Doctor Who: The Evangelion Error (Book One)

E5 Part 1: Is my child meeting expectations?

Class 2-A. Tokyo-3 First Municipal Middle School. Early September 2015.

"Oh, man, she's here!"

There was a loud noise as Toji and Kensuke threw themselves against the classroom windows, followed by every male in the room. Except for Shinji, who held back by his desk. Misato had obviously arrived for Parent-Teacher Day.

"That's Ikari's guardian?"

"He's living with a babe like that?"

"Idiots." Hikari sniffed.

It wasn't that Shinji wasn't interested in what Misato was wearing today. It was just that - well - things had been weird between them recently. Not that he'd expected otherwise. After all, he'd disobeyed her direct orders. Again. And then he'd left the battlefield without telling her. He vaguely remembered hearing that they usually shot you in the military for doing things like that. At the very least, he'd thought he'd be chewed out like never before.

She hadn't said a word. Not one. Not when he'd showed up at the apartment the night after the battle with Jet Alone, expecting to be handed his head. And not in the week since. She'd been pleasant enough during that time, when she had spoken to him.

Somehow, that scared Shinji even more than the thought of any punishment could. He couldn't quite say why.

He still felt guilty about not telling her the truth. But at this point, how was he supposed to do that without sounding like he'd gone insane? What was he supposed to say? "By the way, my English teacher is an alien who lives inside a little wooden box that's bigger on the inside. He says he's going to save the world." What was she supposed to do with that? What was he supposed to do with that?

***

Fourth Floor Teacher's Lounge.

The Doctor stopped short of the door, a wide chestnut box underneath his arm, having caught a glimpse of the young woman waiting in the room for him. This was who Shinji was living with? Blimey. What with fourteen-year-old hormones and all, it was a wonder the boy hadn't suffered a testosterone overdose.

He slid the glass-paneled door aside and walked into the lounge, pushing his glasses back onto his nose. "Right," he said. "Ms. Katsuragi, wasn't it? Shinji Ikari's guardian?" She nodded. "I'm Mr. Smith, the second year English teacher. Hope you don't mind if I move things along - got a very full schedule today. And you and I have some very serious business to discuss.

"Namely, this." He set the chest down on the table in front of her and opened it.

Misato Katsuragi looked at the box. Then at him.

"Borrowed it off the school librarian. Lovely woman. Christmas present from her son in Los Angeles." The Doctor poked through the various packets of tea inside of the chest. "Now, we've got Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Assam, Darjeeling... I suppose this is some variety of green tea, though I wouldn't quite trust it. Always a bit dodgy, those herbal blends."

She gave him a small smile.

The Doctor turned towards the kettle and the small minifridge along the back wall. "Mind you, it's not a proper cuppa without milk. Hope you don't mind soy - it's all we've got, what with the fallout embargo and all. Though I did once meet a Ukrainian fellow who swore radiation added to the taste. Didn't really have much in the way of teeth left, though, so I don't know if I'd trust -"

There was the click of a safety being switched off. It came, unless the Doctor was mistaken, from the fairly large handgun Captain Katsuragi had just pressed to the back of his head. He hadn't so much as heard her move.

The Doctor swallowed. "Or," he said. "I... suppose we could try the chamomile. If you insist."