See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.
THE IKARI ULTIMATUM
Chapter 4: It's a Nice Day to Start Again
*****Three weeks later*****
Shinji opened his eyes, the morning light streaming into his room. Staring up at the familiar ceiling, he smiled a little. 'Just another day,' he thought. At his side was Asuka, who was fast asleep. They were both down to just underwear, their regular sleeping attire since coming back. Upon returning home, they'd decided on moving into the same room. It was only natural, seeing how they'd been like that back in Osaka.
And, oh dear, had Misato mercilessly teased them upon getting back home. First thing she'd done was replace the old sign on Shinji's door, which read 'Shinji's Lovely Suite', with a more elaborate one with 'Asuka and Shinji's Love Shack' on it. Asuka had fumed for a while at first before just accepting it grudgingly. And he did have to admit, her reaction had been funny as hell.
Shinji slowly extracted himself from the bed, moving Asuka's arm aside and sliding out ever-so-gently. The redhead only mumbled and rolled over. Quickly putting on his shirt and shorts, he slid the room's door open and stepped outside. Closing the door with a soft click, he peered around for Misato. Upon returning, she'd been keeping uneven hours. It was a complete gamble what time she'd be up sometimes. Walking out onto the balcony, he took in the morning air. The apartment had sustained only a fair amount of damage from the events of the night he'd returned there. It took less than a week's worth of work to get it back to looking the same as before.
Shinji looked out at the sight of Tokyo-3 in the morning sun. The city had been rebuilt while they were away, this time with the idea that there were no more Angels to come. People had begun moving back, although those who had worked for NERV had to look for other occupations.
The group had landed on an airstrip Kaji had directed them towards, an old JSSDF base no longer in use. Upon exiting the plane, they were met by armed personnel who worked for the UN. Apparently, they wanted some answers for what had happened at the NERV base at Tokyo-3. On the way over, the group had decided on a story to tell the higher-ups, which everyone explained to several military interrogators over the next few days.
Their story was that NERV had eliminated the last of the Angels and were subsequently looked at as a threat by SEELE. The Committee wanted to use the Evagelions as weapons of war against man, so they captured several important members of NERV: Commander Ikari, Major Katsuragi, Dr. Akagi, and the Children. The Commander had been tortured and killed for his insubordination against them, Shinji also having been tortured for his familial connection to the Commander. Kaji, who had been working with NERV and SEELE as well as the Japanese government, infiltrated the Arctic base and freed them before setting off the base's detonation via the override device Rei had taken off Zero's body.
SEELE's loyalties to other governments had been either strained or severed long ago, so the UN decided it to be a good enough explanation for the general public despite being a fabrication. They'd rather just wash their hands of it all, the same as anyone else who knew. So that was it…the true purposes of NERV, SEELE, and the EVAs were quietly swept under the rug to be forgotten. Shinji had no problems with keeping his mouth shut about what really happened, he'd have rather forgotten it entirely.
Ritsuko had requested to the UN the deactivation of the other EVA units around the world. She was currently traveling from base to base with a small team of UN-sanctioned soldiers and technicians, Rei never far behind and ready to protect any one of them. So far, one unit being built in the NERV facility at Beijing had been dismantled and its S2 engine detonated deep under the Pacific Ocean.
'That only leaves nine more total,' Shinji thought. Unit-02 hadn't been moved from the Geofront. Unit-01 had been located and brought back to be placed with it deep under Tokyo-3. Both were scheduled to be the last two dismantled. 'Guess I'll consider that a burial of sorts.'
Kaji had been around sporadically, busy with both his duties to the Japanese government and giving his findings as a double-agent for both NERV and SEELE to the UN. A few things had been left out, of course. The subconscious training Shinji and Asuka had both undergone, Rei's origins and nature, Kaworu, SEELE and Commander Ikari's plans for Instrumentality…all just neatly cut from the spy's reports. And ever since coming home, Misato had been dropping hints to him about a potential engagement.
'Poor guy,' Shinji thought. Then he remembered his friends' reaction to their return…as well as their 'situation'.
*****Eight days earlier*****
Asuka opened the front door, finding a familiar sight waiting for her. "Hikari!" she shouted giving the other girl a hug.
Hikari Horaki did her best to mirror her friend's enthusiasm. "Oh Asuka," she said, a few tears running down her cheeks, "I didn't know what to think. I just never heard from you again…"
"Ha, did you think anything was gonna take me down?" Asuka questioned proudly. "I'm far too tough for that."
"But still…almost four months as a hostage," Hikari said softly, shaking her head. "I just can't believe they'd do that."
"Yeah, turns out NERV was working for some serious bastards," Asuka replied. She looked past Hikari at the two figures moving towards the front door. "Oh great, here comes the comic relief…"
Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida walked into the apartment, giving little more than grunts as hellos. "Yeah…nice to see you too, Red," Toji said flatly. The incident with Unit-03 caused him to need a prosthetic arm and leg, but he seemed to have adjusted to them well enough by now. Of course, that had been months ago.
"Toji! She's been through a very trying time!" Hikari ordered.
Toji quickly snapped to attention. "Uh…oh, sorry," he quickly offered.
"Still got him trained well, huh?" Asuka teased.
Hikari turned bright red. "Asuka!"
Asuka let out a short laugh. "Hey idiot!" she called out into the apartment. "Your friends are here!"
Shinji walked out of his room, leaning a little on his left side. "Geez man, you look like hell," Toji said, walking over and giving his friend a hearty handshake. Noticing the boy's sad stare at his artificial limbs, he continued. "Hey…don't worry over it a bit, I've gotten used to them. It's like I never lost 'em in the first place."
Shinji looked up and smiled at the taller boy. "It's great seeing you again, Toji," he replied, taking a seat on the couch.
Kensuke walked over to him. "Nice to see you're still with us," he began, shaking the former Third Child's hand. "Damn, looks like they worked you over good."
"You don't know the half of it," Shinji spoke under his breath. He had been checked out by UN doctors soon after his own interrogation. The blade to his left arm had indeed cracked the bone a bit, and there were three broken ribs on his right side. The pain in both had lessened, but was still ever-present for the time being.
"I can't believe they'd do that to you," Hikari said, looking down at the carpet.
"Trust me, they'd have done a lot worse if it weren't for Kaji," Asuka replied.
"I'll have to thank him, then," Toji said, looking around the apartment. "Is Misato here?"
Shinji shook his head. "Nah, she's got a couple of meetings today," he explained. "Should be back in a few hours, though."
"How's she doing?" Kensuke asked. "I'll bet she still looks fantastic…"
"As well as you'd expect," Asuka answered. "And quit swooning, you're hardly competition to Kaji."
"So when should I bring Pen-Pen home?" Hikari asked.
Asuka shrugged. "I'd ask Misato, but I figure she'll just say whenever is fine with her."
Hikari was about to continue, when something on Asuka's right hand caught her attention. "What is that?" she asked, reaching for the redhead's hand. On her ring finger was a simple gold band with a small red stone in the center. "Asuka…this is…" she tried to speak, her eyes wide.
Asuka sighed. She had hoped to break the news to Hikari some other time. "It's not exactly what it looks like, but it is a gift from someone…special," she replied, smiling brightly.
Hikari looked back and forth between Asuka's face and hand, trying guess the answer to what she was going to ask next. "Who's it from?" she asked hurriedly.
By now, the other two had noticed the commotion and looked at whatever had triggered the class rep's surprise. "Damn…that's a nice ring. Somebody must have spent good money on it," Toji mused.
"Sucks to be that guy," Kensuke added.
Shinji cleared his throat, three heads turning in his direction. He smiled and held up a hand to get the point across.
Hikari gasped, while Toji and Kensuke just felt their jaws go slack. "Wait…really?" the pigtailed girl asked, having been the first to recover.
Asuka nodded, looking down at the floor right after. "Let's just say…a few months together in rough conditions can really change people."
Toji and Kensuke finally shook their surprise away and stared hard at Shinji, their expressions somewhere between horror and humor. The former Third Child felt his face heat up and sighed deeply. It was going to be a long afternoon…
*****End flashback*****
Shinji laughed and shook away the memories of that particular day. His friends had made Misato's teasing seem almost nonexistent by comparison. Except, of course, she had so delicately put it that any 'certain activities as a couple' be infrequent and definitely not when she was home. Oh sure, he and Asuka could try and keep things under control…but it had been close a couple of times over the last three weeks. And he did have to admit, he quite fondly remembered their second time. "Asuka's right, I am a pervert," he thought aloud.
Walking back inside, Shinji closed the balcony door and returned to the kitchen to find Misato sitting at the table. "Oh…good morning, Shinji," she said sleepily, drinking from a coffee mug.
"Good morning, Misato," Shinji replied, pouring himself a cup of the dark liquid.
"Huh…didn't know you drank coffee," Misato said.
Shinji shrugged. "Only a couple of times. It's terrible, but it helps in the morning."
"I heard that," Misato replied, taking another drink.
Sitting down at the table, Shinji continued. "Long night?"
Misato sighed heavily. "I swear, I think they do it just to see if I'll snap," she said. "I've had just about enough questions for a lifetime." She looked over at him. "There was an upside to it, though. They offered me a major's position in the JSSDF."
"Really?" Shinji asked. "That's great! I think you'll do fine…"
"I told 'em I'd give it some thought," Misato answered. "I'm just not so sure about remaining in military service."
"At least this time there won't be Angels," Shinji offered.
"I dunno," Misato went on. "I think I'd be more used to something that wasn't human."
"I can see your point," Shinji admitted.
"That reminds me," Misato spoke up. "I heard the school's going to reopen in a few weeks."
"Yeah, I know…" Shinji said, his head hung low.
"Oh come now, I thought you were looking forward to a normal boring life," Misato replied, humor in her tone.
"It's not that," Shinji explained. "It's the fact that I haven't told Asuka yet."
"Oh wonderful," Misato said, already guessing the redhead's reaction. "Speaking of, how is your sleeping beauty?"
"Doing just that," Shinji answered. "Probably won't be up for a while."
"Tire her out, did you?" Misato teased, her smile becoming a wicked smirk.
It was doubtful that Shinji could have turned redder. "Misato!" he said with some volume. "You know we agreed not to-"
Misato blinked a few times. "Eh? You seriously thought...?"
"Huh?" Shinji asked back.
"Oh, never mind. Might be for the best..." Misato said, waving a hand.
"You can be such a child," Shinji replied, his forehead touching the table.
"And why not?" Misato asked. "You always seem so serious, I'd swear you were the adult here. I think that allows me to have a childish moment." She raised her mug towards him. "Hey, how about a toast?"
"Huh? What for?" Shinji questioned.
"I dunno," Misato said with a shrug. "Just for, I guess."
"Alright," Shinji replied, thinking hard for an idea. A few seconds later, he held his own mug up to hers. "Here's to the end of our time at NERV and the beginning of a better life."
"Amen to that," Misato said, tapping her mug to his. "So truthfully…are you happy with how this all turned out?"
Shinji leaned back in his chair, thinking her question over. True, there were some things he'd have rather not had happen. But as the saying goes, 'what's done is done'. And, all physical and emotional pain aside, he'd gained what he really needed within these last couple of months. Smiling, he spoke up. "Yeah…I am."
*****THE END*****
A/N: And so, our trilogy comes to an end…and boy, what a ride it's been! There's been conspiracy, deceit, tension, standoffs, chases, explosions, guns, close-quarters combat…and yeah, more than a fair share of the mushy stuff. At least I know which I'm better at…
Now, in so far as what's to come? Well, there's a one-shot two that are being cooked up (see my FFN profile) and might see the light of day sometime ahead. But if you think this chapter marked the end of our little saga…oh, ye of little faith, there's still quite a bit more steam in this tale (SANCTIONS/LEGACY). No clue when any of it will be done and ready to read, but keep your eyes open anyway. You can never tell what my schedule will allow…
Lastly, I'd like to extend a hand and thank the readers who followed these works. I always appreciate anyone stopping to look at (and hopefully review) my stuff.
And once more for this story…
*****Omake time!*****
The camera pans from the hall into the author's room. Again, he is seated at the computer and finishing up the last few pieces of this work.
Bard: (sighing) Glad to get that out done and out-of-the-way finally… (notices the camera) Hey, just in time, my friends.
Mitsumi pops into the room suddenly, clothed in a dress matching her lime-colored hair.
Mitsumi: (smiling) Hi everyone! We were just waiting for you to show up.
Bard: (turning towards her) Then you're all set?
Mitsumi: (nodding) Oh, you bet! Come on, let's go.
The author stands from his seat and follows her into the other room, where the stage is again set for a performance. All five of Mitsumi's sisters are gathered around in one part of the room, talking and gossiping amongst each other. Each one is wearing a dress like Mitsumi's, the garment matching their hair color (red for Kara, violet for Rain, white for Magdalena, blue for Angelina, and yellow for Akari).
Angelina: So yeah, I've done some Rei cosplay while on hiatus. And I've been looking into trying out for series that need parts for fairies.
Magdalena: (surprised) Really? That sounds SO cool!
Rain: I wanna try out, too…
Akari: Same here. I'd say we could qualify as 'moe' enough for current trends.
Kara: Yeah, sure. (under her breath) I'll bet she's just blowing smoke…
Bard: (clears throat) Good afternoon, girls. Are we ready?
All five turn to see the author and Mitsumi, along with the camera following close behind. They wave happily to it before turning back to the room's newest occupants.
Akari: (points to the author) Just waiting for baka there.
Bard: (leans towards Mitsumi) Great, now you've got them doing that…
Mitsumi: Oh hush. What would you ever do without us?
Bard: (sighs heavily) Fine, fine. Let's just get to it, then.
Four of the fairies take their places on the stage (Mitsumi with her guitar strapped around her and in front of a keyboard, Magdalena with bass in hand, Angelina in front of her keyboard, and Akari behind her drum kit). The author walks up to the mic after they finish setting up. The other two fairies take their seats, placed a few feet from the stage.
Kara: (crossing her arms and leaning back) Guess we're sitting out this time.
Rain: (shrugging) C'mon sis, this'll be fun to watch!
Bard: (looking at the camera) Well, folks…like I said in the last part, there's only one song that could finish this thing up. Enjoy.
The lights in the room dim, leaving only small spotlights on the stage's occupants. A noise like a siren begins to wail, Mitsumi playing her keyboard riff shortly after that. A couple of bars later, the bass and drums enter into a steady beat. Angelina's keyboard enters another couple of bars after that, held notes filling the air.
Bard: (singing)
Extreme ways are back again
Extreme places I didn't know
I broke everything new again
Everything that I'd owned
I threw it out the windows, came along
Extreme ways I know will part
The colors of my sea
Perfect-colored me
Extreme ways that that help me
They help me out late at night
Extreme places I had gone
But never seen any light
Dirty basements, dirty noise
Dirty places coming through
Extreme worlds alone
Did you ever like it then?
I would stand in line for this
There's always room in life for this
Oh baby
Oh baby
Then it fell apart
It fell apart
Oh baby
Oh baby
Then it fell apart
It fell apart
Oh baby
Oh baby
Then it fell apart
It fell apart
Oh baby
Oh baby
Like it always does
Always does
Extreme sounds that told me
They helped me down every night
I didn't have much to say
I didn't give up the light
I closed my eyes and closed myself
And closed my world and never opened
Up to anything
That could get me at all
I had to close down everything
I had to close down my mind
Too many things could cut me
Too much could make me blind
I've seen so much in so many places
So many heartaches, so many faces
So many dirty things
You couldn't even believe
I would stand in line for this
It's always good in life for this
Oh baby
Oh baby
Then it fell apart
It fell apart
Oh baby
Oh baby
Then it fell apart
It fell apart
Oh baby
Oh baby
Then it fell apart
It fell apart
Oh baby
Oh baby
Like it always does
Always does
Both keyboards cut off here, Mitsumi switching to guitar to play a short riff for the remaining twelve seconds of the song. As the last notes fade, the lights in the room come back in full.
Rain: (applauding and grinning) Oh yeah, that was very nice!
Kara: (clapping lightly and smirking) Yes. Not bad at all, sisters. Oh, and you too baka-author.
Bard: (sweatdropping) Oh for the love of…
Mitsumi: (putting a tiny hand on his shoulder) Ah, let it go already. You know it isn't meant in meanness.
Bard: (shrugs) I guess. (turns towards the rest of the fairies) Great job as always, ladies.
Four beaming faces are the sight that answer him back wordlessly.
Bard: (turns towards the camera) Well, that concludes this particular work. Come on back again soon, maybe I'll have something else good for you.
The fairies gather around the author and wave enthusiastically at the camera, which slowly pans out of the room…and of course, to return another day…
*****End Omake*****
Pre-read for this chapter was again done by the team of Dark Machine, Eric Blair, gesser87, and JimmyWolk. Good work as always, gentlemen.
Small note: this chapter and all previous/following it were written around late June/early July last year. So a quick "sorry" to everyone who may have been waiting for something after TLaWR. Revisions and pre-reading can take quite a bit of time, it would seem…
For any of you who are new to the community, all of my older (2004-2006) works have undergone a small bit of tweaking (as of the 14th of June 2010). So go take a look, tell me what you think. And review! Even if it's not positive, review!
As usual: good comments will be appreciated, bad ones will be ignored (or kept for firewood). But I do favor good/helpful criticism, so send it my way!
Until our paths next cross,
-AngelNo13Bardiel-