HOW YOU REMIND ME
by Alexei Seranov
Epilogue:
This Is How You Remind Me
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
Another park. Another day. Another couple, cuddling under the beautiful sakura trees. Such things are far from unusual. Unless the couple just happens to be two-fifths of the elite corps of children who had saved the world. But, at this moment, the minds of the Second and Third Children, Sohryu Asuka Langley and Ikari Shinji Kaji, are as far from such thoughts as possible. They had, a mere forty-eight hours earlier, admitted to their need for the other. And now, as they sat under the sakura, holding each other close and smiling as if the world had fallen away, one could not tell that these two young adults had seen Hell firsthand. It did not look like they had been abandoned at a young age, or forced to become mecha-jockies. It did not seem like they had felt pain unknown by others, or had scorned each other for many years. It was not apparent that they had had their hopes, fears and dreams sheared away and be presented to them, and others. You could not tell they had been defiled by the minions of a vengeful God, their minds and bodies torn asunder in the quest for Armageddon.
But they had.
And so, with the happiness and safety each found in the other, they could face the cold, evil world that had forgotten their heroics, and left them to a life of mediocrity. They had suffered so much more than they should endure, seen much more than a mere child should see, learned things children have no need to know. But they were stronger now. With that inner strength, and love, the two former Children would crash through the blockades the world that now shunned them, had erected. Kaoru had been right. As long as individuals existed, and maintained the impenetrable Lights of their Souls, pain would exist. But along with pain would come love. With that love would come hope, and happiness. Hope for the future, and happiness at being able to experience it, not as part of an omniscient single being, but as an individual, a part of the whole, a piece of the puzzle. Such was the Seventeenth's Legacy. As Shinji and Asuka gazed into each other's eyes, far above, in the Heavens we so desperately wish to join, seventeen higher beings sat in conference, watching these two saviors. They sat at a long table, each bathed in their own thoughts about the unfolding scene. Finally, the one at the head of the table spoke. "My Disciples, you have done well. The Lilim required testing. To that degree, you performed beautifully. However, that was not the only reason I sent you. This," it stated, gesturing to the scene playing out before them, "Is the other. I had seen the sadness in their hearts, the void in their souls. Of all My Children, these two deserve happiness over all others. Were it not for your tests, especially yours, the last four of My Disciples, these two would never find need for each other," The being, which humankind knew as God, finished. Then, the Angel of the Womb spoke, his calm and melodious tone contrasting with the ancient tongue he used.
"I had foreseen this, Lord. When I suffered defeat at their hands, I could see how the boy chose to suffer for her. While I fell, I could sense her energy becoming brighter, as a candle before it blows out. But it did not flicker. It became strong, and with the last of my corporeal strength, I could see the boy holding her Child of Adam by the cord they use to power it. I felt her love for him, and his for her. That is why I have never questioned your will, m'Liege. I saw it in all of your plans; the need to bring these two poor Lilim together was obvious to those who cared. That traitor, Tabris, saw it, too. He was seeking to defeat your plan by taking the girl's place. But the boy's love for her was ever present. I am… glad… that Tabris failed the way he did. Such disrespect for Your path is inexcusable." As Sandalphon finished with a huff, the other sixteen in attendance nodded thoughtfully. As each looked at the others, the weight of centuries of work seemed to show. At last, God stood and smiled at the others, then Shinji and Asuka. He turned, and left the room, soon followed by sixteen of the Seventeen.
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SEPTEMBER 14, 2022 (Ikari/Sohryu Household)
"Baka-Shinji-kun! Get in here!" Asuka Langley yelled to her boyfriend, who was currently lounging in the living room of their home. As he rose and meandered over to her, the curious smile he had been wearing all day was still prominent. "I need some help with cleaning things, would you mind?" she asked, continuing to clean up from the small party they had held the night before.
"Not at all, Asuka. I'd love to help." The smile did not even waver, and this is what set the great Asuka Sohryu thinking. Although he had changed much since when they had met on that ancient carrier, it seemed so long ago now, he was still a rather introverted young man. In the year they had been dating, that had slowly changed, and after they had moved in together a mere month ago, it changed even more. But Shinji was not one to beam from sun-up to late in the afternoon. He had something planned; something that Asuka knew was causing the mischievous glint in his eyes, the pools of steel blue that she could drown in if she wasn't careful. But what could it be? The young man had seemed... not happier... but more content
lately. As Asuka pondered him, Shinji basked in the attention. It was finally the day. His plans had all come to a culmination, and he was ready to go ahead. Months of scheming would all pay off soon enough. "Hey, Asuka? You wanna go out to dinner tonight?"
"Sure Shinji. You finish this up, and I'll go change." With a wink and a peck on the cheek, she was off.
"Damn I'm lucky..." Smiling and whistling, Shinji finished cleaning up the mess, and feeling good about his plan. "Now to clean myself up." With such, the two occupants of the house went about preparing for their night on the town. For them both, it would be a night to remember.
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SEPTEMBER 14, 2022 (Tokyo-4 Municipal Park)
"Well, that was a nice dinner Shinji. But why do I have the distinct feeling you've been planning something?" As Asuka Sohryu and Shinji Ikari once again cuddle under the sakura tree that had seen the early days of their relationship, the young man smiled at the redhead goddess nestled in his arms, and kissed her softly on her petite nose.
"Because I have." With this, Shinji once again turns his head to the heavens. "And I think they'll approve."
"Who'll approve of what?" Quizzed the young woman, looking at the man as he stared out into space, seemingly looking for approval.
"Our parents. Our REAL parents. I believe they'll approve of what I have to do." He said, and then turned his face to hers and searched the windows of her soul for the answer to his question. Not finding it there, he carefully sat her up, and then stood...
...only to kneel down again. A confused and shocked look overcame the former Second Child's face. "Asuka... I can't find the answer in your eyes. So I want the answer from your heart..." A small velvet box was pulled out. "Asuka Langley Sohryu..." Her eyes seemed to grow a thousand times larger in the twilight.
With a nervous smile, the former Third Child asked, "Will you marry me?"
Asuka's mind went into overdrive, working at speeds few can comprehend, only to come to the same answer. "...Yes..." As the word left her mouth, the brave ex-Third Child's face lit with such luminescence in the twilight sky, he was like a star on Earth. As she became of the words that had left her mouth, Asuka jumped onto Shinji, pulling him into a giant hug. "YES! Of course I will! You baka, I love you so much!"
With an equally happy embrace, the young man held his fiancée for all he was worth. "Good... I thought you'd say yes... I love you, too." With another smile, the two lay back on the little hill, underneath the sakura tree, the two looked to the heavens once more. From the heavens, seventeen omnipresent beings, and four mortal ones, watched and smiled.
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~~~OWARI~~~THE END~~~
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Author's Notes/Disclaimer:
Well, there you have it. The end of Neon Genesis Evangelion: How You Remind Me. I had never planned for it to end like this, and I always took it moment by moment, never actually planning out anything. I feel it has turned out rather well. I have worked hard to bring this to you, despite all that has been going on in my life, and I hope you enjoy it. Also, I claim no ownership of Neon Genesis Evangelion or the Nickelback song from which this is named. However, I do own the ideas for this story. Take and/or use them without my consent and be n00b1f13d.
-Alexei
