October 5th, 1983

Mari cracked open her eyes as sunlight peeked through the window. She yawned as she rose from the covers. It felt the empty spot beside her. Mari's eyes went wide as her hand felt the empty spot beside her.

"Shinji!" she called out as she swung her legs off the bed.

She ran about the house as she searched for him. Desperation clenched her heart as reality crept in. He couldn't be gone. Not after last night. Not after the years she spent trying to stop the apocalypse.

"Shinji, where are you!" she called out before falling to her knees, "Please don't go."

She had to find him before it was too late. Say sorry. Say something at the very least.

Mari grabbed her coat and ran out of the apartment. Her footsteps thundered beneath her as she sprinted out of the building.

Mari dashed past the commuters. They looked at her in confusion and disdain as she pushed them to the side. Mari prayed that it would not end like this. Just anything but this. The crowd turned into a grey mass as it became harder and harder to find her way through. Above her, a walkway spanned the station, thus giving her a view of all the platforms. Mari made her way over to the walkway and looked down. Below her hundreds of passengers crowded the station. Mari's eyes roved over them, searching for Shinji. She had made a promise to Yui many years ago to protect Shinji by any means necessary. At that moment Mari didn't know if she could keep that promise anymore. But Yui wouldn't be the only person she would have failed if Shinji was killed. Asuka never said it, but she cared for the boy, far more than she had ever admitted. In her eyes this was her way of giving back to her: keeping him safe. Of course, falling in love with him wasn't ever in the plan, but what plan was ever gone correctly. They had both piloted and the only two that had any knowledge of Eva. It made sense. Or at least at the time it made sense. As her eyes roamed the statin, she caught him in her periphery. There he was! He was so close. All she had to do was reach out. Mari sprinted down the walkway and towards him. She pushed past the other commuters, almost throwing them to the side. Some yelled in anger at her, but Mari ignored them. They didn't know what was at stake. They could never know what she might lose today. That she might lose him. However as she pushed through the train pulled into the station. She watched in shock as Shinji stepped on to the train. She reached out her arm as the crowd kept her away from him.

"Shinji!" she called out.

The sounds of the station drowned her out as the doors closed. She saw Shinji's back one last time as the train pulled out of the station. Mari fell to her knees and tears streamed from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself. Suddenly, Mari found herself very alone. People moved around her, uncaring of the crying woman on the floor.

"I'm so sorry Shinji."

Mari kicked the empty can down the street. The street was clothed in darkness, with only the sickly glow of the streetlights to guide her. As she continued to walk, Mari heard someone approach her from behind. They grew ever closer. Suddenly a hand was placed on her shoulder. Mari spun around, ready to slug whoever dared touch her. Instead she found herself staring at a woman around the same stature as her. The woman recoiled backward at Mari's raised fist.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone else," Mari apologized.

"Oh no, no. The fault is mine. I should've said something first," the woman countered, "I just wanted to ask if you were alone. It's not safe alone at night."

"No," Mari bowed her head, "I'm alone."

"You're Mari right?" the woman asked,

"I-I'm sorry, but who are you exactly?" Mari asked.

"We had physics together at the university."

Without warning the night sky was illuminated by a nearby starship launching into the sky. Mari and Kyoko looked up in awe at it. It's engines glowed against the night. From what she could tell, Mari guessed it was launched from Quantico Spaceport. She realized that one day Shinji would leave on one of those ships and that he might not come back. Then she reached an epiphany, Mari couldn't keep him on Earth forever. Keeping him safe and tucked away from the world made her no better than Gendo. She had to let go. Lest she become the man she had sought to destroy.

"I'm going to pilot one of those some day," the woman said as the ship's glow faded.

Mari realized that this was goodbye.

"Name's Mari, Mari Illustrious Makinami!" Mari offered up her hand "At your service."

"Good to meet you Mari," she shook her hand before shivering, "God it's cold out here. I saw a coffee shop about two blocks back. Wanna get something?"

"It would be my honor," Mari responded.

As the two walked down the street, Mari took one last look at the fading smoke trail.

Goodbye Shinji.

"Say, I never got your name."

"Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu," she replied, "Charmed huh?"

"That remains to be seen," Mari jested.

"Is that a challenge?"

The two walked down the street as their laughter filled the frigid air. For the first time that day, Mari didn't feel alone.

FIN