It was a subdued group that gathered at the Tendo home the following day. The Amazon's had arrived, sans Mousse; because they'd had to subdue him due to his anger that Ranma had hurt Shampoo. Ukyo arrived a few minutes later in the company of Akane and Nabiki. They had stopped by her shop on the way home because Ukyo volunteered to supply dinner. Akane had been unusually quiet ever since they had released her the night before and this morning when she arrived at school, she had been unusually vicious in dealing with Kuno. Reports Nabiki received indicated that there was a good possibility that the Kuno line would now only extend through Kodachi. The mercenary Tendo was glad she had Kuno's pattern of sexual harassment and assault well-documented including the early attempts that had been made to rein the delusional idiot in. They would certainly come in handy if any charges were pressed against her family. Likewise, Ukyo was also pensive as to what the future might hold. For so long, her goals had centered around the pigtailed martial artist, first for vengeance and then for marriage. Now she was facing the fact that he may never be coming back from the world he was currently trapped in and even if he did, he might very well be lost to her anyway. Genma and Soun also remained subdued. Genma by Nodoka's presence, Soun by the realization that he had really mucked things up with his daughters. Genma had only lamented about how dishonorable and worthless Ranma was once. Nodoka pointed out that if that were true then he had failed in the terms of the contract and should prepare himself. The Panda-man retracted his words very quickly after that and limited his laments to when Nodoka was out of earshot. Of everyone, only Kasumi and Nabiki seemed eager to watch the tapes with something other than grim determination to see things through. Both were happy that Ranma seemed to be thriving away from the petty, daily pressure that was applied to him here. Nabiki's happiness was tempered by the knowledge of how the original story ended. She hoped Ranma's incredible ability to pull off the win in spite of the odds against him shined through in this case as well. Cologne, as always, found Ranma's exploits entertaining. She was old and wise enough not to begrudge Ranma his involvement with the two girls; after all, he had no idea if he would return to this world or not, but she hated seeing Shampoo heartbroken. For her part, Nodoka also had mixed feelings. While fascinated with the adventure her son was involved in, she was getting a very candid look into the real Ranma behind the mask he wore to make those around him here happy. Nabiki had bluntly told her the previous night that what she considered manly was anathema to Ranma. The middle Tendo told her that Ranma was the type of boy that would never engage in casual sex, nor would he engage in any immoral acts like peeping on girls. Nabiki went on to say that, while he did tend to stretch his honor code to the breaking point at times, especially in pursuit of a cure to his curse, he always tried to do the right thing no matter the personal cost to himself. The girl assured her that even if Ranma was a bit uncultured and ill-spoken, he was certainly the most desired male of all among the girls in the area. Thus Nodoka was forced to not only consider how her son's curse, and apparent acceptance of it, fit in with the terms of the contract, but also that her values might not be shared by the world at large. Nabiki had been adamant that the type of man she wished for Ranma to be would be shunned as a deviant by girls of his generation. It was with these thoughts that the gathered group began watching the fourth tape in the Neon Genesis Evangelion 1/2 series. (oO\O/Oo) "I'm home," Ranma called out as he walked in the door. Rei appeared in the hallway. Ranma gulped as she walked towards him. She was wearing a thin, sky-blue, silk chemise that clung to her lithe body, and a pair of white panties. While it wasn't that uncommon for Rei to walk around naked, particularly when he was in the furo, this was a whole other concept. This was way more...something that Ranma didn't really want to think about. Rei walked right up to Ranma and put her arms around his torso, burying her face in his chest. Ranma's arms encircled her as well and they stood there for several long moments before he noticed the way that Rei clung to him almost desperately. "You okay, Rei-chan?" Ranma asked. "I do not like being alone," Rei stated as she clung tighter. Ranma gave her a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay, I'm here," Ranma said soothingly. "Do you wanna hear about how things went?" She nodded against his chest but didn't release him. Ranma smiled and scooped her up bridal fashion, causing her to make a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle, and carried her in to sit on the couch. She settled comfortably on his lap and rested her head on his shoulder, waiting for him to tell the story. She knew most of it already. That was one reason why she was so upset. They had very nearly lost Asuka, whom Rei considered part of their mating unit. It felt very nearly as dreadful as when she thought Ranma had been killed by the Fifth angel. It was something that Rei deeply regretted that she was only able to tell how much she cared about someone after being faced with losing them. "Well, as you know, the angel, in chrysalis form, was in a volcano," Ranma began. "At first things went pretty normally. They lowered Asuka down with no trouble but it turned out that the angel was a bit deeper than expected. She lost her prog knife on the way down but eventually she saw the angel." As Ranma spoke, he was gently stroking Rei's back as she lay against him. "Asuka managed to successfully capture the chrysalis," Ranma continued, "but as they started to winch her back up, the angel hatched. It broke free of the cage and came after her. I tossed her my prog knife but it didn't do any good; the angel's shell was too hard from developing in all the heat and pressure of the magma. Anyway, we figured out that we could pump it full of coolant, which would cause the shell to crack. "It worked and Asuka managed to destroy the angel, but in its death throws it severed the cables pulling her up. Well, I couldn't go losing one of you, so I jumped in and caught the severed ends of her cables so they could pull us up." "How is she?" Rei asked softly. "As self-satisfied as ever," Ranma chuckled. "I think she might have strained a few of my ribs in the hug she gave me when she got out of the entry plug. She and Misato are visiting the local hot spring and should be home tomorrow." "So we will be alone tonight?" Rei asked tonelessly. "Yeah," Ranma confirmed, utterly not expecting what happened next. Ranma felt Rei's slim hand rise up to meet his cheek with a feather-light touch. Gently, she turned his face toward hers until he was looking deeply into her crimson eyes. Slowly and hesitantly, her head began moving toward his as Ranma watched, mesmerized by her beautiful eyes. When those eyes closed, Ranma stiffened in anxiety as he realized their lips were scant millimeters apart. Because of their position, noses weren't a problem. Rei's lips brushed against Ranma's ever so tentatively, but then more firmly and confidently. Ranma's eyes reflexively scanned the room for the threats that usually popped up at this point but found none. He felt overwhelmed in the moment and soon gave in. Tenderly, he began to kiss Rei back. This was good...very good. Ranma had never felt this close to anyone before and the feelings welling up inside him made him want to get closer yet. Their kissing built to a hungry intensity as Ranma gently laid her back on the couch and lay himself beside her, raised up on one elbow to give him access to her hungry silken lips. Their legs intertwined with each other's as their tongues caressed and explored the other's mouth. Their hands weren't idle either as fingers stroked through hair and warm, flushed skin was touched and caressed. For an hour, they kissed and stroked each other, never progressing beyond light petting, but being very thorough within those bounds. When the passion became too much, they finally stopped and cuddled each other, Rei spooned up to Ranma as he held her from behind. "Ranma?" Rei said softly and timidly. "I-I think I am falling in love with you." "I think I'm fallin' for you too, Rei," Ranma replied. "B-but there's something else," Rei pressed on. "I-I think I also am beginning to care a great deal for Asuka as well." "Me too, Rei," Ranma chuckled softly. "I know she likes you a great deal," Rei said, barely above a whisper. "Do you think...would it be possible for us to share you?" "Let's just see what happens," Ranma said, giving the blue-haired girl a reassuring squeeze. "If all of us agree that this would be the best for us then I don't see why not." "That is acceptable," Rei murmured. "Rei? Thank you," Ranma said softly, nuzzling her neck. "For what?" Rei asked. "I knew I was gonna be teachin' you, about livin', as well as the Art," Ranma explained. "But I never figured on you teachin' me how nice it is to show affection to someone you care about without being hit for it." "It was my pleasure," Rei said, Ranma able to hear the smile in her voice. (oO\O/Oo) "Misato..." Asuka said hesitantly as the two of them soaked in the hot spring. "I’m...uh...sorry about beating you like a drum. You were right; being here to fight is more important than a trip to Okinawa." "It's okay, Asuka," Misato smiled. "I'd have been pissed off too if someone told me I couldn't go on the vacation I was looking forward to. That doesn't mean I'm not going to train and beat you down in the rematch though." "Game on," Asuka said, smirking wickedly. The pair giggled before falling silent again. "Misato?" Asuka asked nervously. "What do you think of Ranma?" Misato laughed. "I think if I was 10 years younger, we'd be having hot, steamy, marathon sex at every opportunity," Misato grinned as Asuka blinked at her. "You really like him, don'tcha?" "Yeah," Asuka sighed wistfully. "I don't understand it. He's uncultured, arrogant, he's got that weird curse, and I have to share him with Wondergirl..." "But he's strong, smart, kind, gorgeous in both forms, knows a woman's body better than any man you'll ever meet," Misato listed. "He's the most talented fighter I've ever seen. He's loyal to his friends, and he's not afraid to risk his life to protect those he cares about. Does that about sum it up?" "He's also someone who can relate to my past," Asuka added. "And when he saved me...I just can't describe how I felt. I mean one moment I'm as good as dead and the next, there he is, snatching me back to safety, like, no matter what, he'll always be there to protect me. I-I've never felt this strongly for someone. I mean I thought I was in love with Kaji, but that didn't feel anything like this." "Trust me on this one, Ranma is a much better catch than Kaji," Misato said. "Kaji may be cute in a scruffy sort of way, and he may know how to smooth talk a woman, but in the end, that's all it is, just talk. With Ranma, if he tells you something, you can take it to the bank. What about Rei? Are you really willing to share?" "I don't know," Asuka answered. "It's weird. She's so different than anyone I've ever met. At first, I was really put off by how dispassionate she seems, but then, watching her with Ranma, you can tell there's a lot more below the surface than she lets on. The weirdest part is; I don't think I can picture being with Ranma without her too." "The idea of being with another girl doesn't bother you?" Misato grinned, causing Asuka to blush deeply. "Yeah, well, I did think about that," Asuka said. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. I guess if you want to be with Ranma it's something you better be able to deal with since his curse makes it part of the package. It'd be kinda shallow to only show him I care when he's in guy form." "That’s an awfully mature view," Misato commented, mildly surprised. "Well, Rei and I talked about it," Asuka admitted. "She has no problems being attracted to him in either form and she has this weird gift of distilling what's important from everything else with just a couple short words. She's the one that convinced me you can't care for half the person and not the other half. Besides, Ranma and I have a lot of fun playing twins." Misato laughed. The two were fun to watch when they messed with people's minds and they were really cute. Especially with Rei playing the ultimate straight man, the three of them just seemed to belong together. (oO\O/Oo) When Asuka and Misato returned home, Asuka walked in the door to find herself in a bone-crunching hug delivered by a relieved, if not obviously so, Rei. At first the redhead stiffened but then she began to return the embrace. "I am pleased that you are well," Rei said softly. "I was...distraught when it appeared you were lost. Please do not do so again." Asuka giggled softly at Rei's impersonal manner of expressing her very personal concern. "Hey, no worries," Asuka grinned. "I'm fine and Variable-chan wouldn't have let anything happen to me." Asuka looked over Rei's shoulder to see a grinning Ranma leaning casually against the wall watching them. She held out her hand to him and he came over and joined the hug. The warm, fuzzy moment was interrupted by the flash of a camera causing the teens to separate, although clearly reluctantly, with each sporting a blush. Misato giggled as she put down her camera and cracked open a beer. "You know," Misato teased them, "if you guys keep this up, I don't know if I'll be able to stand the sweetness. I'll have to move out due to the over-exposure to 'cute'. Us lonely old women have a low tolerance to that sort of thing, you know?" Ranma and Asuka grinned wickedly, looking at each other and then Rei in silent communication. Suddenly, Misato found herself in the middle of a group glomp. "But we love you, Misato," Asuka said. "I'm afraid you're stuck with us," Ranma agreed. "Your relocation from our home would be most distressing," Rei concurred. "Aww, you guys," Misato laughed, very touched. "I love you guys too." (oO\O/Oo) "Look, there's Ranma," Kensuke announced. "And he's holding hands with both Rei and Asuka! Oh, man, I don't know whether to envy him or feel sorry for him." "What? Where?" Toji asked, coming to the window. "Ah geez," Ichiro whined. "Ikari is hording all the babes. That guy is so lucky." There was a general chorus of agreement there. "Yeah, right," Toji snorted. "Like any of you knuckleheads even noticed Ayanami before Ranma started dating her." "Yeah, but did he have to take the most popular girl in school too?" Jiro complained. "Believe me, you guys don't want any part of the Red Demon," Toji said gravely, Kensuke nodding vigorously in agreement. "She's got a bigger ego than Ranma and an attitude to match it." "But she's so hot!" Daichi said, getting another chorus of agreement. "It's not right! He already had Rei. He didn't have to take Asuka too!" "Well what are you gonna do about it?" Toji smirked. "Beat him up? I can't even touch the guy in a fight. You morons wouldn't have a prayer." "You're just saying that because you're already dating Horaki," Jiro said. "What about the rest of us?" Toji blinked. Dating the class rep? He began to think about all those times the girl had been along with them when they hung out. He had thought she was just friends with Ranma, but now that he thought about it, she did seem to always be close to him. Come to think of it, Hikari was pretty enough, a little overbearing at times, but she was nice. Toji smiled. Yeah, he could do a lot worse. "Well, maybe if you jerks asked a girl out instead of obsessing about who Ikari's dating, you'd be dating someone too," Toji smirked. Meanwhile at the other end of the classroom, Hikari was getting grilled by the girls. "So Hikari, you hang out with Ranma's group," Ayame said. "What's going on there? Is he really dating both Asuka and Rei?" "Yeah, what's going on with that?" Hoshi demanded. "I mean we still had a chance if it was just Ayanami, but if he's dating Asuka, we're sunk." "I guess they are dating," Hikari admitted. "That's weird," Michi said. "How can Asuka date a guy that's dating another girl at the same time?" "Well, they are all pilots," Hikari said. "Maybe they have some sort of bond." "OH! That's so romantic!" Kiko gushed, holding her hands up beside her face. "Joined together in the heat of battle when Ranma saved them from certain death! They're so lucky!" The other girls sweat-dropped. "Well, anyway, I don't see anything wrong with it," Hikari said. "It's not like he's two-timing them. I know Ranma and he's not like that. If anything, Asuka and Rei agreed to share him. They do fit together well." "Yeah, kinda like fire and ice," Ayame snickered. (oO\O/Oo) The girls finally managed to corner Asuka later that day in the gym locker room. Asuka finished changing into her gym clothes and turned around to find herself surrounded by a group of determined looking girls. Then the interrogation started. "Is it true you and Ayanami are both dating Ranma?" "How can you stand to date a guy that's dating another girl at the same time?" "Have you kissed him yet?" "Have you kissed her yet?" "Don't you live with him? Have you seen him naked?" Questions peppered the beleaguered redhead from all sides. "Meine Gott!" Asuka screamed. "Stop it! If you must know, yes, Rei and I are both dating Ranma. Yes, I'm happy about it. No, I haven't kissed him yet and I certainly haven't kissed her yet. It's none of your business whether I've seen him naked. Ranma is a great guy and he cares for both of us. Rei and I decided that we wouldn't make him choose between us. If anyone doesn't like it, well that's just too damn bad because it works for us! Idioten!" Asuka shoved her way through the crowd of girls and stalked out of the locker room. The crowd of girls blinked. "Did she say that she hadn't kissed Rei yet?" someone asked. "Ewwww!" several of them chorused. (oO\O/Oo) In the boys' locker room, a similar scene was taking place. Being boys, the questions were far more crude. There were also some demands mixed in to know where Ranma got off thinking he rated two girls. When the questions started to get more explicit, Ranma exploded. "That's IT!" Ranma shouted. "The next one of you perverted jerks that asks me questions like that is gonna get their head busted! It ain't none of your damn business what goes on between Asuka, Rei, and me! Ain't nobody forcing anybody to do anything! If this is what they want, well, I care about them both, and I want them both to be happy! You jackasses got a problem with that, that's just too damn bad, because I don't really give a rat's ass. The only thing that matters to me is Rei and Asuka's happiness. And if I find out any of you jerks are harassing them you'll be eating through a straw." Ranma stormed out, flanked by Toji and Kensuke. As he exited the locker room with a scowl on his face, he saw a similarly scowling Asuka come out of the girls' locker room. "Was it bad?" Ranma asked, a look of concern replacing the scowl. "It's wasn't too bad," Asuka smiled reassuringly. "How about you?" "They're a real pack of perverts," Ranma growled before looking over to Rei who had been waiting for Asuka to come out. "How about you, Rei?" "I have not been bothered," Rei said. "Okay, well, you guys let me know if any guys bother you and I'll take care of it," Ranma said. "I'm sure there won't be any problems, Variable-chan," Asuka smirked. "They're just jealous of us is all." "Well, I am dating the two prettiest girls in school," Ranma grinned, proud of his moment of inspiration as Rei and Asuka blushed cutely. "Yeah, well, between Rei and I, we've got the school's most prime beefcake locked down tight," Asuka smiled. "That you do," Ranma smirked. "Um...if you guys are done stroking each other's egos, could we go to class now?" Toji deadpanned. (oO\O/Oo) "Hold the door!" Misato heard a familiar voice call out from down the hall as she boarded the elevator. Her face remained expressionless as she reached out and casually depressed the button to close the doors. The doors slowly began to close as the sound of running feet drew closer. Just before they did, a hand slipped between them. Misato grimaced sourly in disappointment. "Whew, made it," Kaji puffed, cheerfully ignoring the fact that Misato had not held the door for him. "I haven't run that fast in a long time. Why the sour face?" "Because something in here stinks," Misato sneered glibly, her eye twitching. "Well, I took a shower this morning so it couldn't be me," Kaji smirked. Misato's teeth began to grind as she growled at him. "Misato..." Kaji began smoothly, putting his right hand on her shoulder. Misato grabbed his hand with her right hand, pulled him forward and grabbed the back of his head with her left hand, slamming his face into the elevator doors before driving a knee into his kidney. "Owie," Kaji groaned as he slid to the floor. Misato smirked, looking very self-satisfied, and ignored the groans. After a minute, Kaji struggled to his feet. "Ranma?" he asked curiously. "Yup," Misato smirked, glad for Ranma's training for a change. "Touch me again and you'll be pissing blood from both kidneys." "Can't have that, now can we?" Kaji drawled. Suddenly the elevator stopped moving and the lights went out, plunging them into total darkness for a moment before the red emergency lighting came on. "Power failure?" Kaji asked casually. "Nothing to worry about," Misato said. "The back up circuits should kick in any minute now." (oO\O/Oo) Ritsuko stood in the red light of the control booth where they had been running the power-up checks on the newly refitted Unit 00 when the power went down. Her eyes darted from side to side, looking at the various techs looking at her. "Um...that wasn't us," she offered with a hint of defensiveness in her tone. "Come on. Let's get the door open and find out what's going on." (oO\O/Oo) "I know you guys want some time out with me in my guy form, but I don't see how me being dressed like this is going to score us any ice cream," Ranma said as he walked along with his arms around the two girls' waists. "But you do look scrumptious, Variable-chan," Asuka purred, reaching down and patting him on the butt. Ranma was wearing a black t-shirt that was about two sizes too small for him and a tight pair of jeans. Under the tight shirt and jeans, you could see every ripple of every muscle as he moved. Even though he was obviously with the two girls flanking him, more than one woman had walked into a light pole while watching him instead of where she was walking. A couple of girls even developed nose bleeds which filled Asuka with pride and satisfaction. "Thanks, I guess," Ranma said, stiffening slightly when Asuka patted his butt. "This isn't really my style. These jeans are a little tight to move around in freely, but if you guys like it, I guess it's okay every once in a while. You guys are looking pretty hot too." Asuka was wearing a black mini-skirt with a small, blue crop-top that gave flashes of her tight tummy. Rei was wearing a pair of tight, white chino shorts with a tight, red tank top. Like Ranma, the girls were causing more than a few guys to collide with various obstacles as they craned their necks to look. "Um...guys, do you notice anything weird?" Ranma asked, perplexed. "Like what, Variable-chan?" Asuka asked. "The electricity is out," Rei said after a pause. "Yeah, that's it," Ranma said. "Things are too still and quiet." "Maybe we should call in and see if anything's wrong?" Asuka suggested. Rei pulled out her cell phone and looked at it. "I am not getting a signal," Rei said. Ranma and Asuka confirmed that their cell phones weren't getting a signal either. They had similar results when they tried the pay phone. "Now what?" Asuka asked. "Do you think it's an attack?" Rei reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. She quickly opened it and read the contents. "The emergency orders say we should report to NERV," Rei said. "Right, well, lead the way, Rei-chan," Ranma said. "It's this way," Rei said, walking off toward the nearest entrance to the geo-front. (oO\O/Oo) Motoko Hyuga was walking toward NERV when JSDF aircraft flew over announcing that an angel had been spotted headed toward Tokyo-3. "Oh man, I have to report this to headquarters," he said, looking around at the empty streets. Suddenly a horn beeped and Hyuga heard his name called over a loud speaker. Turning, he saw one of NERV's utility trucks bearing down on him. "We have to get to headquarters and tell them about the angel," Hyuga said urgently as the truck stopped beside him. "Right!" the driver said as Hyuga got in. (oO\O/Oo) "It's so hot," Misato whined, fanning herself. "Well, if you want, you can always take off your shirt," Kaji grinned. "It's not like you have anything I haven't seen before." "You're such a jerk, Kaji," Misato growled, zipping up her jacket and buttoning the collar. "You won't ever see it again if I have anything to say about it." "You wound me, Misato," Kaji drawled melodramatically. "I'm gonna wound you if you come near me," Misato spat. (oO\O/Oo) Rei led Ranma and Asuka through the labyrinth of tunnels into the geo-front. As they passed under a vehicle access road, they heard a vehicle approaching and a voice calling out over a loudspeaker. "That sounds like Hyuga," Ranma commented. "There's an angel approaching!" the loud speaker announced. "Everyone get to cover, there is an angel approaching!" "Aw, man, what a time for an angel to attack," Asuka moaned. "Figures," Ranma said. "I guess we better hurry." The trio hurried on through the corridors until they hit a dead end where a large slab of debris was blocking the tunnel. "Now what?" Asuka asked. "I don't think even you could get through that, Variable-chan." "I might be able to blast through it with a ki blast, but I don't think it'd be a good idea. It might bring the roof down on us," Ranma said. "There is another way," Rei said, stepping over to an air vent and removing the cover. "This way." Rei entered the duct followed by Asuka, with Ranma bringing up the rear. They were forced to crawl along on their hands and knees due to the height of the duct. It wasn't the most comfortable way to get there, but Ranma had to admit he was enjoying the view. "Ranma, are you looking up my skirt?" Asuka demanded. "Um...yeah?" Ranma said with a nervous chuckle and braced himself for the boot-to-da-head. "Good, just checking," Asuka giggled and gave her tush a little wiggle. A loud clang was heard as Ranma face-faulted hard into the bottom of the duct. "Owie," Ranma mentioned as he pulled his face out of the large dent. (oO\O/Oo) After Hyuga had arrived to inform them of the angel, Gendo Ikari marshaled the NERV personnel and currently they were preparing the Eva's for launch manually. Ritsuko and Maya stood on the platform watching the men hoist the entry plugs into position with ropes and pullies. "Can we really launch the Eva's manually?" Maya asked. "It shouldn't be a problem," Ritsuko said. "Once everything is in place, the diesel generator will provide enough power to insert the entry plugs." "But who's going to pilot them?" Maya asked. Suddenly, there were three light thumps behind them. "That would be us," Ranma smirked as the two women turned toward the sound to see the three pilots standing there. "There you guys are," Ritsuko said, as if they hadn't just dropped out of the ventilation duct. "Commander Ikari has almost got the Eva's ready for you. You just need to suit up and we can launch." (oO\O/Oo) The angel, weirdly resembling a Daddy-long-legs spider, made its way into Tokyo-3. It marched through the city, drawn to the point where it would make its attack. Soon, it reached the area and settled its body close to the ground. From a large eye on the bottom of its body, it began to drip acid. The acid fell on the ground and began to eat through the armored access cover of the shaft that would lead it toward its goal. As the angel was beginning its attack, three Eva's were moving toward the surface to engage it. Each carried a naginata and two short-shafted spears clamped to its back. In addition to that, each had been fitted with two large auxiliary battery packs fixed to their shoulder pylons. Asuka had taken the point position and was leading Rei while Ranma followed closely behind her. They finally reached the vertical shaft that would take them to the surface and they began to scale the shaft by bracing themselves with their hands and feet on the walls. Laboriously, they began to ascend. They had made it a good distance up the shaft when the first drops of acid began to rain down on Asuka. She screamed in pain as a large amount fell on Unit 02's back and began to dissolve the batteries. Some of it splashed out and landed on the wall immediately above the foot she was using to brace herself with. The wall liquefied as the acid ran down causing the bracing foot to slip. Deprived of the friction necessary to hold itself, Unit 02 fell. The red Eva slammed into the, now, bright-blue unit 00, causing Rei to lose her grip. Ranma saw the two Evas falling toward him and desperately anchored his Eva to the walls of the shaft using his ki/AT field. He grunted as the pair impacted heavily but he maintained his hold. "You girls okay?" Ranma asked. "I am well," Rei responded. "I'm fine but we have to get out of this shaft," Asuka said. "That thing is pouring acid down on us." A minute later the three Evas were crouched in a side tunnel trying to think of a plan. "Okay, anyone got any ideas?" Ranma asked. "I think I might have one," Asuka spoke up. "Ranma, do you think you can do that thing you did when we fought the angel underwater with just battery power?" "Yeah, but it will completely drain the batteries," Ranma answered. "Then you'll have to make the shot count," Asuka grinned. "Rei, do you think you can project your AT field like Ranma has been teaching us?" "Yes," Rei replied verbosely. "Good, here's the plan," Asuka explained the plan to them. "Everybody understand?" "Affirmative," Rei acknowledged. "Got it," Ranma said. "Great plan, Asuka-chan." Asuka blushed under the praise as Ranma sat Unit 01 down at the edge of the tunnel with his back toward the shaft. Asuka squatted Unit 02 down, bracing Unit 01's legs. Once they were in position, Rei began projecting her AT field out at an angle away from the shaft wall, deflecting the acid away from them. Ranma leaned back until Unit 01's upper torso was sticking straight out into the shaft and began to gather his ki-infused AT field. Once he focused the energy into a giant, reddish-gold ball, he gave Rei the signal. "Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma shouted as Rei dropped her AT field. The ki/AT ball rocketed up the shaft, incinerating the acid as it went. When it reached surface, it struck the angel and vaporized its body in a massive explosion. The angel's legs, all that remained of it, fell to the ground. Back in the tunnel, Rei's battery went dead just after she dropped the AT field. Unit 00 swayed on its feet and began to fall. Asuka reached out and grabbed Unit 00 with one hand and guided Rei's unit to fall safely inside the tunnel rather than into the shaft. Then she had just enough time to drag Unit 01's limp form back into the tunnel before her power ran out as well. (oO\O/Oo) Misato stood with her knees on Kaji's shoulders as she tried to open the access hatch in the top of the elevator. "It won't open," Misato whined as she pounded on the hatch. "Why won't it open? Are you looking up my skirt?" "No, Misato," Kaji said tiredly. "Hurry up, I can't hold you up there forever." "You better not be, and I'm trying," Misato said. Suddenly, the lights came back on and the elevator jerked into motion. Kaji lost his balance and he fell to the floor with Misato landing on top of him. Just then the elevator doors opened revealing a crowd of people gaping at the compromising position the pair were in. Ritsuko stood at the front of the pack, wearing a disapproving look. "Sex fiends," Maya commented over Ritsuko's shoulder. (oO\O/Oo) Asuka sat back on the couch. Ranma was reclined against her, his head resting comfortably on her tummy, fast asleep. Rei was curled up on top of him with her head resting on his chest as he held her in his arms. The two of them had been so drained by their efforts they had barely made it home before they passed out. Asuka gently stroked Ranma's hair as she watched over Ranma and her co-girlfriend. They looked so cute laying there asleep and Asuka was suddenly filled with a fierce possessiveness for both of them. 'Mine!' the thought rang through her head. She could hardly believe how strongly she felt for the pair. If someone had told her before she came here that she would be happily involved in a relationship like this, that person would have been the victim of her fiery temper and a hard slap in the face. Now, all she wanted to do was grab them both and hold them tightly to her. The fears she hid deep inside didn't seem to matter when she was with them. Somehow she knew that they would never let anything happen to her. Likewise, she would protect them to her last breath. It was swiftly becoming such that Asuka couldn't picture her life without Ranma and Rei as her mates. Asuka idly traced the line of Ranma's jaw with the back of her hand. Ranma nuzzled up against it in his sleep causing the redhead to smile gently. Her other hand softly toyed with a few stray locks of Rei's blue hair. For the first time she could remember, she felt fulfilled and happy. (oO\O/Oo) When Nabiki stopped the tape the room was silent except for a few soft sniffles from the fiancées. The beginning of the episode had confirmed their worst fears. Ranma had confessed his love for two girls that were not them. Asuka and Rei had succeeded where they had failed and they were heartbroken. The four older females in the room looked on in compassion as the three of them sat there as if shell-shocked. Ukyo had tears streaming down her face as she struggled to contain her pain. Shampoo sat stoically with very little trace of her accustomed bubbly personality. Akane refused to cry again, but they could see the pain in her eyes as her bottom lip quivered. Kasumi, while sad for the fiancées, was deeply touched by the sweet, affectionate scenes with Ranma and the two girls in the video. She was very happy for Ranma, but she found she was at odds with herself. She wanted Ranma to return to them, but she found that she also hoped he could stay there with the girls he loved. She was glad she didn't have to choose whether he came back or not. Sighing wistfully, she got up and went into the kitchen to make some tea.
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