As the entire realm wavered under the force of these spiritual reunions - joy and bewilderment being the most prominent of all - Gendo's gaze fell upon a very familiar figure. "
...hello Shinji."
"
...father." Shinji turned towards Yui, his form flickering with uncertainty. "
...mother?"
"
Yes." The woman smiled, her form alight with a serene sort of happiness. "
...come here."
Shinji did so, and the two embraced. "
...you feel...different, than when you were in Eva."
"
My spirit is whole." But the flesh was not. "
...we need to focus now. Even if our individual identities have been restored..." She looked to the side, noting her brother Tomoe looking about with a sense of befuddlement. Her sister-in-law Alicia was similarly so, while her darling niece Annette -
oh, how much she had grown! - was stunned by the entire proceeding. If only there were more time to reunite! "
...ADAM is still out there, and is still all-too-willing to reduce us to nothing."
(MP-08 and MP-09 slammed the ground, shattering the earth beneath ADAM's feet. The First Angel floated, eyes blazing with beams of power.)
"
Then we need to hurry up and get a move on!" Asuka poked her head out from Pieter's embrace, looking around the proverbial sea of humanity. "
Speaking of which...shouldn't that baka have shown up by now?"
Shinji turned, seeing two particular figures emerge from the crowd. "
...do you mean Kaworu?"
Asuka followed his gaze, her smile widening at what she saw. "
There you are!"
The souls of Rei Ayanami and Kaworu Nagisa floated in an odd sense of isolation; the former, disbelieving their current circumstances; the latter, unsure of whether he even had the right to approach them. Their souls had an oddly robust feeling to them, with more definition, and a faint red tinge: traces of their Angelic heritage. Kaworu, in particular, had a burning red light within his chest.
"
...Rei-chan?" asked Shinji. "
...are you okay?"
"
...I feel as if I am in a dream." The young woman glanced around, her spirit rippling with an uneasy tension. "
...there was a sense of peace. Tranquility...but there was no reason to care. To feel. To know. I am...uncertain if that was a bad thing."
Kaworu looked at his feet, unwilling to look directly at the Second Child's soul. "
The pain was gone. The loneliness...had departed. It was empty...but in that state, it wouldn't have mattered." The former Angel hugged himself, looking remarkably small for one whose soul shined so brightly. "
I...don't know if I can go back to the way things were in the waking world..."
As they spoke, more sensations filtered through from the mass of humanity...all of them, laced with uncertainty and budding panic about what to do now.
-this is the judgment of the Angels!
How can we go back? How?!
-this feels...nice....
My life wasn't really anything special. This isn't bad-
Can this even be called life-
-how could we even hope to stand against ADAM-
Right now, there was no direction. No plan. Multiple paths, leading in different directions...but in their current state, as spirits only, there was nothing they could do to
act. Even within the metaphysical realm, the individual human soul was weak, easy pickings for a being like ADAM. Unless this situation was rectified, they were still doomed.
Gendo Ikari moved to speak...but stopped when he saw the Second and Third Children act first.
Shinji and Asuka looked at each other. Then, as one, they walked towards their comrades; their friends; perhaps, in a more than academic sense of the word...their loves. "
Rei-chan...do you remember everything about your life?" asked Shinji.
"
...yes."
"
And what about you Kaworu?" asked Asuka, grabbing his chin so that he had no choice but to look at her. "
Do you remember everything?"
"
...of course, Miss Sohryu."
"
Everything good, and everything bad," continued Shinji, gazing above at the seemingly infinite sea of human souls. "
...share it. Let everyone know."
"
As though it were real, and happening right now," finished Asuka.
Rei and Kaworu glanced at each other, somewhat perplexed by this request. But Rei trusted Shinji. And Kaworu trusted Asuka.
So they did so.
The memories and experiences of Rei Ayanami spread throughout, bolstered and amplified by her nature as a nephilim; the attention of humanity was caught.
I am replaceable. I am secondary compared to those I was born to protect.
For the sake of everyone else, I will sacrifice everything.
...hatred can make for a stronger connection than indifference. Because to hate, you must be capable of love...I am strong because there is no alternative.
My control is absolute, and I have done all I can to master myself…
If you open your hearts to each other, is it possible to remain as you are? Is it possible to remain unchanged?
…I do not like the smell of blood, or the look of it. I tolerate it when it is necessary. I have always been told that I was created to protect humanity. And I believed it. I still do. So the thought that these hands of mine…were used contrary to that purpose...I…hate it…
I can still fight. So long as I draw breath…I will never give up!
...Ikari...Ikari-kun...Shinji-kun...Shinji...! Give him back...GIVE HIM BACK!
This closeness. This...feeling. I wanted to experience more of it.
The ability to kill is part of the reason why I exist. I…have come to terms with that...but it is a duty that I gladly accept. For your sake...I…I choose to accept it.
This is...agreeable. No. More than agreeable. This is...good. Yes. This conversation. This group. This friendship. This is yet another reason why we Pilot the Eva, to ensure that events like these can continue. More people deserve to experience these feelings.
Likewise, for the memories and experiences of Kaworu Nagisa.
I feel so…empty. We are incomplete.
There is a time and order to all things, Mister Lorenz. The name for this body of Angelic flesh and human bone…that name is Kaworu Nagisa, because it must be. Nothing more, and nothing less.
Ah, forgive my rudeness. I didn't mean to come across so strongly...we will be seeing a lot more of each other, Miss Sohryu.
I commend your performance...it makes me wonder how you will fare with what is to come.
In all honesty, I don't know what I was looking for. I suppose that was the whole point; have you ever felt that way, Mister Lorenz? Adrift, seeking something concrete, something tangible, to grasp in your hands?
My heart is completely open to that of the Evangelion. When I pilot, the Evangelion and I are one...I...feel whole.
Tell me Miss Ayanami, do you believe that the heavens complement this land? That one without the other would have less meaning? Do you desire that same sort of complementation?
The living are easier to understand than the dead.
…your cheer is something I needed right now. The future is uncertain, and I am wary of what these next days will bring. You have my gratitude, Miss Sohryu.
…I am all alone, now.
Miss Sohryu...it was nice knowing you. Goodbye.
It doesn't matter what I want. I tire of being incomplete, of this existential loneliness. In the grand scheme of things, this existence of mine had no meaning. I welcome the oblivion that has taken my kin. But your species has the right to defend itself: so the choice you have is to stop me or die trying.
Miss Sohryu...you are truly amazing. I haven't felt a single ounce of hatred or fury from you throughout this battle, even though you have every right to...It was an absolute pleasure to know you. I mean that, with every fiber of my being...please. Stop fighting. I beg you.
It's okay. I don't expect much...I don't have the right. Who am I to ask anything of her whose lineage is of the Fruit of Knowledge? I am of the Fruit of Life, as you are, Unit-02...our destinies may be interwoven, but never would they meet...as is proper. As is necessary. I wonder...if this is the emotion that you Lilim would call fear...
...even if you can't forgive me...can you fight by my side, just this once?
I see now. I see now! This...this...is Complementation!
Such feelings and experiences were completely out-of-step with the majority of humanity, so harsh and alien were they. Lives of conflict, of bloodshed, of unknowns, of mystery...and yet, there were elements of humanity there, undeniable, and they manifested so
starkly by comparison. The sheer whimsy, the emotional highs, the unvarnished charm and idealism and
romance...one could be forgiven for feeling utterly enraptured by it all.
Shinji Ikari looked warmly at the First Child. "
Well?"
"
Be honest, Dummkopf," said Asuka with a wide smile. "
What do you want to do?"
Rei Ayanami and Kaworu Nagisa looked at each other, and then back at their dearest friends. With the eyes of humanity's remnant focused upon them, they spoke. Though soft, their words resonated like thunder.
"...I want to live."
In that moment, the rest of humanity agreed.
