I don't own anything.
While You Were Sleeping
Epilogue
Asuka took a deep breath and tried not cringe as she climbed out of her car. She managed to extract herself without jostling her leg. She grabbed her cane from its place and slammed the door. She looked around the forest and glanced at the ruin of Tokyo-2 in the distance.
For a while after her book had been published this had been a very popular tourist attraction. Now all that attention had waned. Asuka hobbled slowly around the hood of her car and simply stared what lay before her. This was one of the largest military cemeteries in the post Third Impact world.
Asuka hobbled along the many rows, occasionally reading names, and occasionally remembering the person that headstone represented. One caught her eye and she stopped, leaning on her cane for support. "First Lieutenant Touji Suzuhara," she read aloud. His grave, among many others, was empty. The bodies had been lost to the effects of aging long before this cemetery had been built.
Asuka turned away from the grave and continued her painful trek towards the headstone she was looking for. At first glance it was no different then the others, but a closer inspection showed a few words engraved below the name.
"Thanks for everything Skipper." Asuka had to laugh at the words. They were hers of course, no other Genesis had survived to add anything. She doubted they would have wanted anything else. "Hey Shinji." She sat down as he leg gave a particularly painful throb. "It's that time of the year again and my leg's still hurting like a bitch."
Asuka had never been a sentimental type, she had never even visited her mother's grave after the funeral, but she always ended up here the same day every year. Asuka looked at the rows and rows of headstones. This wasn't really a military cemetery. The UN had designated it one after the success of her first book on this disgusting unknown war. Most of the graveyard's occupants probably would have called it a dumping ground for mercenaries.
The soldiers of NERV and the Crusaders had been sent back to their home countries or buried in real military cemeteries. The only thing here were the greedy war-mongers from Genesis and the Saviors with no homes and no relations outside of the people surrounding them.
"I'm almost done my autobiography," Asuka stated proudly. With the end of the post-Impact confusion she had become quite the international hero. The news of the Angel attacks had spread and the heroic feats of the Evangelion pilots had become legendary. Of course she was the most famous, Shinji Ikari having disappeared never to be found and Rei Ayanami not caring for publicity.
"People will probably love it," Asuka continued. "They seem to love anything I write. I'm not even sure if I'm a good write, or just a person that no one is willing to publicly criticize." She laughed. When she was little she had never imagined being a writer. Of course she had never imagined being a lot of things.
"General Sohryu." Asuka turned and saw a blue-haired woman standing at the base of the row she was in.
"I'm retired Rei," Asuka commented.
"I did not know," Rei stated. Asuka laughed and climbed slowly to her feet. She turned and looked at Shinji's headstone again.
"Don't worry," she murmured as she touched the cold stone, "I won't let anyone forget your people Shinji." She turned and began hobbling towards Rei. "You want to get a drink?"
"That would be pleasant," Rei answered. Asuka smiled and led the way towards the dirt road that led from Tokyo-4 to this secluded and peaceful meadow. She glanced back and saw the rusted above ground portion of the Crusader's base. It seemed fitting that these people who had thrown their lived into the war should lay in the shadow of one of its few remaining remnants. "I would ask if you require assistance, but I fear rebuttal," Rei stated, her way of making small talk.
"That's because you're smart and you've known me for a long time," Asuka replied.
-End
(:ii:)
-Author's notes. And that's it. While You Were Sleeping was my first popular story. I wrote it after a night and lying on the couch and watching Black Hawk Down several times on Comcast. The first chapter was more or less flawless. The one in this rewrite had changed very little from that prototype.
From there it turned and twisted. I used it as a dumping ground for ideas. Some were good, some bad, and some bizarre. They shaped this story, even if I didn't use some in this rewrite.
Back then I really loved reviews. I like them now, but they lack the sway they originally had on me. I've changed a lot in that respect. I guess that the best monument to that change is that fact that I've put so much energy into this story and it hasn't had a review for the past three or four chapters.
The ending of the original always was a shame for me. I had gotten bad reviews and another story was working better at the time, so I just ended it with little thought. You caught me on that.
I can't say this would be how this story turned out if I had gotten only good reviews. As a matter of fact those reviews helped shape this rewrite.
I'm kind of sad to finish this story. It's kind of always been there for me. It was the first story that I wrote that I really kept working on. Even after it was finished the first time it was always on the back burner begging for a proper ending and some fleshing out of ideas. I guess now's as good a time as any to move on to my sadistic humor. Heh.
Omake Bitch!
Shinji looked around in bewilderment. It took him a moment to draw all the clues together and figure out where he was. It would have been easier if he wasn't so disoriented; after all, hell wasn't the hardest place to identify. "It's about fucking time." Shinji spun and stared at the hard-eyed man behind him. "How you managed to live this long is a mystery to me."
"What's the situation Sergeant Major?" Shinji demanded as he looked around hell and stared at the masses and camouflaged men milling around.
"The troops are disorganized," Pierce began, "but they are willing to begin the assault at a moments notice."
"This will be a joint op." Shinji turned slightly and nodded to the tall man who had joined them. "I'm not sure if your people are fully ready to work with mine yet and vice versa."
"Good point General," Shinji allowed. "You rally your forces and I mine. We will give them different objectives and try to keep them clear of each other. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good to me," Durst replied. He looked around and scratched his chin. "Hey Sergeant Major!" A man pulled himself from the group and trotted up to them. "Line then up Sergeant Major."
"Yes sir!" the man exclaimed. He saluted and about faced. "Saviors! Fall in! You have twenty seconds! Get there!" Shinji turned and glanced at Pierce.
"Sergeant Major?"
"Aye sir!" Pierce called. He about faced, not bothering with a salute. "Genesis attention!" Over two hundred soldiers snapped to attention and all sound died away except for the crackle of flame. "Fall in!" Shinji grinned broadly and popped his knuckles. This was going to be fun.
(:ii:)
Satan stared at his throne room and sighed. He was bored. Tormenting the sinners could be fun for only so long. Even the greatest sadist would be tired after so many centuries. "Master!" Satan turned and stared at the lesser demon who had nearly fallen into his throne room.
"Arise." The demon shot to his feet. "What is so urgent?"
"You remember those guys you told us to keep an eye on?" the demon asked. Satan nodded. "They're here Master."
"What?" Satan asked stupidly. "Ikari and Durst are here today? Together?"
"Yes sir," the demon replied. "And Master, they've brought their entire armies. They've already stormed the torture chambers and freed their comrades." Satan stared at the demon and couldn't speak for several minutes. "What should we do Master?"
"Bend over," Satan replied.
"Yes Master?"
"And kiss your ass good bye," Satan finished. "This is what I get for being bored and wishing for excitement."
-End (again)
(:ii:)
-Author's notes. Couldn't help it. My first omake! Yeah!