From: "Rakna" The One I Love Is... Epilogue - And they lived happily ever after... or so they tried Written by Alain Gravel Story based on characters created by and copyright to GAINAX http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Teahouse/2236/ ======================================================================= Epilogue - And they lived happily ever after... or so they tried "I mustn't run away... I mustn't run away..." "Man, you really look pathetic, you know that?" I almost jumped off my seat. I turned around, my heart beating as if it was about to burst, to see Touji leaning against the door frame, a wide grin plastered in his face. "What are you trying to do, kill me?!" Touji sighed and walked toward me and patted my shoulder. "You're so tense that the air around you is almost still. Try to relax, man..." I don't know if it was his words or his presence, but I felt less nervous. Just a little bit. "You know, you almost look good in this," I teased Touji, speaking about the black tuxedo he was wearing. Actually, he did look very good in it. This was radically different from the usual track pants and jacket he almost always wore back in our school days. Probably Hikari's influence. I noticed that he also wore black gloves. I was very grateful for that. Even if the advances in bio- robotics had been astonishing these last few years, they hadn't yet managed to make artificial limbs that looked totally like real ones. Touji knew that the sight of his artificial hand tended to make me uneasy. I was over the guilt, but... I just couldn't look at it... "Well, of course! Although, this collar is so damn tight..." replied my friend as he fidgeted with the said collar. "You look good yourself." "I hope so... if I do anything stupid today, she'll likely kill me." "Yeah... man, I can't believe you're marrying her! You're really a masochist, you know. How'd you manage that anyway? I thought she didn't even want to hear about the word 'wedding'? Did she get tired of saying 'no' after hearing you nagging her about it for four years?" "Well... things happened..." Touji started to grin. I knew that I was blushing. Could never get rid of the stupid habit. "Things happened... like what? Come on, give me all the dirt!" "Well... you see... Asuka is... Asuka's pregnant." Touji's grin was replaced by shock. "What?! The Demon's pregnant?" I nodded. While it was something Asuka and I were, now, both happy about, it was still somehow embarrassing. Enough for me to forget to remind Touji not to call Asuka 'Demon'. Touji then started to laugh. "Oh man... way to go you lucky dog! You're the man! Didn't think you'd be as devious as to get her pregnant so that you could marry her." "Hey! It didn't happen on purpose!" "Come on Shinji... one of you had to 'forget' about... you know... protection." "We never used any." "Uh? And you say that wasn't on purpose?" "We didn't think we needed any." Touji noticed how serious I had gotten and gave me a puzzled look. "After that day... the doctors... they told her that she would never have children." "Oh..." Because he had been at the Tokyo-2 hospital with us, Touji was probably the best informed about the seriousness of Asuka's injuries, except for Misato, Asuka and I. "At first Asuka had been relieved, but... it was all a lie. It was one more attack against her femininity. She had thought she would never want to have children, but when the doctors told her... but I guess they underestimated just how stubborn Asuka could be..." "Yeah, when it comes to pride, no one beats Sohryu Asuka Langley. Or rather Ikari Asuka Langley." "Actually, it'll be more like Ikari Sohryu Asuka Langley." Noticing Touji's blank expression, I thought it was best to explain a bit more. "She didn't want to loose the name Sohryu and I didn't want to change Ikari for it, so we sorta made a compromise." "Geez... you've got no backbone." "Hey! At least I get to choose the name of our child!" "Oh? Got any names so far?" "Well, Akiko if it's a girl. Haven't really managed to choose a name for a boy yet..." "Touji would be a nice name." I smiled. Good. Guess it was as good a time as any to ask. "She'd skin me alive if I named our child that way. Beside, it'd be confusing to give a child his godfather's name... that is if you want the role of course." Shock showed on Touji's face, followed by a smile so wide it almost spread from an ear to the other. "It would be an honor, Shinji!" I smiled myself. "That way, uncle Touji, Hikari will be able to spoil it too. I hope she won't take it too hard, but we asked Rei to be the child's godmother." "Well, she'll understand. I mean... Rei is family... sorta. Besides, Hikari's already happy enough being the bridesmaid." To get some people to keep Rei's identity secret, we had explained a bit about Rei's origins to Touji, Kensuke, Hikari and Hotaru. Not everything of course. In fact, we had lied a bit. Or more accurately, bent the truth. One of those 'lies' consisted of Rei being my half sister. Which wasn't totally false on a biological basis, if you considered that a good part of her DNA came from my mother. I guess it was a good thing I had never told them about just how far Rei and I had gone in our relationship... "Asuka pregnant... seems unreal. I mean, knowing Asuka, she'd probably go hysterical at the thought of getting as round as a ball..." Touji paused for a moment as enlightenment seemed to suddenly hit him. "I get it now! That's why you two are rushing this wedding! And that's why she'll wear a kimono, even if this wedding is a western one! She doesn't want people to know she's getting fat!" Touji was now laughing like a maniac. I sighed. "You know, if Asuka heard you, you're dead. And I won't even dare think about what Hikari, Rei or Hotaru would do to you." Touji gulped and suddenly looked very pale. Anyone in his right mind knew it was better not to seek the wrath of Sohryu Asuka Langley. It was well known that I was the only one who had a chance to get away with it. However, I suspected that Touji was actually more afraid of Hikari. "Umm... say..." obviously, Touji was more then willing to change the subject. "Speaking of Rei... I saw her... when I came in. She looked... good. How have things been for her lately? The last time I saw her... I know you said she had been better, but... she looks so different now." Yes, Touji hadn't seen her in nearly four years, not after she had left Tokyo-2 to return to the rebuilt Tokyo-3. Not surprising he had noticed a difference. "It's like I told you. As you know, she took it rather hard. She left, found a job as a waitress and practically returned to the life she had lead before we started to date. She lived this way for almost an entire year, avoiding all the people she had known, especially me. Then, one day, Asuka got tired of me whining about how worried I was about Rei, or so Asuka says, and she apparently went to have a talk with Rei. Asuka came back very late that night, with a black eye and bruised cheek dragging along an ashamed Rei and a garbage bag filled with all of Rei's personal possessions. She simply said that Rei would be staying a few days until she could find a decent apartment and flopped down on our bed, exhausted. From that moment, Rei and I started our relation from scratch, a few days later Rei found a new apartment, a new job and since that day, she's been living as if she was trying to catch up the last fifteen years, which I guess she's trying to do. She already has a degree in computer science and biology and lately, she's been studying psychology and physics. A lot of stuff I can't even understand. She's had a good number of part time jobs over the years: web page designer, nurse assistant, cook in a restaurant, waitress and singer in a karaoke bar, as well as plenty more I can't even remember. When I asked her about being my child's godmother she just quit a well paid job as a secretary in a big law firm to take a job in a child day care center. She wants to get used to children." "Geez, does she find any time to relax?" "Not really. She spends most of her free time doing community activities. She did take a whole month off last year and spent it at the beach in Okinawa." "But you're worried about her, right? I can see it on your face." "Well, not worried. I just... I just hope that one day, she'll find someone... you know... like us. She dated a few times, but, it never went farther then a first date." "Still guilty about not choosing her, aren't you?" "Yes and no. I know it was unavoidable, but... sometimes I can't help thinking that I could have prevented a lot of pain had I chosen much earlier." Touji raised his left hand and put it on my shoulder. "You can't change the past, Shinji. You just accept it and go on." Touji then removed his hand from my shoulder and closed it into a fist. "And if you really work hard, things will work out. Look at this hand. I could beat the crap out of you with it if I wanted to." I knew Touji was right, but... "Asuka did the same after she came out of the coma. She just gritted her teeth and moved on. Because of that, she'll be the mother of your child. You should follow her example." "I'm trying. It's not easy... but I'll make it..." "Good." Then, Touji surprised me in pulling me into a hug. "You're a friend, Shinji. So I want to see you smile." "I'm glad you could come, Touji." "Wouldn't have missed it for the world. Hikari either. Besides, the restaurant can run itself for a few days, even if the food is just not as good if Hikari's not in the kitchen. And it's about time we took some time off. To be honest, between the rehabilitation center and the restaurant, Hikari and I don't always have much time together. Maybe I'll quit my job and work with Hikari full time." Once Hikari finished highschool, she and Touji had opened a small restaurant in Tokyo-2, using a sum of money Touji had received from the UN in compensation for his accident as an Evangelion pilot. Hikari had always had a talent for cooking, and this was, for her, like a dream come true. On his part, Touji had developed an interest in rehabilitative care and took a part time job in the same rehabilitation center he had stayed in after he had received his first artificial limbs. "Didn't you love working at the rehabilitation center?" "Well, you know how it works. After all, you did refuse a job at the Tokyo-2 Philharmonic Orchestra just so you could stay close to Asuka..." At the time, it had been a tough choice, but now that I looked at it... I couldn't have been happier. "Yeah, I guess. But I really simply prefer to be a cello teacher here. The kids are so nice and it's just so rewarding to know that you can share something with them. Beside, if people want to hear me, they can always buy the CD. And... there's also the matter that I can't get too far away from Unit-01." "So you still take those tests every month?" "Yeah. Got to make sure I can still synchronize." It had been a controversial decision, but two years after the near annihilation of NERV, the organization had been reformed, financed by both the UN and private funds. With the threat of Angels gone, its main function was to research and learn more about the Angels and develop new technology. There was much interest in the development of an eighth generation computer system, as well as the development of nanotechnology and new medical treatments. Also, five of the Type-5 Evangelions had been fully restored, as well as Unit-01. While the Type-5 EVAs had been used in a few combat situations, it was doubtful that Unit-01 would ever be used again. But there was still the possibility of another hypothetical Angel attack, as well as the threat of a hostile country building its own EVA, so it had been judged reasonable to repair Unit-01 instead of dismantling it. Of course, since I was the only one who could pilot it, people at NERV had insisted that I stay in Tokyo-3. And now that Asuka had gained the rank of Lieutenant within NERV, Tokyo-3 was the only place I wanted to be. Besides, I did get an awfully big paycheck for a few synch tests each year as well as occasional conferences and tutoring on EVA piloting. "Can't believe you'd still pilot that thing after all that happened." "I'm the only one who can do it. And... I owe EVA a lot, despite all that happened. Besides, it's unlikely that Unit-01 will ever be used again." Touji nodded. True, a lot had been lost through the Angel War, but we had all gained a lot too, despite the sacrifices. We were both thinking about memories of the past, when the room's door opened slightly to reveal a head. "Are you guys dressed yet?" asked Hotaru, eyes closed just in case our answer had been negative. "What's the matter, Hotaru-chan, don't want to see real men for a change?" teased Touji. Hotaru opened her eyes and grinned. The girl had really changed over the years. No. Not changed, but rather opened up. A lot of people wouldn't have believed that this apparently shy and introverted girl was capable of some of the things Rei and Kensuke had told me about... "Oh, from what I heard from your girlfriend, Touji-kun, Ken-chan is much more of a man then you. By almost two inches at least." Oh my... Touji was bound to react to that. Well, his fault for teasing her first. "What?! Mine's way bigger then Kensuke's!" I sighed. I really hoped that Touji wouldn't pull his pants down just to prove his point. Unfortunately, he did. Hotaru's smile widened. I developed a big sweatdrop. "Nice. But I bet Ken-chan can use his better." Touji was about to reply when Hotaru screamed. "EEK! HENTAI!" It didn't take a minute for Rei and Hikari to appear behind Hotaru. Rei smiled slightly. Hikari was red with anger. "TOUJI NO BAKA!" Touji passed out. And he dared call me a wimp. Rei pulled Hikari away, who seemed ready to kick the now limp form of her boyfriend. I looked at Hotaru who could barely restrain herself from laughing. "You're wicked," I told her. She just stuck out her tongue. I sighed. "If you can wake him up, it's time. Good luck, Shinji-kun. And try not to faint like Touji-kun did," Hotaru said before leaving herself. I sighed again, and then worked on slapping some sense into Touji. * * * For many reasons, Asuka and I had agreed on a civil wedding. We had never been the religious types to begin with, and to be honest, religion was something we tried to avoid. While most considered us heroes, there were a number of people who considered us evil for destroying God's Messengers and therefore taking away man's only hope for salvation. Over the years, a large number of cults had begun to appear and a few of them wanted us dead. For that reason, we had chosen to have the wedding and reception held in a inn located in a small village, not too far from Hokkaido. It also explained the presence of a substantial group of NERV security agents dressed in civil clothes in almost every corner of the small building. "Hikari's gonna kill me..." I sighed yet another time. Touji had kept mumbling that ever since I had woken him up. "Nah, she's probably just gonna use that whip Asuka gave her when she got back from her last trip to Germany..." "Hikari's gonna kill me..." I stopped in my tracks and shook Touji, drawing the attention of all the people in the room waiting for the soon-to-be-wed couple. "Hey! I'm the one who's supposed to be scared here! So get a grip!" Then I leaned forward and whispered a few more words. "Don't worry, we've got plenty of sake for the reception, you just hide for an hour or two after the wedding and we'll get her drunk. Then you can apologize, and use the old 'Touji-charm' on her..." This seemed to reassure Touji, and we proceeded toward the center of the room where Takahashi Kyoko, Supreme Commander of NERV was waiting to marry the groom and bride. Since Asuka and I worked for NERV, it seemed appropriate that she would be the one to marry us. Unlike my father, Commander Takahashi was a very warm and compassionate person, even if she could be as cold as steel in time of crisis. At forty, she was still a very beautiful woman, with dark brown eyes and shoulder length raven black hair, and while the black and gold rimmed uniform had given my father a sinister look, Commander Takahashi filled it nicely enough to still attract men's attention. Seeing her suddenly reminded me what would happen in the following moments, and now that I didn't have to worry about Touji, I could feel myself getting very nervous. Commander Takahashi gave me a warm smile, which eased part of my anxiety. As I waited for my beloved to join me, I looked at the people gathered before me. There was not a lot of people and most of them were either NERV employees or had been NERV employees at a time. It was alright with Asuka and me; we didn't need a lot of people, just friends and family. On the right was Ritsuko. Since she couldn't really choose where to sit, being stuck in that wheelchair, we left for her a good space in the middle of the front row. I had to admit, despite the fact that she couldn't walk, she looked really good, much better then in those times back in the Angels War. There was more life in her; she looked more alive then ever. The fact that she now dyed her hair brown, as it used to be back in her teenage years, probably helped too. Also, the challenge of creating a computer system superior to her mother's seemed to exhilarate her. But I knew that two other factors played a role to her happiness. The first one was sitting at her left and gently held her hand. We hadn't been really surprised when Maya admitted her feelings to her sempai. It had been more surprising to see Ritsuko opening up to her. But after loving someone like my father for so long, we could only be happy for them. Of course, since Maya was actually in charge of the NERV research department, both of them acted as if nothing was going on. But we knew better. I smiled. It was ironic that the student was now supervising the teacher. But one had to agree that Ritsuko was far more efficient if she only had to take care of one single project. She was a genius in her field and it was a waste to distract her with administrative concerns. Rei was at Ritsuko's right, although a good two meters separated them, as it was needed to leave the bride and groom some place to walk. If one hadn't known her as well as I did, he probably wouldn't have recognized her. While she still had a rather modest chest, especially compared to Misato or even Asuka, Rei had grown into a gorgeous young woman. She had let her hair grow almost down to her waist, and the time she had spent at the beach had given her the opportunity to get a slight tan, although it hadn't been without effort, as apparently her skin tended to burn. She didn't wear her glasses today, so all could see her dark brown eyes clearly. She wore a skintight white silk dress that contrasted with her raven hair. She was magnificent. But sometimes, I would wonder how she would look if her hair wasn't dyed and if she didn't wear those tinted contact lens. The last time I had seen her real eye color was close to three years ago, when Asuka had dragged her home. I felt myself blush as I remembered one embarrassing encounter in the bathroom... If Maya was Ritsuko's lover, Rei had become a sort of daughter to her. As Rei tried to reach out again to the people she had parted from, a bond of sort formed between the two women. They had both deeply changed and were in need of something they apparently found in one another. Back in Rei's earlier years in NERV, Ritsuko had always been the one which had taken care of Rei's physical health; who had taught her the basic facts of life. The relation had, however, always been strained by Ritsuko's hate for what Rei had represented. Now that this hate was gone, it lead the way to a deeper relationship. That birth of that relationship probably occurred the day Ritsuko decided to free Rei of my father's influence. Rei had always felt she owed Ritsuko deeply for that chance at life. Hotaru was sitting at Rei's right. I smiled as I noticed the way Kensuke was holding her hand, his feelings for her apparent in the way he held it. I was glad that Kensuke had been able to make it to the wedding. Disgusted from anything military by the massacre that had occurred in Tokyo-3 and lead to the death of his father, Kensuke had chosen to follow another of his interests: the gathering of information. At barely nineteen, he was already one of the country's top journalists. Because of that, he tended to travel a lot. It was pure luck that he had actually been sent to investigate something in the region of Hokkaido. >From looking at him and his girlfriend, no doubt Asuka and I wouldn't be the only ones having fun tonight. After all, with Hotaru living in Tokyo-3, and having now recently taken over Maya's old position in NERV, the two didn't see each other as much as they might have wished. But somehow, they seemed to be at ease with that life style. From what Rei told me, Hotaru enjoyed spending most of her time alone, even if seeing her Ken-chan usually brightened her days. For his part, Kensuke loved running around, looking for some juicy piece of dirt to expose. Maybe the two would settle down in a few years... At the time, it had come as a shocking surprise to learn that Hotaru's mysterious internet correspondent was none other then Kensuke. Nobody had really suspected that Kensuke could be the romantic type. In fact, nobody could even imagine Kensuke even considering dating a girl. Guess we didn't know him that well. Now that he had grown taller and bigger and had traded his glasses for contact lens, a good number of our old classmates considered Hotaru to be one hell of a lucky girl. Not to mention that, financially speaking, Kensuke was a rather good catch. Sitting right to Kensuke was Kouzou. I still sometimes had trouble calling him that. I couldn't completely forget the image of the NERV sub-commander off my mind. Fuyutsuki resigned from NERV the day after the JSSDF attack. With SEELE defeated, at least for now as not all SEELE members had been found yet, and Gendo dead, he hadn't seen any reason to go on working for NERV. So he now lived a nice and comfortable retired life, thanks to a more than adequate retirement fund provided by the UN. The price for his silence he liked to say. Having worked for my Father, Fuyutsuki knew a lot of dirty secrets about a lot of organizations. Still, his silence was probably the only reason he was still alive. I had been surprised to receive his visit at the hospital a day before I was due to leave. His words had been brief, but they had meant a lot to me. "Your mother would be proud of you." Since that time, we kept in touch. I tried to visit him at least once a month. He was a nice man, once you got to know him, and I learned a lot about my parents from him. Back on the other side, Misato was seated at Maya's left, or at least tried to be seated as she had a hard time controlling that four year old bundle of energy that answered to the name of Katsuragi Ryouji. It finally took Makoto's help, as well as a promise to take the boy to Tokyo-2 Disneyland, to calm the four year old. Misato sighed and let herself slump in her chair, intending to enjoy that brief moment of calm. Once it had become clear that Asuka and I would be alright and would manage on our own, NERV lost the services of its former Major. Had she not resigned, Misato would probably have been wearing Commander Takahashi's uniform, although she did look stunning in that black dress she wore. Asuka and I had not been very surprised when she told us about her intentions of opening a karaoke bar in Tokyo-3, at the time in mid reconstruction. It had proven to be a good business venture. With all Angels defeated, people tended to party more and being the first bar opened in Tokyo-3 gave Misato the opportunity to establish a firm clientele. The fact that the owner was well versed in alcoholic drinks, even if she didn't drink anymore, as well as being very attractive only gave her additionnal support. Misato seemed very happy with her choice. It was a lot of work, especially raising a small child alone, but it was also a lot of fun. And she wasn't alone. Rei had given her a hand by working for a while in her bar. Asuka and I often babysat for her, as did Makoto, who also took care of her business paperwork and worked at the bar two nights a week. Not to mention he was a very good client, at least when he wasn't out doing his job as private investigator. The actual depth of Misato's relation with Makoto was rather uncertain. Makoto's feelings were well known. The man admired her and probably truly loved her. As far as anyone could tell, ever since the first day he started working for Misato back before the Third Angel attack, he had never attempted to date another woman or shown any interest in any woman save for Misato. He was probably as close of a friend to Misato as Ritsuko, maybe even more. They worked together and spent a lot of their free time together. Misato's son loved Makoto very much, and even called him Uncle Makoto. But the true question was: did Misato love Makoto? She liked him a lot. That was for sure. She could hardly have found someone more caring and dedicated than Makoto. And while I wasn't really a good judge, Asuka thought he wasn't bad looking. But Makoto was not Kaji Ryouji. And as long as Misato wouldn't move on, Makoto had no chance at winning her heart. I smiled as I noticed that Penpen was seated next to Makoto. The warm water penguin looked older now with his grayed eyebrows and his feathers seemed a bit paler. I had also heard that he couldn't digest Misato's cooking anymore. Not that it was a surprise. As he realized I was looking at him, he raised a wing. It was sometimes amazing how intelligent that penguin was. There were a few other people seated, but I didn't know them very well. A few of them were Asuka's co-workers. Others were security agents passing as guests. All in all, there was only one missing person, Aoba Shigeru. We never managed to find him. The last time he had been seen, he was sliding a guitar on a shoulder, a bag on the other and walking out of our lives, the open road before him. I didn't really mind much. Unlike the others, I never really got the chance to know him. Still, he had played his role in the Angel War and Asuka and I would have liked to share our happiness with him. My train of thought was suddenly interrupted as the wedding march started. I looked toward the back of the room and gasped. She was beautiful! Well, to me, she always looked beautiful, but... at that moment... she seemed radiant. For a while, she had wondered if she'd look good wearing the traditional wedding kimono, but as I looked at her, I realized that clothes were simply irrelevant. Nothing could have made her more beautiful then she was now. As it dawned on me that the moment I had waited for all those years was so close at hand, I felt my knees threaten to give way. I may have fallen had I not felt Touji's hand on my shoulder. I looked at him and realized he was just as mesmerized as me. And he had good reasons to. Hikari herself was magnificent in her own kimono. "No second thoughts about that double wedding proposal?" I whispered to Touji. Touji didn't say anything, but I was sure part of him was considering the idea very seriously. For moments that seemed to last forever, the two women walked toward the aisle, where they took their place. I smiled nervously at my fiancee and was somehow reassured to see that she seemed just as nervous as me. I then noticed a detail I had neglected moments earlier. Asuka's left eye wasn't covered with the eye patch she usually wore in public. The dead gray eye contrasted with the blue one, bright with life. I noted the significance of this detail. Asuka had wanted this day to be for me a perfect one, and so she had let all masks and artifices behind. I smiled again, and I knew that this time it wasn't a nervous smile; it was a smile that carried all the love I felt for her. This moment of peace didn't last long, however, as Commander Takahashi spoke. "We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman. If there is anyone present here today who knows why these two people should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." Asuka and I had decided to make it short and quick. No long speech and such. We'd have a quick wedding, then a great reception and, without any doubt, an even greater honeymoon. I was about to give Rei a worried glance, if someone had something to say here, it could only have been her, when suddenly I noticed something odd. A red dot on Asuka's chest slowly moving up toward her head. Kinda like... a laser sight. I may not have received military training, but all those training exercises and all those experiences piloting EVA into battle came crashing down on me in a fraction of a second. Without even thinking, I jumped toward Asuka. At the same moment, I heard a familiar voice, calling at me. "Shinji! Get down!" I think Asuka and I were falling to the ground as the first gunshots were heard. Then I heard a quick and violent exchange. I recognized the sound of the fire arms used by NERV security, but the sounds of machine gun were not so familiar. Soon, everything was silent. When I opened my eyes, I realized that everyone in the room seemed very shaken by what had just happened. Even the security officers had seemed to have been taken by surprise. Most of them had their guns in hand, a few of them were either injured or dead. I also noticed that a wall had a gaping hole in it and right there laid a man all dressed in black, his body crippled by too many shots to count. I was no specialist, but my guess was that the man had somehow managed to hide in another room and had made a hole through the wall so he could shoot us. Over an hundred of bullets shot by more then a dozen agents had considerably widened that hole. How that man had managed to elude Security and actually make a hole in a wall without anyone noticing, I couldn't figure. I was about to look at Asuka, to see if she was alright, when I noticed something odd. Among all the chaos, there was one man who seemed completely calm and in control. I gasped as I recognized the man's face. Kaji Ryouji. The voice I had heard... It had sounded so familiar... it was him! He was alive!!! Realizing I was looking at him, the man smiled, waved at me, and then walked away. I might have called him or chased after him had I not heard Asuka moan in pain. I looked at her. Thankfully, she didn't seem hurt, only slightly shaken. "Hey! Baka! Why did you..." the words died in her mouth as she raised her head and took notice of what had just occurred. "Mein Gott..." I looked toward the direction where I had seen Kaji. He was nowhere to be seen. I then looked around me. Misato's son was crying, while Makoto tried to calm him and his mother down. Misato was still clutching the child as if her life depended on it. She had probably shielded him with her body at the first sound of gun fire. Ritsuko didn't seem very perturbed by what was happening. In fact, she seemed to give the scene a rather scientific look. She did however try to calm Maya down. It had probably reminded her of memories she probably would have liked to forget, the attack on NERV Headquarters. I had heard that the whole event had shook her rather badly. Quite frankly, I could understand why. Kensuke seemed tense, but alert. I guess he hadn't completely forgotten about his military fantasies. He was clutching Hotaru against him, ready to protect her with his life if needed. Closer to us, Hikari was sobbing against Touji's chest. The poor girl must have been scared. I then noticed with a slight bit of horror that there was a bullet hole in Touji's left arm. Had that bullet come any closer... "Shinji, are you okay?" I looked toward Rei, who was standing just in front of me, a look of concern in her eyes. "Yes. We're alright." Well, it was partly true. I felt pretty much shaken myself. I found that I actually couldn't get up. I wasn't hurt, I just had the scare of my life. Then, we noticed the moaning. We looked down and realized that there was a man lying on the ground in front of Asuka and I. I recognized him as one of NERV's security officer. He was breathing, but he was bleeding rather badly. From what I could quickly tell, his left arm and shoulder had taken a few hits. He was rather young I realized, maybe only one or two years older then me. "Are you alright?" asked Rei. It seemed like a stupid question, but I couldn't have found a better one myself. "Not really. I've been in more pain before, but not bleeding as much as this. This sucks. If my old man ever hears about this, I won't hear the end of it." Rei blinked, while I nearly gasped. That man had taken maybe close to ten gunshot wounds and worried about his father? "You talk a lot for someone who just got shot," said Rei simply, but smiling. "Well, you don't want me to go into shock, do you, miss?" "True," nodded Rei. I watched the exchange, a puzzled look on my face. What was going on with Rei? "Can I borrow your belt, Shinji?" "Yeah... sure." I quickly unbuckled my belt and gave it to Rei, which she quickly used as a tourniquet on the man's arm. I looked around to see that Asuka was currently talking with Commander Takahashi. She didn't seem happy one bit. "This will slow down the blood flow," said Rei. She then ripped the bottom of her dress and used the fabric as a compress on the man's bleeding shoulder. "You should be fine until medical help arrives." "Thanks to you, miss." "You saved Shinji's life." It suddenly dawned on me that this man had probably taken a few bullets meant for either me or Asuka. "Well, it's my job..." simply said the man, scratching his head with his uninjured hand. "And you did a very good job, young man," said Commander Takahashi, who had gotten closer to us. "At first glance, this assassin probably worked for the cult of the Holy Flaming Cross. Had you not protected them, he might have killed two of our most precious people." "At least there's someone in Security who did his job right," mumbled Asuka. "Yes..." nodded the Commander. "I don't like this. We may have traitors in our ranks. I'll have to give this affair top priority as soon as we return to Tokyo-3." The Commander then looked back at the young man, still tended by Rei. "Tell me, young man, what's your name? Your face is not a familiar one. New to Security?" "The name's Saotome Yuu," replied the young man rather proudly. "And yeah, I'm new to NERV, Commander. I wanted to join the Science department; you see, my real line of work is with computers and I really want to meet the famous Doctor Akagi, but there were no openings, so I joined Security instead, so I could keep an eye open for future possibilities in the Science department." The Commander smiled. "Interesting. Well, you get better and maybe we can get you an interview with Doctor Akagi. What do you think, Ritsuko-san?" "I don't know about his skill, but I like that boy," answered Ritsuko, much to Yuu's delight. "Well then... transports should be getting here soon, so you just hold on a little bit. Speaking of which... can someone tell me what's taking those stupid VTOLs so long to get here?! We have wounded people as well as Lieutenant Sohryu and Mister Ikari to evacuate! Who organized those security measures?!" "Hey!" said Asuka on a tone rather not suitable for someone speaking to its superior officer. "You can't evacuate us! We're not married yet!" Surprisingly, the Commander's expression softened. "Asuka, I understand your feelings, but someone just tried to kill you. I can't let my future second in command get killed now before she even gets the chance to be promoted..." I think that Asuka completely missed part of what the Commander tried to say, as she went on with her protestations of our wedding getting cancelled. "Can't we just make it quick?! I mean, there's not much left to do!" Gently, I put my hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Asuka... I'm not sure it's appropriate. I mean... there's people who got shot here." "I know!" snapped Asuka. "And they are taken cared of!" Probably seeing the hurt look on my face, Asuka took a moment to calm down, her face showing a softer expression. "Look... Shinji... after all we've done for the sake of others... all the pain... all the sacrifices... can't we at least be a bit selfish for a few minutes?" "I guess... I guess we could." "So?" asked my fiancee to the Commander. The Commander took a moment to think. "I suppose we can do it. After all, the transports are not here yet. But it will have to be quick." "Fine," agreed Asuka, while I nodded. After a few seconds, the bride, groom, bridesmaid, best man and the Commander were ready to pick off were we left off. "Ikari Shinji, do you take this woman, Sohryu Asuka Langley, to be your lawfully wedded wife; to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" I took the ring that Touji handed me and nervously slid it on Asuka's finger. How weird that a situation could change so fast. In a matter of seconds, I just forgot that someone had almost killed us. "I do." "Sohryu Asuka Langley, do you take this man, Ikari Shinji, to be your lawfully wedded husband; to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in heath, till death do you part?" Asuka slid the ring on my finger. Their job done, Touji and Hikari scrambled to be lead to the transports that had just arrived. "I do." "You may kiss your bride." I did so. Gladly. "You are now, husband and wife. Now that this is done, let's get the hell out of here!" Asuka and I were roughly brought down to earth, after one of the most memorable kisses we ever shared, and were dragged toward a VTOL, soon to leave Hokkaido behind us. As we flew away, I thought about Kaji. He was alive. All this time, he had been alive. And he obviously cared, since he actually came our wedding. Then, why didn't he tell us? He probably had his reasons. Kaji was an honorable man. Surely, it was important. Important enough for us to keep believing that he was still dead. So I decided not to tell anyone. It would probably just hurt Misato more then anything else. I chased that thought away and smiled. I was a married man now... * * * "I bet you never expected your honeymoon to begin in a cargo plane, huh?" After getting us evacuated, Commander Takahashi had us transferred to a NERV cargo plane departing for the currently in construction NERV French branch. Asuka started to argue, as spending our honeymoon in France had not been in our plans, but the words 'all expenses paid' calmed her down. The others had all been sent to their respective homes, with an escort of NERV agents. I felt a bit sorry for what had happened, so I promised them that we would hold a big party when we got back. The only exception was Rei. She had flown to Hokkaido with Yuu. I must admit, I was a bit intrigued by her behavior. There was something in her eyes... something I hadn't seen in a long time. Or maybe I wanted her so much to fall in love that I was imagining things. But she did have a tendency to like weirdoes. "I never even thought I'd get married. Period. You must be a very special man, mister Ikari." "Not as special as my wife..." I held her closely and kissed her with all the passion I felt for her. It was a very long kiss. "Think our lives will always be as hectic as this?" asked Asuka. "Piloting giant robots, battling giant monsters, avoiding assassination attempts and the like?" "Maybe. But frankly, I don't care. As long as you'll want me in your life, there's nothing more for me to ask for." "You're an idiot!" suddenly said Asuka, surprising me by the tone of her voice. "But you're my idiot," she added in a whisper. "Baka-Shinji," she purred, as she started to nimble on my ear. "I want you." "Asuka! Someone could come and see us!" "I don't care! I feel a bit naughty... let them come, we'll give them a show to remember. Don't you feel a bit naughty, Baka-Shinji?" I did. Fear. Pain. Anguish. These will always exist. However, I knew that if we were together, we would always overcome all obstacles, or at least fail trying. If we were together I knew that, as long as the sun, moon and earth exists, that we would have a chance to achieve happiness. I love you, Asuka. The End --- Author's notes: For those interested, my young NERV agent, Saotome Yuu, was inspired from two fics: a NGE/Ranma cross over called "Past/Future" by Long Ngo and a Ranma 1/2 fic, "Magic", Richard Lawson. The name Yuu was taken from a series named "Marmalade Boy". Before anyone says anything, let me clarify that Rei and Yuu won't automatically fall in love. I put this as a possibility, a ray of hope. Whether they only go on a single date or become a couple is up to you, my readers. One thing I don't want to believe in is that Shinji is Rei's only hope for love. There has to be one lucky bastard somewhere with whom she just may fall in love with. They just have to cross paths. Maybe they did, maybe they haven't yet... This entire epilogue is somewhat only the icing on the cake. The true end really came with Chapter 12. I didn't, however, want to leave you all with so much questions hanging, such as "Will Asuka wake up?", "Did Ritsuko die?", etc. From the end of Chapter 12, a lot of scenarios could have been made. This epilogue is my official end to TOILI. It came from months of planning and pondering on the kind of future the Children could have. I wrote it to mainly please myself. If some of you don't like this ending, well feel free to imagine your own, just as long as you don't start writing it and "publish" it without my authorization. --- Author's closing words: Well, this is it. It's finished. There may be some more side stories to expand a bit the TOILI universe, but in itself, it's finished. Finally. One year. It took one ENTIRE year to go through this project from beginning to end. Counting the prelude, prologue and epilogue, fifteen chapters. Over 300 pages of text. An incalculable amount of time spent thinking, writing, revising, hunting the web for thousand of pictures, watching the TV series over and over, reading the NGE manga and hundreds of other fanfics, answering all my TOILI related mail and having ICQ discussions. So much time... it was literally part of my life. Nearly an obsession. Nearly. At least, I could still tell I was not Ikari Shinji... ^_^ It's been a hard journey. First, I had to deal with the obstacle of another language. Since that first day of February 14th 1999, my English dramatically improved I believe (but I still need the use of a team of pre-readers... guess it hasn't improved nearly enough). Then, I had to write the story itself. Not an easy task, if you consider it was almost entirely written under a first person perspective and that I had to actually create a believable love triangle, using three characters known for their lack of social aptitudes. Thankfully, the story was received far better then I expected. Your compliments and encouragement gave me the strength needed to see this story through. Thank you all... It's been fun. Very fun. Enough for me to write a few other fanfic stories before moving to something else. I think it's safe to say however that this will be my first and only long fanfic series. It's very fun, but very draining as well. And quite frankly, I don't think I have any other long tale to share... Now that the story is over, I think I can safely admit it. Originally, I intended Asuka to win all along. It was clear in my mind. Asuka was my favorite NGE character. I didn't mind if she usually got Shinji in most stories. This was MY story after all. She nearly failed. Something happened. Something unexpected. Chapter 3. Ayanami Rei. I started to like Ayanami Rei. No... I started to love Ayanami Rei as much as I love Sohryu Asuka Langley. For a while, I was confused. I wanted Asuka to win, but... Rei was so much better. She was so nice, she went so well with Shinji. So very well. This proved to be her downfall in the end. She went TOO well with Shinji. It was too perfect. To nice. To calm. I could picture them sitting on a couch, hugging each other, not saying anything, just content of being there, warm, safe, not lonely anymore. I could picture them doing this... all their lives. That's where it didn't work. It couldn't. It wasn't NGE enough. It was too calm. It was boring. Both of them... deserved better. They could probably mature better if they both followed their separate path. Asuka offered Shinji what he needed. Someone that could love him, but also someone willing to shove a spine up his ass. Someone he could devote his life to, yet that wouldn't be dependant of him and that wouldn't tolerate him being dependant of her. It was the perfect chemistry. Chaos is life while absolute order is death. Asuka could bring just the right amount of chaos Shinji needed in his life, but also the right amount of love. Well, this is my view of the NGE love dynamics... I hope you enjoyed this story. On my part, I enjoyed writing it. I dedicate this story to a wonderful young lady, Tam Ka-Wing. May you enjoy this Valentine's Day, KW-chan ^_^ Alain rakna@globetrotter.qc.ca February 14th 2000 Started on January 14th 2000 First pre-reader draft finished on February 14th 2000 Final draft finished on March 14th 2000 Revised on March 21st 2000