Innocent Trip
Chapter 8: Epilogue
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise or the characters. They belong to Hideaki Anno.
A/N: Alright! Can't believe we're finally here. This will mark the penultimate chapter of the fic. To be frank, there isn't much to say about this particular chapter. It's simply just for closure in case Chapter 7 wasn't enough for you. Another thing though, I'm just going to repeat that I'm using the manga references when it comes to Toji's fate, how Shinji met Kaworu, and some other stuff. Anyway, enjoy.


My name is Shinji Ikari. Recently, my life took a few bumps, but that's okay, because now I'm sure everything's better. I used to think of my life as something of a useless one. I was just…y'know, going through the motions. Not caring about anything in particular. And then she walked back into my life. Asuka.

Before she came into my life, there were so many things I thought I needed. So many things I wanted to change about my life. It wasn't until she came along that I realized what I actually needed and wanted. All I needed was her, and I found myself running away from her. But she followed me home. You can't escape your demons that easily after all.

So, in the end, it dawned on me that if I had another chance to be God, there wouldn't be a single thing I would change.


"So, you're finally better now? You have that smile on your face, and I'm not sure if I like it," the co-worker named Daisuke said to Shinji.

"Yeah, things worked out in the end," Shinji said with a smile, "And things will stay like that."

"That's great that you feel better and all," yelled a stern co-worker in the background, "But your happiness is not going to cook the food by itself, so get working!"

Shinji laughed briefly, before standing up. "Sorry," he said half-heartedly, still smiling.


Life with Asuka was certainly different. Shinji had accepted Asuka into his home with open arms (after realizing what had just happened), but was also quick to ask Asuka why exactly she was here and how long she was going to stay.

When Asuka had revealed that she had quit her job and moved to Japan all just to be with him, Shinji almost fainted. Emphasis on "fainted." He stood there for a few seconds, dumbfounded, before being slapped in order to be awakened back into reality. When Shinji came to, he eagerly let Asuka in, and before he knew it, he was living a life similar to that of the one he lived in 2015.

Except perhaps Asuka was playing a dual part as both herself and Misato. She was practically ruining his life by stealing all of his food! But that's okay. Shinji could live with it. He could live with her because in return for the food raids, she offered him her love, comfort, solace, and embraces. That is, when she's not complaining about why it takes so long for the water to get hot.

Like, say, right now for example.

"Gaahhh!" Asuka groaned as she poked her head out the door, giving Shinji a venomous look, "We need to fix the water here! Seriously, it takes like three minutes for the water to get hot!" She whined.

Shinji, lying on his bed, moaned in pain as he felt a headache coming. "Asuka, it's like 8 in the morning. Please don't wake me up with your yelling," he complained back.

"Answer me!" Asuka demanded fiercely.

Turning to face Asuka, Shinji yawned briefly. "Just be patient, okay?" He murmured as he sat up, "Or do you want me to actually come in there and take a look?"

Asuka scowled at Shinji, before realizing that she was actually naked. Though Shinji wasn't actually seeing anything, considering only her head was sticking out, the redhead visibly blushed. "I know one thing you're going to look at, and I won't allow it!" She bellowed, before slamming the door shut.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that, Asuka!" Shinji said as he got up and walked over to the door, knocking on it. "I swear, I didn't mean it like that! Come on, let me in!"


"Y'know, these pre-Second Impact shows are the best if you ask me. They have more taste and substance," Asuka said as she sat on the couch lazily, watching TV.

Sitting next to her, Shinji shrugged. "I've come to appreciate media from whatever time period, whether it be an old spy movie from the 1960s or your soap operas from ten something years ago," he sighed.

It was one of those lazy days.


"Shinji, how come you never tell me how beautiful I am?"

Shinji paused, blinking as he stopped cooking dinner for himself and Asuka. "Uhh…" He replied intelligently.

"Well?" Asuka frowned, crossing her arms, "I'm waiting."

Looking out the nearby window for inspiration, Shinji came up with several ideas and attempted to start. "Err…you're as clear and bright as the Moon," he began.

Asuka raised an eyebrow and suppressed an amused smirk. "Go on."

"You're as beautiful as the stars and…" He continued, looking down at his frying pan, continuing to cook, "And as exuberant as the red fires."

Asuka couldn't hold back a small laugh. Satisfied, she flicked Shinji in the back of his head. "Good enough, though you'll need to work on the similes. They're way too cheesy for my taste, but overall, not bad for a first try."

"In return, I expect you to say something good about me, okay?"

"You're cute in a stupid way that only my Baka-Shinji can be!" Asuka said as she leaned against the counter, "How's that?"

"I guess I'll have to make to do with that, huh?" Shinji sighed, finishing up the meal.


"Hey, Asuka? Whatever happened to your pilot gear?" Shinji asked abruptly, the two of them standing outside on a balcony on a night like any other.

"What, you mean the old plugsuit and the hair clips?"

Shinji nodded, "Yeah. What'd you do with them?"

"Well…" Asuka sighed, the wind blowing in her hair, "Seeing as I knew I'd never pilot the Eva again, I just threw away my plugsuit. I have no idea where it is right now, and I don't want to find it again," she frowned, before trying to hold her hair down in place, "As for the clips? I actually have them," she said, eyes a bit wide, giving Shinji the brief illusion that she looked like a bubbly girl who had that cute expression when she tried to think, "You want me to get them? They're pretty old of course, but I still keep them."

"Why's that?" The young man simply asked.

"Well, I threw away the plugsuit because well, it reminded me too much of the sensation of dying," she said, her voice growing a tad softer, "And since I wore the clips just about all the time, I didn't notice that I had them on until that night before I went to sleep, and I…well, sorta became really attached to those little buggers for some reason. I told myself that I should throw them away as soon as possible, but I actually never got around to, and today, I see them as a reminder of the strong girl I once was."

Shinji nodded in understanding, gently taking Asuka's free hand as he looked down, seeing the empty street below, "You're still that strong girl, Asuka. You're the strongest person I know, actually."

"Ah, shut it," she responded, the reply being possibly the last thing Shinji expected to hear, "I was never all that special. I was never all that special to anyone back then."

"That's not true," Shinji said sternly, facing Asuka, "You were special to me, Asuka. You still are, more than ever."

Asuka couldn't help but smile, but rather, the smile was a gesture of amusement, rather than flattery. "Alright, alright, don't get all touchy-feely on me, Baka-Shinji. You're the one who started all this."

"I-I was just curious," Shinji said, suddenly transitioning from serious-minded to embarrassed, "I didn't—"

"Alright, alright, whatever," Asuka said, suddenly returning to her so-called proud state, "What happened to your plugsuit?"

"Err…" Shinji stammered, trying to think, but realizing that his mind was completely blank in a matter of seconds, "I don't know."

"Whaaat?! Whaddya mean you don't know?!" She exclaimed, pulling her hand away from Shinji's, as if she were disgusted with him, though she was only playing, "What are you, stupid?!"

"Well, I wasn't exactly—"

"Do you even at least know where your nerve connector clips are?!"

"No, but I—"

"Gahh, you're so irresponsible, Baka-Shinji!"

"Stop interrupting m—"

"I don't have to take orders from a clumsy oaf who claims that his possessions just up and disappear!"

And thus, banter began. It was a peaceful night like any other night. It all started with a small spark, and erupted into Asuka taking advantage of the situation and giving Shinji a hard time. It was alright though. Shinji liked it. As long as he was with her, everything was alright. And because he was, he was content with his life in the end.

Such a peaceful night to yell about old possessions.


"Hey, have you ever thought about…y'know, trying to put the past at rest?" Asuka asked Shinji on a night like any other. Shinji had taken the liberty of treating Asuka to a fancy restaurant for dinner, despite her complaints concerning how she was tired of Japanese food, to which Shinji would counter with the fact that she was the one who decided to fly over to Japan.

"I try to," Shinji answered as he ate his meal, "But it's not really the easiest thing to do. I tried to bury it all, but it keeps rising up when I least expect it," he said openly.

"You shouldn't do that, y'know," Asuka said, slightly amused that once again, she had taken the role of "responsible mentor" to Shinji, "At that rate, the past is going to catch up to you unless you make amends with it."

"Oh, yeah?" He simply asked, visibly uncomfortable with the subject.

Asuka nodded. "Yep! In fact, tell you what, I'll help you get over the past in no time! You can count on me!" She said enthusiastically, giving a thumbs up and winking.

Shinji raised an eyebrow, before sighing as he continued to eat. "Th-that's not necessary. You really shouldn't."

"Oh, come on! I want to help you! Trust me, this is for the best!"

"You're not going to give up on this, are you?" The man asked, glancing at Asuka.

"Nope! Just you wait; you'll be feeling much better about yourself and your past before you know it!"

Shinji simply nodded, though his mind had seen better days, seeing as how the part of his thoughts that said I mustn't run away was clashing with the thoughts that said I hope she forgets about this.


"Hello? Is this Hikari Horaki?" Asuka spoke to the phone as she looked out the window the morning after.

Shinji was brushing his teeth and was about to walk into the dining room where Asuka sat, before stopping dead in his tracks. Hikari? As in, the class rep? What's she doing calling her? That's odd, Shinji thought as he leaned against the wall, out of Asuka's view.

"Hey, Hikari! It's me, Asuka! Asuka Langley Sohryu! How's it been?" She said happily, elated that her old friend remembered her.

Obviously, Shinji couldn't hear what the person on the other side was saying, so he had to infer what Hikari was saying based on Asuka's words and reactions. Assuming this actually was Hikari and not someone else. But then again, wasn't Asuka always on top of these things?

"That's good to hear!" She exclaimed unusually cheerfully, "And I've been doing just fine! In fact, I recently just bumped into a certain someone? Care to guess who?"

Being the intelligent man that he is, Shinji guessed that the "certain someone" Asuka was referring to was him.

After a very brief silence, during which Shinji assumed Hikari guessed the answer, Asuka began talking again. "Yep, that's right! Where are you right now? I was hoping we'd all get together and catch up for old times' sake! What do you say, Hikari?"

Shinji smiled at the thought of reuniting with his old classmate. Old friends were the rarest luxury to him. He hadn't even seen Misato for about a few months. A year at the most. Maybe he should give Misato a call soon? He would really hate to lose the woman who was the closest thing to a mother to him, as far as he could remember.

"Great! We'll meet tomorrow then, if that's alright. Shin-chan sometimes takes me out to this great restaurant. I'll text you about it. I want this to be a surprise for Shinji. Okay? Okay! See you soon, Hikari!" Asuka said excitedly, before hanging up. Shinji couldn't get over how uncharacteristic Asuka was acting. She rarely was this enthusiastic about things. She was almost like a little girl again. A normal little girl at that.

As Asuka hung up, Shinji attempted to walk away after registering the fact that he now knew something he wasn't supposed to, but before he could take two steps forward, he stopped dead in his tracks when Asuka spoke.

"Agh, you heard everything, didn't you, Baka-Shinji?!"

Shinji gulped, blinking as he realized he almost swallowed toothpaste, having forgotten that he was in the process of brushing his teeth just a moment earlier. Huh, I really am stupid, Shinji thought as he stepped into Asuka's view, nodding. "Yeah," Shinji uttered to the best of his ability, his speech impaired by his nervousness and the toothpaste in his mouth, "Sorry."

"Ooh, you ruined it before I even got a chance to plan things out!" Asuka said in that usual fiery tone. Shinji had to say that it was admittedly cute when Asuka got "angry" like that. It was almost like she was a chibi from those anime shows, and Shinji would even sometimes imagine that Asuka's head suddenly grew approximately four times bigger, and her hands would be reduced to simple spheres, and she would flail her arms angrily.

"I said I'm sorry!" Shinji replied helplessly, the toothpaste threatening to spill out of his mouth, "Excuse me," he quickly uttered as he dashed back into the bathroom to spit out the toothpaste so that he'd actually be able to talk.

As he did so, Asuka raised an eyebrow, just a "tad" annoyed, and followed him. As she reached the bedroom, Shinji walked out of the bathroom, now able to talk coherently.

"A-Anyway," Shinji stammered uneasily, "It's nice to know that you're getting back together with Hikari. You two were really good friends, y'know," he said, trying to manage a smile.

Asuka even smiled back. "Yeah, we were. And I want to be friends again," she said. It was amazing to note how much she had changed in these years. Even after the several weeks that Shinji had reunited with Asuka, he found that she was just full and full of surprises.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I really was surprised when I realized you were talking to her. Seems like forever since I've even thought of her," Shinji said.

"Hey! Now don't go having perverted fantasies about me and Hikari, or else I'm leaving you!" Asuka said, again using the familiar fiery tone.

Shinji quickly realized his mistake and backed up. "No, no! Th-that's not what I meant, Asuka! Honest! I—"

Shinji's protests were interrupted when Asuka suddenly put a finger in front of his lips, before removing said finger, and leaning in for a quick kiss on the lips. As she backed up, she smiled in amusement. "It's so fun to tease you, Baka-Shinji. But you like it, don't you?" She asked teasingly, pinching his cheek lightly.

"I don't appreciate you manipulating me like this," said Shinji sternly, frowning as he flinched from the pinch.

Asuka laughed warmly. "You are so whipped. Now come on! I need to you to help me determine what I should wear! I want to make a good impression when I see Hikari again!"

Shinji couldn't help but laugh warmly, before nodding. "Yes, dear."

He really is whipped, Asuka thought, smiling to herself, But he likes it. I know it.

Asuka's right, I sorta am whipped, Shinji thought, But I have to admit I sorta like it. In some weird way or another. Actually…I am weird, what am I saying?


The restaurant was decently sized, and today, it was moderately busy, but it wasn't horribly difficult to locate Hikari Horaki, who happily approached Asuka with a hug and gleeful yells of "Oh my gosh, it's been so long!" and so forth.

However, when it was Shinji's turn to be greeted by Hikari, he was instead welcomed with a slap rather than a hug. This brought about the attention of several customers within the restaurant, but Hikari didn't care. She just seemed to suddenly remember that she seemed to be furious with a certain Shinji Ikari.

"Ow! Hey, that hurt! Why'd you slap me?!" Shinji whined, though now that he thought about it, he could think of several reasons why he was slapped.

"That was for just abandoning school! I can imagine you had to repeat the 8th Grade, Mr. Ikari!" She said sternly, that tone of the nerve-racking class representative still within her attitude. "You never even said goodbye to me, Kensuke, or the rest of the class. You just…left without a word after…after…" She said, before stopping, the memories becoming painful rather quickly. Even if Shinji wasn't exactly bright at certain times, it didn't take him long to realize that her pain originated from something deeper.

"I…I'm sorry," he mumbled, "After Toji, things just weren't the same. I knew that things could never be the same. I thought you hated me for what I did, so I simply avoided you. I was running away from you, though I had nowhere to go."

Shinji sighed, taking a seat as he looked down, the memories once again resurfacing. The clash with Unit-03 was undeniably one of the more traumatic experiences in his life. His friend had paid the ultimate price for Shinji's inability to act. Even if he had been friends with Toji for a relatively short time, the impact he and Kensuke had on Shinji was there. Those two were the first friends Shinji had ever had.

And now they were both gone. Needless to say, Shinji avoided people after that. He tried to accept that inevitably, people would hurt him, and in return, he would hurt people. That was why he was here. That's why he's back here in this rebuilt world.

Speaking again, Shinji cleared his throat. "From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry," he said, attempting to face Hikari, "I hurt a lot of people because of my stupidity. I just wish that I'd have a chance to talk to them again, y'know? Toji and Kensuke. It'd be just like old times. The three stooges just hanging together…" He said. Shinji wasn't a sentimental one. He didn't have many things to get attached to, but he dearly missed his old friends. He dearly cherished the memories he had in 2015, good and bad.

"You will get another chance. I'm making sure of that," Asuka spoke, cutting in the conversation between Shinji and Hikari.

Looking up at Asuka in surprise, Shinji's eyes widened a tad. "Wh-what do you mean by that, Asuka?" He asked, puzzled.

"Don't worry about it, Baka-Shinji, you'll see what I mean soon," she said with a smile. Shinji couldn't even describe what was behind the smile. It was a mess of reassurance, mischievous intent, sincerity, and mocking. If that was even possible. But then again, she seemed to always defy what Shinji would count as normal or possible, "Now come on! Let's eat for now, okay?"

Shinji nodded, and hesitantly, Hikari did as well, but not before giving Shinji a venomous look. "I'm not done with you yet, Mr. Ikari!" She said sternly. It was just like Middle School all over again.


After an uneasy meal in which Hikari seemed to be lying when she promised that their talk wasn't over, and a mild argument about who was going to pay, the three old friends made their way to the cemetery, where Shinji quickly deduced what was going to happen.

He needed badly to atone for his sins and bury his past. So was this a way of helping him move on with his life? Did Asuka expect that speaking to a bunch of slabs of stone would magically heal Shinji?

"Asuka…" he whispered, though apparently, the fiery woman would have none of it.

"Oh, be quiet, you!" She hissed, "This is for your own good, you know! Trust me, I thought it was stupid too at first, but talking to the graves of the ones you cared for actually do make things better," she insisted.

"I…oh, fine," Shinji sighed, once again surrendering to the ever persistent Asuka. If she was telling the truth, then that meant that Asuka, who was once the most unreasonable person Shinji had ever met, had made peace by talking to these stone slabs.

"Err…hey, Mom," The slightly annoyed young man said, looking down at the grave of Yui Ikari, before grunting and turning to Asuka, "This is embarrassing. Let's just go."

"No can do," Asuka assertively replied, grabbing Shinji by the shoulders and turning him around, "If it makes you feel more comfortable, we'll give you some privacy," she said, her voice surprisingly filled with sincerity. She really did seem serious about this, huh?

"No, no, it's fine, I guess," Shinji sighed reluctantly, "Anyway…hi, Mother. It's been a while. I'm sorry," he muttered, clearing his throat and taking a deep breath, "It's been a very long time since I visited, and I really don't have an excuse, do I? I just…I'm really sorry, but I'll make it up to you, okay? I promise," he said, getting down on one knee.

He looked back and saw Asuka and Hikari staring intensely at him, the latter crossing her arms. Shinji gulped, but looked back at the grave of Yui Ikari. There was no body under the grave, but then, there was no body. Along with the Evangelion Unit-01, the being of Yui Ikari disappeared after Third Impact.

"Anyway, err…I don't know what to say, Mother," Shinji said. Talking to a grave wasn't exactly like talking to a person, after all. One couldn't ask "How have you been?" to a grave or something of the sort, though while Shinji still felt embarrassed talking to an unresponsive grave, the faint thought of his mother calmed him, "I didn't exactly come prepared with flowers or anything, but…I hope you're doing well…up there," he said, nodding at the sky.

Shinji was no atheist, but he certainly wasn't overly religious. But going through what he went through and seeing what he saw during Third Impact, it's just about impossible to believe that there isn't a supernatural deity out there. Maybe Mother really was still alive…up in whatever Heaven existed.

Bowing his head to the grave briefly, he stood up and walked over to the next grave and took a deep breath, realizing that he was beginning to shake again.

Before him sat the grave of his late father, Gendo Ikari.

"F-Father," he began, his breathing getting faster, his heart rate going up. He never wanted to speak to his father again, even if it was just a grave. But he had to. He trusted Asuka's words. After all, her words were the only reason he was here, "It's been a long time as well, Father."

Just like his wife's grave, the once powerful commander of a once powerful organization had a grave with no body buried. "Father…did you ever love me? Did you ever care for me? Or was it only Mother that you wanted?" He asked in a whisper, away from the ears of the two women behind him.

Breathing again, Shinji closed his eyes, unable to look at his father's grave. "I guess it doesn't really matter in the end, does it? What's done is done, right? And yet…I can't bring myself to move on!" Shinji almost yelled, but kept to his soft whisper, clenching his fist as he determinedly glared at the stone slab.

"I…I'm not sure if I can forgive you for everything that you've done to me," Shinji said, clenching his fists harder as he remembered the pain. It all came flooding back to him. The images were vivid and the voices were as clear as day in his head. The painful memories were all invading his mind.

Like when he was abandoned.

Father, please don't leave me!

Don't say such selfish things, Shinji.

Like when he was called to pilot Unit-01 for the very first time.

Why have you called me here?!

Because I have a use for you.

Like when he activated the Dummy Plug System in the fight against the contaminated Unit-03.

Activate the Dummy Plug System. The current pilot is obviously useless.

No, Father! What the hell are you doing?! Stop this, Father! NOOOOOO!

Shinji visibly grunted, as if the memories were a physical pain that punched him in the face. But he mustn't run away. He had to prove to himself he was better than that. Scowling deeply as he opened his eyes, he looked down at the grave once more, facing his demons. For the sake of himself, and possibly his relationship with Asuka.

"I…I don't know if I can forgive you for everything," he repeated, swallowing, "But then, I don't know if you're sorry either. Without remorse, you hurt me. You lied to me. You used me. But I won't let you haunt me! I won't let you rule my life even in death! I'll…I'll live my life free of your damned shadow! I'll live my life by my own accord and you'll have nothing to do with it!" He said, his whisper gradually turning into a yell. Conveniently enough though, it was only him, Asuka, and Hikari at the cemetery, so no witnesses were present to give him strange looks.

"But…despite all of that, you're still my father, aren't you? And I can't change that, no matter how much I want to. Even if you never loved me, Father, at least let me believe you had a spark of decency within you. The same spark that you hid from the world, and shared only to Mother…" He said, before feeling a calming hand on his shoulder.

As Shinji turned around, he faced a smiling Asuka. No mischief, no irritation, no amusement. Just eyes full of love and care.

But her words quickly said otherwise. "Does someone need a hug?" She asked jokingly, gently flicking Shinji's nose.

Still, even with the words she said, Shinji could still tell that her eyes meant that she really was offering a sincere hug, despite the playful tone. Shaking his head and pursing his lips, Shinji looked at the other graves. "Not yet. Maybe when it's all over."

Shinji still had a way to go. He had way more apologies to make, way more confessions to make. After all, his parents weren't the only people he cared for that had graves lying in this cursed cemetery. He had to apologize to Toji, who he had killed because of his inability to act. There were also the people who never actually returned from Instrumentality, like Kensuke, Ritsuko, and Mr. Aoba.

But he was ready for anything as long as he had Asuka and Hikari by his side.

"I'm ready," he stated, confirming his thoughts, "Let's go," he sighed bravely, stepping forward.


Hikari was frankly proud of Shinji for finally facing up to his past, even if it took him quite a long time to do so. Deciding to bring him a token of goodwill, and to show that she had forgiven him, she held a box with a present inside. Asuka had given her the address of Shinji's apartment, so the former class rep didn't have any trouble locating them. After all, they were back to being good ol' friends, right?

Though Asuka knew that Hikari was coming to deliver the present, she didn't actually know what it was. Still, she kept the door unlocked for Hikari, who showed up early in the morning around 9:15 AM or so. Humming a tune to herself as she inched towards Shinji's door, she stopped and blinked as she heard yelling beyond the door. The only comprehensible thing she heard was "Give them back to me or I swear I'll…!"

And then that was responded with a "What are you gonna do about it, huh?"

Blinking, she opened the door, and stepped in, but immediately wished she hadn't. Beyond her was a horrible sight that would probably scar her for a small while.

Shinji Ikari, wearing only a white t-shirt and nothing else, chasing after Asuka Langley Sohryu, who was holding a pair of pants. As soon as Shinji saw Hikari at the door, his eyes widened in great surprise as he suddenly stopped. Asuka did the same, though she should have remembered. Of course, the one with the widest eyes at this point was Hikari, who blinked twice, and took a step back.

"Hey, Hikari," Shinji uttered, swallowing as he realized he was in trouble.

"…I'm going to leave this here. And then I'm going to go," Hikari replied, trying to make eye contact as much as possible. She did not need to see Shinji's buttocks. Getting down and placing the box on the ground, still making eye contact, she took another step back and closed the door.

As Hikari left, the door now closed, Shinji glared at Asuka, greatly distressed, before proceeding to yank the pair of pants out of her grasp.


Armisael. Mountain of the Judgment of God. Angel of the Womb. One of the most horrifying Angels Shinji Ikari had ever faced. One of the most traumatic events in his life.

However, now that he was older and more mature, Shinji realized that Asuka was right and that he knew he had to move on with his life. It had been fourteen years since the fight with Armisael, and Tokyo-3 still hadn't exactly recovered from the destruction that was caused as a result of the fight.

As a result of Unit-00 self-destructing.

And by extension, the death of Rei Ayanami. At least, the Rei Ayanami that Shinji believed in.

Even before that, Shinji was slowly becoming the nervous wreck that he once was. After the Zeruel incident and being trapped in Unit-01 for a month, Shinji was forced back into the grim and harsh world of Earth. And then he met the oddball Kaworu Nagisa.

He didn't like Kaworu at all when he first met him. He was the strangest boy Shinji had ever met. Coldly killing a kitten and justifying by saying that the kitten would have died later anyway was proof of that. And yet, despite how Shinji distrusted and disliked Kaworu, the white-haired boy still cared for Shinji, and over time, he grew on him a bit.

However, after the encounters with the Angels known as Arael and Armisael, resulting in Asuka going into a coma and Rei dying, Shinji had nowhere to turn to. Misato didn't know what to do for him, and even then, she was devastated as well, still grieving over the death of Mr. Kaji at the time, while everyone else, including Mr. Hyuga, Ms. Ibuki, Ritsuko, and Father, were all either apathetic or unknowing of Shinji's situation.

When Shinji found that the only one to turn to was Kaworu, it was then that he revealed that he was the final Angel, and that he had to die after discovering the true identity of the crucified giant in Terminal Dogma.

But that was then, and this is now. The now older Shinji sighed through his nose, pursing his lips as he knelt on the edge that separated him from the water. Standing at the death scene of Armisael and Rei, it was needless to say that this was an important place for him. It was in the middle of the afternoon, the hot sun and the ubiquitous heat affecting everyone in the area except for Shinji.

Loosely holding a letter in his hand, Shinji looked at it for a little bit. He had written down his true feelings about Rei and Kaworu on a piece of paper and sealed it in this envelope. Now that he was here, he almost snorted at the thought that dropping this letter into the water would somehow allow the two albino-like people he once knew to be at peace or whatever he was trying to accomplish.

Still, he was already here at the last place he saw the Rei Ayanami that mattered to him. To hell with it, here I go, the troubled man thought as he tossed the letter into the water. The people walking around and past him didn't seem to mind him. Then again, Shinji could imagine that many people pay their respects here. After all, as clear as it was already, Tokyo-3 wasn't quite the same after the Armisael attack, a great chunk of the city having been destroyed when Rei activated Unit-00's self-destruction, so it'd be very easy to believe that a lot of people died in the explosion.

As Shinji was lost in thought, he could've sworn he noticed two people watching him, these individuals only visible to him in peripheral vision. As he looked up from the water and blinked in surprise, he glanced to the side and saw no one watching him. Only people ignoring him as they went about with their business.

Funny, he could've sworn that the one on the left had short blue hair…

And that the one on the right sported familiar light grey hair.

Still, Shinji now saw no one like that, so as he turned around and began walking home, he placed a hand on his head, deducing that perhaps he was going crazy.


"Just call her already and say thanks for the present!"

"I am, I am! Geez!" Shinji sighed in minor annoyance as he sat on a chair, cell phone in hand. Roughly two days had passed since Hikari had stumbled into Shinji chasing around Asuka, who was holding his pants, and she hadn't exactly talked to the two lovers after that.

After a few rings, the familiar voice of the former class rep answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Hikari. It's me, Shinji. I just wanted to thank you for…for the err…y'know, cookies," Shinji stammered, trying his best not to be embarrassed from the ordeal that was becoming more and more vivid in his head.

If Hikari was still embarrassed as well, she seemed to be hiding it well. "It's no problem! You and Asuka deserve 'em!" She chirped happily.

Shinji couldn't help but nervously chuckle. "Yeah, thanks. Anyway, I'll see you around. Bye," he said as he hung up.

"There we go. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Asuka asked, hands on her hips as she stood in front of Shinji.

"That was one of the most uncomfortable conversations I've ever participated in. And it wasn't even a minute long," Shinji confessed, putting his phone down.


Nighttime was beautiful in Tokyo-3. The streets were pristine, free of the hectic traffic that plagued daytime. The stars were shining beautifully, as was the full moon. Everything was peaceful and quiet, except for one place.

Shinji Ikari's apartment.

"No, you don't step like that! You—wait, stop! No, no—waaaaahhh!"

"Agh!" Shinji yelped as he fell down on top of Asuka.

Nothing interesting was happening at all. Just Asuka dancing with Shinji, nostalgic about the time they spent together while synchronizing in order to beat Israfel. Of course, it had been years since Shinji danced the way he danced with Asuka when they were 14, so to say that he was rusty was a gross understatement.

"Ow…sorry," Shinji murmured.

"Nngh…get off of me, you pervert," Asuka replied, which was sort of her way of saying "Apology accepted" in this situation.

Complying, Shinji rolled off of her, before proceeding to get up. He helped Asuka up, holding her closely in her arms. The fiery redhead blushed a tad, though she made no effort to hide it. Instead, she simply decided to ignore it and continue on with the dancing session. Actually, it felt like she was training him or something at this point.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" She asked with a smile as they began dancing again, taking it slowly for now.

"Sorry, I can't help it," Shinji said, smiling as well.

"Stop apologizing. You're too cute when you're like that," Asuka said, proceeding to lean forward and peck her so-called boyfriend on the cheek.

Unfortunately, Shinji blushed fiercely, as the kiss seemed to utterly crush his concentration and in no time, they fell down again, the man accidentally tripping Asuka, who had her hand gripping Shinji tightly. As the two hit the floor, Asuka glared at Shinji, who seemed to have his face buried into her chest. Realizing where he was, Shinji immediately pulled his head up, greatly embarrassed.

"Sorry, sorry!" He exclaimed.

"Nngh…let's take five…" Asuka sighed tiredly.

Quite a peaceful night, it was.


"Happy 30th birthday, Shinji!" Asuka shouted as she presented to him the birthday cake.

"Thanks! Err…what flavor is this?" Shinji replied, staring quizzically at the cake. He wasn't picky when it came to food, but still, he had never seen this before.

"It's called tiramisu. Try it!" Asuka said as she cut a slice and handed it to Shinji on a plate.

"Uhh…okay," he said reluctantly, before proceeding to take a small bite.

He proceeded to finish the slice within thirty seconds.


Asuka couldn't stop giggling. It was such a childish thing to giggle at Shinji, but she just couldn't help it. He just looked so damn silly with those glasses!

"What is it?" Shinji asked, oblivious to how odd he looked as he adjusted his glasses.

"I just never pegged you as the type who needed glasses," she said, holding back a greatly amused grin.

"Well, for some reason, the eye doctor says that my eyesight's been getting worse somehow. I don't know why, but I'm just rolling with it."

"Aww, it just means you're getting old!" Asuka teased.

"I'm only six months older than you, so I am not getting old like that!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"


"Mein Gott! Shinji, I won the lottery!" Asuka gasped in partial disbelief. The one time she decided to try her luck…!

Shinji fainted.


"So what do you think of the house?" The agent asked Shinji and Asuka.

Shortly after Asuka had won the lottery, she goaded Shinji into dumping the small and cramped apartment and replace it with an actual house. Hesitantly, Shinji agreed, and before he knew it, they were checking out houses and deciding on which one to buy.

"I like it," Shinji said simply, adjusting his glasses a bit.

"Hmm…" Asuka began thinking as she put a hand on her chin, "Let me check one more thing. I'll be right back," she said as she walked off.

"Umm, okay. I'll be here if you need any questions," the agent replied, before glancing at Shinji as soon as Asuka walked out of hearing range, "I'm guessing she wears the pants in the relationship, sir?"

"Err…y-yeah, you could say that," Shinji said with a meek smile, blushing.

"You are so whipped. Is she naturally that bad or did you do something bad so you feel like you need to give her a chance of revenge?"

"…Both."


"Hey, Shinji? Now that we're filthy rich, maybe you should get a new car? I bet that car's like six years old! Time for an upgrade!" Asuka exclaimed as she lay on the bed of their new home, sighing.

"Now, now, Asuka, we shouldn't be so hasty with the money. It's great that we're richer, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't still be careful."

"…Can't we at least buy me a car?"

Shinji shifted a bit on the new bed. The new room was…bigger than his old room, to say the least. Heck, even the bed was way bigger, giving Shinji and Asuka more room to stretch. Asuka believed it was a king-sized bed, but Shinji had his doubts.

"Err…fine."


Shinji knew something was up the moment she woke up and didn't immediately demand breakfast or insult him. Concerned, he looked at her as he stood over the woman, who was still in bed, her eyes staring into his very soul.

"Umm…Asuka, are you okay?"

"I feel like crap," she said somewhat crudely.

Instinctively, Shinji put a hand on her forehead, before gasping. "Oh, my! Asuka, you have a fever!"

"Hmm…" was all that Asuka could reply. It was unsettling to see someone so energetic suddenly become so passive, but then again, this wasn't the first time she got sick of course.

"You stay in bed, okay? I'll make some soup to help you get better."

"Okay," she practically whispered.

Shinji left the bedroom, and as promised, he returned several minutes later with a bowl of hot soup in his hands. Placing the bowl on the nightstand, Shinji took a chair and pulled it over, sitting down next to Asuka. He then took the soup and spoon, but Asuka stopped her when she spoke.

"I'm not letting you feed me. Give me the soup," she said firmly as she sat up, looking at him with tired eyes.

Shinji blushed at the thought of that, and suddenly thought that that would've actually been somewhat enjoyable in an awkward way to feed Asuka, but nevertheless, he complied, handing her the bowl and spoon.

Asuka graciously took the soup and began slurping. "It's good. Thanks," she said quietly.

"It was the least I could do for you," he said caringly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Asuka shrugged him off gently. "Don't touch me. I'm contagious," she said with a smile, to which they both shared a small laugh.

"I don't mind," Shinji said, before leaning in and kissing Asuka quickly on the lips.


"Dear lord, someone get me a priest or a monk or someone!" Shinji yelled deliriously, coughing in between a few words a few days later.

Asuka, on the other hand, sighed in annoyance. "You brought this upon yourself, y'know. I'm not taking the blame for giving you my fever."


"Hmph! You say that we should be careful with our money and then after that, you take me out to dinner in the most expensive restaurant in town! What's the big idea, huh?!" Asuka asked, crossing her arms as she sat.

"I was wanted to spoil you. That's all," Shinji said, smiling innocently.

The restaurant looked as expensive as it actually was. Elegant pictures of flowers on the walls, which in turn were painted pink, a chandelier on the ceiling, and a carpet with some sort of pattern involving squares were everywhere, giving off the right impression of classiness and wealth.

The waiter came by and gave the two lovers their drinks, the two of them having ordered glasses of wine. He left rather quickly, though Asuka didn't pay any mind to him.

As Asuka sipped her wine, she blinked and put it down immediately, making a face.

Shinji saw her reaction and raised a concerned eyebrow. "Something up with the wine, Asuka?"

"It tastes…off," she muttered, before sipping it again lightly, "I think there's something in it. I'm not sure," she murmured as she looked inside the glass. There seemed to be a circular object of some sort inside…but the red wine was so dark that she couldn't make out what was there.

"You found something?" Shinji asked curiously.

"Yeah…" She sighed, still staring at it.

"A-Aren't you gonna get it?" He asked simply.

Asuka looked up and gave "the look" to Shinji. "Are you stupid? These hands here are not going to be dipped in wine! You do it!"

"Oh my—agh, fine!" Shinji said, some frustration apparent in his voice. Asuka was confused at his sudden shift in attitude, but didn't say anything. As Shinji took Asuka's glass of wine, he reached into it and pulled the strange object out.

It was then that when she saw it, she gasped in surprise, her eyes widening greatly.

Smiling sweetly, Shinji held the dripping ring in front of him, showing it off to her. "Ta-dah!"

"Wh-what's the meaning of this, Baka-Shinji?!" She immediately asked, concluding that Shinji himself had something to do with this. Asuka was actually surprised that he was clever enough to devise something like this…whatever he was planning.

"It's a ring, Asuka!" Shinji said enthusiastically, oblivious to the fact that he was starting to sound like she was of lower intellect as he began cleaning the ring with his napkin.

"I know that, you idiot! Why was there a ring in my drink! And what are you—oh my god!" Asuka gasped again.

Shinji stood up from his chair, only to get onto one knee, holding out the ring to her. "You mean the world to me, Asuka. I love you. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met. So, will you, the great and mighty Asuka Langley Sohryu, marry an idiot like Shinji Ikari?" He asked, his sweet smile doing unspoken wonders to the redhead's heart.

Asuka stared motionlessly at the ring and at Shinji, who looked at her hopefully. Shinji saw in Asuka's eyes that she was about to start crying from happiness or something, but instead, he got a result that he should've totally seen coming, but was satisfied with anyway.

Erasing the genuine surprise from her eyes, Asuka blinked and yanked the ring from Shinji's hand, looking at it with a smirk. "My, my. This looks expensive. You really are a hypocrite, aren't you?!" As she examined the ring closer, her smirk turned into a genuine smile. "It's beautiful. I love it. And…yes, I'll marry you," she said, before shaking her head, "But not before you get me another glass of wine!"

Shinji could barely hold back his excitement. She said yes! She said yes! She agreed to marry him! Still, he couldn't help but giggle like a little girl at Asuka's response. "Yes, dear. Anything you say."


Roughly eight to nine months later, the gathering of people at the wedding was modest. Not huge, but not pathetically small. Plenty of Shinji's co-workers, most of which Asuka did not know about, came. And then there was Misato, who promised that there was no way in Hell that she'd miss this. Shinji getting married was one thing, but Shinji getting married to Asuka? Forget it. It would be a snowy day in Hell while the planets aligned on Friday the 13th before Misato would miss the marriage of the two people she once raised like her own children.

With her, Misato brought a certain Mr. Hyuga (Misato insisted that she wasn't "seeing" him), who in turn contacted Ms. Ibuki. Hikari was present as well as a number of other people. Misato promised Asuka that they had a lot of catching up to do, and made all sorts of other promises. Asuka, in turn, was surprised to see Misato not drink beer for a whole three minutes.

As the priest yammered about whatever and the wedding went on, what with the vows and whatever, Asuka, in her beautiful white dress, was growing impatient. Still, she smiled, looking at Shinji. His suit was simple, but simplicity wasn't always bad, was it?

Asuka let her mind wander a bit until she got a good look at Shinji's eyes. She looked deeply into his vibrant eyes and saw the greatest happiness possible. Hmph, the idiot was probably thinking the same thing too!

"Shinji," the priest began, "Do you take Asuka to be your wife, your partner in life and your one true love? Do you cherish her friendship and love her today, tomorrow and forever? Do you trust and honor her, laugh with her and cry with her? Do you promise to be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

Shinji nodded. "I do."

The priest then proceeded to ask the same questions to Asuka, who replied earnestly. "I do."

Asuka held back a chuckle as she thought about what her 14 year old self would think. Her younger self would probably ask What do you think you're doing?! Lowering yourself to someone like Baka-Shinji?! Or at least something of the sort.

"Then you may now kiss the bride."

And so Shinji did.


One Misato getting drunk and crying later…


The days passed by like a blur. Shinji had never been happier in his life. Holding Asuka in his arms was one of the greatest privileges his life had ever graced him with. In the scene he was in, it was like he was in some sort of cliché romance movie from before Second Impact. A field of dandelions and not a worry in the world.

Still holding Asuka, who sported a light pink sundress and a sunhat, he lifted her up and began spinning around.

Asuka giggled happily, but soon her eyes widened. "Baka-Shinji, look out!"

"Wait, wha—ahhhh!"

It turned out Shinji got a bit careless while spinning around with Asuka and ended up falling off a small hill. They rolled down briefly, but in the end, they didn't get hurt. Even Shinji's glasses were fine, aside from the fact that they fell off his face. Well, they didn't get hurt as a direct result of the fall, anyway.

Shinji got hurt when he was slapped for not being too careful.


Two years, a lot of phone calls from Misato, a letter from Ms. Ibuki, a jab from Asuka to Shinji about how he'd croak when he's going to be asked about where babies come from, and a few more batches of cookies from Hikari later…


"Oh my gosh, she's beautiful!" Asuka said, panting as she sat in the hospital bed, holding her baby in her arms. The baby was crying, but was quickly silenced at the warm embrace of her mother.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Ikari, it's a girl," the doctor said with a smile under his mask.

Looking up at Shinji, Asuka smiled, before looking back at her new daughter. "What should we name her, Shinji?"

"How about…Rei?" He suggested.

Asuka immediately gave a look of disgust and jerked the baby away from Shinji, as if to protect it from her husband's stupidity. "Ew, no!"


Five year old Shinko Rei Ikari looked up innocently at her father, Shinji Ikari, and asked the million dollar question. "Daddy, where do babies come from?"

"I…uhh…oh, crap. Mommy was right…" Shinji muttered in response.


"Are you ready for work or what?" The now older Asuka Sohryu Ikari (or whatever one wanted to call her nowadays) asked Shinji fiercely.

The man, not looking at his wife and instead focusing on his newspaper, chuckled lightly. "Yes, I'm ready. I still have some time before I have to go though."

"Hey, dad?" 14 year old Shinko piped up after finishing her breakfast, "After school, is it okay if I go hang out with my friends?"

Shinji nodded as he glanced at his daughter. "Sure. Just make sure you give Kozo his breakfast."

Complying, the young girl opened the fridge and took a package of tuna, before walking over to the pet penguin, Kozo. "Here you go, you!" She said, handing the young penguin the box.

"Wark." Kozo said graciously as he took the food, before proceeding to use his claws to open it and dig in.

"Okay, I'm off to school now! Bye, mom! Bye, dad!" Young Shinko exclaimed as she rushed out the door.

"You should get going too, y'know," Asuka said as she washed the dishes.

"I…agh, alrighty, dear," Shinji sighed as he put down the newspaper. Quickly hugging Asuka from behind and kissing her on the cheek, Shinji was on his way.

"Have fun at work!"

"As much fun as I can," he sighed.

Shinji Ikari walked out the door, not a care in the world.


A/N: So yeah! Woo! Finally, I got this behemoth over with! Like I said, I don't know exactly what to say about this. Let's see...the thing about Shinji getting glasses is something of a reference to how in a few of the doujins I've read that take place after EoE, Shinji got glasses, so I decided to do that too. Anyway, like I've said a few times before, there's going to be one more chapter which will essentially be "another ending" to those who are dissatisfied with this ending. Well, until then, stay tuned or something.