The Pools.
By Kevin McHorney


	The Gherin VSTOL landed on a small cliff overlooking 
the mysterious valley.  A wide cargo door in the back of the 
aircraft and armored men leapt to the ground.  They landed in a 
crouch and scanned the surrounding terrain, their assault 
rifles ready to eliminate anything that constituted a threat.  
One of the men paused as he listened to his headset then 
pointed to three men and motioned them towards a small, nearby 
hut.  The three men ran towards the hut and rushed inside.

	The soldier who had signaled held his earpiece closer 
to his head, then he tapped his throat and said, "This is 
Sergeant Hanabishi.  The area is secure, Sir.  One male in 
structure, no other humans detected."

	A door on the side of the aircraft opened and swung to 
the ground to form a ladder.  Gendo Ikari stepped down the 
ladder followed closely by Kozo Fuyutsuki.  They stepped to the 
edge of the small cliff and surveyed the valley.  
"Interesting," Ikari said.  "Every one of the pools has a 
bamboo pole in it's center?"

	"Yes, all of them.  This valley was at one time a 
martial arts training ground.  However this supposed curse has 
kept people away for decades now."

	"Yet it survived the second impact and continues to 
give off an unusual energy signature.  Perhaps there is 
something to this curse, Professor."

	"Magic, Ikari?  I didn't think that you would be one to 
believe in it."

	Ikari used his index finger to slide his glasses back 
onto the bridge of his nose and smiled.  "I don't.  But after 
all, there are more things on this Earth than are contained in 
all your books and philosophies."

	"Hamlet?" Fuyutsuki said as he raised an eyebrow.  "An 
odd time to be quoting Shakespeare."

	Ikari let his comment pass and signaled to Sergeant 
Hanabishi.  "The Professor and I are going down to this 
valley."

	  Sergeant Hanabishi saluted and said, "Yes, Sir."  He 
turned and started barking orders to his troops as Ikari and 
Fuyutsuki walked down the narrow path to the valley floor, 
followed by two soldiers.

	At the edge of the field of pools Ikari signaled to the 
soldiers to remain where they are as he and Fuyutsuki walked in 
among the pools.  Ikari stopped and stood besides one of the 
pools, looking into it's depths.  "What kind of curse was 
placed on these pools?"

	"Actually, we don't know." Fuyutsuki said.  Ikari 
looked up at him in surprise and Fuyutsuki continued, "We only 
know that its name is the cursed training ground of Jusenkyo 
and that it's the pools themselves that are cursed."  He paused 
as if weighing his words, then said, "Are you sure you want to 
be sitting so close to it?"

	" Curses, Professor?  I didn't think that you would be 
one to believe in it," Ikari said, throwing Fuyutsuki's own 
words back at him.  "I'm sure that..." Ikari's words were cut 
off as the ground he was standing on crumbled, pitching him 
into the pool. He came sputtering back to the surface and 
grabbed onto the edge.  

	Fuyutsuki held out a hand to help Ikari out of the 
water, then paused.  Something about Ikari looked different.  
His glasses hadn't changed, but they didn't make his face look 
quite as omniscient as they usually did.  There were other 
changes in his expression and the way he stood as he got out of 
the pool.  Nothing Fuyutsuki could put his finger on, however 
something had changed about his friend.  "Ikari, are you 
alright?"

	"Never better, Fuyutsuki my friend, never better."  
Professor Fuyutsuki's eyes nearly popped out of his head as 
Ikari smiled.  This wasn't his usual closed smirk, but the open 
grin of a man who hid nothing.  "Hmm, my son is almost five.  I 
need to get him back from that teacher and start training him 
properly," Ikari said to himself as he walked back to the 
VSTOL, Fuyutsuki trailing behind him.  "A training trip should 
turn him into a real man.  Maybe I should arrange a marriage 
for him, giver him something to look forward to after he 
becomes a man.  I think Professor Soryu has a daughter about 
Shinji's age."

	Inside the hut the Jusenkyo guide sighed and shook his 
head.  "Poor man, fall into spring of drowned martial arts 
father."

End.

I was re-reading Kevin Hammel's 'Hearts and Minds' series when 
I got the idea for this little story.  Not much more to say 
about it.  As always, please send comments to 
stormwalker628@usa.net

Disclaimer, this story is in no way a challenge to the 
ownership of any ideas or characters from either Neon Genesis 
Evangelion or Ranma 1/2 and was written for entertainment 
purposes only.



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