It is much easier to beg forgiveness than it is to seek permission (part 1)

Rei

That question gets answered as completely and thoroughly as I can . . . by mindspeak.

. . .

I . . .did it. I wasn't sure that I could do such a thing, but they'd done it with ME enough times back as an Angel (what a . . . weird experience that had been).

There had been only some difference from then and now but . . .

. . .

Sigh, I just do not know where to begin on explaining, clearly explaining anyway.

Thankfully, not only are they happy for me (and touched for the reasons why), they are more than willing to let me tag along with them. They say I'm always welcome and . . .

. . .

I feel warm inside and . . .that I find . . . . agreeable.

Very agreeable.

"I'm . . .home," I say softly to myself.

The Doctor

"Of course my dear," I agree. "You're always welcome."

Now, that said we soon have to do some tasks. Yes, we've now given our wayward young girl a good home with us. That said, we did just find out about being incorrect about our final teleportation destination (despite the good that came of it). That means that we DO have to go back. Would be remiss, really.

Fifi and Bambi would never let us hear the end of it! That and if I do not allow us to go back, expect me to be sleeping on the couch for the next decade. Inquirer would never let me hear the end of it (and then some, shall we say).

Of course, not all of use can go back. Would not be . . . wise. Rei is one of us now, but you DO remember just why we'd spent the last few hours crawling throw the brush and dirt, avoiding detection? Yes, they might actually not try to KILL her or us, but with that group (with all the shadow play within), do I and the others really want to take the risk?

Rei's staying behind here with some of the others. After everything the only clothing she has is on her back (and this plugsuit hadn't been in too good of condition before this oddessy, what with the rents torn in the back where her wings burst forth).

The poor girl needs to get some decent clothing and other personal items, being that besides the clothing on her back everything she owns is back in Tokyo 3.

. . .

Hm, though truth be told, even with what benefiel influence that that Fred Takahashi may have had upon' Rei's character I gather that besides some knicknacks she'd picked up for herself to brighten her rather dreary apartment nothing much is left behind to be missed not easily replaced. I saw pictures of where she lives--by Rassilon! The entire apartment complex should be condemned and razed to the ground, whether or not housing should be short due to the hardships brought about by this Second Impact business!

. . .

Hmrph, pardon.

. . .

What I am saying is that some of the women are going to do a bit of aiding in this next part. Oh, granted even us MALES could help with some of it (like just casting a spell and transforming the ragged plugsuit Rei's wearing into something more fitting with the Terra Prime fashion sense.

However . . .there is something of a bonding going on here. Before, we'd pretty much decided. However, with her now having become Champion! . . .

She's part of Eternity Incorporated now, our clan. Family.

We do NOT turn our back on family like so many OTHERS have done in her past. We all here do VERY much want to make her feel at home and part of the family.

That said, due to what is only good manners: lady's first!

Some of the women are going to be something of a moderating influence between two VERY different tastes in clothing. Not saying that Mina is exactly "conservative" in her clothing tastes, but being that she's the one awhile ago who'd been somewhat taken aback at the simple idea of a woman wearing trousers give you an idea. Rei's too new to this world to know much about the current fashion, so before she decides she asked for input. Though if the role-playing games she's mentioned are of a medieval setting, she wouldn't go too far wrong. Inquirer here is just to make sure that what Rei finally is shown isn't TOO conservative.

You never get a chance to make first impressions again.

That said, Inquirer is also here to play the role of moderator in Chiana's case as well. Granted, in the end she'd chosen to follow Inquirer's lead in clothing tastes. However . . . having seen some of the clothing from certain people in the past that she'd worn . . . would be a bit too . . . er . . .shall we say Bold for most here on my adopted home away from home.

Besides, I don't believe that Rei would look good in leather, honestly. While it worked for those Peacekeepers (especially for Aeryn Sun), I dare say that it would not work for Rei.

As for the female elves, any additions they can make to the mix will definitely fill out Rei's depleted wardrobe nicely, indeed. The elves do have, as a general rule, an eye for beauty.

However, I shall wager a large majority of whatever is chosen shall be in SOME fashion or form have to be costume modified for those wings of Rei's! Unless we are talking about some kind of strapless dress, then those wings shall get in the way.

. . .

Granted, perhaps clothes shopping (or in this case just clothes choosing . . . the TARDIS has replicator technology installed . . . B'Elanna insisted) sound a bit cliche for women for a bonding, but that's the first opportunity we'd been presented.

The males of the group will do bonding here and there soon enough. All in good time . . .and we do have time as Champions, eh?

Besides, Inquirer had kind of suggested this course of action . . . Not sure about splitting the group like this but we DO actually have to do both this AND get our rather anxious female centaurs back to their home world.

I just hope that things have calmed down enough that they won't try to SHOOT us before we can say so much as "hello". Oh, I'm sure that they'll at least let us say something, but given the nature of some back there . . .

Later . . .

A sportscar screeches to a halt in front of a hospital of Tokyo 3. Inside are the two remaining pilots of the Evangelion units: Shinji Ikari (http: //en.wi kipedia .org/ wiki/ Shinji _Ikari) and Asuka Langley Soryu (http: //en. wikip edia. org /wik i/Asu ka_Lan gley_ Sohryu). Both oddly alike looking pale girls with blue hair and red eyes blink at the driver.

"Please tell me that when you have Shinji with you in this car you do NOT drive like that?" the girl in the front seat asks softly, shaking a little still from the rather reckless driving that Major Misato Katsuragi (http:/ /en. wikipedia .org /wiki /Misato _Katsu ragi). "I have only just come rather unexpected . . . back to the 'Land of the Living' and I would just hate to depart again and lose my chance of seeing my son so soon, shall we say?"

Whatever cutting comments that Misato was going to make she manages to bite her tongue. Weird as this situation is, things could be VERY worse indeed. Not to say that things were not frantic back at the now military dominated NERV HA, but at least that old crusty SOB general allowed her to keep Shinji. Had practically ORDERED her to keep Shinji AND Asuka in her custody, despite demands from . . . from two young girls who LOOKED just like Rei . . .

For the sake of expediency, the General had "suggested" (strongly) that these girls perhaps take up the mantel of their now missing in action pilot and her just recently arrived twin sister: Reika. Yui Ikari (http:/ /en.wiki pedia .org/ wiki/ Yui _Ikari) reluctantly agreed to assume the role of Rei while Kyoko (http://en .wikipe dia.org/wi ki/List_of_c harac ters_in_ Neon_ Genesis_ Evangelion #Kyoko_ Zeppelin_Soryu) was now the twin sister of Rei, a girl named "Reika".

Flimsy story, but given everything that had anything to do with Rei being wiped clean (i.e. no records), it would fly.

Oh it had been interesting, once these two had won free from their "escorts" to confront the man now in charge of things (Gendo had been put under house arrest and all that). They'd claimed to be the mothers of her charges, returned from the dead (or technically from the confines of the Eva units, where they'd dwelled all these years) . . .

Misato promised herself a beer (or more) after this is all done. Too much more and her nerves were going to be PERMANENTLY shot to . . . blazes.

With a small pause she things that maybe she'd better try something else if she was going to be allowed to keep custody of the kids. She'd grown . . .fond of them and did not wish to allow . . .her "family" to be ripped away from her so soon.

Even IF perhaps--except for the rather substantial fact that by all legal definitions this woman--does have a better claim upon Shinji.

That was Yui Akari over there, dwelling in a a clone body of one Rei . . .well, of the First Child, anyway.

She pushes that down and instead begins to snap back at this . . .impertinent girl when the other resurrectee intervenes.

"Will both of you please quiet!" she shouts, seeing these two bristling yet AGAIN. "I for one am just glad to BE able to be back and have some kind of chances to . . . be with my daughter after I . . . "

She sighs, sitting back in her seat and shakes her head. Regret and disgust crawls in her bowels at what she'd done to her young daughter (even IF she'd been more than half insane at the time).

How could I have done it? 'Reika' asks herself, remembering the noose going around her own neck and then the shock of the sudden . . . snap. How?!

Her own daughter, delighted at age four to have been chosen to pilot an Eva, had delightedly gone running to find her . . . hung from the rafters.

Guilty thoughts like this litter the pathways of Reika's mind, alas.

She had lost so much in that accident while trying to sync (establish a mental link) up with the Eva unit 02. Lost the ability to even actually recognize her flesh and blood daughter, mistaken a rag doll as her Asuka.

And when her dear husband started to cheat on her . . .she . . . .

No, no mistakes this time. She couldn't live with herself if she threw it away and these two women were NOT going to stand in her way bickering over who should be Shinji Akari's custodian.

Good God in Heaven! It was not like one could actually expect that anyone to seriously believe that a fourteen year old girl would seriously think to be able to successfully contest Misato's custodianship of Shinji . . . and Asuka.

Granted . . ., it would be awkward doing it. It is a given that this one--who'd reprimanded both the driver and the passenger in the front--is the mother of Asuka. However, by the fact that the original body of Asuka's mother is dead and buried and that is one reason why it would be awkward. That being the fact, it looks good for Misato. Then, there is the fact that this mother in question (back from the dead or not) DOES want to NOT hurt her daughter again (who's in a bad enough way already from a prior disastrous encounter with an Angel. Sure, if not for that she'd would be right with Yui here in court, fighting tooth and nail for my daughter.

But, also while she may be much older (mentally) than 14 years old, she cannot say that the body she now inhabits is the same way, you know.

. . .

This is bizarre.

And even IF she and should somehow win custody . . . it would still make life for both myself and Asuka a living Hell, the media circus we'd have to go through here and afterwards. Too much being revealed during the trail and all that (if NERV allowed it).

" for one am glad that the general was able to ORDER Misato here granting us . . . visiting rights," Reika says softly. "To talk. . . .or as he puts it the ability to do our parenting by stealth."

Misato may have custody but the twins shall do the parenting (or a share of it) so as to not subject everyone to a legal circus.

It was a forced solution on the general's part, but it was a means to an end. He didn't want the headache. He wanted it to go away and thus he'd ORDERED it fixed.

He has too much on his plate already, but that's for something later in a bit.

Reika takes a deep breath, clutching at her own patience and . . .

"Look . . .'Rei' and Major," I sigh. "I need some air to compose myself before I actually greet my daughter face to face. The last time we talked . . . had not been exactly under the best of circumstances."

. . .

"This is so weird," she then mutters to herself stupidly after getting out of the car only to come up short as some rather odd ones appear out of thin air.

1. "Oh Gawd they're back," Misato whispers, feeling a headache coming on here.

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