Hey guys. Back again for the last time.
It has been quite the journey. I'll be honest, part of the reason for the long delay was that I almost didn't want the story to end.
I've been writing Unravel for so long now that it feels like closing a chapter of my life. I've loved writing these characters and I hope you have loved reading them.

But alas, all good things come to an end. And I'd rather finish the story than letting it sit there forever without its conclusion.

So here we are. The Final Chapter.

"These were the days that followed. The lives that we lived after the Angel War."

- Shinji.

It was a beautiful day.

He felt the breeze brush against his skin and wash over him. The sun shined overhead in a cloudy sky, and he noticed it all without having to open his eyes.

He felt like he could stay here and sleep forever. Relaxing in the calm and quiet of the woods with his family. The crackling of the fire was cozy and inviting, peaceful in a way that he hadn't known in years.

"Dad."

A voice called out to him.

"Hmm," he grunted.

"Dad."

"Hmm."

"Dad… are you asleep?"

"Yeah. Still asleep," he agreed.

He felt a soft kick to his side, a tap with no force behind it. Laughter filled his world as his daughter struggled to get him up.

"Get up!" she giggled, tugging on his arms.

"I'm up, I'm up," he muttered, forcing himself to a sitting position.

Shinji Ikari opened his eyes to find everything exactly as he left it. The clearing where they'd made camp was neatly organized.

He found his daughter moving to sit beside him with a coy look planted firmly on her face. She was a teenager on the verge of adulthood, still in that awkward phase of almost adult responsibility and almost his peer in life.

"You overslept. You promised we'd go fishing in the morning," she said.

"I did. Don't worry, girl. The fish will be there. There's no rush," he said, stretching as he spoke.

His daughter pouted and seemed to think better of it. Then she straightened and shook her head saying "okay. I trust you."

She's growing so fast. I blinked and she's almost an adult.

"Thank you. Humph. Patience, that's your mother in you," he said, taking a moment to breathe in the nice morning air.

"Oh? And what did I get from Auntie?"

"Your kick."

His daughter scoffed saying, "I'm not that bad."

"No. You're not. Auntie is just stronger than she realizes," he said, rubbing his side. Auntie had a habit of jabbing him there, and now his daughter seemed to have taken on the ritual.

His daughter smirked saying, "you're just old."

He nodded. "I am old."

"But you're not a fossil."

"Not yet anyway." He agreed.

"Hey, dad?"

"Yeah?"

"What's it like to be old?" his daughter asked him.

"What's it like to be young?" he replied.

His daughter scoffed saying, "I asked you first."

He rolled his eyes. Such a question only a young person could ask.

"You've been both. You would know," his daughter countered. She could practically hear the thoughts going through his head.

"I have been both. That's a good lesson to learn. Everyone who is old was once young," he said.

He thought about it for a moment. How to put it in a way that she would understand. He stared at the fire crackling warmly nearby, watching as the flames licked the air and the shadows danced at his feet.

"Life is a journey with highs and lows. When you're young, it's vibrant and colorful, and you feel it so much more. Good and bad, you taste it and it's real. The world is big even when it's small.

When you're old, that journey has taken its toll. It weighs you down, the paths you've walked. And it's harder to feel life like you did before. The world seems smaller and smaller."

He felt his daughter's eyes on him. She frowned at him, her expression downcast, and he stared only at the fire and the dancing light.

"… you walked a hard path. With Mom. And with Auntie," she said at last.

He nodded.

"Do you miss them? Mom, and Auntie?" she asked.

"Of course, I miss them. It's an old wound, one that I've grown used to. It's always there, like a scar, but it's faded," he said with a shrug.

He raised his hand and his eyes traveled over the stumps where his missing fingers were, three where there should have been five.

"I can go days without thinking about them, now. Sometimes that scares me. Like I'll forget them. So, I keep them alive in my memory. I remember them," he said softly.

His daughter shifted beside him.

"And me, dad? Do you miss me?"

He turned to face her. The girl with her father's hair and her mother's eyes.

"Every day."

Their eyes met and he found that he couldn't look away.

"You're always there. In the back of my mind. Out of the corner of my eye, just out of reach. Everywhere and nowhere. You're more real to me than anything else."

He reached over and took her hand in his.

"You have my whole heart. You always did," he told her.

"I know, dad. I love you too."

He looked away. He stared ahead at the fire and knew what was coming. Not yet… not yet…

"It's time to wake up," his daughter told him.

"I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you," he said quietly.

"This is all we get, Dad. This moment. You have to go," Akane Ikari told him.

She reached over and embraced him. A daughter hugging her father.

"I don't want to go," he whispered, closing his eyes tight. He held his daughter close as if he could make her stay by sheer force of will.

"It's not your fault, Dad," his daughter whispered to him.

"Yes. It is."

"Stop punishing yourself," Akane whispered.

…

He awoke in his hospital room surrounded by white. He did not wake violently or in distress. He woke cold and detached from the world and everything in it.

The Broken Man raised his hand, staring at the stumps where his missing fingers should have been. He opened and closed his bad hand, letting himself feel the fingers curling back and forth.

Another dream.

He sat up and felt himself a phantom who wandered the land of the living. Physically, he was somewhere between his late fifties and early sixties. Mentally… he was older.

He had not imagined that he would live this long. To see this day and walk this world. To breathe this air and drink its water.

Most of his scars were gone. Healed.

His skin was his own again, the Angel flesh that had mixed and blurred with his was gone. The Angelic DNA that had been woven into his genetic structure had been burned away, and in the husk that remained… Lilith had repaired.

The Second Angel had performed a divine miracle in piecing him back together. An act that he had not asked for and took little pleasure in.

He turned his head noticing for the first time that the TV was on in his room. He watched the talking heads on the screen unblinkingly.

On the TV screen, a news anchor was speaking in a serious tone. Words in all caps and bold font flashed underneath them as they spoke, and the scene changed to narration as images of people and places filled the screen.

"BREAKING NEWS: The world is still reeling from the revelations made public by the Japanese Government this Friday. The Angel War is over, and investigations have revealed that the war was built on a lie.

The Angel War was revealed to have been planned by a conspiracy of powerful figures. A group of individuals calling themselves 'SEELE' who manipulated events on the global stage and are directly responsible for the creation of Nerv, and the start of the war.

An international court case is being brought forth that implicates businessmen and politicians from several nations. Nerv has been officially disbanded. Former Director Gendo Ikari and Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki are in custody and are reportedly cooperating with the Japanese Government and the UN. We will be updating you as the case develops further-"

The news anchor said going on and on about the news heard all around the world.

The Broken Man rose from his hospital bed. He was dressed in a white shirt and matching pants, a dignity he was grateful for. He left the room and its TV with nothing to do and nowhere to be. He was going to be discharged today anyway.

…

"You gave the staff quite a headache."

The voice came not unexpectedly. With a hint of amusement and concern.

Kaji walked up to him and joined him on the bench. The spy was dressed in his usual dress shirt, blazer, and slacks. He also carried a single black suitcase with him, one that he set down as he took his seat.

The Broken Man sat in the hospital courtyard away from the sterile white rooms and the occasional bustle of nurses and doctors going about their jobs. He sat in the open space, the slice of green amid the white, and looked ahead into the city beyond.

"I wasn't hiding," he said simply.

He was in the world, but not a part of it. Isolated from the ebb and flow of life that surrounded him. He was but a spectator unable to partake.

"No. But they called me anyway. Why'd you run off?" Kaji said simply.

"I walked," the Broken Man corrected flatly.

Kaji smirked at that. The spy pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, taking a whiff of the harmful chemicals.

The two of them sat there a moment without speaking. Kaji sitting beside him uninvited, and the Broken Man staring off into the city visible just outside the hospital.

After the silence dragged on, Kaji offered him a cigarette.

"I don't smoke," the Broken Man said.

"Right. Feels weird. I see the boy and then I see you. Makes things confusing every now and then," Kaji said, pausing as if unsure if he'd been rude or not.

"How is he?"

"Shinji? The boy's fine. Asuka and Rei too. Those three spend a lot of time together. Not much for them to do for once," Kaji answered.

The Broken Man nodded, grateful for that if nothing else.

The spy put out his cigarette saying, "let's get some food. I'm buying."

"Not hungry," the Broken Man said.

Kaji stood, taking up his suitcase as he did so.

"Then I'll buy you a coffee. Come on, we gotta talk," Kaji said, smoothly dismissing his reluctance.

…

The hospital cafeteria was small and cramped, with food that many found acceptable at best.

To the Broken Man, it was another miracle of the modern world that he had gone decades without. He sat at a table across from Kaji, sipping at a cup of coffee that he had not asked for.

Coffee. Cream and sugar. I haven't had this since I was a boy, he thought off-handily.

Sugar. It was the sugar that surprised him the most. It stung his teeth after having gone so long without it.

So much of this world contained miniature miracles that people took for granted or else outright ignored. They had what amounted to a magic tap that produced water at their beck and call. They had artificial light, air conditioning, working plumbing, automobiles, as well as electricity, and all that it brought, the infrastructure of the modern world and all its technological wonders.

And for the Broken Man, the most mysterious and wondrous of them all was a cup of coffee.

He took another sip surprised at the smooth texture, warmth, and sweet taste that met his lips. It felt almost wrong. He had returned to the physical world and had taken no pleasure in its offerings, too consumed with his mission. And now… now that mission was over.

"We've set up a new life for you," Kaji said suddenly, breaking his chain of thought.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"A government ID. New legal name. A history. Medical records that will pass for most things," Kaji said, drinking from his own coffee.

"I didn't ask you for that," the Broken Man said.

"No. You didn't." Kaji agreed.

The spy hefted the suitcase up onto the table. "It's all there. A bank account. Some clothes, new ID, cash to get things going, everything to start a new life."

The Broken Man looked away, gazing at his coffee, and lost in his own thoughts.

"Consider it a gift. From my boss and me. We won the war. Now? Peacetime, and all the monotony that comes with it," Kaji said.

"Thank you," he said, and he meant it. Yet he was still detached. A phantom that walked the land of the living.

Numbly, the Broken Man accepted the suitcase.

"You're not alright. Are you?" Kaji asked.

"No," the Broken Man answered plainly.

Kaji leaned forward considering his words carefully.

"I've seen that look. After my parents died, I wandered the streets alone for years. I saw that look in my reflection and in my fellow street rats. We lived in a world that had no place for us."

The Broken Man looked up at him saying, "it's not the same."

"No. It's not. I won't pretend to know everything you've been through. But I've seen dead men walking before," Kaji said, his tone smooth and serious.

The spy leaned back in his chair.

"It's a whole new world out there. A free world. There's space enough for you too. If you let there be," Kaji said simply.

The Broken Man open and closed his bad hand. Flexing the muscles where his missing fingers were.

"I appreciate what you've done for me," he said softly. He didn't know what else to add. This was more than he expected for the second time.

Kaji seemed to know what he was thinking. The spy was much better at reading people than most realized.

"You got more than you ever bargained for. That's worth celebrating. That is worth something. It's one thing to be ready to die. It's another to be ready to live," Kaji said.

The Broken Man had no answer to that. He nodded lost in his thoughts.

He remembered Lilith bringing him back from the brink, pulling him back from the nothingness that had come to consume him in his entirety.

You should have let me burn…

Those were the words he had spoken to her.

"I hope you didn't come all this way for me," he said, wanting to change the subject.

"I was already here. On my way to visit a dear friend," Kaji said, his tone more somber than it had been before.

Misato. Hmm. She will live. I have to believe that. I did what I could for her, he thought.

Kaji got to his feet.

"You're welcome to join me. She only made it this far because of you."

The Broken Man shook his head saying, "go. I want to leave this place."

Kaji considered him for a moment.

"Sign yourself out when you're ready to be discharged. My business card is in the suitcase. If you need help later, reach out to me."

"I will," the Broken Man said, not entirely sure if he meant it or not.

Kaji walked off leaving the cafeteria and heading for Misato's room, disappearing into the crowd of people milling about.

Elsewhere.
JSSDF Base.

"What do you think happens now?" Asuka said.

"I have no idea," Shinji said honestly, and he was fine with that for now.

"I think we will have to go back to school eventually," Rei said, her voice low but firm.

Shinji scoffed at that, shaking his head.

School? After everything we've been through, and I have to worry about grades again, he thought.

Judging from the look on Asuka's face, he figured she had similar thoughts on the matter.

The three of them sat together on the outskirts of the airfield, enjoying the breeze away from the base and its spartan buildings. What remained of the Evangelion Units towered over them out in the open of the JSSDF base.

They sometimes sneaked out here to be away from all the adults. Not that they avoided the others, they often ate lunch in the cafeteria with Maya and the gang. But sometimes, they just wanted to be by themselves. The surviving Eva Pilots together again.

"Doesn't seem real," Asuka said shaking her head. "All the fighting, all the secrets, and suddenly we're kids again."

"Humph. I'm a dropout, remember? I'll have to figure out how to re-enroll in school," Shinji said, managing a weak smile.

Asuka laughed saying, "a dropout? Heh. I'd forgotten."

"I'll help you catch up," Rei said simply.

Shinji turned to her saying, "yeah?"

"Yes… yeah," Rei said, frowning before changing her vocabulary. The corners of her lips turned as she did so.

That was another thing that they'd noticed about Rei ever since she'd come back. She was slowly changing the way she spoke. She was beginning to drop the formal and stiff words she used to speak in, choosing to be more casual and informal with her language.

He had first witnessed it in the Dream World. He was happy to see the change.

"I suppose I'll help too. I was a child prodigy after all," Asuka said. She performed a mock sigh as if she was agreeing to an enormous task far beneath her status.

Shinji rolled his eyes. Then he smirked as he realized something, a tiny little thing that seemed from a lifetime ago. Sorry Asuka, but Rei had better grades than either of us.

"Between the two of us, we'll get you back on course," Asuka continued in that mocking smug tone of hers.

"Gee. Thanks," Shinji said, in mock grand humility.

The three of them smirked at that unable to hold it back any longer.

Shinji's face fell as he realized something. He grew quiet even as Asuka and Rei continued speaking without him. The words went by him like the breeze, noticed and unheeded.

A pit in his stomach formed. An old wound.

Misato, he thought.

He was going to miss her. He already missed her so much. So many things that he had never gotten to tell her. He knew that she would have wanted to re-enroll him in school as fast as possible.

In his mind's eye, he could see her scrambling to get all the paperwork in order. Telling him that he needed to finish his education. That they'd go celebrate now that the war was over, that he was forbidden from cooking and that it was her job to be the adult for once.

Another fantasy of his that he indulged for a brief and blissful moment. The truth was that she had been shot during the JSSDF invasion of Nerv and hospitalized.

I'm on my own now. I have to accept that.

He now knew that his old caretaker had been part of SEELE. He knew that even then, from before the Eva Program, Keel Lorenz had been manipulating his life behind the scenes. Misato had been apart from all that, the first adult in his life who had truly cared about him.

And despite his age, he knew then and there that he'd not go to another caretaker or guardian. No adoptions with strangers, however nice, for him. If it came to it, he'd get emancipated.

He saw vague outlines of his future ahead. A boy raising himself in whatever came next, and he made his peace with that. He'd rather it be that way than with strangers who couldn't possibly understand.

He felt a hand on his face. It was warm, soft, and gentle. Bold in its own way. Rei.

Shinji looked up to find Rei gazing at him with concerned eyes. Asuka was staring at him too; she reached over and took his hand in hers. He'd been quiet too long.

"What's wrong?" Rei asked him, lowering her hand.

"Nothing-" he began.

"Bullshit," Asuka muttered, interrupting him.

"Just… just worried about Misato," he said, not even trying to hide it. What was the point, anyway?

A heavy silence filled the air. They all sat at a loss for words. They held each other's hands and squeezed. It was a moment of comfort for them. Veterans of the war.

"Whatever happens, we stay in touch," Asuka said firmly.

"I would like that," Rei said quietly.

Footsteps sounded off nearby. The three of them looked up to see a figure approaching.

"Hello…" a voice called hesitantly.

Ritsuko was walking over to them nervously, her head lowered. Rei looked at her expectantly.

In the weeks following Rei's return, Ritsuko had taken it upon herself to oversee her health. It was Ritsuko who monitored Rei's vitals and who had given her a clean bill of health. Ritsuko had followed up with her once a week.

"Is there something wrong? I feel fine," Rei said in greeting.

"It's not that," Ritsuko said, her voice low.

"Maybe we should go for a walk," Asuka muttered, grabbing Shinji by the shoulder. "Yeah," he said getting ready to leave.

Rei stopped them saying, "please stay."

Shinji and Asuka blinked, and exchanged confused glances with Ritsuko but did not leave.

"Thank you," Rei said.

The pale girl looked straight ahead at Ritsuko. There was something there, Shinji noticed. Not fear, hate, or even animosity. Maybe a caution. A weariness that Rei adopted in Ritsuko's presence.

Shinji frowned thinking, it wasn't her fault. Rei… she joined us. She tried to save you too.

Ritsuko breathed deeply and then forced herself to meet Rei's gaze.

"I'm sorry," the woman said at last.

Rei blinked in surprise. Whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been that. Before she could respond, Ritsuko continued.

"I was horrible to you. I know. I had a hand in your programming. I... had a hand in a lot of things. Unspeakable things. It was wrong. And I'm sorry," Ritsuko said.

Rei tilted her head.

"I don't expect you to forgive me. I'm not asking for that. I only want to make it right. If you'll let me, that is. I'd understand if you never want to see me again," Ritsuko said.

"… Lilith removed my programming," Rei said suddenly.

That got a surprise out of Ritsuko. The scientist stared in awe for the briefest of moments, before calming herself.

"She did a lot for me. I'm healthier now than I've ever been. Physically at least."

Ritsuko lowered her head in shame.

"I don't understand what you're asking me. What do you want?" Rei said simply and calmly. She spoke without hate or animosity.

Ritsuko took a step forward.

"I want to help you. In this world… things are going to be different. Nerv… they never gave you a proper identity. You have no records. None. Kaji is working on that. But… I'd like to be your legal guardian."

Rei blinked in surprise at a loss for words.

"On paper, at least. I'd understand if you don't want to live with me. But it would make things easier for you. I can help fill in the gaps. I want you to live a normal life, that's all," Ritsuko said hurriedly.

Rei frowned and turned to look at Shinji and Asuka. The pair froze unsure of what to say.

"It's your choice," Shinji said slowly. This was as much a surprise to him as to her.

"… what will you do?" Rei asked her friends.

"My dad is waiting for me in Germany," Asuka said slowly.

"I'm not sure. Misato will… I'll be okay," Shinji said, his face falling only for him to recover.

Rei's gaze lingered on him. She gave him her completely undivided attention, seeming to consider something. He felt his face grow warm and he didn't completely know why.

What is she… did she want to live with me? I… I don't even know where I'll end up…

Rei thought that over. She turned back to Ritsuko and spoke.

"Gendo is a bad man. He used you. He used every one. There are things that I did that I regret now. Part of me is upset about what you did to me. Another part of me understands because I hurt Mari," Rei said slowly.

Shinji looked away.

"I followed Gendo's plans. I almost let the world burn. Twice."

"It wasn't your fault. You were born into it. I chose it," Ritsuko said suddenly.

"And you chose to stop them. You chose to work against them." Rei said.

Ritsuko paused, not sure what to say.

Rei smiled.

"I do not want to keep living in the past. All the mistakes and horrors. I want to try and move forward. If you're offering to help, then I will accept it," she said.

"Thank you," Ritsuko breathed.

Shinji looked on, happy for his friend. He opened his mouth trying to think of something to say.

Suddenly, Ritsuko's phone began chiming for an incoming call.

Ritsuko answered and her voice grew quiet as she spoke to the person on the other line. Kaji, they heard Kaji's voice on the other end.

Shinji frowned as the others noticed the change in tone.

What's happened? Don't tell me it's Misato… that she finally passed away… Shinji thought, his expression blank but his heart heavy. There was an expected toll on his soul, a weight that he had been dreading and preparing for a long time now. Another loss that he would have to carry.

Please. He begged for whatever power in the universe might be listening. Not yet. Don't let me lose her yet.

Ritsuko looked up at him as if reading his thoughts.

"Misato's awake," Ritsuko told them. She beamed up at the three Eva Pilots and Shinji stood there in shock.

Asuka and Rei were saying something. Ritsuko was speaking to Kaji on the phone. The world moved around as if he were in a dream. His mind went off at brit-neck speed, going from a blank nothingness, a shield from the blow, to racing with excitement at the news.

She's alive… she's alive… he thought.

Asuka and Rei were at his side. He blinked, brought back into the world with their concerned gazes. Rei had his hand in hers. She had been doing that a lot lately.

"… I need to see her," he blurted out awkwardly.

"Ritsuko's getting a car for us," Asuka told him.

…

Hospital.

Shinji walked the halls as if in a dream. Some part of him didn't allow him to believe it was true until he saw it with his own eyes. He had been through so much, losing Mari, believing that he had lost Rei too. Seen innocents caught in the crossfire of the war, the Nerv employees gunned down, the JSSDF troops crushed beneath an MP Eva's boot, all the blood on his hands.

Being able to save Rei had felt like the biggest reprieve of his life. He hadn't dared… he hadn't allowed himself to believe in anything more. Not with his life.

Rei and Asuka held his hands as they moved through the hospital and its white décor. Together, the three of them arrived at the room in a state of disbelief.

Ritsuko entered first, speaking to a rising Kaji. The adults were speaking but Shinji couldn't hear them, the world played forward in slow motion and in mute as he entered next.

He turned hiccupping as for once, the reality that met him was something out of a dream instead of a nightmare.

Misato looked up at him weary but happy at the sight of him. Her gaze traveled over the surviving Eva pilots, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Sound returned to the world, and he found that time had followed it.

"Shinji. Are you okay? Kaji told me everything," Misato said.

"Me? Oh, I'm fine. I…" Shinji said, stumbling over the words.

The world went fuzzy, and the lights overhead blurred. He raised a hand to wipe at his eyes and found tears there.

"Hey. Don't cry. It's okay. I'm fine," Misato told him, her voice lowered.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice hoarse.

She reached out a hand to comfort him. Instead, he reached over and embraced her. He hugged her as if this was all a dream and might disappear at a moment's notice.

"Ah. Hey! I was shot. There are still stitches," Misato cried out, only half-hearted. She laughed and wrapped her arms around him, finding tears in her eyes as well.

Shinji laughed. And then he felt another presence join them. Asuka.

Misato hugged them both. Her charges. The children she had taken into her home and looked after. She had tried. She had shielded them from the realities of the war for as long as she could. She had given them a semblance of normalcy in the abnormal.

Even Asuka breathed hard, almost brought to tears as well.

Rei tilted her head, watching respectfully with Kaji and Ritsuko. Her lips upturned in a small smile at the scene. Kaji nodded approvingly, and Ritsuko joined him.

When their embrace was over, they all crowded around her bed. Misato had lost weight since being in a coma. She was thin and her cheeks were sullen, yet she shined with life all the same. She fussed over them, all of them.

"And Rei. Oh my god. I never knew. I'm so sorry. I failed you. We all did," Misato said turning to the pale girl.

Rei shook her head saying, "you were always kind to me. You tried to include me when you could. Thank you for that."

Misato lowered her eyes uneasily at that. She nodded at Rei wishing she could have done more.

"Your eyes? They're normal again," Misato said, speaking to Shinji and noticing for the first time.

"It's a long story," Shinji said with a laugh.

"He's completely ordinary again. Just… a teenager," Ritsuko said when Misato looked questioningly at her.

"She's been briefed. But we need to let her rest. Visiting hours are almost over," Kaji said speaking up.

Shinji frowned but understood. He'd been on both sides many times now.

One by one, they all said their goodbyes and began to leave. Shinji lingered, saying that they'd be back tomorrow.

…

From the private journal of Shinji Ikari. Written over the course of the year that followed and then deleted.

Entry: 1

"What happened after the war?

That's another long story. It was nothing like I'd imagined it would be.

I wasn't an Eva Pilot anymore. None of us were. We were teenagers again. Kaji and the Agency set up a new life for Rei, with Ritsuko as her legal guardian. They gave her real records and arranged a medical history for the public.

Ritsuko may have been her legal guardian now, but Rei basically lived with Asuka and me in the year that followed. She came to the apartment almost every day. She liked being around us, and we liked having her around too. I think she had had her fill of being alone.

Misato healed. It wasn't easy. She had to learn to walk again. Her physical therapy took a toll, and she developed a limp that never fully went away. It was bittersweet. I had Misato back, something that I'd never dreamed of, but it had its cost too. She told me not to blame myself, although I think I always will.

As for my Other? The Old Man?

I haven't seen him much lately. None of us have. I think he's avoiding us. I'm not sure why. He doesn't have a phone and doesn't seem to want one. I don't even know where he stays. And our connection is gone, burned away. It's strange not having his voice in my head anymore. Not being able to reach out.

Rei worries about him. I do too.

The trial before the United Nations took a year. I never realized how slow these things went. I am told that this particular case is going by at lightspeed in comparison. I had to testify and go on the official record for my 'supposed' role in all of this.

Kaji was given the limelight and I was happy to let him have it. The story that was crafted was as follows:

Special Agent Ryoji Kaji worked tirelessly to uncover the conspiracy behind NERV, SEELE, and the Human Instrumentality Project. He discovered the rift between Keel Lorenz and Gendo Ikari and then worked to undermine them both.

Coordinating with his agency, Kaji was able to flip Dr. Akagi and turn her against Nerv. Then, together, they involved me in their plans. Little old me. Shinji Ikari, the Third Child, was brought in as an asset for the Japanese Government and their work against SEELE and Nerv.

Thankfully, I ended up testifying via video recording. I collaborated Kaji's story. I stuck to what he had coached me to say.

My identity, as well as those of my fellow Eva Pilots, were kept hidden from the public. Another thing that I am grateful to Kaji for.

What happened to SEELE?

We didn't get all of them. That's just the world we live in. These wealthy men and women. The top 1% of the 1%, politicians and businessmen alike. Most of them got arrested and were given life sentences with deals brokered for more information about their group. These people had no loyalty to anyone but themselves, they were mirror images of Keel Lorenz. No honor among humanity's worst.

Some tried to resist and were taken in by force. Some took their own lives rather than survive without their lavish lifestyles. Others got away and disappeared clinging to their ever-diminishing wealth, pariahs on the global stage, with the hunt on for them. The people they had blackmailed and manipulated are being brought in for another wave of investigations. That's a whole other case that will take years according to Kaji. A case that will not need my involvement.

Collectively, SEELE was finished for good. Without their combined resources their schemes were for naught."

…

"What happened to the big players?

Keel Lorenz.

The worst of the bunch. I hate him now more than I ever did before.

Bastard. He got the lightest sentence of them all. He was the first to give up the others. He was given a life sentence in a luxury prison cell with air conditioning, TV, record player, reading glasses, a King-sized bed, a window with a view of the sea, and monthly lobster dinners with wine.

At his advanced age, he isn't expected to live long. He tried to cheat the system. He tried to escape mortality, but no one, not even the world's richest man, can escape death.

I try not to be bitter. Rei tells me that it doesn't do any good. She tells me that I need to follow my own advice and look forward. I'm working on it.

Dr. Page.

She tried to make a deal just like Keel did. Problem was that her boss already beat her to it. She had almost nothing left to add to Keel's information. She ended up working with Kaji to document the sheer scale of SEELE's crimes against mankind and then later me.

Her jaw never fully recovered. She was given a life sentence. She ended up turning in my old teacher, the man that had acted as my caretaker before I was placed in the ward.

Gendo Ikari.

My father… I try not to be angry at him all the time. I don't want him to rule over me, to fill my life with hate for what he did to Rei. For what he did to me.

He was given a life sentence after cooperating with the investigations. Whatever Lilith did to him is slowly wearing off. He's a cripple through and through, he can't even stand on his own, and he is not expected to live long in his condition.

I asked Rei once why Lilith would release him. She only said that there was nothing more to be gained by his suffering. There are times… when Rei amazes me."

"All these people. These criminals and their secrets. It feels strange to have it revealed, even if the story isn't 100% accurate. The world will never know the whole truth. These adults and their schemes shaped my life for so long and now it's over.

The revelation about SEELE and Nerv has shaken the world. It's too big for me to fully understand, and I'm okay with that. I'm tired of all of this. I want to live as normal a life as I can.

We're in the process of cleaning up the mess, as Kaji tells me. There is so much damage to undo. City repairs, funerals, court filings, on and on it goes.

And in the middle of all this, one of the happiest days of my life occurred. It hadn't been my idea. It was Misato's. I tried to talk her out of it, to tell her that she needed time. She insisted, saying that she had made her decision.

…

Courthouse.
Finalization Hearing.

He sat across from the desk watching the proceedings in a daze. A nervous and hesitant uncertainty, filled with joy and giddiness. A part of him thought this was a dream and that he would wake up shortly.

It just didn't seem real.

He spared a glance back to see Asuka, Rei, and Ritsuko in the backseats watching the court hearing. Asuka beamed at him.

Rei met his gaze as if she knew what he was thinking. This was the second hearing of this nature today. She upturned her lips in that small smile of hers. He could practically hear her thoughts even across the courtroom.

Yes. It's real.

Yeah. We made it.

He returned her smile and then turned his attention back to the hearing.

Misato sat beside him. The judge turned to her and asked if she was committed to her decision and if she knowingly accepted the responsibility.

Misato answered that she was.

The judge smiled and approved the motion.

Misato signed the adoption papers, and it was finalized. She beamed at him as the paperwork was accepted into the court.

His legal name was changed. He was no longer Shinji Ikari. From henceforth, he would be Shinji Katsuragi.

Entry 2.

"But what about the Evangelion Units?

That was another big question. Satellite footage showed that Lilith had already left Earth and was moving outside the solar system. With no other Angels in existence, the Eva Program was left without a purpose.

Unit 01 was beyond repair even before the assault on SEELE.

Units 00 and 03 were practically scrap metal and bio-waste already. Too much damage had been sustained in too little a time.

Unit 02 is the important one. The lone functioning Evangelion. The only Evangelion to have survived the war in a working order. The JSSDF, the Japanese government, and the UN had meetings about it for months before coming to a decision."

…

Decommission Ceremony.

The sky was clear. A beautiful blue horizon that stretched overhead was marked only by the red titan and the surrounding mix of scaffolding, cranes, and infrastructure.

A herculean task force of scientists and engineers had set up towers and towers of equipment around the Eva looming over them all. At a safe distance away, a raised platform had been set up for the politicians and various ceremony attendees.

Rows and rows of seats had been placed for the onlookers to the scene. A mix of government officials from multiple nations, JSSDF veterans, former Nerv employees, and reporters.

Unit 02 was being removed from service, dismantled, and commemorated for its service during the war.

Shinji sat in the back with Asuka and Rei, each of them adorned with a medal presented for their service. Misato and Ritsuko were on either side of them. They sat together in their formal clothes, surrounded by a sea of semi-strangers.

"… it is with great pleasure that we mark this day as the official end of the Angel War. In the wake of great international upheavals regarding the truth of that war, and in the spirit of greater cooperation between our many nations, we restore the balance of power.

We place the weapons of that war in the past. For they have served their purpose. We look to the future with greater bonds of peace throughout-"

The politician said, speaking on and on throughout their speech.

Shinji only heard half of it. He glanced sideways at Asuka and found her staring ahead at her Eva Unit. She never looked away.

They had all been expecting this day even before it was announced. The world no longer had any need for the Evangelions, even if any single nation had the funds to repair them. There had been some ideas floated around of alternative uses for the surviving Eva Unit.

Ideas such as construction. Such ideas were almost immediately dismissed. A single Eva Unit's maintenance cost alone outweighed any supposed construction use.

The Evas were among the most powerful weapons ever built, designed to fight a foreign and alien enemy by a unified humanity. To use such a tool for construction was ludicrous.

When the speech was over, the decommission was begun. The adults applauded and opened their champagne. Cameras recorded and snapped photographs. People began to rise from their seats and mingle.

Shinji and Rei stayed with Asuka. He spotted Kaji coming over to speak with Misato and Ritsuko, he left the trio to it.

He spotted the Broken Man dressed in a suit standing even further back than they had been. A silent figure lingering on the edges of the ceremony.

The older man looked so different these days. Some of the hard lines on his face had softened, his eyes were normal, and his greying hair was cut short and kept clean. He was still very thin, but he could blend in with the modern world much easier these days.

The sight of him made Shinji do a double-take. Rei spotted him too.

The Broken Man stared ahead at Eva Unit 02 in the distance, watching as the red titan was finally being laid to rest. A promise had been kept. A trapped remnant of a soul would be freed this day.

Where have you been? Shinji wondered.

All this time and he had never heard anything from the Broken Man.

Shinji almost went over to his Other. But the old man turned to him and gestured for him to stay with Asuka. Even without their connection, he could practically hear the words in his head.

She needs you now. Not me.

Rei frowned beside him but understood. Together, he and Rei walked alongside Asuka as she moved to the other edge of the ceremony.

The German girl didn't speak for a long time. She stared ahead at Unit 02 as it was slowly and carefully dismantled. She watched as the tattered remains of her mother's soul was released from its prison.

"Will she be in any pain?" Asuka asked finally, speaking in barely a whisper.

"No… she's not aware most of the time. Her mind is so scattered that she doesn't 'feel' exactly anymore," Shinji said.

Asuka nodded. "I just wish there was more I could do," she hiccupped.

"She saw you. The person that you became," Shinji said softly.

"… yeah," Asuka said slowly.

"You did enough," Rei said suddenly.

Asuka and Shinji turned to look at her.

"Whatever is left of her, she knows that you will be okay. That is… that is what every parent dreams of for their child," Rei said quietly.

Asuka smiled at that.

"Thanks," the German girl said to her friends.

Rei took her hand and Shinji did the same. The three of them stood together, the Eva Pilots at the end of the war. They watched together as the Last Evangelion Unit was put to rest.

"Goodbye… mom," Asuka said as tears slid down her face.

Shinji and Rei squeezed her hands gently, and she squeezed back.

….

Later.

The ceremony was dying down. People were beginning to leave, the crowds slowly disappearing in an orderly exodus of cars and formal clothing.

"Hold on," Shinji said to his friends. They had been just about to head out themselves, returning to the city.

"Shinji?" Misato asked.

Asuka and Rei only exchanged looks.

"Go. Find him," Rei said simply.

"I'll only be a minute," he said, turning back and fighting his way back through the crowds of people in their suits and dresses.

"We'll wait for you!" Misato called after him. Always on the lookout for him, it warmed his heart.

Shinji rushed back through the crowds of people his mind racing as he did so. He didn't know what he would say, but he knew that he had to say something.

He found the Broken Man walking through a sea of adults leaving the ceremony.

"Hey!" he called loudly.

The Broken Man was like a phantom wandering the land of the living. Present but distant. Detached from the world and the ambiance of life that flowed forth.

The Original Shinji Ikari stopped mid-walk and turned to face the boy in the distance.

Their eyes met. The boy and the man.

Both wore the formal wear of the ceremony. One was alone and the other had come with his family.

Shinji paused.

Why are you avoiding me? What happens now? After all this?

More questions raced through his mind. He voiced none of them. And he could tell that his Other heard it all the same.

The Broken Man nodded his head to him, a sign of respect.

Live the life you were meant to. Live it well.

The words went unsaid. Even without their connection, the boy understood.

Shinji frowned.

"Wait," he said.

The Broken Man turned his back on him and continued walking. He became another figure in the crowd of adults leaving.

"Wait!" Shinji shouted, his voice dropping into a panic.

He broke into a run as a few people were startled by his outburst. He brushed past people in the crowd, trying to force his way through.

He looked and looked.

But the old man was gone. His Other had disappeared as if he had never been there at all. Shinji was left panting in the middle of a parting crowd. He looked from left to right, searching, and searching to no avail.

Why?

He hiccupped feeling his chest tighten.

"Shinji? What's going on?" a voice called.

He turned to find Ritsuko striding over to him.

"I… he left… my Other…" Shinji panted.

He frowned and shook his head in disbelief.

"He left without saying anything…"

Ritsuko gave him a somber look.

"I tried to reach him too. He discharged himself the same day that Misato woke up," she said.

"And?"

"He doesn't want to be found," Ritsuko told him.

"… why?!" Shinji said, almost angry and he wasn't sure why. He blinked back watery eyes and shook his head.

"I asked Kaji that same question. He couldn't find him either. We don't know. I just wish… there was more I would have liked to have told him," Ritsuko said.

She looked away and Shinji had no answer for her.

His face fell.

"I have this horrible feeling that I'm never going to see him again," he said.

"Don't say that. I don't want that to be true," Ritsuko said, her voice low. She looked as crestfallen as he did.

He opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.

He didn't know how to feel. The Broken Man had been part of his life for so long now. Ever since his mother had chosen to abandon him, to leave her son behind for her own schemes.

For as long as he could remember, he had had the voice in his head. Often misunderstood, trying to help in its own way, the voice that had terrified him for so long and then come to understand and even work with. This entity that had followed him through his life. So many highs and lows between the two of them, the fear, the anger, the sorrow, the bitterness, and the acceptance.

His chest twisted into a knot, and he wished that they could have had more time.

There's so much I never got to say…. Thank you… for saving Misato… for protecting me… for everything.

Ritsuko put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we'll see him one day. When he's ready. I want to believe that."

Shinji wiped at his eyes. "Yeah," he said, taking a moment to steady his voice.

He followed Ritsuko back to the others. And as a group, they left the ceremony. It was hard for him, to leave things like that.

But it was only the first goodbye.

A week later.
Airport.

Peter Langley Sohryu was waiting for them when they arrived. The German businessman had flown all this way, taken a few hours to rest, and would be returning home shortly. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and every bit dressed the part of a wealthy traveler.

And yet, the German man carried himself with the giddy excitement of a father seeing his child in person for the first time in over a year.

Misato had told him that he hadn't needed to go himself, that they could have worked something out easier for him. Peter had refused and insisted upon taking his daughter home personally.

Asuka beamed at the sight of her father striding over to them. They met at the entrance to the airport, wading their way through the lines of people getting ready to head through security.

Peter embraced his daughter as they reunited. Asuka dropped her suitcase with an audible thud, startled but not unresponsive. Peter held her close saying, "I was so worried about you!"

Asuka flushed but returned the gesture. "I'm okay, dad."

Shinji and Rei stood back not wanting to intrude. Misato smiled at them.

"They couldn't tell me anything! Not for a long time. All this business with SEELE… my god. And look at you, you've grown taller!"

Shinji watched as the father and his daughter reunited. He was happy for Asuka, for her to have such a father, one that she was on speaking terms with again.

Peter turned his attention to the rest of their group. He took time to greet each of them, telling Misato that he was grateful for everything.

Rei blinked in surprise as Peter turned to her saying, "and you must be my daughter's other friend. The first Eva Pilot. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Rei told him.

Shinji was startled when Peter turned to him and shook his hand firmly.

"Hello again, young man. I hear you've had quite the time of it lately. I doubt I will ever know the whole story, but I know that my daughter would not be standing here without you. Thank you, son. It goes without saying, but if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to reach out."

Shinji shifted uncomfortably.

"Please, there were a lot more people involved than just me," Shinji said.

He didn't like all the attention some of the adults gave him. He was glad that Kaji had managed to keep him out of the public for most of the trials regarding SEELE.

"Don't sell yourself short, young man," Peter said with a smile.

They double-checked that Asuka had everything that she needed. It was a surreal experience for Shinji, standing there in the airport and watching as someone he considered family was getting ready to leave.

The war was over and with it, the Eva Programs. Asuka had only been brought to Tokyo-03 and by extension Japan for her work in Nerv. Now her service was over.

It was stupid of him, really. He had never really considered that Asuka would one day have to go back to Germany. She had a family back there in the home she had grown up in. With her father and stepmother.

First the Old Man, and now you too. Shinji thought with a pang of sadness. Another knot in his chest came and went.

He breathed in deeply. He was happy for Asuka. Happy that she had her relationship back with her father. Glad beyond words that at least one of them had had a father who loved their child.

"Dad, hold on. I need another minute," Asuka said suddenly.

"Of course, take your time. I know this isn't easy for you," Peter told her.

Asuka pulled him and Rei aside as her father spoke with Misato.

"I will miss you," Rei said. She spoke openly and honestly. Simple and direct. That was her way of things lately.

Asuka smirked saying, "same."

"We promised to stay in touch, right? No matter what," Shinji said, managing a smile no matter how bittersweet.

"You won't get rid of me that easy. Someone needs to knock some sense into you from time to time. Rei's too nice to do it, so that leaves me," Asuka said smirking.

Shinji laughed at that. Rei only tilted her head at them.

"Listen. I'll talk to my dad. Maybe I can come to visit from time to time. Or you can come to see me in Germany," Asuka said suddenly.

"Germany? Huh. I don't know. Your dad might-"

"He'd love to have you over. Both of you. I'll teach you German, and then we can get some real food for once," Asuka said turning to each of them in turn.

"I would like that," Rei said, her lips upturned in a shadow of a smile.

"I'd love that too," Shinji said, and he meant it. This wasn't the end of their friendships. Maybe it was the beginning for once.

That was life. Always changing. Always forward.

"Asuka! Your plane is boarding soon!" Misato called, not unkindly.

Their time was running out for now. Time. There never seemed to be enough of it.

What do I say? Shinji thought. It would be a while before they saw each other in person. He needed Asuka to know how much she meant to him. How she had saved him and put him back together when he'd been broken.

The truth was that without Asuka… he didn't know if he could have saved Rei.

He raised his hand. Maybe the words didn't matter.

Asuka surprised him by wrapping him in an embrace. She squeezed him so tightly that he nearly had the wind knocked out of him. He grunted, laughing as he returned the embrace.

He reached over and gently brought Rei to join them. She hesitated at first but welcomed the embrace at last. They stood there at that moment. The three Eva Pilots. They were not blood, and they were family all the same.

His heart ached as he felt the phantom of another touch there as well. A missing Eva Pilot. He wheezed as he remembered her. Mari. The memories came flooding back. How all four of them had faced the Angels together. Memories of all four of them sitting together at the ramen restaurant, visiting Misato's apartment, small moments where they had seemed normal teenagers.

"It's okay. We miss her too," Rei whispered to him.

They separated. They said their goodbyes for now. He knew that they would see each other again. They had to, after everything.

Shinji and Rei waved Asuka off as she disappeared into the airport with her father.

Seven Years Later.

He was still unpacking as the call went on. The video call played onward from his computer screen in the corner of the room, and he dumped his things onto his bed.

"And my dad took off time from work to go. He wanted to throw a big party, but I changed his mind. I wanted something smaller. The graduation ceremony was already enough," Asuka said.

"Yeah. We did the same on our end," Shinji said. He was listening to Asuka via video call as he set about reorganizing his room.

"But enough about me. What about you huh? Are you excited? Nervous?" Asuka asked him. She peered up at him from the screen on his desk.

It was nighttime from her end, whilst it was daytime over here for him. There was a slight delay in the connection between Germany and Japan, but they were both used to it after all these years now.

"Every day," Shinji laughed. "I try not to panic, but Rei's the complete opposite. She's as calm as can be. But she's happy. Sometimes we wake up and can barely believe this is our life."

"About time. Jeez. How long did you keep her waiting?" Asuka teased.

Shinji felt a flash of warmth across his face. He laughed saying, "I wanted to take things slow. Make sure we were okay money-wise."

"You know she doesn't care about that. She loves you, you idiot."

"I know. I love her too," Shinji said. He took the time to stop what he was doing and face his camera on his computer setup.

"Good. And I'm invited right?" Asuka said.

"It goes without saying. We haven't picked a date just yet, but sometime next year," Shinji said

"I'll be there. Wouldn't miss it for the world," Asuka said.

She beamed at him; her face alight with life so bright that it was visible even from his display screen.

He had arrived back in Tokyo-03 yesterday and was only now getting his room back to normal. It was a temporary stay, just until he and Rei found a house for themselves. Misato didn't mind at all, and he knew they were always welcome here.

He was taller now. His body had filled out yet he was still skinny as always.

He had grown his hair out, something that Misato and Kaji teased him about from time to time. In truth, it was less of a fashion choice and more a side effect of his busy university lifestyle.

It felt good to be back here in Tokyo-03. He had his whole life ahead of him, a job lined up, but for now, he was home, and he was at peace.

Just then, the door opened, and he turned to see Rei walking calmly into his room without so much as knocking. She was as tall as him now, and she had grown her hair out to a shoulder-length level.

"Hey! What if I was changing?" he said in mocking protest.

"It is nothing I haven't seen before," Rei told him.

Shinji rolled his eyes.

"Geez. Get a room you two," Asuka mocked from the screen.

"We are in a room," Rei said simply, her lips curled in that small smile of hers.

She walked over to the display in the corner, passing by a series of photographs framed on the wall.

Photographs from their years between the war's end and their life up until now. Scenes from both Japan and Germany. Pictures of the trio and the adventures that they had amid their busy lives. From their reunions during breaks from the school year. To national holidays. To what amounted to postcards. A bond not undone by the ravages of time. It had been kindled and kept alive.

"Misato says that breakfast is ready," Rei told him.

"Right," he said, turning to finish up fixing his room.

Rei turned walking into the frame so Asuka could see her on her end.

"Well, if it isn't the bride-to-be," Asuka said at the sight of her.

"Are you still coming over?" Rei asked, speaking into the camera.

"Another 2 weeks or so, but I'll be there," Asuka answered.

"We'll see you at the airport," Shinji said, turning to look directly into the camera again.

They said their goodbyes for now, and the call ended. Their calls were frequent and at times brief due to the time differences, and yet they had always made it work.

Rei helped him organize his room. He tried to tell her that she didn't need to, but she shook her head saying that she wanted to. In truth, it was a room for both of them whilst they stayed with Misato.

They unpacked in comfortable silence. It was nice to be back and see everyone again. When they were finished, they headed out.

Together, they entered Misato's kitchen to find the woman in question setting the table whilst Kaji read the newspaper with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Morning," the retired spy called.

"Morning," he and Rei said in greeting.

"There you go. Took me almost seven years but I can finally cook a decent meal," Misato said grinning as she set their plates down. She loved having them over.

"I like your cooking now," Shinji said honestly.

They sat together at the breakfast table, with Pen-pen eating silently from his food bowl in the corner.

Shinji cherished these little moments. Of all the things he had seen and done in his life, from fighting the Angels, and uncovering global conspiracies, it was the simple things that he held dear. The ordinary aspects of life that he considered the most miraculous of all. What a miracle it was to live a normal life.

The news blared out on the TV as they ate breakfast, and when it came on, Rei sat glued to the screen. They turned their attention to the screen as well.

Ritsuko and her team were part of the press conference before the United Nations. Maya, Aoba, and Hyuga sat at the sidelines nervously as news played footage of her speech.

"-usher in a golden age for humanity in the decades to come. The ability to mass-produce and repurpose the S2 engine. One without the risk of weaponization will provide a potentially limitless and completely pollution-free energy supply for the world. It's a gift. New technological breakthroughs that we can't even imagine will now be possible."

Rei watched her stepmother in awe. Glad that something good had finally come out of the war.

Shinji reached over and squeezed her hand. He felt to it too. The awe at Ritsuko Akagi, perhaps the single greatest living mind today.

In the years following the war, Ritsuko had made it her life's mission to atone for the mistakes of the past. Not merely for her own sins, but for all the countless scientists and engineers who had had their work perverted by Keel Lorenz and Gendo Ikari.

Ritsuko and countless of her former colleagues had helped to repurpose dozens of SEELE/Nerv technologies for civilian and medical use. With the crown jewel being the S2 engine, the almost divine power source behind the Angels and the Mass Production Evangelion Units.

All of that whilst doing her best to help Rei live her life.

"I'm so proud of her," Rei said.

"We all are," Misato said, beaming at the footage of her friend at the UN.

"She works too hard. When she gets back, we gotta take her out for a drink," Kaji said.

The retired spy reached for a smoke but stopped himself as he realized that the pack he often kept in his coat pocket was missing.

Misato gave him a knowing look.

"Old habits," Kaji said with a playful smirk.

…

After breakfast was over Shinji and Rei helped clean up. Misato had protested but he never minded doing his part.

It was when he was finishing the dishes that Kaji approached him.

"There's mail for you."

"Hmm. From who?" Shinji said thinking aloud. He dried his hands as Kaji shrugged, handing over the envelope.

The envelope was virtually blank with only his name and the address of Misato's house written across its front. There was no return address, no other markings of any kind.

"Who's it from?" Rei asked, tilting her head at him.

"Not sure," he called, taking his time to open the envelope. What he found inside was a single sheet of paper with handwritten writings. A letter. It was short and to the point.

Boy. I don't have much time. Please come, I will be there. No one else. Only you.

Please, only you.

Shinji felt his heart stop. Below those simple words was a single address marked with a time.

He stood there unable to speak. A rush of emotions flooded him, and he wasn't sure what to feel. He remembered their last meeting. How he had tried to follow the man and how he had been left behind. How he had wanted to say more. Of how their bond had practically let them hear each other's thoughts without speaking.

How he had gone from tears to outrage. He remembered the ache in his heart and that terrible feeling that they'd never meet again.

"Shinji?" Rei called, coming over to join him.

"It's him," he said, breathless. His voice was low and in disbelief.

Rei stared at him with wide eyes. She rested her head on his shoulder and examined the letter herself. Together, they reread it countless times.

They felt Misato and Kaji's gaze on them, but the couple gave them their space.

"What will you do?" Misato asked at last.

"… I'm gonna go. I'm gonna find him," Shinji said.

…

They helped him pack what he needed for the trip. Misato and Kaji gave him some extra cash. Rei made sure that he brought his helmet. She wanted to go, he could see it in her eyes, but she respected the old man's wishes.

She was there when he took off. She wished him well, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him.

"Drive safe," she told him.

"I will," he told her.

A day later.
Small town.

The motorbike roared calmly as he drove through the narrow roads, surrounded by the mountainous terrain so common in rural Japan. He felt the breeze on his face brush against his skin and he understood. He understood why the old man had stayed away from the cities.

A few people glanced his way as he passed them by on the small less traveled roads. The locals didn't often see newcomers heading this way and riding one of those bikes. Even the trains rarely ran this way and often in a dubious schedule.

He arrived in the middle of the day. It was a little thing far from the cities and modern life.

When he reached the small one-story house at the edge of the town, it was well cared for and cozy despite its size. It sat at the edge of town boarding the tree line into the woods.

Shinji pulled into the cramped driveway and came to a stop with gentle and practiced motions. The motorbike rumbled slightly before dying down.

He patted the bike, the old faithful machine, and stopped the ignition. It was Mari's bike. The trusty motorbike that she had taken him on adventures with so many years ago. It was also one of the only things he had to remember her by.

"Hello!" he called.

There was no answer.

He got off his bike and walked up the entrance with his helmet in hand. He knocked on the front door and got no answer. He wandered the yard and went around the house to the back.

He spotted a trail leading out from the house into the woods nearby. A little thing made from the regular footprints of a person walking familiar paths over time.

He understood.

Shinji Katsuragi followed the trail. He found a small clearing in the middle of the woods. There was a campsite there, with a small fire slowly dying out, and two chairs nested close by.

There was also an old man there. A lone figure sitting by himself enjoying the peace and quiet of the woods.

Shinji stood there in silence. Not sure what to say.

He'd come via motorbike in a hurry and never once imagined what he would say.

"You came," the old man said, speaking up for him.

The Broken Man was bald now. And he had lost weight. He looked thin but lean. He carried the visage of a man who had worked with his hands all his life and continued to do so even in old age. Yet he was beginning to wither. Skin that was rougher and darkened, bones that had begun to weaken.

Age had taken its toll upon the man who had held his own against a God three times.

It was uncanny to see. To witness with his own eyes that his Other was as mortal as everyone else.

"Of course, I did," Shinji said softly.

The Broken Man turned to face him. His face carried more wrinkles, and the hard lines across his face were just as Shinji had remembered. But there was a softness present that hadn't been there before.

The eyes. The eyes weren't as hollow anymore. There was something there. A quiet gentleness, a weariness that had lightened.

"Join me," the Broken Man said, offering him a seat at the campsite.

Shinji joined him.

Together they sat in the woods amid the quiet and calm of the rural life. Shinji Ikari and Shinji Katsuragi.

"You're… bald," Shinji said slowly, looking over his elder.

The Broken Man raised a pair of aged eyes at that.

"Easy. It's going to happen to you too. So, be nice."

Shinji raised a hand to his own hair feeling uncomfortable. The mental image of him losing his hair caused an involuntary lump in his throat, an uneasy grimace. It was a childish fear, but it was there.

"Look at you. You've grown," the Broken Man said.

Shinji blinked, not sure what to say.

"Katsuragi, huh? That your idea or Misato's?"

"It was Misato's. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't hear it. I wanted to tell you about it. At the Decommission ceremony."

You left. You didn't even say goodbye…

The Broken Man grunted softly. It was a low grumbling sound.

"… I looked for you. We all did. Seven years," Shinji said.

"Boy, if Kaji really wanted to find me. He could have. I am grateful that he did not."

Shinji scoffed, shaking his head.

"You didn't want to be found."

"No."

"So, why now? What changed? Your letter-"

"I wanted to see you. To know how you were doing. If you made it," the Broken Man answered.

Shinji lowered his gaze. You wanted to know if I lived the life that you never could.

"Don't be ashamed, boy. I knew what I was getting into when I started all this."

Shinji breathed deep. He raised his head and met his elder's gaze.

"I'm doing well. All of us are. It wasn't easy," Shinji began.

"Trying to transition back into civilian life… it just didn't seem real at first. I had so little in common with other kids my age.

I was behind in my education. And I kept thinking the sirens would sound off and I'd have to pilot at any moment. It was hard. To unlearn all that.

I had night terrors. Horrible dreams where I was held captive by SEELE again. Rei and Asuka did too," he said.

Shinji shuddered at the memories of those nights. Nights where he woke up sweating and shaking with his hands balled into fists, unconsciously trying to reach for Angel abilities that were no longer there. How he was haunted by the images of the dead, his first girlfriend, the Nerv employees caught in the crossfire, the JSSDF soldiers killed trying to rescue him, and countless others.

How he would breathe and remind himself that it was over. That he was safe. That Keel and Gendo were dead and gone.

How he would call Rei and she would call him. How they leaned on each other. How they even slept beside each other at times. How one night had led to a kiss in the dark.

How they had reached out to Asuka and the German girl had reached out to them.

"It was like tiny earthquakes, releasing pressure off a fault. During the war, we had something to focus on. To keep us busy. After… everything that had been building leaked out," Shinji said, his voice low.

The Broken Man closed his eyes, feeling their pain as if it was his own.

"But we worked through it. No one goes through life alone. We saved each other. The trauma… it fades with time if you let it. That's life. We moved forward and that's okay," Shinji said, his voice rising.

He smiled saying, "we have a peaceful life. We're normal. I can't think of a better thing than that."

The Broken Man opened his eyes.

"And Rei?"

"She's fine. More than fine. She's…"

Shinji laughed, smiling at the woman that Rei had become.

"She's brilliant. Smart, kind, and strong. She surprises me every day with how far she's come. She values things in life that I always took for granted. She wants to be an artist. Ritsuko worries about her, but she's committed to it."

Shinji frowned, not sure what to feel. He debated whether he should even tell the old man. Then decided that he deserved to know.

"Rei and I… we're getting married."

"… that's good. I'm happy for you. Both of you," the Broken Man said, his voice hoarse. The old man looked away.

"She wanted to come. She wanted to see you again. But…"

"I asked you to come alone."

"Why? She…"

"Because she is not my wife. She never was and she never will be. The woman I love is gone, boy. There are no do-overs for me. No second tries. What happened already happened," the Broken Man said at last.

Shinji panted as if he was out of breath. His face fell as he felt the truth in those words. It was an uncomfortable position, to have seen another person's life through their own eyes.

He rose from his seat, breathing in the rural air deeply. He paced back and forth having to do something as the memories of his Other flooded his mind. So much loss. So much suffering. So many graves dug.

He felt his hands clench into fists, feeling the bitterness of another life that was not his own. His heart ached at it, pain for another him that had walked a different path.

"… all this time. What did you do?" he asked quietly, letting himself calm down. Their bond was still so strong even after seven years apart.

"I wandered. Homeless. I found odd jobs here and there. Manual labor, the only thing I was good for," the Broken Man said softly.

The aging soul sighed, his own mind racing at the memories. He was a revenant, a lone wanderer existing at the edges of society. He survived and did not much else, a traveler with hollow empty eyes. He never stayed anywhere long, and he often slept on the streets where he could. It was an experience that he did not find difficult, not after having lived through the Post Impact World.

"… you could have reached out for help. I… we would have found you a place to stay," Shinji said quickly.

"I had money. Not much, but enough. I just didn't care," the Broken Man said.

Shinji exhaled not having an answer to that. "You were alone," he said slowly.

The Broken Man nodded. He raised his bad hand, three fingers where there should have been five, his eyes traveling the rough and scar-ridden skin. He opened and closed his hand, breathing softly and finding solace in the air away from the cities.

"You didn't have to be. Why? Why did you stay away?" Shinji asked pleadingly.

When the Broken Man didn't answer, Shinji pressed onward.

"You were a part of my life for so long. I hated you for most of that life. I didn't understand. And then you showed me the truth. We fought together. You did your best to guide me, even when you weren't perfect."

The Broken Man shook his head saying, "I had thought I had caused you enough harm. So many failures at my feet. You deserved more than to worry over an old fool like me."

"… I was angry for a long time. That you left."

Shinji felt his heart ache as he remembered the ceremony. Remembering being that teenager watching as another figure in his life vanished.

"You shouldn't have been," the Broken Man said simply.

Shinji scoffed.

"What was your plan, anyway? If everything had gone right from the beginning. Stop SEELE, free Lilith, save Rei… what would you have done? You were locked inside Unit 01 and… I never even considered what you would do after the war," he said.

Shame filled him at that moment. A familiar shame, one that he had thought about for a long time in the past seven years. He had been so consumed in his own life and his mission that he never truly considered the future of his Other.

The Broken Man shrugged his aging shoulders. "I would have stood by as the Eva was decommissioned. I would have left you to live your life."

Shinji gasped.

You were planning to die. From the beginning. You never had any intention of living in the world you made…

"What is wrong with you?! … why do you want to die?" Shinji said, pleading for an answer.

The Broken Man scowled muttering, "always that same question."

"You-"

"I don't fear death, boy. I haven't for a long time now."

"… those who do not fear death have nothing to live for," Shinji countered firmly.

The Broken Man raised his eyebrows at that. Well said, the aging man seemed to agree grudgingly.

"But everything changed. Lilith saved you at the end. She gave you the chance to have another life. So… why run away?" he asked, breathless.

"I didn't run away," the Broken Man said quietly.

"You did."

His elder sighed heavily, putting a hand to his face. The Broken Man ran his hand through hair that was no longer there, an old habit that they both shared.

"I don't belong here, boy. This was your life to live, not mine," the Broken Man said at last. The man sounded tired and so very weary.

"I don't believe that. You could have stayed. You could have… you could have lived your life with us. We would have helped you. I missed you," Shinji said, his voice firm.

The Broken Man only shook his head in silence.

Shinji scoffed saying, "it's like you avoid any chance at happiness. Like you think you don't deserve it. Why do you keep punishing yourself?"

"Unhappiness is more common than happiness. I told you this once, boy."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try," Shinji countered.

"I did try. You of all people should know that it's not simple. You don't get to press a button and suddenly feel again. There's no waking up one day and deciding to be happy, that's not how it works," the Broken Man told him softly.

"I know…" Shinji said crestfallen. He understood that better than most.

He met the Broken Man's gaze. "You never really healed, did you?"

The Broken Man scoffed. "No," the elder man said with his voice coming out as a low croak.

Shinji grimaced feeling the old man's pain as if it were his own. You're still that same man that died alone under the bridge…

He felt the memories come and go as they had countless times. For he had walked in the shoes of another. All this time and the Original Shinji Ikari was still a dead man walking. The man who had abandoned his Mari and walked into the unknown hoping to die. A man broken with nothing and no one.

Images flooded his mind. Scenes from the Original Shinji Ikari's life. His wife, his sister, and his daughter. The old man carving a life together in the village of Haven only to lose it all. That same old man wandering the desolate roads of a dying world, and only barely existing. An unloved child who had grown up in a cruel world, always paying for the sins of his parents.

Shinji felt tears in his eyes.

The Broken Man spoke bringing him out of his thoughts.

"My mission was the only reason I had to exist. Nothing else mattered. I didn't plan on living beyond it. I was only waiting. Always waiting until I could finally die. Humph. After? I never asked for that. I never wanted that," the Broken Man said bitterly.

Shinji watched as his elder gestured to the trees and mountains surrounding them wistfully.

"I tried to do better. To live. To find a home. I settled here because it reminded me of Haven," the Broken Man continued.

"Did it work?" Shinji whispered, fearing what the answer would be.

"… I don't know. I come out here and watch the sunrise just because I can. I breathe in the fresh air. I look around and see a world free of my parents. Free of SEELE. A world that should have been. Safe. Whole. I take comfort in that.

I see the people going about their lives and feel relieved. Children playing with their families. A life where those children can grow up in peace," the Broken Man said softly.

The aging man looked off to the trees, a wistful look in his eyes. Bittersweet, a gaze of mixed emotions, joy, and sorrow.

"I imagine that my daughter is here. She's taller. She's a woman grown with her own life ahead of her. I try to dream of the life she could have had here. She's more real to me than you are," the Broken Man said.

Shinji lowered his eyes as tears slid down his face.

"And my son. To my shame, I never gave him a name. I imagine that he's here too. He's close with his sister despite the age difference. I imagine that they're out there in the big wide world, living their lives. That they will come to visit me someday," the Broken Man finished.

How does anyone heal from that? Shinji thought.

"There are days when I want to see what comes. In this world where my children could have grown up safe and free. It's funny. Only now at the very end, do I actually want an after…"

The Broken Man rose and then paused suddenly. The old man started coughing, a low choking sound that grew louder and stronger. He buckled as tremors spread violently through his body and he fell to his knees gasping.

"Hey!" Shinji cried, rushing over to help.

He grabbed ahold of the feeble old man, stopping him from falling with only a moment to spare.

The Broken Man struggled to breathe, reaching inside his coat pocket, and failing to grab whatever was inside.

Shinji reached inside the pocket and pulled out the bottle of prescription drugs. He moved quickly, reading the label and handing out the correct dosage. He helped the old man take his medicine and watched with bated breath.

The Broken Man settled. He breathed in and out, panting as if he'd run a marathon.

"What is it?" Shinji asked, eyes full of concern.

"My heart," the Broken Man gasped, able to breathe again. "Ahhhhhh. Time is catching up to me," he hissed.

"What?" Shinji said breathlessly.

"My teacher told me that I would lose all the Angel powers. That it would be the end of me," the Broken Man said, struggling with the words.

Shinji helped his Other to his feet, always keeping a firm grip. The old man coughed violently, wheezing, and struggling to even breathe let alone talk.

"It was perfect. An old man dies, and a young girl lives. Humph. I was angry at her… ahhh… but then I realized…. My teacher hadn't lied. It is a matter of perspective. She… she never said when."

"Not yet," Shinji said, the words coming out in a rush. His voice was high-pitched and squeaky. "There's still more time. We can-"

"Almost a decade, boy. Lilith… your Lilith gave me years. That's not a bad deal. Not her fault… that I… wasted… them…" the Broken Man interrupted, breathing hard.

"We can call her back. Rei can… she'll…" Shinji stammered weakly.

The Broken Man shook his head. "No one escapes death forever."

"But you-"

"Take me back."

…

Shinji took the old man back to his house at the edge of the woods. He helped get his elder into bed. He did what he could to make the Broken Man comfortable.

The Broken Man's health deteriorated rapidly in the day that followed. Shinji watched as this figure in his life, who had always seemed so powerful, withered before his eyes.

It was like his Other had been holding on just long enough for their reunion. And then after, the body began to fall apart.

"I need to get you to a hospital," Shinji said in the morning. He had spent the night in the living room, hearing the old man cough into the night and struggle with his heart medication.

"I've already been. They let me leave to be comfortable at home," the Broken Man said simply.

The letter. That's what he meant.

"I don't have much time. I wanted to see you before the end. I wanted to apologize for leaving the way I did. I… I was wrong," the Broken Man said suddenly.

He reached out and took Shinji's hand with surprising lucidity and strength.

"I couldn't let go… I built a prison for myself. I didn't think I deserved even the chance to be happy. So, I ran away from it all. I was so used to pain… that I learned to embrace it. I was ready to die for so long… that I never relearned how to live…"

Shinji listened intently, holding the old man's hand. He wished he could do more.

"My teacher tried to show me… but I never listened. In the final battle, my wife told me that I always broke her heart. I didn't understand at first…" the Broken Man wheezed.

"She never wanted you to die for her. She wanted you to live. To be happy," Shinji said.

The Broken Man let out a little laugh, and he smiled. The first smile that Shinji had ever seen upon the man. Fitting, that it came only at the memory of his wife.

"I see that now. My wife was always smarter than me…"

"I'll stay with you. Until the end." Shinji said.

I don't want you to die alone.

The Broken Man seemed to hear his thoughts. He spoke saying, "everyone dies alone, boy. That's what death is. It's a door one person wide. When you go through it, you do it alone. But it doesn't mean you've got to be alone before you go through that door."

Shinji watched as the old man wheezed, and his hand began to lose its strength. Three fingers began to slip away. Shinji held on tighter for the both of them.

"I don't really believe in an afterlife. But if there is… then I like to think that they will be waiting for me on the other side."

"… it's not fair. We had so little time," Shinji said, his voice hoarse.

"But it was enough. I'm glad to have seen you. To know all of you made it."

After that, the Broken Man grew too weak to speak much more. Shinji stayed with him. He helped make his Other comfortable and did what he could to ease the man's pain. Together, they watched the sunrise and breathed the fresh rural air that reminded them of Haven.

Two more days.

That's how long the Original Shinji Ikari lived.

The elderly man died in his sleep. The revenant that swam through the rivers of time, been made into an Angel, and had lived long enough for two lifetimes, died for the seventh and final time as a man.

Funeral.

Everyone came.

Shinji was relieved. They all made the time to come. Asuka and Rei. Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko. They all dropped everything they had been doing and made the journey.

Asuka had rushed her flight and arrived days before she had planned to. She rode her motorbike for hours to be there.

Ritsuko had left her work with the UN temporarily and made the trip.

It was a small private ceremony. Yet, they had a surprising number of visitors. They were small in number, but they came, locals from the community where the Broken Man had settled at the end.

They told stories of the quiet old man who had helped them in their little village away from the cities. Of a mother who had needed someone to watch her kids for an afternoon here and there. A small group of farmers said they knew of no one who worked harder. Little lives that had been touched in ways big and small.

They believed Shinji to be a son and Shinji did not correct them. He thanked them for showing up at all, and he meant it. He had been glad to see that the Broken Man had managed to rejoin the ebb and flow of life however small. To have been in the world and of it at the very end.

"I wish I could have seen him again," Rei said somberly. She was leaning on his shoulder for support.

"I wish I'd known what to say. I never got used to him. The idea of 'what' he even was… I should have done more," Asuka said, standing the opposite of him.

"It wasn't easy for him. To be here and see us all again in this new world," Shinji said.

Further back, the adults in their lives spoke up as well.

"He saved my life. I never got to thank him for that. For saving all of us," Misato said.

"He saved my soul. He made me a better person," Ritsuko said, her voice low and a whisper in the breeze. Her eyes were red from the tears she had shed.

Kaji only stood in between Misato and Ritsuko. The retired spy gazed silently at the grave and nodded his respect.

Shinji spoke up.

"He lost so much. Endured more than anyone should. Life wasn't fair to him. And he still made the leap backward in time. Even knowing that the world he was building wasn't for him. He could have taken my life for his own at any time, but he never did. Even when it cost him.

He never really healed. He was broken for as long as I knew him. He never smiled until the very end. He never allowed himself to move on… to keep going forward and live. Always punishing himself for the mistakes of the past.

But…

He tried. Right up to the very end, he was trying. It was the hardest thing he ever did. He reached out again. He regretted leaving the way that he did. He tried to live again for however short.

I want to believe that he did it. That he was healing."

Shinji Katsuragi smiled sadly.

He knelt to one knee and placed a hand atop the tombstone. He would mourn the old man, and he would let him rest. He would keep living and go on as the Other would have wanted.

"Goodbye… Shinji Ikari."

Asuka and Rei joined him and then Misato, Ritsuko, and Kaji followed suit.

"Goodbye, Shinji Ikari."

They stayed as long as they could. The older of them had to leave sooner. Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko.

Shinji and his fellow veterans lingered for a time. But in the end, they had to depart as well. They still had some time together for their reunion this year, and so when they left the village they did so together.

They gathered their motorbikes and rode off into the sunrise feeling the breeze of the fresh air across their faces. Shinji drove on with his wife-to-be holding onto him in the passenger seat, clinging to him with her hand clasped in his. They had made a life together, a life that they would share.

Asuka drove on beside them in her red motorbike. The trio kept pace with each other, driving out of the village, traveling through rural Japan, and heading back to Tokyo-03.

Throughout everything they had been through the three of them were still together. They had left the war and its trauma behind.

A new day had dawned. A new future awaited them. An open road with only the vaguest outlines for what lay ahead. That's all everyone gets.

You can't beat death. But you can beat death in life.

You can live and find that light in the dark, however small. And the more you do it, the more light there will be. It's never easy. Nothing worth doing is.

The future is too mountainous to see too far ahead. But we must keep going anyway. We owe it to ourselves to try. There is victory in the attempt. Always forward.

…

THE END.

I've been waiting years to write those last two words.
Before I sign off for the last time, I wanted to hand out a few thank you(s).

A Very Special thanks to Lord Razer, Bcaffera, Su Exodus, Uzumaki09's WhirlpoolSaga, Ghost Man, Ascandas, mdmnd9347, Tarn, and UltraSpink of Da USA. These readers have been around the longest, left feedback, and were courteous enough to review for so long now. Seriously, Unravel wouldn't be here without your thoughtful comments, praise, and constructive feedback. Thank you!

Lastly, thanks to my brother for encouraging me to write in the first place. I love you, man.

Anyway, that is the end of the story. Thanks again to everyone who has stuck around for this utterly insane long story of mine.
Thanks for Reading and please Review.

Cheers!