Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. I wish I did.
I would like to dedicate this chapter to my grandmother and my uncle who passed away during the production of this chapter. Farewell, I love you.
The Reunion part 6
Shinji woke up that morning with what felt like a weight on his arm. His arm was numb and the fact that he couldn't move it led him to believe that blood circulation and been cut for some time. Looking at his arm, he smiled as Mana appeared before him. Shinji examined her face and realised that she was drooling slightly. Now most people would consider this to be disgusting, but to Shinji, it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. Mana adjusted herself in her sleep and brought her cheek to rest on his shoulder, as well as hold him tighter.
"Isn't she beautiful, Shi..." she mumbled in her sleep. Shinji smiled at her. He couldn't help but smile.
"Who?" Shinji whispered into her ear.
"Our little girl." she responded.
Shinji smiled at the thought of seeing his daughter. He looked at his alarm clock. 9 AM is what it read.
'OH SHIT!!!' was the first thing that ran through his mind when he saw his clock. The second thing that crossed his mind was that today was the day he had the graveyard shift so he relaxed. Mana chose that moment to wake up.
"Good morning, Shinji" she said with a kiss. He responded enthusiastically by wrapping his arms around her waist and deepening the kiss. "Good morning to you too, Mana." he replied as he broke the kiss. "Have any dreams last night?"
"I had a wonderful one last night. We were married and we were on a picnic and our daughter was playing in a field chasing after butterflies. She was so kawaii." Mana said smiling.
"I'm sure she would be. I mean, she IS our daughter." he replied. "Mana, do you have work today?"
"No. Why?"
"It's 9 AM and you'd be so late right now." Mana looked at the clock.
"Ohhhh" she groaned.
"I have an idea. Why don't you get washed and I'll make breakfast." Shinji suggested.
"That souns nice. I got a better idea. How about you make breakfast, I stay here and you get me when breakfast is ready." she suggested.
"I guess I can't win this battle so you stay here and I'll make breakfast." he said, getting up out of bed.
"I'll have sausage and eggs." Mana called out as he left for the kitchen.
"Alright." he responded. Five minutes later, Shinji returned, saying "Wake up, Mana. Breakfast is ready."
"jus five more minutes, mom." she sleepily responded. To this, Shinji did something very sneaky.
Shinji quickly ripped the pillow out from Mana's head and shook her awake.
"Alright, Shinji! I'm up! I'M UP!" she cried. "What do you want Shinji?"
"Your breakfast is ready now Mana." Shinji said. "You eat and I'll get washed, alright?"
"Okay. I'll get up now." and with that, she rose out of bed.
About ten minutes later, Shinji emerged from the shower to find that Mana had finished her breakfast. After getting dressed, he joined her in the kitchen and sat down.
"Mana, next Thursday you won't be able to reach me because I'm going up to visit my mothers grave."
"I understand, Shinji. This is important to you." she said.
"You are welcome to come with me. I think that my mother would like to meet you." he stated placing his hand over hers. As Shinji leaned in for a kiss, the telophone rang. Groaning, he rose to answer it.
"Ikair residence. Shinji speaking." Shinji suddenly gained a serious look on his face.
"Are you sure? How long until it reaches land?"
"What's wrong Shinji?" Mana worriedly asked.
"There's a situation. Mana I want you to get dressed and get to a shelter as soon as you can. I'm leaving for the Geofront right now. I want to be breifed on the situation as soon as I arrive." Shinji hung up the phone after that.
"Mana, I need you to get to a shelter as soon as you get dressed. Mana, don't argue with me. Just do it." Shinji said with an unnerving coldness that Mana had only seen when he talked about his father. Mana knew enough to agree with Shinji when he spoke like that.
"Okay Shinji. I'll be out of here in about ten minutes." she said as she headed to gather her clothing. At that moment, the dredded sirens screamed to life, filling all who heard the cry with unsettling fear. As she hurried about, Shinji left to go to NERV.
Five minutes later he was in his car, turning the ignition. A few short minutes later, he was on the road and on his way to NERV.
A short while later...
"What's the status of the target?" Shinji asked Kensuke.
"It's steadily moving toward Tokyo-3 in an easterly direction. We first found the target about five miles offshore of China."
"If it appeared so close to China, why didn't the Hong Kong branch notify us about this?" asked Marie, Twelfth Child.
"Maybe they sent it to kill us intentionally." claimed Patrick, Child number six.
"Well anyway, whatever it is, it's on it's way here." Kensuke said. "Maya, do we know what the blood pattern is?"
At this point, Maya stood up to deliver what to the pilots what little she knew. "Five minutes after finding the target, we identified the trajectory and the blood pattern. We confirmed it's heading and we'll all need to be ready when it's knocking at our door. The blood pattern...is orange."
"You mean it's an Eva?" Asuka asked incredulously.
"That is what it appears to be." Maya responded.
"How long until it gets here?" Nikolai asked.
"From all estimates, it will arrive in about five minutes." Kensuke stated.
"Alright, let's get to work. I want everyone in their Eva's and ready to launch in four minutes. Let's get moving." Shinji commanded.
Four minutes later, everyone was in their Evas, ready to launch. Misato would be commanding this operation because Kensuke didn't have enough experience commanding actual battles. "Kensuke, are the Evas ready to launch?" she asked.
"Yes, Commander. All Evas are ready to launch on command. Just say the word." he responded.
"Evas Launch!" Misato shouted.
All the Evas rocketed toward the surface to face this unknown foe. Upon reaching the sufrace, everyone grabbed a weapon. Shinji went for a progressive katana sword, Asuka grabbed a progressive lance, and Rei equiped herself with a heavy pallet gun. The other pilots opted for either their progressive knives or a pallet gun. About 30 seconds later, the enemy arrived.
"IT'S AN EVA!" Asuka cried. Indeed, it was an Eva. An MP Eva was standing in the middle of Tokyo-3. Carrying an unknown weapon, it was a rather imposing sight. The only distinguishing mark on it was a red flag design on the right chest plate. Suddenly, there was a message sent from the opposing Eva.
"I am Michael Chang of the Peoples Republic of China. You are to surrender Evangelion units 00, 01, and 02, and you will evacuate and surrender the Geofront. Failure to comply will result in the annihilation of all the Eva units." he said as his image appeared on the monitor.
"Just how do you plan to defeat us?" Shinji questioned.
"With this." And with that, the MP Eva reached fo rone of it's progressive knives. He threw the knife directly at Unit 01.
"Unit 01 is injured!" Hyuuga claimed.
"Entry plug has been breached!" Aoba reported.
"Pilot life signs failing!" Maya cried as Unit 01 fell backwards.
"Give him a heart massage!" Ritsuko ordered.
FWOOM
"No response!" Maya said.
"Again!" said Ritsuko.
FWOOM
"No response!" Maya said.
"AGAIN!"
FWOOM
"He's stabilized." Maya said.
"All Evas ATTACK!" Misato ordered and every Eva unit launched an all-out attack on the Chinese Eva. The battle was over before it really began. After recovering Shinji from the entry plug, the recovery team noticed a large gash along the side of his head and another gash on his chest. The team quickly got him to the medical ward in the geofront.
Some time later...
"How bad is he Ritsuko?" Misato said, looking very worried about her former room-mate.
"Three broken ribs, and a punctured lung. He's in a coma. We don't know when or if he will ever come out of it. I'm sorry Misato, but you should go home. I'm sure your children are worried about you. I'll get Section 2 security to bring Mana here. She can watch over him for you, if it will make you feel better."
"Yeah, it would make me feel better, but there are some more things to get done with, like interrogating that Eva pilot. Bye Ritsuko." she said as she walked away. As Misato walked away, Ritsuko wheeled herself over to a phone and picked up the reciever.
"Section 2, there is a young woman named Mana Kirashima in one of the shelters. Commander Katsuragi has ordered that Miss Kirashima be brought to the medical ward." She hung up the phone and wheeled over to Shinji's bedside. "Get better soon, Shinji. We all need you."
In the darkness that was Shinji's mind, he could see nothing, except the place where he was standing.
"Is anyone there?" Shinji heard a sound, not unlike the sound of a heavy-duty light switch being turned. He turned to where the sound had emanated from. "Who are you?" Shinji asked to the young man standing in another collumn of light.
"Hello Mr. Ikari. I was sent by the man upstairs to review your file and pass judgement on you."
"What do I call you?" Shinji timidly asked.
"You can call me whatever you want, but I prefer to be adressed as Peter. Please, have a seat." Peter said motioning to a table and two chairs that had suddenly appeared between them. Peter walked over to one chair and Shinji to the other chair.
Setting down at the table, Peter produced a file about half-an-inch thick that had the words 'S. Ikari' printed on the front. Shinji sat down as Peter opened the file and started flipping through the file. Spending about a minute on each page, Peter was done reading the file in about 2 hours.
"Well, all that seems to be in order," Peter stated after closing the file, "All that's needed to do now is deliberate on this. I'll be back with the decision as soon as the judgement is made." After all that was said, the light that he was in disappeared. Shinji Ikari, the Third Child and Vice-Commander of NERV, was all alone in the darkness.
A young woman, escorted by two older men in dark suits, walked through the medical ward to the front desk. "Shinji Ikari, please."
"One minute please." replied the receptionist. She picked up the telophone reciever and dialed a number. "Dr. Akagi, Miss Kirashima has just arrived. Yes, I'll tell her. She'll be waiting here for you." The receptionnist hung up the reciever. and turned to Mana. "Doctor Akagi will be here shortly to show you to Vice-Commander Ikari's room. Just have a seat and she will be with you soon." Mana sat down with a worried expression on her face, thoughts running through her head. 'How badly is he hurt?Is he going to make it?What'll happen if he dies?I don't want to think about that.' were what she was thinking of in that chair.
Five minutes later, Ritsuko arrived in the room Mana was watitng in. With her sights on Mana, she wheeled herself over to the distraught young woman. "Miss Kirashima?"
Mana turned her head to the new voice. "Yes?"
"I'm Ritsuko Akagi, Shinji's physician. I was the one that had you brought here."
"How is he?Is he alright?"
"Mana, please come with me. I'll take you to Shinji." Mana rose out of her seat and followed Ritsuko. For five minutes, Ritsuko led Mana to where Shinji lay on his back. Mana just about burst into tears upon seeing her fiancee laid out like this.
Rushing to his side, Mana burst into tears then. "What happened to him?"
"There was a battle. The weapon the enemy used pierced the Eva and breached the entry plug."
"Is he going to live?"
"Mana, I won't lie to you. He's in a coma. His wounds will heal, but we don't know if he will come out of it. You're welcome to stay here with him until he wakes up."
"I-I-I'l do that. Thank you." said Mana as she laid her head down on Shinji's bed. She remained that way for the rest of the day.
"I'm back with the decision, Shinji, but i'ts really interesting." said Peter after he arrived.
"What's the word, Peter?"
"Well, here's the thing. You were put on this earth to do one thing: prevent Third Impact. Normally, when something like this happens you go straight to heaven. The man upstairs has decided that you get a choice: go to heaven or remain on earth, but this is the only time that you will be given this choice. Well, what's your choice, Mr. Ikari?"
Shinji thought about that question for a while, and he made his decision.
Mana was roused from her sleep by the rythmic beeping of the ECG that was hooked up to Shinji. Looking at the monitor, she noticed that it was beeping faster than normal, but paid it no mind. Remembering why she was here, Mana looked up to Shinji's face, to find him smiling at her.
"SHINJI!" she exclaimed as she embraced him in a passionate kiss. Shinji returned her kiss with equal fervor.
"Mana, I love you," he said weakly, breaking off the kiss. "Ouch!" he responded to her hug.
"I was so worried about you. We all were."
"I'm sure you were, Mana. What happened to me?"
"I'll get Doctor Akagi. She can tell you better than I can." Mana walked to the door just as a nurse walked by. "Uh, miss... could you get Doctor Akagi to come to Shinji's room?"
"Of course." The nurse walked off to get the good doctor.
"Mana, how long was I out?" Shinji called.
"I don't know. A few hours I guess."
"Can you do something for me, Mana?"
"Anything."
"When Ritsuko gets here, can you find the pastor for me?"
"Uhh... sure Shinji." she said not knowing what exactly he wanted the pastor for. At that moment, Ritsuko decided to roll herself into the doorway.
"Shinji, you're awake!"
"I just woke up." he replied.
"Shinji, I'll go find him now." Mana said as she left.
"So, Ritsuko, how long was I out?"
"About 24 hours."
"I know that I got hurt in the fight. How bad are my injuries?"
"Three broken ribs. The damage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Thank God you didn't sustain a concussion. You might have died."
"Do you know when I'll be able to get out of here?"
"Tomorrow." she replied.
"What happened to the white Eva?"
"The pilot is being interrogated. All that's left of the Eva is the entry plug."
Their conversation continued in this general direction untill Mana returned, pastor in tow, about ten minutes later.
"You wanted to see me, Shinji?"
"Oh, yes Father Mackenzie." Shinji replied. Father Patrick Mackenzie was by no means a young man. He was in his late 60's, portly, and had a bad comb-over. But he always made time for anyone who asked.
"Father, if it's not to much of a problem, I'd like to get married now." It took that simple sentence to elicit a squeal of shock from his fiancee.
"Are you sure about this, Shinji? Marriage is a big step."
"I know, but this is for my peace of mind, not because I want to get this over with as soon as I can. This is going to be something to make me feel better, not a real wedding."
"Allright. I'll do it. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to join Shinji and..."
"Mana" she filled in for the elderly man.
"in holy matrimony. Do you Shinji promise to love and cherish Mana and forsake all others for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Shinji replied confidently.
"And do you Mana, promise to love and cherish Shinji and forsake all others for as long as you both shall live?"
"Yes." she replied.
"I pronounce you both man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Shinji and Mana embraced each other in a passionate kiss. They would have gone much, much further if Ritsuko hadn't cleared her throat at that moment. The both of them looked sheepishly at the doctor then.
"I know that both of you are eager to get on to the wedding night, but Shinji's ribs need to finish healing, so try to control your horomones untill the real wedding. You might want to get some more rest now, Shinji." she said pointing to the setting sun.
"Don't worry Mana. I'm getting out tomorrow. I'll be fine until then. We can wait for the real wedding." Mana leaned in to kiss him, and continued to do so for a good while. Reluctantly, she broke away.
"I'll be here to get you out tomorrow. Be good until then." she said and walked away.
After she left the room, Ritsuko spoke, "I'll be back tomorrow to do your release examination. Until then, sleep tight. Good night, Shinji."
"Good night, Ritsuko." he replied as she wheeled herself out the door. After the door was closed and the lights turned out, he leaned back to sleep and dream of a bright future for him and Mana.
I want to talk to all you who told me to stop this fic just because it had Mana in it. FUCK YOU!!! I have found only one other fic that had a Shinji/Mana pairing in it and people like you made my friend R.J. Shino cry because your flames were so mean! Your flames will only keep me warm in winter! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I would like to dedicate this chapter to my grandmother and my uncle who passed away during the production of this chapter. Farewell, I love you.
The Reunion part 6
Shinji woke up that morning with what felt like a weight on his arm. His arm was numb and the fact that he couldn't move it led him to believe that blood circulation and been cut for some time. Looking at his arm, he smiled as Mana appeared before him. Shinji examined her face and realised that she was drooling slightly. Now most people would consider this to be disgusting, but to Shinji, it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. Mana adjusted herself in her sleep and brought her cheek to rest on his shoulder, as well as hold him tighter.
"Isn't she beautiful, Shi..." she mumbled in her sleep. Shinji smiled at her. He couldn't help but smile.
"Who?" Shinji whispered into her ear.
"Our little girl." she responded.
Shinji smiled at the thought of seeing his daughter. He looked at his alarm clock. 9 AM is what it read.
'OH SHIT!!!' was the first thing that ran through his mind when he saw his clock. The second thing that crossed his mind was that today was the day he had the graveyard shift so he relaxed. Mana chose that moment to wake up.
"Good morning, Shinji" she said with a kiss. He responded enthusiastically by wrapping his arms around her waist and deepening the kiss. "Good morning to you too, Mana." he replied as he broke the kiss. "Have any dreams last night?"
"I had a wonderful one last night. We were married and we were on a picnic and our daughter was playing in a field chasing after butterflies. She was so kawaii." Mana said smiling.
"I'm sure she would be. I mean, she IS our daughter." he replied. "Mana, do you have work today?"
"No. Why?"
"It's 9 AM and you'd be so late right now." Mana looked at the clock.
"Ohhhh" she groaned.
"I have an idea. Why don't you get washed and I'll make breakfast." Shinji suggested.
"That souns nice. I got a better idea. How about you make breakfast, I stay here and you get me when breakfast is ready." she suggested.
"I guess I can't win this battle so you stay here and I'll make breakfast." he said, getting up out of bed.
"I'll have sausage and eggs." Mana called out as he left for the kitchen.
"Alright." he responded. Five minutes later, Shinji returned, saying "Wake up, Mana. Breakfast is ready."
"jus five more minutes, mom." she sleepily responded. To this, Shinji did something very sneaky.
Shinji quickly ripped the pillow out from Mana's head and shook her awake.
"Alright, Shinji! I'm up! I'M UP!" she cried. "What do you want Shinji?"
"Your breakfast is ready now Mana." Shinji said. "You eat and I'll get washed, alright?"
"Okay. I'll get up now." and with that, she rose out of bed.
About ten minutes later, Shinji emerged from the shower to find that Mana had finished her breakfast. After getting dressed, he joined her in the kitchen and sat down.
"Mana, next Thursday you won't be able to reach me because I'm going up to visit my mothers grave."
"I understand, Shinji. This is important to you." she said.
"You are welcome to come with me. I think that my mother would like to meet you." he stated placing his hand over hers. As Shinji leaned in for a kiss, the telophone rang. Groaning, he rose to answer it.
"Ikair residence. Shinji speaking." Shinji suddenly gained a serious look on his face.
"Are you sure? How long until it reaches land?"
"What's wrong Shinji?" Mana worriedly asked.
"There's a situation. Mana I want you to get dressed and get to a shelter as soon as you can. I'm leaving for the Geofront right now. I want to be breifed on the situation as soon as I arrive." Shinji hung up the phone after that.
"Mana, I need you to get to a shelter as soon as you get dressed. Mana, don't argue with me. Just do it." Shinji said with an unnerving coldness that Mana had only seen when he talked about his father. Mana knew enough to agree with Shinji when he spoke like that.
"Okay Shinji. I'll be out of here in about ten minutes." she said as she headed to gather her clothing. At that moment, the dredded sirens screamed to life, filling all who heard the cry with unsettling fear. As she hurried about, Shinji left to go to NERV.
Five minutes later he was in his car, turning the ignition. A few short minutes later, he was on the road and on his way to NERV.
A short while later...
"What's the status of the target?" Shinji asked Kensuke.
"It's steadily moving toward Tokyo-3 in an easterly direction. We first found the target about five miles offshore of China."
"If it appeared so close to China, why didn't the Hong Kong branch notify us about this?" asked Marie, Twelfth Child.
"Maybe they sent it to kill us intentionally." claimed Patrick, Child number six.
"Well anyway, whatever it is, it's on it's way here." Kensuke said. "Maya, do we know what the blood pattern is?"
At this point, Maya stood up to deliver what to the pilots what little she knew. "Five minutes after finding the target, we identified the trajectory and the blood pattern. We confirmed it's heading and we'll all need to be ready when it's knocking at our door. The blood pattern...is orange."
"You mean it's an Eva?" Asuka asked incredulously.
"That is what it appears to be." Maya responded.
"How long until it gets here?" Nikolai asked.
"From all estimates, it will arrive in about five minutes." Kensuke stated.
"Alright, let's get to work. I want everyone in their Eva's and ready to launch in four minutes. Let's get moving." Shinji commanded.
Four minutes later, everyone was in their Evas, ready to launch. Misato would be commanding this operation because Kensuke didn't have enough experience commanding actual battles. "Kensuke, are the Evas ready to launch?" she asked.
"Yes, Commander. All Evas are ready to launch on command. Just say the word." he responded.
"Evas Launch!" Misato shouted.
All the Evas rocketed toward the surface to face this unknown foe. Upon reaching the sufrace, everyone grabbed a weapon. Shinji went for a progressive katana sword, Asuka grabbed a progressive lance, and Rei equiped herself with a heavy pallet gun. The other pilots opted for either their progressive knives or a pallet gun. About 30 seconds later, the enemy arrived.
"IT'S AN EVA!" Asuka cried. Indeed, it was an Eva. An MP Eva was standing in the middle of Tokyo-3. Carrying an unknown weapon, it was a rather imposing sight. The only distinguishing mark on it was a red flag design on the right chest plate. Suddenly, there was a message sent from the opposing Eva.
"I am Michael Chang of the Peoples Republic of China. You are to surrender Evangelion units 00, 01, and 02, and you will evacuate and surrender the Geofront. Failure to comply will result in the annihilation of all the Eva units." he said as his image appeared on the monitor.
"Just how do you plan to defeat us?" Shinji questioned.
"With this." And with that, the MP Eva reached fo rone of it's progressive knives. He threw the knife directly at Unit 01.
"Unit 01 is injured!" Hyuuga claimed.
"Entry plug has been breached!" Aoba reported.
"Pilot life signs failing!" Maya cried as Unit 01 fell backwards.
"Give him a heart massage!" Ritsuko ordered.
FWOOM
"No response!" Maya said.
"Again!" said Ritsuko.
FWOOM
"No response!" Maya said.
"AGAIN!"
FWOOM
"He's stabilized." Maya said.
"All Evas ATTACK!" Misato ordered and every Eva unit launched an all-out attack on the Chinese Eva. The battle was over before it really began. After recovering Shinji from the entry plug, the recovery team noticed a large gash along the side of his head and another gash on his chest. The team quickly got him to the medical ward in the geofront.
Some time later...
"How bad is he Ritsuko?" Misato said, looking very worried about her former room-mate.
"Three broken ribs, and a punctured lung. He's in a coma. We don't know when or if he will ever come out of it. I'm sorry Misato, but you should go home. I'm sure your children are worried about you. I'll get Section 2 security to bring Mana here. She can watch over him for you, if it will make you feel better."
"Yeah, it would make me feel better, but there are some more things to get done with, like interrogating that Eva pilot. Bye Ritsuko." she said as she walked away. As Misato walked away, Ritsuko wheeled herself over to a phone and picked up the reciever.
"Section 2, there is a young woman named Mana Kirashima in one of the shelters. Commander Katsuragi has ordered that Miss Kirashima be brought to the medical ward." She hung up the phone and wheeled over to Shinji's bedside. "Get better soon, Shinji. We all need you."
In the darkness that was Shinji's mind, he could see nothing, except the place where he was standing.
"Is anyone there?" Shinji heard a sound, not unlike the sound of a heavy-duty light switch being turned. He turned to where the sound had emanated from. "Who are you?" Shinji asked to the young man standing in another collumn of light.
"Hello Mr. Ikari. I was sent by the man upstairs to review your file and pass judgement on you."
"What do I call you?" Shinji timidly asked.
"You can call me whatever you want, but I prefer to be adressed as Peter. Please, have a seat." Peter said motioning to a table and two chairs that had suddenly appeared between them. Peter walked over to one chair and Shinji to the other chair.
Setting down at the table, Peter produced a file about half-an-inch thick that had the words 'S. Ikari' printed on the front. Shinji sat down as Peter opened the file and started flipping through the file. Spending about a minute on each page, Peter was done reading the file in about 2 hours.
"Well, all that seems to be in order," Peter stated after closing the file, "All that's needed to do now is deliberate on this. I'll be back with the decision as soon as the judgement is made." After all that was said, the light that he was in disappeared. Shinji Ikari, the Third Child and Vice-Commander of NERV, was all alone in the darkness.
A young woman, escorted by two older men in dark suits, walked through the medical ward to the front desk. "Shinji Ikari, please."
"One minute please." replied the receptionist. She picked up the telophone reciever and dialed a number. "Dr. Akagi, Miss Kirashima has just arrived. Yes, I'll tell her. She'll be waiting here for you." The receptionnist hung up the reciever. and turned to Mana. "Doctor Akagi will be here shortly to show you to Vice-Commander Ikari's room. Just have a seat and she will be with you soon." Mana sat down with a worried expression on her face, thoughts running through her head. 'How badly is he hurt?Is he going to make it?What'll happen if he dies?I don't want to think about that.' were what she was thinking of in that chair.
Five minutes later, Ritsuko arrived in the room Mana was watitng in. With her sights on Mana, she wheeled herself over to the distraught young woman. "Miss Kirashima?"
Mana turned her head to the new voice. "Yes?"
"I'm Ritsuko Akagi, Shinji's physician. I was the one that had you brought here."
"How is he?Is he alright?"
"Mana, please come with me. I'll take you to Shinji." Mana rose out of her seat and followed Ritsuko. For five minutes, Ritsuko led Mana to where Shinji lay on his back. Mana just about burst into tears upon seeing her fiancee laid out like this.
Rushing to his side, Mana burst into tears then. "What happened to him?"
"There was a battle. The weapon the enemy used pierced the Eva and breached the entry plug."
"Is he going to live?"
"Mana, I won't lie to you. He's in a coma. His wounds will heal, but we don't know if he will come out of it. You're welcome to stay here with him until he wakes up."
"I-I-I'l do that. Thank you." said Mana as she laid her head down on Shinji's bed. She remained that way for the rest of the day.
"I'm back with the decision, Shinji, but i'ts really interesting." said Peter after he arrived.
"What's the word, Peter?"
"Well, here's the thing. You were put on this earth to do one thing: prevent Third Impact. Normally, when something like this happens you go straight to heaven. The man upstairs has decided that you get a choice: go to heaven or remain on earth, but this is the only time that you will be given this choice. Well, what's your choice, Mr. Ikari?"
Shinji thought about that question for a while, and he made his decision.
Mana was roused from her sleep by the rythmic beeping of the ECG that was hooked up to Shinji. Looking at the monitor, she noticed that it was beeping faster than normal, but paid it no mind. Remembering why she was here, Mana looked up to Shinji's face, to find him smiling at her.
"SHINJI!" she exclaimed as she embraced him in a passionate kiss. Shinji returned her kiss with equal fervor.
"Mana, I love you," he said weakly, breaking off the kiss. "Ouch!" he responded to her hug.
"I was so worried about you. We all were."
"I'm sure you were, Mana. What happened to me?"
"I'll get Doctor Akagi. She can tell you better than I can." Mana walked to the door just as a nurse walked by. "Uh, miss... could you get Doctor Akagi to come to Shinji's room?"
"Of course." The nurse walked off to get the good doctor.
"Mana, how long was I out?" Shinji called.
"I don't know. A few hours I guess."
"Can you do something for me, Mana?"
"Anything."
"When Ritsuko gets here, can you find the pastor for me?"
"Uhh... sure Shinji." she said not knowing what exactly he wanted the pastor for. At that moment, Ritsuko decided to roll herself into the doorway.
"Shinji, you're awake!"
"I just woke up." he replied.
"Shinji, I'll go find him now." Mana said as she left.
"So, Ritsuko, how long was I out?"
"About 24 hours."
"I know that I got hurt in the fight. How bad are my injuries?"
"Three broken ribs. The damage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Thank God you didn't sustain a concussion. You might have died."
"Do you know when I'll be able to get out of here?"
"Tomorrow." she replied.
"What happened to the white Eva?"
"The pilot is being interrogated. All that's left of the Eva is the entry plug."
Their conversation continued in this general direction untill Mana returned, pastor in tow, about ten minutes later.
"You wanted to see me, Shinji?"
"Oh, yes Father Mackenzie." Shinji replied. Father Patrick Mackenzie was by no means a young man. He was in his late 60's, portly, and had a bad comb-over. But he always made time for anyone who asked.
"Father, if it's not to much of a problem, I'd like to get married now." It took that simple sentence to elicit a squeal of shock from his fiancee.
"Are you sure about this, Shinji? Marriage is a big step."
"I know, but this is for my peace of mind, not because I want to get this over with as soon as I can. This is going to be something to make me feel better, not a real wedding."
"Allright. I'll do it. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to join Shinji and..."
"Mana" she filled in for the elderly man.
"in holy matrimony. Do you Shinji promise to love and cherish Mana and forsake all others for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Shinji replied confidently.
"And do you Mana, promise to love and cherish Shinji and forsake all others for as long as you both shall live?"
"Yes." she replied.
"I pronounce you both man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Shinji and Mana embraced each other in a passionate kiss. They would have gone much, much further if Ritsuko hadn't cleared her throat at that moment. The both of them looked sheepishly at the doctor then.
"I know that both of you are eager to get on to the wedding night, but Shinji's ribs need to finish healing, so try to control your horomones untill the real wedding. You might want to get some more rest now, Shinji." she said pointing to the setting sun.
"Don't worry Mana. I'm getting out tomorrow. I'll be fine until then. We can wait for the real wedding." Mana leaned in to kiss him, and continued to do so for a good while. Reluctantly, she broke away.
"I'll be here to get you out tomorrow. Be good until then." she said and walked away.
After she left the room, Ritsuko spoke, "I'll be back tomorrow to do your release examination. Until then, sleep tight. Good night, Shinji."
"Good night, Ritsuko." he replied as she wheeled herself out the door. After the door was closed and the lights turned out, he leaned back to sleep and dream of a bright future for him and Mana.
I want to talk to all you who told me to stop this fic just because it had Mana in it. FUCK YOU!!! I have found only one other fic that had a Shinji/Mana pairing in it and people like you made my friend R.J. Shino cry because your flames were so mean! Your flames will only keep me warm in winter! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
