For the Sake of the Children - Chapter One
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Notes: This is an alternate Eva story line, from episode 17 or so on.
Potentially, it can fit as a continuation in the Ranma 1/2 story line. =)
Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by Gainax
Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi
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Chapter One: A New Pilot
Misato and Ritsuko watched the satellite feedback impassively as the U.S.
Nerv base disappeared in a mushroom-like cloud of yellow light. "So what
exactly happened there, Ritsuko?" Misato asked.
"I honestly don't know, the whole base just disappeared; along with Unit 04
and the prototype S2 engine," Ritsuko replied.
"They were running a field test on Unit 04 at the time, right? Do think
there was an accident of some sort?"
"Possible, but unlikely. There was -no- explosion. If I were to hazard a
guess, I would say that the base was absorbed by an Angel, just like Unit
01 a few days ago," Ritsuko replied. Misato shuddered as she remembered
Shinji's screams. She had never felt so helpless in her life than when she
saw Unit 01 sink into the shadow-like Angel. Ritsuko glanced at Misato as
she turned off the video of the satellite feed. "You'd better come to my
office, Major. There are some other things we need to discuss," Ritsuko
said, walking out of the conference room.
Misato blinked away the memories and followed after Ritsuko. As they
reached the escalator that would take them down a few floors, Ritsuko
mentioned that Unit 03 would be transferred to Tokyo-3. "What? I thought
the Americans insisted on building Units 03 and 04 themselves, and all of a
sudden, they're just dumping it in our hands?" Misato asked indignantly.
"You really can't blame them, Misato. They don't want to risk losing
another base. We're better equipped to deal with Unit 03 anyway," Ritsuko
replied.
"Fine, fine. What about the activation test? Are you going to use Rei's
dummy plug?" Misato asked.
Ritsuko thought back on her conversation with Gendo. (The dummy plug just
isn't ready yet!) she thought then glanced at Misato. "Actually, that's
what I wanted to talk to you about," Ritsuko replied, stepping off the
escalator as it reached the floor of her office. The two women remained
quite until they reached Ritsuko's office. As she sat down at her desk and
turned on her computer she gave Misato a long stare. "We will be using the
Forth Child in Unit 03's activation test," she said.
"The -Fourth- Child's been found already? I never received a report from
the Marduk Institute!" Misato exclaimed.
"The Child was found yesterday. Don't worry Major, you'll receive your
report," Ritsuko replied.
"Are you hiding things from me again, Dr. Akagi?" Misato asked, her voice
cold.
"Of course not," Ritsuko replied wearily.
"All right," Misato conceded, "who is it?"
Ritsuko typed a few commands on her keyboard and brought up the Fourth
Child's file. Misato read the file intently. "Hmmm. . . She goes to
Shinji's school. Interesting coincidence, don't you think?" Misato
commented.
"I'll be informing her later on today," Ritsuko said, ignoring Misato's
comment.
**************************************
"Ah! Lunch! My -favorite- time of the day!" Toji said, with a heart-felt
sigh.
"Anytime you get a chance to -eat- is your favorite time of the day!"
Kensuke stated. Shinji quietly smiled as he took out his own lunch. "Hey
Shinji, is it true that Unit 03 is being transferred here from the U.S.?"
Kensuke asked, getting his own food together.
"I don't know, no one's said anything," Shinji replied.
"Well, is it true that Unit 04 was destroyed, along with the second base in
the U.S.?" Kensuke asked, a bit impatiently.
"What? Destroyed? I didn't hear anything about that," Shinji replied, a
bit troubled.
"You -must- have heard something!" Kensuke demanded.
"No, Misato hasn't said a word about it," Shinji replied.
"Oh, well, I guess it's not something that really concerns the pilots, so
there really wasn't any reason to tell you," Kensuke said, automatically
coming to Misato's defense.
Shinji's reply was cut off by the school intercom, "RANKO SAOTOME PLEASE
REPORT TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE." Everyone in the classroom glanced at a
short redheaded girl who was blissfully sleeping at her desk. The teacher
had gotten tired of continuously trying to keep her awake, so he let her
sleep through lunch. He figured that that was punishment enough.
"Ranko-chan, wakeup!" A girl sitting in the next desk over called. The
girl in question continued to snore. "RANKO!" The girl yelled, shaking
the redhead vigorously.
"Hmm? Wha- what is it?" Ranko asked sleepily, finally starting to wake up.
"Ranko, they're waiting for you in the principal's office," the girl said,
exasperated.
"Who's waiting?" Ranko mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"I don't know, but your name was just called over the intercom," the girl
replied.
"Okay, okay, I'm going. Thanks, Natsuko-chan!" Ranko said, getting up out
of her seat and bounding out of the classroom.
"I've never seen a girl sleep so much!" Kensuke commented as he watched
Ranko leave.
"It's all that martial arts. Girls shouldn't work out that much! They're
not built for it," Toji observed sagely.
"Martial arts?" Shinji queried.
"That's right, you really don't know anyone else in class, do you? That's
Ranko, her dad owns a martial arts dojo or something. Apparently he won a
few tournaments before Second Impact, or something, but people just don't
do that kinda stuff anymore," Toji replied.
*******************************
Ranko sighed as she opened the door to the principal's office. (I wonder
what I did this time,) she thought to herself. She honestly couldn't
think of anything that might have gotten her into trouble. She hadn't been
late to school for at least a month, and she hadn't gotten into a fight for
at least a week! Ranko blinked as she noticed that someone other than the
principal was sitting at his desk. (Uh on, what's going on?) Ranko
thought as she smiled questioningly at the rather cold-looking blonde
haired woman sitting at the desk.
"Are you Ranko Saotome?" The woman asked without any preamble.
"Yeah. . ," Ranko replied cautiously.
"Good. My name is Dr. Ritsuko Akagi," the woman said.
"Nice ta meet ya," Ranko replied.
Ritsuko sat back in the chair and steepled her hands in front of her in an
unconscious imitation of Commander Ikari. "Tell me Ranko, have you heard
of Nerv?" Ritsuko asked.
"Sure! Nerv's the organization that's keeping my dad employed!" Ranko
replied cheerfully.
"Your -father- works for Nerv?" Ritsuko asked unbelievingly.
"Not exactly, but he says Nerv keeps him employed," Ranko replied.
"How 'exactly' does Nerv keep your father employed?" Ritsuko asked curiously.
"Well, my dad's a contractor; putting together buildings and stuff. He
says that with all the damage Nerv has caused in Tokyo-3 lately, he'll
never run out of work!" Ranko explained, giggling.
"I see," Ritsuko replied coldly.
"Uh, what's this about, anyway?" Ranko asked.
"Miss Saotome, do you actually -know- what Nerv does?" Ritsuko asked
intently.
"Nerv's, uh, fighting those big Alien thingies; Angels, I think they're
called," Ranko replied.
"You are correct. Nerv is the earth's last line of defense against the
Angels," Ritsuko replied, almost by rote.
"Right, so what does that have to do with me?" Ranko asked.
"You do know that three of your classmates work for Nerv as Evangelion
pilots, right?"
"Sure," Ranko replied, a bit uncertain.
"We want you to join us," Ritsuko sighed, hoping the girl in front of her
was smarter than she seemed.
"You- you want -me- to pilot one of those big robots?" Ranko asked
incredulously.
"That's right Ranko; you meet the qualifications for an Eva pilot. Will
you join us?" Ritsuko asked
"I- I don't know what to say," Ranko mumbled, leaning back against the door.
" 'Yes' would be an appropriate reply," Ritsuko replied dryly, "we really
do need your help."
"Before I decide anything, I'm going to, no, -you- are going to have to
talk to my dad," Ranko replied.
"Will he be against something like this?" Ritsuko asked.
"I don't know, no one has every asked me to operate a weapon of mass
destruction before," Ranko replied sarcastically.
"Very well," Ritsuko replied, standing up, "Someone will arrive at your
home this evening to explain the situation to your father. Good day, Ranko."
Ranko numbly exited the office. Walking back to class, she realized that
she honestly did not know how her father would feel about the situation.
He was incredibly over protective most of the time, yet, there were times
when he allowed her, or forced her, to do dangerous things in the name of
the Art. She didn't mind really; her training was challenging and with
father there, the danger was minimized. He never allowed her to get hurt.
"Oh well, life's been getting boring anyway," she thought aloud.
As she walked down the long empty corridor back to class, she thought about
what Dr. Akagi was asking of her. (Why does she want -me- to pilot one of
those things?) Ranko hesitated as she reached her classroom. (Maybe I
can ask the other pilots about it,) she thought as she opened the door.
Everyone turned around and stared at her as she entered the classroom.
"Uh, sorry sensei, I, uh," Ranko tried to explain.
"That's all right Miss Saotome, I know all about it," the teacher replied.
Ranko glanced, in turn, at each of the three Eva pilots as she reached her
desk. None of them were exactly approachable. She had honestly tried to
talk with Rei many times, only to be ignored. Ranko was -almost- friends
with Asuka. The redheaded Eva pilot was friendly and outgoing, but she
seemed to like to hear herself talk. Ranko sat at her desk and stared at
Shinji. She had never even given the boy a second thought. He was almost
as quiet as Rei, but with one subtle difference. Where Rei's silence made
her stand out, Shinji's made him blend in with the background. Of course,
this was just Ranko's opinion. (He's probably just shy. He's gotta be a
hell of a lot smarter than me if he's piloting one of those monsters.)
Ranko yawned as the teacher continued his lecture. (At least I didn't get
in trouble,) she thought drowsily as she inevitably fell asleep.
*******************************
Ranko hummed softly as she quickly sliced up the onion in front of her.
She set her knife on the cutting board, wiped her hands on her 'panda'
apron, a present from her grandfather, then checked the bubbling pot of. .
. something that was on the stove. Ranko had decided on the way home from
school that being an Eva pilot would be a good thing to do. Her father had
instilled in her many values with regards to helping others. As a child
growing up in the wake of the 2nd Impact, helping others seemed very
important. Besides, the other Eva pilots were sometimes able to leave
class early. Rei even skipped school altogether. That was a perk that
-really- appealed to Ranko. She reasoned to herself that she wasn't being
too shallow; after all, saving the world must be hard work! So what if the
saviors missed school once in a while?
Ranko dipped a serving spoon into the boiling pot, pulled it out and stared
at the 'stew' she had made. Unfortunately, while Ranko had her father's
skill with a knife, she had her -mother's- skill when it came to cooking.
She closed her eyes, put the spoon in her mouth and gulped down the
contents. After a few seconds, the spoon fell to the floor from her
nerveless fingers and she ran to the kitchen faucet, put her mouth under
the tap, and turned on the water full blast.
(Well, -that's- not gonna help,) she thought morosely as she turned off the
water and stared at the 'dinner' she prepared. (Guess I should have paid
more attention to Auntie Shampoo's lessons.) Ranko knew that her father
would object to her being an Eva pilot; she was hoping that a nice meal
might butter him up a bit when the Nerv representative visited.
"Well, all I really need is a distraction. Maybe if he gets food poisoning
or something, he'll be in too much pain to argue with me," she thought
jokingly as she dumped her stew down the drain. "I'm gonna need a new
plan," Ranko said as the doorbell rang. "Oh! -Damn- Guess it's too late
now." She took off her apron and ran to the front door. She opened the
door to find a woman, about her father's age, with long black hair. She
was wearing a black pair of slacks, a matching shirt and a thick red
military jacket.
"Hello, I'm Major Misato Katsuragi. You must be Ranko," the woman said.
"Hi Major, nice to meet ya!" Ranko replied, stepping back so Misato could
enter the house.
"Please, call me Misato, " Major Katsuragi suggested, taking a good look
around the house. The Saotome home was larger than most houses in Tokyo-3.
The interior design was obviously pre-Second Impact, and despite of its
size, had a homey, lived-in feeling to it.
"Okay Misato. Uh, Dad's still out back in the dojo. I'll take you there,"
Ranko offered.
"Wait Ranko. There's no rush. I'd like to talk to you alone first, if
that's all right," Misato replied.
"Uh, Okay. Sure."
"Dr. Akagi had mentioned that you were still unsure about join Nerv. Have
you come to a decision yet? If you don't want to pilot an Eva, then I
won't force you, and there is no reason for me to talk to your father,"
Misato said.
"I've made up my mind. I- I want to pilot an Eva. The hard part is
convincing otosan that I'm not a little girl anymore. I, uh, guess I
should warn you, I didn't tell him anything about this yet, I was kinda
waiting for you to get here," Ranko apologized.
"I see," Misato replied, a bit startled, "this isn't the best way to
present things, but… well, let's get going."
Ranko led Misato through a living room to the backyard door. She opened
the door, but hesitated before letting Misato through. "My dad, has uh,
kinda strange ideas about what women are capable of. He's a bit of a
sexist, and that -might- cloud his judgement a bit. Just. . . just don't
get upset over it, okay?" Ranko asked.
"Okay. . ," Misato replied, a bit dubiously. (Great. What am I getting
myself into?) Misato thought. She had to deal with jocks in her life
before; it wasn't an experience she enjoyed repeating. She took a deep
breath and followed Ranko outside.
Near the backyard entrance, there was a large koi pond, and Misato smiled
as a fish splashed around at the surface of the water. (I haven't seen one
of these since. . .) Misato shook her head to clear away the memories.
(No time to think about that now.) She looked at the dojo and wasn't
surprised at the size; it was nearly as big as the house. (Man, this guy
-does- have it bad,) she thought.
As they reached the dojo, Ranko quietly opened the door. Misato found
herself nodding appreciatively at what she saw. A man, about her age, was
standing in the middle of the dojo. Sweat dripped off his face, down his
back and chest. He had long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail.
It reminded her of Kaji's hair, yet it was thicker and a bit longer. His
hands were out in front of him, as if facing an invisible opponent. He
took a deep breath and placed his hands back down to his sides. He bowed
to a shrine that was setup at the front of the dojo, then grabbed a towel
off the floor and started wiping his face.
He turned towards Misato and Ranko, a wry grin on his face. "So, are you
the reason my daughter decided to 'cook' today?" He asked. Misato blinked,
a bit confused by the question. Ranma crossed his arms over his chest.
"You're from her school, right? What did she do -this- time?" Ranma
asked, giving Ranko a weary look.
"I didn't do nothin!" Ranko protested.
"I'm, uh, not from the school, Saotome-san. My name is Misato Katsuragi.
I'm from Nerv."
"Nerv?" Ranma asked, suddenly more alert.
"Yes. I'm here today to inform you that Ranko has been chosen to join our
team. She has the ability to become an Eva pilot," Misato replied.
"No. Absolutely not," Ranma replied, his voice quiet but hard. He then
walked past Misato and Ranko and entered the house before Misato could reply.
"This might take a while," Ranko said with a sigh, following after her
father. Misato quietly followed Ranko, preparing herself for the argument
that she -knew- was coming. They found Ranma in the kitchen grabbing a
bottle of water out of the refrigerator. "Otosan, will you just listen ta
us for second?" Ranko asked.
"You -want- to this?" Ranma asked unbelievingly.
"Yes. I do! You've always taught me that a martial artist should help
others in their time of need! This is my chance!" Ranko replied.
"This is different! Piloting one of those. . . mechanical monsters is
-not- marital arts! You're too young and it's too dangerous! Girls
shouldn't be fighting wars anyway," Ranma said.
It was at this point that Misato decided to interject. "Saotome-san, two
of our three Eva pilots are girls. Because of their hard work and courage,
Tokyo-3 has been saved several times. In fact, you, I, -and- Ranko would
probably be dead by now if it wasn't for those -female- pilots," Misato
pointed out, her anger growing.
"Look, I'm not gonna stand here and argue about 'women in the military'
with ya! Ranko will not be piloting an Eva, and that's final! How can you
ask me send a fourteen year old girl out on such a dangerous mission?"
Ranma asked.
Misato released a deep breath and sighed, her anger diminishing. (He's
just worried about her, like any -normal- parent,) she thought.
"Saotome-san. All the pilots are Ranko's age. Only children born within
nine months of 2nd Impact can pilot an Evangelion. I don't know why, but
that's the way it is. These days, living in Tokyo-3 is almost as dangerous
as piloting an Eva. In fact, with the Angels returning, the whole world is
a dangerous place to be," Misato finished quietly.
Ranma looked at his daughter, his face softening slightly. "They really
need me, Otosan," she said. He turned back to Misato, who nodded. Ranma
shook his head and absently scratched his chin.
"I dunno about this. I don't like the idea of her going out and fighting
those things," Ranma said, referring to the Angels.
"Look, we'll be running a test with the new Eva tomorrow. Just to make
sure Ranko can pilot it. Can you at least hold off your decision until
then?" Misato asked.
Ranma stared at Misato, then Ranko, for several seconds. Finally he
sighed. "All right. But on -one- condition. I want to be there for the
test," Ranma said.
"Uh, only Nerv personnel are allowed to be present for the test. I think
I'm breaking the rules by even telling you about it," Misato replied
uncomfortably.
"Who made up that stupid rule? You let a fourteen-old child pilot a weapon
like that and her parents are kept in the dark over the whole thing?
You're startin' to freak me out, Major," Ranma replied indignantly.
"I understand how you feel, but. . ," Misato tried to explain, but stopped
when she saw the look in Ranma's eyes. (He does have a point, and he
-does- have a right to know what Ranko will be doing for us,) Misato
thought. "All right Saotome-san. I might get in trouble for this, but,
well, you're right. I'll pick you guys up tomorrow morning, okay?"
"We'll see you then, Major," Ranma replied. Misato turned towards Ranko
and smiled.
"Let's hope that things go well tomorrow, Ranko-chan," she said warmly.
"Thanks! I'm lookin' forward to it! Did you want to stay for dinner?"
Ranko replied enthusiastically while Ranma rolled his eyes.
"Ranko, it's really not a good idea ta kill yer boss with food poisoning,"
Ranma said.
"Otosan no BAKA!" Ranko growled out, hitting Ranma over the head with a
hand-held mallet.
"Ah, hehehe, I -really- should be going now," Misato said nervously, a
large sweat drop forming behind her head.
"See. . . you. . . tomorrow. . ," Ranma groaned, clutching his head.
******************************
"Why'd we have to come all the way out to Matsushiro?" Ranma asked Ritsuko
as she finished the final checks on Unit 03.
"Because, Saotome-san, our testing facility is here," Ritsuko replied
coldly. She had been more than a little surprised when Misato arrived with
Ranko -and- Ranma. If there was one thing Ritsuko did -not- like it was
surprises. This was especially true when the surprise in question was an
uneducated, nosy, and annoying father who was also a security leak.
"You're -sure- everything's okay?" Ranma asked.
Ritsuko slammed her hands on the console in front of her and let out a
frustrated breath. "Saotome-san, I know my job, but I can't complete these
final tests if you keep interrupting. Everything will be fine, -if- you
can just be quiet for a few moments; please," Ritsuko requested.
"Okay, okay. It's just, well, you seem awfully young for a scientist,"
Ranma replied plaintively. Ritsuko slowed turned towards Ranma, a
withering glare on her face. She was about to respond as Ranko entered the
control room, wearing a plug suit.
"So otosan, what do you think?" Ranko asked, twirling around in front of
Ranma.
"Does she -really- have to wear that thing?" Ranma asked, his face turning
red, seeing his daughter in such a skintight outfit.
"Oh Otosan, relax! I think it's kinda cute," Ranko giggled.
"The plug suit was specially designed for Eva pilots. She can not even
start the test without it," Ritsuko replied.
"Let's just get this over with," Ranma mumbled, rubbing his forehead.
"Please relax Ranma. She's just going to try to walk around in the Eva a
bit and we'll get some readings. That's all, okay?" Misato said, trying
to reassure Ranma.
"Okay," Ranma said with a sigh, smiling softly at Misato.
An Eva service tech entered the control room and nodded to Ritsuko.
"We're ready. Ranko, please follow the technician to the entry plug. Once
you're inside and injected into Unit 03, we'll start the test," Ritsuko
instructed.
"Right," Ranko replied, following the tech.
"Good luck, Ranko-chan," Ranma said softly as she left. He watched as his
daughter walked down a long metal corridor to the tube-like entry plug. As
she sat inside and the techs sealed her up, his heart started beating
faster. (Relax Ranma, it's only a test,) he thought to himself. Yet, for
some reason, the whole situation felt wrong; he had a vague sense of
danger, but could not pinpoint it. "Akane. . ," he murmured quietly.
*** Flashback Fifteen Years Ago ***
"Akane! Hang in there! Please! You can't give up now, you stupid
tomboy!" Ranma growled angrily.
"Ranma, I'm so tired. It's. . . it's too late. I've lost too much blood,
haven't I?" Akane whispered, completely at peace in her husband's loving
embrace.
"You can't leave me, Akane," Ranma pleaded, holding on to her tightly, "you
can't leave me alone like this!"
"Alone? Oh Ranma, you're not alone. Ranko is with you," Akane replied.
"Ranko?" Ranma asked, a bit confused.
"That's what I want you to name her. It's a fitting name, Ranma. You'll
see; she'll be just. . . just like you. Ranma, promise me that you'll
protect her like you protected me," Akane whispered.
"I promise, Akane. I'll protect her," Ranma said, tears flowing openly
down his face. Then her body went limp, and Ranma hugged her even tighter.
He had wanted to die right then, until he heard the cries of his newborn
baby. He turned to the midwife who had delivered his baby and wordlessly
held out his hands. She gently placed the child in his hands and in spite
of himself, Ranma managed to smile through the tears. "Hello Ranko-chan,"
he said, before breaking down completely.
*** End Flashback ***
"Ranma? Ranma? We're ready to start now," Misato said, gently shaking his
shoulder.
"What? Oh, okay," Ranma replied, blinking back his memories.
He watched silently as Unit 03 stood up and the lights on the console lit
up. He half-listened to Ritsuko and Maya report the status of the
synchronization, his eyes locked on the Eva. Suddenly, Unit 03 lurched and
an alarm klaxon went off in the control room. As Ritsuko and Maya quickly
studied the data coming across the computer, Ranma grabbed Misato in a firm
grip. "What's goin' on?" He demanded.
"I don't know, " Misato replied taking a step closer to the computer
console.
"It's. . . it's an Angel!" Ritsuko gasped.
Ranma quickly turned back to the Eva and watched helplessly as it started
convulsing. Suddenly, a bright yellow light seemed to grow from Unit 03.
Instinctively, Ranma grabbed a gaping Misato and dived to the back of the
room; just as it exploded in a flash of light.
*******************
End Chapter One
*******************
Special thanks to Ethan, Donny, DFire, and Dave Eddy for their help.
Especially Dave! For all the technical help in chapter 2!