She blinked hard. Crystalline white snowflakes fluttered gracefully from the sky and came to a rest on her eyelashes, giving them an icy, crusted look. This did nothing to improve Asuka's sight, and she wiped them away. They melted on her hand.
Shinji came to her side a moment later, as she leaned against the car, folding her arms protectively around herself. Her hair was down around her shoulders, folded loosely into the thick beige winter jacket she wore. Misato had bought it for her as a Christmas gift. She wore neither a hat nor any trace of makeup.
"It's gone," she said quietly. Shinji nodded flatly. He had not expected anything less. He had known that the great building that had once housed Nerv would no longer be standing, waiting to welcome them.
"Do you want to take a look around?"
She nodded, and he took the first step away from the car. Asuka followed, her steps making fresh prints in the soft layer of snow on the ground.
Neither had given a thought to the Geofront in over a decade; they could only assume that it had been torn down in the years since Nerv had disbanded. There was nothing left of the calm determination belonging to Misato, nor the quick thinking of Ritsuko. Peace and tranquility had replaced panic and desperation.
A variety of slender saplings had replaced all man-made structures in the vicinity. They were spaced unevenly, suggesting that no one had taken the trouble to plant them properly; perhaps they had sprouted from seeds carried on the wind. Their branches were bare and forlorn now, ghostly figures of the ample summer, cold and dead to the touch. Asuka reached for one and noticed the tiny buds at the tips. Life prevailed.
They had come for Rei.
Not that they were expecting to bring her home. Shinji had no plans to bring her to California, where she would put on endless layers of sunblock to protect her skin. Asuka had no plans to find her a job in the ice cream parlor.
No, they had only come to put an end to everything, but one person who should have been there was missing.
One whose life begun and ended here. The one who piloted the prototype, Evangelion 00. The one whom Asuka had once teased mercilessly, calling her "The Favorite" and "Wondergirl".
They didn't know what had become of her. Ritsuko had confirmed that she had simply ceased to exist. She had vanished into a footnote of history.
"We left because we had places to go, things we wanted to do," Shinji said quietly, his voice filled with emotion. "She didn't want to leave. She had nowhere to go. When Nerv disintegrated there was nothing left for her."
"What about your father?" Asuka asked.
A muscle in his cheek twitched at the mention of his father. "She was a tool for him," he ground out furiously. "He abandoned her in the end. I haven't spoken to him since I left Nerv, and I don't intend to ever again.
"What about you?" he asked. "What about your...past?"
Asuka shifted. It was still a sensitive subject for her, and both of them knew it. "I decided to let it go," she said quietly. "I don't plan to find anyone—and I don't want to relive anything. Misato and I agreed that this is for the best—that I've completely restarted my life—in a good way."
Shinji nodded. He was relieved.
They knew even less about the technicians. Maya Ibuki had apparently kept in contact with Ritsuko for a short time, and Makoto Hyuga with Misato, but eventually all four had found a new life away from angels and Evas and grown apart. No one knew anything about Shigeru Aoba. Shinji recalled his love for the guitar and hoped that he was well.
It seems the sort of cemetery Rei would have chosen for herself, Asuka thought, her thoughts returning to the blue-haired girl. Away from other people, in a sort of beautiful solitude. She wondered what the grove looked like in full bloom, not recognizing any of the trees. Perhaps some would bloom pale blue flowers.
That drew her thoughts back to the bouquet of flowers they had purchased on the way here. It was fairly simple, with daisies and lilies and irises and an occasional sprig of baby's breath all wrapped in plastic pink paper that crinkled under her grip. She glanced up at Shinji, who wore a look of deep sadness.
I could almost believe that Rei might be sitting just around a corner, reading silently, while life goes on around her—without her.
It's not only a resting place for Rei, he thought, but for our hopes and dreams. Our fears and nightmares. The days of angels and Evas and SEELE and Nerv are over—all buried here.
Silence reigned.
Asuka was thinking of Ritsuko's words. "Ceased to exist," she echoed hollowly. The wind picked up her words and scattered them. "What a terrible end."
Shinji didn't reply, but one solitary tear was making its way down his left cheek.
The redhead lowered her head and closed her eyes. A moment later she opened them again and her gaze came to rest on a small tree that came barely to her waist. Its first buds were ready to burst into soft petals, yet its branches were still bare. Asuka stepped over to it ceremonially and placed her bouquet at the bottom of the trunk. There was a short pause before she decided the pink paper was out of place, and ripped it off. She didn't want anything to disturb Rei.
"Let's go," Shinji said, placing his arm awkwardly around her shoulder. Asuka looked up to see that the tear had vanished. Instead, he was looking straight ahead, a determined look on his face, ready to face the future. He blinked—and for just a fleeting instant—Asuka saw the grief he had suffered for Rei. She was neither jealous nor hurt. She felt the same tumult of emotions.
Shinji stepped backwards and turned away, keeping his arm around her. They were halfway back to the car before Asuka ducked her head and freed herself from Shinji's hold.
"Wait a moment," she called, running back to the makeshift memorial.
Asuka slid to a stop on her knees and quickly unbuttoned her jacket. Hidden in the deep folds of her jacket was the photo that Shinji had given her in California months ago—the one of herself, Shinji, and Rei walking down the street with their schoolbags. Asuka had carefully laminated it for this purpose, and now she laid it against the bouquet of flowers. She took one last look at it, running her fingers over the sharp edges, then got up and brushed the snow off of her knees.
"Ready?" Shinji asked, as she came running up to him.
"I'm ready," she replied softly, climbing into the car.
Shinji smiled and put a hand over hers as the engine whirred to life. They drove away in a soft breeze, one that bowed the many branches of the grove, and ruffled the silky petals of Asuka's bouquet.
Author's Notes: Wow, now that this fanfic is over, I have lots of things to say...
First of all, I have to apologize again for the lateness of this epilogue—I promised it would be up a long time ago, and I never got it up. Sorry!
This was the original ending I planned from the beginning, with a few changes. (This is the second draft—I took out some Shinji/Asuka romance things and changed the setting from early spring to winter.) I wanted for there to be some closure and not always have the question of the past hovering over their heads. Also, I didn't want an ending in which Shinji asks Asuka to marry him and they live happily ever after; I wanted to leave it relatively open.
Looking back at the fic now, I think that the chapters detailing Asuka's car accident and her recovery were really, really rushed, but then again, the story became much longer than I originally expected for it to be. Other than that, I was fairly pleased with the outcome of the story.
And lastly, I could not have done it without all of your support. Thanks so much to jennyjennai, Hououza (I hope more animes come to the UK soon!), Asuka201 (I'll be keeping up with your translation—thank you!), nicknack (sorry, I promise I'll be nicer to Rei in my next fic—you can call me a Rei- hater all you want now), SonLee16, windwingxs, supereva 01-02, "New, too lazy to log on..." (sorry, I don't know what to call you), Stoked, Amethyst Wind (I love that name!), selti, St Pika, Itsumo Hitori, teva, Verloren, Ishagu, Ghost Man, Stormofdragons, beege, The Shadows, Night, Mistress of Anime, CKeffer, Drake, Farook, Keen Drallin, XXXG-00W0, roselle, shadowfox83, ignorantly grinning, legacyZero, Dsojourn, cevgar, ShadowScythe, Dark-Titan, Dies K. Irae, Junho, Climhazzard, Larania Drake, Harvey Bautista, Deep Blue Seraph (another beautiful name), D14852001 (my apologies that Rei and Shinji didn't get married), Serehfa, thegrinstreaker, NeonGensis, and one special reviewer who chose to leave his/her name as (). Thank you all so much!
And thanks to all of you who participated in my weird trivia questions!
Shinji came to her side a moment later, as she leaned against the car, folding her arms protectively around herself. Her hair was down around her shoulders, folded loosely into the thick beige winter jacket she wore. Misato had bought it for her as a Christmas gift. She wore neither a hat nor any trace of makeup.
"It's gone," she said quietly. Shinji nodded flatly. He had not expected anything less. He had known that the great building that had once housed Nerv would no longer be standing, waiting to welcome them.
"Do you want to take a look around?"
She nodded, and he took the first step away from the car. Asuka followed, her steps making fresh prints in the soft layer of snow on the ground.
Neither had given a thought to the Geofront in over a decade; they could only assume that it had been torn down in the years since Nerv had disbanded. There was nothing left of the calm determination belonging to Misato, nor the quick thinking of Ritsuko. Peace and tranquility had replaced panic and desperation.
A variety of slender saplings had replaced all man-made structures in the vicinity. They were spaced unevenly, suggesting that no one had taken the trouble to plant them properly; perhaps they had sprouted from seeds carried on the wind. Their branches were bare and forlorn now, ghostly figures of the ample summer, cold and dead to the touch. Asuka reached for one and noticed the tiny buds at the tips. Life prevailed.
They had come for Rei.
Not that they were expecting to bring her home. Shinji had no plans to bring her to California, where she would put on endless layers of sunblock to protect her skin. Asuka had no plans to find her a job in the ice cream parlor.
No, they had only come to put an end to everything, but one person who should have been there was missing.
One whose life begun and ended here. The one who piloted the prototype, Evangelion 00. The one whom Asuka had once teased mercilessly, calling her "The Favorite" and "Wondergirl".
They didn't know what had become of her. Ritsuko had confirmed that she had simply ceased to exist. She had vanished into a footnote of history.
"We left because we had places to go, things we wanted to do," Shinji said quietly, his voice filled with emotion. "She didn't want to leave. She had nowhere to go. When Nerv disintegrated there was nothing left for her."
"What about your father?" Asuka asked.
A muscle in his cheek twitched at the mention of his father. "She was a tool for him," he ground out furiously. "He abandoned her in the end. I haven't spoken to him since I left Nerv, and I don't intend to ever again.
"What about you?" he asked. "What about your...past?"
Asuka shifted. It was still a sensitive subject for her, and both of them knew it. "I decided to let it go," she said quietly. "I don't plan to find anyone—and I don't want to relive anything. Misato and I agreed that this is for the best—that I've completely restarted my life—in a good way."
Shinji nodded. He was relieved.
They knew even less about the technicians. Maya Ibuki had apparently kept in contact with Ritsuko for a short time, and Makoto Hyuga with Misato, but eventually all four had found a new life away from angels and Evas and grown apart. No one knew anything about Shigeru Aoba. Shinji recalled his love for the guitar and hoped that he was well.
It seems the sort of cemetery Rei would have chosen for herself, Asuka thought, her thoughts returning to the blue-haired girl. Away from other people, in a sort of beautiful solitude. She wondered what the grove looked like in full bloom, not recognizing any of the trees. Perhaps some would bloom pale blue flowers.
That drew her thoughts back to the bouquet of flowers they had purchased on the way here. It was fairly simple, with daisies and lilies and irises and an occasional sprig of baby's breath all wrapped in plastic pink paper that crinkled under her grip. She glanced up at Shinji, who wore a look of deep sadness.
I could almost believe that Rei might be sitting just around a corner, reading silently, while life goes on around her—without her.
It's not only a resting place for Rei, he thought, but for our hopes and dreams. Our fears and nightmares. The days of angels and Evas and SEELE and Nerv are over—all buried here.
Silence reigned.
Asuka was thinking of Ritsuko's words. "Ceased to exist," she echoed hollowly. The wind picked up her words and scattered them. "What a terrible end."
Shinji didn't reply, but one solitary tear was making its way down his left cheek.
The redhead lowered her head and closed her eyes. A moment later she opened them again and her gaze came to rest on a small tree that came barely to her waist. Its first buds were ready to burst into soft petals, yet its branches were still bare. Asuka stepped over to it ceremonially and placed her bouquet at the bottom of the trunk. There was a short pause before she decided the pink paper was out of place, and ripped it off. She didn't want anything to disturb Rei.
"Let's go," Shinji said, placing his arm awkwardly around her shoulder. Asuka looked up to see that the tear had vanished. Instead, he was looking straight ahead, a determined look on his face, ready to face the future. He blinked—and for just a fleeting instant—Asuka saw the grief he had suffered for Rei. She was neither jealous nor hurt. She felt the same tumult of emotions.
Shinji stepped backwards and turned away, keeping his arm around her. They were halfway back to the car before Asuka ducked her head and freed herself from Shinji's hold.
"Wait a moment," she called, running back to the makeshift memorial.
Asuka slid to a stop on her knees and quickly unbuttoned her jacket. Hidden in the deep folds of her jacket was the photo that Shinji had given her in California months ago—the one of herself, Shinji, and Rei walking down the street with their schoolbags. Asuka had carefully laminated it for this purpose, and now she laid it against the bouquet of flowers. She took one last look at it, running her fingers over the sharp edges, then got up and brushed the snow off of her knees.
"Ready?" Shinji asked, as she came running up to him.
"I'm ready," she replied softly, climbing into the car.
Shinji smiled and put a hand over hers as the engine whirred to life. They drove away in a soft breeze, one that bowed the many branches of the grove, and ruffled the silky petals of Asuka's bouquet.
Author's Notes: Wow, now that this fanfic is over, I have lots of things to say...
First of all, I have to apologize again for the lateness of this epilogue—I promised it would be up a long time ago, and I never got it up. Sorry!
This was the original ending I planned from the beginning, with a few changes. (This is the second draft—I took out some Shinji/Asuka romance things and changed the setting from early spring to winter.) I wanted for there to be some closure and not always have the question of the past hovering over their heads. Also, I didn't want an ending in which Shinji asks Asuka to marry him and they live happily ever after; I wanted to leave it relatively open.
Looking back at the fic now, I think that the chapters detailing Asuka's car accident and her recovery were really, really rushed, but then again, the story became much longer than I originally expected for it to be. Other than that, I was fairly pleased with the outcome of the story.
And lastly, I could not have done it without all of your support. Thanks so much to jennyjennai, Hououza (I hope more animes come to the UK soon!), Asuka201 (I'll be keeping up with your translation—thank you!), nicknack (sorry, I promise I'll be nicer to Rei in my next fic—you can call me a Rei- hater all you want now), SonLee16, windwingxs, supereva 01-02, "New, too lazy to log on..." (sorry, I don't know what to call you), Stoked, Amethyst Wind (I love that name!), selti, St Pika, Itsumo Hitori, teva, Verloren, Ishagu, Ghost Man, Stormofdragons, beege, The Shadows, Night, Mistress of Anime, CKeffer, Drake, Farook, Keen Drallin, XXXG-00W0, roselle, shadowfox83, ignorantly grinning, legacyZero, Dsojourn, cevgar, ShadowScythe, Dark-Titan, Dies K. Irae, Junho, Climhazzard, Larania Drake, Harvey Bautista, Deep Blue Seraph (another beautiful name), D14852001 (my apologies that Rei and Shinji didn't get married), Serehfa, thegrinstreaker, NeonGensis, and one special reviewer who chose to leave his/her name as (). Thank you all so much!
And thanks to all of you who participated in my weird trivia questions!