Asuka I would like to speak to you,> said Yui suddenly.

          <Is everything ok?> asked Asuka quickly.  *She almost never talks
to me!  And never just to me, always with other people in the
conversation!*

          <I want to say I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you.  I’ve
deliberately closed you out and generally tried to keep Ranma away from
you, but what can I say other then I’m sorry.  I was just a jealous old
woman trying to keep hold of the first man I’ve cared about since I found
my son,> said Yui.

          <Jealous?  Jealous of what?> asked Asuka glaring at the nurse
that was moving to keep her from Ranma’s door.  The nurse wisely retreated
rather then face the wrath of the Second Child.

          <Of you.  He’s obviously very taken with you.  I did my share of
dating before my accident and I can tell you that you have a special one
there, tell him your feelings and if he shares them then hold on tight to
each other and never let go,> she advised.

          <But she can’t!  I love him!> protested Sakura.

          <You?  I love him!> put in Akemi.

          <Huh?> asked Tenchi blankly.  <What do you mean the three of you
love him…uh four of you,> he corrected quickly when Asuka growled at him.

          <I asked mother one time what the perfect guy was like, and Ranma
fits that bill to a tee,> said Sakura.

          <And I can’t count the number of times me and Asuka have sat and
talked about Ranma, how kind, thoughtful, and cute of course!> added Akemi.

          <Oh man,> said Tenchi.  <Have the two of you forgotten that
you’re Evangelions?  He’s still human, or mostly human, but close enough.
The closest that you could ever get to him would be mentally or with him as
your pilot!>

          <That’s why I’ve finally given up.  He can take Asuka out to
dinner, the movies, and hold her.  I’m just the ghost of an old woman that
hasn’t managed to finish dying yet,> said Yui.

          <Now I feel awful.  He was with you before I even came around and
now…> trailed off Asuka.

          <Don’t worry the three of us will have to settle for watching out
for him and living a life as Ranma’s girlfriends though you,> said Yui
trying to keep from adding to the burden that Asuka carried.  *She really
has changed.  Two months ago she would never have dared admit that she
actually had feelings for someone.  Now not only can she admit it but she
is sorry for breaking our dreams in the process,* thought Yui considering
just how badly she had misjudge the red head in the beginning.

          <Besides there is nothing that we can do, unless of course you
would like to ask for a transfer to Unit 3 and send Ranma to be my pilot,>
said Akemi suggestively.

          <Does that even disserve an answer?> asked Tenchi.  *Oh man
Ranma’s going to love this when he wakes up!*

          <Oh and don’t even think about telling this story to Ranma when
he wakes up,> said Yui cutting though Tenchi’s musing like a knife.

          *Eerie, its like she read my mind!* thought Tenchi.  Then he
showed a smile where the rest of them could see it, <I don’t have a
choice.  Me and Ranma are linked closer then the rest of you during battle,
he’ll almost certainly see what I’m thinking.>

          <Oh man,> groaned the four girls while Tenchi just smiled
broader.***



          “Hello Shinji Ikari,” greeted Kaoru as the class charged outside
for lunch.

          “Hello Kaoru Nagisa,” returned Shinji cautiously.  *There’s
something about this guy.*

          “I do hope that Pilot Saotome will understand my situation and
not hurt me for tying to take his spot,” continued Kaoru with a wryly grin.

          “How did you…?” asked Shinji only to trail off as he realized
what they had done.  *We knew that Rei was a natural at picking up on
telepathy because she is part angel and now here we have another half angel
and we’re blathering away in front of him like idiots!* thought Shinji.
*We’re so used to the only telepaths being on our side that we completely
forgot that there are others out there!*

          “So he can listen in on a conversation as easily as I did the
first time then,” said Rei from behind Shinji.

          “Yeah, and we never even considered that possibility,” sighed
Shinji.

          “I am sorry I did not mean to intrude, only its been so long
since I had a chance to hold such a conversation that I found I could not
help but listen in,” apologized Kaoru.  *These two are so different from
the information that I was given.  Shinji in particular has the same frail
seeming around him, but he’s more…alive then the pictures I have seen of
him.  Could they really have changed that much just from discovering that
they are telepaths?  And Ranma, where does he fit in, Unit 3 was never
meant to activate successfully yet some how he is here and Bardiel is not.*

          “We should have been more careful, and for the record its not
Ranma that you have to worry about, its Tenchi,” replied Shinji.

          “Tenchi?” asked Kaoru.  “Who is Tenchi?”

          <Tenchi is Unit 3,> Rei informed him.

          <That is impossible!  Eva’s do not have souls!> countered Kaoru.
*They are mere clones of Adam they can not have souls, unless they have
absorbed them from lilums?* thought Kaoru quickly.

          <’fraid you’re wrong there,> laughed Shinji.  <As a matter of
fact, Unit 1 has two souls.  The first was Unit 1’s soul, Sakura, and the
second was my mother’s soul that was absorbed during a test activation.>

          <May I meet them?> asked Kaoru quickly.

          <I’m sure that you’re scheduled for an activation test this
afternoon, you can meet them then,> suggested Rei.  <Though I suggest that
you be polite to Tenchi at least.>

          <Right,> agreed Kaoru nodding numbly.  *The Evas have souls!
They are aware!* continued to echo in his brain for the remainder of the
day.***



          <So what do you think of Kaoru’s chance of achieving any sort of
a synch ratio with Tenchi?> Shinji asked Rei on a private link while they
waited for Dr. Akagi to finish his physical before he tried his first synch
test.

          <Very little chance at all,> Rei responded.

          <So who’s the new guy?> Sakura asked Shinji.

          <Careful, he can pickup unshielded telepathy,> cautioned Shinji
to everyone one.  <So from now on everyone shield all your sendings, until
we can determine of we want to offer the new guy a place among us,>
ordered  Shinji.

          *My god!  He’s finally taking charge.  He might save this planet
after all,* thought Tenchi in astonishment.  *He even sounds more
confident?  Must be not having to contend with Ranma’s charisma.*

          <You still haven’t told us who the new guy is,> Akemi reminded
him.

          <He’s the new pilot,> admitted Shinji.  Then he cringed, <He’s
supposed to be taking Ranma’s place.>

          <HE WHAT?!> demanded Tenchi.  <Just let that little pipsqueak
climb into this cockpit like he owns the place and I’ll pin his ears back!>
he growled.

          <Don’t do anything drastic enough that NERV will begin to
suspect,> cautioned Shinji.

          <Alright, but if that little punk tries to synch with me I can’t
be responsible for the consequences,> agreed Tenchi reluctantly.

          <Of course not, and besides he’s not nearly as cute as Ranma,>
agreed Sakura.

          <Huh?> asked Shinji blankly.  <Cute?  When did you decide Ranma
was cute?>

          <The first time mom saw him.  It took me much longer to realize
that I loved him,> Sakura assured him.

          <…> responded Shinji.

          <Oh, you haven’t heard the best part yet,> Tenchi assured him.

          <The best part?> asked Rei.  <You mean it gets stranger from
here?>

          <Ask who else loves Ranma,> suggested Tenchi.

          <Ok, I’ll play.  Who else loves Ranma?> asked Rei.

          <I do,> said Asuka.

          <Me too,> agreed Akemi quickly.

          <Well I might as well make it unanimous,> said Yui.

          Shinji fainted right out of the chair he was sitting in.

          <I think he took that well,> Tenchi said to Sei.

          <Probable better then Gendo is going to take it,> agreed Sei
giggling.

          <Now that would be a sight to see,> agreed Tenchi.

          <The four of them can’t be serious, can they?” Rei asked Sei.

          <They have been talking about it while watching over Ranma all
day,> Sei told her pilot.

          Shinji shook his head and climbed back into his chair, just as
the angel alarm sounded.

          “<You’ve got to be kidding me!>” he said, running for his entry
plug.***



          “Are all the Evas ready to launch?” Misato was asking the bridge
crew as Shinji, Rei, and Asuka turned on their com systems.

          “No ma’am,” said Maya.  “Unit 3 is not ready yet and Unit 1 is
still in cryostasis ma’am,” she reminded the major.

          “What’s the hold up?” demanded Misato.

          “Unit 3 is refusing to synch with Kaoru,” said Dr. Akagi.

          “Launch the other Evas then,” ordered Misato.

          “What is that thing?” asked Shinji as the two Evangelions reached
the surface.  The angel was a glowing circle of light hanging in the air.

          “That is the 16th angel pilot Ikari,” said Rei in her flat tone,
and had to stifle a giggle, because it wouldn’t be appropriate to her old
self, at his expression.

          “You two be careful up there,” cautioned Shinji.  “The last one
looked like a bird of light, but…,” he trailed off, none of the pilots
needing a reminder that Ranma now lay in a coma below them.

          “If its going to sit nice and still where I can shoot at it I’m
going to,” said Asuka taking aim.

          “Go for it,” agreed Misato.  However Asuka’s shots simply passed
right though it.

          “Rei Look OUT!” shouted Asuka when she saw the angel change to a
snake made out of light and lung at Rei.

          “Ma’am it tore right through the AT field,” gasped Makoto.

          “Unit 3 has activated and is moving to launch!” said Maya.

          <Tenchi?> asked Shinji still shielding.

          <I’m on my way up!> he responded.  At the battle the angel had
started to merge with Unit 0

          <What happened to Kaoru?> asked Yui.

          <He’s just along for the ride,> replied Tenchi.

          <Could someone please tell me what’s going on here?” asked Kaoru,
without being synched he was completely blind to the outside world.

          <You’ve just been kidnapped by an Evangelion,> responded Shinji.

          <I’m being kidnapped by an Evangelion?> asked Kaoru with
something approaching a chuckle.

          Tenchi had arrived at ground level while they were talking and
started considering his options.  <Hold on Sei I’m coming!>

          “Ma’am Unit 3 is gathering its AT field into its right hand
somehow,” reported Maya staring at her screen almost daring it to make
sense.

          <Let go of them you BASTARD!> shouted Tenchi.  Grabbing a hold of
the angel with his AT enshrouded hand he jerked it back, pulling it free of
Unit 0.  It immediately turned to lung at him, but he flung it away.  It
landed in a coil and began to wave it’s head like a real snake while Tenchi
landed in a crouch holding his right hand with his left next to his side.

          The 16th angel assumed that he was injured and attacked.
<GOTCHA,> snarled Tenchi as it lunged toward him in a straight line of
light.  <MOUKO TAKABISHI!>  His hands came up and fired the AT enhanced ki
attack nearly point blank down the full length of the angel, vaporizing it.

          “Target has been completely destroyed,” managed Makoto.

          <Oh, thank you Tenchi, you saved me-us,> said Sei giving the
mental impression of blushing.

          <My pleasure,> Tenchi assured her.

          <Would you two get a room already,> laughed Asuka.

          “Do we have any idea what that attack was?” Misato asked the
combined population of the bridge and Evas.

          <We know it was a variation of a ki blast,> Tenchi assured the
Evas and pilots, except for Kaoru.

          “Ritsuko?” she asked.

          “I have no idea what just happened, but if we have to put Unit 3
in cryostasis then we could be in big trouble indeed,” responded the
Doctor.***



          “Shinji, may I speak to you a moment?” asked Kaoru as Asuka, Rei,
and Shinji left the Geofront.

          <What do you girls think?> asked Shinji.

          <We might as well invite him over so we can ask him some
questions,> offered Rei.

          <And tell him he’d better not let anyone know what happened
today,” put in Asuka fiercely.

          “Sure come on, we were going over to Rei’s place,” agreed
Shinji.  “We can talk when we get there.”  They finished the walk to
Ranma’s apartment in silence.

          “Actually I would like to speak to Shinji alone if I may,” said
Kaoru hesitantly.

          “Asuka and I will go shopping, we need to purchase some food if
we are going to have guests,” said Rei.  “Well will be back shortly, I
suggest that you make that most of that time Kaoru Nagisa.”

          Asuka looked like she was going to object, but then changed her
mind and let Rei lead her from the room.

          “So what did you want to talk about?” asked Shinji.

          “I think I love you,” said Kaoru simply.

          “We just met, you don’t know a thing about me, and you think you
love me?” countered Shinji.

          “On the contrary I know nearly everything about you,” said
Kaoru.  You see I was taught everything there is to know about the pilots.
Even after I had memorized the information I kept coming back to your
picture, even as a picture it seems to have captured your frailness, a
sense of being a creation of glass.  One that must be protected and
preserved for a single blow is all it would take to shatter something
beautiful.”

          Shinji just stood there staring at him.

          “You’re more…alive, more involved in the world around you, then
Seele thinks but you’re still basically the same person,” continued Kaoru.

          Shinji moved back and dropped into a nearby chair.

          “Shinji?” asked Kaoru.

          “I’m sorry I’ve just never…” hesitated Shinji.  “I mean, you’re
the first person to tell me that you love me since my mother.”  *He just
came out and said he loved me.  No reason, no one else around, just a
simple I love you…*

          “I understand, this is coming as something of a surprise,” said
Kaoru.

          “You might say that,” agreed Shinji emphatically.  “Why is it
that you feel this way?”

          “I don’t know, I’ve been drawn to you since I first learned of
you.  Studying the other pilots was little more then a cover for learning
everything I could about you.  I truly think that I was born to meet you,”
said Kaoru.

          “I feel close to you some how too,” agreed Shinji.  “I was so
alone until Ranma came, and then the four of us learned about my mother and
the Evangelions, but there is a part of me that feels alone.  When I’m with
Rei the gap is partially filled, but there is still a part of it left, its
like I’m not whole inside.  Rei fills part of that hole, but…” trailed off
Shinji realizing that he was sitting there talking to a near total stranger
and babbling out secrets that he had not shared with anyone else, not even
Rei.

          *Could it be?  Could He have taken a hand, but no He said he
would not interfere on either side!*  Kaoru’s thoughts spun wildly as he
recognized Shinji’s description.  *How could I not recognize His greatest
gift to the lilum.  A joining of two souls, eliminating the emptiness that
all lilum feel!*  Then he turned his attention to his own single minded
pursuit of the pilot of Evangelion Unit 1, and saw.*  This time it was
Kaoru’s time to drop into a chair.

          “Kaoru are you alright?” asked Shinji.  Kaoru looked like someone
had just come up behind him and clubbed him with a cast-iron skillet.

          “Uh,” said the silver haired boy.  *Then it is true, me a half
angel and the instrument of mankind’s destruction have found a soulmate in
this young pilot!*

          “Kaoru?” asked Shinji again.

          “I’m sorry Shinji, something distracted me,” said Kaoru with a
shake of his head.  “How do you feel right this moment?” he asked the
pilot.

          “How do I feel?” asked Shinji.  “I don’t fell sick if that’s what
you want to know,” answered Shinji a little perplexed by the question.

          “How does the hole feel?” whispered Kaoru so quietly that Shinji
nearly missed it.

          “It feels…like I’m with Rei!” said Shinji with his eyes wide.

          “It is still half empty?” asked Kaoru in shock.

          “Yes, but only half, Rei is the only other person that I’ve ever
felt like this before,” said Shinji in wonder.

          *I thought for sure that my presence would fill it, for his
presence fills me!*  Then Kaoru had a thought that hit like a lightening
bolt, *Could it be?  I have never heard of such a thing, but could a lilum
have two such bonds?  Needing two people to feel complete and happy?  Or a
single bond, held by two half lilums?* pondered Kaoru.  “Shinji, I live
alone, would you mind if I stayed a little longer and enjoyed your
company?”

          “No, not at all,” agreed Shinji readily.

          The two continued to talk until Asuka and Rei returned from their
shopping and while the girls were leery of trusting him to quickly they did
show signs of loosening up by the end of the night.

          “So Shinji how does the loneliness feel now?” asked Kaoru as they
were getting ready to leave so the girls could get to bed.  They were
temporarily alone in the living room.

          “It feels…” started Shinji.  *For the first time in well…I don’t
feel the loneliness!*  “It doesn’t feel, its gone!” said Shinji in wonder.

          “I am truly sorry to tell you this, but I think that it will come
back very soon,” said Kaoru softly.

          “So how do I make it go away?” asked Shinji.  “How do I stop
being alone?”

          “I’m not sure how much you will believe,” said Kaoru hesitantly.

          “Just tell me, please?” asked Shinji.

          “When you are with me or pilot Ayanami then the loneliness is
lessened, and when you are with both of us its gone,” said Kaoru.  “Do you
believe in fate?”

          “You mean as in some things are meant to happen?” asked Shinji.
“Yeah, I do.”

          “Then do you believe that there are people fated to be together?
Soulmates?” asked Kaoru.  “The subject of so many songs, poems, and fairy
tales.”

          “I don’t know,” said Shinji.  “I’ve never really thought about
it.”

          “The lilum people all have that sense of unhappiness or
loneliness, but for those few who meet the one that they are destined to be
with there is a joining of souls, not quiet one person, but a merging
making them complete,” Kaoru told him.

          “So what does it mean that with you or Rei I’m still not
complete?  Does that mean I need to keep looking for the one person that is
destined for me?” asked Shinji.

          “I think you have already met the people that you need to feel
complete,” said Kaoru.

          “You mean both!” Shinji half shouted in surprise.

          “Is something wrong?” asked Rei coming into the room hearing
Shinji’s voice from the other room.

          “Uh, I was just surprised at something,” said Shinji quickly.

          “You have always been a bad liar,” she told him.  “That is not
all, and I can respect that there are secrets left that you do not wish to
share.”

          “Kaoru would you wait up a moment, I wanted to say something to
Rei in private please?” Shinji asked the fifth child.

          “Of course,” agreed Kaoru stepping out into the hallway of the
apartment building.

          “I’m sorry, Rei,” Shinji apologized.  “Its just that my first
reaction was to keep this information to myself until I had confirmed it.
You see most of the time I feel a loneliness down inside that I can’t fill
no matter how many people I have around me, but when I’m with you half of
that hole is filled up.  The loneliness is bearable, but Kaoru causes the
same half filed sense.  Tonight with all four of us here is the only time
I’ve not felt the loneliness for many years,” poured out Shinji.  *She’s
going to think that I’m a raving lunatic!* thought Shinji after careful
consideration of what he’d just said.

          “You have felt the loneliness as well?” asked Rei.

          “Huh?” asked Shinji caught completely off guard by Rei’s casual
acceptance of things that would have sent the school councilor looking for
a professional.

          “Me and Ranma have discussed this…phenomenon, I thought it
particular to me because of my half angel nature and I have noticed that
the loneliness is held at bay when you are around,” elaborated Rei.  “And
now you tell me that you feel the same way, yet my presence only fills half
of your loneliness.”

          “Yes,” agreed Shinji, still stunned by what he had just heard.

          “Then I suggest that you speak to pilot Nagisa to discover what
he can tell you about this,” suggested Rei.

          “Thank you I will,” said Shinji.

          “Thank you for being honest and open, even when I was not,”
countered Rei leaning over to kiss him on the lips with just a soft brush
of hers.  “Now you should go and speak to pilot Nagisa.”

          “Uh, right,” agreed Shinji turning slightly pink while putting
his fingers up to his lips.***



          “Kaoru do you feel the loneliness?” asked Shinji joining the
silver-haired boy in the building hallway.

          “Yes.  Yes I do feel the loneliness Shinji,” Kaoru told him.
“But at the moment it is gone.”

          “Rei just told me that she feels the same loneliness that I do,
but like you just me being there is enough,” said Shinji still trying to
wrap his mind around the concept that each of them could feel complete with
just him, but he needed both of them.

          “That is because each of us is bonded only to you, not to each
other,” Kaoru told him as they worked their way down the stairway and into
the street.  “To feel complete we need only you.  However there are two
holes in you.  One that only I can fill, and one that only Rei Ayanami can
fill.”

          “But that means…” trailed off Shinji.  “Does the loneliness
always come and go depending on how close you are to the other?”

          “No, once the merging is complete then the whole world can
separate the physical shells and the souls will still be together,”
answered Kaoru.  *Soon he will turn off to return to his home and the
loneliness will return.  Astonishing that a Messenger of Heaven can feel
such dread at the parting from a mortal,* he thought with a small smile.

          “But until then, you will have to endure the loneliness just like
me and Rei.  You’ve actually had to live with it longer, because this is
the first time that we’ve ever met,” said Shinji.  “Uh, would you mind if I
stayed over at your place?”

          “That would be wonderful Shinji!” said Kaoru enthusiastically.
*Does he truly still think so little of himself even now that he thinks I
would deny his request?  Even knowing that I must face the loneliness in
his absence?*

          “Wait, I can’t,” said Shinji after a moments thought.

          “Why can’t you?” asked Kaoru.  “Have you changed your mind?”

          “No, but Misato is still trying to get over the loss of Kaji.  I
don’t want to leave her in the apartment by herself, she’ll fall into
depression to easily,” explained Shinji.  “Even after two months the last
message that he left is still recorded on her machine.”

          “So caring that you would consider another’s pain over your own
without hesitation,” whispered Kaoru.  “Would you be upset if I asked to
stay at Major Katsuragi’s apartment for the night?”

          “Would you really like to stay over?” asked Shinji as they passed
the spit off point.

          “Certainly if I may,” answered Kaoru.  Then they walked in
silence the rest of the way to the apartment that Shinji shared with
Misato.

          “Misato?” called Shinji pushing open the door.

          “Shinji, welcome home,” called back Misato from the living room
couch.

          “Uh, I was wondering if you would mind if Kaoru stayed the night
here?” asked Shinji.  “Me and him were talking and getting to know each
other since he’s the new pilot and all.”

          “Shinji, what are you so nervous about?” asked Misato suddenly,
proving she wasn’t as drunk as the beer cans in front of her might
indicate.

          “Well, I was hoping that you weren’t going to charge in on me in
the bath again,” managed Shinji.

          “Oh, well if you two are going to stay here for the night then
you might as well pull up a chair and lets watch some movies,” suggested
the slightly drunk major.

          Shinji and Kaoru both tried to keep Misato from feeling to
depressed by keeping up a light chatter during the commercials and picking
a comedy for the next movie selection.  Then after Misato dosed off they
spread a few blankets out on the living room floor and just being near each
other was enough.***



          “You don’t have to do that, I can get them,” protested Shinji.
Kaoru was insisting on doing the dishes after Shinji cooked breakfast the
next morning.

          “You cooked allow me to do my part,” chided Kaoru.  “Besides you
are getting our lunches ready so you hardly have time to do that and the
dishes as well if we are going to make it to school on time.”

          “Alright you win,” admitted Shinji from his place at the table
where he was packing three lunches.  “When ever you’re done we can go.”

          “All done here,” Kaoru told him, tossing the towel on the hanger
to dry.

          “Then lets get going,” said Shinji handing Kaoru his lunch bag.

          “Good morning,” greeted Rei when they met at their usually
corner.

          “Good morning Rei, here is your lunch,” said Shinji returning her
greeting and handing over he bag containing her lunch.

          <Did you speak to him about the loneliness?> asked Rei still
shielding against Kaoru.

          <Yes, I did,> replied Shinji the same way.  The rest of the trip
to the class room was taken up by him recounting the information that Kaoru
had given him about soulmates and the speculation that Shinji had two such
bonds.

          <Interesting, and pilot Nagisa believes that while your presence
can stop the loneliness for each of us, to stop yours you need both of us?>
asked Rei as Hikari did her rise, bow, and sit routine.

          <Yes, and I have to say that it fits the circumstances,> he told
her.

          <Then we shall have to discus this,> said Rei.  Then she stopped
shielding from Kaoru and addressed him, <Do you truly believe that the two
of us being with him could stop Shinji from feeling his loneliness?>

          <Yes.  I have always believe that only two lilums can be joined
in this manner, but this situation my have been caused by the fact that we
are only half lilum or my understanding my have been simply wrong,>
explained Kaoru.  <But in either case, if we look at the facts, Shinji is
half lonely with ether one of us, but has only ever been completely happy
when the three of us were together then it would suggest that he needs both
of us to feel complete.>

          <Indeed, then we should discus this further, such as we this
actually means to us and what we’re going to do, as well as speak to
Tenchi, and the rest of the Evangelions about it.>

          “Shinji, I need to talk to you a moment,” said Hikari as soon as
they bell rang for lunch.

          “Is something wrong?” asked Shinji, puzzled that the class
representative would seek him out.

          “Well Asuka hasn’t been here for a few days now, I was wondering
if she was ok?” asked the Hikari.

          “She’s fine, but she’s been staying with Ranma, he was hurt
pretty badly by the 15th angel,” explained Shinji.

          “But I thought she didn’t get along with him very well?” asked
Hikari confused.

          “Someone saving your life can make them grow on you in a hurry,”
offered Shinji.  Shinji was interrupted by his cell phone ringing.
“Hello?  What?  Are you sure?” he asked.  Then he stopped to listen for a
moment and nodded, “I’ll tell the others and meet you in the parking lot,”
he said hanging up.  He turned back to Hikari, “I’m sorry, but we’re going
to have to go.  Rei, Kaoru we have to meet Misato in the parking lot,”
Shinji called out to them.***



          “So Seele has tried to disable our systems with the other MAGI
systems around the word, but since Ritsuko has managed to put a stop to
that plan there is no telling what they’re going to try next,” Misato told
the four active pilots once they had been gathered back to NERV
headquarters, they were in the pilots briefing room and Asuka was clearly
unhappy to be away from Ranma’s bedside.

          “What do you think is the most likely?” asked Shinji.

          “If subtle failed then they would most likely try brute force
would they not?” asked Kaoru.

          “That is what we’re afraid of.  Our defensive budget has been
being cut steadily recently and this would be the perfect time to launch an
attack,” agreed Misato.

          Even as they discussed the possibility of an attack a man dressed
in black fatigues was stepping to the side of Ranma’s bed.  “Fourth Child
found, no sign of the others yet, proceeding with termination,” he said
into his radio’s headset.  Then he added out loud while pointing his pistol
to Ranma’s head, “Sorry kid it’s a job, don’t take it personally.”

          “I promise,” responded Ranma with his eyes snapping open and his
hand flashing up and across the soldier’s throat, tearing it out with a
trio of ki claws.  “It’s a good thing for you you didn’t hurt any of my
friends!” added Ranma tearing the wires loose from his body and grabbing
the fresh set of clothes that Asuka had been bringing with her each day.
<Hello everyone, I’m BACK!> sent Ranma out on an unshielded pulse.
<Everyone keep low, someone just tried to kill me because I’m the Fourth
Child,> he added.  Even as he was sending out his call Tenchi was aware of
him and they connected each sharing the events that had transpired since
they parted.

          <WELCOME BACK!> sent Tenchi.

          <Yui what’s the possibility that Kaoru is the 17th angel?> asked
Ranma, suddenly piecing together fragments of suspicion that Gendo had be
harboring when Ranma had downloaded his memory.  Ranma was dressing and
prepared to break out of the hospital wing if that was the only way out.

          <I’m getting old!> hissed Yui as she also put the pieces
together.  <Kaoru you are the 17th angel and when you didn’t attack as
instructed Seele turned to this plan instead didn’t they?>

          <Yes, and I apologize for my deception, but I wished to feel this
feeling of completeness and ease Shinji’s pain a little while longer before
I was destroyed,> said Kaoru.  <I am now prepared.>

          <Relax Kaoru, with any luck there are very few people that have
to die here today, and you shouldn’t be one of them.  Alright boys and
girls its now or never.  Seele is showing its hand, and the angels are gone
or not willing to wipe our the human race so long as Shinji is here with
us, any objections?>

          “<Lets do it!>” said Shinji in the conference room.

          “What?” asked Misato startled by the outburst.

          “Misato, its time for Seele and NERV to fall,” said Shinji.
“Ranma is awake and we’re going to end this, once and for all.”

          “Don’t you realize!  The rest of the Eva series had been
completed!  They are most likely to be involved in any attack that Seele
will make.  You’ll be out numbered at least two to one!”

          “Misato!” yelled Maya from the bridge intercom.  “Commander Ikari
wants to know where Rei is, there is some kinda fighting going on in the
infirmary, the main entrances are being overrun, and we have nine white
Evas outside getting ready to attack!”

          “NOBODY MOVE!” shouted a black clad soldier crashing through the
door with and machinegun waving to cover them all.  “Just think I’ll be
famous, having killed four of the five pilots!” he gloated.  His finger
started to take up the slack on the trigger and Misato went for her gun,
not knowing that Kaoru and Rei were ready to utilize their AT field to
protect the group.  “AHHHH!” screamed the soldier as a quarter inch piece
of steel rebar punched out of his chest from behind.

          “Damn I am going to have to learn how to control that!” growled
Ranma coming into the room.

          “What just happened?” asked Misato.

          “Something happened to me that seems to have let some of my
more…primal instincts out of the closet.  Since I woke up with someone
trying to add an extra hole in my head, I seem to be killing on instinct,”
summarized Ranma.  He turned to the pilots, “Shall we?” he asked.

          “Uh with the hallways crawling with soldiers and only one gun
between us how are we going to get to the cages?” asked Shinji.  His
question was answered as a huge black hand belonging to Tenchi tore the end
of the briefing room away leaving a hole through to the cages.  “Oh,” was
all he could say.

          “Remember Sakura and Tenchi have their own S2 organ,” Ranma
reminded him.

          “Right, lets go!” shouted Shinji, jumping through the hole in the
wall he charged for his entry plug.  The pilots quickly entered and synched
with their Evas leaving Kaoru and Misato to watch and the bridge crew to
wonder as all four Evas powered up, two of them without umbilical cords.***



          Gendo stared at the speaker trying to hide his shock as he heard
Ranma call out, “<Yui, what are the most likely ways for third impact to
occur?>”  He didn’t know it, but Ranma and Tenchi had synched far enough
that their telepathic link had connected to Tenchi’s built in com systems,
transmitting to NERV as well as through thoughts.  For the first time all
four pilots entered into synch with four aware Evas and the results pushed
all four perilously close to the four hundred percent limit.

          “<Well, if those nine Evas up there can get their hands on Sakura
they can do it, Rokubungi could use Rei in combination with Adam,
currently  merged in his hand, to force Lilith to initiate third impact,
oh, and with Kaoru still around him and Rokubungi or him and Lilith coming
into contact would pretty much do the same thing,>” tallied Yui also
audible over the com system.

          “YUI?” yelled Gendo.

          “<Shut up Rokubungi, It might take me a few years to figure out
how, but I’m going to make you PAY!>” hissed Yui as soon as she realized
that for the first time in years he could hear her.

          “<Well Shinji its your show?  How do you want to do this?  We
have to take care of Lilith, Gendo, and those nine Evas up there as well as
all those people with guns running around everywhere,>” said Unit 3 as they
finished snapping the last of the restraints off that could prevent them
from launching.

          “<Uh, well I guess you two, Unit 2, and Unit 0 should all head up
and take care of the Evas, and me, Sakura, and mother will take care of
Lilith and Gendo,>” outlined Shinji.

          “<Not a bad plan, but I suggest that you take Asuka with you.
You never know if you might need backup, and we can’t afford any accidents
here,>” pointed out Ranma.

          “<Right-,” he was cut off suddenly.

          “<OH SHIT!>” shouted Yui.  “<Ranma, Rokubungi is headed off the
bridge and toward Terminal Dogma!>”

          “<So?>” asked Asuka.  “<Who cares where he runs to?>”

          “<There are still Rei clones down there!>” said Ranma suddenly
agreeing with Yui’s choice of wording.

          “<Right new plan, Units 0 and 3 take care of the white Eva
series, Unit 2 take out Lilith and Terminal Dogma.  We’ll stop Gendo,>”
shouted Shinji rapid fire.

          *I’ll be damned, he’s going to save the world after all!* thought
Unit 3 absent mindedly as the Evangelions prepared to launch for their
final battle, and the bridge could only watch the drama unfolding around
them in their own headquarters.

          “<Ready>?” Unit 3 asked Unit 0

          “<We’re ready,>” agreed Unit 0.

          “<Unit 3/0 launch!>” they shouted together.

          The bridge crew stared in shock as the two Evangelions were
launched toward the surface, while the heavy doors covering Terminal Dogma
began rolling back, all at the command of the MAGI.***



          Units 0 and 3 hit the surface just as the nine white Evas were
setting down in a solid line facing them.  Without exchanging a word Unit 0
punched through the side of a supply building and pulled a rifle out, while
Unit 3 advanced toward the line.

          The white Evas were controlled from dummy plugs and had no
concept of fear, so failed to heed the warning when Unit 3 hissed at them.
Unit 3 gathered one AT field around their hands and the second remained in
place to shrug off the fire of the line of UN tanks and artillery that
pounded at them.  The AT around their hands changed shape until they
sported a wicked set of claws on each hand, looking like a forty story tall
Wolverine.  Unit 0 left one of their AT fields in place to stop the UN
units targeting them, and then gathered the second in their hands as well.

          “What are they waiting for?” wondered commander Fuyutsuki out
loud on the bridge.

          His question was answered a second later as Unit 3 pounced on the
white Evas, even before their first jumping slash connected Unit 0 fired,
their bullet glowing reddish-orange with the unmistakable glow of an AT
field.  The two Evangelions worked in uncanny coordination with Unit 3 a
slashing blur of black and orange in the midst of the enemy and Unit 0
shooting into the group without ever once even nicking Unit 3.  Each Eva
seemed to know what the other was going to do and where it was going to be.

          “<Well that was fun,>” said Unit 3 dryly as they ripped the head
from the last of the S2 series with their AT field claws.

          “<Indeed I would have thought Seele would have made more
formidable Evas,>” agreed Unit 0.  “<It would seem that they have,>” they
pointed out when the S2 series healed in seconds and stood for a second
round.

          “<This might be fun after all,” laughed Unit 3, gathering
themselves for another attack.

          “<It would seem that these Evas possess an S2 organ as well as a
dummy plug.  Therefore we must destroy the S2 organs to stop them,>”
offered Unit 0.

          “<Is that all?>” asked Unit 3 lazily, with a lightning grab their
claws ripped into the midsection of the nearest enemy Eva and emerged with
the S2 organ.  “<Here, why don’t you girls incorporate this into
yourselves,>” offered Unit 3.

          “<Do you think we should?>” asked Unit 0.

          “<Why not?  Then you would never require outside power again!>”
tempted Unit 3.

          “<Indeed,>” agreed Unit 0.  They seized the S2 organ and quickly
consumed it, incorporating it into themselves.***



          “<I missed a fight with nine enemy Evas for this?>” demanded Unit
2 when they finally landed in Terminal Dogma.  Lilith was still pinned to
the giant cross in the lake of LCL and seemed oblivious to the approach of
Unit 2.  “<SHINJI/SAKURA!  This is an INSULT!>” they shouted flipping their
Prog knife out of the shoulder storage compartment.  A simple pattern of
stabs showed them the location of the core in a matter of seconds, and with
an almost casual stab it was shattered.  *Now to completely destroy the
body so there is no cloning or any more unit 1s,* they thought.  “<Bingo!>”
they shouted.  Unit 2 swiftly cut into the second angel’s body and removed
the S2 organ.  Unit 2 popped it into their mouth like a piece of chocolate
and quickly activated it.

          A mere though powered up their AT field at an unprecedented level
and it washed over Lilith like a breaking wave, vaporizing its body
completely.  “<HEY GET US A ROPE DOWN HERE AND I MEAN NOW!>” they shouted
at the bridge.  Having just seen Unit 2 casually vaporize an angel with
their AT field the bridge was quick to comply and Unit 2 raced up the rope
as fast as they could.

          “<I can’t believe you didn’t save us any!>” they complained when
the reached the top just in time to see Unit 3 rip out another S2 organ and
blow it away with a blast of ki, and Unit 2’s AT enhanced bullet to shred
the final one into bloody taters.

          “<Hey you soldier types!  If you’re in the mood to live, I’m in
the mood to accept surrender,>” offered Unit 3 over the com system.  Their
only reply was a shell that arced over a hill just outside Tokyo 3 and
nailed them squarely.  Unit 0 responded almost instantly, firing another AT
enhanced bullet through the tank as well as the hill it was hiding behind.

          Having just seen nine Evas slaughtered as well as one of the
enemy shoot a tank right through a hill with a single shot the UN forces
were no longer interested in fighting, particularly after the enemy had
been reinforced.  The most decorated attack unit of the UN forces
surrendered to three teenagers and their giant biomechanical partners
unconditionally.***



          Unit 1 tore through the final barrier that separated them from
the Rei clones.

          *We can’t stop him synched,* they though as they crossed into the
room and noted its confined space.

          <You stop him if he tries to get out,> ordered Shinji ejecting
the entry plug.  Sakura caught the plug and lowered it gently to the floor.

          <Right,> she agreed readily.

          “I guess since mother has disowned you I should call you
commander Rokubungi,” Shinji said to Gendo as he walked into the chamber
containing the Rei clones.

          “What would you know about this pilot.  You are merely a means to
an end!” said Gendo pulling his gun.

          “You know, something just occurred to me,” said Shinji still
advancing on his father.  “You can’t make use of any of these clones until
Rei is dead.”

          “That shouldn’t take long.  You abandon her to the S2 series and
they will finish her so that I can use another clone momentarily,”
continued Gendo, secure in his plans.

          “You really are one of the most arrogant people that I have ever
met,” said Shinji.  “Do you really think we would have sent only two to
deal with the S2 series unless we were positive that they could handle the
job?  Ranma and Tenchi’s S2 organs are active, and Rei’s is activating.  So
with three S2 organs and four AT fields between them I don’t think they’re
going to have any problems,” Shinji smiled.

          “Then I guess I don’t need you anymore,” said Gendo raising his
gun.  Shinji smiled at him and he gapped in return when the bullet bounced
off of an AT field.

          <Thank you Sakura!>  “I’m not the weak little boy that you
abandon so many years ago,” warned Shinji.  He advanced on his father.
“I’m going to enjoy this.”  He closed the distance between them in the
blink of an eye and punched his father squarely in the mouth.  A shot to
the stomach followed, then a kick to the head, a punch to the ribs made a
noticeable cracking sound, and he finished with a punch that slid Gendo
across the floor until his head smacked into the central pillar in the
room.  “Hmm, Ranma was right, Marital arts is a great stress reliever,”
laughed Shinji.  <Hey guys, Rokubungi isn’t a problem at the moment, hows
the rest coming?>

          “<The S2 series is out, Lilith has been destroyed, and the UN has
surrendered,>” Unit 0 told him.

          “<You’re kidding me, just like that its over?>” asked Shinji.

          “Not yet it isn’t,” said Gendo having heard his son’s last
comment, even if he didn’t know who he was talking to.  Climbing unsteadily
back to his feet with a light of near madness glowing in his eyes he ripped
the glove from his right hand and held the hand out before him.  “I still
have Adam and Tabris is still on earth so I can still win!” he shouted.
“This time you WILL NOT TAKE YUI AWAY FROM ME!”

          *I can’t let him start third impact because of his obsession with
mother!* thought Shinji desperately.  Then an idea came to him, *Can I do
that?  Do I have a choice?  I don’t want to do this, but I don’t see any
other choice!*  Shinji cupped his hands together and gathered his energy
blast.  “I can’t let you endanger the rest of humanity because of your
obsession,” he told the still advancing Gendo.  With a wince Shinji fired,
blasting Adam into oblivion, along with Gendo’s hand.  <Adam is gone as
well,> he sent grimly.***



          “So are the four of you going to tell me what happened or not?”
demanded Ritsuko.  All the remaining staff of NERV was assembled on the
surface with the Evangelions.  Gendo was being treated for the loss of his
hand after he had been removed from the ruins of the clone room by Unit 1
and Kaoru was currently perched on Sakura’s shoulder.  The pilots were
still inside their partners so Dr. Akagi was forced to demand her answers
over the com system.

          “Well get to you all in good time,” Ranma told her shortly,
ignoring her fuming when he cut her com channel off.  Then he turned his
attention back to the conversation at hand.

          <So the fight’s over?> asked Akemi.

          <I’m afraid not, but well get to that in a minute.  Right now I
would like to try an experiment,> said Ranma.  <Yui if you would be so kind
as to restore your independent AT field for me please?>

          <What do you mean?> asked Yui, puzzled by his request.

          <Sakura relax yourself totally, and Yui, you know how to project
an AT field by now, so project one into Shinji’s entry plug,> Ranma told
them.

          <Ok, and this,> “Does what?” asked Yui she blinked when she
realized she was talking over the com instead of mentally.  She closed her
eyes a moment and then looked down, seeing a blushing Shinji sitting
underneath her in the entry plug.  “I’m solid!  I’m REAL AGAIN!” she
shouted in joy, she looked exactly as she had on the day she vanished into
Eva 1 10 years ago.  “How did you do that?” she demanded of Ranma.

          “If LCL was what happens when an AT field is nullified, then it
would stand to reason that projecting and AT field into LCL would form a
body,” shrugged Ranma.  “And you just proved it.”

          “So what happens now?” asked Asuka, realizing that her position
as Ranma’s unchallenged girlfriend was now in danger.

          “Now the rest of us do it,” said Tenchi appearing inside Ranma’s
entry plug.  He was a tall man of about twenty, martial artist build, black
hair, and startling black eyes.  As he appeared Evangelion unit 3 toppled
over on its face and every sensor on Ritsuko’s board said that it was dead.

          “Wait up a minute,” said Ranma.  “Shinji, Yui, would you please
climb out of the entry plug?” asked Ranma, jumping out of his own and
running over to Sakura, who was now lying face down on the ground.

          “Sure why?” asked Shinji climbing out.  He blinked as Ranma
pealed off his shirt and handed it past him into the entry plug behind him.

          “Thank you Ranma,” said Yui stepping out of the plug wearing
Ranma’s shirt that was just barely long enough.

          “Misato, could you get us a couple of changes of clothes over
here!” yelled Shinji.  Then he turned back to Ranma only to see him
disappear into the entry plug.

          “Clothes?” asked Misato blankly.  She blinked again and rubbed
her eyes as Shinji pulled a woman dressed in one of Ranma’s trademark red
shirts from behind Sakura’s shoulder.  Kaoru moved around so that he was
standing with them.

          “Yeah, someone get me clothes for three young ladies and one
young man!” he yelled at the staring staff of NERV.

          “Honestly I never thought that you could really do it,” said Kaji
strolling up behind the group.  “I know Ranma said he would call if he
needed me, but I heard that he was badly hurt and the rest of you might not
know you could call me for help,” he continued.  He grinned at the NERV
staff running around in little circles arguing over who’s apartment was
closer for a moment before coughing.  “Uh, people if you need clothes,
there’s a clothing store right there,” he said pointed.

          “Kaji?” asked Misato breathlessly.  “Is that really you?” she
asked.

          “KAJI?” demanded Shinji.  “You’re still alive!”

          “Yeah, Ranma saved me from Seele’s hitman and I offered him my
help.  While they were talking Misato had grabbed Kaji in a hug, and some
of the NERV staff had ransacked the clothing store.

          “One boy’s set right here!” yelled Tenchi from the entry plug he
was still hiding in.

          “Girl’s set over here,” called Asuka and Rei at the same time.

          “I’m sorry mother, you can step into the clothing store there and
pick out what you like,” said Shinji realizing he had been ignoring his
mother when he realized that Kaji was alive.

          “Don’t worry about it, I’ll manage,” she told him heading toward
the store.  While she and the Evangelions dressed Kaji explained his story
of survival, which Shinji and their pilots relayed to the dressing Evas.

          “So what happened to Ranma?” asked Kaji after he finished.

          “Where is Ranma?” asked Asuka looking around.

          “He cut me off,” said Tenchi in astonishment, after trying to
trace Ranma via their link.  He had dressed in a dark blue pull over shirt
and a pair of black jeans.

          “It seems that he does not wish to be disturbed,” said Kaoru
pointing toward the entry plug of Unit 1 that was surrounded in a dense
mental shield.

          “What in the world could they be talking about in there?”
wondered Akemi, having joined the others.  She had emerged as a red head,
with slightly different features then Asuka, but one that looked like an
older sister.  She had dressed in a red dress similar to the one Asuka was
wearing the first time Shinji had ever seen her.

          “I don’t know, but it must be important,” put in Sei.  She had
obviously used Rei as a model just like Akemi had done Asuka.  She had a
blue dress on and immediately went to Tenchi and hugged him, then when she
turned to face the group again he kept an arm around her shoulders.***



          Ranma climbed into the entry plug of Unit 1 as Shinji was yelling
for clothes.  He clamped a mental shield around the entry plug as soon as
he sealed it behind him.

          <Sakura I’m sorry to keep you like this, but I wondered if you
would help me with something?> he asked settling down in the pilot’s chair.

          <What ever you need!> agreed Sakura without hesitation.

          <I was wondering if it would be possible to exchange souls with
someone like this,> said Ranma.  <I was wondering if you would be willing
to try it with me, let me see if I can move into the Eva and you into my
body.>

          <Why in the world would you want to do that?> asked Sakura.

          <Up until now we had no idea that Yui could reclaim her body even
though the LCL that she had dissolved into was dumped out years ago, so I’m
trying to expand our understanding of the properties of LCL, or angel blood
if you prefer.>

          <Ok, I’ll help you.  What do I have to do?> asked Sakura.  *This
is kinda strange, but he came up with a way for me to have a body of my own
that isn’t forty stories tall and purple, besides I love him, so I don’t
have the heart to tell him that without Lilith to produce more LCL this is
just a waste of time,* she thought.

          <Just project your AT field into my body and push mine out, I’m
not going to resist so it should work,> Ranma told her.

          “AHHHHH!,” screamend Ranma as his soul was forced from his body.
“NO DON”T STOP NOW!” he shouted as he felt Sakura pulling back.

          <But!> started Sakura.

          “JUST FINISH IT!” he yelled.

          “This is strange,” said Sakura.  She lifted up Ranma’s, now her,
hand and looked at it.  “Ranma are you ok?” she asked.

          <Yeah, I’m still here.  I’ll be darned it worked!> he laughed.
<Now for the bad news.  There was another reason that I wanted to do this,>
he told her.  <Hello everyone I’m sorry to have worried you,> he said
opening the shield he had built around the entry plug.  They had been
shouting at him since Kaoru had pointed out the shield.

          <What’s that?> she asked sharply, mostly ignoring everyone.
*Something is very wrong here!*

          <What’s what?> asked Asuka.

          <He asked me to try and change bodies with him, and he told me it
was to increase our understanding of LCL, but now he says there was another
reason,> Sakura informed them.  <And I’m waiting for him to tell me.>

          Ranma could feel the puzzlement of the others echoing in the back
of his mind.  <All right I’ll tell you.  You all know that Unit 1 can be
used as a substitute for Lilith in Seele’s plans right?>  When they nodded
he continued, <Well if Sakura creates a new body from this one there is the
same problem.  The new body could be used to start Third Impact.  So she’s
going to climb out of the entry plug, I’m going to destroy the Eva bodies
littering the ground, and then self-destruct this one.  Sakura can have my
body and the world will be safe,> Ranma delivered his speech like it was a
miracle breakthrough.

          <Have you lost your little mind?!” demanded Yui.  <You can’t do
that!>

          <Why not?> asked Ranma.  <The world will be safe, you and Shinji
are reunited, the Evas are free, what else is there to do?> asked Ranma.
<I can here knowing there was a chance I would die, a high one.  At least
this way I get to go out knowing we won.>

          “What’s wrong?” asked Misato sensing something going on around
here.  Not being a telepath she didn’t know they were talking around her.

          “I don’t think they want to be disturbed right now,” said Kaji
gently leading Misato from the group.  “Besides I told you I would tell you
the words that I couldn’t say so long ago if we ever met again, so…Misato
Katsuragi, I love you will all of my heart!”

          <There has got to be another way!> yelled Asuka, not even
noticing that her old crush was telling another woman he loved her.

          <Can any of you think of a way to produce a body that Sakura can
inhabit without using Unit 1?> asked Ranma.  <I told you this is the way it
has to be,> he told them when the couldn’t come up with an answer.

          <No, I won’t let it end like this!” shouted Asuka.  <If you’re
going then I’m going with you this time!> she said and started to climb
into the entry plug.

          <Sorry Asuka.  You have you’re whole life in front of you.  I did
everything I wanted to with mine.  I made some friends, great friends, the
best, and made a difference in the world, even if it wasn’t my birth
world.  I’m satisfied,> said Ranma.  Before Asuka could reach the cockpit
Ranma stood his purple body up, ejected the entry plug still containing
Sakura and turned to the Eva bodies laying on the ground.

          “Is someone going to tell me what is going on here?!” demanded
Ritsuko.  “Three of the Evas have just suddenly expired.  The organic parts
are turning into LCL!  Their nothing but heaps of old metal now!” she
shouted.

          “Dr. Akagi, if you don’t shut up right now I’m going to hurt you
severely!” snapped Tenchi, turning his black eyes on her.  She recoiled
from him as he turned his gaze back to Unit 1.

          “Now what?” asked Misato as Unit 1 vaporized the other Evas one
by one.  “Wait a minute who’s piloting?  You’re all here!”

          <Its time guys.  Everyone get back,> said Ranma.  <You’ve been
the greatest friends I could have ever wanted, I’m sorry it has to end like
this.>

          <No,> said Asuka flatly.  <I’m staying right here,> she told him,
grabbing onto Unit 1’s foot.

          <Me too,> said Akemi, also taking hold of Unit 1.

          <Don’t forget us,” said Yui, latching on followed by Sakura, who
had taken Ranma’s shirt back from Yui.

          <We’re partners, what ever happens we go together,> said Tenchi
stepping forward as well.

          <You were my first real friend.  I won’t let it end like this,>
said Shinji.

          Being girls of few words Rei and Sei grabbed a hold letting a
brief flow of pictures, them and Ranma together, instead of words.

          <I have not yet met you, but I can tell that you are a rare
individual indeed Ranma Saotome, and if the one I love is so dedicated then
so will I,> spoke up Kaoru also stepping on.

          “I must have missed something,” said Misato staring at the
gathered people that had emerged from the Evas clinging on to Unit 1.***



          “Well you loose,” smiled Fate.  Across from him was another
being, Destruction.  “You tempted the angels into trying to destroy the
human race, by getting Seele to start down the wrong road, and with out
directly interfering I stopped you.  So now be a good little boy and run
along.  There are some things I have to finish,” he shooed the other
being.  Destruction snarled at him as he started to storm out.  “Don’t
forget that we had a wager on this?” Fate asked.

          “No I haven’t, what to you want?” Destruction demanded.

          “In ninety minutes I want to you bestow an S2 organ and a Ramiel
level AT field on that group of souls there,” said Fate pointing to the
Evas, pilots, and Yui.  “Now if you will excuse me.”  Fate vanished from
the pocket dimension.

          <Ranma,> called Fate after arriving on earth.

          <Fate?> asked Ranma.

          <Yes Ranma it’s me.  I have an offer for you,> said Fate.

          <I’m trying to destroy this body here at the moment,> Ranma
informed him.

          <I know and that has some bearing on why I want to talk to you.
Did you know that as an avatar you would have the power to move between
dimensions at will?> Fate asked.

          <Meaning?>

          <Meaning that Sakura could make a body, you could reclaim yours
and then you could take everyone back to your world and there would be no
danger,> Fate smugly informed him.  <Would you like to be my avatar?>

          <That was the agreement wasn’t it?  If I survived this you would
make me your avatar,> asked Ranma.

          <Yes it was,> agreed Fate.  <This will only take a minute.>

          <Ok,> agreed Ranma, then he suddenly blacked out.

          <RANMA!> shouted the telepaths outside jolting Ranma wake.

          <Sorry guys, something happened and I blacked out,> he
apologized.  <I’m back now with good news.>

          <You’ve been out for nearly an hour!> shouted Yui.  <Don’t you
ever do that to me again!>

          <I’m sorry, but I was finishing the deal that brought me here.
Sakura, if you would be willing to relocate, we can settle this with
everyone surviving,> said Ranma.

          <How?> she asked excitedly.

          <I can take my body back, you can make one, then we leave this
dimension and go back to my old one, where Seele doesn’t exist, and there
is no danger to either world.>

          <Lets do it!> she shouted.  In just a few moments they were
done.  Yui’s younger sister stood with the group and Ranma was back in his
own body.  One final AT field destroyed the remains of Unit 1.

          “Now its finished,” said Ranma.

          “Good, NOW DON’T EVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!” shouted
Asuka grabbing hold of the front of his shirt.  Yui, Akemi, and Sakura
gathered around the two of them while Rei, Shinji, and Kaoru moved a short
distance away, and Tenchi and Sei also stepped slightly away from the
others.

          “I’m sorry, I thought that that was the only way to protect all
of you,” apologized Ranma bowing.

          “You’re going to have to make it up to us,” said Yui with the
other three nodding in agreement.

          “How can I ever make it up to you?” asked Ranma.

          “YUI!  YOU’VE COME BACK TO ME!” yelled Gendo shoving the medic
treating his arm away he stumbled toward the group.

          “You owe each one of us at least a kiss,” continued Yui,
completely ignoring Gendo.

          “A kiss?” stammered Ranma.

          “A kiss,” agreed Yui.  “As a matter of fact I’ll take mine right
now.”  Ranma tried a light peck on the cheek, but as Gendo looked on in
horror Yui seized Ranma’s head between her hands and planted her lips on
his, tongue first.

          “Wow!” whistled Ranma when Yui finally released him.

          “My turn!” shouted Sakura gleefully, following her mother’s
example.

          “Now me!” put in Akemi when Sakura was done.

          “I guess I’m last cause I’ve done this before,” giggled Asuka
claiming her turn.

          “No, it can’t be!” whispered Gendo in horror.  “Yui, how could
you?” he asked.

          “Gendo Rokubungi, I despise you.  You tortured my son, betrayed
my memory, partially cloned me, and murdered people.  How could I do
anything else after all that you have done in the name of your wants?”
snapped Yui.  “I never want to see you again.  I love Ranma and if he’ll
have me, I’d marry him in a second!” she shouted at the collapsing
commander of NERV.

          “NOOOOOOO!” shrieked Gendo.  He turned and ran shrieking and
crying into Tokyo 3’s streets.

          “So when do we leave?” asked Yui.

          “We?” asked Ranma.

          “Yes we,” said Akemi with Asuka nodding along.

          “We would like to go as well,” said Rei, leading Shinji over by
his left arm with Kaoru on his right.

          “There are too many memories here.  The UN will never leave us
alone and neither will Seele.  They many no longer have the ability to
create Third Impact but they can still come after us,” said Shinji.

          “We’re in too,” said Tenchi still holding onto Sei.

          “Hello Ranma,” said Kaji, stepping up to the group.

          “Hello Kaji,” greeted Ranma.

          “So what happens now?” asked Misato from Kaji’s side.

          “Now you guys live happily ever after, and we’re going to leave.
With Seele still out there as well as everything else that’s happened, and
the need for Sakura to be somewhere Seele can’t get at her with another Eva
series we’re going to go somewhere far away,” said Ranma.

          “Can we change your mind?” asked Kaji.

          “No, we’ve already made them up,” spoke up Shinji.

          “I do hope you can visit, but if you’re going to go, then you’d
better get going before anyone else arrives,” suggested Kaji.

          “Right, everyone make your goodbyes,” said Ranma moving away from
the group to an open spot.

          “Ranma I noticed that you used the Nekoken against the S2
series,” said Yui following him.

          “Yes I did,” agreed Ranma.

          “You said before that your primal side was coming out, making you
ready to kill on instinct, was that a side effect of mastering the
Nekoken?” she asked gently.

          “Yes.  Though I didn’t really master it so much as beat it into
submission.  Once it yielded to me it joined with my mind and I could use
it, but my primal side came bubbling to the surface.  All of the more
primal emotions came on stronger, particularly anger and…” Ranma trailed
off before he finished and shook his head with a blush.

          “And lust?” teased Yui, leaning in to kiss him again.

          “I should get this started,” said Ranma turning to the open spot
he had pick to hold the portal.  A flickering white ring appeared in the
air before him and steadily pulsed brighter while the inside filled with
arcs of lightning.  “We’re ready,” he called to the rest of them.

          “So what do we tell the world and the rest of NERV?” asked Misato
as everyone joined Ranma and Yui at the portal.

          “Tell them anything you like, or nothing if you prefer,”
suggested Ranma.  “It really doesn’t matter.  Shinji saved the world with a
little help from the rest of us.  They don’t need to know anything other
then they survived.”

          “Goodbye Ranma Saotome,” said Kaji holding out his hand.

          “Goodbye Kaji Ryoji, take care of Misato this time,” responded
Ranma shaking it.  The departing group stepped through the portal, Shinji
going between Kaoru and Rei, Sei and Tenchi going together, and then Ranma
moving through as the center of a box made up by Yui, Asuka, Sakura, and
Akemi.

          “Nice place,” said Yui looking at the mansion before them.
“Where did you land us?”

          “He landed you in his new home,” said Fate, once more appearing
as the tall dark stranger.  “I decided that my avatar should live in
something that reflected his position.  Now you can all stay together if
you so desire, because you make an unbeatable team.  Take care Ranma I’ll
be in touch,” with that Fate once more disappeared.

          “So there is plenty of room,” said Yui.  “Kaoru and Rei seem to
be willing to share Shinji, I think Tenchi and Sei make a cute couple, and
we get you,” she said to Ranma.

          “WE?” squeaked Ranma.

          “Poor boy, he thought he had dealt with all of his women
troubles,” laughed Fate from his viewing box.  “You’re in for an
interesting life Ranma Saotome, Avatar of Fate!”



THE END



          I was told that this story needed a little more closure with the
Nerima Wrecking Crew, so I went back and added this part.



Epilog



          “Are you sure we have to do this?” asked Ranma.  His family,
Akemi,  Asuka, Kaoru, Rei, Sakura, Sei, Shinji, Tenchi and Yui were all
sitting around the breakfast table.

          “Its been two months since we’ve been back,” pointed out Yui.
“And in that time you have shown zero interest in seeing anyone that had
any impact on your old life.  You really should talk to them at least once
more, particularly your mother.”

          “Are all of you in on this?” asked Ranma looking from face to
face.

          “I’ve been studying lilums for years and I think that it would
indeed be a good thing for you to find what a psychiatrist would call
closure,” put in Kaoru.

          “All right, if all of you think this is the best thing,” sighed
Ranma.

          “Oh, goody I’ll drive,” said Asuka.

          “Asuka I wasn’t planning on driving.  Before all of this started
I was working on a way to teleport using Ki.  The only problem was I just
didn’t have enough power.  Now I think I’ve finally figured out how to do
it,” said Ranma.

          “So you’re going to test a new technique and visit at the same
time?” asked Akemi.

          “Yeah, that way it won’t be a total waste.”

          “Just think your going to be visiting all of the old fiancées,”
put in Tenchi, earning him a dirty look from the four girls that shared
Ranma.

          “But first,” said Ranma holding up his hand.  <FATE,> he called
out.

          <What?> asked Fate.  His Avatar seldom called for assistance, so
he always answered quick when he did.

          <Yui and the others seem to think I should try and find ‘closure’
with the Nerima Wrecking Crew, and I was wondering if you would be willing
to change me back into my correct age,> explained Ranma.

          <Of course I should have thought of that as soon as you were
done,> agreed Fate.  <Here,> he said.  Ranma flashed through three years of
growth to stand as the seventeen year old he had been before meeting Fate.

          <Thank you,> said Ranma.

          <I’ll tell you what, I’ll put some notes out and make sure that
the whole gang is there if you give me about twenty minutes,> promised
Fate.

          <Ok.>  “Alright, Fate is going to make sure that they are all
there so we only have to do this once,” Ranma told them.  “He says give him
about twenty minutes.

          “Ok then everyone get ready and meet in the front yard in twenty
minutes,” said Yui.

          “You didn’t honestly think that we would make you go alone did
you?” asked Tenchi.  “I remember these people, there is no way I would send
you in there alone.”

          “Thanks guys,” said Ranma sincerely.***



          “So this is the Tendo dojo huh?” asked Shinji.  Ranma’s new
technique had worked perfectly when powered by his S2 organ.

          “This is the place, and Fate should have assembled everyone
already, so we might as well get going,” said Ranma grimly.  He jumped off
the roof and on to the ground with the rest of the group having no trouble
following with their own Destruction provided S2 organs providing them
energy.

          “RANMA?!” asked Kasumi in shock after opening the door to find
Ranma and a group of strangers standing there.

          “My son, they told my you had run off with some stranger, that
wasn’t very manly,” said Nodoka as soon as she saw him.

          “First introductions,” said Ranma holding up his hand before
anyone could get a word in edgewise.

          “Oh my yes.  That is only proper,” agreed Kasumi and not one of
the NWC had the heart to interrupt.

          “First off this is Akemi, Asuka, Sakura, and Yui,” he said
pointing to them each in turn, standing slightly behind him.  Then he
turned to point at Kaoru, Rei, and Shinji who were standing together with
Shinji in the middle, “Over there is Rei, Shinji, and Kaoru.  Next to them
is Tenchi and Sei,” he finished pointing out the final pair.

          “Blue haired girl not find strong husband so get two huh?”
laughed Shampoo walking over toward them.

          “Not at all.  Me and Kaoru are both with Shinji,” said Rei
matter-of-factly, still controlled at all times outside of the family.

          “HUSBAND HOW YOU STAND TO BE WITH SICK PERVERTED BOYS?!” demanded
Shampoo in a shout.  In a female dominated society the concept of men
deciding to do without women was a forbidden one.

          Ranma’s punch knocked her completely across the room.  “Don’t you
ever and I mean ever insult a member of my family again!” he warned.  “They
love each other, which is far better then someone that needs love potions
to satisfy her lust and obsession in my opinion,” he snapped.

          “Son-in-law you should not attack the amazons,” spoke up
Cologne.  *I have to remind the boy of his place, it seems he’s been gone
to long!*

          “Don’t threaten my Ranma,” said Asuka stepping up, settling into
a family hadn’t cooled her red haired temper, other then toward her family
members, any.

          “I knew it!  You’ve been out womanizing!  RANMA NO BAKA!” shouted
Akane swinging her mallet with all of her strength and the pent up anger
from the passed months.  Ranma looked on impassively as she slammed head
long into the AT field he created between them.  She bounced off and hit
the floor.

          “I’m not here to fight.  I came to tell the arranged marriages
that my father made that I will not marry any of them, nor to I agree with
the Amazons,” said Ranma coolly.  Tenchi was the only one that could feel
the anger seething inside through the bond they still possessed.

          “Too bad!  You’ve made my life hell RANMA SAOTOME PREPARE TO
DIE!” shouted Ryoga leaping to the attack.

          “FOR STEALLING MY SHAMPOO PREPARE TO DIE!” shouted Moose.

          “Oh shit,” said Tenchi mildly as Ranma took all he was going to
take and that seething anger boiled over.

          Ranma’s S2 organ went active flooding the pigtailed marital
artist with energy.  Energy that Ranma used to speed himself up.  Faster
then a striking snake he snatched Moose’s whirling chains out of the air
and wrap them around Ryoga.  Then his foot came back and he punted Ryoga
through the roof with enough force to clear Nerima, still attached by the
chains Moose followed.  Ranma spun back to face the group glaring.

          “Any one else?” he asked unconsciously flexing his fingers
causing his AT field to assume Nekoken claw configuration.  They just
stared at him.

          “Mother, I don’t know what it was that you wanted, but if all you
have to say to me is that running away is unmanly without even a hi, or a
‘son I’ve missed you’, or at least a ‘what happened’ I frankly don’t give a
damn any more.  Father I’ve finally won free of your influence and the next
scheme you have to make money off of me had better be having me collect
your life insurance money, cause I’m going to bury you if you try another
one,” he said simply.  Then he turned to Cologne, “Are we going to have to
finish this or are you just going to drop it?”

          “You transgressed on the laws of the amazons so now you must face
them,” said Cologne simply.  *This boy thinks that just because he picked
up a few more tricks he’s ready to face a matriarch of the amazons!* she
laughed inside.  *Those claw looking things aren’t even Ki!*

          “Ranma I’m so sorry I had no idea that it would be like this,”
cried Yui.

          “Don’t worry Yui.  There is no way that you could know, there is
no way that any of you could have known,” Ranma assured them.  He smirked
at Cologne and powered his aura up to a hazy ball of blue energy four feet
across.

          “There is NO WAY!” shouted Cologne.

          “I’ve seen better,” said Rei dismissively.  “Remember that night
in your bedroom Ranma?  It was considerable more powerful then.”

          “So it was,” agreed Ranma.  “But then I had no idea how to
control my S2 organ.”

          “Still want to finish it, or would you like to just forget I
exist?” Ranma asked the shaky, pale white Cologne.

          “How did you acquire such power?” she whispered.

          “I beat up an angel,” said Ranma.  He winked at her and the
circle increased to seven feet across, and the matriarch of the amazons
fainted right off of her staff.

          “Ranchan?” asked Ukyo from the sidelines.

          “Ukyo, I would still like to be your friend,” said Ranma gently.

          “I thought that was the girls line,” Tenchi quipped.

          “A friend!  You want to be my friend!  What happened to our
engagement!” she demanded.

          “I told you I have no intention of marrying anyone but these four
here,” said Ranma politely, gesturing behind him.

          “How could you?!” she demanded.

          “Easy, once you helped me.  You never showed any consideration
for me at all, other then as a mean to restore your honor that our fathers
took away from you.  I had no knowledge of it, and would not have done it,
if I had, but it was done.  Take it up with the people responsible, but
leave me out of it!” said Ranma.  “These girls love me, not Ranma Saotome
the means to get revenge on Genma.  You wanted to take away Genma’s
livelihood because he did the same to your dad, and doing so would allow
you to prove you were a better woman then Shampoo and Akane so as to ease
your way back into being a girl!  Either way I’m finished with it now.  I
don’t expect to ever see any of you again.”  Having said his piece Ranma
spread his aura out over his family and teleported them all home.

          “I am so sorry,” said Yui again.

          “Don’t worry about it.  Seeing that reminded me of how grateful I
am to have the family I do!” said Ranma.  Then he grinned at her, “Remember
that discussion about the Nekoken?  Well the primal urgings of the Nekoken
are always stronger after I use my ki, so if you really want to apologize
you could always kiss me and make it better!” he laughed.

          The four girls looked at each other quickly while Ranma was
laughing at his joke and said in unison, “DEAL!” and with that they piled
on to him right in the middle of the living room.

          “I think we’ll go out to the pool!” said Shinji as the rest of
the group hurriedly back away.

          “Hey I was kidding!” yelled Ranma.

          “Too late!” yelled Yui.

          “You shouldn’t offer if you’re not serious!” seconded Asuka.



THE END