(OOC: The first bit of what will be a fairly long post of teh Nita's activities at the mall, and her 2I flashback before that.)

Anita

September 15th, 2000
The most horrific cataclysm in human history had just occurred. For the most part, however, day-to-day life in the facility remained the same. It was clear that something was wrong; the children could read it in the grim expressions of the researchers, hear it in their anxious, whispered conversations. Even Dr. Hartman seemed disturbed, though he insisted on the various tests proceeding as usual.


“Um…a-are you sure about this, Aka…?” Anita said nervously, eying the patterned yellow bikini the redhead was holding up in front of her.

Asuka

Not being one to argue, she went into the fitting room with the bikini, sighing in resignation. It was a quick procedure, at least; she stripped down, pulled on the bottom portion of the swimsuit, and then fastened the top at the back. Her hands brushed against the scars running down her spine as she did so. Anita stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, and walked back out to confer with Asuka.

Asuka

She frowned and pulled at the straps. “Yeah, it does seem a bit tight. Do they have it in the next size--?”

Asuka

Kaito

Thursday, September 17th
16:03hrs

Yet another week and it was Daisuke Yamada's turn on the shopping rota. Of course, as the likelihood of Daisuke Yamada finding time out of his busy work schedule to do the shopping was close to nonexistant, Kaito usually took it upon himself to do the job instead. He took the money out of the family account and went down to the local conveinience store which he usually used for groceries.

He walked around the store, putting things in his basket as he went, and then while his eyes were elsewhere, he collided with another body, and grunted in surprise, 'Oof!'

The other person also let out a short yell in surprise, 'Gah---'

Somehow Kaito managed not to drop his shopping basket on the floor, but inevitably a few things did tip out onto the floor.

'Oh, sorry. Didn't see ya there.' The man said as they both recovered, 'Let me get that for you.' The other man then set about picking up some of the things that had fallen from Kaito's basket.

'Thanks...' Kaito said, looking up at the man as he helped pick up the items. Kaito caught a strange look in the man's eye, and something about him struck Kaito as familiar somehow, aside from the attire which just screamed Section Two. He raised an eyebrow. '...I know you from somewhere.'

'I was at your school at few months ago.' The man explained.

'...oh...' Kaito frowned, thinking back. When had he...of course, this was the other Section Two agent who had been with Kaji when they came to question the people in classroom 2A about the communications breach.
'Oh! You were with Doctor Akagi and Agent Kaji...' Kaito said, in realisation.

'Yeah...' The man said, looking away awkwardly.

Kaito frowned, a Section 2 agent in his local conveinience store, and him on NERV's watchlist. Hmmm...
"...I assume your not my shadow, otherwise you're taking the job description way too literally." Kaito quiped, maintaining his calm, easy-going smile, while on the inside he just wanted to sigh and roll his eyes.

'No, I'm not.' The man said flatly.

'Good to know...' Kaito said casually, allowing his eyebrow to quirk ever so slightly as he went on, 'Still, it's a bit of a coincidence, you being here...it's a big city.'

'I go to this store often.' The man commented blandly. Of course he would, Kaito thought irately, just another drone, do as you're told and deny everything.

'Huh...strange that I haven't bumped into you before now...' Kaito continued to probe.

'Eh, stranger things have happened.' The man shrugged.

'I suppose I'll give you that...' Kaito said, smirking at the man. Sure...giant monsters attacking the city, not to mention the stuff I run into occasionally with the Mystery Club...yeah, stranger things have definitely happened. But still...a Section 2 agent just happens to be shopping in the same place as me? Yeah, right.

The man went back to his shopping, picking up a pack of cigarettes and Kaito went back to his own shopping, adding a bag of sunflower seeds to the shopping basket to fuel his own nervous habit.

Not exactly subtle are they? Kaito thought irately to himself, maintaining the smiling facade, The black sedans, the suits...then again, the point's not to be subtle in this case, it's to be an intimidating presence.

Only then did Kaito allow himself to sigh, but still did so without betraying his mask of false cheer. Keep me in line, and out of their business. Of course, it's not all headgames, that's just a big part of it.

After a moment or so, the man spoke up again, addressing Kaito, 'You're Yamada's kid, right?

Kaito blinked, then smiled somewhat sadly, 'If you mean Daisuke Yamada, then yeah...'

'Hmm...Met him in a bar yesterday.'

'Ah, yeah, Second Impact Day...he and mom always used to--' Kaito broke off suddenly, swallowing hard as an image of his mother lying in that life support chamber popped into his head. He sighed then, and there was an awkward silence between him and the other man. What was his name again? What was it Kaji had called him? Spier.

Spier continued to pack groceries, so Kaito decided to speak up, 'Tell you any interesting stories, did he?'
Kaito tried to keep any trace of bitterness out of his voice, but he was sure some had leaked through. His father told other people more about himself than he told his kids, it seemed.

Spier paused for a moment, then replied, 'Sure.'

'I suppose he went right back to work afterwards as well...' Kaito sighed, smiling with just a touch of sadness, only partially faked. He didn't come home, at any rate. Damn it, father.

Malcolm didn't seem to know what to say to that. Kaito just closed himself off, returning to his usual easy smile.

'He shouldn't work so hard, it's bad for his health.'

He works with dad. Maybe he'll talk to dad about it. Maybe he can talk him into spending more time at home. He should. For Mai's sake, at least.

Kaito finished his shopping and went to pay at the counter, and then just before leaving, he turned to face Spier again, still with that easy-going smile.

'Give Agent Yamada my regards next time you see him, won't you?' Kaito beamed falsely, while in reality he felt a cold anger towards his father which he would not show to a complete stranger like this agent who was spying on him for NERV.

After a moment's pause, Spier nodded, 'Sure.'

'Guess I'll see ya around, Spier-san.' Kaito smirked, winking as he used the man's name in parting, in spite of him not having reintroduced himself properly. With that, he turned and strode briskly out of the store, and headed home as quickly as he could at a walking pace.


Daisuke

18:21hrs

Daisuke was on his dinner break, having some miso soup and some coffee, when Malcolm walked into the NERV cafeteria, looking around for a free seat. Evidently he was having some trouble in that regard. Just as Daisuke was about to offer him a seat at the same table as himself, Spier came over to him and asked, 'Mind if I sit here?'

Daisuke shrugged and smiled tiredly, 'Sure, go ahead.'

So Spier sat down at the table with his soba and started eating away. Daisuke expected the man would probably quite happily sit there and finish his meal without uttering even another word, so he decided to try an prompt a conversation, 'How are you, Spier-san?'

'Fine...' The man responded guardedly, 'You?'

'I'm alright...' Daisuke sighed, deciding that wasn't the best of conversation starters.

'Hmm.' Malcolm grunted, continuing to eat his meal, before reaching into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes. 'Mind if I smoke?' He asked.

'Not at all.' Daisuke said with a smile.

With permission now given, Spier lit up one of the kretek's he enjoyed smoking. He took a couple of puffs and sighed contentedly. Both men remained silent for a while, both eating their food; Daisuke taking a sip of his coffee every now and then, while Spier would take another puff of his cigarette. Eventually Spier decided to speak up, [color=blue]'So, bumped into Kaito today..'

'Really...?' Daisuke responded with a sigh, feeling a twinge of guilt at the mention of his son.

'He thinks I'm tailing him.' Spier explained further, causing Daisuke to chuckle slightly.

'Hmm...well, that's Kaito.' Daisuke stated with a nod. His son could be very paranoid sometimes. I suppose it runs in the family.

Spier shrugged, 'Yeah, that's Kaito.'

Daisuke sighed tiredly, shaking his head, 'I really wish he'd be more like a normal kid sometimes...'

'He seems smarter than most kids. I'd consider that a bit of a blessing.'

'It could be...' Daisuke agreed, 'if he would just stay out of trouble.'

Spier just chuckled at that, continuing to smoke, eat, sip his drink, and repeat.

'Well...' Daisuke said, 'I haven't heard of any other problems since he was yellow listed. Maybe he's settled down a bit.'

'Probably.' Malcolm agreed, still smoking away.

There was another pause before Daisuke asked, 'So, did he say anything else?'

Spier paused, as if wondering whether to say something or not, then spoke up, 'He...uh...made a few implications about your relationship.'

Daisuke looked away and sighed, 'Did he now?'

'Yeah.'

Daisuke frowned, this was a calculated move by Kaito, he knew. The boy had obviously realised that Spier was in some sort of contact with him, and had decided to use the other man to remind him of the existence of his family.
'What I'm not sure Kaito understands is,' Daisuke stated sadly, 'that all of the time I spend away from home, I do so for his and his sister's sake.'

Malcolm was quiet for a moment, then chipped in again, 'Well, you know how kids are. Maybe he does understands, and resents your scheduling abilities. Or maybe he just hates that it has to be this way. Or maybe he really doesn't understand.' Malcolm shrugged then, and added, 'He's a hard kid to read.'

Daisuke chuckled sadly, 'Yeah. He really is.' Even I find it difficult sometimes. He thought to himself.

Malcolm went silent again, and it struck Daisuke that he couldn't quite guess at what was going through the other man's head either. He smirked, 'You're pretty hard to read yourself, if you don't mind my saying so.'

'I get that a lot.' Malcolm admitted, taking another puff of his cigarette, before asking, 'So, you say you used to be a cop?'

'Used to be, yeah...' Daisuke nodded.

'If you don't mind me asking, what happened?'

Daisuke took a moment, weighing his answer, wondering how much to admit to this man he had just met only a few days ago, then he began to explain, 'I was let down, by my fellow officers...should have seen it coming to be honest...'

'That incident you mentioned in the bar, I'm guessing?' Malcolm asked.

Daisuke shook his head, 'No, but that was the first sign I saw of it...the corruption. I started to see it more often after things recovered. Guys taking kickbacks, getting 'sloppy' on the job, ceasing to care about the people they were supposed to be protecting.'

Spier chuckled bitterly, 'Didn't take me much long.'

'I refused to compromise where others would have...in the end, I ended up leading the wolves to my own door.'
Daisuke closed his eyes in anguish, before opening them and clenching his fist, 'And nobody backed me up, not one of them. I 'had it coming'.'

Spier let off another bitter chuckle, 'Sounds like it was the same over here as it was back in the US.'

'I guess so...' Daisuke shrugged, noticing Malcolm's attention being drawn by one of the tech girls glaring at him, causing him to chuckle once more. 'Someone you know?' Daisuke decided to ask, taking a sip of his coffee.

'No.' Spier shook his head, drawing another breath of smoke, 'I guess she just doesn't like blue-eyed devils. Lotta people don't.'

It hadn't occured to Daisuke before, but he realised that Spier would probably catch a lot of flak from other Japanese people for being a westerner. He shook his head, frowning, 'At the end of the day, people are just people. Don't matter what they look like on the outside. It's what's on the inside that counts.'

'Too bad more Japanese aren't like you.'

'Too bad more people in general aren't, no?' Daisuke countered, with a bitter smile.

'Yeah....' Malcolm said, smoking some more.

'So, how did you end up with NERV?' Daisuke asked, trying to get a read on just who Malcolm Spier was. More specifically, what his angle was.

'Long story.' Was all Malcolm said, with no indication that he was likely to tell that story right now.

'Ah...' Daisuke said, deciding not to press the issue.

Malcolm smoked his cigarette a moment, then asked, 'How did you?'

Daisuke hesitated, but decided that if he wanted Malcolm to open up at all, he'd have to give a little, 'My wife...after what happened, NERV came to me. Offered me a position here, in exchange for a NERV paycheck, security clearance, and most importantly of all, state-of-the-art medical care.'

Malcolm was silent for a moment as Daisuke stared off into space, then responded, 'I see.'

'How could I possibly refuse, eh?' Daisuke added, without humor.

'Yeah..'

Guess I sold out in the end too...but at least I did it for the right reasons, right Keiko? Daisuke thought, thinking of his wife, and hoping she would approve of the choices he had made.

'Well...' Daisuke spoke up again with false cheer, 'if nothing else, at least my kids are safe here...'

'Good one.'

'Giant monsters aside that is.' Daisuke added with a grimace.

'Again, good one.'

'They didn't exactly put that in the brochure...' He groused, sighing irately.

Hell, even the bastards I tried to get them away from are here in Tokyo-3 now...

Spier finished his cigarette and his soba then, and nodded at Daisuke, 'Well, I'll be going. See you later.'

With that, Spier got up to leave. 'Alright, see ya.' Daisuke said, waving as Spier departed.

Daisuke finished his miso soup and coffee shortly afterwards and headed back to his office. He opened up his laptop, without connecting it to the network and continued to read over the Thanatos file. Or at least, the portion of the file that the Wise Guys had managed to salvage for him. This was not the complete version. A lot of things were out of context, making vague references to test subjects and some kind of treatment, most of it in technojargon he barely understood anyway.

One interesting thing the Wise Guys had been able to tell him though, was that the files had been located in a secondary storage location, indicating that while it was an older file, it had been accessed recently, having been transferred over from tertiary storage. Meaning someone else had accessed the file before they had, and from what they could tell it was via another external access. The kids were very unhappy that someone had beat them to being the first to hack the MAGI, and whoever it was apparently did so with much greater success, as Daisuke knew there hadn't been a security announcement regarding unauthorised access of the MAGI until after the Wise Guys' attempt.

Daisuke frowned, concentrating on the file, and eventually he came across something that might offer a lead. A name. The name of a researcher who was apparently in charge of 'the project'. Dr Endo Taikan.

Daisuke looked up from his computer screen, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He didn't recognise the name, he'd have to check to see what he could find out about this Dr Taikan. The Thanatos file fragment had raised more questions than it had answered, and he was sure that Taikan would be the one who could answer them.

Both Kaito and Daisuke meet with Malcolm. Daisuke finds a name in the file he received that may offer a lead to Thanatos.

Thursday, September 17th

Kaworu pressed the button on the forearm of his plugsuit, allowing it to deflate. It was pleasantly warm inside the Nerv locker rooms.

“So, uh..." Shinji gulped. "How do you guys think you did?" he asked, expanding the plugsuit out of its skin tight form.

“Oh, I suppose I maintained my usual unremarkable synch ratio,” he said, looking from Shinji to Watanabe. Why was it that the pilot candidates had not been trained from birth, as he has been? That would have made matters so much simpler.

"What about you, Shinji?" Watanabe asked.

"I guess I did all right,” he replied.

“I am sure you did fine, Shinji,” Kaworu said. “You have a natural talent for piloting.” It was true, too. The Committee was well aware that Shinji was an exceptional child. Not only that, but his Eva unit was unique as well, the sole clone of Lilith in existence.

Kaworu noticed that Shinji was blushing and that his eyes were focused solely on his locker. Why was he so afraid of being looked at? He had a beautiful body. Kaworu stared at his lithe form in fascination, counting the orange drops of LCL that glistened on his skin.

Shinji furtively glanced in Kaworu’s direction; their eyes met as Shinji realized that he was being looked at. Shinji blushed even deeper, his shame and embarrassment obvious. Kaworu still could not understand his reaction. Didn’t Lilin enjoy knowing that they were wanted?

(Kaworu stares at Shinji in the Nerv locker room.)

That afternoon, Shinji had made up his mind. He called up the Nerv officials in charge of such things, arranged the changes, and went home to pack.

He wasn't leaving Tokyo-3, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he just didn't want Misato as a roommate any more. It felt hypocritical to be leaving after telling Asuka he'd missed her, but...

Misato wasn't a good roommate. Her conception of cooking was a joke, her drunken habits were annoying, and she knew nothing of cleanliness, it seemed. He and Asuka just couldn't counter that madness.

So he packed, and Misato came up just as the moving truck drove away.

Misato asking what's going on.

"I've... er... I've decided I'm gonna move..."

OOC: The rest will be added in when I've had a chance to RP with teh SSD. Shinji's moving out.

Friday, September 18th 2015

9:00 AM

Misato

Rushing through the hallways of Nerv, wiping away the barbecue sauce from the buffalo wings she had for breakfast that morning, Misato let out a frustrated yell as she tried to make it to Nerv's hanger on time.

The Commander of Nerv-Germany, Christian Langley, was arriving today. While the two seemed to get along back when Misato worked there--training Asuka to become the pilot of Eva-02 so many years ago--everybody including Misato knew that Langley made Commander Ikari look like a saint.

Finally reaching the hanger, Misato paused for breath, hand on her chest. She realized the others--Langley included--were already there.

Shit! Shit! SHIT! I hate the fact I can never figure out the layout of this place! At least I'm presentable and managed to freshen up after breakfast.

"Ah, Katsuragi.", Gendo began. He seemed tense. Oh joy. This must mean that Langley began his reign of terror the moment he stepped off the plane. "There you are. This is Langley, our distinguished guest."

Visibly paling at the sight of him, Misato stuttered out a hello. "Hi. Long time no see, sir."

Gendo interjected, "I'm sure you were late for an adequate reason..."

"Er, yes, I had trouble finding the place."

Langley finally spoke in a flat tone of voice: "Yes, a pleasure again.. You might want to clean your uniform, you have some chicken-wing sauce on your lapel."

Glancing down at her lapel and noticing she had some sauce on it, Misato quickly wiped it off while continuing to look up. "Um, what brings you here Commander Langley?"

How odd... Why did he glare at Malcolm just now?

"Reports that show the resources sent to you have not been properly managed."

Misato raised an eyebrow. "Resources?"

Ritsuko whispered in Misato's ear, "He means Eva-02 and Asuka."

Kaji added at the same time, "He means unit 02 and Asuka, Katsuragi."

Misato made a very subtle face while replying. "...I see."

"Yes, indeed. Unit 02 and it's pilot are your resources, no? Or are they still kept in storage and as backups?"

Ritsuko glanced at her wristwatch. Gendo replied to his fellow Commander, "Currently, they are neither. Eva-02 has been deployed in every battle except against the Third Angel."

"Sir." Misato kept her gaze on the American, looking serious. "I request you not refer to our pilots as resources. They're merely children."

"And I would request you show on time and on place. But it seems we wont be getting that anytime soon, are we?"

Misato kept silent, eyes glaring, expression neutral.

Acknowledging Gendo's response, Christian turned to Ritsuko."Yes, and I would like to review that particular situation with Dr, Akagi. If she has the time, of course." He smirked, adding, "I wouldn't want to intrude on her packed schedule."

Ritsuko glanced at Ikari for some reason. Misato herself sighed quietly while glancing at Kaji as well as Ritsuko, and finally, Commander Ikari.

"If she can arrange the time, I'm sure she will."

I don't like this. Misato clenched a shaking fist.

"Yes, sir.", Ritsuko nodded at Ikari.

Noticing Anita standing behind Langley, Misato blinked, puzzled. Who's she? "Have we met?"

"Not now, Katsuragi.", Gendo, calm as ever, replied.

She nodded, ignoring the fact Kaji was elbowing her.

"Yes, social pleasantries might have to wait... We have a problem with angels, resources, deployments, and pilots buying clothes instead of working to get better synch rates."

Ritsuko flatly stated, "When would suit you, Commander Langley?"

"Right now. I also want to review the operational procedures used so far on unit 02..."

Ritsuko yet again nodded. "Of course, sir."

Langley added, "As well as the security procedures to guard it."

Ritsuko calmly replied, "That would be...out of my jurisdiction, sir."

Misato looked confused. Pilots buying clothes? Wha? He doesn't mean the kids going on that date tomorrow, does he?

Gendo himself flatly stated to Langley, "Again, we have to give pilots time off."

The blonde turned to Gendo. "Perhaps that is how your pilots are trained to be, Ikari.. but unit 02's pilot was made to be the best. Think of her like a gifted athlete: the less time she train, the sloppier she gets."

Humored, a smirk formed his lips. "Not all of our children can be natural pilots like your son."

Gendo replied about Asuka instead of his own son. "Think of her like a part in a machine. Sometimes you have to remove the part and repair it or the machine as a whole stops working."

Misato, again, clenched her fist. She stared at the ground, lost in thought. I may have gotten along with this guy in the past, though he's really pissing me off right now. Heh, I never thought I'd see the day I prefer the Commander over Langley. Langley makes Commander Ikari look like a saint.

Misato was so lost in thought, she ignored the next few words. She found herself thinking about Shinji and the other pilots. Was she really doing enough to make sure they had as less stress as possible? And most importantly, were they happy?

"I have a meeting with the Committee." Gendo's voice. "Oh, and Katsuragi?"

Misato blinked. The Committee...? Isn't Kaworu-kun with them? I should ask him later.

"Yes sir?" She snapped out of her thoughts.

"If you can't bother to show up on time, don't bother to show up at all."

Misato twitched, but nodded. "...Yes, sir."

The meeting over, Misato turned and left, heading to her office to start another long, grueling, day of work.

***

5:00 PM

Hikari

Hikari had been quietly following her friend to the store for sometime now. Their triple-date was tomorrow so it only made sense they'd go shopping after school. Hikari was too flustered to bother saying anything to Asuka since she was busy chatting with some other friends of hers.

Finally noticing an opening, Hikari placed a hand on Asuka's shoulder when they were in the swimsuit section of the store.

"Umm, do you need a swimsuit or something, Asuka?"

“Huh?! Hikari! What are you doing here?” Asuka squealed happily, eyes lighting up well as a smile played on her lips.

"I've been following you for awhile…" Hikari hope that didn't come across as creepy, she just wasn't sure how else to say it.

“Yeah, we do have that thing tomorrow…” Asuka said, smiling at the pigtailed girl.

Hikari smiled back, since it felt like forever since the last time they both had spoken.

"You mean the date?" Hikari asked with a wink, a mischievous smile playing on her lips and lightning up her freckled face as she tried hard to contain her amusement. "I bet you're excited to be with Ikari-kun, eh?"

“I'm uh… I told Shinji he needed to come b- i-it's not a date!" The redhead said quickly, blushing and looking away, flustered and grabbing the swimsuits and looking at them quickly.

“W-we're just going together to make sure Raidon and Toji don't try to do anything perverted.”

"So are we going to the actual beach or just one of the nearby lakes?" Hikari asked as she browsed through the swimsuits, noticing a cute shimmering two-piece one, pink and girly, too girly for Asuka’s taste. "Ooh this looks cute."

“Hmm… Misato mentioned we can’t go to the beach ‘cause it's too far.” Asuka said, shrugging before she picked a white one piece swimsuit. “She said there's a lake near mount Asama.”

"Oh well… Sounds nice."

“Yeah… There's even a nice onsen nearby.” The redhead smiled. “And if all goes well, I'm roping baka Shinji into cooking some Korean barbecue.”

Both girls giggled, talking about their ‘supposed’ dates and staring at the swimsuits before Hikari let out a small sigh.

"Hey Asuka? Could you give me some advice?"

“Huh? Sure; what's up?”

Hikari look tired, visibly spent both mentally and physically; dark bags clearly visible under her eyes as well as an air of frailty around her body and frame, having spent countless night up, going to bed late to wake up early.

"It's about things at home… Father's always busy with work, Big sister is always helping taking care of Nozomi and school work, so I'm the one stuck doing all the house-work… it really gets tiring…"

The words came out of Hikari’s lips in a subdued tone; the kind of tone one would use to explain something you don’t like, but have no way of stopping; the kind of tone kids would use to refer to chores, but with an underlying sadness about her.

"Any thoughts on how to balance the stress?" Hikari continued as she turned to Asuka, giving her a feigned smile, and attempting to make a joke, but coming out forced and flat, like a soft drink without the fizz.

"Maybe I should ask Ikari-kun for advi–"

“I could lend you the idiot to hel–”

Both girls stopped short, staring at each other before they began to giggle and laugh amongst themselves easily, forgetting for one moment all of what was bad and wrong with them and focusing on this simple act of random kindness between them both; being here, being together and being able to talk, before they both sobered up, letting the laughter die slowly, becoming first a giggle and then simply big, wide smiles as Hikari pulled Asuka for a hug.

“If you're asking me on what I would do, I would tell your older sister to pull her weight around… unless she happens to be like Misato. in that case, it's better if you're on your own, trust me.” Asuka said semi seriously and semi joking, her face trying to remain still even as her lips began to curve unwillingly into a smile.

"She sort of is, that's the problem…" Hikari answered, giving Asuka a nervous smile.

“Uhm… have you tried talking with your dad? I mean, maybe he can hire someon–” Asuka paused as Hikari began to stare at the floor, frowning. “What's wrong?”

"He's never around except for special events involving the family. At least he cares, which helps, but…"

“I…” Asuka stopped, sighing as she looked at Hikari, before she spoke again. “I would tell him to hire someone to help then; if your older sister is a slob and your dad is a never around then get a helper.”

Hikari’s face and body visibly deflated before she turned around again.

Both girls kept browsing in silence, occasionally chatting amongst themselves, Asuka trying to lighten up the situation, while Hikari politely nodded, but clearly wasn’t looking forward to getting much more in the open.

"Seriously though… I guess I'm just tired lately. I guess the beach trip tomorrow is just what I need."

“Yeah…” Asuka said softly, nodding quietly before she turned around. “And uhm… Hikari?”

"Hm?" Hikari gave a small sound, non-committed as she kept rummaging through the swimsuits, avoiding eye contact while the redhead gave her a small smile, something that Hikari was able to see despite trying hard not to.

“Thanks for coming with me… I know you have very little time but Ka-chan should be coming in too.” The redhead said as she shrugged before turning to the bikinis and grunting when she realized she would never find the one she wanted. “Maybe we should hang out us girls?”

"Sure. Wanna get ice cream or cake somewhere? Or McDonalds?"

“Sure!” Asuka nodded as she and Hikari went outside together, before Hikari suddenly checked her watch and frowned, signaling it was time to go.

...Just great. I thought I could spend time with her, and now I have to leave already.

Hikari let out a tired sigh as she waved goodbye to Asuka and left the clothing store, eyes sad.

***

Various interactions come from RPing with the other character-controllers on IRC.

5:30 PM

Misato

Misato was exhausted after a long day of work. Right now she just wanted to do nothing more but to relax at home.

She was pretty confused when she noticed a moving truck apparently pull out from the apartment complex... After all, she and Malcolm were the only tenants of the place! Maybe there was a new neighbor? It's not like somebody was moving out, after all. Malcolm didn't say anything.

"I'm home!", Misato called as she walked towards the apartment door.

The Lt Col of Nerv smiled when saw Shinji standing outside, her smile instantly faded as she noticed: his bags were neatly packed and laying next to him.

Eyes widening, she then blinked, slowly saying, "Shin-chan. What's going on?"

"I've... er... I've decided I'm gonna move..."

It took a minute to find her voice. Swallowing, Misato asked, "Wh-what?"

"I'm moving out.", Shinji repeated, with more force this time, his eyes clenched tight.

Misato was stunned. "WHY?"

"I just want to live by myself..."

Her mouth was trying to form words faster her brain could process this information. "But... I... Isn't Asuka going to move back soon? And you guys have your date tomorrow..."

"It's not a date. We're just going as friends with some friends who are going on dates."

Misato gripped her forehead, slightly annoyed. "Whatever." She shook her head, mostly to herself, then continued. "So. WHY are you moving? You must have a reason."

Lost in thought, after a beat, Misato added, "Is this about the time I slapped you? I apologized already, I know that was wrong of me."

Shinji shook his head in reply. "...It's not that..."

Her voice was calm as she then said: "You shouldn't hold grudges."

"I'm not. I just want to live by myself."

Misato nodded, but didn't really believe what she was hearing. "I er...I'm finding that hard to believe. There's really no other reason other besides that? Something must have happened for you to decide this. Besides, legally I'm still your guardian!"

"I've already made the arrangement with Nerv."

Misato's blood ran cold.

"You're now just my commanding officer."

She began to look hurt, speechless, stuttering out, "But...I...why...how..."

Extremely disappointed and exasperated, Misato was only able to coherently reply with the one word that came to mind: "Shinji-kun!"

"I just want to live by myself. That's pretty much what I've been doing all my life. Even my teacher wasn't around all that much."

Misato kept quiet during Shinji's words. So many things were running through her mind, so many things she didn't understand and couldn't begin to understand. WHY? How did this happen? Why the hell did things turn out like this?!

She then sighed. "Fine."

With calm, controlled, anger, Misato finally said: "Go ahead. Be happy without me."

Shinji sighed, starting to leave. Misato's back turned to him, she was busy entering her apartment.

"Goodbye, Katsuragi Misato-san..."

Misato said nothing, she simply entered her apartment, slamming the door behind her.

***

Finally settled in after the long day, Misato's face was buried against the kitchen table, about 7 beer cans lay nearby. A few had long fallen onto the floor.

Misato moaned, completely smashed while once again wondering where things went wrong.

"...Is it because I'm a slob? Is that why?", she hiccuped.

Pen Pen was sadly staring up at her, frowning. "Wark."

"I thought he didn't mind doing the housework!"

Pen Pen began to hug Misato's leg. Misato absentmindedly pet the penguin.

"Wark wark wark wark. [You did your best.]"

She sighed. ...Did she really?

Hit with a sudden wave of anger, the Lt Col then pushed the beer cans off the kitchen table with a hand.

"Wark?!", Pen Pen exclaimed, apparently nervous.

Roughly picking up the bird, Misato hugged him tight, and began to cry.

Pen Pen nuzzled against Misato, a little frightened. "Wark? [Are you alright?]"

Misato continued to cry, not answering.

Apparently wanting to cheer her up, the penguin added, "Wark wark wark. [It's almost time for Masterpiece Theater. Let's watch it together.]"

She tiredly replied, "I'd rather not."

"Wark.", the bird snuggled against her breasts while frowning.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Misato looked into the kitchen entrance with dead eyes.

Oh, no. She did NOT need any guests barging in right now.

"Hello~?" It was Kaito Yamada.

"Wark?"

Bitterly, loudly through her crying, Misato shouted. "HE'S NOT HERE! JUST LEAVE!"

"Katsuragi-san? What's wrong...?"

Thankful the door was locked, Misato continued to shout through the kitchen. "THAT IDIOT KID LEFT ME! GOOD LUCK FINDING HIM! NOW JUST GO AWAY ALREADY!"

Picking up the only remaining beer can on the kitchen table, the woman chucked it hard, throwing it into the hallway.

"Wark!" Pen Pen began to wark angrily, then after a moment, looked up at Misato, puzzled. "Wark wark wark. [Why are we angry again?]"

After a beat, Kaito slowly responded. "...S-sorry...I'll go..."

Misato clutched Pen Pen tighter as her body began to wrack with sobs. She felt lonely yet mostly upset at how things went to hell so suddenly.

Malcolm

Sunday, September 13th

Anniversary of Second Impact

"Hey, foreign. Have spare money?"

Malcolm turned to his right and saw a legless old man on a dolly, seated between two trash bags at the entrance of an alleyway. He looked up at him, wide eyed, holding out a dirty plastic cup. Malcolm hesitated for a moment, and then fished out his wallet, producing 3 500 yen bills. He handed them to the old man, who reached out with considerable effort.

"Thank you."

Afterward, he saw three other homeless men, all crippled, all trampled on.

It was raining. Underneath their long coats and umbrellas, the crowds became faceless masses, lurking under the allure of neon and screens. The images displayed possessed greater life and exuberance than the gray multitudes.

Malcolm put up his hood, and lit a kretek. An ambulance was stuck in traffic. The driver swore at the urban tumult. Malcolm sighed and continued walking.

The power lines in Tokyo-3 were a bewildering tangle, like the work of a mad spider. A few of the poles had become the sites of birds' and wasps' nests.

A conjugation of sararimen gave him harsh looks. Blue-eyed devil.

A small crowd of otaku gathered around a JSSDF recruitment office. A shameless, moe/lolicon-proportioned mascot hawked the virtues of serving the Motherland, nourishing them with images of what their aimless generation craved: purpose, respect, honor. Yukio Mishima wept with joy somewhere beyond.

Terrible, ear-splitting screaming and hysterical laughter coming from an alleyway. Something wet. Vomiting. Malcolm picked up his pace as every organ screamed at him to help whoever it was in there.

Guilt. What happened in there?

He found a bar. Now was as good a time as ever to get a drink.

A short series of snapshots before the bar conversation with Kaji and Daisuke. More to come.

Christian Langley

Christian Langley was a simple man.

Life, in itself is fairly simple. You are born, you breed, you die. The commander of Nerv-Germany thought to himself as he peered over his glasses at the heliport where he could see the line of awaiting section 2 escorts already in place, making his lips curl into a smile so wide that not even his goatee could hide, before he turned to his two personal escorts, both of whom simply stared at him with blank faces hidden behind their dark sunglasses, their close cropped hair making both men look like identical twins given their same height and body build, almost as if they had been mass produced.

“You know what to do.” Langley said simply as he grabbed a file, reading again the information it conveyed, and with each passing of his eyes, his hand tightened around the papers before he slowly contracted the latest report, crumpling it into a tight ball.

Unacceptable.

Christian Langley had been a willing backer of Nerv’s policies, and had understood better than anyone what needed to be done to ensure the survival of the planet; while others had been too busy feeling sorry for themselves and then devoting their brilliancy to another project, Langley had kept up with the outcome of a contact experiment, looking after her in the best way he could while making sure Kyoko’s assistant, Anna remained close to the fold, making sure the knowledge and expertise of his wife’s brightest student remained within Nerv as an asset, no matter the cost, even if it meant sleeping with her.

Even if it meant putting on a mask with her, telling her he no longer loved Kyoko.

The helicopter touched base slowly, and Langley wasted no time in walking out of the aircraft, his two bodyguards walking behind him as all three men made a beeline for Ryoji Kaji.

“I should thank the commander he saw it necessary to send you to greet me.” Langley said as he breezed past him, walking straight to the awaiting limousine. “Apparently you need to be a member of the committee to garner his presence.”

“The commander has been busy lately; we are in the process of dispatching a team to M–”

“I am not asking for you to make excuses for that man.” Langley said coldly as he sat in the limo, his two escorts commandeering a sedan behind him along with another two-man team from section 2. “I was simply marveling at how he fails to follow proper procedure; if he were coming to Nerv-Germany for an inspection, I would have been there to greet him.”

Kaji seemed like he wanted to say something but seemed to think better, making Langley frown at this before the agent cleared his throat and finally spoke.

“So you have been receiving my progress reports about Asuka’s performance?” Kaji said carefully, knowing full well that, just like his daughter, Langley had the conviction that Asuka shouldn’t be anything less than the best, which would explain why he had pushed the girl so hard, and demanded so much from her during all those years in Germany, up to the point where Asuka had been all but cast away from Langley’s side and made to live with Misato first, and then with him along with Anita, almost as if anything that had a connection with Kyoko has to be purged and cleansed away.

“I have, and I have to say I agree with your initial assestment; she had been concentrating too much on something else than her piloting skills.” Langley said calmly as he reviewed the file again. “The fourth and fifth angel sortie went well below her expected performance; the sixth angel was somewhat of a lucky strike for her.”

Kaji nodded but said nothing, hoping the ride would come quickly to an end.

“This unison training operation, who thought about it wand what was the whole point?”

Kaji dsighed before he answered Langley, leaving behind nothing concerning this mission, from how Misato had tried to make them both get along, to how Asuka’s infatuation with that boy had seemed to put her piloting in jeopardy, to who lately them both had began to attain a higher level of rapport and camaraderie.

“So your assessment is that Lt. Col. Katsuragi was right?” Langley said without looking up. “Where is my daughter now?”

“She’s outside with Miss Griffith, at the local shopping mall.” Kaji said stiffly, unconsciously straightening his back as Langley looked at him, smiling a smile Kaji knew so well and feared more than anything.

“I wish to see her now.”

Asuka Soryu

“I see you are enjoying yourself .”

Asuka turned up to look at her father as they both made their way inside the car while Kaji and Anita walked close by, getting into the sedan parked behind the limousine, giving the redhead an apologetic look before getting inside, letting Asuka alone with her father.

“I’m sorry.” The redhead said softly as she sat in front of Langley, feeling like the passenger seat was like a huge cavern, foreboding and asphyxiating while Christian sat comfortably in front of her, extracting a file as he began to read it.

“I have been receiving progress reports concerning your deployment and subsequent failures while piloting Unit 02.” Langley began without preamble, staring at the data sheets and frowning before giving his daughter another look. “Care to explain what happened during the second angel mission?”

Asuka closed her eyes, remembering the events vividly, still feeling the tingling sensation of the whips burning away at her hands while listening to herself scream out Shinji’s name to urge him to get up and stand up and fight.

“I… th-that is to say that the pilot of unit 01 had been knocked down and was in danger of being flayed by the angel, so I decided to assist him so we cou–”

“You decided to show yourself off, trying to make everyone notice how you were the one to save the day, and not only did you fail, Unit 02 was in the repair section for close to 2 weeks. Do you have any idea of the strategic position in which you left Nerv by your foolhardiness?”

Asuka opened her mouth about to say something before Langley continued undauntedly, cutting her off, denying her the chance to explain or defend herself, like an implacable accuser circling on the girl.

“then, of course, we have the operation against the third angel; perhaps you were just trying to show how a pilot should NOT exercise tactical knowledge; in that battle alone you broke almost any and all tactical exercises you had ever tried too hard to get a good mark in.”

“I wa-was just trying t–”

“What you were trying to do is irrelevant! All that matters is the shame your brought upon yourself as well as the fact that your ‘trying’ amounted to nothing else than that; trying.” Langley roared, making Asuka gasp and recoil, sinking down against the leather seats as if she were trying desperately to let them swallow her, transport her to some other place. “Not only that, your decision made your commanding officer deem you unsuitable for sortie and demoted you to back up pilot. You!”

“But I ma–” Asuka began once more before another glare from her father made the redhead remain quiet.

“We are going to Headquarters where you will train until I give the order to drop you off at your guardian’s home, and will be expecting you to report tomorrow at 07.00 hours to begin training to return to the level you used to hold.”

Asuka looked away, but nodded quietly, before the car made its way into the nearest elevator.

“Stop the car.” Langley ordered and pulled out his cellular phone, dialing and speaking immediately. “My daughter is to be taken to the training facilitates inside of Nerv, you are to remain and make sure she performs the synchronization exercises adequately, please take her there and see to it, and inform Mr. Kaji to get here with me for my meeting with the commander, that is all.”

Once this had been done, Langley turned to Asuka, giving her a derisive glare.

“Get out.”

And with that, Asuka walked out of the car, watching as Kaji walked towards her, giving her again that sad, pathetic look he had always given her whenever her father would deem Asuka had not been trained properly, or adequately, or even to the specified amount of time before he got inside and the car rolled in.

Before Asuka walked into the sedan with the two agents, and was driven in silence to Nerv where the redhead remained until late in the evening, training, focusing, and making synch test after test, combined with harmonics as well as Neural synchronicity, modulation and oscillation and induced and ongoing mental activity as well as measuring the interface between her neural activity and that of unit 02; each subsequent test taxing her more and more when she was finally let out and driven to Misato’s place.

OOC: Commander Langley is loose in the city, should be working on Asuka's post afterwards, dealing with her father DONE, now to work on the aftermath of Shinji leaving Misato's.

Ritsuko

Monday, 14th september, NERV

Ritsuko watched impassively as Kaji informed Pilot Watanabe of his punishment

"Solitary confinement" Kaji kept talking, informing the blank-faced teenager of the particulars. The two obviously didn't get along and Kaji would have preferred a far harsher punishment, but Ritsuko had used her influence on the commander to protect her project. Mentally shaking her head she admonished herself You need to refer to him as a human and not as an experiment if you want to succeed

Kaji finished talking and Ritsuko took the opportunity to take over right away, leaving no pause for the unruly teen to jump in with his usual commentary.

"Now then, Watanabe. We are getting close to finishing your special training, so let us make the most of this opportunity", Ritsuko glanced at the pilot over the rim of her glasses gauging his reaction, "The sooner this is done, the sooner you will get of that medication you loathe so much"

"Yeah," Raidon answered flatly. "Can I make a request?"

Ritsuko rolled her eyes at the lack of reaction, "Go ahead."

"I need..." The boy paused for a moment before correcting himself "I mean... I would like a deck of playing cards, 52 count, a Number Two pencil, left un-sharpened, and oversized equivalents to these items on scale with Unit-00."

Ritsuko tried her hardest to keep a straight face, "I will see what I can do." What kind of silliness is he up to now?!

"Okay" - a bland voice, neutral acceptance of fact, no emotion revealed and no indication about what those items were to be used for. Ritsuko kept her own face straight even though she was dying to know the reason for the odd request.

I'll be catching up in smaller increments. Next up will be the happenings on the 17th

Saturday, September 19th, 2015 7:00 AM

Misato

Misato had been at Mount Asama--ironically where some of the pilots were on the triple-date--due to Nerv discovering an Angelic-embryo was deep within the volcanic mountain itself.

Sometime last night, Ritsuko left Misato a cell-phone reminder when the Lt Col was already at home about how the Angel needed to be captured. Misato thought it was great that Nerv was taking the initiative for once, but it was hard for her to focus today, and not just because of the time of morning it was.

Shinji-kun...

Misato awoke at 6 AM, unable to sleep anymore, groggily making her way to the WC to vomit in the toilet. Getting drunk was a common occurrence for the woman when she was off-duty, but not having a hang-over of all things!

Steadying herself against a table so she wouldn't lose her balance, Misato gripped her forehead, shutting her eyes. She felt and sounded tired. Hopefully the room would stop spinning soon.

Misato wearily ordered, "Contact the pilots of Eva-01 and 02 at 12 PM sharp. Eva-02 will take the lead with this mission, Eva-01 will be her backup. We'll strike exactly at 1:00 PM, we should be prepared to capture the Angel then. If the Angel manages to attack, we'll have no choice but to change the operation to an offensive attack. Understood?"

"Ma'am!", one of the techies nodded in reply, setting to work.

***

Hikari

Stretching out on a towel at the lake, wearing a shimmering two-piece bathing suit she brought the other day, Hikari let a contented sigh as she sipped some ice tea.

The scent of a nearby hot springs wafted in the air, the sun was shining, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky... The weather seemed perfect today. Things worked out nicely for today being a triple date.

Yeah... Relaxing like this for a day, it's just what she needed to unwind. Although she needed to bring up something with Asuka before she forgot...

She walked up to the redhead, smiling kindly, giving her best friend a quick hug since they didn't speak much since arriving. "Asuka?"

Asuka response

"I was wondering if I could ask you and Ikari-kun a favor."

Asuka presumably calling Shinji over, Shinji asking what's up if need be.

Staring at the sand, Hikari shyly played with a hem on her swimsuit before explaining her situation. Her brown eyes nervously met the pilots as she spoke.

"Well you see... As I think you both know, I play the piano. But I get so busy with things at home since I have to take care of the family that I run out of time to practice..."

She blushed a little, wondering if the two could tell where she was heading with this before continuing: "Since you both play the cello and the violin, I was wondering if maybe one day after-school we could play together for an hour or two? It'd do me good to get some practice in, especially as a trio playing a piece. I'm not picky about which pieces or what day since I'm asking this as a favor. You guys can decide what day is best for you and I'll just work around it according to my schedule."

Shinji and Asuka's respective responses and whatever else they'd want to chat with her about. Space also reserved for interaction between Toji and Hikari and or Raidon and Katsuko to her.

Section 2 retrieving both the pilots whenever it's time for them to go to capture Sandy.


***

Misato's POV of the battle here

***

5:50 PM

Rei

Rei sat in the Nerv cafeteria for dinner that day, being called in for some tests. Occasionally sipping some miso soup, the girl's nose was buried in a psychology book. She heard of the day's Angel attack, of course, but she wasn't needed for back-up, it seemed.

"Ayanami?" A familiar, smiling, voice began.

Rei looked up. It was Nagisa. She instantly went back to reading her book, avoiding eye contact. The same red eyes... "What is it?"

He sat next to the blue-haired pilot, grinning. "We have not spoken in a long time, Ayanami."

"...Indeed." Rei thought, ...Ever since what happened during synch test pairing.

Intently gazing at her book, Rei herself became lost in her thoughts. Lilith. Who is she? Why did she contact me? Who am I? What am I?

"What do you think of me, Ayanami?" Kaworu looked at Rei expectantly, with a childishly pleading expression.

After pausing thoughtfully, she replied. "...You frighten me." And went back to reading her book.

Kaworu grabbed her arm. "Because of who I am? I have the same feel as you. Why does that frighten you?"

Not understanding why she was being so open with him, Rei calmly replied: "You are Adam. Lilith has told me that I shouldn't trust you." She began to shake subtly as Kaworu held onto her arm, all smiles as usual.

"Yet we are the same."

Rei lightly pushed Kaworu away, her expression still neutral. "Stop. We are not. You are an Angel, our enemy." Her eyes narrowed.

"You said once that we should be friends. Besides, you are no friend to Lilin yourself. You were made to destroy humanity as it exists now."

Kaworu continued, "Nerv is a mausoleum built for your Commander's woman. You are part of that mausoleum."

Continuing to shake, Rei raised her arm, and yet... "You dare question the Commander's judgment?"

Kaworu leaned in close, a wicked smile on his lips. "The Commander is a fool."

Rei glared, but found herself lowering her hand for some reason. Why?

Pulling away from the Fourth's hand, she picked up her book, leaving the cafeteria.

"Ayanami! Why can't you accept me?"

She sensed Kaworu running after her, and came to a stop.

"You are not like other Lilin, Ayanami. Why do you persist in this charade?"

Rei frowned. "I am myself. That much I understand and know. Nobody can take that away from me no matter whom and what they are."

"What is it you live for, Ayanami? You give your loyalty to those undeserving of it."

"Piloting Eva to defeat the enemy. And then...being able to return to nothing. That's all."

"The Commander is not fulfilling the mission entrusted to him as Commander of Nerv. Nerv was created so that Lilin could be reborn as true children of God. Instead, the Commander wishes to become God. Humans themselves are nothing but failed Angels, you know."

Lilith... If she is our mother, I suppose it's only natural. but...Is she really me? Am I her? I do not understand. Just what did that previous me discover?? I think I'm...afraid.

Rei looked around to make sure nobody else was there, then replied, shaking her head. "No. He wishes to once again see the person he cares for most. I know am not favored by him. But it matters not to me. As long as I can one day return to nothing, that is what matters."

Silence.

Kaworu hugged Rei, smiling sweetly. "There is a place I would like you to see. Come."

Hand in hand, the pair left Nerv Headquarters.

***

Rei looked around the demolished area. It was sunset. The two were in the ruins of Old Tokyo.

"...This is the original capital city of Japan. What about it?"

Kaworu grinned, squeezing Rei's hand. "Nothing. Only that it is beautiful."

The sun slowly sank behind the mountains. Waves from a nearby beach crashed.

"Especially now, at sunset. I come here often. This world is full of beautiful things I think you should see."

"I see.", was Rei's only reply.

Kaworu turned, his eyes met Rei's. "What do you think of it?"

Considering, Rei nodded as she watched. Rei had to admit, the scenery really was beautiful. "It is...pretty."

Turning to Kaworu, the First Children gave the Fourth Children a very slight smile. "...Thank you."

"You're welcome, Ayanami."

Daisuke

Friday, September 18th
NERV HQ, Tokyo-3

It was the small hours of the morning, and Daisuke was still working away. Having hit a wall with the Thanatos investigation, unable to find any information on a researcher called Endo Taikan through the usual channels, Daisuke decided to catch up on some of his more 'official' work, and was busily going through some old files. Most would be sent down to Agent Idane downstairs, in what was starting to be referred to as Section 13.

Technically, all Daisuke had to do was locate suitable 'dead files' and pass them down to Section 13. However, given that Section 13's initial function was to investigate old case files for links to Thanatos and investigate these, Daisuke liked to read through them to see for himself if they contained any such references.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Idane, the man was a good enough investigator, it was just that he wanted to be kept in the loop. No, more than that, he wanted to be the one who finally took Thanatos down. But Commander Ikari was making that progressively more difficult to do. It wouldn't be long before somebody else was assigned to pick out files for Section 13 and deliver them.

He could just imagine what Ikari might say. 'The head of PsysSec should not be concerning himself with such menial tasks.'

Daisuke sighed, feeling drained. His eyes were starting to go slightly blurring from all the reading he had been doing. He needed a fix. He needed coffee.

He could always head to the cafeteria, but the coffee they sold there was rather bland. The coffee from the vending machines on the other hand, was terrible. There was only one other option and he sighed, getting up from his desk and donning his suit jacket before heading out.

Shortly thereafter, Daisuke arrived outside the door to Science and Technology, and knocked politely, waiting until he heard Dr Akagi's usual response, 'Enter.'

Daisuke opened the door and poked his head in, grinning sheepishly, 'Hello Doc, okay if I borrow some coffee?'

'Please.' Ritsuko said, gesturing to the coffee pot she had here in her office, 'Help yourself, Yamada-san.'

Ritsuko's desk was covered in cat knick-knacks, some papers and an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts. Her pink 'Hello Kitty' mug also sat on the desk. There were thousands of journals, reviews and manuals strewn around, as if they were walls on a fortress made of papers and ink. To the corner, was the table with the coffee pot and a few mugs bearing the NERV logo for guests to use if needed.

"Thanks." Daisuke replied gratefully, stepping inside and pouring himself a cup from the coffee pot. He considered maybe getting a coffee pot for his own office someday, but truth be told, he liked having an excuse to come out of his own office and chat with Akagi. she was an intelligent woman, and she sometimes seemed to know more about what was going on than he did. It didn't hurt that he also somewhat enjoyed her company.

'So, how are things around here then?' Daisuke asked, trying to spark off some conversation, not quite ready to go back to those old files yet.

Ritsuko put down her own papers that she was working on and looked at Daisuke, 'Well... busy, but that's business as usual. And you?'

'Oh, you know..." Daisuke shrugged, taking a sip from his mug of coffee, "...just been sorting through some old case files to pass on to Idane-san downstairs.'

'Mmh... not much field work in intelligence after all?' Ritsuko smirked, 'Don't get too much dust on yourself.'

Daisuke chuckled, 'I try not to...'

After a moment, it occurred to him that Ritsuko had been here longer than he had, and that she might have heard of Dr Taikan. He saw no harm in asking, and if she asked why he was interested he could always use the file-sorting for Section 13 as an excuse. 'By the way, do you remember a Dr Taikan working here?'

'...Taikan?' Ritsuko paused, looking thoughtful, 'Not recently, no.'

'Saw the name in one of the files, didn't recognise it...guess he was before my time, huh?'

'I think there was a Dr.Taikan working at Gehirn, though.'

'Gehirn...?' Daisuke asked, puzzled for a moment, before recalling the name, 'Right, that's the organisation that preceded NERV...'

'Yes.' Ritsuko said, avoiding eye contact for some reason. Daisuke frowned at this, but made no comment. Huh...curious.

'Heh...guess those really are old files, then. Maybe Idane-san'll find some use for them...'

'Mmhh... why are you looking through those files anyway?' Ritsuko asked.

Daisuke found himself a spare swivel chair and sat down on it back-to-front, resting his arms on the backrest as he sipped his coffee, 'It's a very small part of my job, Idane's got this cold case sort of division set up, I'm supposed to feed him some files deemed useless every now and then, or files which may pertain to certain hostile parties which other investigators haven't been able to find any leads on.'

Ritsuko laughed politely, 'Cold case? I'm not familiar with the Section 2 slang.'

'Cases deemed unsolved or unexplainable. Mostly from the civilian enforcement part of PhysSec.'

Ritsuko seemed to frown at that, '...nothing is unexplainable, Yamada-san. The solution may be undiscovered, but not unexplainable.'

Ah, Doctor Akagi, ever the scientist. Daisuke thought to himself, smiling fondly. As an ex-police officer, Daisuke agreed with that sentiment somewhat. Everything had a reason, no case was unsolveable, and he tended to frown on those who thought otherwise. Or at least those who pretended to believe it while in fact they were simply trying to conceal the facts. 'Oh, certainly, that's how Idane-san sees things as well, that's why he's so suited to the job.'

'well that's good. Then he's at the right place, isn't he?' Ritsuko commented, sipping at her own coffee.

'I guess so.' Daisuke said, feeling a pang of sympathy for Idane. It was a dead end for the poor man's career after all. Daisuke knew Idane and his family from years back, when he was stationed in Kyoto, and hated to see the man's career take such a downturn. Though it was partly Idane's own fault. The man had grown intriqued with those old case files, searching for explanations that were less than orthodox. Much like Kaito, Idane seemed to believe in a quest for truths beyond the normal boundaries of reality. Daisuke wasn't like that though. He was still a cop at heart, and to him the explanation could never anything be anything so fantastic. He had seen too much of the real world to believe in such things.

'How is your son doing, Yamada-san?' Ritsuko asked, politely.

'He's well...I suppose.' Daisuke remarked with a frown. He hadn't really talked to Kaito since he passed on the details of their last conversation to Kaji. He wasn't much looking forward to that conversation.

'Not getting into more trouble?' She asked, eyeing him almost critically, 'It was quite a hassle last time.'

'Not as far as I know...he's still curious as ever, but he seems to be concentrating on other projects.' Daisuke explained, going by what he had heard from the Section 2 detail who had been assigned as Kaito's new shadows.

'He should focus on school. Education is important.' Ritsuko said, with what Daisuke assumed was a hint of disapproval.

'Well, his performance records don't seem to be suffering at least...' Daisuke said, trying to defend his son in some small way. Kaito was a good kid, after all.

'The records are only half of it. It's very easy to get good scores with a good head, but the work discipline needs to be honed also.'

Daisuke sighed, 'You've got a point there, Doc...I guess I'll talk to him about school next time I see him.'

'He's a smart kid. It would be a shame to waste the talent.'

'Yeah...'

'He seems to be hanging out with...some of the pilots.' Ritsuko said, Daisuke detecting a note of interest in her voice.

'Yeah, that's right. He's friends with that Watanabe kid and the commander's son, I don't know that he's all that close with the other three.'

Ritsuko sipped her coffee and nodded, 'I see...'

Daisuke wondered if he should bring up Kaito's idea regarding Watanabe's condition, and decided to test the waters a little first, 'He was worrying about Watanabe's mental state.'

Ritsuko sighed and spoke up, 'You know that I'm Watanabe's appointed guardian?'

'Yeah.' Daisuke said, not sure how to read Ritsuko's current expression, 'How is that going, by the way?'

'He is a bit of a hassle.' Ritsuko sighed again, 'I believe I'm making progress, but...the kid sure likes to play American rebel.'

'So I've heard...' Daisuke said with a smirk.

'Kaito should be careful around Watanabe.' Ritsuko warned.

'Yeah...doesn't sound like he's exactly stable...' Daisuke agreed with a frown, feeling a little concern for Ritsuko as well. After all, she was the one who had live with him.

'It's nothing I can't handle.' Ritsuko assured him, obviously noticing the look.

It was at that moment that the door opened, and Kaji entered for some coffee, looking rather weary. Ritsuko followed him with her eyes as he made a beeline for the coffee pot.

'Hello, Kaji.' She greeted him, 'You look tired.'

'Hey Kaji.' Daisuke said, raising an eyebrow at the agent's state, 'Everything okay?'

'Hey just uh...' Kaji shook his head, 'You know, burning the midnight oil...'

'Problems, huh?'

'well, we have to be ready for tomorrow and I'm tying up loose ends.'

Ah, of course. Daisuke remembered, Commander Langley is arriving tomorrow.

'I also have to get some reports on unit 02 and Asuka's development for the commander, I'm sure he's gonna want to see those' Kaji said, sparing a glance at Ritsuko.

Ritsuko just sighed, 'Alright, alright... I'll get them ready for you...'

'So, this commander Langley, from what I heard so far I'm wondering if I should hole up in my office while he's here?' Daisuke said, smiling worriedly.

'let's just say he's a very... peculiar character'

Ritsuko and Daisuke both looked at Kaji then, waiting for him to elaborate, 'if there's one person in all of nerv that really believes and embodies all of the mission statement, it's him...'

Kaji paused, then continued, 'I've seen him work his staff for 48 straight hours when unit 02's contact experiment was about to pass the deadline...'

Ritsuko shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and Daisuke winced. 'Sounds worse than the old Captain back in metro...now that's scary...'

'The commander and Dr. Soryu single handedly managed to complete the last stages and finished in time.'

Daisuke whistled in grugding respect of such dedication.

'Yeah... but he's a machine.'

'Well, I guess I'll try and stay out of the way...not that he'd be interested in PhysSec anyway, I'm guessing...' Daisuke frowned, looking at Kaji with sympathy, 'He's mainly here to check on Unit-02 and its pilot, right?'

Kaji was silent for a moment, then said, 'I dunno... he never says what he's up to to be honest'

'Hmm...well, guess I'll just have to be on my guard then...' Daisuke said, as he finished his coffee and sighed, 'Man...coffee is good, but I could really use a beer...'

Kaji paused and looked at him. He knew what Daisuke really meant. We need to talk. In private.

'don't you think it's a little early for that?'

Do you have something to tell me?

Daisuke sighed, 'Yeah, I need a break from those dusty old files...'

Ritsuko rolled her eyes at this exchange, [color=blue]'The next I know you'll start discussing baseball.'

Kaji chuckled at her and smiled, 'Well, you know us men...nothing but grown up boys.'

'Yes.' Ritsuko agreed, looking away, 'it's just the price-tag on your toys.'

Daisuke just smirked in response.

Kaji then nodded at Daisuke. I got it.

'Well,' Kaji said, I don't think I'll be able to get drunk while Langley is here, so I might as well go out tonight and get pissed...'

'I feel in the mood for an Asahi' Kaji finished off with a smile.

Ritsuko just ignored them as they discussed this, and Daisuke chuckled as he washed out his mug and put it back with the others, 'Heh...I hear ya, Kaji.'

Daisuke stops in for a little chat with Ritsuko, and then signals Kaji that they need to talk...

Katsuko Kotonoha
Friday, September 18th, 4:56pm.

She found herself alone in the crowd. Apparently Asuka and Anita had to be pulled off to do Nerv work. Although, that man claimed to be Asuka's father, so maybe it was more of a personal matter? One thing was for certain, Katsuko shield was now down and she had to go about the rest of her shopping alone. Hm... Asuka bought a bikini for tomorrow. Perhaps I had better get one too. So she set off in search for one that was just right for her. Swim wear was sold year round, so it shouldn't be too hard to find right? Well there's always ways one can make such a trivial task difficult.

The first store she went to was seemed to be a sporting store. The ladies aquatic attire was in the far back corner, where a large selection of the sort hung on racks. Katsuko disliked one-pieces, due to the fact that they were a pain to get in and out of and to top that they were uncomfortable, so she steered clear of those. Looking at the bikinis, the first thing she noticed was that most of them were either too small or ugly. The bespectacled girl narrowed her eyes. Orange and pink zig-zag? No. Brown and green striped? Ew. Stars and stripes? Too loud. Then she came upon a white bikini with thick green stripes. Ooh, what's this? ... 32B? Dammit. Too small. Still, there doesn't seem to be any better choices...

Behind her, a man looking to be in his late 20's was looking at the scuba equipment. This man had a scruffed look about him, as if he hadn't shaven in days, and his hair was an absolute mess. In reality, he had just gotten fired from his job at a convenience store, and to top that his girlfriend had just broken up with him. Things were just not going his way. He decided to gather up what money he had left, buy a bunch of scuba gear and other equipment, take his dad's yacht and just drive out to sea on an adventure. Maybe even find himself a deserted island to settle on. Anything to escape the harshness of society. At that very moment, this man got hit in the head by a wayward football.

"Gah!!" The man flew backwards, blood flying from his nose, landing not two feet from Katsuko. The girl shrugged, still looking down at the bikini in her hands. Might as well... And walked off to to register to purchase her find. She hadn't even noticed the man behind her.

Leaving the store, bag in hand, Katsuko looked around at her surroundings. People walked by, mostly teens and young adults with friends having the time of their lives, several bags in the hands of each of them. The girl smiled. Maybe I can too. Digging into her pocket, she pulled out what money she had left and found that she had plenty to go around. Setting her mind, she walked into the crowd, confident.

She stopped in front of a clothing store. Now what was it that Asuka said..? Oh yeah. "Katsuko, you need to show off a bit more skin! All I ever see you in is skirts down to your knees and tees. How are you ever going to attract Sparky with that? You need something that'll make him look, and when he does, you can hit him for being a pervert!" ... I think she said that. She shrugged and walked into the store. She browsed about tube tops, V-necks, tanktops, short shorts and mini skirts, but nothing seemed to click with her. She didn't really like any of this, and was also a bit scared to be so loud with her attire. What would people think? She began growing frustrated with herself. What would Watanabe-kun like? What can I do for him to pay him back for all he's done for me?

With a bloody tissue clogging his nose, the man continued shopping for what he needed for his runaway. He had no idea where the football came from, and when he finally came to, several people were looking at him probably wondering the same thing: What happened? He purchased all the stuff he needed at the Sporting Goods store, and now went to look for the proper clothing he needed. In a nearby clothing store we went searching. Cargo pants, a warm jacket, tank tops, everything he needed to go on an adventure on. Grabbing the last thing he needed, he smiled for the first time in days. Things are going to finally start getting better for him. Just then, a store-long clothes rack tumbled over upon him.

On the other side of the rack, Katsuko held up a jean skirt and observed it. This might work. And off she went to the cashier to purchase, paying no mind to the fallen rack, if she even noticed it.

Her shopping went on, and she bought a variety things spanning from make-up, to clothing, to undergarments, and even a few accessories. Finally she decided to sit down and relax for a while in the food court. With a small meal from McDonald's, she reflected on her day. Phew.. I'm broke now. But I'm sure Raidon will love what I bought for him. Well... I hope he does. I hope he likes the clothes I got too. He'd better. I only got them because of him. Eyeing her food, she munched slowly. I wonder how tomorrow is going to be. I really can't wait. Everything should go great, and I'll get to go swimming with him and everything. She sighed. Well, time to go. I'd better get home before it gets too late.

As she stood up, the man at the table behind her was having his final feast before casting his entire life way to go run away at sea. Right then, that man got hit in the face with hot dog. "Gah!!!" He stood up in a rage. "FINE! IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO DO IT, I WON'T DO IT. I'LL STAY HERE IN BLOODY TOKYO-3. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?? I'LL GO HOME AND LOOK FOR A NEW JOB AND I'LL EVEN CALL MY EX GIRLFRIEND. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!?! I'LL EVEN FUCKING GO BACK TO COLLEGE AND FINISH MY DEGREE. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT!?!? GAHHHH!!!" His words became heavy pants. The entire room was staring at him now.

Katsuko eyed the man up and down. He was a wreck. Ketchup and mustard staining his shirt. Dried blood on his upper lip, and what appeared to be a limp in his leg. Feeling sorry for him, she dropped 500 yen on his table and then pranced off. Following suit, other people in the mall began dropping money and pocket change in front of him. He could only stare in disbelief. There really is a god.

In the back of the room, an angry teen stormed off.

(Katsuko goes on a shopping spree in preparation for tomorrow's date, and a man has the worst day of his life... or does he? Find out in next week's Amazing Adventures of Katsuko Kotonoha! Moe Girl Wonder!)

Michiko
Friday, September 18th, 4:54pm

In the last nearly ten minutes, Michiko had gotten herself somewhat acquainted with this boy whom she had pulled out of the crowd. His name was Takashi, and he was just as old as Michiko, though seemed quite mature for his age. He was somewhat hesitant to Michiko's startling friendliness, but didn't object. The two talked talked and got to know each other, though Michiko was the more provocative and inquisitive one while Takashi merely listened and answered when asked a question.

"... and that's how I ended up in this fucking cast. Pretty tragic, don't you think? I mean, they just came out of nowhere and attacked me! How fucked up is that?! Anyways, it's such a pain to doing anything with my arm like this and--" She stopped. In the corner of her eye she saw a group of people exiting the mall; among these people were Asuka Langely Soryu and that other girl she was with. Katsuko wasn't along with them. Working backwards what seemed to be a natural path the group came from, she found the bespectacled girl she was looking for. "You know what? We should get back at the people who did this to me now. I see one right there, and she's all alone. Now's our chance!"

Looking about the room, Takashi tried to find out what she wasn't talking about. Giving up, he turned back to her: "What--? Are you sure that's okay? I mean, wh-what did you have in mind?" Takashi wasn't exactly thrilled to set his day into ruining that of an other's, but didn't see an alternative.

"I'll think of something! Let's just start out by following her! C'mon, get your ass up!" She tugged at his arm until he got to his feet and he found himself being dragged across the mall in pursuit of a girl he'd never even met before. The next the he knew, he was in a Sporting Goods store hiding behind a ball rack. "There she is! That little bitch with the long black hair and glasses. What do you mean which one!? That ugly one right there looking at the bikinis!"

He looked to where she was pointing and discovered tall girl with glasses who seemed a bit unsure of herself, for she seemed to be scanning the room nervously as if she were lost. But then a black and white bikini caught her eye and she turned her back to them. Then a ball was thrust into his hands.

"Here! Oh my god, you should throw this at her! That would be so funny! You said you played Football, right?"

"That seems a little... messed up, don't you think?" He softly spoke, a mouse in contrast to Michiko's loud nature; it was a wonder Katsuko didn't hear her.

"Messed up? Don't be a pussy, Takashi! It's not like we're going to fucking kill her or anything. We're just getting back at what she did to my hand! Or did you forget that whole narrative I told you about how I got this fat ass cast on my arm?" Takashi bit his lip, still feeling unsure. "Look, Takashi-kun. If you do this one little thing, I'll... I'll kiss you! And even be your girlfriend! You'll be my knight in shining armor, who valiantly sought vengeance to those who'd dare hurt your little sunflower!"

This put things in a different perspective for Takashi, but he was still hesitant about throwing a football at a defenseless girl. He made up his mind. "Al-alright. That sounds good to me, I'll... do it." That was far from his intention, but he thought that just maybe if he faked it he could still get a girlfriend and not have to hurt a girl. She embraced him in a deep, but short, hug and gave him a quick peck on the cheek for motivation.

He readied his throwing arm; it shook slightly due to his nervousness. He picked a target, a man that appeared to be in his late-20s with an unshaven face and ragged hair who wasn't too far from Katsuko; Takashi figured he wouldn't feel bad for hitting a guy like that. Pulling his arm back, he lunged it forward and released the ball, nailing the man right in the face. "Gah!!" The man flew backwards, blood flying from his nose, landing not two feet from Katsuko, who walked away without even noticing it.

"Your throwing arm sucks! How could you fucking miss, she was right there!" Michiko stomped her feet and shot a glare at Takashi. "I thought you said you were a quarterback? For what, the minor leagues?!" She sighed. "Whatever, but now you owe me for that kiss. You'd better do it right next time, c'mon!" She dragged him by his wrist again, following Katsuko at a safe distance until she stopped in a clothing store. The duo hid at the end of the long clothing rack the stretched the length of the store.

"Okay, here's your second chance. You'd better not blow it this time." She eyed the bespectacled girl from afar, leaning on the rack. When it wobbled a light bulb went off in her head. "Here! Knock this over on her, so that it falls with her under it! If we're lucky, it might break her leg; fitting, since she broke my wrist! Don't you think?"

"Y-yeah..." He began shaking the rack back and forth, until the kinetic motion made it swing almost dangerously. In his head, he knew he'd have to concentrate to make it fall the other way, so he wouldn't hurt the girl, but still make it look like he tried. Pulling and pushing until it leaned more and more to each side, enough so that it was about to fall over. More and more he pushed, until finally.

He was smacked on the back of the head. "Wrong way, you moron! It was supposed to land on her not in front of her!"

"It was heavy! It was hard to control! I really meant for it to land on her, but I lost control of it and it fell the other way. Look, let's just call it day and find something fun to do. What do you say?" He nervously bit his lip and continued. "A-and, since I tried my best, ca--, well my best for you, that is, does this still mean we can... you know?"

She gave him a soft glare, but alleviated. "Fine." She moved in closer, so that her lips were nearly to his, their brown eyes meeting. "But only if you buy me something to eat first." She smirked and grabbed his hand and away they went to the food court.

Michiko leaned against the wall, as Takashi paid at the concession stand. She was frustrated. Nothing seemed to be going right for her anymore. But hey, she was at least getting a boyfriend now, that at least one plus that should last a week.

Takashi came back with a hot dog from the food stand. "Aw, thank you, sweetie!" She glomped him, and the leaned in for a real kiss, but then something caught her eye and she stopped. Takashi was left hanging, and a devilish smirk smeared across Michiko's face. "Hey, I've got an idea. Let's make this more official!" She pointed into the rest of the food court. "There she is again. This can be your last chance to show your true love for me and throw this hotdog at her!"

"No. I don't want to."

"Yes you do! Now, c'mon. We'll officially be boyfriend/girlfriend as soon as you do this one little thing. Now get your ass in gear!"

"No."

"Why not? C'mon, just do it! It'll be totally worth it!"

Takashi had had just about enough. "You know what? I'm done with this. I really, honestly don't want to hurt another human being. If I have to hurt an innocent girl in order to get a girl then I think it's just not worth it." She began to object, but he interrupted. "If you actually like me enough, then you won't make me do this and will still go out with me! I will not be someone you use to get back at other people! If you make me go that route, then you can just say good bye now. Oh, and another thing." He pulled her into a fat kiss. "That's for teasing me with your lips." He began storming off. Michiko could only stand in awe as her eyes began to water, her lips still had the taste of his mouth.

Infuriated, she turned in Katsuko direction, and chucked the hot dog as hard as she could at her. But, like Takashi, she missed and hit the man behind Katsuko. Unlike Takashi, it was an accident.

"Gah!!!" The man she hit stood up in a rage. "FINE! IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO DO IT, I WON'T DO IT. I'LL STAY HERE IN BLOODY TOKYO-3. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?? I'LL GO HOME AND LOOK FOR A NEW JOB AND I'LL EVEN CALL MY EX GIRLFRIEND. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!?! I'LL EVEN FUCKING GO BACK TO COLLEGE AND FINISH MY DEGREE. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT!?!? GAHHHH!!!" His words became heavy pants. The entire room was staring at him now.

Michiko furiously stomped her foot on the ground with a sharp, but withheld cry as a few tears shot out; she stormed off in the opposite direction.

(Michiko uses a boy named Takashi to try to get back at Katsuko, offering to date him as motivation, but all ends in tears. The other side of the page in the Epic that is Katsuko Kotonoha! Moe Girl Wonder!)

Kaito

Friday, September 18th
Yamada Residence

Maths, maths, maths. He hated maths. And Kaito knew that Raidon was well aware of that fact, feeling certain that he was being subjected to this dull and boring topic as revenge for some perceived slight against the other boy. Kaito was also sure it wouldn't be the first time Raidon had chosen mathematics as the focus of the tutoring session merely to irritate him.

The others - Asuka, Katsuko, Kimie, Shinji, and Touji - sat nearby, going through their own exercises in the living room of his apartment. "Oi, Kaito, pay attention."
He sighed as he looked around, and tried to focus on what Raidon was saying. But all he could hear was a buzzing of some kind, and he couldn't focus on what was being said.

Then the door slid open, the buzzing faded as it did, and Kaito looked up to see who had arrived, then stood in shock. 'M-mom? You're...you're awake?'

Keiko Yamada smiles at him and nods, 'I'm all better now, Kai-chan.'

Kaito took a step towards his mother, moving to go hug her and welcome her home. Then a loud noise like a thundercrack pricked his ears, and his eyes widened as he saw blood run down his mother's head from the gunshot wound between her eyes. "M-MOTHER!"

Kaito blinked in shock as he watched his mother's body drop to the floor, he looked down at the pool of blood already forming underneath her and took a step back, covering his mouth in horror. As he stepped back he turned, not wanting to look at the body, and saw where the shot had come from. Raidon stood behind him, holding a gun that was still aimed at his mother's body and said coldly, 'No interruptions.'

'W-What the fuck are you doing?' Kaito seethed, taking a step towards Raidon, which he reconsidered once the boy shifted his aim to him, 'Where did you get that gun?'

'Don't you remember? You gave it to me.' Raidon stated calmly.

Kaito shook his head in denial, even as his eyes widened at the realisation that Raidon was somehow right. 'No! I didn't! Put that thing down, now!'

Raidon smirked and held out the gun, pistol grip facing Kaito, 'Here then, take it.'

Kaito took a step back as he looked down at the gun and shook his head in disgust, 'I don't want that!'

'No?' He heard Raidon ask, casually, 'Maybe I'll just kill the others with it as well then?' Raidon looked towards their classmates, still doing their maths exercises, apparently oblivious to what was going on.

'Don't! No more, Raidon! Just stop!' Spit flew as Kaito raged at Raidon, who was still offering him the weapon. Raidon shook the gun towards him, indicating him to take it.
'I don't want that thing! What am I supposed to do with it?' Kaito yelled, horrified.

Raidon smirked cruelly, and spun the gun around in his hand so that he was holding it by the grip again. Kaito saw him start to swing the gun around and yelled at the others, 'Run! Get out of here! Now!'

But they didn't hear him, so he shouted again, panicking now. 'I said run, damn it!'

His words seemed to reach them only at the last second, and then Raidon started firing.

Kaito saw Asuka, Katsuko, Shinji and then Touji take single hits to either the head or the heart as they were coldly and mercilessly gunned down by more deafening gunfire, and he flinched with every shot. Then Raidon started aiming at Kimie, and Kaito couldn't take it anymore, 'NO!'

He ran at Raidon, but it was as if he were moving in slow motion. He ran as hard and fast as he could, but Raidon had already brought the gun to bear on Kimie, and his finger squeezed the trigger. Kaito heard a crack as the muzzle flared before he grabbed Raidon and pulled him to the floor, the gun skidding away out of Raidon's grip.

Kaito held Raidon pinned to the floor then, wrapping his hands around the boy's throat in pure hatred as he looked out the corner of his eye at Kimie, now lying with a bullet wound perforating her heart. He snarled at Raidon, "You...you're..."

He turned his gaze back to Raidon, continuing to strangle him, only to find it wasn't Raidon, but himself whose throat his hands were wrapped around. The other Kaito stared up at him coldly, before choking out one last word at him, 'Worthless.'

--

Kaito woke up in a cold sweat. Thankful that it had all just been a nightmare. He looked over at his alarm clock and took note of the time. 3:32am. Still late. Or early, depending on one's point of view.

Kaito sighed tiredly and held his head in his hands, understanding what it was he had to do, 'I have to get that gun back.'

--

The next day, Raidon came back into school after several days of absense. Kaito had gotten in early and managed to slip a note into Raidon's shoebox, which simply read:

Meet me on the roof at lunchtime. - Yamada

Later on, lunchtime came and Kaito saw Raidon make his excuses and head out, hopefully to the roof, having got the message. Shinji met Kaito as he was on his way out.

[Shinji asks Kaito if he wants to hang out for lunch.]

"Uh, sorry Shinji, not today. Got stuff I need to sort out right now. But maybe we can hang out after school?" Kaito told Shinji politely. He liked the kid, and he would usually be happy to hang out with him, but right now he was in business mode, and wasn't likely to be good company even if he didn't have a meeting to go to right then.

[Shinji makes some comment like 'more spy stuff?']

Kid was perceptive too, when he felt like it. Kaito shrugged, smiling easily, 'Something like that. See ya later, Shinji.'

With that, Kaito headed out of the class and made his way to the stairwell leading to the roof access. It was time to talk to Raidon about what happened with Chojiro, and if possible, get that gun back from him.

--

Part 1 of Friday for Kaito. Kaito has a nightmare which prompts him to confront Raidon about the incident with Chojiro, and try to convince him to give back the gun...

Friday, September 18th, 2015, 0806 hours

Raidon flinched as the needle and thread passed back and forth through his skin, the nurse stitching together the wound. As the final pass was made, the thread tied into a clean knot, Watanabe delicately pulled his shirt on, trying to avoid straining his right side.

The talk with Hikari earlier helped, he considered. There was at least one person who would be his filter for the outside world. Maybe, just maybe, he could take it long enough to get back to America after the war.

He just hoped his mind could hold together long enough to make it.

Daisuke

Friday, September 18th
NERV HQ, Daisuke Yamada's office

Ryoji Kaji walked into Daisuke's office a short while after their meeting in Akagi's office, closing the door behind him and extracting a device designed to jam electronic surveillance signals from his pocket, setting it on Daisuke's desk as he turned it on. 'We have 300 seconds, what's this about?' Kaji said in a hushed tone.

Daisuke nodded. Straight to business, that was the way he liked to do things as well. 'That file on Thanatos came through.' He explained, 'It's incomplete, but a name did come up; a Dr Endo Taikan. Seems he worked here back when it

was still Gehirn, but his records are missing.'
Daisuke sighed, frowning worriedly as he added, 'Also, it looks like someone else accessed the file before I did, recently.'

Kaji frowned, likely sharing Daisuke's concern over someone else being interested in those files, 'Hmm... do you have a trace on who accessed them?'

Daisuke shook his head, 'No, but it was definitely somebody outside of NERV.'
Daisuke looked Kaji in the eye then, this was the point where he asked for the other agent's help, 'I need you see what you can find on this Dr Taikan. If we can track him down somehow, he might know something.'

Kaji paused for a moment, thinking, before speaking up, 'We need someone outside of you and me to deal with this, and a plausible excuse for that person to do this...'

Daisuke frowned, wondering who they could use, then remembered Spier, 'How about that partner of yours? Can he be trusted?'

Kaji frowned, apparently not sure about Spier either, 'Hmm...well, he hasn't shown me his field expertise a lot...'
Kaji took another moment to think about it before nodding, 'I guess we could throw him a bone... compartmentalize this thing, tell him this will be a training excercise for him and him alone. That way, if he gets caught, I can disavow him and say he was working solo and if he doesn't, we don't need to file that report.'

'Alright then...' Daisuke said, frowning. While he understood the need to distance themselves from this matter, it still made him uncomfortable to put someone else in a position to take the fall if things went wrong.

'...you have a problem with this?' Kaji asked, obviously noticing his reluctance.

'No...guess I'm just still not used to this stuff...' Daisuke shrugged.

Kaji sighed, 'look, we're not asking him to kill anyone... just check on some records.'

'I know.' Daisuke acknowledged with a nod.

'The worst he can get into is being yelled at for using the databases. Besides, it might give him something to focus on...he's been getting antsy.' Kaji continued, pausing for a moment before concluding, 'Ok, let's call it in...'

Kaji picked up the phone handset from Daisuke's desk and dialled Spier's number, 'Spier?'

There was a pause as Spier responded on the other end, then Kaji asked, 'Can you come to Yamada's office?'

After another moment Kaji hung up, and then all that remained was for the two of them to wait for Spier to show up.

Daisuke and Kaji meet up in Daisuke's office and Kaji is briefed on the contents of the Thanatos file fragment. After some discussion, they decide to call Malcolm to do a background on the mysterious Dr Taikan...