[Ranma/Eva][FanFic] For the Sake of the Children - Parts 1-2

[Anand Rao]

For the Sake of the Children - Chapter One

Notes: This is an alternate Eva story line, from episode 17 or so on.
Potentially, it can fit as a continuation in the Ranma 1/2 story
line. =)

Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by Gainax

Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter One: A New Pilot

Misato and Ritsuko watched the satellite feedback impassively as the
U.S. Nerv base disappeared in a mushroom-like cloud of yellow light.
"So what exactly happened there, Ritsuko?" Misato asked.

"I honestly don't know, the whole base just disappeared; along with Unit
04 and the prototype S2 engine," Ritsuko replied.

"They were running a field test on Unit 04 at the time, right? Do think
there was an accident of some sort?"

"Possible, but unlikely. There was -no- explosion. If I were to hazard
a guess, I would say that the base was absorbed by an Angel, just like
Unit 01 a few days ago," Ritsuko replied. Misato shuddered as she
remembered Shinji's screams. She had never felt so helpless in her life
than when she saw Unit 01 sink into the shadow-like Angel. Ritsuko
glanced at Misato as she turned off the video of the satellite feed.
"You'd better come to my office, Major. There are some other things we
need to discuss," Ritsuko said, walking out of the conference room.

Misato blinked away the memories and followed after Ritsuko. As they
reached the escalator that would take them down a few floors, Ritsuko
mentioned that Unit 03 would be transferred to Tokyo-3. "What? I
thought the Americans insisted on building Units 03 and 04 themselves,
and all of a sudden, they're just dumping it in our hands?" Misato asked
indignantly.

"You really can't blame them, Misato. They don't want to risk losing
another base. We're better equipped to deal with Unit 03 anyway,"
Ritsuko replied.

"Fine, fine. What about the activation test? Are you going to use
Rei's dummy plug?" Misato asked.

Ritsuko thought back on her conversation with Gendo. (The dummy plug
just isn't ready yet!) she thought then glanced at Misato. "Actually,
that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Ritsuko replied, stepping
off the escalator as it reached the floor of her office. The two women
remained quite until they reached Ritsuko's office. As she sat down at
her desk and turned on her computer she gave Misato a long stare. "We
will be using the Forth Child in Unit 03's activation test," she said.

"The -Fourth- Child's been found already? I never received a report
from the Marduk Institute!" Misato exclaimed.

"The Child was found yesterday. Don't worry Major, you'll receive your
report," Ritsuko replied.

"Are you hiding things from me again, Dr. Akagi?" Misato asked, her
voice cold.

"Of course not," Ritsuko replied wearily.

"All right," Misato conceded, "who is it?"

Ritsuko typed a few commands on her keyboard and brought up the Fourth
Child's file. Misato read the file intently. "Hmmm. . . She goes to
Shinji's school. Interesting coincidence, don't you think?" Misato
commented.

"I'll be informing her later on today," Ritsuko said, ignoring Misato's
comment.

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

"Ah! Lunch! My -favorite- time of the day!" Toji said, with a
heart-felt sigh.

"Anytime you get a chance to -eat- is your favorite time of the day!"
Kensuke stated. Shinji quietly smiled as he took out his own lunch.
"Hey Shinji, is it true that Unit 03 is being transferred here from the
U.S.?" Kensuke asked, getting his own food together.

"I don't know, no one's said anything," Shinji replied.

"Well, is it true that Unit 04 was destroyed, along with the second base
in the U.S.?" Kensuke asked, a bit impatiently.

"What? Destroyed? I didn't hear anything about that," Shinji replied,
a bit troubled.

"You -must- have heard something!" Kensuke demanded.

"No, Misato hasn't said a word about it," Shinji replied.

"Oh, well, I guess it's not something that really concerns the pilots,
so there really wasn't any reason to tell you," Kensuke said,
automatically coming to Misato's defense.

Shinji's reply was cut off by the school intercom, "RANKO SAOTOME PLEASE
REPORT TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE." Everyone in the classroom glanced at
a short redheaded girl who was blissfully sleeping at her desk. The
teacher had gotten tired of continuously trying to keep her awake, so he
let her sleep through lunch. He figured that that was punishment
enough.

"Ranko-chan, wakeup!" A girl sitting in the next desk over called. The
girl in question continued to snore. "RANKO!" The girl yelled, shaking
the redhead vigorously.

"Hmm? Wha- what is it?" Ranko asked sleepily, finally starting to wake
up.

"Ranko, they're waiting for you in the principal's office," the girl
said, exasperated.

"Who's waiting?" Ranko mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"I don't know, but your name was just called over the intercom," the
girl replied.

"Okay, okay, I'm going. Thanks, Natsuko-chan!" Ranko said, getting up
out of her seat and bounding out of the classroom.

"I've never seen a girl sleep so much!" Kensuke commented as he watched
Ranko leave.

"It's all that martial arts. Girls shouldn't work out that much!
They're not built for it," Toji observed sagely.

"Martial arts?" Shinji queried.

"That's right, you really don't know anyone else in class, do you?
That's Ranko, her dad owns a martial arts dojo or something. Apparently
he won a few tournaments before Second Impact, or something, but people
just don't do that kinda stuff anymore," Toji replied.

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

Ranko sighed as she opened the door to the principal's office. (I
wonder what I did this time,) she thought to herself. She honestly
couldn't think of anything that might have gotten her into trouble. She
hadn't been late to school for at least a month, and she hadn't gotten
into a fight for at least a week! Ranko blinked as she noticed that
someone other than the principal was sitting at his desk. (Uh on,
what's going on?) Ranko thought as she smiled questioningly at the
rather cold-looking blonde haired woman sitting at the desk.

"Are you Ranko Saotome?" The woman asked without any preamble.

"Yeah. . ," Ranko replied cautiously.

"Good. My name is Dr. Ritsuko Akagi," the woman said.

"Nice ta meet ya," Ranko replied.

Ritsuko sat back in the chair and steepled her hands in front of her in
an unconscious imitation of Commander Ikari. "Tell me Ranko, have you
heard of Nerv?" Ritsuko asked.

"Sure! Nerv's the organization that's keeping my dad employed!" Ranko
replied cheerfully.

"Your -father- works for Nerv?" Ritsuko asked unbelievingly.

"Not exactly, but he says Nerv keeps him employed," Ranko replied.

"How 'exactly' does Nerv keep your father employed?" Ritsuko asked
curiously.

"Well, my dad's a contractor; putting together buildings and stuff. He
says that with all the damage Nerv has caused in Tokyo-3 lately, he'll
never run out of work!" Ranko explained, giggling.

"I see," Ritsuko replied coldly.

"Uh, what's this about, anyway?" Ranko asked.

"Miss Saotome, do you actually -know- what Nerv does?" Ritsuko asked
intently.

"Nerv's, uh, fighting those big Alien thingies; Angels, I think they're
called," Ranko replied.

"You are correct. Nerv is the earth's last line of defense against the
Angels," Ritsuko replied, almost by rote.

"Right, so what does that have to do with me?" Ranko asked.

"You do know that three of your classmates work for Nerv as Evangelion
pilots, right?"

"Sure," Ranko replied, a bit uncertain.

"We want you to join us," Ritsuko sighed, hoping the girl in front of
her was smarter than she seemed.

"You- you want -me- to pilot one of those big robots?" Ranko asked
incredulously.

"That's right Ranko; you meet the qualifications for an Eva pilot. Will
you join us?" Ritsuko asked

"I- I don't know what to say," Ranko mumbled, leaning back against the
door.

"'Yes' would be an appropriate reply," Ritsuko replied dryly, "we really
do need your help."

"Before I decide anything, I'm going to, no, -you- are going to have to
talk to my dad," Ranko replied.

"Will he be against something like this?" Ritsuko asked.

"I don't know, no one has every asked me to operate a weapon of mass
destruction before," Ranko replied sarcastically.

"Very well," Ritsuko replied, standing up, "Someone will arrive at your
home this evening to explain the situation to your father. Good day,
Ranko."

Ranko numbly exited the office. Walking back to class, she realized
that she honestly did not know how her father would feel about the
situation. He was incredibly over protective most of the time, yet,
there were times when he allowed her, or forced her, to do dangerous
things in the name of the Art. She didn't mind really; her training was
challenging and with father there, the danger was minimized. He never
allowed her to get hurt. "Oh well, life's been getting boring anyway,"
she thought aloud.

As she walked down the long empty corridor back to class, she thought
about what Dr. Akagi was asking of her. (Why does she want -me- to
pilot one of those things?) Ranko hesitated as she reached her
classroom. (Maybe I can ask the other pilots about it,) she thought as
she opened the door. Everyone turned around and stared at her as she
entered the classroom. "Uh, sorry sensei, I, uh," Ranko tried to
explain.

"That's all right Miss Saotome, I know all about it," the teacher
replied.

Ranko glanced, in turn, at each of the three Eva pilots as she reached
her desk. None of them were exactly approachable. She had honestly
tried to talk with Rei many times, only to be ignored. Ranko was
-almost- friends with Asuka. The redheaded Eva pilot was friendly and
outgoing, but she seemed to like to hear herself talk. Ranko sat at her
desk and stared at Shinji. She had never even given the boy a second
thought. He was almost as quiet as Rei, but with one subtle difference.
Where Rei's silence made her stand out, Shinji's made him blend in with
the background. Of course, this was just Ranko's opinion. (He's
probably just shy. He's gotta be a hell of a lot smarter than me if
he's piloting one of those monsters.) Ranko yawned as the teacher
continued his lecture. (At least I didn't get in trouble,) she thought
drowsily as she inevitably fell asleep.

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

Ranko hummed softly as she quickly sliced up the onion in front of her.
She set her knife on the cutting board, wiped her hands on her 'panda'
apron, a present from her grandfather, then checked the bubbling pot of
. . . something that was on the stove. Ranko had decided on the way
home from school that being an Eva pilot would be a good thing to do.
Her father had instilled in her many values with regards to helping
others. As a child growing up in the wake of the 2nd Impact, helping
others seemed very important. Besides, the other Eva pilots were
sometimes able to leave class early. Rei even skipped school
altogether. That was a perk that -really- appealed to Ranko. She
reasoned to herself that she wasn't being too shallow; after all, saving
the world must be hard work! So what if the saviors missed school once
in a while?

Ranko dipped a serving spoon into the boiling pot, pulled it out and
stared at the 'stew' she had made. Unfortunately, while Ranko had her
father's skill with a knife, she had her -mother's- skill when it came
to cooking. She closed her eyes, put the spoon in her mouth and gulped
down the contents. After a few seconds, the spoon fell to the floor
from her nerveless fingers and she ran to the kitchen faucet, put her
mouth under the tap, and turned on the water full blast.

(Well, -that's- not gonna help,) she thought morosely as she turned off
the water and stared at the 'dinner' she prepared. (Guess I should have
paid more attention to Auntie Shampoo's lessons.) Ranko knew that her
father would object to her being an Eva pilot; she was hoping that a
nice meal might butter him up a bit when the Nerv representative
visited.

"Well, all I really need is a distraction. Maybe if he gets food
poisoning or something, he'll be in too much pain to argue with me," she
thought jokingly as she dumped her stew down the drain. "I'm gonna need
a new plan," Ranko said as the doorbell rang. "Oh! -Damn- Guess it's
too late now." She took off her apron and ran to the front door. She
opened the door to find a woman, about her father's age, with long black
hair. She was wearing a black pair of slacks, a matching shirt and a
thick red military jacket.

"Hello, I'm Major Misato Katsuragi. You must be Ranko," the woman said.

"Hi Major, nice to meet ya!" Ranko replied, stepping back so Misato
could enter the house.

"Please, call me Misato," Major Katsuragi suggested, taking a good look
around the house. The Saotome home was larger than most houses in
Tokyo-3. The interior design was obviously pre-Second Impact, and
despite of its size, had a homey, lived-in feeling to it.

"Okay Misato. Uh, Dad's still out back in the dojo. I'll take you
there," Ranko offered.

"Wait Ranko. There's no rush. I'd like to talk to you alone first, if
that's all right," Misato replied.

"Uh, Okay. Sure."

"Dr. Akagi had mentioned that you were still unsure about join Nerv.
Have you come to a decision yet? If you don't want to pilot an Eva,
then I won't force you, and there is no reason for me to talk to your
father," Misato said.

"I've made up my mind. I- I want to pilot an Eva. The hard part is
convincing otosan that I'm not a little girl anymore. I, uh, guess I
should warn you, I didn't tell him anything about this yet, I was kinda
waiting for you to get here," Ranko apologized.

"I see," Misato replied, a bit startled, "this isn't the best way to
present things, but... well, let's get going."

Ranko led Misato through a living room to the backyard door. She opened
the door, but hesitated before letting Misato through. "My dad, has uh,
kinda strange ideas about what women are capable of. He's a bit of a
sexist, and that -might- cloud his judgement a bit. Just. . . just
don't get upset over it, okay?" Ranko asked.

"Okay. . ," Misato replied, a bit dubiously. (Great. What am I getting
myself into?) Misato thought. She had to deal with jocks in her life
before; it wasn't an experience she enjoyed repeating. She took a deep
breath and followed Ranko outside.

Near the backyard entrance, there was a large koi pond, and Misato
smiled as a fish splashed around at the surface of the water. (I
haven't seen one of these since. . .) Misato shook her head to clear
away the memories. (No time to think about that now.) She looked at
the dojo and wasn't surprised at the size; it was nearly as big as the
house. (Man, this guy -does- have it bad,) she thought.

As they reached the dojo, Ranko quietly opened the door. Misato found
herself nodding appreciatively at what she saw. A man, about her age,
was standing in the middle of the dojo. Sweat dripped off his face,
down his back and chest. He had long black hair that was tied back in a
ponytail. It reminded her of Kaji's hair, yet it was thicker and a bit
longer. His hands were out in front of him, as if facing an invisible
opponent. He took a deep breath and placed his hands back down to his
sides. He bowed to a shrine that was setup at the front of the dojo,
then grabbed a towel off the floor and started wiping his face.

He turned towards Misato and Ranko, a wry grin on his face. "So, are
you the reason my daughter decided to 'cook' today?" He asked. Misato
blinked, a bit confused by the question. Ranma crossed his arms over
his chest. "You're from her school, right? What did she do -this-
time?" Ranma asked, giving Ranko a weary look.

"I didn't do nothin!" Ranko protested.

"I'm, uh, not from the school, Saotome-san. My name is Misato
Katsuragi. I'm from Nerv."

"Nerv?" Ranma asked, suddenly more alert.

"Yes. I'm here today to inform you that Ranko has been chosen to join
our team. She has the ability to become an Eva pilot," Misato replied.

"No. Absolutely not," Ranma replied, his voice quiet but hard. He then
walked past Misato and Ranko and entered the house before Misato could
reply.

"This might take a while," Ranko said with a sigh, following after her
father. Misato quietly followed Ranko, preparing herself for the
argument that she -knew- was coming. They found Ranma in the kitchen
grabbing a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. "Otosan, will you
just listen ta us for second?" Ranko asked.

"You -want- to this?" Ranma asked unbelievingly.

"Yes. I do! You've always taught me that a martial artist should help
others in their time of need! This is my chance!" Ranko replied.

"This is different! Piloting one of those. . . mechanical monsters is
-not- marital arts! You're too young and it's too dangerous! Girls
shouldn't be fighting wars anyway," Ranma said.

It was at this point that Misato decided to interject. "Saotome-san,
two of our three Eva pilots are girls. Because of their hard work and
courage, Tokyo-3 has been saved several times. In fact, you, I, -and-
Ranko would probably be dead by now if it wasn't for those -female-
pilots," Misato pointed out, her anger growing.

"Look, I'm not gonna stand here and argue about 'women in the military'
with ya! Ranko will not be piloting an Eva, and that's final! How can
you ask me send a fourteen year old girl out on such a dangerous
mission?" Ranma asked.

Misato released a deep breath and sighed, her anger diminishing. (He's
just worried about her, like any -normal- parent,) she thought.
"Saotome-san. All the pilots are Ranko's age. Only children born
within nine months of 2nd Impact can pilot an Evangelion. I don't know
why, but that's the way it is. These days, living in Tokyo-3 is almost
as dangerous as piloting an Eva. In fact, with the Angels returning,
the whole world is a dangerous place to be," Misato finished quietly.

Ranma looked at his daughter, his face softening slightly. "They really
need me, Otosan," she said. He turned back to Misato, who nodded.
Ranma shook his head and absently scratched his chin.

"I dunno about this. I don't like the idea of her going out and
fighting those things," Ranma said, referring to the Angels.

"Look, we'll be running a test with the new Eva tomorrow. Just to make
sure Ranko can pilot it. Can you at least hold off your decision until
then?" Misato asked.

Ranma stared at Misato, then Ranko, for several seconds. Finally he
sighed. "All right. But on -one- condition. I want to be there for
the test," Ranma said.

"Uh, only Nerv personnel are allowed to be present for the test. I
think I'm breaking the rules by even telling you about it," Misato
replied uncomfortably.

"Who made up that stupid rule? You let a fourteen-old child pilot a
weapon like that and her parents are kept in the dark over the whole
thing? You're startin' to freak me out, Major," Ranma replied
indignantly.

"I understand how you feel, but. . ," Misato tried to explain, but
stopped when she saw the look in Ranma's eyes. (He does have a point,
and he -does- have a right to know what Ranko will be doing for us,)
Misato thought. "All right Saotome-san. I might get in trouble for
this, but, well, you're right. I'll pick you guys up tomorrow morning,
okay?"

"We'll see you then, Major," Ranma replied. Misato turned towards Ranko
and smiled.

"Let's hope that things go well tomorrow, Ranko-chan," she said warmly.

"Thanks! I'm lookin' forward to it! Did you want to stay for dinner?"
Ranko replied enthusiastically while Ranma rolled his eyes.

"Ranko, it's really not a good idea ta kill yer boss with food
poisoning," Ranma said.

"Otosan no BAKA!" Ranko growled out, hitting Ranma over the head with a
hand-held mallet.

"Ah, hehehe, I -really- should be going now," Misato said nervously, a
large sweat drop forming behind her head.

"See. . . you. . . tomorrow. . ," Ranma groaned, clutching his head.

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

"Why'd we have to come all the way out to Matsushiro?" Ranma asked
Ritsuko as she finished the final checks on Unit 03.

"Because, Saotome-san, our testing facility is here," Ritsuko replied
coldly. She had been more than a little surprised when Misato arrived
with Ranko -and- Ranma. If there was one thing Ritsuko did -not- like
it was surprises. This was especially true when the surprise in
question was an uneducated, nosy, and annoying father who was also a
security leak.

"You're -sure- everything's okay?" Ranma asked.

Ritsuko slammed her hands on the console in front of her and let out a
frustrated breath. "Saotome-san, I know my job, but I can't complete
these final tests if you keep interrupting. Everything will be fine,
-if- you can just be quiet for a few moments; please," Ritsuko
requested.

"Okay, okay. It's just, well, you seem awfully young for a scientist,"
Ranma replied plaintively. Ritsuko slowed turned towards Ranma, a
withering glare on her face. She was about to respond as Ranko entered
the control room, wearing a plug suit.

"So otosan, what do you think?" Ranko asked, twirling around in front of
Ranma.

"Does she -really- have to wear that thing?" Ranma asked, his face
turning red, seeing his daughter in such a skintight outfit.

"Oh Otosan, relax! I think it's kinda cute," Ranko giggled.

"The plug suit was specially designed for Eva pilots. She can not even
start the test without it," Ritsuko replied.

"Let's just get this over with," Ranma mumbled, rubbing his forehead.

"Please relax Ranma. She's just going to try to walk around in the Eva
a bit and we'll get some readings. That's all, okay?" Misato said,
trying to reassure Ranma.

"Okay," Ranma said with a sigh, smiling softly at Misato.

An Eva service tech entered the control room and nodded to Ritsuko.
"We're ready. Ranko, please follow the technician to the entry plug.
Once you're inside and injected into Unit 03, we'll start the test,"
Ritsuko instructed.

"Right," Ranko replied, following the tech.

"Good luck, Ranko-chan," Ranma said softly as she left. He watched as
his daughter walked down a long metal corridor to the tube-like entry
plug. As she sat inside and the techs sealed her up, his heart started
beating faster. (Relax Ranma, it's only a test,) he thought to himself.
Yet, for some reason, the whole situation felt wrong; he had a vague
sense of danger, but could not pinpoint it. "Akane. . ," he murmured
quietly.

*** Flashback Fifteen Years Ago ***

"Akane! Hang in there! Please! You can't give up now, you stupid
tomboy!" Ranma growled angrily.

"Ranma, I'm so tired. It's. . . it's too late. I've lost too much
blood, haven't I?" Akane whispered, completely at peace in her husband's
loving embrace.

"You can't leave me, Akane," Ranma pleaded, holding on to her tightly,
"you can't leave me alone like this!"

"Alone? Oh Ranma, you're not alone. Ranko is with you," Akane replied.

"Ranko?" Ranma asked, a bit confused.

"That's what I want you to name her. It's a fitting name, Ranma.
You'll see; she'll be just. . . just like you. Ranma, promise me that
you'll protect her like you protected me," Akane whispered.

"I promise, Akane. I'll protect her," Ranma said, tears flowing openly
down his face. Then her body went limp, and Ranma hugged her even
tighter. He had wanted to die right then, until he heard the cries of
his newborn baby. He turned to the midwife who had delivered his baby
and wordlessly held out his hands. She gently placed the child in his
hands and in spite of himself, Ranma managed to smile through the tears.
"Hello Ranko-chan," he said, before breaking down completely.

*** End Flashback ***

"Ranma? Ranma? We're ready to start now," Misato said, gently shaking
his shoulder.

"What? Oh, okay," Ranma replied, blinking back his memories.

He watched silently as Unit 03 stood up and the lights on the console
lit up. He half-listened to Ritsuko and Maya report the status of the
synchronization, his eyes locked on the Eva. Suddenly, Unit 03 lurched
and an alarm klaxon went off in the control room. As Ritsuko and Maya
quickly studied the data coming across the computer, Ranma grabbed
Misato in a firm grip. "What's goin' on?" He demanded.

"I don't know," Misato replied taking a step closer to the computer
console.

"It's. . . it's an Angel!" Ritsuko gasped.

Ranma quickly turned back to the Eva and watched helplessly as it
started convulsing. Suddenly, a bright yellow light seemed to grow from
Unit 03. Instinctively, Ranma grabbed a gaping Misato and dived to the
back of the room; just as it exploded in a flash of light.

*******************
End Chapter One
*******************

Special thanks to Ethan, Donny, DFire, and Dave Eddy for their help.

Especially Dave! For all the technical help in chapter 2!

For the Sake of the Children - Chapter Two

Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by Gainax

Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Two: The Power of Ki

Everything had started out fine for Ranko when she was first injected
into Unit 03. The LCL had taken a bit of getting used to, but it wasn't
anything she could not handle. An image of Dr. Akagi's face popped up
in a little window in front of her and the synchronization test began.
Following Dr. Akagi's instructions, Ranko felt herself grow, becoming
one with Unit 03. Although she had never experienced one before, she
thought that synching with an Eva was akin to an out-of-body experience.
It was strange, but not altogether unpleasant. That was, of course,
until all the lights went out and Dr. Akagi disappeared.

"Dr. Akagi? Is everything alright?" Ranko asked a bit nervously. "Dr.
Akagi, can ya hear me? Hey Misato! Dr. Akagi! Anyone! Can anyone
hear me?" Ranko yelled. Suddenly the Eva moved and Ranko felt herself
jerk around in the entry plug. Frantically taking hold of the controls,
she tried to stop Unit 03. "Hey what's goin' on? Let me out of here!
This thing is moving! Dr. Akagi! Misato! Otosan! Help me, please!"
She screamed.

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

Ranma shook his head as he slowly stood up. The control room was filled
with smoke; fires were burning in several areas as well. He looked down
at Misato who was standing as well. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks for the save," Misato replied, smiling
weakly. Ranma quickly looked around the room. Ritsuko was on the
floor, a small trail of blood trickling down her face. Ranma quickly
knelt beside her and checked for a pulse. "How is she?" Misato asked

"She's alive," Ranma said shortly, looking around the room. He sighed
in relief when he found that no one else had been injured. "Get her out
of here, this place isn't safe!" Ranma said to Misato as he stared out
the now broken window at the retreating Eva.

"Come on, we'd better hurry," Misato replied, grabbing a hold of
Ritsuko. Ranma stepped out the window and stared at the Eva turned
Angel, a look of growing determination in his eyes. "Ranma, what are
you doing?" Misato asked, a bit scared of the answer.

"I'm gonna go get my daughter," Ranma replied coldly, jumping out of the
window.

"Ranma!" Misato yelled as he disappeared from view. She almost dropped
Ritsuko to run to the window, but another small explosion in the
computer console convinced her to leave. (What the -hell- does he think
he's doing?) Misato asked herself frantically as she half-carried,
half-dragged Ritsuko to an emergency stair well.

Ranma, meanwhile, was running after Unit 03. He took off at full speed
yelling at the top of his lungs. "Ranko! Can you hear me? Are you
okay?" He screamed as he got closer and closer to the Eva. (Either she
can't hear me, or. . . she can't respond,) Ranma thought. Ranma had
been running behind the Eva, which, for some reason, was walking at a
leisurely pace. As he got within five feet of the Eva, he ran into what
felt like a solid wall. "What the hell?" He asked, dizzily trying to
get up off the ground.

The Eva did not stop, in fact, it did not even seem to notice Ranma at
all. It just kept on walking; towards Tokyo-3, if Ranma's sense of
direction was correct. "Hey! You come back here!" He yelled at the Eva
as he stood up and ran after it again. As he got within a few feet of
the giant mecha, he slowed down and hesitantly reached out with one
hand. His hand hit an invisible barrier and an octagon-shaped light
rippled around the barrier. "This thing's got some kinda invisible
shield!" Ranma exclaimed.

He ran around the Eva and stood in front of it. "Hey! You up there!
Look at me, you big freak!" Ranma yelled. The Eva continued to walk,
completely ignoring Ranma. "All right buddy, you asked for it!" Ranma
growled. He stepped forward and slammed his fist into the AT Field.
This time, the ripple effect was much larger, but otherwise had no
effect. Ranma was forced to jump back before the Eva stepped on him.

"Let's see if you can take this," Ranma said, stepping back towards the
Eva. "Katchu Tenshin Amiguriken!" Ranma yelled, fists flying. Hundreds
of ripples flew across the AT field as Ranma continued his attack.
Finally, he had to jump away as the Eva stepped forward again. "Damn!
What's it gonna take to bring that thing down!" Ranma said angrily,
slowing backing away from Unit 03. "Fine," Ranma growled as he stopped
and glared up at the Eva.

He dropped his hands to his sides, fingers stretched out. He closed his
eyes and breathed in deeply. A blue glow of ki grew in each of his
hands. As the ki grew stronger, Ranma's whole body seemed to glow
bright blue. He slowly raised his arms up towards the Eva. The glow in
his hands grew even brighter. "Futabo-ken!" Ranma yelled, jumping back
away from the Eva, releasing all his frustration in a blast, launching
the glowing balls of ki towards the Eva. (Let's see ya ignore that!)
Ranma thought angrily. The ki attack traveled straight through the AT
field as if it wasn't even there. Each ki ball hit each of the Eva's
shoulders. The Eva threw back its head and roared in pain.

"Got yer attention -that- time, didn't I?" Ranma asked with a smirk.
The Eva stopped walking and looked down at Ranma, its eyes glowing
intensely. Suddenly, its right arm elongated and quickly snapped out
towards Ranma. Ranma jumped over the Eva's hand, landed on its wrist,
and ran up its arm to the right shoulder.

As the Eva turned its head towards Ranma, he jumped onto its back and
got a foothold near the entry-plug. He was relieved to find that the
hatch covering the entry plug was open, and the plug itself was partly
ejected. (They musta tried to get her out,) Ranma reasoned. He looked
up at the Eva, who had turned its head completely around and was now
staring at him. "What now?" Ranma challenged. The Eva turned its head
back to the front and looked up at the sky. Ranma looked up as well and
saw a large airplane out in the distance. (Looks like the cavalry has
arrived,) Ranma thought as he looked back down at the entry-plug.

"What the hell is this stuff?" Ranma asked, inspecting the plug. The
plug seemed to be stuck in a pinkish-red material that looked almost
like bubble gum. Ranma held on to the entry plug; there was just enough
room for him to get a strong hold on it. He pulled on the plug as hard
as he could but it didn't move. "Damn," Ranma growled, gritting his
teeth. The Eva had continued to walk forward, and the plane was getting
closer.

"That's right! They twisted the thing in like a screw!" Ranma
exclaimed, remembering how the entry plug was injected. With all his
strength, he twisted the entry plug, and it slowly started to rise.
(Why'd they have ta make this thing so big?) Ranma thought. As the plug
rose, Ranma's hands touched some the pinkish-red substance and started
to burn. Ignoring the pain, he worked faster at the plug. He spared a
second to look up and saw that the airplane seemed to be deploying some
heavy equipment via parachutes. Even from this distance, Ranma was able
to recognize the Evas when he saw them. "Oh Damn!" Ranma yelled,
returning to the entry plug. By this time, several feet of the entry
plug had been removed from Unit 03. Ranma sighed when he realized that
he could at least get the plug's hatch open. (Hang on, Ranko, I'll get
you out.) Carefully, Ranma opened the hatch to the entry plug.

As soon he opened the hatch, LCL drained out the plug. Ranko was
sitting in the pilot seat, hugging herself and quietly crying.
"Ranko-chan? Are you all right?" Ranma asked softly. As the LCL
drained out, Ranko coughed and gasped as she saw Ranma and quickly
climbed out of the plug and hurled herself at him, nearly throwing him
off balance.

"Otosan! I- I was so scared, I'm sorry- I-" Ranko said between sobs.

"Shhh. . . It's okay. Everything's okay," Ranma said soothingly.

"Everything just turned dark! None of the controls were working, and-
and- I didn't know what was happening," Ranko said, her tears starting
to subside.

"Are you hurt?" Ranma asked.

"No, I'm okay," Ranko said, shaking her head as she stepped back. She
gasped when looked at Ranma's hands and arms. "'Otosan! What
happened?" Ranko asked, wincing as she looked more closely at the burns
on his hands.

"What, this? It's nothin'. Don't worry about it, I just need ta get
taped up," Ranma replied.

"Where's the Eva?" Ranko asked, suddenly a bit scared.

"Uh. . . We're still -on- it, Ranko. Ready for a bit of training?"
Ranma asked with a grin.

"Oh man. . ," Ranko whined.

"Relax Ranko, it'll be easy. A few quick hops and we'll be back on the
ground," Ranma said.

"Every time you mention 'training' it's something I'm not gonna like,"
Ranko complained.

"You're lucky your -grandfather- never trained you," Ranma said, looking
at the Eva's head. "Good, it's still ignoring us. Time to go, Ranko."
Ranma carefully climbed to the Eva's shoulder, and lifted Ranko up to
join him. He stared at the Eva's passive face as it slowly walked
towards the three Eva's waiting for it. "Ready?" He asked turning to
his daughter.

"Yeah, let's do it. In fact, I'll race ya!" Ranko replied confidently.
Ranma grinned fondly at his daughter. No matter the circumstances, when
it came to martial arts, she was on comfortable ground; just like he had
taught her.

"Let's do it!" Ranma yelled, as he jumped onto the Eva's arm.

"Hey! No fair!" Ranko yelled, jumping down after him. Within a few
seconds, they were both safely on the ground, staring at the Eva as it
continued its slow trek. "Not that I'm complainin', but why do ya think
it ignored us, Otosan?" Ranko asked.

"Oh, don't worry about -that-. I think it's got a lot more on its mind
right now," Ranma replied, pointing towards the other three Eva Units
out in the distance.

"I hope they'll be all right," she said worriedly.

"Those things are being piloted by kids too!" Ranma suddenly realized.

"My classmates," Ranko said with a nod. For several seconds, Ranma
stared as the black Eva made its approach towards the waiting Nerv
pilots.

(Damn,) he thought to himself. He looked down at his daughter and put
one arm around her. 'There's. . . nothing we can do Ranko. They've
defeated Angels before and. . . I guess they'll do it again. Come on,
we gotta get outta here," he said, leading her away from the entry plug.

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

Shinji stared at the screen as the Eva came into view. "Isn't that an
Eva?" He asked his father uncertainly.

"That is your target," Ikari replied.

"But, if it's an Eva, isn't there a pilot in there? Like one of us?"
Shinji asked.

"You mean you -still- don't know?" Asaka asked, a chat window from Unit
02 popping up on Shinji's screen. "The pilot of Unit 03 is-" Asuka
started to say as her screen was filled with static.

From the control room in Nerv Headquarters, Shinji heard the report of
Unit 02 being down. He sighed in relief when Maya reported that Asuka
was safe. "Otosan, there -is- a pilot in there, right?" He asked again.

"The pilot. . . has been ejected," Ikari said, his voice sounding
slightly troubled. Maya glanced at him as he made that statement.
Everyone in the control room had the video display of Ranma's exploits.

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

"Take it easy, you've inhaled a lot of smoke," Kaji said as he sat next
to Misato in the makeshift sick bay. Misato removed the oxygen mask
that a medic had given her and slowly sat up.

"I'm all right Kaji. How's Ritsuko?" Misato asked.

"She's fine, just a little bump on the head is all," Kaji replied.

"What about Unit 03? And Ranko?" Misato asked, her throat dry.

"Ranko's just fine. Although, I guess I shouldn't be surprised,
considering Ranma-san was here," Kaji replied.

"What? You know Ranma?" Misato asked.

"I -knew- him, a long time ago; before I met you," Kaji replied.

"Wh-what happened?" Misato asked

"Misato, you don't know Ranma, so you wouldn't believe me if I told you.
You just better watch the tape. As for Unit 03, it was destroyed by
Unit 01," Kaji replied.

"Where are Ranma and Ranko now?"

"No one knows. They seemed to have disappeared in all this mess. I
wouldn't worry though, I'm sure they're fine."

Misato lay back down on the bed, relief flooding her. (If something had
happened to Ranko, I don't know how I'd face Ranma,) she thought. (How
in the world did he save her?) She sat back up and got out of bed.

"Hey, not so fast! You need to rest!" Kaji admonished her.

"I'm fine, Kaji. I want to see that tape you talked about," Misato
replied briskly.

"All work and no play, Misato?" Kaji asked with a playful sigh.

"Maybe later, -if- I get the information I want," Misato replied,
smiling tightly.

*****************
End Chapter 2
*****************