Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion. The series belongs to Gainax, Hideaki Anno, and ADV Films. If they ask, I will remove this story from public view. I also do not own Rammstein, from whom the inspiration for this story came.

This is the third and final installment of Rosenrot. Many thanks are due to everyone who read the story and to everyone who reviewed. I hope that this final chapter satisfies you as much as the previous two, if not more so.

Rosenrot

Chapter 3: Clear Water

Asuka opened her eyes and immediately regretted doing so. Not only because of the light emanating from the fixture overhead, but because the recollection of the previous evening returned to her like a train running over a herd of cattle: painful, messy, and completely unwelcome. The girl groaned, rolling over and facing off to the side, hoping that she would be able to go back to sleep. Once she realized that she couldn't, Asuka used what minimal strength she could muster and rose tiredly, trudging into the kitchen. She found Misato awake, but not drinking her customary morning beer. This unnerved the Second Child, as she had never seen her guardian wake up without drinking a can of Yebisu. Shrugging it off mentally, Asuka entered the room and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table.

Misato looked at the girl for a moment, noticing that Asuka looked about as ragged as Misato felt; a hangover coupled with very little sleep tended to do that. "Looks like you didn't sleep well last night."

Asuka grunted in response, in no mood to even think about last night.

"I heard some arguing going on. What happened?"

"None of your business," Asuka mumbled.

"It is my business. You and Shinji are under my supervision, and I want to know what's wrong." Misato's tone was surprisingly businesslike, and Asuka didn't like the severe voice that the older woman was speaking with.

The German girl caved in, her usual fiery spirit failing her for what seemed like the millionth time since the Fifteenth Angel's attack. "Shinji… got his memories back."

Misato's eyes widened. "He did! When?"

"Last night," Asuka said, not meeting her guardian's eyes and staring out into the living room, to the couch she had been sitting on mere hours before. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Misato. He hates me now. I know he does."

Misato looked at the girl, confused. "What? Why would he hate you?"

Asuka did not want to have to explain all of this, but she felt she had no choice. "How much did you hear last night, Misato?"

"Not too much," the purple-haired woman said. "Just enough screaming to keep me up half the night."

"I guess I should tell you what happened, then," Asuka grumbled unhappily. Her eyes met Misato's, and her tone took on a serious edge, much like Misato's from a few moments before. "What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. Understand?"

If Asuka was determined to keep it in such a confidence, Misato was not about to break it. She knew it must be important to Asuka for the girl to act this way. "You know I wouldn't tell anybody."

A moment of silence ensued, as if Asuka were having second thoughts, before she finally told Misato the whole tale.

( 0 0 0 )

Shinji broke the kiss abruptly, causing Asuka to stumble before regaining her balance. She looked up at the boy in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Shinji looked at her, an expression of shock plastered on his face, his eyes widened. "I remember now. I remember everything."

She gasped, unable to contain her emotions, both negative and positive. "You do?"

"Asuka… you didn't tell me everything."

She inched away from him, preparing for the worst.

"You didn't tell me about all the pain you've caused me… you never told me about all those times when you've made me feel worthless. Why didn't you tell me?"

Asuka hung her head. "I wanted to…" She stopped, unable to admit what she had done.

"You wanted to try and bring me back the way you wanted me to be, didn't you!"

"No," she whispered, "it wasn't like that…"

"Then what was it like! Tell me! TELL ME!" Shinji was screaming now, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"I just… I saw what you were like without your memories… that side of you that you never showed anyone… and I didn't want to lose that! Is that so wrong of me?"

"YES!" Shinji shouted. "Yes, it is! Because you lied to me to get what you wanted! You used me, just like you always have!"

"I never lied to you, I just didn't tell you everything…"

"That's just as bad! How could you, Asuka! HOW COULD YOU!"

Silence loomed over the apartment, the moonlight casting an eerie effulgence into the room and causing Shinji's tears to glisten like diamonds as they dropped from his cobalt eyes. Asuka couldn't bear to look at him and instead stared at the couch.

"Why?" she heard Shinji whisper, so softly that she barely heard it amongst his sobs. "Why?"

Three words hung in her throat, unable to be spoken.

Shinji stood and walked to his room, throwing the door open and walking inside, looking over his shoulder at the redhead. In that instant, she realized her mistake.

Even with his memories, Shinji was different. She had said this before, but she had not realized the magnitude of the revelation. Now his memories would cause him to shrink away once again. But he would never be able to fully undo the damage that had been inflicted upon him. The new Shinji, whom she had only known for a brief time, had surfaced, and Shinji could not suppress or ignore him any longer.

But because of what she had done, she might never see him again.

Shinji shut the door to his room, and Asuka heard him collapse onto the bed. Once she was sure he was asleep, only then did she allow her own tears to fall.

( 0 0 0 )

Misato looked at Asuka after she had finished. "You love him… don't you?"

Asuka nodded slowly, laying her head down on the table.

It pained Misato to see this happen to either one of her charges. In the time that they had been under her care, Misato had grown to think of Shinji and Asuka as her children, and she hated to see the redhead in the state she was currently in. She had felt this before, once, and she was not about to let Asuka make the mistake that she had.

Asuka spoke before Misato could say anything. "Shinji's not here, is he?"

"No," the older woman said. "He left this morning. But he'll be back. He's not running away again."

Neither one of them said anything for a while, thinking things over carefully. Misato was the first to break the silence. "Look, I know I'm not the best person to be giving out advice or anything, but I want to help you, if I can."

"I know. And thanks," Asuka said, looking up and forcing a smile.

"Shinji can't hate you, Asuka. I know he must feel the same way for you as you do for him, otherwise he wouldn't have saved your life. But he's confused right now. So much has happened so fast that he just doesn't know what to do. I can only think of one thing you can do to make this better."

"What's that?" Asuka asked, genuine interest showing for the first time since the discussion started.

Misato smiled. "Tell him."

Asuka cocked an eyebrow. "Tell him what?"

"Everything. How you feel about him."

"I can't just tell him all that!"

"Why not?" Misato looked intently at the girl from across the table. "Why can't you just tell him everything? What's stopping you?"

Asuka averted her eyes once more, now finding a coffee mug sitting on the table incredibly interesting. "I guess… you know my past, don't you, Misato?"

Misato nodded gravely. "Yes. I had to read it when I took you in."

"That's what's stopping me," Asuka said tiredly, as though the burden of her past was crushing her words. "I can't bring myself to tell him all of that. And if he doesn't know any of that… he can't possibly be able to feel anything for me. If he doesn't know me, he can't love me, right?"

"That's not true," Misato said. "And besides, you know parts of his past now, because of this whole thing happening. You've seen his past. Now you have to tell him yours."

"Misato, I can't just walk up to him and say, 'Hey, Shinji, guess what? I had a shitty childhood.' I've never told anyone all that stuff. The only reason you know is because you read it in my files. I wouldn't have told you anything."

"I know," Misato said, "but this is different. You love Shinji, and you have to be honest with him. If you're not, then your relationship will end up in the crapper, just like m…" She stopped her sentence abruptly. "Point is, you have to tell him the truth, otherwise you guys will fall apart."

Asuka turned her head, and her bloodshot eyes met Misato's. "In case you haven't noticed, I think we fell apart before we even got started." Asuka's voice lacked any kind of passion at all, an odd thing that Misato did not fail to notice. This whole mess was really starting to take a toll on the girl, and Misato was sure that Shinji was not doing any better.

After a time of simply staring off into space, Misato spoke again. "I hate to tell you this, but you and the others have a synch test today. I'll have to call Shinji and remind him."

Asuka sighed languidly. "Can't you do something? I don't think anyone except Ayanami is in a mood to pilot today." Asuka's use of Rei's real name spoke volumes to Misato about the way that the German girl was feeling at the moment.

"I don't know. It doesn't start until later this afternoon, though, so you should have some time to rest… or go find Shinji."

"Do you have any idea where he went?" Asuka asked, perking up suddenly. Despite her reluctance to share her past, she still wanted to find him as soon as possible before he did something drastic.

"No," Misato said. "Sorry."

"Well jeez, you're a lot of help," Asuka said with a bit of a laugh. She quickly reverted back to her previous state, though, and looked at the door. She stood and walked to her bedroom.

Misato looked over her shoulder. "Are you going to go find him?"

Asuka met her guardian's eyes once more. "What else can I do?" she asked rhetorically. "He fought for me. He saved my life. Now I have to do the same for him."

As Asuka went into her room, Misato smiled, popping the tab on a beer can. Now that I've handled that, I can start drinking again.

( 0 0 0 )

The wind whipped at Shinji Ikari's clothing, and he removed his hat and tucked it inside one of the pockets of his hooded sweatshirt to prevent losing it. His hair lashed about as he stared out onto the city from his location atop a fairly large hunk of rock on the city's outskirts. He sighed, but the rushing of the wind drowned out any sound the small gesture might have made.

I wonder if Asuka is looking for me, he thought dejectedly. Not that I want her to.

This place was one of the spots he had gone to the first time he had run away. Now, though, it was being used for a momentary getaway. He would go back to Tokyo-3, but at the moment, he surely did not feel like doing so. For now, he merely wanted to reflect upon everything that had happened to him.

I love her, Shinji thought, his heart feeling two different sensations at the notion. For a moment, he felt lighter, seeing her face in his mind's eye, but it was quickly dowsed by the feeling of a rock dropping into his stomach. But I can't do anything about it.

He looked out onto the cityscape again. He could just imagine what Asuka and Misato were doing right now, sitting about idly and waiting for him to return. They know me well enough to know I won't leave again. They're just doing what they're supposed to do: giving me some space to think. It surprised Shinji how different his own thought processes were now; he was beginning to see changes in the way he thought of people, and he even felt surer of himself.

I'm not weak anymore, Shinji thought. This whole thing has made me stronger.

Taking that last thought straight to heart, Shinji stood from a sitting position, his gaze now determined rather than dejected. Now all I have to do… is prove it.

He walked the path away from the cliff and back toward the city.

( 0 0 0 )

Asuka reentered the kitchen dressed in her school uniform, the first thing that she had found in her closet upon searching. She sat down at the table again, just as the house phone rang. Misato picked up the receiver. "Hello?" she said, not in the most cheerful tone.

There was a pause, and her eyes widened. "Shinji? Where are you?"

Another pause. "No, no, stay where you are. I'll send someone to pick you up. Remember, we've got a synch test in about four hours, okay?"

Asuka heard the faint electronic mumble of Shinji's voice on the other end of the line, and it took every ounce of the girl's willpower to keep from snatching the phone from Misato's grasp. She watched with a feverish anticipation as Misato said, "Okay. See you in a while, Shinji," and hung up the receiver.

Asuka looked at her. "Well?"

Misato smiled. "He's at the park. Go."

Asuka nodded. She rushed to the door, slipping her shoes on and tearing out of the apartment.

Misato grinned as she left. "Good luck, you two."

She knew that both of them were going to need it.

( 0 0 0 )

The park was empty, an unusual thing for that time of day. Late on a Sunday morning, people usually came to the park for various reasons – gatherings of friends, church groups, and the like – and the expanse of the park was usually fairly crowded by the throng of people. Now, however, Asuka saw no one save for the boy leaning against a sakura tree upon the hill. She herself was standing behind one of the larger trees, watching him intently. The redhead looked at her shoulders and emitted a low growl, brushing off some pink petals that had fallen onto her from the branches above. Dammit. She returned her gaze to Shinji, who looked as though he was listening to his SDAT. Typical, the redhead thought, his usual escape from reality. If a problem comes along, don't deal with it. Shun it, and maybe it'll go away.

Well, she wasn't about to let this one slide. Her talk with Misato had set a fire in her belly, a determination to set this whole thing straight. But now, as she stood under the tree and more petals fell onto her head, she could not bring herself to move. If I go over there, I bet I'll just make things worse, the meeker half of her brain said.

But you know you have to! Quit being a weakling and do it! the determined half screamed back.

Before her other half could respond, Asuka brought her palm to her forehead, silencing them both effectively. "When I start getting into arguments with myself, I know it's all over," she muttered and forced herself to begin walking forward.

She stopped, however, as she noticed another person walking toward the tree from the front. She saw Shinji remove his earbuds and look at the newcomer, and Asuka's heart sank as she noticed what she was most afraid of.

Even from this extreme distance, Asuka could see blue hair.

Damn it, Asuka thought angrily to herself, grinding her teeth and slamming her fist into the tree trunk. Pain shot through her knuckles and up her arm, but she paid no attention to it. Just when I'm about to go finish this, Wondergirl shows up to ruin everything. Damn! She hit the tree again, a bit of blood dribbling from her middle knuckle. Asuka looked back to the tree, where Rei was now seated next to Shinji. True, it did not seem that there was anything out of the ordinary going on. It's not like he was all over the girl; in fact, he didn't even seem to be acknowledging her presence save for the fact that she could see him speaking. But Rei's intrusion was the last straw. Asuka turned on her heel and walked back toward the entrance gates and out into the streets of the city again.

Despite her usual instincts, tears still threatened to fall from her eyes. She was being irrational, and she knew it to a degree. She wanted so desperately to turn around and walk back to the park and confess everything to Shinji, Ayanami be damned. But instead, she continued to walk down the street. This realization brought with it a new stab of pain. If she could even deal with her own emotions, how would it be possible to show that side of herself to Shinji? Again, more agony welled up for a moment, and with it, a tear drifted down her cheek.

Maybe it's better this way, Asuka thought. I mean, what if Misato's wrong? What if he doesn't like me that way? And I don't know how he feels now, after everything that's happened. She might have been right once, but there's no guarantee he feels the same way now. She shook her head vigorously, more tears falling from her eyes as she did so. Shit, now I'm crying for real. When was the last time I did that?

The answer came to her in a flash. The reason she was having trouble accepting her own emotions was because Shinji was the only person who could bring them up this way. The thought of him with another woman, that bolt of unbridled jealousy and hatred, told her that Shinji was the key to unlocking her own emotions.

She needed him in order to tell him everything. It was twisted, but in many ways, it made sense.

Turning about, she ran back the way she had come, dashing through the entrance to the park and into the grove of sakura trees. She returned to where she had been standing initially and looked to the tree where Shinji had been.

But now there was no one. The empty tree stood alone on the hill, shedding a few petals in the light breeze and carrying them off into the distance. Asuka sighed and turned to leave.

Another petal fell on her nose. Rather than brushing it off angrily, the girl picked it off gently and let it float to the ground before heading back home.

( 0 0 0 )

The door to the apartment slid open, and Asuka kicked her shoes off, her feet aching from the long walk to and from the park. She walked into the kitchen and took a step back in surprise as she saw Shinji seated at the kitchen table, holding a glass of water and staring at it a bit. He turned and faced her, smiling a little. "Asuka," he said, and his tone betrayed no hint of anything resembling anger or resentment. This bothered Asuka more than anything else would have. How could he act so friendly now?

"Shinji…" she said, hardly believing the sight before her. Not only had he returned, but he had not brought Rei with him, as she had feared he would, and he did not seem angry with her! What in the world was going on in his mind?

"Shinji, I… about what happened earlier…"

He raised a hand to cut her off. "Asuka, I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you, regardless of what you did. It was uncalled for, and I understand that now. It's just… at the time, I was so angry I couldn't control myself."

Asuka cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'at the time'? You can't tell me you're not angry anymore!"

Shinji shook his head, maintaining a small smile for a few seconds, but it flickered away. "I'm not angry with you, Asuka."

The girl was mystified. How could this be?

"But…" she said, "I deserved it. You don't have to apologize."

Shinji took a drink of the water. "I guess we both had some stuff to figure out, huh?" He chuckled mirthlessly, moving from his seat and setting the glass in the sink.

Asuka hesitated, the words she was trying to speak forming a lump in her throat. She was beginning to hate that sensation, the strangulation of a thought. She suppressed it forcefully and said, "Shinji… what were you and Rei talking about today?" She tried her hardest to keep the accusing tone of her voice to a minimum, but some of it still managed to creep into her words.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that," Shinji responded, walking into the living room. Asuka followed him.

"Wait," she said, "you knew I was there?"

"Not until you had already left the park. When you walked out, I noticed you. Then I came back home, and Ayanami left as well."

"And you didn't think to come talk to me!" She abandoned her restraint, but Shinji didn't flinch.

"I was worried. I needed some time to think over my words before I spoke to you again."

Something about his voice was different. He was speaking with an unusual eloquence, as though everything had been carefully mapped out beforehand. "What do you mean?"

"Before I get to that, you wanted to know what I talked to Ayanami about, right?"

Asuka nodded, and Shinji recounted everything.

( 0 0 0 )

Shinji inhaled the soft scent of the sakura tree behind him and smiled, feeling the calming effect take hold of his senses. He needed this relaxation, mostly to drive away the anxiety that was building up in him. He knew that he would have to face Asuka sooner or later (later rather than sooner, he hoped), but for the moment he needed the time to think.

He heard a twig snap, and his eyes opened. "Ayanami," he said.

Sure enough, the blue-haired girl stood in front of him, the usual stoic expression on her face. She was holding one of her arms behind her back, a posture that Shinji had seen her take on many occasions. "Hello, Ikari," Rei said, her calm voice the perfect complement to the scent of the sakura trees.

"It's nice to see you again."

Rei looked at him inquisitively. "It is nice to see you again, as well. Now that your memories are back, that is."

Her statement sent Shinji reeling. "How could you tell?"

"The tone of your voice when you spoke was more subdued. It seemed more like you than the way you spoke when you were amnesic."

Shinji nodded, amazed at Rei's powers of observation but in no mood to dwell on the subject.

"You do not look well, Ikari. Is something wrong?"

The young man hesitated, unsure as to whether or not he should speak. He relented and said, "Yeah. I kind of… got into an argument with Asuka."

"Has Sohryu been causing problems?"

Noticing the edge in Rei's voice, Shinji chuckled lightly and said, "You could say that, I guess. It's not really her fault, though. I overreacted, is all."

"And yet you are here, rather than elsewhere. Why?" Rei's bluntness came as no surprise to Shinji, but for some reason he still found it difficult to speak with her.

"Well, a number of reasons. It's a long story."

Rei looked at him for a moment and then sat down under the tree near him. He could not see her directly, and it made things easier. Why this was so, Shinji could not figure out.

"I have time," he heard Rei say. "And perhaps it will do you some good to explain everything."

Shinji took a deep breath, the light scent of the cherry blossoms once more filling his senses, and he told Rei the whole tale, from the loss of his memory (which he knew that she knew already, but telling it made him feel marginally better) all the way to the confrontation with Asuka the night before. He told her how she had used him, tried to bring him back as she wanted him, rather than how he was before. Occasionally, throughout the tale, Shinji would hear a thoughtful noise issue from where Rei was seated. When he finished, there was a long silence, penetrated only by the sound of his own breathing and the rustling of the blossoms overhead.

Rei eventually spoke. "I suppose this is beyond my understanding," she said. Shinji noted a defeated tone in her voice, as though it pained her that she could not help him. "Emotion is not something I comprehend fully, and these events were clearly based off of emotion, not logic."

Shinji chuckled lightly. "Yes, I suppose that's true."

"As much as I dislike Sohryu, however, I believe I understand why she did what she did."

Shinji turned and looked at the side of Rei's head. "What?"

"Sohryu cares for you, correct?"

Thinking back to Asuka's words the night before, Shinji said, "Yes, but I don't see…"

Rei cut him off. "Acting as she did makes sense, then."

"What do you mean?"

"It is a natural human tendency to have an aversion to things we dislike and to have an attraction to the things we do like. Even stronger is the attraction to the things we love. Thus it makes sense. Sohryu would want to bring forth the memories that determined the qualities about you that she found desirable and, conversely, to quash the ones that determined your undesirable features."

Shinji thought about this for a moment. "But… it's not right, is it?"

"Of course not. What is necessary is not to prove whether her actions were right or wrong. What must be done is to understand the motive behind them. That is the key."

Again, the young man paused for a moment of reflection. "You're right, Ayanami. I know you are. But what do I do?"

Rei turned to look at him. "You must decide that for yourself."

Shinji paused for a while and then stood. "All right. I know what I'm going to do. Thank you, Ayanami."

A small smile made itself visible on Rei's face. "You are welcome, Ikari."

With those parting words, Shinji dashed off toward the apartment.

( 0 0 0 )

"And so," Shinji finished, "I came back here."

"But I don't get it," Asuka said. "How can you not be angry anymore? After what I did?"

Shinji looked at the wall for a second then met her gaze once more. "What Rei said made sense to me. You did it because of emotions. Emotions don't have to make sense."

Silence fell again. Asuka was beginning to despise awkward silences like this one, and rather than tolerate it, she broke it. "Shinji, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

Asuka took a deep breath. "My past. Everything."

"But…" the young man said.

Asuka raised a finger to silence him. "Part of a relationship is trust. I trust you enough to tell you this."

Before Shinji could ask what Asuka meant by a relationship, Asuka related to him one of the most tragic stories he had ever heard. She told him of how her mother had gone insane, thinking that a doll was her only daughter. She told him of how that same woman had hung herself, leaving Asuka behind with her stepmother until she came to Tokyo-3. She told him everything she could think of, every painful memory that she could dredge up. And finally, she told him of how the Fifteenth Angel had invaded her mind, the same as it had done with his own, and thrown all of these long-suppressed memories into the light.

At some point during her tale, the pair had become seated on the couch, and after she finished, another silence fell. Shinji spoke. "I'm sorry, Asuka."

"Why should you be? It's not your fault, idiot." She smiled. Again, she had called him an idiot, but with that endearing tone that he had heard her use occasionally.

"Still… I hate that it had to happen to you."

"Well, think about it this way. The way you are now is a result of your memories, right?"

Shinji snorted with laughter. "I would have thought you figured that out, after everything that's happened."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, idiot. Seriously, though, that's the reason you are who you are, right?"

"I suppose," Shinji said, getting his laughter under control.

"It's the same for me, I guess," Asuka said. She looked at Shinji, wondering how he would reply.

"You're right. But… that shouldn't be all that defines you."

Asuka looked at him oddly. This was most definitely not the answer she had expected. "What do you mean?"

"If I could do everything over again, I would still have things I would want to change. Some things are beyond my control, of course, but others… if I had made different decisions, maybe things would have come out better than they are now."

Shinji's eyes locked onto hers. "Isn't there anything that you would change?"

She thought about it. Asuka already knew what her reply would be, but she wanted to make it seem as though it were a hard thing to decide. "I guess I'd be nicer to you."

"Really?" His eyes lit up, and a smile became plastered on his face.

"Really," Asuka said, not a trace of sarcasm or bitterness in her voice for once.

Each of them became lost in their own thoughts for a while. The air was getting cooler, and the light was starting to fade. Another night was almost upon them, the sunset's reddish hue becoming visible. Shinji looked at Asuka as she stared out the window, and she noticed his gaze. "What?"

Shinji paused. "Can I ask you a question?" he finally said.

"What is it?"

"What did you mean earlier when you said 'trust is part of a relationship'?"

"I thought I made that pretty clear," she said, missing his point entirely.

"No, I meant… what did you mean by a relationship?"

Somehow, after he said it, Asuka knew she should have suspected this inquiry. She sighed, contemplating how she was going to explain the insane jumble of emotions in her heart. Finally, with a supreme effort, she spoke. "Shinji, I really have no idea how to deal with people. I bet Wondergirl knows more about emotion than I do. At least this kind anyway."

She choked on her words, but she forced them to come out. She had to say this, or she might never have the courage again. "But… that doesn't mean I don't want to try." She scooted toward Shinji, placing her hand upon his in an unusually affectionate gesture. "That is, if you'll let me."

Shinji looked into her eyes – those beautiful cerulean eyes that he had so longed to stare into – and smiled. "Asuka… two days ago, I saved your life because I loved you. And do you know what's changed in forty-eight hours?"

"What?"

She felt his fingers entwine with her own.

"Absolutely nothing."

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, allowing a small, satisfied sigh to pass through her lips. "So, are we going to try this?"

"Of course."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Asuka looked at him and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

As she sat there on the couch, comfortable in the embrace, Asuka knew that she had succeeded. She had brought Shinji back from the brink of oblivion. Not on her own, of course, but it could not have happened without her. She had preserved both sides of Shinji Ikari, made him more confident, and helped him bring out his feelings for her.

At the same time, Asuka knew that Shinji had done as much for her as she had done for him. He had shown her the error of her ways, taught her a lesson in selfishness, and gotten her to admit that she loved him. The admission was to both herself and to Shinji.

It seemed that in forty-eight hours an entire cycle had been completed.

Life, Death, and Rebirth.

Now that the final step was completed, they could keep going. Neither one of them were quite sure where they were going or what would happen.

That was part of the adventure.

Author's Notes: And thus, the saga is completed! My thanks to everyone who reviewed. I hope you all enjoyed the final chapter of Rosenrot.

Prereading credit, as usual, goes to That Other Guy and Scout, both of whom were instrumental in getting this completed. Thanks, guys. I couldn't have done it without you!

(Runs off to do a Shinji/Rei story.)