Creation began on 02-09-23
Creation ended on 04-12-23
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Saiken no Toki (The Time of Rebuilding)
A/N: In the aftermath of something, no matter the size, something new needs to be put in place.
SLICE! Either by mere luck or hard-earned skill, Esdeath, the most ruthless woman of her generation, a stern believer in survival of the fittest, had lost in her battle against Najenda, who sent her head flying into the air before it impaled on an ice pike, her expression one of shock before her former comrade used Stormbreaker to lop her head off.
Panting as she nearly felt to her knees, the leader of Night Raid felt the exhilarating power of having achieved victory against the Empire with the Revolutionary Army. With the fall of Shikoutazer, the last of the Empire's defenses, there was nothing left to stand against the change that needed to happen and affect the once-great nation.
"It's over," she expresses.
Tatsumi landed on the ground beside Mine and Leone, who were surrounded by several corpses of fallen soldiers of the Empire.
"It looks like we all survived," he tells them.
"Yeah," went Mine, looking further down the terrain and seeing Bulat and Sheele, covered in blood and exhausted. "We still suffered some casualties, but most likely minor ones. Nice work out there, Tatsumi. You weren't so bad wielding Incursio."
Lubbock, Akame and four soldiers from the Revolutionary Army came over as Sheele and Bulat did and looked around the battlefield.
Najenda came over and asked, "Did anyone see where the Emperor fell?"
"Shinji took him through a portal with Shambhala," Akame informed them, which surprised Sheele. "He could be anywhere in…"
"Or right here," they heard a voice and turned to see non other than Shinji himself, holding a bound Emperor in their presence. "You're all alive."
"You defeated the Emperor's Imperial Arm, Shinji?" Najenda questioned, seeing that Shinji had Erastone on his hand.
"There may be 'I's in my name, but there's none in 'team', Ms. Najenda," Shinji replied. "The Revolutionary Army's Night Raid division defeated the Emperor's Imperial Arm."
Even though it had been technically Shinji and Tatsumi, the former didn't want the credit when he had help from others. And because he couldn't and wouldn't kill any life, no matter what the reason, he left the Emperor's fate to be decided by them.
The Emperor looked and saw Esdeath's head on the ice pike…and knew it was truly over. The Empire had finally fallen.
Shinji looked up at the sky and felt like he could look into the light with a renewed sense of hope that he hadn't felt in a long time.
-x-
Asuka couldn't believe how this battle had turned out. Just over an hour ago, there was this activation test with Unit-03, and later received an alert that the testing facility at Matsuhiro had been destroyed by an Angel that had taken over the Eva. Because there was no way to communicate with the pilot inside the Eva, NERV had to assume that whoever was inside the plug had been compromised, leaving Asuka with very little choice in the matter but to destroy the possessed Eva, plug and all. It was a vicious and brutal assault that Unit-02 displayed, but in the end, Asuka was the victorious one. Fortunately for her, she stopped short of destroying the Entry Plug; if the pilot had relatives, they deserved to have the remains back in one piece if at all possible to do so.
Verdammt, she cursed to herself, her Eva holding the Entry Plug amidst the ruins of Evangelion Unit-03. Wie sollen wir das weitermachen, wenn wir uns nicht einmal schützen können (How are we supposed to keep doing this if we can't even protect ourselves)?
"Unit-02, report," she heard Commander Ikari's voice through the intercom. "What is the status of the Angel?"
"The Angel is dead," she replied.
Across the terrain inside the heavily-damaged and maimed Unit-00, now missing an arm and leg, Rei Ayanami had wondered where they were going wrong in this all. It started to feel like everything was changing because Shinji was no longer around; the battle had been harder, but there was less complaining because Shinji hadn't been around to complain about the situation. And she had a feeling that he would've, not wanting to fight a compromised Eva so long as someone was still inside it and couldn't escape.
"Rei," she heard Commander Ikari on the intercom, "a recovery team is en route to your location. ETA is ten minutes."
"Yes, sir," she responded.
-x-
He stood alone atop a hill, overlooking the land, a few days after the last battle, when people had time to process that the Emperor and his forces had been defeated by the Revolutionary Army. He had walked away to leave the rest of Night Raid to deal in the final blow to the Emperor's life that was to end it; he wasn't going to deal in the fatality…and he wasn't going to watch any of them do it.
"Shinji," he heard Sheele's voice, and he turned to face her.
"Is it…done?" He asked her.
"Yes," she answers him, and that was all he needed to hear. "Najenda did it."
Shinji sighs as he knew and accepted that it had to be done; nobody's hands were clean of this bloodshed, not even his own.
"Did he go quietly into the night?"
"He did. Are you…going to be all right?"
"Are you?"
Sheele smiles at him.
"Is anyone?" She asks.
"Only with each passing day," he answers…and smiles back. "So…what now for everyone that made up Night Raid?"
"We…go our separate ways…and move on."
This wasn't what Shinji expected to hear, but knew it was true. The sooner they all parted ways and let time go by, the sooner they would eventually fall into obscurity and be forgotten about by the masses. And while some people would come looking for them, likely those that believed in the old regime of the Empire, despite its corruption which needed to be purged so that the new regime could repair the broken system, the lack of information on each member of Night Raid would be so sparse that they wouldn't know where to start.
"So…where are you heading?" He asks her.
"Somewhere in the west where I'm just a face in the crowd," she answers him. "You?"
"Over in the east; I'm told there's an ocean and there may be places over there that the Empire has had no control over or contact with for centuries. I may find someplace where…I can just…blend in with others. I kinda…stand out here."
"Yeah. Yeah, you do stand out here."
"You'd probably stand out over there, too. You're beautiful, I mean."
"Thank you."
It was just the two of them beating around the bush and leaving doodles on the walls, but neither was really saying what they wanted to say to the other. As much as they knew what would happen if they remained around the Capital, they didn't really want to leave what they felt unspoken about.
"Shinji, I…" Sheele spoke up. "I knew that if I joined Night Raid, there was a chance that there'd be a day where I would die because I went up against someone else with an Imperial Arms. I knew there a chance I would live my last moments in violence…and I was okay with that. I was prepared with knowing the next day could and would be my last, but that night… That night was different. I wasn't prepared to die that night…and you changed everything when you appeared. I was near death's door…and you pulled me back. Thank you for saving me…and then helping us get to where we are now. It's only because of you that I'm alive to see this day."
"You're welcome," he responded. "It's only because of you and the rest of Night Raid that I have a reason to continue living this life I have here. I am forever grateful to be here. I am forever grateful to have met you."
Since it seemed like there was nothing left to say, Shinji slowly turned to walk away from Sheele. But it felt like it was the wrong thing to do, even in his heart.
Is it really the right thing…to leave the subject untouched? He wondered as he walked down the hill. We go our separate ways…uncertain if we'll ever see each other again?
Sheele turned to walk the other way…but then turned around and ran towards Shinji! She grabbed him by his left shoulder, turned him around to face her…and locked lips with him!
"Mmmm!" She grunted, holding him tightly, letting him know that she didn't want to let go of him. "Mmmm!"
Then…Shinji hugged her shoulders and kissed back! He lost his footing and fell to the ground atop her.
Sheele threw him to her left and was on top of him when she broke the kiss.
"Shinji," she told him, "I don't want to be without you."
"I don't want to be without you, either, Sheele," he replies. "Come with me to the east."
-x-
It was one thing to return to his village after being away for such a long time, but it was another to return alive…and without Sayo and Ieyasu. As Tatsumi continued to walk towards where his home resided, the primarily good blessing he seemed to have was that with the collapse of the Empire's former regime, the immoral overtaxing of the smaller villages had come to an end, and he was going home with a chest full of gold that would help his people…along with Incursio because he still possessed the Imperial Arms after the Emperor was executed.
"This village of yours," went Mine to him, deciding to come with him to his village, "what do the people do to pass the time?"
"We're mostly farmers and hunters, Mine," he tells her. "It's not a large village, but it's home. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again."
Of course, Mine had to suspect that part of the reason Tatsumi was also making this journey home was to inform the families of his two friends that were killed shortly after the three had left to try and earn money for the village. As happy as they would be to see him return, she couldn't ignore that they'd be heartbroken to find that the other two had lost their lives to a family of corrupted nobles that only dabbled in killing because it was like a game for them. But they'd probably feel some justice was served because Tatsumi killed the girl that killed Sayo out of spite for having beautiful hair.
"Do you think they'll like me?" She asks him.
"Maybe. Who knows for sure? I'd probably smile if you wish to make a first impression."
-x-
"…Where is the Bullet of Salvation, Najenda?" A general from the Revolutionary Army questions the leader of Night Raid in a dimly-lit room with five other leaders from said army.
"I have no idea, sir," she answers him. "After the defeat of the Empire, all members of Night Raid went their separate ways to avoid being sought after by any that still follow the previous regime, including Shinji Ikari. I see no reason to disturb the peaceful silence stemming from his departure from the battlefield."
"As a uniquely-made Imperial Arms in the guise of a human being…as well as one brought back from the dead a thousand years ago, he could serve as an enforcer or protector for the people of the new regime," a second general suggests.
"Maybe," Najenda agrees with him on that possibility, "except I've seen his dislike of violence, even if it's for the greater good. No matter how we could suggest that he'd be doing the nation a great service, we'd be denying him his own peace that has been long overdue."
"Is this your call to make?" A third general asks her. "It doesn't seem like it is."
"I didn't make any call. I just see no reason to go after the young man that helped make our victory against the Empire possible."
"We're not entirely sure it's a good idea, letting the members of Night Raid disappear and act on their own," the fourth general stated. "Even when on their own, they're dangerous due to their profession, and the Imperial Arms they still have make them a formidable threat."
"That is true, and anyone that tries to go after them will know that. Everyone everywhere will know of that."
"And should we ever face a threat that endangers the nation's peace?"
"We'll deal with it. And maybe Night Raid will reform and defend the people."
"How can you be sure of this, Najenda?" The first general asks her.
"I can't be sure of anything. All I can do…is take a leap of faith…and believe that they'll return someday when it's necessary for them to."
"One more question about the Bullet of Salvation, then," went the fifth general to her. "How human would you consider him to be after your experience with him?"
"I'd consider Shinji Ikari to be…more human than human," she answers. "The most human I have seen someone capable of being because he lacks the capacity to take any life, no matter which side of the line he walks."
Looking away from them, Najenda gazes upon a golden chalice with the same symbol that had been on Esdeath's chest, refilled with the liquid form of the Imperial Arms she thought was now lost because of her death, grateful that Shinji was able to salvage the power before Esdeath's remains were completely dead. This gave the former Revolutionary Army access to the power of Demon's Extract in the future.
He's the most human out of everyone I've ever met before, she thought.
-x-
On a large ship moving across the ocean, wearing small cloaks to hide their heads and faces from others, Shinji and Sheele wondered what life held in store for them in the east.
Although, it wouldn't surprise me if there were people from the fallen Empire on this ship looking to get away now that the war is over, thought Shinji as he stood on the deck, looking out at the ocean around the ship. Anyone thought to be alive is only effective if nobody was able to recover a body identical to the person suspected to be dead or alive…and there could be a dozen or so people alive instead of dead, looking to escape prosecution and incarceration.
Cough! He heard a young woman coughing and turned to his left, seeing said woman, wearing a cloak similar to his own, covering her mouth to keep from bothering anyone with her coughing.
From what he could ascertain from the limited information about one of the countries in the east, there were some specialists that were versed in medical practices and were able to treat some cases of drug abuse and poisoning over a long period of time. If this was the case for this young woman, then it was hopeful that if lived long enough to cross the ocean and find such a specialist, she could expect to have a new future. He then saw another person come over to her, also wearing a cloak, and could only assume that it was a spouse or friend.
"So, you're heading east, as well?" Shinji heard a female voice behind him say, and he turns to see who is there. "Practically a handful of us are heading there."
It was Akame, not even bothering to hide her identity.
"If you're here," he replies, "then I can only assume that there's a reason for your taking this journey, as well. What brings you to the east?"
"Family matters."
"Oh?"
"The war is over. All that's left is to rebuild and forget about the people involved in the war. Some people have taken the option of exile while others have taken pleas of clemency for the sake of atonement. I myself have taken to exile."
But because Akame told Shinji that it was a family matter that led her onto this ship with so many others, he had to suspect that, despite being on different sides, the woman couldn't kill her sister, who was likely suffering from the repercussions of repeated doping.
"How is she doing so far?" He asks her, being simple and cryptic, not wanting to expose them.
"It's not so good, but I hope she'll hold on until we reach our destination."
Shinji gave a hopeful smile and told her, "Do your best to help her."
-x-
NERV was officially in a bad spot with two ruined Evas and two dead pilots. Even though they were killed in the process of defeating two Angels, it was still a negative impact to their credibility when the most important resource to their success was the exploitation of teenagers that should've been doing other things that were whatever they did in any day. No degree of discrediting the last Angel attack would help the paramilitary group. If anything, it would force them to rely on their remaining pilots indefinitely.
"…So, your sister's out of the hospital?" Asuka heard Kensuke say to Toji during recess.
"Yeah," she heard the jock say to the otaku. "We're leaving for Sapporo in a week to stay with our aunt over there."
"What?! Why?"
"Our dad says it's no longer safe to live in Tokyo-3, and, honestly, I believe he's right. I don't think I can see my sister living here in a a city where a monster attacked because NERV lied about it ever showing up to begin with. There's no point in supporting a defective system that doesn't even have the decency to let the public know that they're being attacked by something they may not be able to beat so they can get away safely. Anyway, I heard it's safer to live on Hokkaido than the rest of the archipelago; the crime rate is low. I might be able find a sports club to join over there."
"And…you're just okay with that?"
"If it's between living in a city where I don't have to worry about my sister getting hurt again and myself dying of natural causes and living in a city where even one more day could be your last because a monster shows up and attacks…I'll accept the former over the latter, thank you very much. Plus, my faith in NERV has always been very little."
"No system or group is perfect."
"I don't expect them to be perfect. I just appreciate it if they were honest. But honesty is like everything else with a two-way street: Not everything is full circle."
-x-
Clemency, the act of mercy for those who have committed crimes against others in exchange for an avoidance of execution. That was what was offered to those captured alive by the Revolutionary Army. Among the people that accepted clemency were Bols and Run, who would serve five years in maximum security before being released on probation. While Run accepted this fate without question, all Bols wanted in exchange for serving his sentence was to see his family.
Among those listed as MIA were Wave and Kurome, whom nobody had been able to find after the war ended.
Seryu Ubiquitous was among the deceased, killed by a random soldier from the Revolutionary Army armed with an Imperial Arm that was among the items Shinji had stolen from the Imperial Palace when he escaped.
As the people rebuilt the nation they lived in, some were wondering what it was that made this young man, this Shinji Ikari, the Bullet of Salvation. Some thought he was merely a last resort the Revolutionary Army found and convinced to join their cause. Others thought he was once affiliated with the Empire in the past before defecting to the Revolutionary Army…because, like all people capable of change, he possessed a conscience and couldn't support a system that had decayed over time and was now the enemy that needed to be defeated to protect the people that suffered by those that embraced the depravity of human evil. But the grand question most had was this: Would they ever see the Bullet of Salvation again now that he had left without a trace?
-x-
Stepping off the ship and onto the land of this new land, Shinji looked around the rural village that was next to the docks where the ship stopped. Some of the people present had similar facial features to his own, making him assume that they were similar to his own background.
"Shinji," went Sheele as she stood beside him, "they kinda look like you a little."
"Really?" He responded. "I was going to say that they remind me of Akame a little."
Sheele looked at the people again…and could see some comparison between them and Akame a bit more than she saw between them and Shinji.
"Where to?" Shinji asks her.
"Wherever you're going first," she responds.
This was the land of Wakoku, an archipelago divided into twenty-two nations, each one connected by a similar history of violence due to a civil war between them in order to decide which one would unite and rule the other twenty-one. While Shinji had hope of avoiding conflict between the warring factions and just build a new life here with Sheele, he had to be mindful of the possibility that one day, without any warning, he would be dragged into violence once again. But for now, he was just a nonentity, a stranger in a new land that, in a way, felt like an echo to the world he was taken from and could never go back to without giving his free will. And one way or another, he had to find a way to make life worth living in this land.
Plus, it was hoped that, after a few years, just long enough for the public to forget about the Revolutionary Army's Night Raid faction, Shinji, Sheele and other members of said faction…would return to the former Empire. But for now, Shinji had to refrain from the temptation to use Shambhala to venture back to the land they had left, lest he be glimpsed by those that still knew of his connection to Night Raid.
"I hope this place has some good beverages," Shinji heard that voice that reminded him subtly of Misato, and turned to face none other than Leone, who was also among the few members of Night Raid that left on the ship.
It can be hoped that this land has something similar to sake, he thought as he and Sheele walked away from her; for the time being, it was best if nobody thought they knew one another.
-x-
Two dead pilots, two damaged Evangelions…and a tarnished reputation for its exploitation of minors like any other organization that chose to use children as a commodity. That was what NERV currently had after the fallout. Even if defeating the Angels meant saving the human race, the cost was already high…and wouldn't go any lower than the price of blood, tears and grief.
"…Do we know anything the pilot of Unit-03?" Misato asks Kaji as they were detailing the aftermath of the Unit-03 incident.
"No," he answers. "The kid was a complete nonentity. No contacts, no social circles, nothing. Not even a pet. It's like he didn't even exist."
"Does anyone exist if they're unknown?"
"To a handful of people…but not to the world."
Misato sighs as she realizes that this turn of events was just another sign that NERV had crossed a line that was going to bite them in the head later on.
-x-
It was quiet in this rural town they came to a few days ago and didn't leave. There wasn't much of a list of recreational activities for one to do within a fishing village, but Shinji didn't mind any of it; the mere fact that he felt like he could fit in after stepping away from the violence with Sheele and the rest of Night Raid after the Empire's fall and reorganization was a sign that he was adjusting. Plus, in a way, Shinji did stand out in other areas more than Sheele did, and she was the outsider due to her appearance; for some reason, people found it odd that a young man like Shinji to be capable of cooking when it was normally seen as a woman's duty.
What is it with people and these gender-based standards? Shinji wondered as he sat on the porch of his and Sheele's hut. I like cooking, and it's not something only a woman can do. Plus, Sheele and I just got out of a war. Neither of us are looking to get back into civil disputes between groups or nations…or monsters.
Fortunately, because Wakoku was in a civil war and not an extreme one like with the Empire and Revolutionary Army, so not everyone in the nation he and Sheele currently took refuge in was involved in the dispute. The only odd looks he ever got from a bunch of kids that ran around looking for something to do were whenever he was with Sheele, who, despite the change in scenery, still had a knack for being clumsy, even when she wasn't doing much of anything. It was subtle for now, with the pair just trying to build a life in a new land. It wouldn't be a shocker for Shinji if he saw someone from his past right now; he kind of expected Leone to show up with a bottle of sake in her possession, barely inebriated and trying to chat with them. As he looked out at the ocean, he thought of how things were going with the Empire's cleansing of its corruption that ate away at its heart and soul, hoping that once a few years went back, he and Sheele would go back there to see how well its progress had gone.
Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands wrap around his shoulders and neck.
"And how was your afternoon?" He asks Sheele, recognizing her arms.
"If I'm being honest with myself," he hears her say in response, "it was rather dull. To reacclimatize to society as a regular person…is challenging."
"Yes, it it. The more people try to adjust back to life before war, the more difficulty they find in trying to fall back into an old rhythm. I never understood why it affects those that try to walk away from the violence they found themselves swept into, making it difficult to return to the simplicity of normality, except that it was a threshold they crossed to keep others from having to cross it, but once they crossed it, there was no turning back for themselves. However, they try to exchange the results of their decisions for the mundane and unappealing of what they had…but it is hard to go back. It will always be hard to go back."
"Is that the price for peace and happiness?"
"What is peace and happiness? Before I died in my past, I was hardly happy and barely knew any peace that was worth having until I met my father after a long time…and his grim world shattered my little world. And now, after everything that resulted in me ending up here, I'm in a completely different world without the people I met in it, either guiding me or goading me to take back a life that was never mine to begin with…and one I couldn't see myself wanting over this one. Maybe it's not perfect, maybe there's no such thing as normal…but it's a life I can accept because it gives me the freedom to decide for myself what I want."
He turns to look at Sheele, who looks at him with a smile…and smiles back.
Of course, Sheele understood that Shinji was right; it was difficult for those that walked into a war to come out of it and ensure that others wouldn't have to were scarred by its effects and would find difficulty in going back to their previous lives after everything that happened and everything they did. But she was okay with this as long as she had Shinji. She turned back to the inside of their hut, looking at the space where they kept an antique case. Or rather, trying to look at where they kept the reminders of their past as members of Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army: Extase and his nonlethal gun. They were trying to take a step away from the fighting, but they kept them nearby, just in case something happened and they needed to get involved.
Shinji sighs and turns to look where she's looking, feeling the lure of his gun; he kept Shambhala on him in case of emergencies and marked the hut. While old habits were known to die hard, he hoped that by creating new habits would curb the feeling of the previous ones.
"Why do they say that old habits die hard?" Sheele asks him.
"Because they're hard to get over," Shinji answers her, and then she pulls and pushes him down to the floor. "And what is this?"
"This…is, hopefully, a habit that won't die hard," she says as she straddles him, keeping his arms pinned under hers. "You're my prisoner now, Shinji, and I won't let you go."
Shinji smiles and responds, "I don't need keys to escape your clutches, Sheele. I'm already free."
To be continued…
A/N: I'm trying to decide how the final chapter will be like when I get to it. Enjoy this until then.