After Evangelion
Chapter 14
A fan fiction based on the universe of the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and manga series created by Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, and Ikuto Yamashita.
Fan fiction written by Jaxson Jaguar
With consulting help from Myway
Disclaimer time, I do not own any reference to the Neon Genesis Evangelion. Hideaki Anno created the world of the Neon Genesis Evangelion, to include NERV, the Eva's, the characters, and places originally seen in the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and manga. This fan fiction will contain original characters of mine but I'll do my best to keep the interaction between my characters and the original characters to a minimum.
This fan fiction is if anything my way of finding answers to questions left unanswered by the last Eva movie. This fan fiction will follow an international team whose mission is to find the Magi computers and get them up and running. The secrets lie at the bottom of a crater created by Third Impact. Amidst the team are three specialists who were once selected to be Eva pilots they now journey to the place where all the answers lie.
Asuka welcomed Hikari and Touji in and led them to the living room. They sat on the couch as Shinji poured some tea. Instantly Asuka and Hikari resumed the conversation they had back in the market while Shinji and Touji just shared an awkward silence. They both had things, many things they wanted to say to the other but the words could not, or rather would not come out.
"Okay you two will do more than mumble and exchange incoherent syllables at each other all night." Asuka said as she noticed Touji and Shinji pretty much trying to avoid each other.
"That's right, at one time you two were friends now it has been ten years I think it's time you buried the hatchet and got on with your lives." Hikari added
With that Shinji broke his silence with something rather shocking.
"Your sister didn't make it out of Tokyo didn't she?" Shinji asked in a somber tone.
"No she didn't. She died in the hospital because it was too risky to move her." Touji explained as he fought to hold back his rage.
"Shinji it isn't yours, or Asuka's fault. I may not totally remember what happened that day no matter how hard I try but I'm sure it wasn't your fault." Hikari said in a comforting tone trying to keep the peace.
Shinji then stood up and walked over in front of Touji. He then fell to his knees and bowed his head.
"I'm sorry. Maybe on some level I am responsible and you have every right to blame me and hate me. I know you may think this to be shallow and cheap but it is all I can give. I am truly sorry." Shinji said giving the most sincere apology he could.
Touji saw this gesture and didn't know how to react. It would be so easy to just stand up and kick him in the head, but he couldn't. Hikari wouldn't want that nor would his sister.
"For the sake of my sister and my wife I want to forgive you, but another side of me wants to place all the blame squarely on you. I need some air." With that Touji excused himself and walked out side.
Hikari then stood up and called to him but Asuka was quick to put her hand on her shoulder to stop her. Hikari looked back at Asuka two which Asuka replied by closing her eyes and shaking her head as if to say, "Let him go." On the other side of the room Misato from the top of the stairs watched the whole scene. As her parents and Hikari tried to get a handle on the situation Misato snuck down stairs and out the door where she saw Touji sitting on a bench with his face in his hand.
"Are you mad at my daddy?" She asked.
She was wearing pink pajamas and was clutching a little plush doll that was in the image of her namesake.
"And who are you sweetie?" Touji asked as he turned to look at the little voice behind him.
"I'm Misato Ayanami Ikari. Charmed huh?" She replied with a bright smile.
Touji couldn't help but to smile back and chuckle a bit.
"I'm Touji Suzuhara, you know I have a little girl about your age." He replied.
"Where is she?" She asked.
"She and her brother are staying with their auntie." He replied.
"Do you hate my daddy?" She asked rephrasing her earlier question as she sat next to him.
"I don't know. I want to, well part of me wants to, but the rest of me is willing to forgive him and get on with life." He said as he looked up at the sky.
"He said he was sorry, but mommy sometimes says that sorry isn't good enough." She explained.
"Your mommy's right, sometimes just saying sorry isn't good enough. For one thing you have to really mean it." He replied.
"Do you think he really meant it? She asked.
Just then the door opened up and there stood Shinji. Touji turned around and looked at him then at Misato.
"You know Misato-chan, yeah I think he did mean it. Maybe I can forgive him." With that he stood up, walked over to Shinji, and extended his hand.
The two shook hands and with that the two decided it was time to move one with life.
"I guess men can be sensible creatures when they take the time to use the brain in their heads every once in a while." Asuka commented as she watched the two from the living room.
"Well now that nuclear war has been averted how bout we eat?" Asuka said as she stood up and walked towards the kitchen.
"If you two can break away from your little love fest, why don't you set the table." Asuka demanded.
"You never change do you Asuka?" Hikari said with a nervous laugh.
"Now don't get me wrong Hikari, I love him to death but I am not about to let him think he's in charge of this Inn." Asuka Explained with a wink.
Back at the impact zone Markus, Kelly, and Albrecht sat in silence in the dorm common area trying to figure out their next move. Each of them had something to say about the situation but neither of them knew how to put their feelings into the proper words. Words other then extremely harsh swear words. But after a while the silence was broken by Kelly.
"How dare she? I mean where does that bitch obtain the gull to treat us like that, to proposition us like that, and to blackmail us like that? Who the hell does she think she is?" Kelly asked trying to keep herself calm.
"Well for us she's our commanding officer, as for you she is just your employer. Honestly I wish I was in your shoes, I mean I have a lot of information about Third Impact as is from the people who can actually remember it but there is still a lot I don't know. Look I have nothing to loose but everything to gain from this. If I were to walk away now and go back to my forensics job back in Florida, all I miss out on his some information, and slightly more pay. I stay because I want to know, will I like what I find? Probably not, but I will at the very least have an understanding as to why it all it all went down and why I was remotely involved." Markus explained.
"As for me I think I am the loyal dog of the organization. I was part of this perhaps since I was born. I was able to become a doctor thanks to them. Do I feel some animosity to those in charge for selecting Asuka instead of me? I use to, I use to hate them for it, but as time went by I got over it but the thing is I never had any kind of hatred toward the organization. I suppose I was one of the lucky ones. If anyone is most likely to stay it is me but then again like I said my experiences are nothing compared to yours." Albrecht explained.
"So we have the loyal dog, the curious cat, and me the confused mouse." Kelly commented.
"I suppose we have our own reasons for being here. For all I know its fate that we were selected and ended up here. If that's so it is not all bad, but I just don't know what to do. I just want to know who killed my parents, when they did it, and where they did it. I'm sorry it's just, I want to be able to go somewhere, a physical location where I know my parents are resting, pray for them, and place some kind of memorial." Kelly said as she leaned forward and held her hands in front of her face.
Markus walked over to her and placed his arm around her. The mood was now somber and quiet as each of them flee in to a mood of deep thought. Their next decision would be a big one, would they stay and continue to work with Kano or do they turn their backs on all of it. Not an easy decision to make but an important one none the less. Just then Markus stood up with an idea.
"We have about twenty hours left. Let's get something to hang over her head." Markus suggested
"What do you mean?" Albrecht asked.
"If I marathon it I can probably access the security camera footage before we have to meet with her." Marcus theorized.
"Are you sure about that? What if you are caught, assuming you can actually get in the lab after hours, what's their stopping the guards from bursting in and taking you into custody? I don't mean to sound negative but I'd hate to see you do something that could have larger ramifications other than you being scolded by Kano." Albrecht cautioned.
"Well Al that is a risk I'm willing to take." With that Markus, Kelly, and a reluctant Albrecht headed to the lab.
As they headed to the lab Markus started barking off a shopping list of items he would need.
"Alright people I have nineteen hours en-counting I'm going to need some energy drinks, sugar free if possible, and Raman, lots of Raman. Oh, and the most important thing of all, my mp3 player. You want this thing done quickly I'll need my music. Common we don't have much time people." With that Albrecht went to get the food while Kelly went to get the tunes.
Back in Hokkaido dinner was in full swing, the conversations were lighthearted. They chose not to discuss Third Impact and when the past did come up they focused on the better times. The fact that Misato was there helped keep the mood up and the conversation from going to more depressing topics. Hikari, for one, could not stop gushing over Misato.
"Asuka you have a wonderful daughter, she's so smart and polite, not to mention she's so cute." Hikari complemented.
"Well she is my daughter after all. It's only natural that she would inherit my sweet personality as well as my exceptional intellect." Asuka boasted.
"Well let's hope she hasn't inherited your infamous temper." Hikari said with a laugh.
"Or for that matter her over inflated ego." Touji said under his breath.
"What was that dumkoft?" Asuka said as she glared over at him.
Misato was glancing back and forth confused then looked up at Shinji.
"Daddy, what's an over inflated ego? She asked.
The question broke the ice faster than global warming. Hikari almost choked on her food she was so surprised. All the while Misato was looking at everyone not understanding why they were laughing.
"Oh my goodness she is so cute." Hikari said catching her breath.
"Sweetie an over inflated ego is what happens when a person or other people speak extremely high of a person." Shinji explained.
"And mommy has that?" She said.
This time everyone went silent.
"Well the thing about your mommy is that she can back up her boasting, and honestly the self confidence she has that does inflate her ego is one of the many things I love about her." He said as he looked over at Asuka and smiled.
After a brief pause Asuka started laughing.
"I'm sorry sweetie." She said while laughing but despite that she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
Hikari watched this and moved closer to Touji.
"I'm glad we came here." Hikari said as she leaned against Touji
"Yeah so am I."
The evening wore on and group split up. Hikari and Asuka went up stairs to put Misato to sleep while Touji and Shinji sat out on the back porch with carving up a watermelon. Asuka put Misato down, tucked her in, and kissed her cheek before quietly stepping out.
"You know I never pictured you as the mother type. At one point I figured you hated kids." Hikari said in a quiet voice.
"I was just young and stupid I suppose. Truth is I still had issues with my own mother until that day. The last time I piloted Unit-2 I came to terms with my mother's death and I could feel that she was watching over me this whole time. I forgave her that day and I think my out look had changed for the better." Asuka explained.
"Well I think you are doing a great job with Misato, I wish my kids could be that smart and behaved. And I can't say it enough but she is just so cute, I wonder if she's real." Hikari replied.
"Thank you, but the fact is I may never be a good mother. I'm a wanted fugitive I don't want this life for her. She deserves to have a stable and normal life, not a life where her parents are constantly looking over their shoulders ready to move at a moments notice." Asuka said as she hung her head.
"Asuka you are a good mother. Despite your fears you are raising her right. Right now things may be stressful but perhaps it's only a matter of time till things finally blow over and you can give Misato the life you want to giver her. Don't worry I'm sure that in no time you'll be dealing with teenage arguments and scaring away potential boyfriends before you know. Now how bout we get some of that watermelon before those two finish it off." Hikari said after giving Asuka a quick hug.
Back at the Impact Zone Markus was buried deep in one of the MAGI with a laptop, a few tools, and an energy drink. Albrecht and Kelly tried to help considering they didn't know much about computers.
"How's it coming mein fraund?" Albrecht said as he poked his head in.
"It's coming; I think the caffeine is starting to kick in. I'm starting to feel all jittery and shit." Markus said as his speech started to get faster.
"You need anything? Sorry we weren't able to get you any Raman, but I see you are enjoying the hot pockets." Albrecht asked.
"Honestly I prefer hot pockets. Damn, I never realized there was so much damage. On the plus side I am making progress." Markus replied.
"Mark I got those parts you asked for." Kelly said carrying a box.
"Great slide them in." Markus replied as he connected another piece of the MAGI to his laptop to test it.
Kelly slid the box to him and he immediately started applying the parts. He had been at it for three hours, only taking breaks to use the bathroom. Despite that he had made more progress in those three hours than the entire team had made in the past three months. But then again the entire team had been working on all three MAGI and the progress had been interrupted several times. But this night might just wield results that could shift the balance of power. That is until one problem arose.
"Why didn't I see it, it's so obvious damn it." Markus said as he hunched forward and ran his hands through his hair.
"What's wrong?" Kelly asked.
"Good news I've fixed the hard drive that stored the security camera footage. The bad news is there is no way I can put this on any computer I own. For one thing they are protected from transfer by multiple firewalls and three viruses. I can only safely view the information by routing the feed to the temporary files and that is after going through filters and the video feed is like 56k quality." He explained.
"So what does that mean?" Albrecht asked.
"It means we need a change of plans." Markus said as he crawled out of the computer.
"Tell us what to do Mark. We've gotten this far all we can do now is go forward." Kelly said as she helped him up.
As they went over a new plan of action a group of guards started gathering just out side of the warehouse under the direct command of Yukino Kano.
"Ma'am we have the building surrounded, we are ready to move in." The lead guard reported.
"Very good. Ladies and gentlemen your attention please; these three are not to be harmed. We do not know if they are armed or not but if they are you are only authorized to disable them not kill them. If anything this is a show of force and chances are they will give them selves up peacefully once they see your numbers. I will go in first and talk with them; you will all stay put until I give the word. Is that understood?" Kano ordered.
The guards acknowledged her orders as she turned to enter the warehouse.
"What are those three up to?" She asked her self.
"What do they hope to accomplish with this insurrection? If they did anything to the MAGI I'll go so far as to use them as bait to catch those anti Evangelion terrorists." She continued.
She approached the door and slowly pushed it open.
Back in Hokkaido the four parents enjoyed a late summer watermelon while lounging by the hot spring.
"Okay I have to know, Shinji did you ask Asuka to marry you or did Asuka demand that you marry her?" Touji asked as he threw his arm around Shinji.
"That's actually an interesting story." Shinji started to reply.
"We had separated for awhile so we could create new false identities for ourselves. After that we found each other again and started over." Shinji explained.
"Imagine my surprise when I was walking around college and I saw Shinji there in the quad." Asuka explained.
"So you two managed to get into college?" Hikari asked.
"Yeah that was the true test of our new identities. Especially with the back ground checks they do. But it worked out and we got into college. It was defiantly a surprise when we ended up in the same college." Shinji explained
"Of course I didn't really need college but it was good to get a refresher." Asuka said referring to the fact that she had already graduated from college in Germany before she came to Japan.
"It goes without saying that she graduated at the top of the class, in fact she was at the top of the deans list." Shinji commented
"But once we met up we started dating. We were naturally spent a lot of time around each other, if anything out of some familiarity. It was only a matter of time before we started dating." Shinji continued.
"Now to answer your question no I didn't demand he ask me. However I was about to because the dumb ass was taking so long." Asuka commented
"Was taking my time because I was planning it, I wanted to be just right almost ideal. Before I go on I have to ask you Touji. When and how did you purpose to Hikari?" Shinji asked.
"It was early spring. With the climate the way it is cherry blossoms hardly ever bloom these days but on this day they bloomed and in rare fashion. We spent the day among the orchard and I found this one tree that seemed to stand out among the others." Touji explained.
"It was so sweet to; he was old fashioned about it too. He actually got down on one knee. Since then I don't think those trees have been quite as beautiful." Hikari said as she leaned over and kissed Touji.
"I asked Asuka to marry me when I brought her up to the shrine after I fixed it up." Shinji said as he held Asuka's hand.
"I had been wondering what was taking him so long and when I saw the shrine and the fact that this guy was able to fix it up. All he had to do was ask." Asuka explained with a wide smile on her face.
"She was so impressed she threw her arms around me and that's when I asked her." After he said that he reached over and kissed her.
To Be Continued.