Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction / Those Who Hunt Elves Fan Fiction ❯ Those Who Hunt...Eva? ❯ Chapter 8

Part 8: First Day Jitters

Shinji opened his eyes as light flooded into the room where he lay. Did I forget to close the curtains? He wondered sleepily, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. He yawned and as he was closing his mouth, he remembered that he was on the couch and Rei was in his room. He also remembered what she had done last night. He frantically pulled his shorts back and checked himself. Finding no signs that he had done what he remembered, he signed. Must have imagined that all. Oh well; I would have liked for it to have been real. But why would Rei or any girl do that with me? He thought, perceiving himself to be unattractive to the opposite sex, disregarding what doctor Akagi had done as just being her normal bizarre self. He also noted the presence of the normal morning wood. He got up and headed for the bathroom, intent on ridding himself of the wood before Asuka had a chance to call him a hentai baka as she always did when he failed to get rid of the wood before she was awake. As he approached the bathroom door, he heard a sound of small, webbed feet and toenails clicking on the floor, followed by the sound of a beer can opening. Pen Pen is up, I see. Thought Shinji as he opened the bathroom door and stepped inside.

And bumped into Rei, who was on her way back to Shinji's room, having just finished her own morning pit stop. She was still naked, but far more awake than Shinji. "Good morning, Shinji." She said softly, staring into his eyes.

"Go…good morning, Rei." He managed. The shock of seeing her standing there naked was short-circuiting his brain, but fortunately for him, his half-asleep state kept it from completely shutting him down. "Did you sleep well?" he added.

"Yes. But I am more concerned with how you slept, Shinji. After relieving your sexual tension, I was unsure if I should stay with you to make sure you did not require further relaxation. Was my choice correct?" she responded.

"Ah…yeah…I slept hard…I mean, deep! Real deep!" he quickly replied. Rei watched his face heat up, then she gave him a very thorough head-to-toe visual examination. She immediately noticed his morning wood.

"I see you require further sexual release. I will tend to this immediately." She stated, reaching for his shorts and pulling them down. Shinji was too stunned to stop her before she had them to his knees. I see, it is larger than the illustrations that the instructor showed us. And it does not appear to be as hard as it felt last night. Perhaps I need to stimulate him some for him to reach that state again. Thought the blue haired girl. Shinji interrupted her intense study of his penis.

"No! It's not…that. It's just that I need to pee…"

"Ah, I remember. So, once you have relieved yourself, the erection will go away?" asked Rei, her eyes back on his member, which Shinji tried to cover with his hands, but Rei gently pulled his hands away so her view was unobstructed. Perhaps it would fit, if my organs were to…mine? Is that what I am thinking? Why would I be thinking of having intercourse with Shinji? Is it a side effect of assisting him in relieving his sexual tension? I need to research this more. It seems that the information that the health class instructor provided me with is not accurate. Shinji once more interrupted her mental notes.

"Yeah, once I take a piss, the wood will go away." He managed to get out without stuttering or pausing, wondering how he had managed to do so.

"Wood? What are you referring to, Shinji?" wondered Rei. She knew that they had been discussing his current state of arousal. Now he seemed to be speaking of wood.

"Uh, well, it's called…morning wood. When a guy wakes up, he…usually has this…condition." Shinji felt the heat from his cheeks as he said this. I can't believe that I'm explaining morning wood to REI, of all people. Still, she hasn't hit me or called me a pervert yet. She seems genuinely interested in my well-being. But why would she care about me?

"I will see if you desire more sexual release after you have relieved yourself, then." Stated Rei, stepping back and leaning against the counter. Shinji got the feeling that she meant to watch him the entire time. Shinji knew that he couldn't pee if she was watching him.

"That's OK, Rei. We need to get ready for school, and…uh…Asuka will be up soon. She'll be angry if you're standing there…like…that." He managed, figuring that he was doing well considering the situation. Rei considered his reasoning.

Pilot Sohryu is given to violence at the slightest provocation and Shinji is often on the receiving end. I will follow his wishes to prevent harm from coming to him. "As you wish. But when you are finished relieving yourself, I will verify that you do not currently need sexual release." Agreed Rei. She noticed a slightly pained expression on his face. "What is wrong, Shinji? Are you in pain?"

"Ah, no. I'm…fine, Rei." He said, trying to figure out how to keep her from verifying his condition. "You don't need to do that, really." He added.

"I have promised to protect you and care for you, and I will. I will wait for you outside the door." She stated, turning for the door. Shinji tried to keep his eyes from watching her well-formed ass as she turned, but failed miserably.

"What about Asuka and Misato?" he asked her desperately. She paused and considered. "Then I will stay her until you finish, so I can be sure that you do not require further sexual release at this time." Shinji felt a dropping sensation in his chest.

"I'm not sure that that would be a good idea…" he began.

"I will make sure that you have ample release, Shinji." Stated Rei in a tone that made the armor on his Eva look soft. He knew her well enough to know that when she decided something, nothing could change her mind. Then inspiration hit him.

"Tell you what, Rei. I'll come to my room after I am done here. Will that satisfy you?" he asked, knowing that he had to get his school clothes and book bag from there anyway. If he were totally honest with himself, he would have admitted that he was very happy at the thought of her "verifying" his condition. What he had felt the last two days was heaven to him. And he was starting to want more of those sensations.

After a moment of consideration, Rei nodded. "I will wait for you there." She said simply, exiting the bathroom and leaving Shinji to pee in peace. He signed as he tended to business. Then another thought struck him. I better ask her not to tell anyone what she is doing. If father found out… a chill ran down his spine, as Shinji believed that Commander Ikari would have him killed if he knew about what Rei was doing. His thoughts were sidetracked by another topic. And how can I get her to stop calling it `sexual release'? It sounds too…scientific? Unemotional? His mind went to work on that project.

Ten minutes later, he had finished his morning routine and was ready to face Rei. Again. Stepping out of the bathroom, he paused to listen at Asuka and Misato's doors, waiting until he heard their distinctive breathing sounds, as well as sound of sleep from their room mates. Good thing that I'm nearly always the first to wake up. He reflected. He stepped to his door and lightly scratched the frame before sliding it open.

Rei sat calmly on his bed, still totally naked and watched as he slipped into the room and quietly slid the door closed. She rose and stepped to him, standing very close to him as she spoke. "Have you finished disposing of this `morning wood'?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's…gone." He muttered.

"Very well." She said and pulled his shorts off before he could blink. Kneeling in front of him, she intently examined his soft member, then reached out and slid her soft, warm hands along its soft sides. His member twitched and began to stiffen. Shinji tried to keep his dick soft, but it was not working, as Rei's breath was tickling him and her hands were caressing him in a soft, warm, intimate way. His member began to grow. I understand, now. The illustrations were of the penis in its rest position. Still, they looked smaller than this. The girls say that they are different sizes, so maybe that is why Shinji's appears differently from the class material. I can see that I need more information on this subject. Thought Rei, watching Shinji's penis grow in her hand. She was amazed at its transformation. She was also surprised to feel herself beginning to get wet as she had last night. "You appear to need further sexual release, Shinji." She murmured, looking up when he didn't answer and seeing his eyes closed and his head back. She also noted a small smile on his face. This makes him happy. She realized. And it makes me happy to see him happy. Since I used manual stimulation last time, I will try oral this time. Decided Rei. She drew on her memories of locker-room gossip between older girls as well as overheard conversations between NERV technicians rather than materials from Health Class, as the topic had been derisively dismissed by the instructor as a demeaning male fantasy.

Shinji, lost in the sensations of her fingers on his shaft, felt something warm, wet and very nice on the head of his penis. His eyes snapped open and he looked down to see Rei's tongue on his dick. She was carefully licking the head of his dick, her eyes closed, her fingers still stroking him. Shinji's eyes nearly exploded from their sockets as she opened her mouth a bit wider and engulfed his hard shaft with her mouth. Remembering the most common complaints that the male technicians had made about this activity, she carefully kept her teeth away from his sensitive skin. She also put the majority of her attention on the head of his member. Curiously, she carefully bobbed her head up and down on his shaft, feeling him quiver as she did so. She was surprised when she felt Shinji's hands on her head, one hand touching her cheek and neck, the other covering the back of her head. She glanced up, to see him bent over her, eyes closed again and his breath a little ragged. She felt him begin to push and pull on her head, and she gave him the lead, just as she had the night before, closing her eyes and placing her hands on his hips.

Shinji had never felt anything so good in his life. He subconsciously began to increase the pace and push deeper and deeper into Rei's mouth as he got closer and closer to his climax. Rei was making small noises, but Shinji was too close to an explosion to notice. He felt himself spasm, and he stopped pumping himself into Rei's mouth, instead holding her tight to his hips, just as he felt himself blow. He felt several waves go, then gasped softly and opened his eyes. He immediately noticed Rei's red facial tone. He immediately pulled himself out of her mouth, and she gasped, coughing a little. She had drool and semen running out of the corners of her mouth and dripping down onto her chest, which was slick with the mixture of his sperm and her saliva. She swallowed a time or two, then took a few deep breaths. Leaning back on her heels, she looked at Shinji's face and saw concern there. She managed to give him a small smile. "It is all right, Shinji. I am fine." She panted. "And I see that you are relaxed again." She paused to lick her lips and swallow. The girls said that they hated this part. But I do not mind the taste. It is not...unpleasant, as they claimed it was. And I see a little more. Rei leaned forward and locked her lips around Shinji's tip, licking and carefully sucking the last of his semen from him, leaving him clean. She carefully wiped her face with her hand, then felt something drop around her shoulders. It was a towel Shinji had grabbed from the back of his chair. Rei began to wipe herself off. She was surprised to find her thighs damp.

"Um, Rei, you might want to go to the bathroom and clean up a little more." Said Shinji. "Sorry about…in your mouth."

"I do not mind, Shinji. Perhaps we will do this next time as well." She said, standing and heading for the door. Shinji reached out and touched her arm, causing her to stop and look at him.

"When you're done, I need to talk with you." He said.

"I will come here when I am finished, and dress for school. We will talk them." She affirmed. Shinji let her go, and she stepped into the bathroom. Faintly, Shinji heard the sink running. He signed, but couldn't stop smiling as he dressed for school.

True to her word, Rei returned from the bathroom a few minutes later, clean and still slightly damp from her abbreviated shower. She saw Shinji sitting at his desk, putting papers in his school bag. She reached down and picked up her panties, stepping into them as she asked him "What did you wish to discuss, Shinji?"

"Well, I just wanted to say thank you…for caring about me enough to…well, you know." He began.

"Is that all?" she replied. "I have told you, I will protect you and care for you."

"Well, it's still nice to know you care. But there was another topic. Rei, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone about what we do…did, I mean." He hurriedly corrected himself. "They might not understand." She paused, looking at him, her bra in hand, but not on yet.

"It was not my intention to speak to anyone of this matter, as it does not concern them." She paused, thinking, then made a small amendment. "With the exception of Captain Katsuragi. She is tasked with your well-being and should be assisting in this matter." The level, unconcerned tone of her voice nearly made him shiver, considering the topic of conversation. "But you have said that you would speak with her, so it should not be necessary for me to. For now, at least." Rei added. "What else was on your mind, Shinji?"

"Well, would you not call it `sexual relief'? That makes it sound so…impersonal."

"What would you prefer for me to call it?" asked Rei. "Is there a term for this as well?"

Shinji sweat dropped, thinking of all the euphemisms he had heard for what she had done, but none fit her particular reference. "Well, how about we just call it relief for now?" he offered.

"I will call it whatever you wish me to call it." Agreed Rei, her hands finishing the last button on her school uniform. She looked to Shinji. "Should we wake the others now?" she asked.

An alarm was sounding, but doing little good. The occupants of the bed had yet to move, or even give any signs of life. But the piercing electronic beep was slowly eroding their sleep. Eventually, an arm emerged and slapped around on the bedside table, but the alarm went on. After several seconds of searching, a voice was heard. "Asuka, where's that fucking alarm clock hiding at?" There was no response. A red haired teen sat up, tossing her hip-length hair back from her face with a practiced move of easy familiarity. Grey-green eyes slid to her right, where another, darker redhead lay. She reached out and nudged the other teen. "Hey, Asuka-chan, where is the little bastard?" There was a groan, then the other person raised an arm long enough to point to the dresser, against the far wall. Ritsuko searched the dresser, then found the clock, half hidden behind Asuka's school bag. Ritsuko's hand slapped her hip, but was momentarily confused when she didn't feel her ever-present USP there. Ah, that's right. No ammo. Gun not on my hip. Gotta replace that ammo somehow. She groaned at looked at Asuka as the younger teen sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Why did you put that damned thing all the way over there?" asked Ritsuko, sliding out of the bed and stepping to the dresser, where she brought her fist down on the clock. Being half asleep, she had hit it harder than she meant to and it cracked in half, the alarm dying with an electronic groan. "Eh, sorry about that." She said, glancing to Asuka. Asuka shrugged and yawned.

"Happens all the time. Misato has a couple of dozen in the storage room down the hall. That was just number four." She said as she rubbed the sleep from her blue eyes. "This month anyway." She added. Another yawn, then she stepped out the door. Ritsuko watched her walk down the hall to Shinji's room and pound on the door. "Wake up and make breakfast, Baka!" she called. She reached for the door.

"Um, Asuka, wasn't that blue-haired girl - Rei?- in there?" asked Ritsuko. Asuka paused, frowning, then turned and strode down to the living room.

"Hey, Baka!" she called, looking to the couch. It was empty. About that time, a smell from the kitchen hit her. Coffee. Toast. Eggs. Sausages. Hash browns. Breakfast. Concluded Asuka.

"I'm already up, Asuka. Breakfast will be ready soon." Called Shinji. Asuka frowned a little. He sounds…happy? Nah. He's never happy; must be my imagination. She returned to her room and closed the door. Ritsuko glanced at her.

"Breakfast will be ready soon. Let's get ready for school." Said the younger of the two red-tressed teens. She stretched her arms overhead, then looked at Ritsuko. "Don't tell anyone about this." She said, then began to stretch and do some isometric exercises. Ritsuko watched for a while, then did her normal morning exercise routine, which was similar to Asuka, except that Ritsuko added sit-ups and push-ups to hers. Twenty-five of each as well as stretching. Asuka watched her easily finish off her exercise, her eyebrow raised.

"Well, a girl's gotta stay fit." Replied the older teen, noting the attention of the younger one. "Of course, Junpei's morning ritual is much more demanding." She muttered, remembering the countless times she and Airi had watched him do his hour-long morning exercises. Junpei did fingertip incline pushups, roman crunches, squat-thrusts (her and Airi's favorite), jumping jacks and one-arm pulls, one hundred and fifty of each, every morning. That he could do all that in an hour was a testament to his fitness level. It had been an unspoken agreement between the women that they would never allow him to know about, much less see, their own morning workouts.

"Who's Junpei?" asked Asuka.

"Someone I know. Hopefully, you'll never have to meet him."

"Jerk, huh?" surmised Asuka.

"That's putting it mildly." Agreed Ritsuko. "Still, he's saved us a time or ten." She murmured quietly.

"Don't let that fool you; even that Baka Shinji has saved me once. Well, it was more like assisted me, but not everyone would see things that way. It still doesn't make him anything but a perverted, wimpy baka." Maintained Asuka. "Well, now that that is done, let's get ourselves ready for school." Declared Asuka. She tossed off her sleeping shirt and crossed to the dresser. As she rummaged through the drawers, she stood there bare except for a pair of gray French-cut bikini style panties. Ritsuko hesitated before she took her own sleeping shirt off. Asuka glanced over at her and said "We're both girls; and besides, the gym's locker room at school is more like an Army base's locker room. It's going to be seen one way or the other, and it's not like you need to worry about your figure." She reassured the older teen. Ritsuko knew she spoke the truth, and she wasn't shy, just cautious. With a mental shrug, she tossed off her own borrowed shirt. Asuka gave her the once over, and gave an appreciative whistle. Ritsuko snorted back a laugh and struck a faux glamour pose.

"Am I hot or what?" she asked, her tone joking. "Of course, compared with Airi…"

"Yeah, I know. Next to Misato, I can't get Kaji to give me the time of day."

"And Kaji is?" prompted Ritsuko.

"The only man for me." Replied Asuka, her tone dreamy. "If he only knew I was a woman." She added darkly. "Maybe I'll introduce you to him sometime. He's so mature and sophisticated, not like Baka or the boys at school."

"I sense a good story there." Stated Ritsuko. Just then, there was a knock at the door and then Rei opened it and looked at Asuka and Ritsuko with an emotionless stare.

"What do you want, Wondergirl? And who said you could just barge into my room?!" Asuka demanded belligerently.

"You would have preferred Shinji to enter your room? And I am here to inform you that breakfast is ready. I suggest that you dress soon or it will get cold." Rei stated, then turned and departed, closing the door behind her. Asuka gave an angry growl and muttered something in German about the doll.

"Well, it'll have to wait. Let's get dressed." Said the younger teen. She gave Ritsuko a contemplative look. "I think my underwear will do until we can get you some of your own. If not, well, we'll see what we can do. Try this on." She said, handing Ritsuko a pair of silk panties. The panties were indigo with white Celtic knot-work highlights, loose-sided and string bikini style. Ritsuko stepped into them and pulled them up, finding the fit to be nearly perfect. Not that there was much panty to fit, she reflected. Asuka smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. "They look good on you. One down, one to go." She said. She went back to rummaging in her dresser drawer and soon pulled out a bra, held it up for a moment, then put it back and pulled out another. She evaluated the bra, then took a look at Ritsuko's chest. "Maybe. Give this a try." She said, handing the bra to Ritsuko. The older teen held the bra up for a moment, visually measuring it, then slipped into it and reached behind herself to fasten the latches. The bra was made of silvery-gold colored fabric, stretchy and sheer, and it gently caressed her breasts as it held them in a comfortable embrace. Ritsuko reached up to the straps and made a minor adjustment, then adjusted the cups and chest band to her liking. Asuka waited until she had finished, then gave her another once-over.

"It's a little small in the cup." Noted Ritsuko, "But I love this fabric. My old bra was never this comfortable, and I thought it was pretty damned comfortable. This one also breathes better. Do you always wear this kind of bra?"

"No. I only have three like that, the rest are more normal. Those are very hard to find. The company that made them went out of business after Second Impact, and the only ones left are lost shipments and occasional lucky finds. And don't worry about gym class at school. I've got extra sports bras in my locker."

"What about panties? I don't want to get these all sweaty and sticky and be left with nothing to wear after." Asked Ritsuko. Asuka gave her a wicked smile.

"Well, hopefully we'll have a pool day, but if not, it wouldn't be the first time one or more of us girls has had to get by with just the exercise shorts."

"Won't be my first time either, but I don't care to risk it unless necessary." Agreed Ritsuko reluctantly. "Does the school use regular shorts or field shorts?"

"Field shorts. And they're pretty high grade." Replied Asuka. She slipped into a white lace bra and turned to her wardrobe and pulled out her school uniform. She glanced at Ritsuko and then pulled out a medium blue, pleated skirt and handed it to the other teen as she slipped into her uniform. "See if this works." She said. Ritsuko stepped into the skirt and pulled it up, raised the zipper and fastened the waist button. It was a little tight, but not too uncomfortable. She and Asuka were nearly the same size, with the two-year difference mostly in Ritsuko's superior bust size and more developed hips and waist. Asuka finished dressing and looked her roomie over. "One piece to go. And I don't think I have a blouse that will fit you; at least, not a clean one. Hmm." She considered, then suddenly smiled. "Got you covered, Rit-chan. Be right back." With that, the pilot zipped out of the room and into Shinji's, re-emerging with one of his shirts. She tossed it to Ritsuko as she closed the door. The other teen looked at her, then slipped the shirt on, finding the short-sleeved shirt to be workable, provided that she left the top two buttons undone, which coincidentally left a very nice view of her cleavage, though not an unacceptable one. "It'll have to do. Let's eat, or we'll be late." Declared Asuka, handing the other girl a pair of socks as she ran a brush through her hair. Ritsuko swiftly put her hair up in its normal ponytail and tied off the thick mane with a black ribbon she borrowed from Asuka. Slipping the socks on, she followed the younger woman to the kitchen.

Shinji looked up as Asuka rounded the corner and sat at her normal place at the table, grabbing some toast and piling a plate with sausage, eggs and hash browns. She noticed that Shinji placing a cup in front of her and pouring her some orange juice to go with her breakfast. She barely even acknowledged him, just as she always did. He turned and handed Ritsuko a plate and started to pour her some orange juice as well. "I hope you like this kind of food." He offered apologetically. "It's Asuka's normal breakfast."

"Fine by me." Replied Ritsuko, digging in hungrily. She nodded to Shinji as he finished pouring her glass of juice, her mouth full of food. Asuka was digging into her plate, and Shinji was putting his and Rei's plates into the sink. Since Rei was a vegetarian, she had just had some hash browns and eggs with a couple of slices of toast with grape jam on them, and some orange juice at Shinji's insistence. She was currently sipping some tea. The coffeemaker was brewing a dose of coffee that smelled suspiciously like Starbucks coffee to Ritsuko.

"You have coffee with breakfast?" she asked, surprised that kids like them drank coffee with their breakfast.

"Oh, not usually. That's for Misato. It's her special blend." Said Shinji.

"I thought we were out of Jack Daniels." Said Asuka, suddenly going dead still, her tone carefully level.

"No, her other special blend." Corrected Shinji. "And yes, we are still out of Jack Daniels. Thank god." Ritsuko thought she saw him shudder when he said that. She glanced at Asuka and saw the same look in her eyes.

Must have been bad, whatever it was. Thought the elf hunter to herself. With someone like Misato, I can only imagine, given her performance last night. And that was just beer. She was interrupted by Asuka's voice.

"Eat up, Rit-chan. We're nearly out of time." Said the younger girl, knocking back her juice and motioning for a refill. Shinji obliged, topped off Ritsuko's glass and put away the juice, covering the leftovers as Asuka and Ritsuko finished their breakfast. Rei silently placed her empty teacup in the sink, and stood by the door, waiting for the others. Shinji looked at Ritsuko and noticed she was wearing his shirt.

"You look good, Ritsuko." He said honestly. Asuka snorted.

"Thank you, Shinji." She replied, smiling.

"Stop drooling and get whatever hentai thoughts you have out of your head, Baka!" snapped Asuka. "She's way out of your league, Stooge!"

Stooge? Wonder what that is about. Thought the older teen. Asuka went on.

"And you better control your two stooge friends, or I'll kick their asses! She looks enough like me to make them think ecchi thoughts, and if they treat her like they treat the other girls, I'll personally stomp on their houses the next time I'm out and about in my Eva! Got it, Third Child?" she barked.

"Yes, I got it, Asuka." Replied Shinji, his tone one of weary acceptance, as if this were a common occurrence. Ritsuko was beginning to believe it was. He doesn't seem to deserve it. Why is she so hot to chew him out all the time? She realized that he was speaking to her.

"What?" she asked, realizing that her plate was gone, as was her silverware and he was pointing to her cup.

"I asked if you were going to finish that." He said, his tone meek.

"Yeah. Here." She answered, draining the cup in one pull and handing it to him. "Thank you for breakfast, Shinji." She added, her hand touching his wrist briefly. Asuka's eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Careful, Rit-chan. He'll think you love him if you go acting that way near him. Baka hentai boy." She said. Ritsuko kept her face neutral, not letting on how she felt about the girl's outburst. She instead studied her, seeing some subtle signs that Asuka might have a crush on Shinji. Hmm. Curious. This should be interesting. She thought, rising from her chair as Asuka did the same.

"Is miss Airi a morning person?" asked Shinji.

"Not if she can help it." Replied Ritsuko with a smile. "And don't call her `miss'; she prefers to be called just Airi."

"Oh, OK." Said Shinji. Ritsuko watched Shinji pull a beer from the refridge and walk toward Misato's room. She leaned out into the hallway to watch him. He reached her door, knocked on it and said. "We're taking off for school, Misato. There's breakfast if you're up before noon, and coffee's brewing. Later." He then slid the door open a crack and tossed the can of beer inside - not unlike one would toss a grenade into an enemy bunker, closing the door. Ritsuko raised an eyebrow, then heard Misato's voice from inside the room.

"Thanks, Shinji-kun. Have a nice day." Followed by the sound of the beer can being opened and the sounds of rapid swallowing. "Yyyeeesss!" suddenly came from the room at full throttle, then the sound of an empty can hitting the wastebasket bottom.

"Think she forgot she has a room mate in there?" asked Asuka. Ritsuko smiled as she heard Airi groan.

"Looks like it." Said the older teen.

"Let's get out of here, before she comes out of her room." Suggested Shinji, pulling on his shoes. Ritsuko did the same, Rei was already in her shoes, and Asuka was passing the kitchen on her way to the door.

"You want to see that, don't you, you little perv?" said Asuka, slipping on her shoes. Shinji ignored her. "What's the matter, Shinji the Great can't speak now?" pressed Asuka, her smile predatory. "I know you like it when she comes out in that outfit she wears. You get off looking at her cleavage, don't you. And those shorts that are more like dental floss. You jerk off thinking about that, admit it." her tone was sweet, but her words weren't. Rei stepped in front of her and stared her in the eye. Before Asuka could speak, Rei attacked.

"Is it because he does not masturbate to mental images of you that angers you so much, pilot Sohryu? Or is it that you feel inferior to the Captain due to her physical development?" asked the Pilot of Unit 0. Asuka's mouth hung open in shock. Then she sputtered to life again.

"Hell no, I don't want that little baka jerking off to my image! And I've got a better figure than Misato, too! And how would you know what Shinji thinks when he spanks his monkey anyway?!" she yelled. Rei remained calm.

"It is unreasonable to believe that he would gratify himself while thinking of a girl who constantly assaults him, belittles him and insults him in front of everyone and does all she can to get him killed in action. It is more logical that he would think of someone more considerate of him. Misato is the most likely candidate,"

Not any more. Thought Shinji to himself.

"followed by Hikari Horaki and Maya Ibuki, then…" Asuka interrupted her lecture.

"So I notice you aren't on the list, Wondergirl. Not surprising, as a sex doll is hardly a match for myself or Misato." She returned fire with all her anger. "And why would he think of Hikari when he's getting himself off? He hardly speaks to her." Ritsuko had had enough.

"Weren't we going to be late?" she asked, her tone sharp and strong. Multiple sweat drops decorated the back of her head.

"Shit!" said Asuka, "We are late!" the door opened and they swiftly ran through it, the door closing on their dust trail.

"That was certainly educational." Said Airi, sitting up in Misato's bed.

"Entertaining, too." Added Misato.

"Is she - Rei - always like that?"

"Come to think of it, no. She's never taken up for anyone before, and I could have sworn that she was running interference for Shinji last night. Not like her at all. Is Ritsuko usually that aggressive?"

"Oh, yes. She is a nice girl, but her temper is nearly as bad as Asuka's seems to be, though she has a much longer fuse than your teenager. It would seem that she likes your Pilots." Replied Airi. She considered the Captain for a moment, then spoke again. "So, you think Shinji jerks off to pictures of you?"

"Not that it'd be the first time men did that, but, no. I don't think that he masturbates at all. And that kind of worries me." She looked at Airi, her gaze contemplative. "Let me show you something." She said, rising and stretching, her back popping a little. Airi, curious as to what the woman was up to, followed her lead, rising and trailing Misato as she crossed to Shinji's room. She slid the door open. "This is Shinji's room, and has been for a while now. He's a 14 year old boy, he lives with two of the hottest women around, and works and attends class with another who is a match for either Asuka or myself, he has two friends his age, male, one a sports jock, the other a computer and military otaku nerd, and, knowing all that, what is wrong with this room?" she asked the actress.

Airi looked around the room. She didn't follow the Captain at all for a moment, then it hit her. The walls were bare. No posters of cars, women, sports teams or movies, and no pictures of friends or family. The bed was neatly made, and the floor was immaculate. She looked to the desk. It was perfectly clear and only two books and a carefully stored SDAT player were visible on it. She glanced at Misato, who stood just inside the room, her arms folded under her breasts. "Go on, look around. Explore. Then tell me what is missing." Said the Captain, her voice slightly sad. Airi was intrigued. She entered the room and went to the desk. She opened the draws, but except for paper and pencils, and a couple of miscellaneous school supplies, the drawers were bare. She went to his dresser and noted that the only thing on it was the charger base for his cell phone, and a small basket of toiletries. She opened the top right hand drawer and saw a neat stack of underwear and socks. Nothing else. She quickly but efficiently emptied the drawer, checked for anything in it, then replaced everything and repeated the process with the other drawers. The top left drawer was empty and the bottom two held tee shirts, all dark colored except for two, and the other held two pairs of shorts, and a pair of swim trunks. Nothing else. The actress crossed to the amour and opened it to reveal several neatly pressed slacks, all black, several ironed shirts, all white except for two, a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants, a hanger with two belts and two ties on it, and a dark leather jacket. Nothing else. She closed the amour and saw a cello case in the corner, a book and alarm clock by the futon and nothing else. She looked at Misato's unhappy face. "So, what is missing?" asked the Captain again.

"What do you mean, what is missing? Everything is missing. There are no personal items, there are no nudie magazines, there are no messes of any sort, there's no…well, no life to this room." Finished Airi. "I've seen movie sets with more life to them than this room. How can he live like this?" asked the actress, appalled.

"And you haven't seen the worst yet." Said Misato. She crossed to his futon and reached under the head of the low bed, and pulled out two thin plastic photo frames. She handed them to Airi. There were two pictures, one of Misato, smiling and scantily clad in a tight top and shorts, the ocean behind her, flashing a V, with a hand written note about picking him up and an arrow pointing to her cleavage, with the notation, `Note the cleavage!' by it. The other was a picture of Misato, Asuka, Shinji and some others she didn't recognize at some sort of party, apparently in this apartment, judging from the back ground. Shinji was smiling, as was Misato and Asuka, but his smile seemed a little forced and thin. Still, his eyes seemed to indicate that he was satisfied with the situation. She examined each picture. "The picture of me was given to him before I met him. He arrived during an attack and things got worse from there." Said Misato, obviously not saying everything she was thinking. "The second was taken when we had a party to welcome Asuka. They are the only pictures he has here, and he only has one other, which he keeps in his locker at NERV. It's a picture of Rei. He looks at it before each mission, and after, when he is capable of it, anyway." Airi saw tears in Misato's eyes as she spoke, but they didn't fall. "It isn't an actual picture, in fact. It's an enlargement of the one on her security pass. I think that Maya might have done that for him. But it is all that is in his locker other than his suits. I gave him a phone so we can contact him, but that's all that phone has ever done. He doesn't call anyone, and no one calls him. He has some numbers in his phone, but they are all people he sees every day, so he never calls. Airi, he can put everything he holds dear to him in one fucking duffle bag! And a small damn duffle at that! That and the cello is all he had when he arrived, and he hasn't added anything since he arrived." Misato paused, then looked back to Airi. "Now do you know why I think he doesn't jerk off? He's more dead than alive; a lot like Rei, but not in the same manner. He has nothing to jerk off to! I'd love to know he was masturbating to a picture of me, or Asuka, or Rei or…hell, any girl! It'd show he had regained some hope. But, there's not much chance of that, with Asuka constantly calling him a pervert and an idiot. His low self-worth isn't helping any. Sometimes, I…" Misato stopped herself, shook her head and stepped out of the room, headed for the kitchen. Airi heard a can open and guessed that Misato was into the beer again. Slipping the pictures back into their hiding place, she made a mental note to talk to Rit-chan when she had a chance, and to see if she could arrange to speak to Junpei as well. Maybe, just maybe, you can help someone again. Colina worked out ok, and I have to say that I got a good feeling from helping her. She left the empty room and went to the kitchen. Misato had three empty beer cans in front of her, and a fourth in her hands, but it was still sealed. Airi reached over the table and took the can, popping the top and sipping from it. She wasn't much of a beer person, but she felt she needed it just then. Besides, one wouldn't affect her. Misato was staring at the tabletop, her face blank. It was apparent that she was fighting some inner demons of her own. Suddenly, Misato took a deep breath, held it, and then released it.

"Want some breakfast, Airi?" she asked, her tone light and happy. Her eyes, however, told the actress that she wasn't back to her normal self yet. "We've got some stuff to do. And we need to go back to NERV for a bit to take care of some of it."

"Sounds fine." Agreed Airi. She emptied the beer, tossed all three empty cans into the trash and poured herself a cup of coffee, and one for Misato. Misato nodded, getting out plates for herself and her new roommate. The two women sat down to eat, and Airi took a sip of her coffee, and nearly choked.

"Forgot to warn you; sorry. That's Misato Katsuragi style coffee. Guaranteed to wake the dead, eat stainless steel, peel paint and melt tile. Also cures hangovers as a nifty side effect." Laughed Misato, taking a swig of her own and grimacing.

"What did you do to this coffee?" gasped Airi.

"You start with a pot of triple espresso, then you put it in the water reservoir and run it through a batch of extra-strength Columbia grind. When that is filtered through, you put it on the stove and boil away about a third of the water, then serve. It concentrates the caffeine to near lethal doses, but it works. It's how I passed college." Explained Misato, her smile and eyes back to her normal, cheerful self. "Shinji has leaned to make it just the way I like it." Airi shuddered to herself, but took another cautious sip; something told her she would need to be sharp today.

Asuka and Shinji led the charge into the school gate, with Ritsuko and Rei a step behind them as the bell rang. "Move it, Baka! We've got two flights of stairs and fifty yards of hall to cover before the sensei!" yelled the German girl, pushing into a sprint. She saw Shinji fall behind her briefly, then he came back into her field of view. She felt herself smile and was bewildered by the simple act. Why am I smiling at him?! He's Shinji the Baka! Asuka took the stairs three at a time, slingshot herself around the first corner and took the next flight three at a time. She heard the squeal of shoes the others rounded the corner. She hit the hall with a leap and saw the door to the classroom was still open. Thank god the sensei is one old bastard. Reflected the teen. She stretched herself into her longest stride and saw Shinji fade out of her peripheral vision. Number one! My natural place! The redhead pilot thought triumphantly. She grabbed the doorframe to slow herself and skidded to a stop. She felt someone bump into her and swung at the person instinctively, yelling "Watch it, Baka boy!"

Her hand missed who ever it was because a pale forearm deflected it. Rei recovered from her lunge and stepped into the classroom as if nothing had happened. She didn't give Asuka a second look as she took her seat and stared out the window. Rei just shielded Shinji? Wondered Asuka, shocked at Rei's unexpected behavior. She turned to see Shinji being supported by Ritsuko, who seemed to have caught him before he could crash into the floor. "It was my fault, Asuka. He slipped and I grabbed his arm to keep him from falling, and it made him bump into your shoulder. Sorry." Said the older teen. She helped Shinji back up to his feet.

"Asuka, get in here, the sensei is nearly here!" called Hikari, having seen the whole incident.

"I'm coming, already!" answered Asuka, entering the room. Shinji stood and thanked her for her catch.

"No problem. I'm glad I could help." Smiled Ritsuko. "Shall we?" she asked, motioning to the door to the classroom.

"Sure." Replied Shinji. He and the new girl entered the room and the conversations stopped, then started again, louder than before. Hikari walked over to Ritsuko and smiled at her.

"I see you survived the first night at Katsuragi's place. And it seems you're in good shape too, judging from the run I saw. The desk in front of Shinji is free as well as the one behind Rei and the one two down and one over from Asuka. Take your pick." Said the class rep. Ritsuko chose the one in front of Shinji. Hikari handed her a laptop and began to show her the schools data system and programs. Ritsuko listened, ignoring the buzz of conversation about her.

"That was a good breakfast, Misato." Observed Airi. "Shinji is a good cook."

"Tell me about. I never cook anymore." Replied Misato, putting the last of the dishes in the sink. "I'm gonna grab a shower, so I'll see you in a bit. Make yourself at home." Called the captain, headed for the bathroom. Airi headed for Misato's room. Once in there, she glanced at the stacks of papers, and curiously leafed through them. She saw numerous reports and memos and requisitions and test results. She kept thumbing. She came to a folder marked confidential and opened it, scanning the pages. It was a copy of the report on her and the others. She swiftly turned page after page, scanning swiftly for useful data. She noted that the file was very detailed, including her and Rit-chan's menstrual data. I don't want to know why they wanted to know that. Hmm. Rit-chan is still a virgin? I thought she had lost her virginity before we met up. She filed that away and scanned on. Bingo! They still have Celsia and she's alive. Excellent. All is not lost then. Thought Airi, her mind saving the information she read as future reference material. She finished and set the folder back down, and in doing so, spotted a thin black book with "Subject Observation Log" on the title. She picked it up and began reading. Fifteen minutes later, she put the book down, unable to continue reading it just then. No wonder he has nightmares! She thought angrily. Commander Ikari, I am beginning to truly hate you.

"Class, rise, bow, sit." Commanded Hikari as the Sensei made his appearance at last. The group obeyed, Asuka muttering

"Shake, play dead." Under her breath, to the amusement of those close enough to hear. That included Ritsuko, who smiled.

"Class, as you seem to be aware, we have a new student here today. Miss Inoue, please introduce yourself." Said the teacher, sitting at his desk.

Ritsuko stood and went to the head of the class. Turning to face the students, she smiled and spoke.

"Hi! I'm Ritsuko Inoue. I'm new in town and am happy to be here! My hobbies are driving tanks, hunting elves, and causing trouble! How's it hanging?" her smile had turned a little dangerous as she finished.

"Well, that was different." Commented the teacher, "Does anyone have any questions for the young lady?"

Hands went up all over the classroom, except for the three pilots and Hikari. "Ok, you, in the glasses." Ritsuko selected a boy behind and to the side of Shinji. She heard Asuka groan. "What's your name and what do you want to know?"

"Kensuke Aida. What kind of tank do you drive?"

"Type 74 standard. Anything else?" replied Ritsuko without batting an eye.

"Yeah! Do you know what this is?" he asked, holding up a magazine with a picture of a rifle in the middle of the magazine. If it had been a porno, it would have been the centerfold. Ritsuko glanced at it.

"That's a Barretts Model 82A2, firing .50 BMG ammo, recoil operated, ten rounds in the mag, semi auto. Effective range 3000 meters plus, capable of headshots at 2400 meters; an excellent weapon for anti-material or anti-personnel use at medium to long range. The one in the picture appears to be topped by a 12-24-power large objective lens scope and picatinny rail system. Anything else, Aida?" she replied evenly, her tone crisp and level, much like a soldier giving an after-action report.

"I think I'm in love." Said Aida dreamily.

"Doubtful." Responded Ritsuko, her tone unchanged. "Next, you. In the tracksuit. Name and question." Barked Ritsuko.

"Touji Suzahara. Do you play sports, Ritsuko?" he asked. Hikari frowned at his enraptured tone.

"Sometimes. Anything else?"

"Are you any good?" he asked cockily. Ritsuko gave him a friendly smile that forgot the friendly part.

"Pray you never have to find out, Suzahara." Was her light response. "Next? You. The guy with the crooked tie." Another victim had been selected.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked hopefully.

"I prefer not to discuss that at this time. Anything else?"

"What are your measurements?" asked the hopeful - but doomed - kid.

"That's classified." Snapped Asuka. She knew how close her and Ritsuko's measurements were and didn't want that information leaked.

"You, in the far left row. You have a question?" Ritsuko moved on, ignoring the boy's raised hand.

"Tetsuo Kimigami. What possessed you to move into Tokyo 3? Most of us want out of here." He asked.

"Well, that's…" started Ritsuko, only to be interrupted by Asuka again.

"NERV confidential." She shot Ritsuko a look that told her not to say too much. Ritsuko, not caring one way or the other, shrugged at Tetsuo and asked,

"Anything else, Tetsuo?"

"Does hunting elves pay good?" he asked, to the laughter of the class.

"I'm afraid not. It's a fool's job. I only hunted them from necessity. If there are no more questions, I'll return to my seat." Ignoring the few hands still raised, she returned to her seat. Her laptop, left booted up and connected to the network, was already slammed with instant messages and emails with questions and proposals and love letters. She scanned the names, then deleted the whole inbox. A message popped up from ClassRepGrrl. Hikari Horaki, I presume. Thought the teen. She scanned the message. It was indeed from Hikari, telling her how to block most of the messages and email with a filter program that was resident to the local network, as well as a warning that Aida was a gifted hacker and tended to stick his nose into other people's business. Ritsuko's eyes narrowed a little and she hit the command that brought up the directory of screen names and email lists, along with their classroom ID's. Hmm. Asuka's is FireGoddess, Rei's is IceGoddess, Shinji's is…PilotUnit1? That doesn't suit him at all. But that's for a later time. Let's see, Hikari, that Tetsuo boy…MadBikerz? Weird. Suzahara, Ah! There it is: Aida, Kensuke. Screen name is WarLord? Yeah, right. She quickly typed a message to WarLord and sent it off, as well as one to Shinji. Kensuke jerked in surprise at whatever Ritsuko had written to him, and Shinji frowned at his message.

Across the room, a pair of red eyes watched them all, and a pair of blue eyes watched Shinji and Ritsuko with a vague sense of unease.

"Ah! Much better." Said Misato happily as she entered the room with her towel over her shoulders, and her tank top in hand. Her shorts were precariously perched on her hips, and she was still damp from her shower. Airi glanced up at her.

"Tell me, Mi-chan, when do we have to be at NERV?" she asked the other woman.

"Well, we definitely need to be there before the pilots arrive for their synch tests, but until then, I can fudge the time. Why?"

"I was hoping to stop by a salon and get my hair fixed, and to see a little of the city. If that's ok with you? I need to find a good gym too; I find myself heavier than I want to be."

"Not a problem. I know a good stylist a friend goes to, I'm sure he can fit you in, and don't worry about the gym. Since you and Ritsuko are being vetted for security cards, you can use the gyms in the Geofront. I'll show you were they are. So, let's get dressed and out of here!" chirped Misato in response. She tossed her tank top and shorts onto the floor, then began to rummage in her dresser. "Uh, that's not good." She muttered, then headed out the door to the laundry room, clad only in the towel around her shoulders.

Is this what Asuka and Shinji were talking about when they said her normal house clothes? Wondered the actress. No wonder Shinji has seen her naked. She's very casual about nudity, it would seem. Just then, Misato reappeared with her hands full of underwear.

"It seems someone did at least one load of laundry last night. Thank god, or I wouldn't have had any panties or bras." Misato seemed undisturbed by that possible situation. "Since your clothes haven't been washed yet, you're welcome to some of mine. Something should fit you good." Said Misato. She slipped into a pair of blue lace thong panties and wiggled into a low-cut bra, then grabbed a black skirt, hose and a white turtle neck top. Sitting to put on her hose, she tossed her head toward her closet and the handful of underwear. "Don't be shy. Find something for yourself." She encouraged. Airi crossed to the closet and looked around inside. After a few minutes of looking, she spotted a light summer dress in deep red with light gold floral patterns on it, thin strapped and a mid-thigh length, loose skirt. She held it up to herself and nodded. That would work. "Good choice." Seconded Misato, standing and pulling on her top. When the shirt was settled, she slipped a silver cross over her head and let it hang from her neck. Looking to Airi, she considered for a moment, then smiled. "I've got just the thing to go under that dress." She said.

"You mean, other than me?" joked Airi.

"Here, try these." Replied Misato, handing Airi a bra and a pair of panties. Airi looked the bra over. It was a strapless pushup bra, which would mean miles of cleavage and no straps, a plus in her book. The panties were soft cotton string bikini style, with the sides able to be tied or untied. She figured it was as good as anything, and more likely to fit her well than some of Misato's other garments. Airi quickly slipped into the panties, tying them comfortably on her hips, then the bra, adjusting it before slipping the dress over her head. Sure enough, the outfit was excellent. She admired herself in the mirror. "I didn't know you keep yourself bare down there." Observed Misato casually. "I haven't done that since college. Wonder why? Oh well, let's get going." With that, Captain Katsuragi grabbed her keys and led Airi out the door.

"I thought that the lecture would never end." Said Ritsuko, standing and turning to Shinji and Asuka. "Does he do that every day or is it just because I'm here?"

"Each day, all day, every day." Replied Shinji with a sigh. "It must be a tradition or something." He stood and reached into his bag, pulling out the lunches for Asuka, Rei, Ritsuko and himself. "Um, they're a little light today; I was short on time this morning." He apologized as he handed one of the lunches to Rei. Asuka glanced at the other three.

"Which one is mine, baka?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter. They're all the same." He answered.

"Then why did you hand Wondergirl one personally?" she griped, grabbing one of the lunches and seeing Hikari approaching the small group. Shinji didn't get a chance to answer.

"Because that lunch doesn't have meat in it, right, Shinji? Rei is a vegetarian, after all." Said Ritsuko, taking another of the lunches herself. "Thanks for making me lunch, by the way. I don't exactly have any coin of the realm, so to speak."

"It…it was no problem. I always make Asuka's and my lunches, so one or two more are no problem." Shinji answered, his tone slightly embarrassed. Hikari stopped beside Asuka.

"Ready, Asuka?" she asked.

"Sure. You coming with us, Ritsuko?" asked the pilot. Ritsuko glanced at Shinji and Rei, considering. Asuka noticed and her eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't worry about Baka Shinji or Wondergirl. The Stooges will be waiting in ambush for Moe, there, and will spend most of the lunch period asking questions about you and making stupid jokes and telling each other how fast they're going to have sex with you. Wondergirl never eats with anyone; too good to associate with us normal people I guess." Stated Asuka. Shinji said nothing, his eyes on his lunch. Rei stared at Shinji, then glanced at Asuka and Ritsuko, but said nothing.

"I think you should eat with either Asuka and I or with Shinji and his group, as there seems to be a collection of guys outside the door, waiting for you. At least with Asuka or Shinji with you, you won't be fought over like some piece of meat." Hikari said to Ritsuko.

"If you don't want to be groped and slobbered over by the boys in the class, then you better eat with Hikari and I; they know better than to mess with us." Said Asuka.

"More like no man would be caught dead with you, Devil Girl." Came a voice from the door. Ritsuko glanced at the door and saw Aida and Suzahara standing there. "Yo, Shinji, you gonna eat or what?" called the jock. Aida saw Ritsuko and started to titter with suppressed excitement. "You eating with us, Inoue?" he added, noting Kensuke's excitement. Shinji noted the behavior of his friend and sighed. Shut up now, Touji. He begged mentally. Just shut your mouth now, for the love of god! He glanced at Ritsuko's face and saw her eyes were slightly hooded.

"Um, maybe you should eat with Asuka and Hikari, Ritsuko. Touji and Kensuke can be…trying at times." Shinji said softly to Ritsuko. She glanced at him, then smiled.

"Those two? They haven't got anything on Junpei. I'll be fine. Let's eat; I'm hungry. Oh, do you want to join us, Rei?" asked Ritsuko, smiling at the quiet pilot. Shinji glanced at her. She saw the hope in his eyes.

"Very well, I will join you, miss Inoue."

"Geez, I better go along to keep them from molesting you." Declared Asuka. "No telling what those perverts might try if I'm not there."

"I'll go too." Added Hikari. If the truth were to be known, she was a little afraid to leave Asuka alone with Touji, Kensuke and Shinji, as the German had a very pronounced tendency toward violence. And there was the matter of the crush she had on one Touji Suzahara. "So, where are we going to eat?" she asked the group at large.

"Roof!" voted Touji and Kensuke in unison.

"You wish, you little hentai trolls!" mocked Asuka. "We're eating by the tree today. Right, Baka?" she said, pinning Shinji with a glare that dared him to contradict her.

"Why not let Inoue choose?" asked Shinji meekly. Asuka couldn't argue that without seeming the total bitch, so she glanced to Ritsuko.

"Well, what's it to be? I'll tell you now, the reason they want to eat on the roof is that today is a little windy and they're hoping to catch a free show." Stated Asuka.

"Bullshit!" yelled Touji. "Besides, we already got a show from you, and it sucked!"

"Suzahara! Watch your mouth!" snapped back Hikari.

"If it sucked, then why do you two keep trying to get pictures of me naked? Well?" countered Asuka confidently.

"To sell, of course!" answered Kensuke immediately. A second after his answer, he slapped a hand over his mouth. Shinji signed and Touji smacked him in the back of his head. Asuka was turning as red as her Eva, and an explosion was imminent.

"You make a lot of money that way?" asked Ritsuko, curious as to why they would risk their lives that way. Asuka was so stunned at the unexpected turn of events, she actually forgot to explode into a violent rage. Instead, she stared at Ritsuko. "How much do you charge for a pic of Asuka, here?" asked the older girl. The two stooges stared at her.

"Well, it varies you see, by the difficulty of obtaining a shot, to the size of the photo, as well as the retaliation factor." Answered Kensuke, uncertain if he was hearing her correctly.

"I see. And she is a popular subject for your illicit photos?" continued Ritsuko, obviously planning something in her head.

"Well, yeah. Most of the guys have pictures of her, most of them more than a few each. And shots of her changing for gym are favored five to one over the other girls." Answered Kensuke, apparently forgetting that Asuka was there as well as Hikari, who was glaring at them both with considerable anger. Rei seemed uninterested. Shinji was sitting motionless, his eyes closed, and might have been saying last rites for his two friends; Asuka would kill them for this. Touji smacked Kensuke when he told them about the changing photos. There goes that racket. He thought angrily. Kensuke needs to know when to shut the hell up! Ritsuko went on as if there was nothing wrong. "So, who are the top four `models', Aida?" she asked. Touji gulped when he caught Hikari's glare. He was so mesmerized by her glare that he forgot to slap his hand over Kensuke's mouth.

"Well, Asuka was the top model, but you'll easily beat her, Ritsuko; hell, there are already over thirty requests for pictures of you. Then comes Ayanami, followed by Horaki, and rounding out the top six are Reika Nishima and Keiko Tsumura. The other girls are marginal markets." Answered Kensuke eagerly, happy to talk about his little business with someone who seemed interested.

"What would you say your daily average is for pictures of the top three? Ten per day? Fifty? A hundred?" asked Ritsuko. Asuka was looking confused now, and Hikari had a similar look of confusion on her face. Their lunches were momentarily forgotten.

"Well, it averages about fifteen a day, I guess. Though that doesn't count reprints." Was the eager reply. "There is a brisk market for pics of Asuka taken before some of the students arrived as well as replacements for lost photos."

"And what do you charge for each picture, again, please average for the top three." Inquired Ritsuko.

"Well, I'd have to check my records to be sure, but I figure it averages about 550 yen a hit for the normal ones, and close to 1500 for the ones of her changing." Touji shook himself out of his trance and turned to Kensuke, grabbed him by the throat, and ripped him out the door, calling out as he left

"Uh, we just remembered we had to be somewhere! Later, Shinji!" The pilot of Eva Unit 1 doubted that they would be back that day.

"I see. So we're dealing with a fair amount of money, then." Mused Ritsuko. "Looks like a daily average of about 46,125 yen." She looked to the other girls. "Hey guys, I got something to talk to you about. Shinji, would you go save us some seats under the tree. We'll be there soon."

"Uh, sure." Said Shinji, surprised that Asuka wasn't chasing after his friends with something sharp and pointy. He rose and stared for the door, Rei a step behind. Ritsuko touched the pale girls arm, stopping her.

"You'll want to hear this as well, Rei." She said.

"What makes you say that?" asked Rei of the new girl, her voice calm and emotionless.

"It's about this picture business, and you're in the top three. So, it concerns you."

"The pictures are of no concern to me." Stated Rei. "I will accompany Shinji." She stated. Ritsuko held onto her arm as the girl turned back toward the door through which Shinji had just passed.

"Please, Rei. Hear me out." Asked Ritsuko.

"If the doll wants to go with her master, then let her." Harrumphed Asuka. Ritsuko didn't even react.

"Please, Rei. I want you in on this." Pressed Ritsuko. Rei found herself mildly interested in whatever Inoue had planned.

"Very well, what is it?" asked the pilot of Eva Unit 0. Ritsuko gave the other three girls a smile of such wicked, malicious glee that they all leaned closer instinctively.

"How would you like to make 37,000 yen a day spending money with no work, no effort and no investment necessary?" asked the elf hunter. She could see the interest in the eyes of the other girls. Revenge is sweet. She thought as she pitched her idea.

Shinji sat under the tree, his lunch in his lap, and wondered what the girls were talking about. Probably clothes or makeup or some hot guy. Must be nice to be popular with someone. Still, Rei has been very…friendly lately. He thought to himself. The thought of the blue haired girl's actions that morning made his dick twitch. Just then, he heard Ritsuko's voice approaching.

"So, we're agreed then? Rei?" she was saying.

"I have told you before, it does not matter to me. Do as you choose." Replied Rei, sitting next to Shinji and opening her lunch. He glanced to his other side and saw Ritsuko sink to the grass and open her lunch. Across from him, Hikari and Asuka sat as well. The girls were all smiles, and seemed excited about something. He felt he was safer not knowing.

"Give me a day, two at the most to set it all up, okay?" asked Ritsuko. The girls agreed and the group fell to eating. Several of the students started to approach them, then spotted Asuka and Hikari there and veered off. Ritsuko noticed that.

"You got some reputation, Asuka. What did you do, kill the school mascot?" asked the teenager.

"Nothing of the sort. These boys just can't handle my beauty and brains. Kaji's the only man who understands me." She replied.

"Is that why Agent Kaji spends his time around other women, Pilot Sohryu?" asked Rei innocently.

"Shut up, you fucking doll! What would an emotionless robot like you know about it anyway?!" snarled the redhead. Rei ignored her outburst, and continued to eat silently. Man, those two have some kind of issue with each other. Thought Ritsuko. And they're co-workers? Rei finished her meal and placed her bento beside her, leaning back on the grass. Just then, Shinji's cell phone rang. Rei's eyes slid to him, and Asuka went still. Hikari sucked in a breath. Shinji pulled the phone out, glanced at the screen, then hit the button to answer the call.

"Yes, Misato?" he asked, his tone filled with dread.

"Relax, Shinji-kun. This is not a scramble. I'm just calling to remind you that you and Asuka have synch tests tonight after school, Rei has an appointment with Ritsu and you'll need to bring Rit-chan with you when you come in. She needs to pick up her card, her security badge and I wanted to show her and Airi around a little. Nothing too serious, but since they're going to be in and out of NERV for the next while, they need to have some basic understanding of the layout of the place. Tell the others for me, Shin-chan?" asked Misato in her sweet, sexy tone.

"Um, Ok, Misato. I'll tell them." He said.

"Good! See you after school, then. Bye!" He heard her end the call, then put his phone away. He sighed, then looked to Asuka and Rei.

"Well?" demanded Asuka. "What's happening? An Angel?" She sounds eager. Thought Ritsuko.

"That is unlikely, as neither your phone nor mine was called. And there has been no alarm given. Most likely this is a test or a personal call." Stated Rei, her eyes still on Shinji.

"Yeah, Misato told me to tell you all that we have to go to NERV after school. Asuka and I have synch tests, Rei is supposed to see doctor Akagi," he noticed that Ritsuko bristled at the mention of the doctor, "and Ritsuko has to pick up her card and security clearance, and Misato wants to show her and Airi around."

"You mean get them lost." Muttered Asuka. Then she brightened and looked at Ritsuko. "Hey, Ritsuko, you have to come with Hikari and I tomorrow to do that shopping!"

"There is that coin of the realm thing." Demurred Ritsuko.

"That's what the NERV card is. Shinji and I both have one, but Misato has to sign off on the charges, and she's stingy. But your card should be an unrestricted card, with your status being what it is. Come on, you'll love it. And you need a new wardrobe anyway." Ritsuko considered for a moment, then smiled back.

"Sure. Count me in."

"Great!" said Hikari, smiling as well. "We'll shop till we drop; or until we run out of money."

Asuka smiled at Hikari. "After Ritsuko's little enterprise kicks in, we won't have to be so conservative with our money." Her smile was vicious. Hikari smiled an identical smile.

"There is that." She said. About then, the bell rang, warning the group that they had five minutes to finish up lunch and return to the class room.

Airi and Misato disembarked the rail train and started the hike into NERV HQ. Misato slid her access card though the reader and entered, making sure Airi stuck close to her. She and Airi had agreed that they would go by the salon tomorrow morning and then do some shopping, leaving today for familiarization with NERV and getting the last of the paperwork straightened out. Misato headed for the bridge, Airi in tow. She had decided that if there weren't any pressing matters to attend to, she and Airi would hit the gym before the Children arrived.

On the bridge, she checked to make sure that Commander Ikari was elsewhere, then introduced Airi around. Ritsuko Akagi was elsewhere, a fact that Airi was appreciative of, as she hadn't been able to forgive the doctor for her overly thorough examination of herself and Rit-chan. Airi concentrated on charming the bridge crew, and hit easy home runs with Shigeru and Hyuga. Maya was a little shy, but Airi figured she had hit a homer there too. Something occurred to her and she asked Maya about the picture of Rei in Shinji's locker, making sure that no one else could hear them. Maya had blushed a little, then confirmed that Misato's instinct had been correct. She had pulled the image from the MAGI, then enlarged and cleaned it up a little, printed it and given it to Shinji. She added that Shinji had been very grateful for the picture and that she had felt he needed something to remind him why he piloted. Airi assured her she had done the right thing, mentally making a note to see if she could get Rit-chan to take a picture with the kid; he needed all the help he could get. Hmm. Now that I think about it, I know two more people who need to make sure he gets into pictures with. She filed it away for a later project, and turned back to Misato, who was flipping through a stack of papers on a clipboard. She was concentrating on work, and her pen was moving swiftly as she dealt with whatever was on the paperwork.

When she reached the end of the paperwork, she handed the clipboard to Hyuga and asked him if he would take care of the rest for her, making her cute face at him. He agreed, looking totally enthralled with Misato. Misato thanked him, then collected Airi and headed for the gym. "Like deer in the headlights." She smiled as the door to the bridge closed. Misato glanced at Airi and winked in reply.

"Nothing wrong with delegating work." She said, her tone mirthful.

"There is a difference between delegating and tricking." The actress pointed out. "You are aware that he had a thing for you, are you not?"

"Yes, I know. But I don't see him that way." Replied Misato. "Besides, he's better at that administrative stuff than I am, and he gets a charge out of my teasing, so what's the problem? He's happy, I'm happy, all's right with the world."

"You are evil, Misato." Replied Airi, her tone light.

"Yes, I am." Agreed the Operations Director.

The two passed a Section 2 duty post and the two G2 (goons on guard) looked at them and started to whisper to each other. Misato was used to that, but their eyes were on Airi. She paused and turned back to face them. "Something wrong, men?" she asked in her command voice.

"No ma'am." The two responded. She saw one glance down at the monitors in the desk in front of them.

"What are you watching? You're not trying to hack into the feed from the lab again, are you? Doctor Akagi would not be so forgiving this time."

"No, ma'am. It's nothing." Assured the guards. Misato gave him a cold smile.

"Then I'll just take a peek, then." She said, starting for the desk. One of the guards hit a switch, and Misato saw the monitors change to security camera feeds. So, what was so damned interesting to them? Wondered the OD, making a note to check out the logs for the security cameras. She glanced at the men, then gave a little sniff of dismissal and headed for the gym. Airi followed her.

"Misato, what were they watching, and what did you mean, hack into the feed again? Are there cameras in the gym too?"

"Airi, there are cameras everywhere in this place. But before you get too worked up, let me tell you something that not many people here know: the cameras are mostly unmonitored. The MAGI system records and monitors eighty percent of the cameras, and no one watches them unless there is a log check or a security probe. After a period of time, the records are overwritten. So, there is not much of a cause for concern, as the feeds that aren't actively monitored by humans are encrypted. A while back, some G2's tried to hack into the feeds from the labs and one of the women's shower rooms. They didn't get in, but their efforts messed up some communications sub-routines and cost Ritsuko some not-inconsiderable trouble back tracking the problem. It goes without saying that the Section 2 goons were transferred to a very uncomfortable posting. Guarding NERV Angel detection equipment in the Sahara, if I remember correctly."

"I see." Replied Airi "Does anyone have access to all the feeds?" she asked.

"Probably only Commander Ikari and people in his upper echelon, though I bet Ritsuko can get access, as the MAGI are her territory. But, why would they want to? If it's skin they're looking for, there are less troublesome ways to get it. And, in the final analysis, the old adage is true: if you've seen one, you've seen them all." Airi let it drop.

Besides, I can't do anything about it now, and it's not like I haven't done nude scenes before. She rationalized it. She and Airi arrived at a door off a mostly bare hallway. "I take it this is the gym?" she asked aloud.

"One of seven, but it is my favorite, as it is seldom used. I like to think as I work out and I hate to be interrupted. I've only seen another person while in here twice, and both times, they were maintenance personnel." Misato said as she entered the room. Airi looked around. There was a small changing screen by one wall, behind which she saw perhaps two dozen lockers, the rest of the room contained several weight machines, treadmills, stationary bikes and a couple of different sized sandbags hung off to one side. There was an empty place in the center of the room, and she saw that there were places to put up a ring or place mats for exercise. A simple door was in the corner past the lockers. Misato walked to the screen and opened a lock on a locker, the only locker with one, and pulled out a pair of loose-fitting nylon shorts and sports bra, which she draped on the top of the screen. Reaching back into the locker, she pulled out a pair of spandex bike shorts and another sports bra, which she also draped over the top. "Take your pick; they're both clean." Said Misato, retrieving two small towels from the locker and adding them to the top of the screen. She then quickly undressed and put her clothes in the locker. Airi stepped behind the screen and followed Misato's example. She finished before Misato, as she had less on, and took the jog shorts and one of the bras, slipping into them. Misato took the spandex shorts and other top and slipped into them. The two women then headed for the machines.

"What do you usually do for your workout?" asked Airi. Since Misato had such a good figure in spite of her drinking, Airi figured she'd find out what she did to keep that figure. Misato stepped to a weight machine and made a couple of adjustments, then sat down at the first station.

"I usually do some weights to keep my strength up and to maintain my muscle tone, then I do some running, followed by some sandbagging if I have the time or energy. Then a quick dip in the whirlpool and sauna, a shower and I'm back to work." Replied the Captain, beginning her sets on the machine. Airi watched as Misato worked the machine. She noted that Misato had the weights locked in at 80 pounds of resistance. She's stronger than she seems. Thought the actress. She moved to a machine beside Misato, set the weights for 50 pounds and went to work, matching Misato set for set and station for station, though at a reduced weight setting. When she was finished on the weight machine, Airi's muscles burned. Misato glanced at her and asked if she didn't want to rest for a moment. Airi shook her head.

"No pain, no gain, as they say. And this weight has to go." She replied. She and Misato took side-by-side treadmills and started jogging. After the first mile, Airi was lagging behind Misato. After the third mile, Airi was walking while Misato kept on jogging. At the end of the fourth mile, Airi quit and watched Misato huff her way to the end of the fifth mile. Misato was gasping, but smiled at Airi. The two rested for about ten minutes, then Misato headed for the sandbags in the far end of the room.

"Do you do any martial arts, Airi?" asked the Captain as she taped up her hands and ran a couple of passes of tape over her ankles and insteps. Airi shook her head.

"Not really. I once played a role where I was a female gang member, but the stuntwomen did all the work. I have done some yoga and before I got into the movies, I was an assistant to a massage therapist." She offered. "Junpei handles the hand to hand in our little enterprise, and Rit-chan handles the weaponry and I concentrate on tactics and intelligence."

"So what does this Celsia do?" asked Misato, curious. Airi hesitated, weighing her choices.

"She covers our magic requirements." She said at last, figuring the truth was so implausible that no one would believe it was the truth.

"She any good at magic?" asked Misato, warming up with a brief kata, her fists and feet hitting the bag lightly, but with good control.

Airi couldn't help but give a snort of derision. "Would we be here if she were?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" complained Asuka.

"Sorry. The pool is being repaired today. It seems that the shockwave from that Angel you two killed made the pool crack, and they have to put in some polymer sealant to keep the water in and the dirt out. So, we get track today. Is there a problem?" asked Hikari, headed for the gym. Ritsuko, Asuka and Rei were following her. Ritsuko and Asuka exchanged shrugs.

"Nah. It's nothing at all." Said Ritsuko. Looks like I get to go bare under the shorts again. Oh well. She truthfully didn't have a problem with it, but would have preferred to have a pair of panties on under the shorts, just in case. After tomorrow, it won't be a problem. She reminded herself. The girls entered the women's locker room.

"So the boys are in the gym, then?" asked Ritsuko.

"Yeah. Lucky them. The gym at least has fans to keep it cool. And shade." Said Asuka. She and the other girls stopped by their lockers. Ritsuko noticed that Rei was the only one with a locker on the last row, back side. Asuka and Hikari had lockers next to each other, there were two empty, then four girls in a row, then another empty spot, then three more. The row ended there and the rest were on the first two rows. Hikari excused herself to grab an extra set of gym clothes for Ritsuko, and as Asuka changed, Ritsuko took the time to covertly examine the room and the position of each girl.

"Point out Nishima and Tsumura, Asuka." She whispered. Asuka looked confused, then understood.

"Nishima is the one just putting her clothes in her locker. The one with the wonder bra and low-rider panties. Tsumura is the one with the red thong and no bra." Whispered Asuka. She saw Ritsuko scan the room, then the two, then Asuka's locker, then she stepped to Rei's side and studied the room and it's layout. She saw that Rei was slipping into her shorts without bothering to wear panties. She stepped closer to the girl and asked her if she always did that.

"Yes. The shorts are more comfortable without them." Replied the girl, closing her locker.

"Do you go without a bra too?" wondered the elf hunter. Rei was hardly Misato, but she wasn't flat, either.

"Often times, though the instructor gets upset if she catches me. She seems to be obsessed with wearing them." Stated the pilot. Ritsuko left it at that. Stepping back to Asuka's locker area, she saw Hikari had returned with a pair of shorts and a white tee shirt for her. She nodded her thanks, then turned to see Asuka holding out a white sports bra for her. She took it and began to change. She, Asuka and Hikari were the last three to finish changing and she and Asuka had managed to keep their lack of underwear from being noticed as they changed. After their class, it wouldn't matter as they would be showering anyway. Rei was waiting by the door. Something occurred to Ritsuko.

"Should you be out in the sun, Rei? I heard that albinos were susceptible to sun poisoning because they lack pigmentation in their skin." Rei looked at her.

"I am not an albino." She said simply, stepping outside. Then what the hell's with the pale skin, red eyes and blue hair? Wondered Ritsuko. She stepped into the hot air. The night before she had learned that it was perpetually summer now, due to Second Impact. And a hot summer too.

About then, the girls noticed that the boys were standing outside the gym. From inside the gym, there came a wisp of smoke, followed by an electric whine. The boys were watching the smoke and talking to each other. After a couple of minutes, the boy's coach exited the gym, a fire extinguisher in hand and crossed to talk to the girl's instructor. "I don't like this one bit." Said Asuka, eyeing the boys, who were gazing at the girls with great interest.

"Hey, Asuka, look who turned up." Said Hikari, motioning to where a taller kid was talking with a shorter bespectacled boy, who was trying to talk to a certain Pilot. The Pilot in question seemed to be ignoring him with great determination. Touji and Kensuke had returned. "Looks like they're after Shinji for something." Observed Hikari. Asuka tossed her head, sending her hair swirling behind her.

"Either they're asking him to take pictures of me in the shower, or they're trying to buy some of Misato's underwear. Again." She stated.

"They want to buy Misato's underwear?" asked a stunned Hikari. "Eww. Why would they do that?"

"They're boys, why do they do anything?" sniffed Asuka. "Hentai little trolls."

"But that makes them predictable." Muttered Ritsuko.

"Excuse me, what?" asked Asuka.

"Just something that Airi once told me. It's nothing. But tell me, has Shinji ever taken pictures of you in the shower? Or sold Misato's underwear?" asked Ritsuko.

"Oh, please. This is SHINJI were talking about! Spineless is too nice a term to use for him. He'd never do something that…normal." Asuka dismissed the notion.

"Really?" asked Ritsuko, her eyes on Asuka.

"I have to agree with her, Ritsuko. Shinji isn't like the other boys. He's nice. And polite. And he's not always trying to get in your pants, if you catch my drift. Not to mention, he's very handsome." Said Hikari.

"Handsome! Are you blind, Hikari? He's a spineless wimp, a coward, he runs from everything and he's a baka hentai on top of that!" she sputtered. Ritsuko had her doubts about her true belief in what she had just said. But before she could say anything, another person spoke up.

"You are wrong about him, Second." Stated Rei. Asuka growled and turned to face Rei.

"Says who, First?!" she demanded.

"It is a matter of record that he has faced and destroyed more Angels than you, with less training and while hampered by situations you have never had to face. That proves you are incorrect in your assessment of him. And the reactions and comments of the other girls prove you are in error with regard to his physical appeal to the opposite sex." Asuka could hear some of the girls calling his name and waving. She glared at them, then remembered something and turned back to Rei.

"Well, I suppose next to the other two stooges, he is marginally better looking."

"Hey!" interjected Hikari.

"And compared to them, he's a regular Einstein. He is, however, just a boy. And a boring boy at that. You can have him, as you are such a fan of his. Kaji is much more a man than him, anyway."

"If Shinji desires me, then I will accept." Stated Rei. "But you are once more in error. Medical records indicate that Shinji's penis is larger than Agent Kaji's." the blue haired pilot stated with no sign of embarrassment. Ritsuko's and Hikari's jaws hung open. Asuka was too stunned to say anything.

"R…Rei!" managed Hikari, her cheeks flaming. "How would you have access to those kind of…details?"

"Doctor Akagi is lax in her filing system." Answered Rei. "And she seems to suffer from some sort of compulsion to be detailed in her examinations."

"Tell me about it, Rei." Muttered Ritsuko darkly. Just then, the whistle blew and the gym teachers called the classes together.

"Due to an…accident." Said the boy's teacher, glaring at two boys, who were trying hard to look innocent, "There will be a co-ed class today, since the gym is not usable and the pool is undergoing repairs."

"The class will be as follows:" the girl's teacher took over. "the three sports we cover will be basketball, baseball and soccer. There will be two complete cycles. First, boys against girls then mixed teams. Due to time limitations, the games will be held to low caps. Basketball will be first team to 15, baseball will be highest team after three innings, and soccer will be best three out of five goals. Divide yourselves into teams, and pick a starting field. Let's get started." The whistle blew and the two classes began to horse trade.

"Hey you guys," suggested Ritsuko, "Lets get in a team and match up against Shinji and his buddies. Ok with you all?"

"We need at least one other to make it a set." Observed Rei. "Suzahara will undoubtedly get his friends to start on the basketball court, as it is his strongest sport."

"Got you covered, Wondergirl." Said Asuka, turning to scan the girls. Finding the person she wanted, she whistled and waved her hands. "Aki! Over here!" she called. The girl worked her way to Asuka's group.

"Good call." Approved Hikari. At five foot ten inches, the girl was taller than most boys and was a pretty good athlete as well. She was always in the top five in any sport the girls played, usually in the company of Rei, Asuka and Hikari. Of course, in swimming, no one really had a chance against Rei, whom Asuka always swore was part fish. Still Asuka was always the one right behind her in the water. Many girls were convinced that the two Eva pilots weren't normal as they were always so tightly matched. It really pissed Asuka off.

"So, you want to join our little crusade?" asked Hikari, having explained their goals to the tall girl.

"Sure. Why not? And maybe we can get Touji and Shinji to notice you two." She teased the two friends.

"No one can not notice us, Aki." Stated Asuka. "And besides, Shinji `notices' me too much already, the hentai monkey. And I don't want Touji the brain donor to notice me more, either!"

Aki smiled. "Whatever you say, Asuka. But if you're not careful, I'll take that hot bit of Eva pilot for myself." She teased.

Asuka laughed. "You're not fast enough to catch him, Aki; he runs away too well. Or did you not notice that in track, he owns the distance events?"

"Watching him closely, Asuka?" asked Hikari.

"No! Of course not!" denied the girl. The group started for the basketball court, where several boys were already warming up. True to Rei's prediction, the boys in question were there, warming up. Well, Touji was warming up, and Shinji was watching, while Kensuke was animatedly talking to Shinji, trying to sell him on some wild scheme involving Unit 1, an N2 mine and Unit 2. Shinji had tuned him out as always when he was in this mode. Touji hit his fourth consecutive basket from the 3-point line.

"Not bad, Stooge." Called Asuka, stopping behind Kensuke before speaking for the greatest effect. Sure enough, her voice made Kensuke jump a foot into the air. Shinji just glanced at her and then the others. "But can you do that when someone is blocking you?"

"Volunteering, Devil Girl?" he asked, his tone aggressive. Asuka gave him a sweet, innocent smile. Since it was Asuka doing this, he got a very bad chill in his soul; something seemed to whisper what he was truly fucked now.

"Maybe I am. Grab your fellow stooges and two more body donors and let's get this done. Just so you know, you will lose." She said, stepping onto the court and taking a basketball from the bin by the side of the hardtop and bouncing it casually. She then turned and fired off a shot from half court. It arched and sank straight in, nothing but net. "Well?" she asked, her tone challenging. Touji bounced his ball once, then jumped up and fired from three quarter court, his shot seemed high, but it crested and touched the backboard, then dropped in, clipping the edge of the ring, but hitting all the same.

"Ain't nothing I can't handle, Demoness." He said. He motioned to his friends and called out for two other boys to come play. The other two came over, looked at the wicked smile on Asuka's face, the cold, dead stare on Rei's, the confident look on Ritsuko's and the innocent look on the class rep's and bowed out. Aki just stood there looking tall. "Bunch of pussies." Muttered Touji, then called on two more, who seemed reluctant to play against Asuka's bunch. So Touji insulted them, cajoled them and then threatened them into playing. Shinji shook his head as the other two took their places. "How about we play shirts and skins? We'll be the shirts." Suggested one of the boys, a Hiroko, if Shinji heard right. He laughed at his own crude joke. Asuka smiled again.

"Better yet, let's play Angels and Evas. Naturally, we'll be the Evas." She cracked her knuckles. "And you'll be the dead angels."

"Who's on who?" asked Kensuke, looking at Ritsuko with extreme hope. "I'll take Ritsuko." He volunteered.

"In your dreams, kid." Said Asuka. "Ritsuko is on Touji, I'm on dead boy there," she motioned to Hiroko, "Rei's on four-eyes, Aki is on the loser, and Hikari is on Shinji."

"Why aren't you or Rei on Shinji?" asked Hikari.

"Both of us are too close to him; we're both synched to him and him to us, especially me. We just killed the 7th angel by being perfectly synched, and besides, this arrangement puts them off balance by putting the ones they want with someone else." Answered Asuka. She motioned to the girls on her team to lean closer. When they had, she spoke in a low voice. "We win this at any cost, ok? Play dirty, play rough, lie, cheat, steal, distract, kill; whatever it takes. Agreed?" the others nodded, except for Rei. "This means you too, Wondergirl." She reinforced.

"Understood." Was all Rei said. They broke their little team meeting and saw the guys doing the same, matching up to their assigned opponents. Hikari leaned down close to Shinji and gave him her best cute smile.

"Let's just have fun, OK, Shin-chan?" she burbled. She realized that his eyes were closed. He took a deep breath, let it out and opened his eyes. Hikari instinctively jerked herself back from the look in his eyes. This was not the Shinji she knew. This was a predator. A killing machine made flesh. This was the Shinji that Touji and Kensuke had told her existed in his Eva. This was Shinji the Angel slayer. Three women had seen her reaction to the look in his eyes. Two he worked with, and one who had just moved in.

Rei turned her eyes back to Kensuke. It seems that unbalancing one's opponent is the standard in this game. Very well. Rei stared into Kensuke's eyes, mentally picturing the fifth angel as it blasted Shinji and Unit 1 in the chest with its particle beam. Kensuke suddenly had a very hard time swallowing. "Re…remember, this is just a ga…game." He stuttered. Rei said nothing, her stare unbending.

Asuka looked Hiroko over, and then gave a disdainful toss of her head. "Not much to look at; like the rest of your little group. Boys are so boring." She said, her tone condescending and mocking. "Guess I'll have to settle for breaking some bones." Hiroko, having seen the way she treated Shinji, her fellow pilot and partner, found himself re-evaluating his choice to play against her. There is a reason they call her Devil Girl. He remembered with a sinking feeling in his chest.

Aki stared over the head of her opponent, saying nothing and totally ignoring his trash talk. It was like he wasn't there. It was her normal tactic, and it was effective. It just took longer to work than Asuka's threats or the stone cold killer gaze that Rei was using to paralysis Kensuke. Hikari was trying to push the look in Shinji's eyes out of her mind, with limited success. They told me that this side of him was there, but I never thought it would come out without an Angel to fight. Maybe this is the real Shinji.

Center court was Ritsuko and Touji. Touji was giving her a going over, and was obviously liking what he saw. Ritsuko decided to play on that. "Man, I can't wait to get done here. I really have to buy some underwear of my own." She said in a conversational tone. "Asuka's are nice, but I can't borrow her panties and bra's forever, now can I?"

"Wha?" asked Touji. His mind was flooded with all sorts of kinky images of the two of them exchanging underwear. Ritsuko went for the kill.

"And Misato's are a little large on me. Besides, I like g-strings better than thongs." She added. Now, Misato was dancing in his head, dressed in thong panties and a skimpy top. Needless to say, when the whistle sounded and they jumped for the ball, Touji was already out of the game.

Misato took a breather and watched Airi stretch. "Want to try it? It's a great stress reliever." She said, motioning to the sandbag. Airi untangled herself and stood up, eyeing the bag uncertainly.

"I'm not sure I should. I don't know anything about fighting." She hesitated.

"I'll show you some kick boxing. It's like a dance. It's easy, and you'll like it, promise." She said. Deciding she had nothing to lose and everything to gain, she crossed to Misato's side and said

"Well, I'll give it a try."

"Good. Now, let's do a little prep." Said the Captain, reaching for the role of athletic tape and beginning to tape up Airi's hands and ankles. She also put a couple of passes around her instep as well. "Now, first of all, let me show you how to punch and kick." Said Misato, demonstrating a slow kick and slow punch, explaining the energy transfer from point to point to target. Once Airi had the hang of that, she started to show her the rhythm of the movement, then mixing the punches and kicks together. Airi had to agree with Misato's statement: it was a lot like a dance, and she could dance perfectly. Soon, the bag was shaking under the constant stream of punches and kicks as the actress found that Misato had been correct on another point. It was in fact a good stress reliever.

Commander Ikari was enjoying another type of stress relief in his office just then. He sat in his chair, watching the Captain and Airi pound the bag as Ritsuko's blonde head bobbed up and down on his shaft. He had called her in for a report on her tests of the Celsia creature, and as soon as she had finished, he had called her to his chair and started to fondle her tits. Akagi was very easy to manipulate for Gendo, as she kept telling herself that he loved her. Before long, she was on her knees, her clothes on the floor, and her lips on his dick. He had a large one, by most standards, and she had a bit of a complex about big ones. Gendo's mind was on other matters as she worked on his meat. His hand absently grabbed the hair at the back of her head and began to control her speed and rhythm, tailoring it to his pleasure, not hers; not that her pleasure figured into this at all.

Akagi gagged a little as he pushed deeper and deeper into her throat, and stayed longer each thrust. She still had some trouble with taking him all in, even though he had been having her do this more and more lately. The doctor concentrated on breathing as he got closer to finishing. Then, he suddenly thrust all the way in and held her head down, his explosion filling her throat. She tried to cough, but couldn't because he held her too tightly to his groin. As he began to soften slightly, he withdrew nearly all his length from her, leaving the tip in her mouth. She knew what he wanted and after clearing her throat and swallowing what was there, she began to lick the head of his member clean. She closed her eyes and worked on his tip, feeling him reach down and massage her bare breasts. In her mouth, she felt him stiffen. She kept working.

When he was hard again, he pulled her to her feet and turned her around so she was lying over his desk. She felt him rise and stand behind her, his hard shaft pressing into her. She wasn't as wet she would have liked, but knew he wouldn't wait. Nor would he bother with more foreplay. She felt him thrust into her completely in one stoke. She grunted as he began to thrust into her with slow, heavy thrusts, slamming into her hips with each thrust. She got wetter and wetter as he went, and she was beginning to enjoy it. Soon, she was gasping and panting as he kept pounding her. She felt a good orgasm coming on, and began to push back to meet his thrusts, when he stopped and slipped out of her, his hands grasping her ass and his tip pressing into her other hole. She started to say something, but she felt him step back, a sign that he would stop right there if she complained. She signed and lowered her head to the desktop. After a moment, she felt him press back into her, his tip slowly working past her tight ring. This was another thing he had been doing more often. Proving his dominance over her. Taking her as and when he felt like it. She gritted her teeth as the head of his member pushed into her, then the shaft was sinking into her. She slipped one hand under her so she could tease her clit. It was the only way to save the orgasm she had felt building. Gendo continued to work himself in and out of her, his pleasure his only concern. Ritsuko felt him beginning to thrust faster, and began to stroke herself faster as well. Before she could finish, she felt him shoot his load into her. He paused inside her for a bit, then withdrew his member, and turned away, walking to the bathroom that was attached to his office. Ritsuko was left hanging, her orgasm incomplete. She continued to stroke herself, trying to save the orgasm, knowing how she must look, bent over a desk, her legs spread, fingers madly stroking herself as her lover's fluids seeped down her thighs. She had almost saved the orgasm when it was cut out from under her with two words from Gendo Ikari.

"Dismissed, Doctor."

It had been a slaughter, pure and simple. Touji had missed the jump, and Ritsuko proved she was very good at basketball, sinking a three pointer less than five seconds after the jump. Shinji had tried to get inside to do a lay up or a reasonably likely jump shot, but his teammates were totally disorganized, and Asuka had managed to steal the ball and do a lay up before he could recover it. A pass to Touji might as well have been a hand out to Ritsuko, who didn't even have to try to intercept the ball from the normally dominating teenage boy. She casually tossed the stolen ball to Aki, who promptly slammed it on her opponent. Kensuke got the ball, but hardly even got to dribble it before Rei took it away from him and tossed it to Hikari, who barely kept Shinji from taking it, and then passed it to Ritsuko, who sank another three pointer. Shinji realized that he was alone out there, so he ignored the others and concentrated on Asuka and Rei's body language to read the girl's plans. Thank god for synch training; I can read Asuka pretty well, and Rei is following her lead. Thought Shinji, watching the redheaded pilot move. She's beautiful. He thought, but then forced him self to ignore the way her shirt clung to her and her shorts showed off her hips. He caught her signal to Ritsuko and jumped toward Hikari, who was caught off guard. Twisting around her, he felt his upper arm and shoulder press against her chest. His little man liked that, but his eyes were on Asuka as she shoved Hiro off balance and spun to fire the ball to Ritsuko, who had cleared Touji's guard and was open.

Asuka was very unhappy to see Shinji appear in the balls path, catch it and smoke toward his goal. Rei almost got him, but he managed to twist past her, and duck under Aki, who hadn't anticipated having to stop the pilot. With no one between him and the goal, he did a clean, if uninspired, lay up. Asuka narrowed her eyes, then checked Hikari, who gave her a sheepish shrug, then turned back to Shinji. Aki brought the ball up, and the girls managed to keep Shinji away long enough to hit a two pointer, which put them only a three pointer and a lay up away from victory. Shinji brought the ball up, got a pass to Touji, who immediately passed it back, and Shinji started for the goal, but got ambushed and forced to pass to Hiro, who got mugged by Asuka, who sank a three pointer, landing on Hiro's foot on the way down.

"I'm sorry." She smiled as she apologized, making it clear that the landing was deliberate. Hiro just wanted to get away from her. He grabbed the ball, worked it up to the half court and then threw it in a high arch toward the basket, but it was off center and short. Shinji saw a chance and muscled his way past Hikari, who didn't yield too graciously, and managed to get under the ball as it came down, grabbing it, bouncing it once, then doing an easy four foot jump shot. Aki managed to get close enough to hit the ball, but it wasn't enough and the ball went in. Ritsuko grabbed the ball and pretty much steamrolled Touji, hit Asuka, who hit Rei, who fired to Aki, who tossed in a simple lay up. Game over, girl 15, boys 4. The other students just stared at the two teams. The girls did a group high five and laughed at the boys. Touji had managed to pull himself together, more or less, and immediately started to shoot his mouth off.

"Laugh it up now, Demoness!" he called. "If we hadn't gone easy on you, you'd never had won!"

"And if it weren't for baka Shinji, it would have been 15-0." Shot back Asuka. "He's a lot more effective than the rest of you put together!"

"Oh yeah?! Let's take this to the diamond!" yelled Touji.

"You must like punishment." Said Ritsuko. The two teams cleared the court as the next two teams took their turn with the basketballs. The teams seemed more into flirting than playing, and ran out of time with both sides still in single digits. The coaches blew their whistles and each set of teams moved one field to the right. The girls called victor's rights and claimed the in field first. Since there had to be nine players, the two teams of girls merged with each other, as did the two teams of boys. The girls were once more in a huddle. "Same tactics?" asked Ritsuko.

"Yeah, if they haven't figured it out. Any trouble?" quired Asuka.

"None." Replied Rei as Ritsuko shook her head.

"Maybe." Said Hikari. "Shinji seemed…well, he didn't act like he usually does. When he first looked at me on the court, I thought he was going to kill me."

"Really?" asked Asuka, frowning. "That's odd. He was unusually aggressive too. Wonder where he got the sudden case of hormones." Rei said nothing. "Anyway, who're the heavy hitters here?" The batting order was swiftly worked out, and the girls took the bench. Shinji was in left, Kensuke was catching, Touji pitching, and Hiroko was on first. Less-than-enthusiastic volunteers filled the remaining positions on the field. Hikari was up first, as she was a decent hitter, but didn't have much power. Her job was to get to base, no more. Then came Megusami, who had excellent accuracy, but not much range. Then, Aki was up, with orders to put the ball into orbit and clear the bases. Rei came next, then Nishima, then Asuka who was tasked with clearing the bases, and the final two batters, followed up with Ritsuko on cleanup duty. Hikari stepped up and gave Touji a sweet smile and a wink. The next battle started with a sliding chop from Hikari's bat.

"Enough?" asked Misato, watching the actress pant as sweat rolled off her skin. Airi nodded, too tired to speak just then. Misato began to peel the tape off her hands and feet. "Good. Let's hit the whirlpool for a bit, then the sauna if you're up for it. If not, we'll just skip the sauna and hit the showers. Sound good?" Again, Airi nodded. Misato finished stripping off the tape and tossed it into the wastebasket by the door to the showers, whirlpool and sauna. Airi followed her example and tossed her tape into the basket as well.

Stepping through the door after snagging their towels, the actress saw three stalls housing toilets, a tile wall and lip forming the shower area with four nozzles in the wall and four valve units, but noting else, and opposite the showers was a large whirlpool, and behind that was a door that led to the sauna. A counter with four sinks in it and a full wall mirror above it ran from the side of the sauna to the wall that separated the shower room from the gym. The entire room was tiled. Misato kicked off her shorts and tossed off her top. The clothes landing in a heap at her feet, which she picked up and headed for the sauna. Airi watched her, wondering what she was doing, but Misato went past the sauna, and then reached out, pulling open a small door. Airi walked to where the naked Captain stood and saw a small washer/dryer combo sitting behind the sauna. Misato tossed her things in, and motioned to Airi, who stripped down as well and added her clothes to the load. Misato tossed in a small block of detergent, then hit the start button before walking to the showers and turning one on. She quickly rinsed off, calling for Airi to do the same before they got into the whirlpool. She did so, then the two slipped into the whirlpool, letting the jets of water massage their bodies as they rested after their workout. Several minutes passed, then Airi asked a question that was still bothering her.

"Do you normally soak naked after a workout? Aren't you worried about someone walking in on you? Like those maintenance guys?"

"Not really. You saw the door. It needs an access card with level three or higher, and only the bridge crew and above have that clearance level. Besides, no one really knows about this gym." Answered Misato. Airi fished for information.

"Do the pilots rank as level 3 or above?"

"Technically, no. They have a special status, though, that approximates the access range of level 2 personnel; that being me, the Section 2 chief and the chief of maintenance. There few places the pilots can't go." Replied the purple haired OD. Airi stored this information too. She then changed topics.

"Tell me, do you know what they plan to do with the other members of my party?"

Asuka stepped onto first base at a leisurely jog, glanced at the position of the right fielder, and stopped, judging the risk too great that she would be picked off. She gave Hiroko a friendly smile, then fanned herself, her sweat-soaked shirt sticking to her young body in an enticing manner. "Man, am I wet." She said, her double meaning obvious. "I should have taken Rit-chan's advice and not worn a bra." She saw his eyes flicker to her chest involuntarily. She smothered a smile. "I wonder if Hikari wore her bra today?" she wondered innocently, knowing full well that she had. Hiroko's eyes went to the class rep, trying to tell if the girl had on a bra or not. Just then, the batter connected with a bouncing shot between the first and second basemen and Asuka was gone, halfway to second before the basemen could respond. She had been making comments like that each trip around the bases, as had the other girls, except for Rei, who they had asked to just stare at the basemen without saying anything. The basemen took several steps away from the base when Rei was on them. Her stare was too unnerving to handle. Asuka saw that the ball was just now being corralled, and dug for third. She made it with a leap and a short slide, beating the ball by a fraction of a second. The other two runners were on, and Ritsuko was up. The other redhead took a bat and got into position. Her first two times at bat, she had deliberately underpowered her swings to lull the boys into closing the gap. Aki had been up twice and hit two balls out of the park. Asuka had homered twice, and Rei had hit one triple and one double. Ritsuko watched Touji and let two balls go by, then a strike. The next pitch was another low and outside strike, and Ritsuko sliced into it, sending it straight at Touji's groin. That was the third time one of the girls had aimed at him, and he was getting nervous. Hikari's first swing had nearly taken his head off, and that same inning, Rei had clipped him with a shot that, had he not dove for the ground, probably would have killed him. Both hits had put runners on the bases.

Then Nishima had fucked up and hit one right to Shinji, who snuffed it and nearly made it into a double play. He would have succeeded if the third baseman had been paying attention; instead, his shot from left hit the inattentive boy in the head. Oh well. The girls led by 12 to two, and it was the third inning. The boys had been having trouble with their batting and running, as Asuka was catching for Ritsuko's pitching and Hikari was on first, and Aki on third. Rei took short stop and spent her time staring at the batter, which rattled most of them to the point that when they hit, they usually popped them straight up or right into the waiting gloves of the fielders. A few of the boys had yet to hit a single ball. Not that Ritsuko was giving them an easy time. Asuka found that the newcomer had a very warm fastball and a particularly nasty breaker, but couldn't throw a good slider or a curve ball. Asuka and her decided on a power strategy. At the bases, when they could get there, they got teasing innuendo and flashes of flesh from the base girls, which allowed Ritsuko to pick most of them off. Shinji was somewhat resistant to the tactic, but even he fell prey to it a time or two. Oddly it was when Rei said something to him. The war raged on, the two sides not noticing the fact that the rest of the class had ceased to play and were watching the war from the sides, including the coaches.

"That'll teach you." Said Asuka confidently, as the baseball game folded, 19 to 3. Shinji had scored two of the three runs the boys had. The girls were covered in sweat and dirt, but were reveling in the victories. Of the boys, only Shinji and Touji had worked up a good sweat. Shinji was panting and resting by the chain link fence backing home plate. Ritsuko stepped over to him and asked

"You Ok, Shinji?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll be fine." He answered, his face red enough to hide his blush at her attention. God, she's hot. And nice too. He thought.

"You play good. What teams are you on?" asked Ritsuko, wiping her forehead with the back of her wrist.

"I'm not on any. Most of my time is spent at NERV, and besides, I'm not very good at sports." He answered.

"Could have fooled me from the way you played. According to Hikari, you have one scary game face." Smiled Ritsuko. "You shook her up good."

"I…I'm sorry. I'll apologize to her." Said Shinji immediately. Ritsuko frowned a little at his reaction. What is he so afraid of? She wondered. Hikari isn't mad about it and it's not like he was doing it for kicks; it's just the way you play the game.

"Hey, don't worry. Hikari didn't take it personally or anything; it's just part of the game." She was interrupted by Asuka's yell.

"Hey baka! Quit bothering Rit-chan and get your ass to the soccer field! Now! I'm not done with you stooges yet!"

"Sorry." Said Shinji, his tone low and a little weak. Ritsuko gave Asuka a long, considering stare. She made up her mind. I will be what you need me to be, Shinji, because you need me. I can't stand when someone looses hope like you seem to have.

Meanwhile, Touji was in Asuka's face, the two of them in a heated argument. "I should have known you'd cheat, Demoness! It's in your blood!" yelled the boy.

"I don't need to cheat to beat a bunch of perverted little boys like you guys!" shot back Asuka. "After all, I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu, the Second Child and the best Eva pilot anywhere!"

"Then why has my man Shinji killed more angels than you?! Answer that, bitch!"

"He just got lucky, and Wondergirl backed him up! It takes two of them to equal my Eva Unit 2, after all!" screamed Asuka.

"So it wasn't you in the red Eva this last time? The one that got pounded by the twin angel?" asked Kensuke. He should have kept quiet, he realized, when Asuka turned on him and nearly bit his head off.

"Shinji the Baka interfered with my attack, and he's the reason that I got hit…" she broke off as she found herself staring into Rei's red eyes. Rei's face was it's normal emotionless mask as she spoke.

"You should not discuss that operation outside of NERV, Pilot Sohryu. It is not general information at this time." She said simply, her voice soft. "And Commander Ikari frowns on information leaks." She added in a near whisper. Asuka caught her meaning. She clenched her jaw, and held her tongue.

"Thank God not all our pilots are freaks, right Kensuke?" said Touji. Hikari closed her eyes and counted to five silently. When will he learn to keep his mouth shut? She wondered.

"What did you say?" growled Asuka, her jaw tightly clenched. "Even the Baka is better at everything than you, chicken-choker." She snarled. "And I'll prove it!" she continued. "Wondergirl, Shinji, myself, Hikari and Ritsuko will take on as many of you as dare to challenge us to a simple little game of paintball. Last team left standing, wins. The winners can have the losers do anything they want. Anything at all." She said, her voice growing softer and more dangerous as she spoke. Ritsuko was nervous about this challenge, but she was more disturbed by the weird glow that seemed to suffuse Asuka's eyes as she challenged the school. It's as if winning is all that sustains her. Thought the elf hunter.

"Um, Asuka, this isn't such a good idea…" started Shinji. She silenced him with a glare. Rei was impassive as she watched the Second Child dig her grave deeper.

"What do you say to that, Stooge? Are you going to run and hide, now that you can't hide behind Shinji the Hero?" Touji had been thinking something else though, and wasn't about to lose this opportunity. He smiled at Asuka and said

"Anything, Devil? Anything at all?"

"That's what I said, Stooge. Are you deaf or just stupid?" replied Asuka immediately. Touji smiled a little more.

"When and where, Demoness?" he demanded.

"Asuka, about this little challenge of yours…" began Hikari as she and the other girls entered their locker room a little later in the day. The remainder of the PE class had been pretty much a waste as the students were all talking about the redheaded pilots challenge and what they thought would happen. From the overall tone of the students, Hikari had picked up a disturbing vibe that the greater number of people, boys and girls alike but mostly boys, wanted Asuka to lose. She hadn't made many friends with her arrogance and aggressive attitude. Most disturbing was the general feel of the students to the other's having to suffer with her. It was as if the students didn't really care if Rei, Shinji, Ritsuko and myself had to pay for her arrogance. And the boys are certainly planning what they want us to do even now. The thought of the leering gazes she and the other four had gotten was enough to make her shiver.

"Don't worry, Hikari." Said Asuka dismissively. "I've got a plan." She said confidently. She grabbed her towel and stripped off her sweaty and dirty clothes, stepping into the large communal showers, eager to be clean again. Rei was already standing under a nozzle with cold water pouring over her. She seemed to be unconcerned. Ritsuko stripped and followed Asuka and the class rep into the shower room, selecting a shower next to the two young women. As the girls showered, Hikari covertly watched Ritsuko, trying to judge her reaction to the challenge. Inoue's body language was one of guarded calmness. Boy, she either has nerves of steel or doesn't believe that this challenge will go down as presented. Still, she may be justified to be calm; she is a weapons otaku after all. Thought the class rep.

"I really wish you would have asked me before making such crazy bets. What if we lose?" fretted the brown-haired girl to the pilot of Unit 2. Before Asuka could answer, another girl cut in, her tone spiteful and aggressive.

"Then I bet the boys will have lots of stories to tell the rest of the school about you. You went too far this time, Sohryu. You can't win against the number of boys that will want to challenge you, even with the help of your fellow freaks. And they all want one thing from you: they want to fuck your brains out. And that's what they will do when they win." She said, her voice rising a little at the end. She laughed a cold, high laugh. "You'll be Asuka Sohryu, school slut after next Saturday." A couple of girls joined in her laugh, though most were silent, watching the exchange. Asuka ignored her, shampooing her hair. Next to her, Hikari was silent, waiting for the redhead to explode. Ritsuko was scrubbing the dirt off her legs, her attention seemingly on that alone. "What, nothing to say, Sohryu? You're always shooting your mouth off, why not now? Scared, school slut?" the girl demanded, stepping a little closer to Asuka as she did so. Asuka ducked her head under the shower, rinsing her hair. Hikari saw Ritsuko tighten her grip on her washcloth slightly, but other than that, she continued as if nothing was wrong. "Well, you won't be the only slut, so don't start crying or anything. Ayanami may be an ice bitch, but some of the guys want to do her too, and with the way Inoue looks so much like you, they'll be lining up for sloppy seconds. I don't know who wants to do such a flat, underdeveloped shrew as Horaki, but there must be a few of the guys who are desperate enough to do her. Hell, I'll even give the boys some condoms so you don't give them your VDs." Still no reaction, other than Hikari's flaming face. Ritsuko casually glanced over at her and sent her a steady stare, then a small smile and wink. The look calmed her down and the wink helped relax her. Like all women, Hikari was sensitive to the body's development; or lack there of.

"Are they going to fuck Shinji too?" asked Asuka innocently. "He's a wussy little coward, but he's still a guy. Of course, that Shodoki guy looks like he's a fairy, so maybe he'll want a piece of Shinji." She mused calmly, her tone playfully evil.

"My Shodo-chan is not gay!" screamed the girl, her face going crimson as many of the girls started to giggle. "And even if he were, he'd never want such a weak, incompetent, cowardly little fuck toy!"

"You'd know his tastes in fuck toys, right?" pressed Asuka, lathering up her washcloth and beginning to scrub down. Hikari felt a chill from across the room and glanced to the opposite row of showers were. The Goddess of Ice, Rei Ayanami was standing under the cold spray, her eyes locked onto the girl standing in front of Asuka. If I didn't know better, I'd say that she was…annoyed; maybe even…angry. But that's impossible; Rei's not the emotional kind. Thought the brown haired girl. "But suit yourself. Bet against us, if you like. We will win. And I have some plans of my own for the Stooges and those little hentai boys." Her smile was decidedly shark-like. "Maybe I'll have them keep your `Shodo-chan' company that night." Ritsuko might have smiled, but Hikari was unsure if the slight curl to her lips was due to the subtle-as-a-stick-of-dynamite innuendo Asuka was tossing around or to the sudden drop in her shower's temperature.

"Arrogant slut! I hope the boys all gang-bang you and you get pregnant and can't pilot your stupid Eva anymore!" Asuka smiled sweetly at her.

"'And your little dog, too!'" she quoted. Ritsuko busted up laughing. Hikari had heard that line somewhere, but couldn't place it. Why am I suddenly seeing ruby slippers and tornados? She wondered. Many of the other girls were laughing now. Asuka began to whistle a fast, nonsensical tune, which only made Ritsuko and a few others laugh harder. Asuka switched from whistling to humming the tune as she ducked under the spray to rinse herself off. Finished, she shut off the shower and headed for the row of ceramic hooks were her towel hung. Ritsuko, still chuckling, followed her, Hikari and Rei bringing up the tail of the formation. As the girls dried themselves and dressed for the remaining school day, Hikari was muttering to herself.

"Where have I heard that song before? And I know that I've heard that line before too. Where was it?" She hadn't realized that she was speaking loudly enough to be heard until Rei's soft voice intruded on her musings.

"It is a quote from the movie `Wizard of Oz'. The witch threatens the main character and adds the dog to her list as she flees. The tune Pilot Sohryu was whistling was from the same movie. It was sung by the Munchkins after Dorothy's house falls on and kills a wicked witch. The song beings `ding-dong, the witch is dead, the wicked witch'. It was a fitting remark." Stated the azure-tressed pilot. Hikari and Asuka were staring at her, mouths open. "Is there something wrong?" enquired Rei.

"No, I just never figured you for a classic film buff." Answered Hikari.

"I am not a `film buff', Class Representative Horaki, I simply remember seeing a film with that line and song in it." Corrected Rei. "You should complete getting dressed quickly; there are only three minutes until the bell rings." Stated Rei, heading for the door. "I will locate Shinji and wait for you in the classroom." Then the girl was gone. Hikari and Asuka swore, realizing that Rei was the last one except for them to leave the room. They swiftly began to pull on their jumpers and tie the bows around their necks.

Outside the women's locker rooms, Rei saw Ritsuko Inoue leaning against the wall. "Rei, got a minute?" she asked. Rei considered the question.

"Only one, miss Inoue." She answered seriously. Ritsuko seemed a little confused, but shrugged it off.

"Are you Ok with this challenge, Rei?" she asked the pilot.

"It does not matter to me. I will do as I need to do." Replied Rei.

"You know that the guys will want to fuck us if we lose, right? And you aren't concerned about that?"

"Males are often preoccupied with thoughts of sexual intercourse with females." Stated Rei in a bored tone.

"If we lose, then by the terms Asuka set down, we'd have to let them fuck us. Understand?" pressed Ritsuko, baffled by the other girl's calm disinterest in the possible outcomes. "I don't want to have to let just any man screw me. And I really don't want to be the centerpiece of some gang-bang. How about you?"

"Those were the terms." Agreed the pilot, unsure of why Ritsuko was so upset. Ritsuko, realizing that this line was going nowhere and damned fast, changed topics.

"Is this the way she normally acts? All aggressive and arrogant and overconfident?"

"Pilot Sohryu is behaving as she has since she joined Shinji and myself." Stated Rei. "Excuse me, miss Inoue, but I must go find Shinji." She turned and started toward the guy's locker room. Ritsuko called after her.

"Do me a favor, Rei, and call me Ritsuko or Rit-chan; miss Inoue is my mother's name." Rei gave no indication that she had heard the girl. Just then, she saw a swirl of red come out of the locker room and knew Asuka and Hikari were headed for the classroom. She joined them.

Airi and Misato were headed for the bridge when the PA announced that the Operations Director and Komiyama were to report to the Commander's office immediately. Misato shrugged to Airi and altered her direction. "This might be the answer to your question." Observed Misato as the plain doors of Commander Ikari's lair came into view.

"It would be very likely, wouldn't it?" agreed Airi, mentally preparing herself for the confrontation with the infamous Gendo Ikari, Demi-god of NERV. Misato paused to take a breath, then knocked on the door.

"Enter." Was the one-word response. The two women entered the room of evil.

Junpei was dreaming of curry again. Mountains of rice with oceans of curry sauce. And miss Airi. Curry for a lifetime. And miss Airi. But something seemed to be missing. What could be more perfect than curry and miss Airi? Junpei suddenly hit upon the missing component. His martial arts trophies! How could he have forgotten the six trophies from the six consecutive full-contact world martial arts championships? His dream now prominently featured his trophies and curry. And miss Airi. A loud, metallic clanging interrupted his dream.

"Rise and shine, Junpei." Said a voice he recalled very well. "It's time to go, Junpei dear." Came the voice, softer and more seductive than before. Junpei snapped awake, leaping toward the figure of ultimate womanhood. Or what he thought was the embodiment of ultimate womanhood. His arms locked around her and his lips pressed into hers. He also felt her breasts pressed to his chest.

Funny, miss Airi didn't look this endowed when last I saw her. And her hair seems longer, too. Thought Junpei, sliding one hand from around her back to experimentally fondle her breasts. And she seems a little taller, too. He pulled back from the kiss to see an unfamiliar woman in his arms, her eyes glaring daggers at him. He also heard a little `humph' from behind him. He turned to catch a glimpse of his beloved Airi. Just a glimpse, because her very well throw right hook caught his face cleanly, knocking him off the other woman.

"Miss Airi, what'd I do?" he asked, tears in his eyes; the actress hit harder than she seemed capable of. He seemed to have totally forgotten the other woman he had just been groping. She, however, had not forgotten him.

"If you do that again, mister, I will personally shoot you." She stated, her tone very convincing. "I'm not some bar floozy you can just walk up to an feel up!" she added angrily.

"You're right," came a voice from behind the other woman. "You have to buy her beer first; a lot of beer."

"Kaji, you bastard, shut your fucking mouth!" the woman snapped at him. Airi hid her sweat drop with practiced ease. Those two have been going at it since she saw him in the Commander's office.

"Junpei, this is Captain Katsuragi, and Agent Kaji. They are our…hosts for the time being. You'll be released into Agent Kaji's custody provided you sign some papers first. If not, you and this cell will be spending some quality time together." Said Airi, ignoring the two others, who were pretending to ignore each other's presence. "You will be under Captain Katsuragi's orders until some things are worked out, so do as she says."

"I'm always happy to take the bottom position with such well stacked babes as you, honey." Smiled Junpei. "It lets me play with your tits while…" his thoughts were interrupted by Airi's fist in his face. Repeatedly.

Once he was conscious again, he agreed to fill out the paperwork necessary to free him, and he and the guy called Kaji walked behind the two women as they headed into another section of NERV HQ. The eyes of both men were firmly fastened to the firm asses in front of them, moving from one to the other with great concern for detailed comparisons. At an intersection, the two women stopped and turned to look expectantly at the two men. They were both drooling a little. "Well?" demanded an irritable Misato, clearly waiting for them to do something. The two glanced at each other.

"You've both got killer asses." Offered Junpei, sure that the woman was waiting for the verdict of his examination of their rear ends. Misato's eye began to twitch and her hand slid under her jacket and toward her gun. Airi put her hand on Misato's arm, saying

"Let's not be hasty, Mi-chan. I believe the Captain was pointing out that the two of you need to go that way." She pointed down the other corridor.

"Oh, yes, that way. Let's go, Junpei." Said Kaji, seeing Misato's hand inching closer to her gun, even with Airi restraining her. The two men hustled off. Misato took a calming breath and pulled her hand out from under her jacket.

"God, I thought my ass would catch fire from their stares." She carped to the other woman as they resumed their trek into the bowels of hell. "I knew he hadn't matured any, but this is worse than he used to be in college." She fumed. If Asuka only knew how he acted, she'd jump Shinji in a heartbeat. Thought the Captain.

"I hate to tell you this, seeing as you and he were obviously once lovers, but Junpei and him could be twins." Said Airi, giving her a slight smile. Misato winced.

"That's revolting! I have got to be more selective of who I sleep with. Shinji's looking better and better all the time." She smiled back at Airi, waiting for her laugh. Instead, Airi gave her a speculative look.

"There are worse things that could happen to him." She said, glancing away from Misato's gaze. "And from what I've learned, most of them have already happened to him." Misato opened her mouth to protest Airi's words, but she paused, her mind busy with the concept hinted at by the actress. Maybe. Thought the OD to herself, Maybe it would help.

What's keeping that damned bell?! Wondered Hikari. Since the challenge at the sports field, the whole class had been nothing but rumors, gossip and wagers. Asuka had been smiling contentedly since they got back from the locker room, occasionally humming bits of the song from `Wizard of Oz' softly, while smiling a vicious smile. Her computer was on, but the messaging and mail functions were turned off, as Hikari had found out when she had tried to contact her friend. Ritsuko had set her filters to `away' and was currently making notes on a piece of paper she borrowed from Shinji. Something told her that the new girl was not taking notes on the lecture. Shinji was staring at his desktop, his computer was on, but he wasn't doing anything with it. On an impulse, she messaged him to see if his program was blocked like the girls. Oddly enough, after a few moments, his eyes shifted to the screen and he accepted her message.

ClassRepGrrl: You OK, Shinji-kun?

PilotUnit1: Yes.

ClassRepGrrl: Did the guys bother you after Asuka's little scene?

PilotUnit1: No.

Hikari considered his answer, then typed.

ClassRepGrrl: That doesn't sound like them. You sure they didn't bother you?

PilotUnit1: Yes.

Hikari frowned. I know those idiots wouldn't leave him in peace after such a big deal, and since he lives with Asuka, they should have been all over him like hyenas at a fresh kill. Just then, another person joined them in their private room. I didn't think that there was a way to force yourself into someone's private room without super-user or system admin settings. Thought the brown haired girl.

IceGoddess: Why did they not bother you, Shinji?

Damn, that girl's direct as a bullet. Marveled Hikari. She saw Shinji start to type, stop, and then apparently erase what he had started to type, retyping some or the entire message.

PilotUnit1: They were busy with other issues, Rei.

IceGoddess: What issues?

Hikari could feel his temperature rise from where she sat. Blushing? She wondered, sneaking a peek at him. What she saw was not a blush, but something far more disturbing: Shinji was clearly, unmistakably angry.

PilotUnit1: Just guy talk, Rei. Can we drop this now, please?

ClassRepGrrl: What exactly was so damned fascinating that those jerks didn't bother to lean on you?

IceGoddess: I wish to know as well.

PilotUnit1: You don't want to know, Rei-chan.

Since when is Rei Shinji's `chan'? Hikari was intrigued.

ClassRepGrrl: Spill it, Shinji. Shinji sighed, then closed his eyes for a minute, obviously composing his reply, then began to type.

PilotUnit1: They were discussing what they wanted to do if they won Asuka's little pissing contest.

Just then, another window popped up on Hikari's desktop, flashing an `urgent' designation. Hikari immediately accepted the message.

FireGoddess: What's the deal, Hi-chan? I've been trying to message you for five minutes. Hikari could almost hear her friend's annoyed tone through the text on her screen.

ClassRepGrrl: Just got a conversation here; hold on a sec. She pulled the other screen up and sized the two so they were side by side, and she could switch between them with a simple click of her cursor.

IceGoddess: That is what made you angry? I do not think you have told me all there is to this matter.

So, Rei knows he's underplaying the conversation. Good girl. Hikari added her own thought.

ClassRepGrrl: It was about us, wasn't it? Us girls, I mean. Right? Shinji didn't move or react.

IceGoddess: Is that true? Eventually, Shinji answered.

PilotUnit1: Yes.

IceGoddess: What was said?

Talk about your killer instinct. That girl has a one-track mind sometimes. It impressed Hikari a bit that someone could be so focused.

PilotUnit1: It doesn't matter. Let's drop this topic now. Please?

IceGoddess: I wish to know what was said that would cause you to get angry. As well as who said it. The casual tone of her afterthought set off all of Hikari's warning senses. Rei was never this interested in anything except for her duty and following orders. Shinji was considering something.

PilotUnit1: If I tell you what was said, you won't ask who said it. Agreed, Rei?

IceGoddess: I see no reason to accept any conditions on this information, but, as you asked, I will comply.

ClassRepGrrl: I think I know what they were saying, but I still want to be sure before I do anything.

PilotUnit1: Please, Hikari, leave this to us pilots. We have some protection, after all.

Hikari blinked. Since when does he talk to me like this? He called me Hikari, and he wasn't uncertain or timid or anything! If anything, he sounded…assertive? Definitely manly. Hikari blinked in shock when she felt a tingle down her spine as she thought that about Shinji. The window with FireGoddess was practically ready to explode.

FireGoddess: I'm waiting, Hikari! What's the fucking deal?

ClassRepGrrl: Hold on, Asuka! This is important, and it's about that little scene you caused at PE. Hikari watched her window with IceGoddess and PilotUnit1 in it.

IceGoddess: I am still waiting for your answer, Shinji.

PilotUnit1: They were discussing who got to do what to who first. It wasn't very nice.

ClassRepGrrl: We know that they will want to have sex with us, Shinji. It's Ok, you don't have to be so careful about what you say. Assured the Class Representative.

PilotUnit1: Well, there was more.

ClassRepGrrl: WHAT?

IceGoddess: Continue, Shinji.

PilotUnit1: Some of the guys wanted more than sex. There was a group of about four that wanted to…well, forcibly deflower you and Rei. Another group wanted to cause Asuka and Rei some…discomfort while they had sex with them. And nearly all the guys wanted to…humiliate Asuka by having her in a very public place and in very…disturbing ways. And a few wanted to make you all into prostitutes to make money. One even wanted to make you all get tattoos and have your…well, certain parts, pierced. Hikari's face had gone from red, to pale, to red and then back to pale. It was currently headed for Asukatm red, including the imminent explosion. Rei had shown no reaction at all to Shinji's well-padded news.

IceGoddess: And these were the comments that angered you?

PilotUnit1: Yes.

IceGoddess: Why? Males often discuss such urges with other males. It is a common occurrence.

PilotUnit1: It wasn't what they said, although I didn't like that either.

ClassRepGrrl: It was who they were talking about that got you mad, right?

PilotUnit1: Well, yes.

IceGoddess: Why?

PilotUnit1: I don't like anyone threatening those I care for; especially in that manner.

IceGoddess. I see. I will discuss this in more detail with you at a later time, Shinji.

And IceGoddess was gone.

ClassRepGrrl: Shinji, let's not mention this to anyone. And thanks for caring about my honor.

PilotUnit1: It was nothing. I just…don't like to see my friends and loved ones hurt.

ClassRepGrrl: Well, I think it's sweet. I'll have to remember to thank you. And ClassRepGrrl was also gone, leaving Shinji the sole occupant of the chat room. He terminated the room and looked to Rei who was staring out the window again. He looked over at Hikari, who was furiously typing, then to Asuka, who was radiating impatience as she waited for something to appear on her computer, and lastly at Ritsuko, directly in front of him. She was still making notes, and Shinji could see a little of the paper, but not enough to make sense of whatever the girl was working on. He shrugged to himself, then stared at ceiling and zoned out while the lecture droned on like a white noise machine set to mind-destroying magnitude. Eventually, the bell rang.

"Man, that was a long class." Said Asuka as she and the others headed toward home. The group had moved off the school property a little quicker than usual, as they were besieged by mobs of students, even those not in their class. Word of mouth had spread, and not always accurately, either. Somewhere along the line, the boys had gotten the idea that Asuka, Rei, Hikari and Ritsuko had bet the boys their virginities on a paintball game. The girls seemed to have heard that Asuka and her group had bet the boys their enrollment in the school that they could win. The mob was busy asking questions, making side bets and threats as well as just the normal curiosity factor, causing Asuka to leave school faster than normal, and the rest followed her. Hikari tagged along because she was nervous about being the only one in `the group' left at the school. Her house lay in another direction, but she had decided to take a different train route rather than walk alone for the first half of her journey home.

"It's going to be a long evening, too." Muttered Shinji, disliking the synch tests he and Asuka were slated for. Rei said nothing, knowing that she would be spending time in her tube, downloading her current memories and feelings and experience to her `sisters' incase something happened to the current her. I must make sure that my promise to Shinji and the memories needed to fulfill that promise is passed to the whole, just in case I am required to die again. And I must make sure that my research project is passed intact to the whole as well. Thought the blue-haired girl.

"Are you coming to NERV with us, Hikari?" asked Ritsuko, looking up from the piece of paper she had been working on in class. "I didn't know you worked at NERV."

"I don't." answered the Class Rep. "I just thought that I'd accompany you all to the station."

"It would be unwise for miss Horaki to walk home unescorted with the males currently so aroused with the idea of sexual intercourse with her." Stated Rei calmly. "She will probably switch trains to bring her to her residence from a different direction. It is a prudent precaution."

"Yeah, good idea, Hi-chan." Agreed Ritsuko. "You have a good feel for these kind of situations. Must be handy with you being the class rep and all."

"She could have asked for an escort. Doesn't Touji and Kensuke live in that direction too?" noted Shinji.

"I don't want to be around them just now, Shinji." Said Hikari, blushing a little. "Besides, if you failed to notice, they took off at a run with two other guys before we even completed the bow."

Shinji looked away from her for a moment, softly saying "I guess I did miss it."

"Staring at Rit-chan, here? Boy, talk about your little hentai boys. Are you that desperate for a peek?" taunted Asuka. Ritsuko shot him a glance from the corner of her eye, and saw him close his eyes for a moment, a faint bit of color touching his cheeks. Ritsuko returned to her consideration of her notes. While Ritsuko might have let that slide, Rei was not prepared to do so. But before the pilot could make her attack run on Asuka, Hikari got off a shot.

"Give it a rest, will you, Asuka? I think you have more important things to think about than making groundless attacks on Shinji." Asuka scowled, obviously ready to tell her friend - yet again - that the attacks weren't groundless, but Hikari went on. "So now is a good time to tell me just what `plan' you have to keep us from becoming the sex toys of the whole school." Her tone was clearly irked at the notion. Asuka immediately went from annoyed to happy as a cat in cream.

"I'm glad you asked that, Hikari. However, I can't risk a security leak or we'll be in trouble. So, I won't say anything here. I'll fine-tune the relevant details with Baka, Wondergirl and Rit-chan here at NERV tonight and we'll clue you in tomorrow when we go shopping. Trust me, it's in the bag."

"What is in which bag?" inquired Rei. Asuka groaned.

"We have got to get you a better slang vocabulary." Groused the German girl. Ritsuko smiled behind her paper. Good one, Rei.

A few city blocks away, four young men crowded around Kensuke's computer in his cluttered, messy room in his house. Touji and his two primary abettors had learned that Kensuke had managed to put a small microphone bug in Hikari's bag before she and the others left for the day. It was a cobbled-together unit, about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and the battery was only good for about two hours, but the foursome had hoped that Asuka would let slip her plan so they could counter it. Kensuke loved playing spy, and he had been in his element. The other three boys groaned.

"So she's not gonna say anything where we can hear her?" asked one of the boys. He was a year ahead of Touji, but he played on the same school teams as the younger boy. The fourth was a classmate of Touji's teammate.

"Sounds that way. Well, it was a thought, anyway." Sighed Touji.

"Don't give up just yet." Said Kensuke. "She said she'd detail the plan to Shinji and Rei and Ritsuko at NERV tonight, and Hikari will find out tomorrow. All we have to do is hack into NERV's…"

"NO." stated Touji, grabbing Kensuke by his neck and squeezing. "I'm not going to die for this, no matter how much I want to get that bitch back. Remember what they told us after the insect angel? Commander Ikari told us that if we `interfered' with NERV business again, he'd have us killed. And I know he would, too. No hacking into NERV; at least, not when I'm anywhere near you." Touji still got goose bumps when he remembered the time he and his friend had ended up inside Unit 1 as Shinji fought his second angel. Shinji's screams during the fighting and sobs afterwards was what started them on the path to being friends, and the reception they got from NERV security sealed the issue. If he never had to see Shinji's father again, it would be too soon. To say that NERV had raked them over the coals would be an understatement. Kensuke raised his hands in surrender.

"Whatever you say, Touji! Besides, I don't want to have to talk to Commander Ikari any more than you do. And there is another way. Two actually."

"What?" asked Touji, confused.

"Well, since we can't mess with NERV, we are left with two options: first, follow the girls tomorrow and eavesdrop or bug them and listen, or, two, talk it out of Shinji or Hikari next week."

"Or pound it out of the wuss." Said the classmate of Touji's friend. Touji turned to face the boy.

"Leave Shinji out of this. You're not to mess with him; it's the Red Demon we want. Got it?" he said.

"What, you soft on him or something?" sneered the kid, looking Touji over. "You an ass-boy, Suzahara?"

"What are you saying, Shodoki? Looking for some ass?" threw back Touji, his fists balling up.

"Hardly. He's balling that Tomoko chick in your class." Laughed his teammate. "The stupid chick thinks he loves her."

"Tomoko? She seems like such a goody-goody in class. She puts out?" Touji was skeptical.

"Like a two dollar whore!" his teammate chuckled. "Shodo here got her to give him a blow job at the movies last week, and just two days ago, he started making out with her in the back of the train, took off her panties and bra, and tossed them out the window of the train. She still went to the arcade and to Mac's with us! Her skirt kept blowing up, and she was so hot, she was wet."

"She did this while you watched them?" asked Kensuke, his nose beginning to leak blood.

"Shit yeah!" said Shodo. "She'll do anything I want if I start to act bored with her. I got to ass-fuck her last month because I said we should think about seeing other people. And I have more plans for the little slut."

"Speaking of that, you won't forget me, right?" asked his classmate.

"No problem, bro. I've almost got her ready. Maybe even this week if my old man takes off and the step-monster goes to her lab for a tune up." The two classmates bumped fists.

"Cool." Said Touji's friend. He glanced at Touji. "Maybe we should get Touji here sloppy seconds." He mused. "After all, he's gonna need some experience for next weekend." Shodoki considered it for a minute.

"Why not? I'll see if I can arrange it with the slut. What do you say, Touji, want to fuck a real woman?"

"You mean, Tomoko?" asked Touji, a little surprised that the two were talking this way about Shodo's supposed girlfriend. "You're sharing your girlfriend around?"

"Don't be stupid, Suzahara. Tomoko's not my girlfriend; she's my fuck toy." Laughed Shodoki. "My girlfriend is Kei So Yee, the daughter of some rich business man. My parents set it up for us. As soon as I graduate high school, I'll marry her and go to work as a manager at her father's company. When he retires, I take over. Sweet set up, huh?"

"And she knows you're balling Tomoko?" asked Kensuke, fascinated by the situation. Not to mention being hard as a rock. He noticed that Touji was drooling a little at the thought of having sex with a girl as hot as Tomoko. While she wasn't in the top ten, she was a hot chick, and her figure was excellent.

"Well, Kei won't put out till we're married, so I have to get my rocks off somewhere, right? I told Kei that Tomoko was an old friend and that I saw her as a sister, so she doesn't think anything about it when I spend time with Tomoko or she sees me holding hands with Tomoko or anything. Besides, Kei spends most of her time working in her daddy's company." Replied Shodoki.

"What does she do there?" asked Kensuke, mentally filing the information away later in case they needed to blackmail these two.

"She's the Assistant CFO, whatever that means. When her old man retires, she'll be the CFO and I'll be the CEO. Neat, huh?" was the answer.

"Assistant CFO? How old is Kei anyway?" asked Kensuke. Family business or not, it takes time to get the degrees to be a legal CFO, if only an assistant one.

"She's somewhere in her mid twenties. Her old man is desperate to marry her off before he retires. Probably got a cherry as hard as a mummy's." he and his classmate shared a laugh at this. "Tomoko's was nice and soft, though. She screamed so cutely when I broke it." Kensuke's clock beeped, signaling the change in time.

"Shit!" said Touji's teammate. "I gotta go, mom's gonna be home soon, and she's going to be giving me my allowance tonight."

"Yeah, and Tomoko is waiting for me at the arcade." Said Shodo. His friend shot him a grin.

"You going to do her there, like you said?"

Shodo grinned and gave him the high sign. "Sure am! I'll tell you about it tomorrow night."

The two turned to Touji and Kensuke as they got ready to leave. "See if you can find out what they plan and we'll all be able get what we want. I'll be in touch, Touji." And the two departed. Kensuke looked at Touji and grinned.

It was definitely time to break into his private Asuka and Hikari stash.