Title: Above All Else Author: Psilanthropy Disclaimer: Gainax owns EVA and everything related to it, not me. This fic couldn't make any money if it tried. Chapter: 01 -- From Left Field "I don't understand why I failed." A young man, probably seventeen or eighteen years old, sat low behind his desk, staring blankly at the speech which had just been handed back to him. The guy was pretty tall, thin but not too thin, a little muscular, and an all around good-looking boy. His complexion was perfect and a little tan, and his black hair was cut short and spiked up. He wore green-tinted contact lenses. His black pants were too long and falling apart around the bottom, and his white polo shirt was untucked and wrinkled. His friend leaned in from the desk behind, looking over his shoulder. "An F?! Jeez, Kunihirou, I thought you were confident about that paper!" the boy said, his eyes widened by surprise. Both boys looked around at their classmates, many of whom were chatting over their speech grade as well. Unlike Fuugo and Kunihirou, however, they were all very happy with their grades. Their talk was excited, and they all wore large smiles. Kunihirou slumped down in his desk again, his face full of despair, his heart broken. "I don't know, I thought it was very deep! I put a lot of myself into this, not to mention a lot of my time," he grumbled. He turned around to face his friend. "Fuugo, how did you do?" Fuugo's face was suddenly cold and a little sad. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Fuugo then smirked and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I guess the teacher liked my paper more." Kunihirou's eyes lit up. He picked up his own paper and tried to grab his friend's paper off his desk to compare them, but Fuugo was too quick and snatched it up before Kuni's hands reached the desktop. "Whaaat?! Teacher hates you, so how the hell did I do worse than you?" he yelled, crumpling his failing grade in his clenched fist. Fuugo held up a finger in his defense. "Now hold on just a minute-" he said in protest of his own intelligence. "Excuse me!" The boys, as well as the rest of the class quieted and faced front and center. Ienari Chizuru, the unquestionable teacher's pet of class 4A of Taniguchi Public School of Tokyo, was the one who had caused the silence. The girl was short; her voice very voice high-pitched. She was loud, snobby, and annoying. Her hair was streaked blond, as that was the fashionable thing to do these days. She stood in front of her desk, which sat in front of the teacher's desk, and was therefore the focal point of the teacher's attention. As the class president, the students were used to her making announcements in a similar manner. "As you all have probably noticed, our honorable teacher is not present today. Due to a scheduling mistake, there will be no substitute teacher today, either." The class erupted into a happy roar at such a rare event. "Please, be silent! You are all required to stay here until the usual dismissal time, following the usual schedule. I would suggest that you all study for the history test, which has been moved up to Monday. That's all." Some of the students continued to rejoice, those students being the ones who had already finished most of their studies. The rest were dismayed to learn that the dreaded history test had been moved up. "Man, she gets on my nerves sometimes," Kunihirou sighed as he turned around to face his friend again. "I wish I was the most intelligent person in class, as well as the teacher's pet! It would be smooth sailing for me..." His friend crossed his arms and frowned. "Hmph. Try living with her!" Fuugo responded. Kuni nodded in agreement. "That's true, at least she's your twin and not mine. Man, I still don't understand why you don't just let her help you. You know you'd be doing better!" Ienari Fuugo turned his face up and away from his friend, his arms crossed against his heart. "It's an issue of pride! Anyways, she spreads gossip like you wouldn't believe, you know? The whole class would know that I'm taking lessons from my sister. Damn, it's bad enough growing up next to a child genius, but asking her for help is a worst case scenario!" Kuni shrugged, a lazy smile across his face. "Well, it is our senior year. Who cares who gossips about whoever? I know I don't." "I don't either, but you know how it is... She's my sister..." "Sure, sure. Anyway, are we still driving the mountain tonight (1)? I heard there might be some racer chicks there!" A very skeptical look came over Fuugo's face. He pointed accusingly at his friend. "You say that every weekend, and every time there is a girl up there who isn't with her boyfriend, she's all over you! It's hard to pick up chick when your best friend is a lady-killer." Fuugo had heard a lot of stories in the past about a guy in a different class that all the girls were totally giddy over. Watanabe Kunihirou was kind of a local legend. He had his good looks, but he was also one of the best mountain-drivers in the city. When Kuni had suddenly transferred to this class last semester, everyone was intimidated by him. One day Fuugo was checking out the girls during gym class as he usually did, and Kunihirou began chatting with him about the girls. Soon the two were running around town late at night with some of the local drifters, looking for the aforementioned girls, or even ones from the private schools if they were lucky. Most of the time they wouldn't find any good-looking women who were up for a ride, and that slightly destroyed the "lady-killer" legend around Watanabe. But sometimes they would find a hot girl. Then another one, and another. Certain nights just went much better than others. Fuugo was always astounded when women were drawn to his friend, and he used to get jealous a lot, but Kuni himself must have sensed that. Kunihirou told Fuugo that he had been double-crossed by a close friend in the past. Therefore, he learned the value of having someone to trust. Kuni always said that he would do anything for Fuu, and he expected the same from Fuugo. Ienari Fuugo had a great deal of respect for Kuni because he had proven true on several occasions. "Nah, I'm sure of it this time. I heard from a very reliable source!" "And who's that?" Fuugo asked, still skeptical. "Myself, of course!" Kuni said happily, placing his hands on his chest. "I made a few calls." "Old friends?" Kunihirou shook his head. "Old favors," the boy responded, just a little venom in his ususally calm voice. "Oh." Realization came quickly to Fuugo. Watanabe almost never took money from the drivers he beat, except when he needed it. And since Kuni was the heir to the fortune left by his grandfather, he almost never needed money. Even though Fuugo knew very little about Kuni's personal life, he knew that Kuni's father was dead, and his step-mother had disowned him when he was younger. Fuu also knew that Kuni had very limited access to the money he had, but he wasn't sure why. There would be times when the pair would have to pass a weekend of racing, because Kuni had no gas money. He never accepted anyone else's money as a loan or gift. That was another reason Fuugo respected him. "So, girl racers..." -- It was a long day for the two young men. With the obnoxious class rep watching over the class, it had soon become a dead room, with no talking allowed. Kunihirou and Fuugo bolted to freedom after the final bell had wrang. "Damn, that took forever! Senior year will never end!" Fuugo shouted as he changed into his street shoes. The entire school was excited about the weekend, as it always was. To conserve on expenditures, the public schools of Japan had cancelled Saturday classes since the Second Impact. Over those past thirty, no one had reinstigated that day of class. "Sure it will, just not soon enough. Come on, hurry up!" Kuni had already put up his shoes and was standing next to his friend, ready to run at a moments notice. Fuugo noticed that Kuni held no books, despite the history test on Monday. He also remembered something else. His friend had began walking past him when Fuugo got that look, when it dawned on him what Watanabe was trying to do. "Hey, isn't it your turn to clean the classroom today? You'd better get back there before my sister realizes you're trying to avoid your duties again!" he yelled over the noise, pointing back towards the classroom. "Last time she yelled at me for half an hour, just because I'm your friend!" Kunihirou stopped dead in his tracks and stared at his friend. "Oh, come on! I need that time to get my car ready for tonight! What's more important?" Fuugo considered his options for just a second before bolting to his feet. Kuni smiled widely. "That's what I thought!" The two ran out the front door of the school and into the parking lot. Kuni fumbled around in his pocket for just a bit before a familiar 'chirp-chirp' was heard from a nearby car. Watanabe's car was a 1992 Nissan Silvia K's. Although was nearly 40 years old, it had been stored since new by Watanabe's grandfather. The black coupe looked deceptively normal to the unknowning eye. However, any car enthusiast knew the car was a racing machine when they spotted the huge intercooler mounted behind the front bumper. A large intercooler meant an upgraded turbo, which meant a lot more power. Of course, the three-inch polished exhaust poking out the rear was a more obvious sign. The turbocharged two-liter engine roared to life, and the car took off into traffic. Although neither of them realized it, those young men were being watched. In that same parking lot sat a blue sports car, which was of a newer model year but had seen better days. A thin woman in a woman's black suit sat in the car, her long brown hair pulled back into one braid. She watched as the car sped off, making notes on the 2 occupants. To her left in the car's passenger seat sat a small laptop. The woman also wore a pair of headphones that connected to the computer. "Is this what I've been reduced to?" she asked quietly. Of course it had been easy enough to get the school to allow her to bug classroom 4A. Public schools could not turn away a government order. However, that teacher had been a hassle and wasted a lot of her time. What difference could one day make, after all? The agent took leave of the nuisance and paid close attention to her ears. The location and time of tonight's meeting were quickly scrawled onto her notepad before she took off the headphones. "This is too easy!" She took out her cell phone and dialed that familiar number. "Hello? Yes, sir, I have confirmed the time and location... Thank you, sir." Her phone beeped, followed by a sigh. "I hate it when he calls me 'Hi-chan'." She looked lovingly down at the phone. It was a lovely day in the spring of 2029. -- At eight in the evening, just before sunset, the black Nissan appeared in front of the Ienari household. Fuugo appeared only moments later, still dressed in his school uniform. Watanabe was still wearing the tattered black pants, but he now wore a black t-shirt with a small NISMO logo in the chest. The car was also changed; the wheels had been switched to the racing stock, and the car sat noticably lower. "So, is everything set for tonight?" Fuu asked anxiously as he got into the vehicle. "As far as I know, yea it's still go," Kunihirou responded, his voice just a little excited. "All right! Let's get going!" Fuu exclaimed happily. The ride up the mountain road was a quiet one, since both of the boys were mentally preparing themselves for the racing ahead. It was a long ride, nearly an hour up the sparsely untraveled roads, so both of them were surprised when they found an abandoned car by the side of the road. Watanabe slowed his vehicle to a halt as they passed it. "It looks like their car gave out on the way to the mountaintop," Fuugo stated. "Maybe." Kunihirou pulled his car over in front of the other and turned on his caution blinkers before getting out. He felt the hood; surprisingly, it was still warm, as was the muffler in the back. "This car was just recently left here!" he shouted to his companion as he ran back. The car seemed odd to Kuni. The newer-style 2021 Silvia, those three-spoked Super Advan rims... Something about the car bothered him as he got back into his older Silvia. "Well, there wasn't anyone coming down the mountain, so they must be walking towards the meeting place up there," Fuugo stated. Kunihirou frowned as he pulled back onto the road. "But why did they leave their car, and why wouldn't they go back to town? It's a long way up the mountain on foot." Kuni looked and his friend and shrugged in the car seat. Fuugo noticed that he looked a little tense, which was weird. His friend was usually very calm about driving. "I'm not sure, Fuu-kun. Let's see if we can find the driver on the way up." Ienari was surprised further when his friend missed a shift while accelerating. Something about the situation was really bothering Kunihirou, and Fuugo had no clue why. Following silently behind them was a car with no lights. It's driver, the same woman agent that had monitored them earlier, smiled in the darkness. "Leading children is so easy. It shouldn't be too long now before things start falling into place." The old Nissan continued on, unaware of its companion. Fifteen minutes passed, and neither boy had spotted anyone on the sides of the road. "Maybe they got a ride from someone else?" Fuugo offered. A frown was plastered on Kunihirou's face as he shook his head slightly. "No, that car was hot. I don't understand how someone could have gotten this far on foot." They were already more than a kilometer up the steep mountain road. Kuni estimated the car had been sitting there for about fifteen minutes, no longer. "Maybe they can run really fast? But then again, I wouldn't waste the energy running..." Just as he finished speaking, a person came into view on the side of the road. The person was doubled-over and appeared to be breathing hard. "That must be the Quick Uphill Runner!" he said, trying to bring a little humor to the situation. Kuni nodded stiffly as he pulled over again. The person, apparently girl with long red hair, looked up. She seemed very worn out and pale, and she was wearing an unfamiliar red and white school uniform. The two quickly got out and ran to her side. "Are you OK?" Kuni asked, sounding genuinely concerned. However, there was also an element of caution in his voice. She didn't respond. She continued to pant, and the boys let her catch her breath. Ienari took the time to realize she was pretty good looking and well-developed, about the same age as them. "Are you OK?" Watanabe asked again. "Why did it have to be you?" she panted angrily. Fuugo looked in surprise to his friend, who suddenly seemed very annoyed. Kuni stood straight up, taking a couple smal steps back from the girl. "Watanabe Kunihirou? It's been a while, huh?" "It has," he responded coldly. Kuni's concerns had been verified by that familiar voice. She stood straight up and stared at him, still breathing heavily. Fuugo was becoming more and more confused as the other two people locked steely gazes. "Hey, Watanabe? Do you know this girl?" he asked slowly. "I do." Kuni had crossed his arms across his chest and had turned to look away from the girl. Ienari waited for more of a response, but the girl answered his silent questions. "Kuni-chan and I used to date," she said nonchalantly, having finally regained her composure. Ienari's jaw dropped. "You've got to be joking me!" he yelled. His scream echoed around the mountain, scaring some birds which had been pirched in the trees around them. "Soryu Megumi," Watanabe said, his voice full of venom. "I don't remember inviting you to my mountain." "Your mountain? Yours?! You haven't changed one bit!" "Bingo!" the woman in the black car exclaimed. She quickly dialed that same number again. "Yes, it's OK. Everything is green. I'll continue on as planned." -- Beneath the city of Tokyo, formerly known as New Tokyo-03, in his dark fortress, the commander of NERV grinned. -- Ienari Fuugo was in complete shock. This girl, who had apparently ran more than a kilometer in fifteen minutes up a steep mountain path, was sitting on the passenger side of Watanabe's Silvia as they drove back down the mountain. Kuni had never spoken much of his past, but he did talk about girls quite a bit. How could he have left out such an important fact like dating such a hot one? Fuugo got the impression that they had a rocky relationship and a bad breakup, based on their actions toward another. Kunihirou would not look the girl in the face, would not make eye contact with her. However, Fuu did catch him making sideways glances towards her when she wasn't looking. That girl, Soryu Megumi, almost looked foreign, and there was something odd about her accent. She seemed to have no problem talking to her old lover, making a lot of one-sided conversations in the otherwise silent automobile. Her attitude was calm, while Kuni was very tense. Fuugo had never seen his friend in such a state of disarray. His driving was abnormally... well, normal. Kuni usually took the racing line at high RPM's no matter what kind of driving he was doing, but tonight he remained in his lane and kept the vehicle in fifth-gear except when making slow turns or stops. Fuugo didn't know why Kuni hadn't stopped at the girl's car on the way back to take a closer look at it. No mention had been made of that vehicle, nor of the drift meet that Fuugo and Kuni had missed. Surely Kunihirou knew the consequences of inviting racers to your mountain and then pulling a no-show. He'd be getting many angry calls and e-mails in the weeks to come. His friend had abandoned his favorite pasttime for this girl which he seemed to hold in such contempt. Fuugo knew that Watanabe was loyal to those who he liked, but this girl was no longer one of those people, right? Fuugo decided to keep his mouth shut. He didn't know where Kunihirou was driving to. Kuni took a backroad into the city, and Ienari was a little confused when they appeared in front of his parent's house. Usually the boys raced into the early morning, after which they would get a quick meal and fall asleep in the middle of a conversation at Kunihirou's apartment. Tonight was different. Kuni stepped out of the car and pulled his seat forward, beckoning his friend with his free hand. Fuugo was surprised at the sullen look on his friend's face. Somehow Watanabe's face seemed beyond his years, creased and abused. "Sorry we didn't get to race the mountain tonight," he said quietly. His eyes... They were dull. Fuugo had never seen his friend looking so hopeless, not even after the time he totalled his car and broken several bones. "No, man, it's totally OK," Fuugo said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder and giving him a confident smile. "I'll see you Monday at school." "OK. Take it easy." Ienari watched from the gate as his friend got in and drove off down the street. Fuugo decided that he wouldn't worry about his friend's condition. He had confidence that his friend wouldn't let an ex-girlfriend get to him too badly. Things would be back to normal when school reconvened. That girl would, assuredly, be far away from his friend's mindset by then. He didn't take any special notice as an old blue sports car drove by without any lights on. -- Watanabe continued to drive in silence, not quite sure where he was going. That car on the mountain... He should have recognized it. He should have known it would be her. "So, who was that other guy?" she asked quietly, her tone different now that Fuugo was gone. "He is my friend," Kuni said, a small bit of conviction in his voice. "You have a friend, Kuni-chan? How sweet!" she said in a mocking tone. Kunihirou was becoming more and more angry and confused as they drove, his mind rushing through the things he could say or do, trying to find the right thing. He finally made up his mind and turned into an empty parking lot, parking his car. He turned to look at her, his face hardened by the emotions he felt. "Why are you here?" he asked coldly. "Oh, come on, it's possible that I really did get invited. After all, you should have known what was up when you found my car," she stated accusingly. "That's how I met you in the first place. Remember that day two years ago?" She had lied about her invitation. In reality, she had received an invite from Kunihirou himself, but she thought it was odd that he would suddenly contact her after two years of nothing. The language used in the letter didn't seem at all like him, either, but Soryu decided to keep that information secret from him. "Of course I remember." He stared down into his lap and closed his eyes, trying to block out some of those old feelings that wanted to surface. "Except that time you were a lot more talkative. What's wrong, Kuni-chan? Why won't you talk to me?" "I told you I have nothing to say about it. It's over," he quietly said. She quickly pushed his shoulder, forcing his body into the door panel. He looked over at her like she was crazy, but found an expression that he recognized easily. Her face contorted itself into the hideous look of anger. "I know that, don't treat me like a child!" she yelled, suddenly irritated. "Do you think it was easy on me? Do you think I just let go and found someone new, like you did? No! I held out hope that maybe you would come to your senses. When you and that girl broke up, I waited patiently for you to call. But my phone never rang, because you never called me. You just ran away to your nee life on the other side of the country. You ran, Kunihirou. You ran from me." "I didn't run away," the boy whispered. "Bullshit!" Her voice echoed in the car before being drowned out by the engine noise. "You will never change. You think you can just watch other people live instead of living your own life. It's not hard to be unnoticeable for you, is it? You know that everything you touch turns sour, so you don't put your hands on anything. And when things do go bad, you just run away and start over." Her voice was harsh, but it was obvious that she believed what she said. "You're not being chased. You choose to move away from those who love you. How horrible it must be for a mother when her son disapproves of her. What kind of child leaves his mother for a life of solitude?" "You know why I left her! She... That woman conspired to have my father murdered! When she didn't need me, she'd dispose of me, too! She is involved with a secret organization-" "No, Kuni! No, she isn't!" Soryu grabbed his chin and twisted his head until he was lookig straight into her eyes. "No one is trying to kill you. No one is hunting you down. Your mother didn't have your father murdered. He left your mother for another woman." He waved her arm away and pushed himself further down into his seat, his brows furrowing together. "Impossible. I spent years trying to find him. Doesn't it make sense that he would try to contact me if he was alive?" "No, it doesn't," Megumi said plainly. "I've told you all these things before, Kuni. You shouldn't have left. The doctor said you were doing much better, but you ran away. And now look at you. Living a false life; it's ridiculous." "This is who I am now." "You're totally paranoid and a nervous wreck! The only way you can make it through each day is by lieing to yourself, isn't that true? Hey! Are you listening?" she asked as she pushed his shoulder again. Kuni was looking wide-eyed into his rearview mirror, which faced the street. "What are you doing?" "That car, the one at the stoplight. It's passed here four times now. They are following us." Megumi looked into the mirror on her side of the car. There was an old blue car sitting at the light, with its signal turning left to go around the parking lot. She sighed loudly. "You're crazy, do you know that?" He shook his head. "No, that car is watching us." Both of them watched as the light turned green. The car suddenly cut across a lane of traffic to turn right, then sped away from their location. "See? They realized we saw them and left," he said excitedly. "No, they are just horrible drivers, that's all! Don't make things so elaborate. Not everything is a conspiracy against you." -- "Goddamn it!" Agent Horaki slammed her headphones into the empty seat beside her and pushed further down on the accelerator. "That kid sure is observant. But I guess I should have expected it." Her cover wasn't blown, but she was sure those two kids had gotten a good look at her car. Both of them would probably recognize it if they saw this vehicle again. NERV's cars weren't exactly low profile. Maybe it would be easier to move up the introjection a step or two. She dialed that number again. "Sir? ... No, they spotted me," she stated reluctantly. "I am still recording all conversation, but I think they will act as expected... Yes, I think it would be appropriate to introduce her into the mission... I understand. Yes, sir." Horaki sighed. "I'm hungry. Perhaps I'll have time to make a proper meal today." Then again, dinner at five in the morning was a little odd. -- Meanwhile, Kuni had taken off from the parking lot. "Do you have a place to stay in Tokyo?" he asked coldly, still staring straight down the road with no expression on his face. His eyes were narrowed just slightly, a sign that was obvious to Megumi. He was pissed. She scowled and tried to mimic his look. "Of course not! I was expecting to be driving home by now, after beating you down your local mountain course. I don't know what went wrong with my car," she said defensively. She had been driving for a while, and she took pride in the fact that she could fix the little problems that came up when racing down the mountain passes. When her car began to act oddly on the way to her destination, she couldn't place the problem at all. When the car died, she looked at the engine itself. Nothing seemed wrong at all. There was no reason for it to shut off. "I think we should get some sleep before we go look at it." She hated that tone of voice, the tone that said, 'I will help you, not because I like you, but because I'm a nice guy.' She hated receiving that kind of sympathy. "You pervert! I can fix it by myself. I don't need help from a guy like you. Or are you trying to get me to sleep with you again?" she said in a louder, more obnoxious tone that she knew would aggravate him. "No," he stated harshly. "I am trying to be friendly. I have an extra room at my apartment. You can sleep there if you want to. I don't have a problem if you want to get a room at a hotel, though," said Kunihirou, his tone softening a little. Soryu scowled as he spoke. She sighed at the idea of staying at a hotel, but there was no way she could. "Impossible! We don't all have tons of money like you do, Kunihirou!" "OK then." Megumi was unsure about her old companion. He seemed different, detached... More than before. Kunihirou had always been strange and a little crazy, but she was intrigued by him when they met. Her oxygen sensor on her car had popped off, causing the car to shut down on the way to a local racing meet. She flagged down the next car she saw, a very old Nissan. The driver happened to be Kunihirou, on the way to his normal meeting place. They attended the same school and were in the same grade and class, but for some reason they had never spoken. She had heard about him through the grapevine as a cute yet antisocial introvert. She found him to be just as cute as she had heard, but he seemed very friendly. He offered to look at her car and didn't object to taking her home after they found a crucial piece of her engine missing. Soon they were an exclusive couple, revered by everyone in their grade as "perfect together." The more she got to know him, the more she was unsure about his stability. Under his quiet outer shell was a paranoid child, a little boy always watching for things that were never there. He told her about his theories concerning his father, how that man had been murdered, and how his step-mother had covered it all up and prevented an investigation. He told Megumi that his step-mother was a part of a secret government organization. He explained how he had run away from home, and how his mother sent "agents" to chase him down. After much tribulation she convinced him to see a psychologist regularly to help him sort out his feelings about his parents. However, when things began to go wrong with their relationship, neither of them knew how to handle it. Eventually, Kunihirou moved himself to Tokyo, leaving his love behind. Megumi didn't realize that he moved mainly because he believed his step-mother was coming to abduct him, and not because of her relationship with him. Two years had passed since then, and both of them had matured. Neither of them knew how the other felt, but things hadn't been easy for either of them. By six in the morning the pair had eaten a quick breakfast at a small diner and gotten back to Kunihirou's apartment. It was cool and humid, the seasons becoming more pronounced with each passing year. Heavy fog surrounded the city, which was already awake and bustling. Many of the businesses remained open on Saturdays, since it had been proven very profitable in the post-Second Impact economy. The two young adults, however, were more exhausted than anything else. Of course they were both used to late nights since they were in their senior year of high school, but they were physically and emotionally drained from their "second meeting". Megumi was surprised to find his apartment very messy, with stacks of magazines, papers, and books strewn haphazardly around the apartment. There wasn't much furniture, and the main living area looked sparse, besides for two massive bookshelves and a small TV. Kuni silently directed her to the spare room before retiring to his own. Although they both still felt the rush of anger, they weren't interested in agruing or blaming at the time; they were simply too worn out. Megumi was momentarily blinded by the sun that was shining directly into the room. The light was pure white after being filtered by the fog, which made the room seem like it was colorless, simply different shades of gray. A small and plain western style bed with white sheets lie in the far left corner of Kuni's spare room. A wooden dresser sat beside the bed, with nothing but an empty glass on its top. A similarly-styled desk sat across the room, but there was no chair. Papers and a couple pencils were strewn across it. She had a slight urge to glance at the papers and look inside the dresser, but she decided not to. The constant sunlight was a disturbance, and Megumi knew she could never fall asleep in such harsh light. Pulling the thick blinds closed blocked off almost all of the light, and Soryu noticed the room actually was very gray, very dull. She undressed and threw the clothes on the floor, quickly climbing into the bed. The mattress was a little soft, and the pillows large and supportive. It was a familiar bed. -- Horaki Hikari grinned as she watched the blinds in that boy's apartment close. Everything was going as planned. It had been no mistake by which Soryu Megumi's car had broken down. NERV's Intelligence section had seen to that. The fact that a false invitation had been sent to Soryu from Watanabe Kunihirou was no mistake, either. Once the specifics on the boy's address and other such things had been nailed down, pulling the pieces together had been simple. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1); When I say "drive the mountain" or "mountain passes," I am referring to the racing scene in Japan. Racers can meet at the top of a mountain late at night when the roads are mainly unused and deserted. Racing consists of "grip" and "drift." Do a Google if you don't understand these terms. I don't mean they are literally racing down the mountain in some kind of off-road rally.