[Warhammer returns from the light.]

<And Lurker and Hikaru return from the lavender mist.>

	He hung up the phone and laid back on his bed. He saw the faces of

his 

adversaries. Then he saw the face of that same boy whom he bumped

into. 

He reached up to try and touch the image he made with his mind, but

found only empty air. 

Lurker: Does that mean he's an airhead?

Hikaru: <giggle>

	Touji winced and realized that he never should have asked that.

What 

neither boy knew was that Rei Ayanami was not staring outside the

window 

like always. Instead, her attention was focused on the younger

Ikari. 

Her eyes shifted to the doorway when Asuka stepped through. 

Lurker: <Rei voice> Oh Shinji. Oh Asuka. I cannot choose. I must have
them both.

Hikaru: <sweatdrop>

	"Baka Shinji. What were you doing all that time in the EVA? Doing 
something perverted I'll bet." She continued to playfully torment

him, 

stepping up to Shinji's and Touji's desks. Just as Touji was about

to 

tell her off, someone grabbed Asuka's shoulder from behind, turned

her 

around, and a resounding slap was heard throughout the whole

classroom. 

The hand which slapped her belonged to none other than Rei Ayanami.

Lurker, Hikaru: O_O

	Asuka found Rei's stare to be much more than what anyone else who

was 

just seeing from the sidelines. Rei's glare silenced every word

that 

Lurker: That first sentence is still a little awkward.

Asuka would have said before they ever came from her throat. With 
Asuka's silence, Rei turned around and walked back to her desk. 
Surprisingly enough, the rest of the class went without incident. 
Everyone else who witnessed the event made a mental note NOT to

cross 

Rei. 

Lurker: This sounds familiar. <munches on an Evanjellydonut>

Hikaru: Pass me one! <Lurker passes one> Thanks!

	After school, the synchro tests for the children were to commence

once 

more. After Touji and Asuka had left the change room, Shinji turned

to 

see through the curtain to see Rei's shadow. Looking at him from

what he 

could tell. He was about to put his other arm through the sleeve

when he 

saw Rei step out, dressed in her plug suit. Not wanting to prove

Asuka 

right, he turned away from Rei.

Hikaru: Okay, the plug suits are tight, but they're not *that* tight.

	In the same near emotionless tone she whispered, "Ikari-kun�" he

turned 

and stared at her straight in the eye. "May� may I ask you

something?" 

He never remembered a time when she had ever asked for anything

before, 

so he nodded. This time, he could tell she was starting to get 
apprehensive as she continued. 

	"Would� would you touch me?" 

Lurker, Hikaru: O_O

Lurker: <smirks> Well, which one's the pervert now? <takes another
Evanjellydonut from the box>

	Instead of anything that Asuka or anyone else for that matter

would 

have labeled perverted, he felt the curve of her cheek instead. He 

Lurker: That's even more perverted!

Hikaru: <blinks, frowns> Not *that* kind of cheek, baka! 

	"I do not know what to say either. But� let's just have this

moment to 

ourselves. Just for a moment." With that, she rested her head on

his 

shoulder. He turned to her slightly and a small smile grew from his

lips. She was right, just for this moment. With that, he wrapped

both 

arms around her and felt as if he were a child once more. Enjoying

the 

feeling of being with another whom cared for you and you for them. 

Hikaru: Awwww...<reaches for another Evanjellydonut, only to find the
box empty> Darn!

The testing had shown that Touji had gotten the same exact rate as

Re, 

Hikaru: Who's Re?

Lurker: A new character the author slipped in unannounced? How the
hell should I know?

	Shigeru turned to Gendou, "Sir! We have an angel closing on radar.

>From 

the looks of it, it's holding position directly over us! About 10

miles 

straight up." Gendou saw the angel, known as Arael, through the

view 

screen and his eyes narrowed. It almost looked like a phoenix, only

instead of being a powerful malignancy, it's only purpose would

most 

likely kill them all. 

Lurker: <nods> Fixed the Angel. Good.

	All four children received their orders and accepted them without 
qualm. Although, Asuka would have objected to being used as a

reserve, 

Lurker: <grabs a flyswatter and smashes the comma after 'Although'>
Damn commas. Breed like cockroaches, they do.

	<Well, at least she gave me ample warning this time.> the woman,

Nodoka 

Saotome, thought. Bringing the glow about her to as little power as

possible, she flew up to the roof of the building she hid beside.

In the 

distance, she saw the enemy that was going to be next to try and

find 

Adam.. 

Lurker: <wince> Still too close to a Third Impact reference, as
Huang-san pointed out to you earlier. You *really* need to find a way
of expressing this that doesn't make it look like the Angels are
waving signs: "Look at us! We want to cause a Third Impact! Aren't we
just terrible?"

	From entry passages, four EVAs emerged. The large purple one,

armed 

with a massive rifle, stepped ahead of an ice blue EVA and a black 
colored one. In the back, the red EVA stood still, hidden from

where the 

Angel would probably see it. The rifle, the large purple one

carried, 

<Lurker whacks the comma after 'rifle' with his flyswatter>

was attached to what would have been an umbilical cord. 

Lurker: So it's a newborn, right?

	Asuka continued to fire, despite orders from Misato and requests

from 

Shinji and Touji. That was when a beam erupted from the part of the

disc 

closest to it's attacker. 

Lurker: <wince> Didn't *quite* catch all the original references to
the thing, did you?

	Within the red EVA, a soul was crying. Ninohi floated up behind

Asuka 

to see her crying as well. They were both the victims of the

angel's 

vicious power, and there was nothing they could do. The only thing 
Ninohi could do was wrap her arms around the pilot and do it's best

to 

comfort her. Neither one could stop crying. 

Lurker: Didn't we already establish that Ninohi is female? Keep the
pronouns consistent.

Gendou blinked a few times and suddenly comprehended what he was

being 

told. Yet, he wasn't sure if it was worth getting rid of one of the

most 

important tools for the HCP for this. The Lancea Longini was a very

important stabilizer when the HCP commenced.. He then weighed the 
options of using it now and still working with the HCP, or not

using it 

and not even getting a chance to start the HCP. Only a true fool

would 

choose the latter. 

Lurker: Unfortunately, Mihoshi was in command of Central Dogma at the
moment...

Hikaru: <whaps Lurker>

	At that time, Misato took over, "Ok then, Shinji, Touji, see if

you can 

help that light-whatever it is. Buy as much time as you can!" Both

boys 

responded the affirmative in unison. 

	Both boys re-aimed their rifles at the angel and fired away. Every

shot 

hit it's mark. Both weapons they used still had no effect, yet 

<Lurker pulls out a can of bug spray and tries to hit the rogue
apostrophe in 'its'>

Yet, what Rei did not see was Asuka and her EVA got up, ran to her,

and 

yanked the spear out of her hands. Everyone was about protest when

she 

Lurker: We have conflicting verb tenses in this sentence. I'd cut out
everything before "Asuka and her EVA got up"...it really doesn't need
to be there.

Seeing the spear approach, Seraphim moved out of the way fast

enough to 

allow the spear it's target. Yet, another beam shot out from Arael

and 

knocked the spear away. 

Lurker, Hikaru: O_O

Everyone watched in despair as the only weapon that could hope to

beat 

the angel was lost. Yet, regained that hope when the light took

hold of 

the spear, turned around and threw it with more force than Asuka

did. 

The spear tore through another shot from the angel and through the

heart 

of it's body as well. The resulting explosion created a flash so

great, 

nobody noticed where Seraphim came from landed on the ground by the

shelter.  

Lurker: Uuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........

Hikaru: <winces> That last sentence is *really* funky looking.

Lurker: <puts on some shades, and sings> "Kill that funky sentence
light boy..."

Hikaru: <falls over> Anou...was that *really* neccessary?

Lurker: <points up at the sentence> You tell me.

Hikaru: <looks up, winces> Point.

	"I saw here again. That thing was inside my mind. I saw my mother 

Lurker: I saw here, I saw there, I saw everywhere but where I wanted
to see. Who am I?

Hikaru: Hibiki Ryouga!

<a bell dings, and a canned audience cheers>

	Oh and the title "Adam Bound" is basically are what the angels are

doing. They are bound for Adam to return to him. Also, it was also 
inspired by title of the Disney movie, "Homeward Bound". Get it?

Good. 

If you think that title's ridiculous, you should wait until Chapter

9. I 

just might as well get smacked for using it. 

Lurker: You might as well get smacked for the title of this one. VIZ
doesn't even come up with worse stuff. Did it ever occur to you to
make a pun on "atom"?

	On a final note, in the first draft, I made a TON of mistakes,

both EVA 

story-wise, and grammar-wise. [Dresses in SUPER formal Kimono,

throws a 

formal carpet in front of himself, knells down and bows.] Doumo

arigato 

gozaimasu Lurker-sensei and Huang-sensei. I am in your debt for the

help 

you've given me before. Thank you very much. 

Lurker: I'll let Huang-san take most of the credit for helping you on
this one. He took care of the more important fixes. <waves to
Huang-san> Hiya.

Hikaru: <thinks> [I've got to keep him from doing this at 4 in the
morning anymore...]

[Warhammer returns to the light.] 

<and Lurker and Hikaru return to the mist...>

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"Kakeru-niisama? Bathe."
--Shidou Hikaru, Onna: Red Side chapter 20
---
The Eternal Lost Lurker
EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net

I get my kicks *above* the waistline, sunshine.
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