Evangelion belongs to Gainax and a bunch of other people with copyrights,
patents, trademarks and such stuff.  This short fanfic is a work done not
for profit as that would violate the first law of fanfiction.

*********
Big Bad John II

	(A tall stranger walked down the crowded street.  The sun was at his
back, and his face was not visible to anyone squinting in his direction.
He wore rough jeans and a checked flannel shirt.  His vest was tan, the
same tan as his scruffy looking cowboy hat, and his spurs jangled on his
boots.  He walked with an extreme confidence, a walk that said "I know how
tough I am, and you better figure it out real fast".  When he passed any
young women, he tipped his hat and walked on.....)

	It had been another typical day for Shinji.  He had gone to school,
been bored, and made a furor in class when everyone found out that he was
an EVA pilot.  Better still, he had managed to get punched twice by a
fellow student who was mad at him for nearly killing his sister.  Then that
blue-haired girl told him there was an alert on.  Now he couldn't find
anything to staunch the flow of blood from his nose.

	(The tall stranger was obviously out of his element.  However, he
seemed to have some destination in mind as he walked along. He walked
quickly, often pulling his watch out of a pocket on his vest, as though
late for some important appointment.  The few people who passed close
enough to get a look at his face were shocked by the visage they saw there.)

	Shinji finally gave up on finding something in his pockets to stop
the bleeding.  Just as he was about to get up a red and white handkerchief
was thrust down at him.  Gratefully the young EVA pilot took the offered
cloth and cleaned up his lip and nose.  When he felt himself presentable he
looked up at his benefactor.

	To say the man was large was an understatement.  He was a large
westerner who would have towered over the tallest of NERV's security
guards.  He looked like he had stepped out of one of those classical
American  Cowboy movies Shinji hardly ever had the opportunity to watch.
After a moment the big man spoke in a strangely accented Japanese.  "Ya'll
okay there pilgrim?"

	"Um, yeah, thanks for the handkerchief,"  Shinji managed to mumble
while still holding his nose to keep from bleeding anymore.

	The stranger held out a hand and helped Shinji to his feet.  "I'm
sorry I wasn't able to get here sooner.  I wanted to arrive in time to keep
that bully from punching you, but got caught up in the crowds."

	"Um, thanks, but how did you know he was going to hit me?"  Shinji
asked.

	"Well, that's not something I can tell you.  But I'm sure you are
used to that sort of thing with your job son.  Well, I gotta go catch up to
that tin-horn, and you better go to your job.  You are needed there."

	"You're right, I better get going.  Thanks again for the
handkerchief and the help up."  Shinji watched as the big man turned and
started to walk off in the direction Touji had taken.  "Wait!"  He cried.
"I don't even know your name!"

	"Just call me Duke, Pilgrim.....and good luck today"

*****
	Touji was surprised when he was suddenly lifted off of his feet by
his jacket collar.  He was even more surprised by the size of the man that
was holding him well off the ground.

	"You know that pickin' on someone quite a bit smaller than you is a
bad rap don'tcha?"  Asked the very big man holding Touji off the ground.

	"What do you mean?  Who are you?"  Touji asked incrediously.

	"Who I am don't really matter just yet.  And what I mean is you
punchin' that little Shinji feller.  He isn't nearly as big as you, and
isn't a fighter."  The big man gave Touji a bit of a shake.  "That's what I
call bullyin' and I don't like it."

	"He piloted that giant robot that nearly killed my sister!  He only
got what was coming to him!"

	The tall man looked Touji square in the eye.  "You don't get it do
ya?  He is even now risking his life for you and everyone else in this
town.  And you go and punch him in the mouth.  Why don't you ask you sister
what she thinks of you hitting him?"

	That struck a nerve in Touji.  What did his little sister think of
this?  What would she think of his actions today?  He made up his mind to
ask.  Suddenly, he felt himself standing on solid ground again.

	"Now you think and think hard, boy.  Think if you really want to
spend you're life bullying the people that are trying to keep you safe.  I
can't believe you can be that ungrateful.  Ya know, somebody oughta bust
you right in the mouth, but I'm not gonna."  The stranger looked down at
Touji.  "I'm not gonna.  The hell I'm not!"  With that the stranger doubled
back his right arm and threw a tremendous punch.  Touji was caught
flatfooted.  He took the punch in the gut and fell to the ground with his
arms wrapped around his stomach.

	The stranger stared down at the gasping teen for a moment.  "I
didn't enjoy that at all.  But that is what it felt like to be in Shinji's
shoes.  Don't make me come back and repeat the lesson."  The tall man
turned and started to walk away.

	"Who are you anyway?"  Gasped Touji at the receding back of the
stranger.

	"My name's John, but my friends call me the Duke."  Came the reply
over the shoulder.

	Unlike Shinji, Touji had watched quite a few of the old American
Westerns.  He took the strangers name, added it to his looks and
countenance and came up with the obvious answer.  "It can't be!  You died a
long time ago!"

	"Well, Pilgrim, you don't think a little thing like death is going
to keep me from making things right where I can? Now I've got some other
business to attend to, and I don't want to be late this time."

	Touji stared silently as the figure strode off into the sunset.....


**********
Okay, this one is a no-brainer.  Feel free to comment, mst, slice, dice,
fold spindle and mutilate.  I had this idea about the Duke being some kind
of demigod that went around making last minute rescues through time and
space....I've already done one....it was set in Ranma.  If you would like
that one, just email me or go to:

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/5144/anime.html

and hit the Big Bad John link.

Anyhoo, all C&C gets a response, any flames will be used to toast
marshmallows,Thanks for reading!


Big Bore and the Nitro Express!


Visit Bob and Tanya's Alaskan Homepage at
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/5144

"There is not enough darkness in this world to extinguish the light of a
single candle."