Chapter 20 - Epilogue...or, where'd everybody go from there?
A month had passed since the end of what had been named by the press as the 'Final Battle of Tokyo-3'-though frankly, they were unsure of whether or not to name it the 'Final Battle/Song-and-Dance Number of Tokyo-3' due to the unusual way that it ended. What was a sure thing was that thanks to the efforts of NERV's inner 'resistance' and the JDA, the full extent of SEELE's treachery and conspiracy was unveiled, resulting in massive public outcry the world over. The members of the SEELE council eventually got their day in court-at the Hague-which wound up being covered by the majority of major news outlets around the globe. Which brings us to where we are now with those who won both the Angel War and the War against SEELE, as they'd gathered at Misato's apartment one day in the late afternoon for, of all things, a viewing party. Those attending consisted of the (now former) pilots; Yui and Kyoko, who'd managed to get apartments in the same complex; Kaji, having now moved in with Misato, considering Shinji, Rei and Asuka were going to move in with their mothers; Ritsuko and Maya, along with Makoto and Shigeru; Marie and Mari, who decided to stick around and enjoy Japan for a while; former sub-commander Fuyutsuki; and the newly-returned Hikari, Kensuke, Mana and Mayumi.
"I'm still not sure I'm comfortable with the 'sentencing bingo'," Hikari said to Asuka as she looked at her card. "It seems kind of petty."
"Ah, live a little, Hikari," Asuka said in return. "Considering what those old bastards planned to do to us, you're not gonna feel that guilty."
"True," the class rep admitted.
In the weeks that followed the battle, a lot of Tokyo-3's population returned to the city, including the pilots' friends and their families. Life was more or less beginning to return to normal. The U.N. had decided NERV would be decommissioned, an effort that would take up at least half a year, giving the staff plenty of time to figure out a change in careers as they helped deal with a lot of the more sensitive assets the organization had on-hand.
Over in one corner, Fuyutsuki was taking the time to get caught up with his former pupil as he chatted with Yui and Kyoko. All three were looking at the kids, who were closely following the events of the trial while they kept score on their bingo cards.
"It's amazing how far they've come from this past year," Fuyutsuki noted. "Some things they'll still need to heal from for a while, but for now, it makes me glad to see they're doing fine." He then turned to Yui. "You should be proud of Shinji."
"Oh believe me, I am," Yui said as she eyed Shinji. "For one thing, I'm glad Shinji picked up my knack for music..." Her gaze then turned to Rei, currently making some of the party guests laugh with a few jokes. "Though I never expected I'd have a comedian for a daughter."
Partway into the early evening, Rei walked over to Ritsuko and took her and Maya aside, saying there was someone who wanted to see them out on the balcony. When Maya asked who it was, Rei merely replied with "your future in-law". Ritsuko and Maya followed the bluenette out, and when they saw the person waiting for them, a look of shock appeared on their faces.
"Hello, Ritsuko," Naoko greeted. "Do you know how much I've missed you?"
"M-Mom?!" Ritsuko replied with surprise. She then instinctively rushed over and enveloped her mother in a hug, with tears beginning to well in her eyes. Maya smiled as tears of joy started to well up in her own eyes as well. Ritsuko finally let Naoko go after a minute.
"You know, for a ghost, you feel pretty solid," the younger Akagi noted.
"A bit of density control comes with the territory," Naoko said. She then took on a slightly serious tone. "Ritsuko, I'm so, so sorry for what happened to you. If I hadn't fallen for Gendo's gaslighting, none of this would have happened."
A small smile appeared on Ritsuko's face before she spoke. "Honestly mother, it's all right. What's past is past. We've both made mistakes, more importantly we made up for them-no matter how odd the methodology." She paused a moment to glance at Maya beside her. "And in spite of events, I did wind up meeting the love of my life." As she turned back to Naoko, her smile became a bit of a smirk. "I'm guessing you're partly responsible for Gendo winding up in the nuthouse?"
"VERY much," Naoko replied. "Rei didn't hog all the fun of driving him up the wall. Even got to dust off my old acting chops for a bit."
"You act?" Ritsuko wondered with surprise.
"I never did tell you about what I did with my spare time in college," Naoko replied, before turning her attention to Maya. "You must be Lt. Ibuki. You've no idea how happy you've made my daughter. For that, I can't thank you enough." She held out her hand, which Maya took, hiding how amazed she was that she was shaking hands with an actual ghost.
"I've been curious-that guy in the striped suit at the Geofront, was he the 'partner' Rei kept referring to?" Maya asked.
"Indeed he was," Naoko answered her. "I met him while I found myself in Limbo, and hired him to help me pull off our plan. If it hadn't been for him, none of us would be here right now." She then turned her attention to Rei. "We made quite a team, didn't we?"
"Oh, stop," Rei said in faux-dismissive manner. "I couldn't have asked for a better mother-figure to work with. (And a better mentor, in BJ's case.)"
"Speaking of," Ritsuko began to ask, "where is he anyway?"
Both Naoko and Rei simply shrugged. "I think for now, it's best not to know, considering his type," Naoko said.
"DEFINITELY," Rei seconded.
At that moment, a slanted column of light appeared at the edge of the balcony. Then, accompanied by a certain guitar riff, a golden staircase materialized within, along with a stool at the foot of it. Sitting on the stool was a legendary rock drummer.
"John Bonham?!" Maya wondered.
"You know him?" an equally-surprised Ritsuko asked.
"Aoba's talked about him a bunch of times," Maya replied. "He's the drummer of Led Zeppelin."
"What's he doing here though?" Naoko asked inquisitively.
"Hmmm..." Rei mused, "OH, riiight, 'cause it's a 'Stairway to Heaven', got it, real cute."
"Ya got that right, lass," Bonham said as he turned his attention to Naoko. "Dr. Akagi? I've been sent here to tell ya that, on behalf o' the man upstairs, consider yourself redeemed," he said as he handed her a framed certificate which indicated such. Naoko was stunned, as were Ritsuko and Maya.
"What...what's this mean? How am I deserving-?" Naoko started to ask.
"Yer actions speak for themselves," Bonham replied. "Despite the bloke ya worked with, ya did right both by your girl and Miz Ayanami here, in addition to keepin' the world from endin'. And now 'cause of that..." He then pointed with his outstretched right arm towards the staircase. "...Your eternal reward awaits."
Naoko, Ritsuko, and Maya were speechless. Naoko then smiled and let out a weary sigh.
"I guess it now really is my time, then," she said resignedly.
"You mean...?" Ritsuko started to say.
"Yes," Naoko reluctantly answered. "It's time to say goodbye."
Tears started to roll down Ritsuko's face. "But...but I just got to see you again..."
Naoko smiled warmly back at her. "It's okay, Ritsuko. I'm glad I did get the chance to see you again, if only for a little while." She then held a hand to Ritsuko's cheek as she wiped away a tear. "Don't worry about me. I'll still be watching over you-like I have been for most of this past year. Just from a different vantage point. Who knows, maybe I can work out some 'visiting hours'."
At hearing that, Ritsuko seemed to show some satisfaction. Yet she still gave her mother another hug.
"Goodbye, mother," she said. "I'll always love you."
"As will I," Naoko said. She then stepped over to Maya, and hugged her goodbye as well. "Take good care of her. I know you will."
"I promise I will," Maya said as she hugged her back.
Naoko then knelt down and hugged Rei goodbye. "Thanks for everything," Rei said to her, "especially for forgiving me."
"Thank you too," she said, "for forgiving a foolish woman like me."
Naoko then got back up, and then turned to step onto the balcony's ledge. From there, she was led by the hand of John Bonham onto the stairway, and began her walk up it. She paused about five steps up, turned around, and gave one last wave to the trio still down there, who waved back. Naoko turned and continued up, as she, Bonham, and the column disappeared from view.
Maya put an arm around Ritsuko's shoulders as she comforted her. Their reverie was broken when they heard some astonished reactions from inside the apartment.
"Must've reached a verdict," Rei guessed. "Maybe we should head back in."
Ritsuko and Maya nodded, and all three proceeded to walk back inside and join the others.
"What happened?" Ritsuko asked.
"Just handed down the sentences," Kaji replied. "Half of the council, including Kihl, has an appointment with the gallows."
"The other half got life," Misato added.
"I'll drink to that," Maya said as she and Ritsuko were poured a couple of cold ones.
Rei then walked into the center of the room, and cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention.
"I'd say this definitely calls for a victory tune," she declared. "Pen-Pen?"
At hearing his name, the warm-water penguin switched on the stereo, which immediately sprang to life with the sound of a Carribean guitar, followed by some drums and eventually a brass section. At the same time, Rei wiggled her nose, causing some random objects in the apartment to start 'dancing', while she herself floated in mid-air and produced a pair of maracas in her left hand. The party guests were wide-eyed and astounded-even more so when she started singing in a voice not her own:
Shake, shake, shake, Senora,
Shake your body line
Shake, shake, shake, Senora,
Shake it all the time
Work, work, work, Senora,
Work your body line
Work, work, work, Senora,
Work it all the time
My girl's name is Senora,
I tell you friends, I adore her!
And when she dances, oh brother,
She's a hurricane in all kinds of weather!
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time)
Ok, I believe you!
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time)
Ok, I believe you!
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time)
Ok, I believe you!
As the music continued [which it will throughout the rest of this chapter], the reactions among most of the party guests varied.
Asuka and Shinji stared at Rei in disbelief, even after all they'd experienced for the past year.
"Shinji, I love you, but your family is weird," said Asuka.
"Don't I know it," Shinji said in turn. At that, both took a long swig of their drinks.
Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Sohryu: Got married after college. Shinji became 5th chair for the Tokyo Philharmonic, before later becoming a music teacher. Asuka became co-founder of a small indie video game developer alongside Mana and Marie named Studio Longinus, a naming choice made by the founders with deliberate irony. As a side project, Shinji and Asuka co-authored a cookbook called Averting Your Roommate's Kitchen Disasters, featuring a foreword written by, of all people, Pen-Pen. The two later had three very lovely girls, named Mai, Aki, and Teri.
Misato and Kaji watched the little show in front of them with bewildered looks on their faces.
"Uh, hon?" Kaji started to ask.
"Yeah?" Misato replied.
"Since when do you have any calypso albums in your collection?"
"...I don't."
Both Misato and Kaji then took long swigs of their beers.
Misato Katsuragi and Ryoji Kaji: Got out of, respectively, the military and spy games after getting married a year later. The two opened up a pub specializing in international tavern fare. Misato finally had an audience that appreciated her cooking...even if they were plastered enough most of the time to withstand it. The happy couple later had a couple of kids of their own: a girl named Kotomi, and her younger brother Hiroshi.
Hikari and Toji stared awestruck at Rei's 'performance'.
"Toji, I hate to admit this, but we have some really odd friends," she said.
"Yeah..." Toji concurred, as a smile slowly appeared on his face, "...but it wouldn't be the same without 'em."
Hikari returned his smile. "Agreed," she said as she planted a kiss on him.
Toji Suzuhara and Hikari Horaki: Married after college, which Toji attended on an athletic scholarship. The two wound up becoming teachers at their former middle school, with Toji as a gym coach, and Hikari as a history teacher, specializing in anything BUT the years immediately following Second Impact. Her students didn't know how grateful they were for this. The two are currently expecting twins.
Kensuke and Mana watched Rei with great interest.
"You still got that camera of yours?" Mana asked.
Kensuke quickly whipped it out, its red light indicating it was recording. "Never leave home without it," he answered.
"Good boy," she said.
Kensuke Aida and Mana Kirishima: Bonded over their shared military interests, and started dating shortly thereafter. Kensuke became a photojournalist, while Mana joined Asuka and Marie in co-founding Studio Longinus as a lead designer. Currently engaged.
Ritsuko and Maya stared, their mouths agape, at Rei's performance.
"...Maya, if I ever discount the possibility of supernatural phenomena again, I want you to pinch me," Ritsuko said.
"...Anywhere specific? Either way, consider it done," Maya replied. The two then each took a big swig of their drinks.
Ritsuko Akagi and Maya Ibuki: Married the following year. Ritsuko became a general practitioner, while Maya pursued her doctorate with Ritsuko's sponsorship. She later formed a tech start-up with Aoi Mogami, Kaede Agano, and Hitomi Kaga. Rits and Maya are currently looking into either adoption or artificial means of having a kid.
Mayumi and Mari kept chatting as they watched Rei's performance.
"Any of your books mention anything about this?" Mari asked.
"I'd say it's a good bet," Mayumi replied. "Wanna come by and see them some time?"
"THAT'S a good bet," Mari eagerly answered, as she and Mayumi clinked their glasses together.
Mayumi Yamagishi and Mari Makinami: Became best friends over their shared interest in the supernatural, and wound up heading westward to attend Columbia University in New York. In their junior year, they wound up taking over ownership of a small bookstore in the city called Ray's Occult Books. The most valuable old tome they have on display in the shop was an odd find for them, a strange book called The Handbook for the Recently Deceased.
Makoto and Shigeru stared at Rei, dumbstruck.
"You don't think...?" Makoto started to ask.
"Could she...?" Shigeru also began to ask.
Both looked at each other, before simultaneously saying the same thing while waving their hands dismissively:
"Naaaahhh."
Makoto Hyuga: Moved in together with Satsuki Ooi after she returned to Japan. The two established an indie manga studio, specializing in satirical stories.
Shigeru Aoba: Founded a successful independent record label with his bandmates.
Marie stared at the scene for a moment before ultimately shrugging her shoulders.
"Eh, I've seen stranger things," she said nonchalantly.
Marie Vincennes: Joined in with Asuka and Mana in founding Studio Longinus. She got their first game idea after seeing Asuka's birthday gift from Kensuke, which led to the release of "EVA Mad Dash", dubbed by critics as being as zany as Cell Damage, and as fun as Mario Kart.
Fuyutsuki was at first speechless over what he was currently seeing, but not for long.
"Looks like in all my years, I still haven't seen everything..." he mused as he took a drink.
Kozou Fuyutsuki: Went into partial-retirement, occasionally giving lectures, but mostly dedicating himself to his few hobbies.
Yui and Kyoko stood there befuddled by what was going on.
"THIS is going to take some getting used to..." said Yui.
"You know, Yui, in the case of our daughters, I think I got off lightly," Kyoko said in turn.
"I may be inclined to agree with you," Yui replied. The both of them then took big swigs of their drinks.
Yui Ikari: Wound up taking over her former professor Fuyutsuki's position at Kyoto U. Later wrote a bestselling memoir titled Journey to the Center of a Giant Bio-Mech.
Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu: Received a nice settlement from her ex-husband, along with full custody of Asuka. She returned to her scientific career, this time in a field she was originally intent on pursuing: alternative energy research.
Pen-Pen looked on in amusement as he contentedly samba'd along to the beat. "Wark!"
Pen-Pen: Under the pen name 'P.N. Guinn', began ghostwriting a financial advice column for The Wall Street Journal, which proved to be a hit with readers. Apparently his housemates underestimated the intellect of their fine-feathered friend.
Rei paid no heed to the looks she was getting from the rest of her friends and family, as she simply enjoyed herself while joined by the sudden arrival of some dancing, Hawaiian shirt-clad skeletons:
You can talk about Cha-Cha,
Tango, Waltz, or the Rumba.
Senora's dance has no title,
You jump in the saddle,
Hold on to de bridle!
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time)
Ok, I believe you!
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time)
Ok, I believe you!
(Jump in the line, rock your body in time)
Ok, I believe you!
Rei Ikari (née Ayanami): Graduated college with a degree in psychology. Following graduation, became a popular stand-up comic in many a Tokyo club before taking her act on the global festival circuit. A performance at Comedy Relief led to her discovery by Lorne Michaels, who helped her land that most-coveted of gigs as a staff writer (and later 'Weekend Update' anchor) for Saturday Night Live, an institution resilient enough to survive even Second Impact. One of her more notable sketches was an animated SNL Digital Short that greatly parodied mecha and giant robot anime.
Naoko Akagi: Did indeed go to her eternal reward, where she took the opportunity to meet some of her scientific heroes. At one point wound up beating Ada Lovelace in a poker game. Worked out a deal that let her occasionally pop in on her daughter and her new daughter-in-law.
The Rei clones: Beetlejuice called in a favor from a guy he knew 'upstairs', and had the souls of children lost in Second Impact reincarnated into the clones, further modified by Lilith to differ in appearance and no longer possess S2 organs. The now-human-and-diversified clones were each adopted by families who lost loved ones during Second Impact.
Jet Alone: Footage of the funkified Jet Alone's battle with the 14th Angel leaked onto the internet, inspiring a new wave of genre films called 'mechsploitation movies'. The first notable one of these productions was a Mario Van Peebles co-production called "Sweet Mazinga Z's Baadasssss Song".
Adam: Works as a blackjack dealer at a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which was about as far as he made it in lieu of Cleveland.
Iruel: Took a job as tech support specializing in software, as part of Best Buy's Geek Squad.
Leiliel: Started up a successful self-storage franchise.
Zeruel: Took a job as the butcher for a small deli; Yelp reviews called his cuts of meat the finest in the land.
Kaworu Nagisa/Tabris: Made it further inland than his father. Ditched his former handle of Tabris (along with his S2 organ). Found a job working in a music store called Championship Vinyl in Chicago, where owner/proprietor Rob Gordon named him 'employee of the month' three years in a row.
The SEELE Council: Following their sentencing, their seized assets were sold off, the proceeds going to those who lost their loved ones in Second Impact.
Gendo Ikari: Committed to the Poronai Valley Home for the Reality-Challenged in Hokkaido-2. His room resides in the wing of the facility housing patients who think they're Napoleon and those who think they're Ethel Merman-and even those who think they're Ethel Merman playing Napoleon.
Lilith: Vanished without a trace from Japan. Whereabouts currently unknown...Although secretly...
Kingston, Jamaica...
A tropical sea breeze filled the air over the shoreline, where among the vacationing tourists and beach bums lay a beautiful, but very pale woman with long snow-white hair. She was lying back on a green-and-white striped beach chair, next to a small table with an umbrella angled backwards. The woman wore a purple two-piece swimsuit, and appeared to be greatly enjoying herself-alongside a most unusual companion.
"Aaaaahhhh...I never knew I really needed this till now," Lilith said as she reached for the coconut cup containing her Pina Colada.
"It's like I told ya, babe," said Beetlejuice, who was lying back in a similar chair as he held his own drink. He was wearing a pinkish Hawaiian shirt with yellow-green patterns, black-and-white striped Bermuda shorts, and a pair of sandals. "Once in a while, ya just gotta sit back and enjoy the lil' things in life."
"I'll definitely drink to that," Lilith replied. The two of them 'clinked' their cups together as they took a sip.
"As a wise man once said," Beetlejuice began to say as the camera panned upwards towards the clear blue sky, "'How SWEET IT IS!'"
END Epilogue.
**Author's Note(s)**
And thus, our tale comes to a close, a happy ending for the majority of those involved.
Yes, I went and made an obvious Led Zeppelin joke, so sue me!
Rei's musical bit of course is lifted from the final scenes of Beetlejuice.
The way I laid out the 'where are they now' for the characters is inspired by how it was done for National Lampoon's Animal House.
Shinji and Asuka's careers are nods to jcmoorehead's fanfic "The Division Bell". Their kids are named after Shinji and Asuka's daughters from three classic fanfics: the doujinshi "Happy End of Evangelion" (Mai), Jimmywolk's "The 2nd Try" (Aki), and Axel Terizaki's "The Child of Love" (Teri).
Misato and Kaji's kids' names also come from a couple of those same fanfics: Kotomi from "Happy End of Evangelion" and Hiroshi from Jimmywolk's one-shot sequel "Aki2".
Ritsuko and Maya's career changes are inspired by tribun's "Going Another Way".
The bookstore Mayumi and Mari take over comes from Ghostbusters II.
Kyoko's delving into alternate energy comes from Traitor of All Traitors's "Reversal of Misfortune", while her marital resolution is inspired by OrionPax09's "Superwomen of EVA: Soul's Haven".
Pen-Pen's pen name is lifted from the one used by the Penguin in the 1966 Batman movie.
The music store Kaworu gets a job at comes from the novel (and John Cusack movie) High Fidelity.
The name of the facility Gendo is committed to is a riff on the Piqua Valley Home for the Reality-Challenged from the fourth Captain Underpants book. The bit with the patients that think they're Ethel Merman is based on a gag from Airplane!.
Beetlejuice's final line in the chapter sees him quote Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners.
Like many a Popeil commercial would say, "But wait-there's more!"