Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Second Coming ❯ Epilogue ( Chapter 28 )

Epilogue

 

25 June 2017

Obihiro, Japan

 

I pressed the cellphone tightly against my right ear and plugged the other with my finger. "What? Say that again, please!"

"I said," Asuka repeated, irritatedly, "Teacher wants to know if you're doing your journalism project or just goofing around!"

The car behind me stopped revving its engine and fell silent. "I AM - I mean, I am shocked, Asuka Langley Sohryu. I hope you told him that I would never consider slacking off and enjoying probably the best rally of the season without doing my assigned media templates, considering the school district was kind enough to pay my way here to let me do it!"

"I know you too well, Jill," came the reply. "And you wonder why people call you weird. Never mind the whole thing about 'you know'."

That was how Asuka had taken to referring to my life as Jack. Of course, all was known now, between various people, about their innermost secrets, so to speak; some chose to let it go, others found it too intimate to bring up even among friends. Asuka, of course, fit neither of those two molds.

"Tell him that I'm almost done," I replied. "Once the final runs are done on Sunday, I'll put together an amazing article and mail it in. It'll be back before I am."

"You'd better cc me on the email," she cautioned. "I want a copy of your first work."

"Gotcha," I said. "How are things going? You and Shinji getting along?"

"Ugh!" she grunted. "I wish you'd never have said we should treat him like a god, even if you were kidding. Now every time I see him I can't help but remember that stupid line!"

"Well, tell the truth," I teased. "Is he a god? I mean, in that wa--"

"Don't you dare!" Asuka screeched. "That's private!"

I howled with laughter. "You realize I'm not going to let up until you two have your first kid, right?"

"I swear, if you weren't on the other end of the country, I'd--"

"You'd what? Tell Hikari to give me cleaning duties for the rest of the semester? See if you can pry Toji off her long enough to get her attention."

Asuka sighed heavily, with an aggravated tone, while I laughed. Finally, she said, "Ha ha, you're a riot. Just don't get run over by a race car, okay?"

"I promise. I intend to race in this series once I get my license! That way I'll be on the inside of the car and safe. Ne?"

"Right," Asuka drawled.

We said our goodbyes, and I hung up the phone. Becoming aware of my surroundings once again, I realized that the entire service park was mostly quiet. Checking my watch, I realized that it was because the memorial service was about to begin, and I hurried over towards the podium, where the course organizers and participants were assembled before the thousands of fans. Just as I got there into the thick of the crowd, the mayor began speaking.

"As we all know, the tragedy of Third Impact befell us in January of last year," he said, in Japanese, of course. "We wish to remember the one and one half billion people who are no longer with us due to this incident. Please remove your hats and bow your heads for a moment of silence."

It was hard to gauge how the general populace was treating Third Impact, even eighteen months later. Some were trying to pretend like it wasn't the revelation it had been, instead treating it like any other catastrophe, or perhaps similar to the fabricated excuse that had been used for Second Impact. Others, especially religious leaders, regarded 3I exactly as it had been - albeit some with more embellishments than others, of course.

Not everyone had come back. I don't know if it was by choice or if they died too 'early' for Instrumentality to affect them. Still, I reflected on them while I stood during the moment of silence.

Ritsuko Akagi was one who didn't return.

Gendo Ikari as well, but that wasn't a surprise to me, since his whole intent was to reunite with Yui in 'the afterlife' (so to speak).

Sadly, Misato Katsuragi was among the missing. That surprised me; of all the people who I thought would be able to imagine themselves in their own heart, as the line went, Misato was one of them. Even though she had the most similarities to Shinji, and had a lot of hatred, or self-pity, or whatever you wish to call it, I figured if Shinji could find it in him to return, anyone would.

Maya Ibuki didn't return either; that, I figured, made sense, considering Dr. Akagi was gone.

I didn't know if any of the SEELE bigshots were still around, because the one person who I thought would know - Kozo Fuyutsuki - was gone as well.

Kaworu was right when he said he didn't expect to show up, either. I figured that was okay, as I did with most of the others who did or didn't return; it was their choice to make. I'd said my piece to him, anyway, and at least felt like we'd reconciled our issues.

You may notice I've skipped over someone rather conspicuous; I did that because of what happened immediately after the moment of silence.

 

The crowds dispersed once the remembrance ceremonies were over and done with, after a brief announcement that the afternoon stages would start in about an hour's time.

'Bout enough time to grab something to eat and sort out my notes, I decided. I picked up some noodles and broth from a stand and sat down at a table in the service park.

About fifteen minutes after I began to eat, with pages spread all over the table while I tried to gain some sense of order over my notes, a gust of wind picked up and lifted several of them up and away. I ack'ed and reached out to grab them, but someone stepped in their path and blocked their escape, gathering them up and handing them over to me.

"Domo arig--" I began, brushing my long hair from my eyes. As I caught sight of my good samaritan, I stopped short, eyes widening.

"You are welcome," Rei Ayanami said. "May I sit down?"

I was in shock; all I could do was nod. Rei took a seat and collected the other pages so they wouldn't take flight like their brethren.

"You didn't expect to see me again," Rei said as she tapped the papers on edge on the table to neaten them.

I sat down, finding my voice. "N-no. Definitely not.."

Rei handed over the remaining pages. "The same rules apply to me as everyone else. I only just learned that in the end."

"Same rules..?"

"Imagining oneself," she explained. Then she gave a shrug, something I didn't recall ever seeing her do. "Much as you admitted to Kaworu, I must admit that I liked my time here."

"You did?" I asked, more for lack of anything else to say.

She nodded. "Despite all that happened, I found it pleasurable to be with you all."

"That, I think," I said with a smile, "is called friendship."

"True," Rei said. "I imagine so."

"So why are you just showing up here and now?"

"People will return in a time and place of their own choosing," Rei said. "Those which have not returned are not gone forever. In other words, I just 'showed up' yesterday." She looked around. "As for why this place, I don't know. It's just where I found myself when I awoke."

I smirked. "Maybe, if I can be a little foolish for a minute, it was because I was here."

Rei looked at me with a curious expression, then tried to mimic my smile. "I admit I was always curious what you found so exciting about this sport."

"I can show you around, if you want - that is, if you don't have anything else to do," I said, catching myself before I finished.

"I don't know what exactly I want to do at this point," she admitted. "There is so much of the world I haven't experienced. But I can let that wait for a day or two." She looked over to me again. "If you don't mind the company."

"Of course not," I said. "It'd be my pleasure."

My mind was reeling with how crazy it was to happen across Rei in such an unlikely place at such a time. The odds had to be beyond astronomical for her to just appear on the same weekend that I was in town, a year and a half after 3I. I wonder if you had something more to do with it than you're letting on, I kept to myself.

 

As we walked toward the bus for the afternoon stages, I said, "Are you going to come home? I mean, back to Hakone."

"To see Shinji and Asuka, you mean," Rei said knowingly.

"Well, yeah.. that was kind of the underlying implication," I admitted.

"I've yet to decide. I may make a 'vacation' of the summer before returning."

"I see," I said.

"I do know about their relationship, if that's what you're getting at."

It indeed was; I felt a little relief at that. Hopefully she could convince Asuka that there was no triangle to speak of.

"Right," I responded.

"Shinji is, to me, I suppose most like a brother."

I nodded, climbing onto the bus. "I guess that makes sense."

"Do you plan to give them forewarning of my return when you go home?"

"I don't know," I said. "Do you want me to?"

Rei sat down and looked over to me, then smiled. "I think surprising them might be.. fun."

 

END

 

Evangelion: Second Coming

 

Written by Jason Low

Proofreaders: David Corlett, Richard Sirois

 

With many thanks to Hideaki Anno, without whom Evangelion would not exist.

 

Dedicated to my mother - Thank you for always being there for me.