This is just a quick demo, I'd love some feedback on it. I want to turn it into a series, but I'm not sure if I'm writing it in a way that's pleasurable. The story is Shinji/Rei, and it is an AU for various reasons.

~

Shinji woke up to the smell of roast coffee beans which was permeating every inch of the modest apartment he lived in. Slowly, with aching legs, he got out of bed and picked up a cleanish pair of pants off his bedroom floor. He smiled - his time living with Misato as an adolescent had affected him more than he'd like to admit.

He took a quick trip to the bathroom before shuffling out to the kitchen. The TV was on, playing one of the numerous morning news shows that aired in Tokyo-3. He glanced over at the kitchen, and saw a pot of coffee waiting for him.

After pouring himself a cup, Shinji began his day. He showered and picked out some appropriate, clean clothes to wear, and threw his dirty laundry in the hamper (along with some articles of clothing from his bedroom floor). He then shaved the wayward stubble from his face, and combed his short chestnut-brown hair.

Today was his day off, but that just meant that he could take care of things at home. His job at NERV, an official government office which dealt with taxes and finances, was unyielding and tiring, and the state of his apartment suffered due to this. He barely had time to breathe between his shifts.

The one thing that made his job worth doing was his co-worker, partner and soon-to-be wife - Rei Ayanami.

Shinji had moved to Tokyo-3 when he was 14, due to a sudden change of heart by his father. Having left him with his mother's family almost a decade earlier, his relocation to Tokyo-3 to manage NERV had prompted him to reconnect with his son. The move caused more harm than good, but it left Shinji in the company of people who cared for him in Gendo's absence.

One of those people was Rei Ayanami. She was in his class in school, and her ice-cool demeanor and voice caught Shinji's heart instantly. He talked to her between lunch breaks, and they had a great deal in common. Rei didn't like the contact initially, but her feelings for Shinji grew, and they became good friends.

7 years later, full of their own ups and downs, and they were living together under the same roof, sharing their existence with each other. From a rough childhood to this - Shinji thanked his lucky stars every day for allowing him such happiness.

He took the last sip of his coffee, and expressed disappointment that it was gone. Sighing, he stood up from his seat in front of the TV and went to put his cup in the sink.

~

I know there's no actual dialogue, and I'm breaking "show don't tell" by skipping over the past, but that's something which might be elaborated on more in the future. I'm also aware that skipping over the past as I did comes off as lazy, so if anyone has any advice on how to patch it up I would be thankful. Should I pad things out with some more detail?

I would appreciate any advice or criticism on what I have so far, and I'll post the rest once I'm done with it.

Here's the rest of this story. It stops and goes a lot, and it feels like many smaller chapters condensed into one longer chapter, but I wrote it to get a feel of the setting. Rei and Shinji do act out of character, but that's partially intended - this is set when they're 21, 7 years after meeting, and I plan to go back and show how they met in this universe and how they fell in love, and how they changed as time went on.

I would appreciate any criticism or help, because I am aware that I'm not always very consistent in my writing, and I can feel that the chapter has some pacing issues and such. I hope that you enjoy the story however, because I do think it's very sweet and nice.

By the way - this is meant to be read as a part of the first post. This post and that post make up one whole chapter.

-----

"Oh, you're out here, Rei."

Rei looked up from the small paperback novel she was reading, to see Shinji coming out onto the balcony with her. The morning sun was climbing ever higher, and the warmth felt nice on her pale skin.

"Good morning, Shinji. Is your morning going pleasantly?"

"It is, but it's been missing something important." He strolled over and placed a kiss on her cheek, to which Rei playfully swatted at him.

"You spend too much time speaking with Mr Kaji."

He laughed and sat in a chair next to her. The table between them held a mug decorated with a floral pattern, blue flowers on a peach background.

He looked over towards Rei. She was wearing a long, deep blue sundress and a wide-brimmed hat. Her light blue hair danced along the side of her face with the breeze, and the sunlight twinkled off her blood-red eyes as she scanned each line of her book.

"I love how you enjoy the morning sun."

She looked up from her novel, confused but pleasantly surprised with Shinji's small outburst.

"Where did that come from?"

"I don't know, it just came to me." Shinji looked into her eyes. "It makes you look so serene, and I love seeing you at peace."

Rei hid her face behind her novel. "I wasn't joking about Mr Kaji, you know."

Shinji blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "I know it's cheesy, but that's what I thought when I saw you this morning."

Rei took a sip of her coffee, then resumed reading her novel.

"Sweet-talker."

Shinji sighed and laid back, taking the view in. The apartment complex they lived in was on the outer skirts of Tokyo-3, so the air was fresh and clean. The city loomed in the distance, made up of monoliths of steel and glass, providing a breathtaking view from their balcony.

"Oh, I just remembered something." Shinji interrupted the silence again, and Rei put her novel down in slight annoyance.

"Misato and Kaji want to go out to dinner sometime soon, when we can all make it out."

"That would be nice." Rei took her coffee and sat back. "I never thought Ms. Katsuragi would settle down, let alone with Mr. Kaji. They make a lovely pair."

"You can call her Misato, you know. She's practically family to me, and soon she will be to you too."

"Old habits die hard, you know." Rei drained the last of her coffee, and got up to put her mug in the sink. Shinji followed her inside.

The morning news had ended, and a lifestyle show had come on in its place. Shinji sat down to watch, and Rei sat in a chair across from him to continue reading.

~

After around half an hour and a piece of fruit for breakfast, Shinji yawned and stretched out. The coffee was beginning to wear off, and he was getting drowsy. He's just put his feet up and rested his head on his arms, when he felt something soft but firm collide with the side of his head.

"Don't go back to sleep, you're not wasting your day off." Rei held her novel in her hand, having just used it to hit Shinji. Her voice was gentle but firm.

"It's recharging my batteries, that's not a waste!" Shinji groaned as he rolled over. Rei tapped him with the book again, to which he just stretched out more. She sighed.

"We should be cleaning the apartment today."

With a great degree of hesitation, Shinji moved back into a sitting position. As inviting as a nap was at that moment, she was right. They were busy all the time, and used clothing and garbage had accumulated into piles all over their living space.

"...Alright, give me a second to wake up properly."

Rei smiled. "You picked up some laziness from Ms. Katsuragi, it would seem."

Shinji looked up in surprise, and laughed. He cherished their little moments of synchronization.

While Rei went to get the garbage bags, Shinji stood up and stretched. His shoulder popped loudly, and a wave of relief flooded down his body. He was only 21, but his joints were already beginning to pop when he stretched - he figured that it was due to the stressful nature of his job.

He walked over to where Rei was rifling through drawers, and began looking in cupboards and such for things they'd need. By the time they'd finished searching, they'd found gloves and an unopened pack of sponges as well as the garbage bags.

"I'll take the bedroom and the bathroom, if you like," Shinji offered. Rei agreed, and began picking up trash in the kitchen.

Shinji walked into the bedroom and looked around. There were clothes on the floor from both of them, cans of instant coffee, bottles, various wrappers and labels - the room was a mess. It was a comfortable mess, but it was a mess regardless.

He began with the clothes. Though they'd been spending the last 3 years together, Shinji still felt a flush of embarrassment whenever he handled his better half's clothes, dirty or clean. He gathered her clothes into a small pile, then went to work piling his up.

Once he'd done that, he began on the trash. It was all just filth, but looking at all the empty coffee cans took Shinji back to the warm nights he'd spent with Rei, lying in bed and listening to the radio. It was often too hot to sleep, especially when they began sharing a bed, so they'd stay up for as long as possible lying in each other's arms, trailing kisses down each other's faces and arms.

He picked up the trash while reminiscing on those simple nights, and before he realized it, he'd cleaned the majority of the waste. He tied 2 full garbage bags up and sat them in the corner, and carried the clothes piles into the bathroom to put them in the hamper. After that, he picked up the bags of trash and brought them out with him to the living room.

Rei was out on the balcony, shaking dust and debris off of the small rug under their coffee table. The table itself was moved off to the side, leaving a wide empty space in front of the TV. The kitchen was a bit better than before, with most of the clutter gone, but the elements still needed cleaning. I'll do that when I get the chance, Shinji thought.

He left the bags near the kitchen bench, and went out to see Rei. She'd been working hard, and was covered in dust and sweat. She'd hung the rug over the railing and was hitting it with a broom. Shinji walked up next to her.

"Hey, do you want anything to drink or something?"

"I've only been out here for a few minutes, I'm fine." Rei continued hitting the rug, not looking up.

"You just look tired, that's all."

"Thank you, but I might wait until after this is done."

Shinji stood there for a moment, looking out as the midday sun beat down on them. Rei spoke up suddenly;

"Shouldn't you be cleaning the bathroom?"

"Yeah, I should." Shinji straightened out. "I wanted to see if there was any garbage to take down to the curb."

"There are some bags behind the counter," Rei stopped hitting the rug as she spoke, "but one of them is only half-full. If you could fill it some more, that would be nice."

Shinji nodded and went back inside, as Rei took the rug and turned it around, hitting the other side. He spotted the bag she was talking about, and looked through their fridge for anything that needed to be thrown away. The bag was soon much fuller than before, and Shinji tied it up for transportation, taking it downstairs with 4 other bags of waste.

~

When he got back, Rei was behind the kitchen counter. She'd poured 2 tall glasses of juice.

"We should have a break."

Shinji nodded, picking up one of the glasses. Rei picked hers up and went over to the sofa, putting her drink on the coffee table - still displaced from earlier, but within arm's length.

"Hold on a second, Rei," Shinji said as he walked over, "I'll get that."

After giving her his glass and getting her to grab her one as well, Shinji lifted the table up and put it back into place. Rei sat their drinks down in front of them.

"My hero," She jokingly commented on Shinji's action. Her voice was warm. Shinji sat down and took a sip of his juice.

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the refreshment of their drinks, before Shinji gently laid his head on Re's shoulder. She shifted slightly to make them both more comfortable, and rested her head against Shinji's.

"I still can't believe you agreed to marry me," Shinji whispered out of the blue.

She looked down at him. "You were the first and initially only person to show concern for me, and you've been making me happy since the first day I met you. Why wouldn't I agree to marry you?"

"Well, I'm getting lazy now, and I can be indecisive, and aside from typing and cooking I don't have many marketable skills..."

"But those all make up who you are, for better or for worse." Rei interrupted him. "You also have some other negative traits, but your positive qualities outweigh the negatives."

Direct and honest as always. Another reason Shinji loved her. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Thank you, Rei. For agreeing to marry me and for loving me."

"You don't have to thank me, Shinji. You love me back, and that's all that should matter."

Shinji gently nuzzled the side of her neck. "I do. Forever and always."

Rei lent down and placed a gentle peck on Shinji's forehead, and relaxed even more in his embrace. In less than half an hour, they were both asleep.

-
EXTRA
-

Rei woke up 3 hours later, the afternoon sun projecting a lazy, humid heat into their apartment. They'd cleaned about half of the apartment up, and though it would have been better to clean the rest that day, she was content with the work they had done.

She looked down at Shinji. His face was peaceful, like he was dreaming of everything he'd ever wanted. Being careful not to shift so much, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight Shinji. I hope you're having pleasant dreams."

She laid her head back again, and went back to sleep. Shinji's grip tightened slightly around her.

Behind his eyelids, in his unconscious mind, he was floating through an empty void. Rei's gentle voice danced through his head, echoing off the walls, enveloping Shinji's self in a warm glow.

His consciousness traveled through the void, following the quiet whispers, until he found a small, glowing, snow-white nucleus. He held it in his hands, and the light from it grew out and swirled around his body. It began to take on substance, and before he had realized it, Rei had appeared out of the light and embraced him from behind.

"Thank goodness I found you, Rei." he whispered, his heart growing warm with his love for her. "I would have been lost without you."

And they floated in the void, together.

--

I would appreciate anything you have to say about this story. I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter should be more straightforward, and should feature some other familiar faces.

It's sort of vaguelly nice I guess, but it doesn't really grab my attention in any way. What's the story, the conflict?

That's the thing - there's not really a central conflict. That's most likely a flaw to most people, but the way I'm writing this is more or less a slice-of-life depiction of Shinji and Rei living together. The story: Shinji was brought to Tokyo-3 as a teen, met Rei, and over their school lives they fell in love. The series follows them as they live together, eventually get married, and where they go from there.

That's not to say that there's not going to be conflict - there's still backstory that's going to get explored, and there's a concept for the future which I feel is going to hurt. The original concept of this story was Shinji and Rei's life dealing with the issues of Rei being an artificial human, with sickness and constant medication etc., and I am bringing some concepts from that idea into this story.

For the most part though, I'm writing it to make myself happy, by writing this pair as living happily. But there are storm clouds on the horizon, and there's going to be what is hopefully a big punch to the reader's feelings if they're invested in the couple.

I'm not going to throw a How I Met Your Mother either, and

This is ultimately an optimistic look at their relationship, and how they support each other and make each other happy.

TL;DR: more or less, this story has barely any conflict, and it's mostly sappy dreck.

This chapter pushes a hard T, with makeouts and stuff in the first half. Later chapters may push the rating up as they go - this fic will -never- be explicit, or smut for the sake of smut, but Shinji and Rei will be shown having a healthy sexual relationship. It's just going to be written away with some flowery language - allusions will be made before and/or after something happens, but it's not going to jump into them doing the do or actually describe how they do that sort of stuff. This isn't smut.

If this is a breach of this forum's rules, then I can cut stuff out and/or change my plans for the story. Please let me know, because I don't want to get on the administration's bad side - I'm willing to play by the rules, and in the event of overstepping a boundary I can fix things up.

Anyway, this note is longer than I thought it would turn out to be. Please enjoy this chapter.

---

As stressful as his job was at NERV, Shinji felt comfortable doing it. It was taxing on his health, but it always provided a healthy challenge and it felt good to work with his peers. He enjoyed his work a great deal.

So when he woke up after his day off, he was somewhat happy to go back. It's not that he disliked home, but working was a part of his life which, at that point, felt inseparable from the rest of his life.

It helped that he never went a day without seeing his partner, either. Rei also enjoyed her work, and the four years she'd been working at NERV with Shinji had helped her come out of her shell and meet new people. To them both, NERV was a place to prove one's worth and to enjoy meaningful social interaction.

Looking at her under their blanket, Shinji's heart leapt just a tiny bit. He remembered the previous day, how they'd napped together for hours, and how he dreamed of her. He'd woken up hours later in the stifling heat of the late afternoon, and he and Rei had an early dinner. Deciding to leave the rest of the housework for the next few days, they'd gone to bed early and slept just as soundly as they had on the couch.

He took great care in not rousing Rei from her sleep as he got out of bed, and he gently walked out to the kitchen to check the time.

5:47.

Their alarms would go off at 7 am, so he had just over an hour to prepare breakfast before she woke up.

~

Rei woke up in a haze, slightly dehydrated and with a sore neck. She sat up and moved her head around, until she felt a small pop. Satisfied, she looked over at the alarm clock on her bedside table - it was 6:34.

She looked over at the other side of their bed, to find a slightly warm indentation. He must have already gotten up, she figured.

Blurry-eyed and thirsty, she got out of bed to get a drink. She walked out into the living room, and saw Shinji in the kitchen, cooking something. From the smell, she'd guess that he was making an omelette.

Shinji didn't see her walk out, being too wrapped up in cooking the omelette to perfection. He turned around to get some spring onion, and stopped cold as he noticed Rei standing near the doorway to their room. She was wearing a large sweat-shirt - comfortable and warm, but with enough room to allow the cold air in.

Shinji himself was a bit of a spectacle, wearing loose, white boxer shorts and a white shirt, holding a spatula and reaching for the fridge. Suddenly self-conscious, he grabbed what he needed with an urgent speed and went back to the frying pan. He couldn't help but feel a bit lecherous at seeing Rei in her bed-clothes, and a bit embarrassed at being seen in his.

She walked over to him, and he began moving around in jerky movements. He grabbed the onions and took his time cutting them up as Rei took a seat on the other side of the counter.

Her gentle voice suddenly spoke up - "The omelette's browning."

Shinji had been too pre-occupied with cutting the onions that he needed, and had neglected to move the omelette in a while. He quickly turned it over - to find a regular, fluffy omelette. Rei giggled.

"You're in a mischievous mood this morning." Shinji turned to the chopping board and began cutting thin slices of salami. He cut those slices into quarters, and stacked them on top of each other.

"I feel nice." Rei smiled as she poured some juice from a pitcher on their counter. She looked at the materials Shinji had cut up, and at a plate of sausages he'd charred on the grill earlier.

"How long have you been awake?"

Shinji looked over at the frying pan before answering. "I woke up around quarter to 6, and I didn't want to disturb you. You worked harder than I did yesterday, and I thought you deserved some more rest."

"We worked equally as hard, though. You don't have to be modest." Rei had picked up trash and cleaned the rug, but Shinji had taken the trash downstairs as well as cleaned up their room.

"I guess so, sorry." Shinji turned away and continued his work on breakfast, flipping the omelette again and neatly cutting it into quarters with the spatula.

Shinji began to slide the now individual omelettes onto a clean, white plate, and had just finished when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He turned around, to see Rei right there rising up on her toes. Before he had time to realize what was happening, she tenderly kissed him on the lips.

Shinji fumbled with the frying pan, half-dropping it back on top of the stove, but Rei continued for a moment more before moving away.

"Thank you for letting me sleep," she whispered as she lowered herself down. Before she left though, Shinji stopped her and kissed her on her jawline.

He'd aimed for her cheek, but her kiss had clouded his mind and he inadvertently went for a more sensitive place. Her response was to gasp, and she shuddered slightly at the contact.

They looked at each other, and the kitchen seemed to melt away. they looked into each other's eyes, and the feelings behind their kisses translated into what felt like electricity between them.

Rei stepped across the boundary first and kissed Shinji, and Shinji welcomed her advance. They stood there by the bench, locked at the mouth for what felt like forever, one of them occasionally breaking contact to go for the other's throat or shoulder which led to a wilder response each time.

They were on the verge of going back to bed when Rei pulled away, red in the face and panting. She looked like she was restraining herself from going further.

"I'm sorry... I really need something to eat."

Shinji was disappointed, but his stomach growled and he realized that he felt the same.

"Maybe we can finish this after breakfast?"

Rei smiled slyly and nodded slightly... Only for their bedroom clock to sound its alarm.

7 o'clock. No spare time left.

~

After breakfast, the pair got cleaned up and ready for work. They contemplated sharing their shower time, but decided they didn't want to risk using too much time and being late. Shinji used Rei's time in the shower to make more omelettes, and when she got out he had a boxed lunch waiting for her.

Rei drove them both to work each morning, mostly to save fuel but also because she was the better driver of the 2. Shinji didn't seem to mind - he felt safe with Rei behind the wheel, more so than when he was. She could get to work on time easily, but when she could, she'd drive at a slower pace so they could take in the scenery. They enjoyed work, but any time they had to themselves was golden.

Eventually though, they had to arrive at work. Once they had parked in the company carpark, they briefly kissed one last time before entering the workplace.

They took an elevator to their floor, and upon reaching their destination they were greeted by an older man in glasses. His hair was beginning to show strands of white, and his goatee had streaks of sliver as well.

"Shinji, Rei. I trust your brief rest day was productive?"

"Yes, sir," Shinji bowed slightly and shook the older man's hand. "Thank you for allowing us the day off. We used our time very well, and appreciate your generosity."

Rei bowed also, and Gendo smiled at the both of them.

"There's no need for the formalities yet, the work day hasn't begun. I'm glad you appreciated the break." He took Rei's hand for a moment.

"Thank you si- erm, Dad." Shinji still had trouble addressing his father with parental names, but he was glad that the option was open. The old man was getting softer with age, and both Shinji and Gendo were beginning to make amends for the past.

The older man smiled. "I hope you both work well today. I have to go, but I'll see you both during the day."

Shinji and Rei bowed, and Gendo left. Both of them made their way to the logbook and wrote their arrival time in, and headed to their separate working areas.

~

Shinji's department worked with businesses, monitoring their earnings to determine how much tax they should be paying. Shinji monitored and occasionally entered data, and printed off physical records of his given businesses in case of power failure.

He was present in a team of 60 workers, taking care of businesses partially or wholly owned by the government. Of those 60, he knew 2 of them quite well and worked with them when he could.

The first person was someone he knew especially well - as a teenager, she raised him and helped teach him the skills to work at NERV. Her name was Misato Katsuragi.

The second was an old friend of both his father and Misato - and was currently romantically involved with the latter. His name was Ryoji Kaji, though he preferred to go by Kaji whenever possible.

Both of them were working on their respective sections when Shinji walked in, but as soon as they realized his presence they stopped what they were doing. Shinji quickly felt like a mouse being cornered by housecats, as Misato and Kaji prepared their barrage of inappropriate questions and comments.

"Here he is, Mr Fiancé himself," Kaji began, "fresh from making "wedding plans" with his blushing bride."

Misato giggled as Shinji's face turned a deep crimson. "It looks like they were "planning" around this morning, judging by those marks on his neck."

Shinji's entire world came tumbling down. He'd spoken to his father this morning - the thought of being seen with such intimate marks made him want to scream. Life as he knew it was surely over.

He scrambled to find a mirror, and found one on Misato's desk. He searched his face and neck frantically, looking for the painless purple bruise which had ruined him.

No hickeys or love-marks whatsoever. They'd gotten him with the second joke of the day.

Kaji was laughing quietly, but he was holding his sides and shaking. Misato was showing a little less restraint, crouched over a table and wheezing, but she was quiet also. Shinji huffed and sat at his desk.

After he'd found where he had left off 2 days before, he began to work. It was 5 minutes later that Misato came over to him, to his annoyance. She seemed a bit more subdued, if not still a bit tickled.

"Sorry, but it was a really good prediction."

"...I know." Shinji huffed. Misato ruffled his hair.

"You're starting to take the guff a bit better, that's good." She gave him a gentle, friendly push, which Shinji didn't appreciate.

"It's nice to see you, but I have work to catch up on. Can you leave me alone until lunch hour?"

Misato sighed. "Ahh, so serious as always. Okay, I'll let you carry on."

She left, and Shinji continued working. For the rest of the morning period, there were no more interruptions.

~

"So you just cleaned your apartment? No other funny business?"

Rei shook her head, with the faintest smile on her face. Her co-worker frowned.

"You've got to be joking. If I had a day off, I'd at least treat myself a little."

"The time I spend with him is enough." Rei picked up a folder, and slid out a sheet of figures.

Rei worked in the salary office of NERV, and along with the small team of professionals who worked alongside her, managed the wages and salaries of NERV's employees.

"Bleh, you guys are so lovey-dovey. I can barely stand it!" The mystery co-worker went back to her own work, marking down hours worked and equivalent pay earned.

"Perhaps... if you found a partner, Asuka," Rei gently spoke gently, as to not rile her up, "you would understand how I feel."

"I'm not a fan of dating, though," Asuka sighed, "and even if I was, I doubt I could meet anyone of my calibre."

Asuka's outlook on life always intrigued Rei. She was very unconventional in her views, outside the norm. Things had to go her way in life - and her way was often hard to follow. Her viewpoint of the world wasn't necessarily invalid, but it was at odds with Rei's - and the contrast made for interesting conversations.

"I hope you can find someone who completes you."

Rei's comment was a bit out of the blue, and rubbed Asuka the wrong way. "Thank you for the concern," she hastily spat out sarcastically, "but I rely on myself to create my happiness. And I'm fine with that."

"I'm sorry for offending you. Your choices are equally as valid as my own."

Asuka huffed, and both women went back to work. The 2 worked in silence, taking care of their individual projects.

A full 10 minutes before lunch ended, Rei filed the last of her paperwork away and stood up. Asuka looked up at her in disbelief.

"Are you seriously done already? You've even done the work from yesterday?"

"I have," Rei confirmed, "and I'm doing a vending machine run. Would you like anything?"

"Well, if you're offering, could you grab me a juicebox?" Asuka rooted through the top drawer of her desk, and handed Rei some crumpled notes and coins. "That should be enough."

"Okay, I'll be back shortly." Rei turned to leave.

"Wait a sec, are you doing a run?"

Rei turned to the source of the voice - a long-haired male in his 30's, who was looking over at her. She nodded in confirmation.

"Here, could you grab me a can of coffee while you're there?" He got up and handed her a handful of coins.

"Of course, Mr. Aoba. I'll be back soon."

He thanked her, and she went on her way.

---

First off, yes - this chapter does drop off at the end. That's because this chapter alone is around as long as the first, and the third chapter is even longer. I thought the first chapter was too long, and that I was just getting a feel for writing the story - now I'm stuck writing longer and longer chapters. I hope I don't fall into a cycle of writing longer chapters every time.

Secondly, Aoba's inclusion at the end is a bit of a butt-pull. Honestly, I wrote it as a little bit of fanservice - a little nod to his existence, showing what he's doing in this continuity. He doesn't really serve much plot relevance, but he'll probably pop up from time to time because I like him. I do plan to introduce a wider variety of characters as well, so stay tuned.

Next chapter - another new/old face, and the repetition of the same thing until it gets super-stale. And hopefully, a much thinner Author's Note.