Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ A New Beginning/ A New World: Emerald Edition ❯ Chapter 42: Yellow Alert ( Chapter 47 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: ST Pika

Chapter 42: Yellow Alert

I'm back after a long delay, enjoy this next chapter! I don't own the song “If You Had My Love” by Jennifer Lopez from her “On the 6” album, copyright Epic Records from 1999. Written by Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, and Cory Rooney. Produced by Rodney Jerkins.

This song definitely fits for a situation in part B. Thanks to Daniel and Steven for prereading this story.

Check out this piece of NGE fan art called “Future Disco Party”- http://shinjiasuka4ever.deviantart.com/art/NGE-Future-Disco-Party-96863029< /div>

Part A

After spending some quality time with Pen-Pen, Misato and Kaji take a nap while Pen-Pen contends himself with watching some TV in the room. A few hours later, Misato wakes up and rubs her eyes. She looks down at her sleeping love and smiles…

`I'm glad you're okay… if I had lost you again, I don't know what I'd have done without you…'

A few moments later, Misato gently wakes Kaji up. He looks up at Misato and wonders what time it is…

“Time to eat already? What time is it?”

“Almost 1800…” is the reply back after she glances at her watch.

“What did you want to eat? I know they've got that buffet down at the cafeteria, but if you have a taste on something else I'm sure I could get it for you…” Kaji says, knowing that pregnant women sometimes have certain “cravings” when it comes to food.

“Well, the only thing I want is go to the Colonel… and no jokes at dinner, got it?”

“No problem, you aren't even a Colonel at the moment anyway…”

“Hmm… true. Right now I'm in charge!” Misato says happily. A moment later, however, a hentai thought crosses her mind and she looks at Kaji with a lecherous grin.

"Since we're going to be eating chicken, I have a question for you…”

“Sure, go ahead…” Kaji says quickly, wondering what she's going to do next.

“Which due you prefer? The breast..." she says arching her back a little thus pushing her own chest out to him. "Or the leg?" she asks simply while turing her side to him allowing her to see a good bit of her own leg. "Or… the thigh?" As she says this she grabs the lower hem of her skirt and starts to lift it up. “Or maybe my soft wings…”

Gently, Misato touches Kaji's face with her hand. The former spy continues to watch her and is unable to comment, much like any other male would've done in his place, it takes a little while but he finally makes his choice. "I… I like..."

"Yes?" she asks softly, almost purring.

"I like them all!" he yells out finally.

“Mmm… I know you do, but it's time to eat. Pen-Pen is hungry and so am I!”

All a frustrated Kaji can say is “Damn it!”

“Yeah, I'm such a tease…” Misato says with a shrug. “But you love that…”

“Sure do…”

“Let's go get the kids…”

First stop is Rei's room… Misato finds Rei posing in front of the mirror in a new blue outfit…

“Nice shirt, Rei…”

Rei turns and looks at her mom. “Thanks!”

“I see someone's dressing just like their mother…” Kaji says, pointing at Rei's bell-bottom pants.

The blue haired girl nods her head. “Yes, I wanted to integrate a little of the 70's dress into my wardrobe. The shirt is more modern…”

“Yes… I can see the theme, Rei… blue and… blue…” Misato says, taking note of the whole outfit.

Kaji agrees. “Blue seems to work well for Rei, I like it…”

“Thanks, dad… I'm glad you approve.” Rei says, a smile forming on her face.

Misato gently rubs her stomach… and begins to feel the hunger pangs increasing. “Let's get everyone else and get something to eat…”

Kaji and Misato split up, each one heading to a bedroom to wake up the napping couples. After a few minutes, everyone is dressed and they meet Rei in the living room. Misato makes a few calls and arranges the security escort…

“Does everyone have their guns?” Misato asks while tucking her gun into its holster.

“Yes…” is the reply back from the others.

“I never thought I'd be taking a gun to dinner… this is becoming such a natural thing…” Hikari comments aloud. “It's… weird…”

“The whole world is weird… and crazy…” Toji adds.

“You can say that again…” Shinji says while shaking his head.

“And of course, it's up to six teens to save the world…” Asuka says sarcastically.

Misato doesn't like the jist of that comment. “Hey! We're helping out, too!”

“Yeah, yeah…” Asuka says, continuing to tease Misato and Kaji.

“Now, now Asuka… you guys can pilot the EVA's… but can you strategize like Misato?” is Kaji's reply back in defense for himself and Misato.

“That's a good point…” Shinji says… which gets him an elbow from Asuka in return.

“You're supposed to be on my side!”

Toji takes this chance to bring back an old but familiar comment about the pair. “Looks like the newlyweds are fighting again…”

“Don't start…” Asuka warns before doing a 180 on her voice and mood. “Besides, we're not newlyweds yet, right, Shinji?”

“Not yet…”

“I see…” Misato says cautiously…

“No trip out to Vegas yet, huh?” Kaji says as innocently as possible.

“Don't give them any ideas!” Misato says before elbowing her fiancée.

“Vegas? What's that?” a curious Rei asks.

Commander Katsuragi isn't thrilled about having to explain the “Vegas” concept to her daughter. “Oh no… look what you've started!”

Rei presses the question again. “What is Vegas?”

“I'll tell you…” Asuka volunteers.

Misato immediately dismisses that idea. “Oh no, I'll take care of talking about `Sin City' myself, thank you…”

“Geez, you make it sound like it's a sin to talk about that city…” is the 2nd child's response.

Toji and Shinji wisely remain silent and let the girls argue. Hikari decides to step in, though…

“That's enough!” Hikari sighs and realizes that she just slipped back into “Class Rep” mode again.

A moment later, a very welcoming sound is heard as the doorbell “pings”. Misato approaches the video monitor and checks out their escort before inputting the code to open the door.

“Let's go eat!” a cheerful Misato says after hitting “Enter”, opening the door.

The group heads down to the cafeteria and eats dinner. While they eat, some of them cannot help but turn and look around every so often… the fear is still ever present after recent events.

Over in the hospital ward, Kensuke does his best with the hospital food and thinks about Rei. `At least I get out tomorrow afternoon… though I'll have to take it easy for a while. I can't wait to be back with Rei… I can tell she misses me a lot and I miss her, too… we came too close to losing each other…'

Back in the residential apartment complex, Aoba and Maya are relaxing in the front room when their food arrives. Aoba gets up and after double checking to see who it is, opens the door and takes the dinner order…

`I hope Maya likes this little dinner date I've set up…'

The technician takes the tray and places it down on the table in front of the couch. Maya looks down at the styrofoam containers and wonders what's inside…

“What's for dinner? I was going to get us something to drink…”

“Fried chicken from the cafeteria with all the extras to go along with it. I got all of your favorites…”

“Sounds good to me…” Maya says while walking towards the fridge.

“How about some beer?”

“I guess that could work…”

After opening the door, Maya grabs two cans of Sapporo and brings them to the table. She sits down next to her boyfriend and watches as he opens the containers… letting the smell of the freshly made food fill the room…

“That smells so good!” is the response from Maya as she sniffs the air. Aoba opens his beer and takes a quick swig before passing out the plates…

“Eat up… I ordered plenty…”

Maya takes her plate and starts putting food on it. “Everything looks great, Aoba…”

It isn't long before she opens her beer and the two enjoy a meal together… and try to drive out memories of their near death experience out of their minds for the time being. Maya notices Aoba staring at her a lot out of the corner of her eye…

`He's staring at me… but that's okay. I like how he looks, too…'

For his part, Aoba can't get enough of how Maya looks in her current outfit, he can tell that she's really getting comfortable with him by the way she's dressed. Her casual outfit of a black T-shirt with a red NERV logo on it and shorts is something that he's never seen her in before… and it's quite appealing…

Standing up, Aoba grabs his now empty beer can. “Did you want another beer?”

Handing her empty can to her boyfriend, Maya nods her head. “Sure”

After disposing of the empty cans into the recycle bin, Aoba grabs another round for him and Maya. When he sits back down on the couch, the brunette Lt. Commander leans against him and then takes her beer.

“How about a toast?”

One instantly comes to mind for Aoba. “Yeah… to being alive…”

“I'll drink to that…”

Two “pops” are heard… and then both techs take generous swigs of the cold beverage… and silently acknowledge how close they came to death… and how they had to kill just to keep alive. It isn't long before the beer is gone and once again there's two empty cans on the table…

“That was a good meal…” Aoba says while stretching his arms towards the ceiling. Feeling a little bold, he places one arm around Maya … who leans her head on his shoulder in appreciation.

“Thanks for ordering dinner… it was great. Now we can relax a little…”

“I bet after this clean up is done… that you get promoted again…”

Maya blushes a little. “You really think so?”

“Sure… I think all of us in the command center will get promoted… and don't forget, you were acting as a kind of bodyguard for the Sub-Commander, too…”

“I guess you're right…” is the modest reply back from Maya. “I had to act… like I should've last time…”

“Maya…” Aoba knows that the attack before Third Impact is still a sore subject for her. “I didn't mean to yell at you that time… but it was true and they weren't pulling any punches this time, either. They had a clone of Asuka for God's sake…”

“True… but I don't feel too bad about it… it was life or death and I had to protect myself and my friends…”

“And you did a good job… you stopped them in their tracks and saved a lot of lives…”

Maya looks at Aoba and smiles. “You did good, too…”

The young technician pulls Maya closer and just before he can give her a hug, the young woman reaches out and starts to tickle Aoba, who's taken completely by surprise.

“Hey!”

“You looked so serious a second ago… I just had to do this…” is the reply from the brunette as she continues to tickle her boyfriend.

“If that's the case…” Aoba reaches out and starts doing the same thing to Maya… who proves to be a bit more ticklish- her attack soon stops and she can't stop laughing.

“Stop that!” is her half-hearted reply as the tickle attack continues… though part of her is enjoying this.

“Only if you surrender to me…”

Reaching her limit, Maya decides to call it quits. “Fine, fine… stop that…”

Aoba lessens his attack and then is surprised to see Maya snuggle against his chest. She decides to tease him a little…

“I had no idea… that you were ticklish. I just took a guess…”

“Same here… and I'll have to remember that…” is the reply back, along with a wink.

Maya playfully bops Aoba on the head and the young woman just sighs aloud. “This is really nice… I'm glad we decided to… be together so soon. I feel a lot safer for one thing…”

“Me too. You're a better shot that I realized…” Aoba says, teasing Maya a little.

Maya decides to get even. “Maybe… but just remember one thing…”

“What's that?” is the innocent reply back.

“I'm your superior officer… and if I order you not to tickle me, you better not!”

“Yes ma'am!” Aoba then salutes Maya who cannot help but grin.

“I had no idea you were so goofy…” the brunette admits aloud.

Aoba also has an admission to make. “It's nice to see you… not being super shy… I like seeing this side of you, Maya…”

After hearing that, Maya once again snuggles against Aoba's chest. “I do, too…” is her reply to that before resting her eyes. It isn't long before she falls asleep…

The soft sound of Maya sleeping causes Aoba to realize how lucky he is to have someone like her to call a girlfriend. He gently rubs her back for a while before taking a nearby blanket and covering them both.

`I guess we'll be sleeping out here tonight… but at least we won't be cold, we have each other after all…'

Elsewhere in NERV, the remaining personnel are eating dinner or relaxing in their new quarters. Some are quite nervous about what just happened, others are trying to forget about the recent events or drown their sorrows with drink or passionate encounters with their fellow employees.

After dinner, Shinji does some asking around and puts in a special order for some special food for Asuka, as part of his “make up” dinner that he owes her. A special order for Valentine's Day is placed as well… thus killing two birds with one stone.

In the new “Katsuragi Compound”, Rei passes the remainder of the evening in her room, relaxing and reading a stack of Ai Yori Aoshi manga.

`This seems like quite the series… and I wish to see what types of blue haired women Ken-kun is attracted to in manga and anime…'

Misato and Kaji spend some quality time with Pen-Pen, leaving the other four teens to their own devices. A few games of mahjong are played to pass the time before it's time to turn in for the night… the next day's planner has basic exercise and shooting practice worked into it, by Commander Ikari's orders… which the teens accept without much complaint, given what just happened in the last assault on NERV.

End Part A.

Start Part B.

Early the next morning, Kensuke is prepped for release and a call is made to Misato. The half-awake Commander approves his immediate release to the apartment…

`Rei will be so happy to see him… I think it's better if I surprise her and let her sleep until he gets here.'

The young otaku is excited to head back and see his girlfriend and the doctors are unable to keep him quiet as they get him dressed and get a wheelchair ready. Around 0700 hours, he arrives at the door to the apartment and Misato wheels him in quietly…

“Shh… I want to surprise Rei… she has no idea that you got out just now.”

“Okay… can you help me walk back to my room?” Kensuke says softly.

“Sure…”

Misato helps the 5th child over to the room and opens the door with a press on the keypad. Despite the sudden flow of light into the dark room, Rei remains asleep. Kensuke, with Misato's help, makes it over to the bed.

“Thanks.” he whispers.

“You're welcome. You can rest up here today before we start your physical therapy. Rei and the others will be having some training today after a late breakfast.”

“Okay…” the otaku says with a nod. Misato takes her leave, leaving the young man alone with Rei.

Gently, he slides onto the bed and gets under the covers… which causes Rei to stir.

“Ken-kun?” the half-awake young woman asks, wondering if what she was seeing was real.

“Yeah, it's me…”

“KEN-KUN!” Rei cries out, unable to restrain herself. “I'm so glad you're back!”

“Me too… I missed you, Rei…”

Rei buries her head in his chest and begins to cry… feeling overwhelmed but happy.

“Rei… it's okay… I'm here for you…” Kensuke says softly while gently caressing her hair.

“I know, but I can't help myself.” is Rei's response while trying to compose herself and stop crying.

Rei moves a little and holds Kensuke in a tight embrace, not wanting to let him go. The young teen feels her body against his and blushes.

`Rei's so affectionate… even when she's worried about something… like me…'

“Rei… I'll be out for a few days… I have to have some physical therapy to go through…”

“Oh…”

“I need help to walk right now… I had to use a wheelchair from the infirmary to get up here…”

Rei silently nods her head. “I will help you out… as much as I can. I have training later today… but I will help you when I return…”

“Thanks, Rei-chan…”

“No problem. Do you need help with anything else… like your hands?”

Having an idea of what Rei might be hinting at, Kensuke's face gets red. “No, but I wouldn't mind ummm… you know… getting reacquainted.”

“Good, I think you'll find that I have changed since last time we were together like this…” Rei says softly.

“Changed?”

“Yes, you were with me in model form…”

“You've definitely got the looks for it” the otaku admits aloud, which causes Rei to press her chest into his a little more.

“Now I am in supermodel form… and it's all thanks to you” a very appreciative Rei says back, also liking his compliment a moment ago. “My skin would have had stretch marks and irregularities during this growth process, if it wasn't for the massages you gave me…”

“I'm glad I could help… umm… but how did you know about skin stretching?” a curious 5th Child asks.

“The head nurse in the infirmary told me about what happened to her when she was pregnant, and explained that the same thing could have happened to me, except for the fact that the oil helped my skin stretch out. You helped me keep my good looks, Ken-kun.”

“It was nothing, I really enjoy talking with you and umm… massaging you was fun, too, you have such nice…” Kensuke gulps and then continues. “You're gorgeous!”

The 1st child smiles and then closes her eyes… enjoying the gentle squeezing of her behind by Kensuke, who decides to show a little affection for her. It isn't long before she falls asleep, leaving Kensuke alone with his thoughts… though not all of them are positive. One thing that comes to mind is just how close he came to dying a few days ago… and losing the young woman snuggling against his body.

`I'll never let them take you away, Rei, never…'

Around noon, the young man wakes up and finds Rei is gone, his glasses are off to the side on top of a note of some kind. He reaches for his glasses and puts them on and then eagerly opens the note.

Kensuke,

I have to attend training until 1700 hours. I will help you out before dinner, Hikari will be making that tonight. Perhaps we could get more reacquainted tonight… that was a good start.

Rei

A bright red blush forms on the young man's face after reading that. `Rei means business… but maybe she was right, she did feel a bit different last night. I think her hips were wider then last week- I guess I should try and get some practice in…'

Slowly but surely, the otaku gets on his feet and staggers towards the door. He opens it up and heads down the hallway towards the dining room, carefully using the wall to support himself. He's surprised to see Pen-Pen on the couch watching television and eating something out of a bowl.

“WAAARK” is the response from the fresh-water penguin after seeing Kensuke. A flipper is pointed at the table and then the “WAAARK” is repeated.

“Oh, is that lunch?”

A silent nod confirms that thought. The penguin then resumes eating and watching TV.

`I wonder what's for lunch? It must be good- Pen-Pen seems to be chowing down on whatever it is.'

Step by step, Kensuke makes his way over to the table and finds a crock pot filled with beef stew and an empty bowl and spoon waiting for him.

“Thank God it isn't more chicken” the 5th child mutters to himself. He's surprised to hear a “WAARK”…

“You had enough of that, huh?” he says while turning to look at the penguin.

A very vocal “SQUAWK” confirms that notion. Kensuke takes a seat and relaxes for a few minutes before opening the lid of the pot and smelling the contents…

“Smells like something Hikari would cook, Toji's mentioned this kind of stew before…”

The young man digs in and eats up the rest of the stew, surprised at his own hunger but also mindful of what he had been eating… hospital food. After lunch he relaxes on the couch and watches TV with Pen-Pen and awaiting Rei's return.

Around 1730 hours, the five pilots return along with Misato and Kaji. Eager to start dinner, Hikari heads immediately to the kitchen, followed closely by her boyfriend.

“You don't have to make dinner, you've already made our breakfast and lunch…” Misato calls out from the dining room after taking a seat.

“It's fine, cooking helps to keep my mind off of things” is the response back.

Kaji takes a seat next to Misato and then looks at Kensuke and Rei, who immediately joined him on the couch.

“Feeling better?”

“A little… I've been walking around or at least trying to… but mostly I've been watching TV with Pen-Pen here…”

Pen-Pen says “WAAARK”, causing Misato and Kaji to giggle.

“I see that he's been good company for you…” Misato adds while looking at her daughter and her boyfriend. “Rei said that she's going to help you walk around later…”

“Umm… yeah… we talked about that this morning…” the otaku says while trying not to blush. `I'm sure we'll be doing more then walking…'

The conversation is interrupted by the sounds of arguing from the kitchen… Misato and Kaji look in that direction and notice that both Shinji and Asuka are no longer present in the room…

“This better not take too long, Shinji owes me dinner and I'm hungry!” Asuka says, feeling a bit impatient.

“It won't take long, I promise.” Hikari says in an effort to calm the redhead down.

“Wait your turn, Asuka… other people gotta eat too yah know…” Toji quips, instantly bringing the fire back up within Asuka.

“And what are you doing in here? You can't cook- you're just slowing Hikari down…” is the redhead's instant response back.

Shinji gently tugs on his girlfriend's sleeve. “Asuka…”

“No, Shinji, I'm not going yet…”

Hikari sees that Toji is about to say something back and places one of her hands over his mouth. “He's taking lessons from me, and believe it or not, he can cook…”

“I guess crazier things have happened” the 2nd child says while shrugging her shoulders. “Just don't take too long.”

Shinji is about to say something when Asuka makes a quick exit, leaving him alone with the class rep and Toji.

“Let me help out, too, I don't want to keep Asuka waiting…”

Hikari appreciates the help and puts him right to work. “Sure thing… can you bring some water to a boil?”

“No problem…”

“Thanks, Shinji.” Toji says appreciatively. “Asuka must really want that apology dinner you were talkin' about earlier…”

“I know she does… the food is already in the fridge, I just have to cook it and add a few things. I know she'll like it…”

“I'm sure she will… after all, you already know what food she likes and how she likes it…” the brunette says while turning over the beef chunks in the pan. “I'm making a special beef and vegetable ramen for everyone, so can you put the noodles into the water when it's ready? Toji's taking care of the veggies…”

“No problem…” is the response back from the 3rd child. He quickly gets the noodles out and waits patiently for the water to boil.

Thirty minutes later, dinner is done and is served to the eagerly waiting inhabitants of the apartment, sans Asuka. Shinji is also not present in the dining room, his hands are busy making a German dinner for Asuka, who hasn't returned yet. He wonders where she is and even asks Misato as she brings in the dirty dishes once dinner is done…

“I think she's still in your room. Everyone's turning in early tonight… since there's more training tomorrow and Kensuke has his physical therapy to deal with as well. Don't forget our little conversation earlier, okay?”

“I won't… I promise not to complicate things… but at the same time give her all the love and attention that she needs…”

“Good- that's what I wanted to hear. You keep your word and I will give you two a little more privacy… I know these are difficult times and you two nearly lost each other. I had a similar talk with Rei, too… since she almost lost Kensuke. I don't want her losing herself in emotions, either. She's still new to all of this…”

“Yeah, she is. I think Rei's doing a good job, though… it's really good to see her with a real life… I don't know how else to put it. My father was just using her before… she had nothing to live for.” Shinji says softly.

Misato gently pats Shinji on the head. “You're a good brother… and I like to think I'm doing good as a mom so far. I'll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Good night Misato…”

Taking her leave, Misato says “'Night, Shinji…” and leaves the young man to his cooking. She finds that Kensuke and Rei have already left, along with Hikari and Toji.

“I've been waiting for you- everyone else has gone to bed…” Kaji says softly. “Even Pen-Pen has gone to his new fridge over in the corner.”

“I just had to talk to Shinji for a few minutes, make sure he completely understood our little conversation earlier…”

Kaji grins. “You really think Asuka would jump into something after an apology? I know that he's getting better acquainted with her, too… but…”

“Just making sure- they are teenagers in love, so stuff can happen.” Misato says with a wink.

“Ah… the same type of thing that can happen with two… just out of college lovers, too.” Kaji says, teasing Misato a little.

“I like that… let's go to bed and talk about that some more… it makes me feel less old…”

“You're ageless, my love…”

Misato takes his arm and helps her love to his feet. “Smooth, very smooth.”

Not wanting to jump the gun, Kaji asks “Ready for some snuggling?” and leaves it up to her what she wants to do tonight.

“That sounds great.”

The pair leave the room together, leaving Shinji alone in that half of the apartment. He happily hums to himself as the aromas of his cooking fill the room. A little while later, Asuka makes an appearance, her nose leading the way from the bedroom to the kitchen…

“Mmm… that smells good, Shin-chan.”

“I'll be done in a minute, just hang in there.” Shinji says, hoping that Asuka will be more patient with him then she was with Hikari and Toji earlier.

Asuka rolls her eyes. “You make it sound like I'm starving to death- I'll get us some drinks and wait for you at the table…”

The chef continues his work while Asuka gets something to drink for them. She heads out to the table and does her best to be patient for dinner, knowing Shinji is doing his best to make a great dinner for her.

Meanwhile, in Toji and Hikari's bedroom, the two get ready for bed. Hikari emerges from behind the privacy screen, clad in her pink pajamas that Toji had ordered for her. Her long, brown hair catches the young man's attention as she sits on the bed and begins brushing it…

“I think you're so pretty… with your hair down.” Toji stammers, doing his best to express his feelings at the moment. Hikari is very flattered and blushes before continuing…

“Thanks... for that and for the help earlier. I had no idea you liked to cook…”

Toji shrugs his shoulders. “Well, only with you.”

“That works for me.”

“Can we do that again sometime? I wanna spend some more time wit' yah…”

Hikari is very happy to hear that. “Of course! Maybe you can help me with dinner tomorrow?”

“Of course… and maybe I can repay the favor sometime, maybe teach yah how to shoot some hoops or somethin'.” Toji says with a grin.

The class rep is a little unsure about that suggestion. “I've never really tried basketball before, but I guess I can give it a try- since you gave one of my interests a try.”

“Sounds like a good deal to me…” Toji watches Hikari put the brush down on the dresser and walk over to him.

“Are you ready for bed?” the still blushing brunette asks.

“Yeah, it's been a long day and I wanna be with my girl…” Toji says softly.

“I want to be with you, too, and you know… be close…”

The class rep gentle taps one of her fingers against his chest. He knows exactly what she wants to do and why she wants to do it.

“No problem… I like it when you snuggle with me. It's kinda nice that yah like the way I look so much.” the 4th Child says confidently.

“You're very handsome and my protector” is the softly spoken reply from Hikari, who gently removes his shirt and tosses it aside. Toji watches as Hikari gently runs one of her hands across his chest.

“Very handsome…” the brunette says, revealing her most intimate thoughts and trying not to blush even redder then she already is.

“You're the cutest girl I ever met… and I think that brunettes are the best, especially wit' the freckles and long hair…”

“Aww…”

“And the warm smile, too, can't forget about that…” Toji quickly adds.

“No, definitely not.”

After giving Toji a quick kiss, the class rep gently pushes on his chest, causing him to fall back- he knows what she's doing and goes along with it, allowing her to climb on top of him and snuggle as the covers are drawn over them both.

“Thanks for keeping me safe…” she whispers.

“No problem, and I got you to protect me as well. I never know the class rep was so dangerous.” Toji says, teasing his girlfriend a little.

“Only when I'm mad…” is the giggling response back.

The two exchange glances and then kiss before settling in for the night. The two relax and find a sense of peace in each other's arms as they fall asleep.

Next door, Rei has Kensuke working on getting his leg strength back… by dancing with her, as previously promised.

“It's helping, I'm feeling better already…” Kensuke says with a smile, doing his best to be positive about the situation.

“I knew that I could motivate you…” Rei says with an affirmative nod. “You looked a little confused when I suggested this idea.”

“I was umm… thinking you wanted to do something else…” the blushing otaku admits.

That comments earns a quick kiss on the cheek from Rei. “I'm not going to rush that, though the thought did cross my mind. I greatly enjoy it when you…” Rei stops talking and blushes before continuing. “Make me feel good.”

“Ummm… definitely. Let's dance a little more before going to bed, I know you're probably more tired then I am.”

“Perhaps. For the last song, you may move your hands down a little if you wish.”

“You want me to dance while grabbing your…” Kensuke gulps.

The response Rei gives to that is a quick hug before backing away slightly, allowing Kensuke to make a decision.

“You're becoming more like Misato every day- but I'm not complaining.” the 6th Child says while shifting his hands off of her hips and onto her butt.

“Good… I need you and your attention just as much as you need me.”

The young woman leads Kensuke over to the music player and hits play again. Despite the good feelings both share as they dance the last song, taken from the CD's Rei had gotten two months prior- they call it an early night and rest up for tomorrow- leaving Shinji and Asuka the only people that are awake in the whole apartment…

While waiting for her dinner, Asuka nods off and falls asleep at the table. She awakens once the smell of food hits her nostrils…

“Mmm, that's smells good, Shinji…”

“I made several different things that I know you like, so eat up.” the 3rd Child says while nodding at the food.

Needing no more encouragement, Asuka begins eating like there's no tomorrow. She looks up at one point and notices Shinji standing there, smiling at her.

“You can eat, too- sit down…”

Shinji silently sits down and eats as well, though he takes his time and observes Asuka's reactions to the food, hoping that he did a good job. A little while later, the redhead finishes eating her dinner and wipes her mouth with a napkin.

“Not bad, Shinji. You're on your way to being forgiven.”

“Thanks- these were all made from memory, well, your memory.”

Asuka grins. “Then I should be thanking myself…”

Shinji rolls his eyes and says nothing while finishing his share of dinner. Despite the different range of flavors present in the German food, it somehow feels familiar. `Asuka's tastes must be in me- and mine in hers.'

“I'll get the dishes loaded into the dishwasher and then we'll talk some more.”

A silent nod is the response back from Asuka, who carries her own dishes to the kitchen. It isn't long before the pair have everything cleaned and put away. The lack of conversation plus the fact that Asuka was staring at him during the whole cleaning process bothers Shinji a little…

Without warning, after the dishwasher door is closed, Shinji feels a gentle tug on his arm.

“Shinji, there's just one more thing I need you to do for me. It won't take long, I promise.”

“Whatever it is, Asuka, it's fine.” is Shinji's response back. He follows her back to their bedroom and both change for bed. Asuka quickly changes, making sure to finish first before coming out from the bathroom… and heading right towards the computer.

“Shinji, are you ready?”

The young man emerges from behind the privacy screen and nods his head.

“Good, I want you to lie down on the bed and close your eyes. Don't talk… just listen to song I'm about to play, okay?”

Despite the somewhat unusual request, the 3rd Child does exactly as told without saying a word. His curiosity about what's going to happen next grows by leaps and bounds, especially when he hears the familiar “tap” of a finger on the keyboard of the computer. A tune begins playing and he focuses on the music…

`He's really focusing in on the music- good. Time to put part B into action.' A large grin forms on Asuka's face as she tip-toes over to the bed, stopping only to turn the lights down to a dim level. In the meantime Shinji is gently bobbing his head along to the music, keeping his eyes closed as per Asuka's instructions. The young woman springs onto the bed, quickly pinning Shinji with her body.

“I'm making a point with this next song- so listen closely, okay?”

A slight blush forms on the teens' face as Asuka presses herself against him even more. “Okay.”

The pair listen to the rest of the song that's currently playing before the song Asuka is referring to comes on.

“If You Had My Love” by Jennifer Lopez- copyright info is at the start of this chapter.

CHORUS:
If you had my love
And I gave you all my trust
Would you comfort me
And if somehow you knew that your love would be untrue
Would you lie to me
And call me baby
Now if I gave you me, this is how it's got to be
First of all I won't take you cheatin' on me
Tell me who can I trust if I can't trust in you
And I refuse to let you play me for a fool
You said that we could possibly spend eternity
See that's what you told me (that's what you said)
But if you want me
You have to be fulfilling all my dreams
(If you really want me babe)
CHORUS
You said you want my love and you've got to have it all
But first there are some things you need to know
If you want to live
With all I have to give
I need to feel true love
Or it's got to end, yeah
I don't want you
Trying to get with me
And I end up unhappy
(I Don't need the hurt and I don't need the pain)
So before I do
Give myself to you
I have to know the truth
(If I spend my life with you)
CHORUS X 4 and then fade

“Asuka?” Shinji asks softly.

“Yes?” is the reply back from the redhead, who continues to pin the young man down and stare at him intently.

“There's no if's about it… you have my love. I'll always comfort you and give you my all…”

Asuka eases up a little and gets on all fours. “That's all I needed to hear, Shinji. I just wanted to hear you say it again and to tease you a little.”

“Yeah…”

A small grin forms on the redhead's face. “Now that we got the song out of the way… I think we need to spend some quality “make up” time together…”

“Okay…” Shinji says in return, liking what he hears.

“How about something new, like a sexy snuggle?”

That confuses Shinji, who had never heard her say that term before. “Sexy snuggle? What do you mean?”

“Well…” the 2nd child starts unbuttoning her boyfriend's shirt. “Something a little more intimate then we normally do- this is a special occasion and we just had the fight of our lives so…”

The shirt is removed and tossed aside, making Shinji's heart race. He can see the desire in Asuka's eyes and wonders if she's going to do anything else…

“I want to feel your warm body against mine” is her response to his silent question…

“T-that's fine…” he says softly. “Let me show you sorry I am for hurting you…”

Slowly, Asuka lowers herself into his arms and the two begin passionately kissing. Shinji starts rubbing her back and eventually squeezing her behind as they get more and more into their “apology”…

“Mmm… you're getting there… I'm forgiving you already…” the redhead teases while very much enjoying the feeling of her boyfriend's touch.

Encouraged by that and her soft moaning, Shinji turns his attention to another “target” in order to make her feel good. He gently kisses her lips, then moves down to her neck, allowing his hands to move up her sides…

“Apology… mmm… accepted…” Asuka says softly as Shinji's hands gently massage her chest. Her lips reach out for his and the pair get lost in their passion for each other…

Feeling a little bold and wanting to make up more then the incident in question to Asuka, Shinji begins unbuttoning Asuka's pajama top while locked in a passionate kiss with the redhead. Unaware of what he's doing, the 2nd Child loses herself in the moment… at least until the cool air of the room hits her body…

“Shinji.” is the soft and very sweet reply to this sudden boldness on Shinji's part. Her heart continues to race as one of her most intimate desires comes to fruition.

“I wanted to really make it up to you… for everything I did wrong on that day. You didn't deserve to go through any of that.”

“No, I didn't…”

“I'm very sorry, Asuka.” the words stop as Shinji gently removes her shirt, tossing it to the ground. “I know how much you like it when I get bold like this.”

For the first time, Shinji vocalizes that previously hidden desire he knows Asuka has about him. Her racing heart is proof enough of that for the young man.

“I… like it sometimes, not being in charge. Promise me you won't tell anyone” the blushing and very soft spoken Asuka asks. “I'm glad you want to be close to me tonight, but aren't you afraid that Misato could come in here?”

Shinji explains the conversation he had earlier with Misato. “She won't come in. We had a talk earlier, about not complicating things, especially before this big fight. I made a promise and we get more privacy- but I need your help.”

In the dim light, he can make out the pink of her lacy bra against her soft skin… his stares cause Asuka to blush even more.

“Okay.” Asuka says before happily wrapping her arms around Shinji. “I'll be a good girl…”

After Asuka winks, a gentle kiss is Shinji's reply. The young pilot is glad that Asuka understood the request given to them both.

“Don't be too good, though.”

“Heh. Naughty boy… you are bad tonight. Still, it's a lot better to have you this way, not running away.”

Shinji doesn't reply right away but thinks of a good response. “Same with you- you're actually admitting your real feelings, well, at least to me. I think those two rings over on the dresser speak for themselves…”

“They do say a lot…”

Gently, Asuka pulls Shinji into a close embrace and holds him, confirming statement a moment ago. She can feel his hands on her back, gently rubbing her tired muscles just the way she likes it during a massage. Right before the young woman almost falls asleep in Shinji's arms, he realizes something.

`She wanted to be body to body with me, to feel my warmth. She's very comfortable like this but I think I can help her even more. Do I want to cross that line? I don't want to seem like I'm the one `complicating' things but she did say sexy snuggle and I want to feel her warmth, her heartbeat…'

“Asuka” Shinji whispers softly.

“Mmm...” is all the response he gets back. Making his decision, he gently unhooks one and then the other hook, releasing her bra. His hands gently rub her back once again- the redhead is too tired to even notice what he's doing, at least, until the bra straps are pulled off of her shoulders…

“Huh? Shin-chan, what are you doing?” is her soft protest as her face turns red.

Very nervously, Shinji stammers out his answer. “You umm… you know, said we'd sexy snuggle tonight. I want to umm… feel your warm body against mine.”

“Oh… that explains it. You can… continue.” Asuka grins. “You've done this while I was sleeping a few times… but never while I was awake.”

After taking a deep breath, Shinji finishes removing the bra and gently tosses it on to the floor. “I umm… wanted to feel your heartbeat, too… and how much I make yours' race.”

“And I get to feel how much I make yours' race- that sounds fair to me. Stop staring and start snuggling then!” Asuka says, with a hint of tease at the end.

All is quiet as the two lovers silently hold each other, the blanket having been drawn over both them a while ago. Both think about something Misato had told them about earlier in the year- sometimes, snuggling is the sexiest thing you can do with someone.

Asuka breaks the silence with a statement about their current situation.

“You know, Shinji… we nearly died, both of us. That attack took out a lot of people…”

“Yeah, it did- there were a lot of casualties. I almost lost the woman I care about the most.”

“She may have been me, but she definitely wasn't as smart as me.” The redhead softly chuckles. “The idiot decided to wait for me in front of my EVA- she obviously didn't know about mama… and that saved my life and stopped her. You don't piss off mama…”

“No, you don't.” Shinji says, thinking about how his own mother and how his own EVA had protected him several times in the past.

“You know what's more scary though…”

That statement gets Shinji curious. “What's that?”

“Imagining you looking your father in a full beard” is the response from the giggling redhead.

Not liking that thought at all, Shinji can think of only one thing to say. “ASUKA!”

“I know, I know- just promise me you'll stay clean shaven, okay?” the still giggling Asuka says before planting a kiss on Shinji's cheek.

Suddenly, Shinji has an idea on how to get her back. “Don't you want me to have a little stubble? I know how much you liked Kaji and his stubble- you liked that particular look.”

“Shinji, I umm, well… damn it!” an exasperated Asuka says, not liking Shinji's use of her own memories against her. She pulls her body off of his in protest and turns the other way.

“Oh come on Asuka- you tease me all the time using my own memories against me…”

“Hmmph. I let you take off my shirt and bra off and here you are teasing me- you should appreciate your good fortune.” Asuka says, a little angry but still feeling up to teasing him back.

The 3rd Child realizes what she's doing but plays along. “I do, Asuka, I do- please let me hold you.”

Asuka takes her time turning around and facing the nervous and blushing young man. He watches as she moves closer and closer, all the while not saying a word.

“Shin-chan… I was thinking, if this is the most we'll be doing without complicating things, how am I am going to thank you for Valentine's Day?”

“Umm… I don't know- I'm sure you'll figure it out.” Shinji says while trying to get a good look at his girlfriend in the dim light. Asuka notices this and reaches for the light dimmer, turning off the lights completely.

“That's enough for one day, Shin-chan. I'm tired and want to go to sleep.” the 2nd Child says with a soft sigh.

“Me too”

Snuggling her body against his, Asuka tries to get comfortable. Despite not being able to see her, he can feel the pleasant pressure of her breasts against his chest- making it difficult for him to think about sleep.

The redhead on the other hand, feels comforted and safe and despite the very intimate setting, falls asleep immediately. It takes Shinji some time to fall asleep, he kills the time by gentling running his fingers through her hair and rubbing her back.

`I don't know what I'd do without you, Asuka' is the thought in his mind just before he finally goes to sleep.

All seems well that night in NERV headquarters, but elsewhere events are not so good. The return of the pre- Second Impact weather has actually helped SEELE's cause by keeping the winter ice road from Yellowknife to their secret base open longer then ever before. Massive amount of trucks brave the ice and snow, coupled with dangerously low temperatures of -40 F/-40 C, to support the cause.

The invasion had failed, but even in failure Keel Lorenz and the others find something they had been needing- more time. Another attack is already in the works by the end of the night…

End Part B.

Start Part C.

Note: The ice road mentioned at the end of Part B is real and was shown on the first season of the TV show “Ice Truckers”. The route is NWT Route 4 to Tibbett Lake and then the ice road heads northeast from there.

Early the next morning, Asuka wakes up and turns here head. After glancing at the time on the nearby clock she sighs aloud.

“Only six A.M…. and I'm not tired anymore. What to do?”

It only takes a few moments for her to come up with an idea, she reaches over for her glasses and puts them on. After that, she slowly turns up the lighting in the room with the dimmer switch on the lamp. Shinji twitches a little but doesn't wake up.

`I want to study him a little…' is the thought in Asuka's mind as she looks down at her sleeping boyfriend. `I finally get what makes him tick but he still manages to surprise me- and I guess I surprise him, too, so we're even.'

Gently, Asuka runs one of her fingers down his bare chest, eliciting a small moan from the sleeping teen. He begins twitching and mumbles Asuka's name a few times…

`Looks like he's dreaming of me, maybe I can have some fun with this…' the mischievous redhead says silently to herself as she snuggles her chest against his. She's not surprised when his arms instinctively wrap around her, causing her body to press against with even more zeal…

“Asuka… mmm…”

“Naughty boy…” is the soft reply from Asuka, enjoying this dream along with her boyfriend.

“I want… you… Asuka… mmm…” are the next words from the sleeping 3rd Child, which causes his girlfriend to blush.

`Ooh, he's getting really naughty in that dream… I guess I am irresistible after all…' Asuka thinks confidently as Shinji's hands begin wandering around her back. She begins to get nervous as they move lower, however.

`How far is he going with me in this dream of his?'

It isn't long before that question is answered, his hands move onto her behind and start pulling her pajama bottoms down, exposing her pink panties.

“Shinji” the embarrassed 2nd Child calls out in an effort to get him to wake up and stop. Her blushing face turns and looks at his…

“Gotcha, Asuka…” the grinning 3rd Child says as he pulls her pajamas back to their proper place.

Asuka immediately protests. “You're so BAD!”

“Well, you were messing with me while I was sleeping… once you touched my chest and started snuggling, I knew you were up to something…”

“Still, I thought you were going to… doing something `complicated', as Misato would say” Asuka says while trying to get her breathing to slow, her heart had started to race after his hands began working their way down her back and the feeling had only gotten more intense as his actions intensified.

The rapid breathing of the redhead is not lost on Shinji, his eyes glance down at her breasts a few times, causing him to blush as well.

“I'm sorry Asuka, I didn't mean to…”

Asuka cuts him off. “It's okay- please keep on surprising me. I like it.”

Shinji grins. “Okay, will do. Just one question, why are you up so early? It's just a little past six…”

“Because I wanted to study my boyfriend a little, that's why…” is her playful reply. “Seriously, though, I woke up and I wasn't tired- how are you feeling?”

“Not bad, I was really comfortable with us being in that sexy snuggle last night”

“Good. Let's talk for a while…” Asuka says while snuggling up to Shinji again. `Now he can't see my chest, so I won't be as much of a distraction'

Shinji gently caresses her hair and tries to focus on her words instead of her body as the young woman begins talking softly.

“Shin-chan, thank you for wanting to be so intimate with me- it really helped me relax last night. I was afraid that I was going to have a nightmare…”

“Same here. I almost lost you and my friends… I don't know what I'd have done if any of them had gotten killed, especially you”

“I don't think we're getting off this easy- they want us dead no matter what, and until they're stopped, there's no way anyone can be safe…”

Shinji sighs aloud, knowing that Asuka is very correct in her statement. “It's up to all of us to strike back, but we do have something they don't…”

Liking his positive comments, the redhead asks “What do you mean?”

“The most dangerous woman on earth”

“Mmm… maybe. You're pretty good, too… even the stooges and Hikari are getting good.”

“And Rei?”

Asuka grins. “Your sister is a force to be reckoned with, she makes for a good rival…”

“As long as it's a friendly rivalry…” Shinji says, feeling a need to be protective of Rei all of the sudden.

A gentle kiss on Shinji's cheek is the 2nd Child's response to that comment.

“You should know me better then that, I'm on good terms with your sister. Part of the reason I hated her before was her lack of personality and respect for her own life. She's got the quite the personality now…” Asuka says with a grin.

“You can say that again- she's like a cross between Misato and you…” A leer from Asuka stops him mid-sentence. “I mean that in a good way, of course.”

“I hope so, or I might have to get `dangerous' with you, Shin-chan” the redhead teases before gently touching Shinji's cheek with her hand. He turns his head slightly and kisses her hand, causing his girlfriend to blush.

“I've got an idea for cheering everyone up, at least, when things get a little more normal around here- I think Kensuke will definitely agree with me on this one…”

“Tell me, Shin-chan- what's your idea?”

The young teen lowers his voice and whispers his idea to his girlfriend. She thinks about his suggestion and roll her eyes.

“I thought Kensuke was the only stooge into that- but it could be fun. Let's ask Misato if we could try that out in a week or two, the last reports I heard have us back to normal operation within ten days…”

“Thanks, Asuka. Let's snuggle for a while and then get some breakfast…”

“Sounds good- but let's not be too long, I'm hungry and you've seen more then enough of me for one day, naughty boy.”

“Aww…” Shinji says in mock disappointment.

“I knew once we got to this level, we wouldn't want to go back… so that's why I was nervous the first time you did that, even though I was sleeping.”

“I know Asuka, I feel the same way too. You know that being bold is hard for me to do…”

Asuka sighs. “But when you need to be, you are. Especially when your friends are in danger- and you're getting better. Don't give up, okay?”

“I won't, I promise…”

The 2nd Child settles in against his chest and the two lovers silently hold each other. In the hallway outside, Pen-Pen waddles down past their door and stops in front of Rei's and Kensuke's bedroom. He points a flipper at the door and squawks.

“Thanks, Pen-Pen” is the reply from the visitor, who gently keys in the code Misato gave him and opens the door. Peeking inside, the man sees the two teens snuggled against each other and smiles.

`Good work, son. I'm glad everything's working out… I even heard that Rei was helping you with your physical therapy, too. I'll check on you later.'

After seeing that his son is in good hands, Ryu Aida steps back and the door closes. He heads over to the dining room and sits down at the table, joining Misato and Kaji for some breakfast.

“You two can check in on your kids if you want, Pen-Pen will show you the way” Misato says to the other two men at the table.

“Why not? I want to see how my daughter is doing…” Teruo Horaki says before looking down at the warm water penguin. “Lead the way”

The other parent at the table, Takeo Suzuhara, decides to join this expedition as well. “I'm comin' too, I wanna see how my boy is carrying on with his girlfriend”

The two men stand up and follow Pen-Pen as he waddles over to the correct bedroom, stopping at the entrance. “WAARK!”

“I guess this is it” Takeo says before punching in the entrance code. The door slides open, sending light from the hallway into the room. The two fathers step inside and the door closes behind them.

“Who's there?” Hikari groggily asks while reaching for the light… and her gun.

“Good morning Hikari”

“Father!” the surprised class rep exclaims as she flips on the lights. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I just wanted to see how my girl was doing. I see you did the right thing…” the elder Horaki points out after noticing that his daughter had one hand on the light switch and another on her gun, which is gently put back on the counter.

“Reflex action, I guess…” the brunette says with a sigh. Toji opens his eyes and decides to comment on that.

“You gotta watch out for her, she's dangerous…”

“Heh. And here I thought you were protecting her, son…” Takeo says jokingly.

“I got my gun under my pillow, so it's close at hand. Nobody gonna get the jump on us…” the young teen says in his own defense.

Teruo addresses the young man under the covers. “I'm glad to hear that- you did an excellent job of protecting my daughter”

“Oh, it was nothing…”

Takeo decides to that it's only right to say the same thing to his son's girlfriend. “And I have to thank you, young lady, for protecting my son”

“Anything for Toji” Hikari says firmly before looking over at her boyfriend.

“Same here, I'd do anythin' for Hikari, she's the best.” Toji says while glancing at his girlfriend affectionately, causing the young woman to blush.

The two fathers look at each other and then decide to spare their offspring from any further embarrassment.

“I think the situation is well in hand, what do you think, Takeo?”

The elder Suzuhara nods his head in agreement. “Sure, I think we can trust these two to stay here in this living arrangement”

“We're going to finish our breakfast and our briefing with Misato, so you two can go back to bed. I'm sorry I woke you two up so early in the morning…” Teruo says with apologetic bow. “We'll see you later”

“Okay, see you later!” Hikari says while waving good-bye.

“See yah dad!” Toji calls out, getting a wave back in return before the two fathers leave the room and the door shuts. The 4th Child breathes a sigh of relief and sits up, letting the blanket fall off of his body.

“Good move Toji… keeping the covers in place. My father may have reacted a little differently if he saw you had no shirt on.”

“I was kinda thinking that… and I don't want my girlfriend to get into any trouble `cause of me. You were the one that took it off after all…” the grinning Toji says while motioning the brunette to come closer.

“Yeah, I know…” the blushing Hikari says as she snuggles against his chest. “I think you look better this way…”

“Thanks… you look really cute right now, too” Toji says, liking her compliment and giving one in return.

To prove his point, the young teen gently caresses her long, brown hair and rubs her back, enjoying the soft feeling of her pink pajamas against his fingers. The class rep silently enjoys this “pampering” on the part of her boyfriend and makes herself comfortable, knowing full well that the day ahead would be challenging and anything but comfortable.

Over at the dining room table, the three fathers eat breakfast and talk with Misato and Kaji. Inwardly, Misato and Kaji are glad that there are no more objections to the current sleeping situation for the pilots. Plans for rebuilding are exchanged along with updates on the search for SEELE's hidden base. Around 7:15 A.M., the three fathers leave and head off to their duties, leaving Pen-Pen, Misato, and Kaji alone at the table.

“You look you've got something on your mind, Misasto” Kaji says while looking at his one true love.

“Oh, I was just thinking about this little plan I've set in motion- I need your help, Pen-Pen's too…” the purple haired woman says with a grin.

“WAARK!” is Pen-Pen's reaction, having a feeling that this will be a fun assignment.

“You're up to something, dear, I just know it…”

Misato shrugs her shoulders. “You know me too well. We only have a little time before Hyuga is released from the infirmary and I want to have his stuff moved into his new room…”

Kaji is a little surprised by that innocent sounding response and inquires further. “Okay, that sounds innocent enough- but why were you grinning?”

“Because he has no idea who his other three roomates are… all three are now back working as of this morning…”

Everything begins falling into place in Kaji's mind. “Hmm… our three new Techs, huh. You're trying to set him up with one of them… which one?”

“He did save all three of them, so he'll eventually be `overwhelmed' with gratitude from them and make a choice, I have this gut feeling.”

The former spy sighs aloud. “Okay, I understand that- but how does our feathered baby featured in all of this?”

“Easy. He's going to keep Hyuga company for a while and buy us some time, so there's no chance of him getting to his new room before we've gotten everything moved.”

“So the surprise is him being in the VIP accommodations with the three women? I'm sure he won't mind…” Kaji says, “putting the puzzle together” aloud.

Misato nods her head. “Mostly, but who said I'm going to tell him that his stuff is in that room… it'd be more fun if he took a little detour, around 10:30 A.M.- the three are doing a split shift today, with an eight hour break in the middle. The timing has to be perfect…”

Kaji snaps his fingers. “I got it now- you really are quite the tactical genius my dear”

“Thanks and yes, I certainly am. Pen-Pen, head down to the infirmary and keep Hyuga there anyway you can until I `beep' you on your communicator.”

“SQUAWK!” is the affirmative response from the warm water penguin, who waddles over to the door. Misato looks outside and then inputs the password, opening the door and allowing Pen-Pen to commence his mission. After the door shuts, Kaji motions Misato back over to the table.

“What about the kids and breakfast?”

“Oh, I wouldn't worry, I'm sure Shinji and Hikari and whip something up if they don't want to eat cold cereal”

“Good point. Let's get going then, Commander Katsuragi” Kaji says before saluting his wife-to-be.

“I wish I could keep the rank, Commander Ikari should be resuming command again tomorrow” A soft sigh escapes Misato's lips after saying that, the realization that her time is limited hits her hard.

Not liking the expression on Misato's face, Kaji leans in gives her a kiss. “You'll always be my commander…”

“Thanks…” is her reply, along with a kiss. The pair refrain from letting this exchange of affection heat up into anything more by quickly getting on their feet and checking their weapons.

“Lock and load”

“Let's do it!” the temporary commander says before heading to the door.

The mission is soon underway, Misato and Kaji head down to Hyuga's quarters and begin packing his belongings, being aided by a small transport wagon. Misato takes a break after a while to prepare a carefully worded note and to take a rest. Down in the infirmary, Pen-Pen keeps Hyuga occupied with his antics. At first the technician is surprised to see the penguin paying him a visit but then livens up- `Hey, I'm leaving in a few hours anyways, might as well enjoy my last bit of time here'

Back at the Katsuragi apartment, the six pilots wake up and after migrating over to the dining room, find a note that Misato left behind. All eyes turn to Shinji and Hikari who get started on breakfast, not wanting anyone to be late for the first exercise of the day, “Target Practice”

The hustle and bustle of the recovering base continues in the down in the simulator rooms and main labs where Maya and Aoba work together on restoring the EVA simulations and other necessary computers and terminals…

“Thank goodness they didn't hit this area too hard… just some broken screens and keyboards, a few wiring issues- not really a big deal” Aoba says while sweeping up a pile of debris.

Maya turns her head and looks at her boyfriend. “We should be back online tomorrow, this is a restricted area so we're limited on people that can help out here. The pilots should be read for some more sims and plug tests soon- I guess Commander Ikari wants to make sure there's no cross contamination or malfunctions if more then one pilot has to share the plug in an emergency.”

“With your expert hands, I'm sure we'll up and running in no time…” Aoba says slyly, causing Maya to blush a little.

“I'm not that good… Doctor Akagi was several times faster then me…” she says modestly.

“Don't sell yourself short, Maya- you are faster then you were before Third Impact.”

Turning her attention back to her work, Maya nods her head. “You're right… I've really had no choice…”

“We're still in trouble if we can't find SEELE soon, I'm sure they're not going to give up on us that easy…” Aoba says with some sarcasm. “We should go visit Hyuga after dinner, he should be out of the infirmary and in his new apartment by then”

After hearing that idea, Maya cannot help but agree with her boyfriend. “Good idea Aoba, let's do that…”

The morning continues and around 10:15 A.M. the mischievous pair of Kaji and Misato finish the moving. The former spy heads up to the command center to work on the search for SEELE while Misato makes a quick diversion down to the infirmary with a note in hand. Pen-Pen hears a `beep' and makes his way out of the infirmary, allowing Hyuga to finish getting dressed. The young technician stretches his arms towards the ceiling and is about to leave the room when Misato in a non-chalant manner walks in and hands him a note.

“What's this for, Commander?”

“Some instructions for you. Your stuff has been moved to a new apartment block and there's the new access code at the bottom. I'd memorize that quickly, the ink will fade in a few minutes…”

“Got it” is Hyuga's reply while memorizing the code. “What's this last line about?”

Taking a glance at the clock “Oh, we found some stuff during the cleanup that the cleaners weren't sure about. I'd head down there first and claim anything that might be yours…”

“Sounds like a plan to me, it'll take a few minutes for me to get to that room, though… I'm still very sore…” Hyuga says with a sigh.

“Still, you're back on your feet and looking good- and I'll expect you to be back soon for our fight against SEELE”

“You bet!” the enthusiastic tech says, eager to get back at the people who nearly killed him and his friends. “I'll talk to you later, Commander.”

“Okay. Be careful not to overdo it today, all right?” Misato says, feeling a little concerned for her friend.

Reaching for his gun holster, Hyuga pats his sidearm. “No problem. I'm ready for anything…”

“See you later then…” Misato says before making her exit. After getting back out into the main hallway she glances at her watch. “It's going to be close, I hope he enjoys his little surprise…”

A very curious Hyuga Makoto leaves the infirmary and makes his way down several corridors, wondering along the way what his new apartment looks like and why of all places this item collection area was near the locker rooms. Upon reaching the door in question, Hyuga inputs the access code and steps inside after the door opens…

“Anyone here? I'm here to see if any of the lost items are mine” Hyuga calls out, wondering where the person in charge is. A few seconds later, he turns the corner and is surprised to see the three women he helped save standing in the center of the room…

“HYUGA!” is the common reply from all three after seeing who it is, all are glad to see their “hero” is out of the hospital. However, a few moments later the three female technicians remember what they were in the middle of doing- changing out of their work clothes.

“Umm… why are you umm… changing here. I thought this was a lost items center…” Hyuga says while turning his now blushing face to look the other way. Aoi just stares at him and Satsuki slowly lowers her pink shirt, a slight blush forms on her face as she does so.

“Hyuga, this is the women's locker room! How the heck did you even get in here?” the embarrassed Kaede asked while putting her uniform in from of her chest.

“Misato told me to come here and even gave me the code… she must've tricked me…” Hyuga says with a nervous sigh. “Sorry about that!”

“Figures… that's Misato for you. We'll tell you when you can look again, Hyuga…” Satsuki says while unzipping her skirt. `What a trickster… I guess the rumors were right'

The three women seem to take forever to get dressed, at least in Hyuga's mind. While waiting, he reviews what he just saw: `Thank goodness they're not angry with me for seeing them like that. I had no idea they wore stuff like that… Aoi has such nice legs, those black stockings look good. Kaede looked cute in those white leggings, nice figure, too… and Satsuki- damn! She was wearing some really sexy lingerie there… I had no idea these three wore such sexy stuff under their work uniforms!'

After getting changed, the three women walk up to Hyuga. Each one takes a turn giving the technician a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek as a “thank you” for saving their lives.

“It was ummm… nothing, ladies” the modest Hyuga says before walking towards the exit. “Where did you three end up, you know, apartment wise”

“I guess we could show you, right, girls?” Kaede says with a grin. The other two reply with a “yes”, each wanting to show off their new “digs” to their savior from the last battle.

“You'll love our new place…” Satsuki says happily.

“First class all the way” Aoi adds. “Our new surroundings really helped us relax and get healed up”

Hyuga follows the three techs as they leave the room and head to the new secured housing area. On the way they pass many cleaners getting the rest of the debris off of the floor and cleaning/repairing the walls. Despite the new security situation, each of the four keep their guard up, especially around anyone they personally don't know.

After arriving at the entrance to the apartment, Aoi punches in the entrance code into the keypad.

`I could've sworn that's the same number I had to memorize… that's really weird' is the thought in Hyuga's mind as the door opens.

“Come in” Satsuki says, wanting him to go in first. After hesitating for a moment, he steps inside and is immediately amazed by what he sees.

“Wow, this is really cool! How'd you guys land such a nice apartment to stay in?”

“Misato and Sub-Commander Fuyutski picked this out for us, all of us really appreciate it” Aoi says happily.

“You got that right!” Kaede says while stepping inside. The other two women follow suit and the door closes. “There's still a mystery, though. We have four bedrooms and only three of us…”

“That's weird, I don't know why they'd let a room go to waste… no one's moved in at all?” a curious Hyuga asks.

“Nope… hold on a second…” Satsuki says while catching something in her field of vision that looks out of place. She walks over to the nearby wall and grabs a small note taped to it.

“What is that?” Aoi asks aloud before the others can.

“I don't know… let's see what it says. Ahem… `To my three friends, I have moved in the belongings of your fourth roommate. Please give them a hero's welcome'”

“Who wrote that?” Hyuga asks, having an idea of who before even opening his mouth.

“Misato” is the swift reply from Satsuki.

“Figures, she snuck in a roommate while we were at work…” Kaede says with a sigh. “We'd better go see if they're in and introduce ourselves…”

The unsuspecting four head over to the bedroom in question and knock on the door several times. Not getting an answer just further increases their curiosity…

“Looks like no one's home…” Aoi says with a sigh.

Remembering something he saw earlier, Hyuga looks at the back of the note he was given earlier and finds a second passcode. `This couldn't be my new place, could it? Only one way to find out…'

The three women wonder why he's putting in a passcode and even more surprised that it worked.

“How'd you do that?” Satsuki asks aloud. “Did you just hack your way in?”

“Not exactly…” the male tech says as the door opens. “Just as I thought… there's my stuff…”

Kaede steps into the room and sees boxes and several stacks of manga on the floor. “Wait a second… this is your stuff?”

“Yep”

The three women look at each other and sigh aloud. “Misato is the master tactician, right?” a weary Kaede asks.

“Of course” is Aoi's reply.

“You can say that again…” Satsuki chimes in. “Still, we could've ended up with a lot worse… he is the man that saved our lives after all…”

The sweet way Satsuki said that last part plus the sudden stares by the three women make Hyuga blush. “Umm, yeah… I guess I did. I guess I'll ummm… unpack and maybe eat lunch with you after that?”

“Sure! I'll make us all something to eat!” Kaede says while twirling her blonde hair with her finger. “We owe you one so…” A wink follows that line, causing more embarrassment.

“Can you make him any redder?” Aoi asks after seeing her friend's face.

“Nothing wrong with a little flirting now, Aoi…” Satsuki softly chides. “We'll be back, Hyuga.”

The embarrassed NERV tech nods his head and watches the three women leave his new room. “I'm either the luckiest guy on earth or the unluckiest, I guess time will tell. Leave it to Misato to set something like this up” he says to himself softly while reaching for the first box. `Time to unpack'

The seemingly normal day continues, but the rebuilding work isn't confined to NERV headquarters alone. SEELE has begun planning for another assault and continues it's own secret rebuilding work. The big question on both sides is, who will be ready for the big strike first?

To be continued in Chapter 43: Contest & Valentine's Day

To see a picture of the three female techs as Hyuga would have seen them in part C of this chapter, click here: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q231/ST_Pika/?action=view&current =a4dd77d7c4023a3c778e939d65fe87a7.jpg

That's about all for now, stay tuned for chapter 43!