Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by Gainax
Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi

For the Sake of the Children 
-----------------------------------

Chapter 3: A Physical Trainer?


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"So?  What do you make of this?"  Ikari asked quietly.

"I- I don't know," Ritsuko replied weakly.  Like Misato, she had not spent
much time in the sick bay.  Upon getting her head bandaged, she had flown
directly to Tokyo-3 and watched the video footage of Ranko's rescue.

"The. . . acrobatics, I can understand.  Apparently this Ranma Saotome is a
martial artist of some sort.  However, he did something that managed to
break through an AT Field.  We've enlarged the video image 1000 percent.
He was not carrying a weapon.  That. . . glow was coming from his hands,"
Ikari said.

"Do we have any idea what it was?" Ritsuko asked.

"We're still analyzing the tape, yet so far, we know nothing."  

"What are you going to do?"  Ritsuko asked.

"I'm going to ask him to join Nerv," Ikari shrugged.

"You- you're going to ask him to fight the Angels?"  Ritsuko asked with
disbelief.

"That might be a bit premature," Ikari replied dryly, "No, I have something
else in mind.  I want him to be the pilots' physical trainer.  Our latest
tests show that proper physical conditioning improves the pilot's ability
to synchronize with an Eva."

"What latest tests. . .  Oh," Ritsuko replied, as his true intent dawned
upon her.

"Exactly," Ikari said with a cold smile, "The idea of letting someone who
can easily break through an AT Field run around loose is unacceptable; and
just like any new employee in our organization, Mr. Saotome will have to go
through a complete physical; blood test, cat scan, DNA. . . well, I'm sure
you understand."

"Yes, I understand.  All we have to do now is find him," Ritsuko sighed.  

"He's back home.  He returned to Tokyo-3 sometime before you," Ikari replied.

"What?  How did-" Ritsuko asked as Ikari held up his hand.

"I don't know, but one of our operatives -has- reported that father and
daughter are indeed back in Tokyo-3," Ikari interrupted.

"All right.  I'll send Misato after him.  They seemed to get along well,"
Ritsuko commented.

"Do it," Ikari commanded

			
				***********************************


Misato nervously rapped her knuckles on the front door of the Saotome home.
 She didn't for a single minute believe Ritsuko's story about the children
needing a physical trainer.  She had seen what Ranma had done.  (How is the
world- No.  Not yet.  I need to get him to -talk- to me first,) Misato
thought, waiting for the door to open.  After a few seconds, she knocked
again.  (Maybe he's not home.)  Misato walked around the house and found a
gate leading to the backyard and the dojo.  On a hunch, she opened the gate
and walked to the smaller building, glancing at the Koi pond as she passed
by.  

The dojo door opened just as she reached it.  Ranma stood in the doorway, a
towel around his neck. His initial reaction was one of surprise, but a
scowl quickly grew on his face. Misato stared at his muscled form
appreciatively.  The cotton gi he wore hugged his form nicely. (It's
amazing what a little exercise can do,) Misato thought with a sigh.  "I
keep catching you at the end of your workouts.  Lucky, huh?" Misato asked,
laughing weakly.  

"What do you want?" Ranma asked coldly, instantly sobering her up.

"I understand you're upset.  I would be too, but please, I just wanted to
talk," Misato pleaded.

"Look, we had a deal!  You run your little 'test' and I make my decision,
right?  Well, I've made it!  Ranko is -not- going to join Nerv.  She will
not be one of your pilots.  I may not be a scientist or nothing, but you'll
-never- convince me that there's a technological reason to have a child
pilot those monsters!"  Ranma yelled angrily.  

"Look, this isn't about Ranko, this-  what happened to your hands?" Misato
asked, noticing the scars and bandages for the first time.

"They got burnt; no big deal.  Now, what do you mean, 'this isn't about
Ranko'?" Ranma asked. 

"There's something I need to discuss with you.  It's really important;
perhaps we can talk inside the house?" Misato asked.

"I'm busy," Ranma replied bluntly.

"How about we go to lunch or something; my treat.  You need to eat, right?
We'll talk about it then, okay?" Misato asked.  

Ranma nearly grinned, then shook his head ruefully.  (A free lunch?  Does
she know me -that- well already?)  he thought.  "Okay, we'll talk.  But
Ranko is not going to be a pilot; that's final," Ranma warned.

"That's fine, Ranma.  Actually, we don't really need her anymore.  Unit 03
was destroyed yesterday.  No Eva, no pilot," Misato replied.

"Fine.  Let me jump in the shower and we'll get going, I know just the
place," Ranma replied.


				********************************************

"WHAT?  That's impossible!"  Asuka yelled angrily.

"Quietly, Asuka," Shinji pleaded, glancing at all his classmates who had
begun to stare.  Class had just broke for lunch and the three Eva pilots
were seated in a corner of the classroom, talking to Ranko.  All of them,
Asuka in particular, were curious how she had escaped from Unit 03.  During
the course of the previous day's battle, Shinji had noticed the
half-ejected entry plug and its open hatch.  After the battle, he and Asuka
had told each other what they knew, and had decided to talk to Ranko at the
first opportunity.

"Don't tell me to be quiet, you idiot!  What she said is impossible!  How
can a man lift an entry plug?  You know how big those things are!" Asuka
retorted.

"Otosan is not exactly an average guy.  He's been studying martial arts his
whole life," Ranko pointed out.

"So he can do a couple of fancy kicks and flips!  Big deal!  It doesn't
mean he can lift an entry plug!" Asuka argued.

"How do ya suppose I escaped then?" Ranko asked with a sigh.

"You just. . . I mean-" Asuka floundered. 

"How did your father get past the AT Field?" Rei asked, her face slightly
troubled.  Ranko buried her head in her hands and sighed again.

"If ya didn't believe me about the entry plug, then there's no way yer
gonna believe what Otosan did about the AT Field," Ranko mumbled.


				********************************************


"I've never had okanomyaki," Misato said, following after Ranma.

"Really?  Then you're in for a treat.  This place is great, and I kinda
know the owner," Ranma replied, opening the door to Utchan's.

"Ranchan!  I'm happy to see- Who's she?"  Ukyou asked flatly from her place
by the grill.  

"Uh, Ukyo Kuonji, meet Misato Katsuragi," Ranma replied, introducing the
two women.

"Nice to meet you," Misato said warmly.

"Likewise," Ukyo smiled.  However her greeting was anything but warm.
"Ranchan, could I talk to you privately for a moment?"

"Sure thing, Ucchan," Ranma replied then turned to Misato. "Go ahead and
sit down, I'll be with ya in a sec."

"Okay," Misato replied as Ranma walked up to the counter.

"What's up, Ucchan?" Ranma asked.

"Ranchan, did you actually have the -nerve- to bring a -date- here?" Ukyo
asked, grabbing a fist full of Ranma's shirt.

"What date?  This ain't a date!" Ranma protested.

"Oh?  Then what is it?" Ukyo asked, her voice still cold.

"It's, uh, business, I think," Ranma replied.

"Business? What -kind- of business?  Does she want some private martial
arts lessons?  Or maybe she needs someone to redesign her bedroom?" Ukyo
suggested nastily.

"It's nothin' like that!  She's from Nerv.  Can we talk about this later?
I got a lot on my mind right now," Ranma pleaded.

"Nerv?  What do they want with you?  We -will- talk about this later.
You're -sure- this isn't a date?" Ukyo asked skeptically.

"It's definitely not a date," Ranma replied.

"Good.  Now, go back to your. . . friend, I'll bring you both a special,"
Ukyo replied, letting go of Ranma's shirt.  

"Right, and Ucchan?  Thanks," Ranma replied with a smile.

"Don't thank me, Ranchan.  I'll figure out a way for you make things up to
me," Ukyo replied.  Ranma nodded resignedly in reply and walked over to the
table Misato had chosen.

"Everything okay?" Misato asked as Ranma sat down.

"Yeah, everything's fine.  I ordered for the both of us, since ya never had
an Okanomyaki before.  Hope ya don't mind," Ranma replied.

"No, that's fine.  By the way, how did you get back home from Matsushiro?
We had people looking everywhere for you," Misato said.

"We jogged to the train station and hopped on a train heading for Tokyo-3,"
Ranma replied simply.

"You jogged?  But- but the train station was at least thirty miles away!"
Misato exclaimed.

"It wasn't so bad," Ranma shrugged, "although, Ranko doesn't think that the
plug suit is 'cute' any more.  It kinda drew a lot of stares on when we
were on the train."

"Really?"  Misato asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, and that sticky stuff in the plug was starting to make her
uncomfortable too," Ranma said, a light grin on his face.  Misato's
laughter died down and she looked seriously at Ranma.

"How is Ranko?  She wasn't hurt, was she?"  Misato asked.

"She was scared, Misato.  I've never seen her so scared.  -I've- never been
that scared!" Ranma replied, his hands clenched tightly together on the
tabletop.  Misato hesitantly reached out and squeezed Ranma's hand with her
own.

"I know.  I'm sorry, Ranma," she said.

"Look, I've had a crazy life, Misato.  I'm not gonna go into details, but
I'm used to danger.  I didn't -want- that for Ranko.  I want a normal,
care-free, happy life for her.  I owe her that.  I owe her -mother- that,"
Ranma replied.

Misato squeezed Ranma's hand again.  (I wish my father was like you,) she
thought silently.

"Here's your meal," Ukyo said coldly, pointedly looking at Ranma and
Misato's connected hands.

"Uh, thanks Ucchan!" Ranma replied, quickly disengaging his hand from
Misato's. 

"You're welcome, " Ukyo replied, stalking back to the kitchen.  Misato
glanced at Ranma's plate and smiled at what she saw.  On top of the
okanomiyaki was a heart, painted in sauce, along with the words, 'To My
Darling Ranchan'.  

"I think I know why you like to eat here," Misato commented.

"Hey!  Ucchan's just a friend.  We've known each other a long time.
There's nothin' more to it," Ranma protested.

"Of course," Misato replied lightly.
  
"Wasn't there something you wanted to talk about?" Ranma asked, trying to
dodge the issue.

"All right, down to business then," Misato replied, still smiling. "We want
you to join Nerv."

"What?"  Ranma asked flatly, shaking his head and blinking.

"We want you to join Nerv," Misato repeated.

"That's what I thought you said," Ranma replied, rubbing his face.  "Unless
you need me to build a house, or maybe teach your robots martial arts, I
don't see what I can do for ya."

"Not the Evas," Misato replied, rolling her eyes, "we want you to teach the
Children martial arts.  Be their physical trainer, so to speak."

"A physical trainer?"  Ranma asked skeptically.

"Yes.  At least, that was the reason I was told to give you," Misato replied.

"Oh?  What's the real reason?" Ranma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They didn't tell me, but I'm pretty sure I know," Misato replied.

"Go on," Ranma said.

"Ranma, how did you break through the AT Field?" Misato asked quietly.

"What?"  Ranma asked, confused at the apparent change of subject.

"The AT Field, Ranma.  You broke through it with some kind of. . . glowing
light or something.  It looked like a laser," Misato replied.  For a few
seconds, Ranma seemed confused, but then his eyes lit up in understanding.

"You mean that invisible shield?  It's called an AT Field?"  Ranma asked.

"Right," Misato replied.

"It wasn't really a big deal.  I just used a ki attack," Ranma said.

"A what?" Misato asked; it was her turn to be confused.

"It's a martial arts technique.  A really powerful martial artist can
channel energy into a weapon.  None of my physical attacks were gettin'
past that damn shield, so I figured I'd use my ki," Ranma replied.

"A martial arts move?  That's it?"  Misato asked incredulously.

"More or less.  You just concentrate a part of your spirit and channel the
power," Ranma shrugged.

"You've lost me," Misato replied.

"Well, it's not all that easy, but that that's the best way I can describe
it.  It takes years and years of training before a martial artist can get
strong enough to channel their ki."    

"So this. . . 'ki' is your spirit?  Or soul?" Misato asked.

"It can be, but that's not always the case.  You can use nature, too.  The
first ki attack I ever learned had to do with changes in air pressure,"
Ranma replied.

"Okay. . ." Misato replied, still looking confused.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Ranma asked with a grin.

"Let's just say that all this is a little beyond me," Misato sighed.  (Is
he nuts?  Does he want me to believe in magic, or what?) Misato thought
moodily.

"How would you explain this?" Ranma asked, as if reading her mind.  He held
up his right hand, palm up.  Slowly, a bright yellow glowing ball of ki
grew there.

"Don't you fire that off in here, Ranchan!" Ukyo yelled from the counter.

"It's just a demonstration, Ucchan," Ranma explained. 

 Misato leaned forward and stared at Ranma's hand, her eyes wide with
disbelief.  Hesitantly, she reached out to touch the glowly light. "I
wouldn't do that if I were you," Ranma warned.  Startled, Misato looked up
at Ranma's face, fascination and a touch of fear lining her eyes.  With an
amused chuckle Ranma relaxed and the ki ball disappeared.

"I think. . . I believe you," Misato said lamely.  She glared as Ranma's
chuckle grew into a full blown laugh.  "It's not funny!" She protested,
failing to keep a smile from growing on her face.  "Can you teach other
people how to do that?" Misato asked as Ranma's laughter died down.   

"Sure, but keep in mind, I've been training since I could walk.  It's the
same with Ranko.  Like I said, it takes a long time and a lot of training
to reach the level where a person can manipulate their ki.  I can't stress
that enough.  Akane is a good example.  My wife was a good martial artist.
She held a black belt and trained a great deal, especially after we got
married; but she was never able to use her ki," Ranma warned.

"Can Ranko use her. . . ki?" Misato asked.  The entire concept still seemed
foreign, yet fascinating to her.

"No, she isn't ready yet, and if you guys want me ta teach your pilots how
ta use ki, it ain't gonna happen," Ranma replied firmly.

"I think they're more interested in -how- you managed to do it.  Ranma, you
have to understand, up until now, only an Eva or an Angel could break
through the AT Field.  Even an N2 bomb can't do it," Misato said.

"Okay, what did you want me to do," Ranma sighed.

"Just join us.  If we can figure out how you broke through the AT Field, we
might have a better chance of saving this planet," Misato replied.

"Right, right.  'Physical trainer' indeed," Ranma snorted.  He looked
thoughtfully at Misato and then his expression turned sad.  "Ya know, I
never felt as helpless as I did yesterday," he said bitterly.

"Why?  You saved Ranko.  That's what counts," Misato replied.

"That's not what I meant Misato.  Ya see, I was taught to always help
people in need.  It's a martial artist's duty to protect others.  And yet,
I let three children face a monster yesterday!  I was so concerned about
keeping Ranko safe that I just left!" Ranma said, berating himself.

"Ranma, no one is blaming you for anything! You did the right thing.  You
saved your daughter.  Besides, what could you have done against an Angel?"
Misato asked, realizing immediately what a stupid question that was.

"Anyway, you're right.  If I can help ya out, I will," Ranma said.

"So you'll join us?" Misato asked hopefully.

"Yeah, Misato, I will."

"Welcome to NERV!" Misato exclaimed, reaching out to hold Ranma's hand again.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Ukyo asked, suddenly appearing at
their table.

"Gah!  Uh, no!  No thanks, Ucchan, we're fine," Ranma replied weakly.
Misato just smirked knowingly as she slowly let go of Ranma's hand.

************************
End Chapter 3
************************

This is was a bit of a setup, but I needed some of these conversations to
take place.   A word to the wise, this fic is going to contain more
character development and dialog than action.  Hope you enjoy it anyway.

Thanks to my unofficial editor, Dfire...  This chapter is a lot better than
it started out because of him.

Special thanks to John Peasley, who gave me some ideas with this fic.  He's
the author of Unlimited Moment, by the way.  A fic I HIGHLY recommend!