From the author: This is Shinji's last day in Neogoya and gets to talk with his friends for the last time before leaving
don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and Akira
Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to Studio GAINAX and Hideaki Anno
Akira belongs to Kōdansha and Katsuhiro Ōtomo
"this" is speech
'this' is thought
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION HIGHWAY STAR : THE BALLAD OF SHINJI IKARI
Chapter 37: Tying things up
"WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP !"-The Kamen Rider alarm clock screamed as Shinji punched it of the night table. 'I really need to stop using that old thing , but it's really effective'-he thought as Asuka and Rei and also got up from the bed
"For gott's sake why do you keep setting this thing ?! I don't want a heart attack by the age 14"-Asuka said as Shinji wiped his forehead
"But you gotta admit it is really effective , right Rei ?"-Shinji asked as his sister nodded in agreement
"Fine , it maybe is effective but don't you dare to take it with you to Tokyo 3 you hear me ?!"-Asuka said as Shinji firmly nodded. As they finished their morning routines Shinji got to work on breakfast for them and Misato who just came out of the bedroom
"Morning Shinji"-Misato said as she sat in the table
"Morning , lemme guess. Another meeting ?"-Shinji asked as Misato sadly nodded
"At least it's the last one before we have to go back to Tokyo 3"-Misato said as Shinji gave her a plate with her breakfast
"Yeah , last"-Shinji said as he begun to eat his Omelette
"Ah come on , why do you prefer this husk of a city over Tokyo 3 ? I get that its pretty boring for a fortress city but at least no one will mug you of stab you there , not to mention the air quality"-Misato said as Asuka and Rei also sat for breakfast
"You know what ? Freedom , here im basically a no one with no one keeping an eye on me. No rules , no section 2 on my back , always on the track. Not to mention it looks like it was designed by Syd Mead and William Gibson and Ridley Scott as god , also even if I was born in Hakone Neogoya Is my home"-Shinji said as he continued to eat
"I get that , at least he has a home to come back to after this whole war is over"-Asuka said as Shinji turned his head around
"After I'll win MFJ maybe , or I'll head to Europe"-Shinji said as he finished his food
"Those are really far-going plans Shinji-kun. Many of motorcycle racers and car drivers after they step their foot in Europe get lost with the difference In experience compared to the European kids. Let's just say that your Mild Seven money will get you a ride in Europe. Your young and that's a valour but you'll be throwing the glove to future world championship material , they will be more experienced on the track , but you will have experience with bigger machines than 650cc , so its equal in pluses and minuses"-Misato finished her monologue as Shinji counted the pros and cons on both his hands
"And who gave you a degree in racing management ?"-Asuka asked as Misato closed her eyes and stretched her back
"Before the Second Impact I wanted to be a racer. As a kid I cought every F1 race on VHS since 1994 until 97. My dad , let's just say that he wasn't on board with the idea. He told me that racing for lunatics and primitives that only risk their lives to make a mark on history instead of doing it like he did. He expected me to become a scientist like him , and that was the reason of most of quarrels. After the Impact , I forgot about it and headed straight to college"-Misato said as Shinji jugged down his soda
"It's stupid , you gave away your dreams just to take revenge on the angels ? I get that it was traumatic but you should be moving forward"-Shinji said as Misato looked at his narrowly with a bear in hand
"And when did you get you psychology degree mister "I was attending reformation school for delinquents ?""-Misato asked as Shinji opened another soda can
"As a chick magnet I had to listen to tons of girls talking about the problems , just because I read more books doesn't mean that im an oracle for world problems right ? After years of just sitting here I can do more to help someone than a random therapist that no one could affort"-Shinji said as he jugged down another soda
"Ok , anyways if you have things to take of here then I would suggest taking care of it before we will be leaving"-Misato said as she washed her plate
"Well , I do want to talk with some of my friends"-Shinji said as he looked at the drawer with his jacket
"Its your last chance before returning to the mundane life in Tokyo 3 so you should take it if you ask me"-Asuka said as Shinji looked at the window and then at the entrance door
"You know what ? You're right , I'll be back at noon"-Shinji said as he grabbed his jacket and gloves before heading to the elevator and going down to the ground floor. 'Ok , first the orphanage. Need to talk with Kaneda'-he thought as he walked to the parking elevator and summoned the HS Finale before mounting it and starting all three engines before the modified SC28 rode away though the streets as Shinji watched his familiar streets and small little street restaurants before reaching the orphanage. Shinji parked the HS Finale on the parking lot , as he walked towards the boy side he thought about Aiko and Kio. 'Ah what can I lose ? No one will die from that visit'-Shinji thought as he found the right window in the laundry room to sneak inside and jumped in surprising two girls that were doing laundry at the moment
"Good morning girls"-Shinji said as he walked towards Aiko's room
"85 , 86 , 87 , 88 !"-He said out laud as he knocked on Aiko's door
"Oh , Shinji , what are you doing here ?"-Aiko asked as Shinji looked at her immediately felt sorry for her. She was wearing short shorts and an oversized T-shirt , she also had bags under her eyes and dirt in her hair
"Hey Aiko , I just came to check out if everything is going well with you and Kio , I'm the godfather after all"-Shinji said as Aiko showed him inside to her room , and it was actually the first time he even set a foot here further then the doorstep. As he took a look he noticed how the small space was well organized even if little Spartan. A small electric cooker and a kettle sitting and connected to the electric extension cord with a baby bed sitting next to the desk filled with medical books
"There you are you little rascal , been a long time since I last seen you , remember me ?"-Shinji asked him as he picked giggling Kio out of the baby bed and put him on Aiko's bed
"It's incredible how fast he grows , for years I only thought it was something that TV moms were telling in dramas , in experience it's something completely different"-Aiko said as Shinji tickled Kio's chin
"Yeah , and also I begin to see more of Kaneda showing in him"-Shinji said as Aiko chuckled before looking towards him
"Now tell me what really was the reason you came here ? Isn't the Yakuza Prince , The Highway Star , the Eva pilot and hundreds of things you are busy all the time ?"-Aiko asked as Shinji frowned
"Hey , I'm leaving back tomorrow to Tokyo 3 so I wanted to check on everyone before leaving. Also to tell you some good news"-Shinji said as Aiko raised her eyebrow
"What good news ?"-Aiko asked as Shinji showed her his phone
"I wanted to send it to your email but I didn't know your address , anyways I pulled some strings and got you in that medical school for the semester next year , also a studio apartment in the city centre. It's not big but it's still bigger then this room"-Shinji showed her the small apartment as Aiko's jaw opened
"Why ? Why are you even helping me ? It should be Kaneda's problem not yours ?!"-Aiko asked as Shinji chuckled
"It was his idea , he asked me about it , the problem was that he lacked funds so he asked me , I pulled the strings and the deed was done , no problem"-Shinji said as he put his phone back to the pocket of his pants
"Thank you , for everything"-Aiko said as Shinji closed his eye and shot a finger gun at her
"No problem , also have you seen Mana around here ? You probably heard she came back right ?"-Shinji asked as Aiko looked at the window
"She was here , met Kio and said Hi and apparently crashed in Kaori's room. I've seen them leaving the orphanage this morning. I've heard they were going to get coffee , or beer"-Aiko said as Shinji walked towards the doorsill
"Well , I have a beacon to where to go next , thanks Aiko , bye little guy"-Shinji said goodbye to them as he walked out of the room and mad his way towards the boys side , after a five minute he walked towards the boys side and immediately felt and saw the state of most of the boys here , dirty drug addicts or Bosozoku's. 'Someone should really order a cleaning crew here'-Shinji thought as he reached Kaneda's door and knocked , and again , and again
"Kaneda ?"-Shinji asked as he reached to the pocket for his 21a and slowly opened the door before quickly opening it and pointing the gun at Kaneda who pointed his laser rifle at him
"Jesus Christ Shin , remember what I said about calling before coming in ? I was thinking NERV was here to detain me , but they won't take me away alive"-Kaneda said as he put away the laser rifle
"And your paranoia is getting bigger , ever since you joined WILLE you think that my old man is on your tail , Its not like he would want to catch a mere grunt"-Shinji said as he chuckled before Kaneda rushed towards him
"Hey hey hey hey ! I'm not a mere grunt ! I helped during numerous actions and attacks !"-Kaneda said as Shinji closed the door to his door
"Ok , I'm not here to tell you down , I'm here to set some things up"-Shinji said as Kaneda had a curious look on his face before he sat on his bed
"What things ? Oh I know , you are coming back to Tokyo 3 and want to tell me about something , then go on , I'm listening"-Kaneda said as he looked at Shinji
"First off , I told Aiko about the school and I could see that she was happy as he couldn't look at her son. They'll be doing all right"-Shinji said as Kaneda wiped sweat of his forehead
"Again thank you for your help , without you Aiko would be stuck here and Kio would've been in danger everyday"-Kaneda said as Shinji showed him a thumbs up
"No problem , another thing is this address"-Shinji said as he took out a pen from his pocket and a piece of paper and wrote the adress of Misato's apartment in Tokyo 3
"Any info from WILLE or if Mari wants to write a letter to me send it to this address , as long as you write "Don't open unless you are the receiver" on the envelope everything should be ok"-Shinji said as he handed over the paper to Kaneda
"Ok , anymore things you want to say ?"-Kaneda asked as Shinji wiped the back of his head
"Yeah , thanks for the party yesterday , also thank you for the board track race . I've always wanted to do that ever since I was a kid"-Shinji said as Kaneda smirked
"Anything for friends , also it helped us to raise ton of cash from bets so im sure it won't be a onetime thing , but we still need to work on the track maintance. But looking at the money im sure it will be worthy. And watch out for yourself back in Tokyo 3. You never know when NERV will want to get rid with you"-Kaneda said as Shinji highfived his hand
"Thanks buddy , im lucky to have such a good friend"-Shinji said as he prepared to leave his room
"Say hi to the kid from me , little gal picked herself up after Takuro's death"-Kaneda said as Shinji nodded
"Maybe , but she still misses him and there is nothing we can do to replace him in her heart"-Shinji said as Kaneda sighed
"Yeah , but you know the local saying "It's better to risk everything and jump then regret not doing it ?" Takuro understood it better than anyone I know , other than you probably"-Kaneda said as Shinji shaked his head
"And I know another local saying "Not everyone in Neogoya who watches the sunrise gets to see the sundown""-Shinji said as Kaneda looked at the floor of his room
"Wrong city , wrong people"-Kaneda said as Shinji chuckled breaking the sad atmosphere floating in the room
"Did you really just quoted one of Mike Pondsmith's game books ?"-Shinji asked as Kaneda chuckled
"Yes , remember that time we played Cyberpunk 2020 ? That was great table top session"-Kaneda said as Shinji nodded
"We should play a new game when I come back victorious over SELLE"-Shinji said as Kaneda showed a thumbs up
"Yeah , and also try to call more than twice a month okay ?"-Kaneda asked as Shinji also showed a thumbs up
"Will do , and good luck here"-Shinji said as he left Kaneda's room. 'Ok , that checks out the orphanage , and now I have to head towards Tsukuji-what the ?'-Shinji's train of thought was cut by sudden vibrations displayed by his phone. As he checked who wrote him the message he got pale , it was Kichirou-san. The message was easy to read. 'Special meeting with me ,you got 20 minutes'. Shinji rushed to the HS finale and made his way to the 1st district to meet with his boss. As he fought through the traffic jams he reached the base of operations for Rai Kichirou's criminal activities. One of his many money laundry schemes , his high end restaurant. Shinji parked his bike in front of backdoors that reached the kitchen with two bodyguards guarding them. Shinji sighed and took out his Card of protection before showing it to them who let him though
"The boss is waiting for you at the table"-One of them said as Shinji walked inside the kitchen and noticed the chefs working and sweating to meet the demands of the high ends throats. 'Damn , now that's a real hell's kitchen'-he thought as he left the kitchen and walked up to the elevator that lead him into the VIP section for even bigger high ends , mostly corrupt politicians and corporation CEO's. Though the glass window of the elevator Shinji observed a beautiful panorama of Neogoya higher than the smog clouds with beautiful Neons and tall glass skyscrapers bracing with their grace on regular citizens. 'No matter how many times I ride up there I still can't get enough of that view'-Shinji thought as the elevator ride finished with Shinji walking out of it and as always noticing the extravagance of the VIP section. But it made sense , it was supposed to attract the rich and corrupted. Silk red carpet and dark gold walls and great lighting it done its duty. Shinji tried to dodge the views of the customers he walked towards the table where he met with Kichirou-san
"Shinji , come here"-He said as Shinji did as he asked as sat where he pointed
"What is the point of this meeting Kichirou-san ?"-Shinji asked as Rai gave him some papers
"I wanted to thank you for two things , one is your PR machine. After Mid Seven became your official sponsor our actions went up , we have more investors and young racers applying for sponsorships. The shareholders are really happy judging that they wanted to pull the plug on racing some time ago. And the second one is helping Mayumi finding her very first steps in the business , she is doing great for both me and you"-Rai said as Shinji read though the papers
"I appreciate the thanks but I still have a long way to go , hell I won't even be able to test the bike to the full possibilities until last days before the season starts"-Shinji said as Rai stared him down
"And why might I ask ?"-He said as Shinji wiped the sweat from his forehead
"Ebisu is in Nihonmatsu and i live in Tokyo 3 , not to mention I have to be there 2 times a week to test it, without a long car drive its impossible"-Shinji said as Rai chuckled
"We can work around it. I can send you a helicopter for you to get you to that track , if you want to race in Europe just like your uncle used to told me you'll need it , just send Mayumi the coordinates on where it should land"-Rai said as Shinji had a grin on his mouth
"Th-Thank you Kichirou-san , but I'm sure its expensive right ?"-Shinji asked as Rai chuckled
"6 flights in 2 days , as you can see around yourself I can afford it , so why not keep a dead friends promise ?"-Rai said as Shinji looked curiously
"Promise ?"-Shinji asked as Rai again chuckled
"Your uncle one day asked me that if he will die on the job I'll help you though your career and get you to Europe , and he was always loyal and wanted you to accomplish his dream. And im not the type of man who wouldn't keep a promise to a friend , you are free. Now get back tying your things up"-Rai said as Shinji nodded
"Thanks Kichirou-san , now I need to head towards Tsukijicho 2 to clean up to the workshop"-Shinji said as he got up from the table
"Ok , and remember to shine brightly"-Rai said as Shinji jolted to the elevator before going down back to the level for supposed simpletons and walked through the kitchen making his way back towards the HS Finale and made his way towards Tsukijicho 2. Another 30 minutes passed as Shinji finally reached the docks and noticed the NERV crews packing all the Eva equipment on the trucks and sending them away back to Tokyo 3. Shinji managed to reach the warehouse , as he opened the gate he took a look across to find any odd things here. Shinji begun to clean though the entire workshop . Checked every tools and machines , took a swing at the arcade machines to check if they work and cleaned every strain of dust and trash everywhere.
"That's done , Im gonna leave you for a while , but I'll come back soon , I promise. Goodbye"-Shinji said as he closed the door and closed the gate before mounting the HS finale as looked at the street in front of him.
"Lets go , infinity here I go"-Shinji said as he rode back to his apartment to pack his things
A/N: Sorry for the small slip in time ,but its here , in the next chapter we come back to Tokyo 3 and Shinji will meet Kaworu