A familiar figure strode down the streets of Tokyo 3, preparing himself for combat even as he surveyed his surroundings. Tall building covered with armor towered all around him. There were traces of devastation here and there, as if a short but hideously violent fight had broken out. Somewhat like back in Nerima, but on a MUCH larger scale.

His musings were suddenly interrupted by a massive rumbling and crashing, that would have thrown a lesser man to his knees. The very earth was shaking under his feet! Still, it would take more than that to knock down THIS warrior ...

The sight which greeted his eyes almost did what the concussion had not. A hideous creature of epic proportions was slashing at the surrounding buildings with it's claws, each overgrown hand large enough to comfortably hold a car! Even as he watched, yet another building was literally knocked off it's foundations, to crash with an earth-stopping shudder onto the ground.

He was distracted by the sight of a red car speeding towards him at upwards of 90 miles per hour. Skidding to a halt beside him, a purple tressed woman flung the passenger side door open and yelled for him to get in.

Studying the woman in the car, he noticed that she was much older than him, but was no less gorgeous for it. Flowing purple hair that reminded him of a certain amazon, cascaded over her shoulders. Her jacket and shirt showed off her slim figure, emphasizing her overflowing assets. And those legs... praise kami above for tight miniskirts!

"Fair maiden, I shall agree to date thee!" exclaimed Tatewaki Kuno!

"So, you say my father is now in charge of this... Terminal Dogma?"

"That is correct, Tatewaki-kun" *

"Apparently, the UN cut funding because they believed the 'Jetalone' project to be equally viable. In addition, they decided that Commander Ikari was no longer as crucial to the survival of humankind, and decided to set more strict guidelines and monitoring of him... Gendo being Gendo, it wasn't long before he broke those guidelines and was immediately sacked. It was looking bad for us, until we received an offer for alternate funding from your father, Principal Kuno, on condition of him being in charge of the project. Now, normally, we would never have accepted him for such a position, but finances being tight..."

"And so you now have a madman in charge of the fate of the world! What insanity is this! Surely there were other ways to subsidise your base expenses than to stoop to... that! Though, the immense funds, as well as the glory and majesty of the House of Kuno must have..."

"Hey, hey! I'm explaining about how we needed the cash flow within 3 days time! We didn't have any choice, it was purely for financial reasons! No glory and majesty involved; are you even listening to me???"

"... ah, yes, I see it know. With the sheer force of the Kunos behind them, how could any project fail??? Why, even know the scion of House Kuno approaches! None can stand before the might of the Blue Thunder of Tokyo-3! ... Beauteous one, why is this called Tokyo-3 again?"

"Evidently, some people had advance warning of Third Impact, and began plans to rebuild Tokyo on the grounds of it's predecessor, thus forming Tokyo 2. When Third Impact localised itself to a small region of Antartica, the whole project was cancelled. Tokyo 3 is based on the plans of Tokyo 2 and is located in this isolated area, FAR from civilization. It's sort of a decoy from the rest of civilisation." **

"Ah... so, what purpose does the great Tatewaki Kuno fill? Surely I have been ordained a task worthy of my might? Even my father must realize that my warrior skills are unsurpassed in the whole of Japan!"

"Er... as much as it pains me to say this," (I haven't met anyone this puffed up about himself since Kaji, hmmm, actually, scratch that, Kaji had nothing on this kid. Though he DOES seem quite ... eloquent. Poetic even) ,"You're perfectly right. Your job will be to defend the Earth from invading monsters, such as the one you saw just now."

Kuno sneaked a peek out the back window of the car. Rubbing his brow, Kuno pondered on the immensity of the task before him. Why, even the vile Saotome would be easier to deal with than that beast. In fact, even the whole population of Nerima together would be little match for it. Could even a mighty Samurai such as the Blue Thunder deal with such a menace?

"Hmmm..." muttered Kuno to himself, "It would appear that I need a bigger sword..."

Author's notes:

*Tatewaki-kun??? YeGADS!!! How off does that sound? Sadly, this is how it should be, since I exchange Tatewaki for Shinji... no wonder Nabiki refers to him by his surname, Kuno. .... no offense to those Japanese people actually named Tatewaki. Though I have no idea if people are actually named after types of blades in Japan.

** I have NO idea what the reasoning actually is. Anyhow, this is a HIGHLY alternate reality, as you shall see. Third impact didn't wipe out the planet in this world, and nothing has changed in Nerima from original canon, other than the Kuno's moving to Tokyo 3.