Disclaimer: Gainax owns NGE, in case you didn't know.
Near the city limits of
Tokyo-2, a woman wandered into
the streets. Her eyes surveyed the empty
street before
drifting to a printout she held tightly in her left hand. On
the
paper were various names and addresses. And attached
to it with a
paperclip, there was a copy of a photograph of
a young man of twenty years.
The photo became more
visible as the morning's light peeked over the city's
buildings. She looked at the picture of the brown-haired,
blue-eyed man
fondly before continuing deeper into the
city.
It had been more than five
years since the end of the
Angel War, as people all over the world liked to
call it.
Everyone in the world knew of how NERV came under
attack a
while after the destruction of Evangelion Unit-00.
And the decent of the
nine mass produced Evangelions.
At first, the invasion of
NERV came easily for the
JSSDF. As NERV was made up mainly of technicians,
few
of the employees had any real experience with combat
situations such
as that. Things looked grim for NERV. Until
the red Evangelion Unit-02 rose
from one of the lakes.
Unit-02 moved slowly,
deliberately. It took out whatever
military opposition that dared stood in
its way.
Then... The Eva Series
dropped from the sky. Nine
massive white robots, each with an evil grin set
on their
gruesome faces. They each held a bladed weapon of
some sort.
They all took a few moments to circle and
consider the red Unit-02 before
touching down.
Unit-02 was
obviously outmatched, and its power cable
had been severed already. That
gave it only a few minutes
of energy. But, it rose to the challenge. It
swiftly took care
of the first few Mass Produced Evangelions. It fought on
valiantly, but was felled by a weapon that tore through its
seemingly
unbreakable barrier, known only as an AT-Field.
The weapon was stopped at
first, but then it started to shift
and morph. Its new form sliced through
the AT Field and
pierced the head of the Eva, clean through its right set of
eyes. Soon after, its power reserves gave out and it fell
limply being
held above the ground by the weapon that
went so smoothly through its
head.
Then, the unthinkable. The
defeated MP Evas rose and
took to the sky.
Through a sheer show of will
the downed Unit-02
began to move again. It started to reach up to the
airborne
Evas, but was met with eight spears. They skewered the
Eva
through the stomach.
To assure the incapacitation
of Unit-02, the MP Evas
descended upon the vanquished mecha. They viciously
tore it apart using their jaws.
It seemed that NERV had breathed its last.
Just after the Eva Series
had finished their meal, the
purple Evangelion Unit-01 rose from the ruins
of the NERV
pyramid. Its eyes glowed with an unholy light. It looked
very much the demon fresh from hell. It let out an
anguished howl as it
spied the remains of Unit-02 being
carted off by two of the white MP Evas.
That is, until all the
Evas turned their attention to Unit-01. The two
carrying
Unit-02 discarded it without a second thought. With a
splash,
it landed in the lake. With a mighty roar Unit-01
grew wings of pure energy and
took flight. And so began
the gruesome battle.
The woman shuddered as she
recalled the battle. She
saw the publicized tapes that were scraped together
from
footage from the NERV camera towers that managed to
stay standing.
The fight was unnervingly one-sided.
Unit-01 literally tore the Eva Series
apart. Many people,
including herself, weren't able to watch the entire
recording
the whole way through without throwing up. But, the most
awe-inspiring part of the video was what happened
afterwards. As soon as
the fight ended, the second the last
white Evangelion hit the ground,
Unit-01 dove for the lake.
It came up a minute later, cradling a white
cylindrical
object. The bio-mecha that seemed so violent, so driven by
bloodlust, held the tube with the same gentleness that a
child would
hold a little butterfly. With the utmost care, the
giant robot set it down.
The Evangelion then laid on its side
as a similar tube slid out of its back.
Out came Shinji Ikari,
Third Children, pilot of Evangelion Unit-01, champion
of the
human race. He ran for the tube that lay on the ground.
After the
boy opened the access hatch, he stayed there for
the two hours it took for
help to arrive.
For the first few
months after, Shinji Ikari became a
household name. Everyone knew the savior
of the world,
destroyer of Angels. But, for the most part, Shinji tried to
shy away from the limelight. Soon after, SEELE had been
found out as the
conspirators behind the Eva Series and
had been accused of trying to
initiate Third Impact.
Chairman Lorenz Keel and the other members of SEELE
were arrested and sentenced to life of imprisonment.
As for NERV, it was
disbanded. Many of the remaining
NERV employees escaped the hectic life of
the military
and found new callings. Everything having to do NERV
and
the Evas were destroyed, save the MAGI computer
system. NERV Commander,
Gendo Ikari, was never seen
again.
The First Children, Rei
Ayanami, was officially declared
dead. Killed in the battle with the
Sixteenth Angel. Though,
someone matching her description had been known to
have been seen around the rebuilt Tokyo-3, living with
former NERV tech,
Maya Ibuki.
The Second Children, Asuka
Langely Sohryu, was in a
coma for months after the final
battle.
The Third Children, Shinji
Ikari, disappeared from
Tokyo-3 after the uproar of the averted Third Impact
subsided and he'd attended the obligatory news
conferences and suffered
through various interviews.
The woman smiled at the
memories of the broadcasts
she'd seen. Shinji had looked so nervous. She
would have
been able to tell the Shinji would've given anything to be
somewhere else, even if she hadn't known him so well.
She took another glance at
the picture attached to her
printout. The cute boy she had known, so many
years ago
was no longer cute. He was downright handsome. The
curves of
his face had taken on harder edges, but only
served to reflect the maturity
that one could've already
sees in his weathered eyes. She'd never told him
that,
though, she just liked being with him. A tear came to her
eye as
old memories flooded her mind. They all went back
to one person.
"Shinji-kun..."
[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]
Shinji Ikari groaned
as he reached out to shut off the
alarm at his bedside. Slowly, made his way
out of bed and
into the shower.
He never took baths
anymore. Despite what his old
guardian said about baths cleansing the mind
and soul, he
couldn't do it. His mind wandered while he was in the bath,
to memories of his past. Before, his mind was only plagued
with the pain
of being abandoned by his father, or the loss
of his mother. Now, in his
mind's eye, he saw death. The
death of Rei Ayanami, the enigma the
constantly eluded
him, because she vowed to protect him. The death of
Kaworu Nagisa, one of the few people that loved him,
because he had to
die to spare the human race. And the
death of Misato Katsuragi, the woman
who filled the hole
left by his mother's passing, because he needed the
chance to get to his Evangelion.
He also saw pain
while sitting in the warmth of a bath.
He saw the girl who he knew as Rei
Ayanami, yet, at the
same time, wasn't Rei. He remembered all the bodies
dissolving in the LCL as it turned blood red. He saw Mana
Kirishima, the
girl who he pondered the fate of, every day.
He also saw the unmoving body
of Asuka Langely Sohryu,
as he opened the hatch to her entry plug. And he
heard
the venomous words she had said after she came out of
her coma and
found out that he had succeeded where she
had failed. After that, he had
left. He didn't give his former
teammates so much as a goodbye. Luckily, it
had been
well after the last battle and the following excitement had
dwindled down, for the most part. Not many questions had
been raised
about him wanting to leave the epicenter of
such horrid events. As it should
have been.
He had been the
savior of the world, but he sure didn't
feel like it. Now, the only person
he could really talk to was
his boss, Hikari Horaki. Hikari co-owned and
operated her
own restaurant and bar, where he worked as a cook and
waiter and partly owned, as well. He also helped out in the
bar once in
a while.
After he left
Tokyo-3, Shinji moved into an apartment in
Tokyo-2. He paid for the
apartment and high school with
money he'd received from the TV appearances,
interviews,
public appearances, and a book about all the former NERV
workers that he had contributed to. He most definitely
didn't like going
through all that, but he appreciated having
the money. All the publicity
made him very popular, people
who came by the restaurant still
stopped to say 'thanks for
saving the world.'
On the first day of
classes, he had found out that Hikari
and Toji were also going to the same
school, and that they
were finally going out. But, by the time high school
was
through, Toji and Hikari had broken up. Toji never got over
his
artificial limbs, and said that Hikari deserved better. He
went on to be a
salaryman for a company in Tokyo-2.
Hikari was heartbroken, but tried her
best to work past it.
She went on to a culinary school in hopes to become a
chef. And Shinji went to college, though he really never
saw the point.
He wanted to be prepared, just in case.
A few years passed.
Shinji and Hikari met again. She
was stuck as a cook for a local café that
Shinji happened
to come across. They spoke with each other about the
years that passed and Hikari mentioned wanting to open
her own
restaurant. Shinji was more than happy to give her
the money to get her
started, having nothing to do with it,
in any case.
Shinji smiled at the
memories of high school and his
friendship with Hikari. Now, he didn't have
much of all that
money left, but what he got from being part owner of the
restaurant was plenty, even if Hikari remained the person
in charge. He
got out of the shower and toweled off. A few
minutes later, he was changed
and out the door. As he left
the apartment building, he took a breath of the
summer air
and started off for work. He didn't notice the woman that
had
just turned onto the block from the opposite direction.
[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]
The woman walked
along the sidewalk, counting off
building numbers. She let out an excited
breath as she
finally reached the first address on her list. It was Shinji's
current known address. She looked at the paper again.
Apartment
585... She walked into the building and headed
right for the
stairs.
She tried to picture
the look on his face when he saw
her. She shivered as she imagined him
overcoming his
shock to take her in his arms. She'd waited for so long to
see him again and that moment was so close, she could feel
it at the core of
her very being.
As soon as she got
to the fifth floor, she broke off into a
run. She sped through the halls,
scanning the number on
each door as she passed. Eventually she got to number
585.
Her hand trembled as
it raised up to the door. She
could feel her heart start to race as she
knocked. Once.
Twice. Three times. She waited nervously for the man she
wanted to see so much answer the door. Seconds passed,
then a minute,
then two. "He is not home..." She
whispered, obviously
disappointed.
She shook off the
lethargy of the disappointment and
thought for a moment. After weighing the
possibilities, she
came up with the most likely explanation. Work. He
must
be heading for work. She scanned her list for Shinji's
known
workplace and was gone moments later.
[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]
"Ohayō gozaimasu,
Ikari-san!" (Good morning, Mr.
Ikari!)
"Ohayō,
Kasumi-chan." (Morning, Kasumi.) Shinji
answered the young waitress, who
blushed a bit in return.
She was working there in preparation for college
She was
only fifteen. Shinji thought her to be a nice girl, but she
held
him in too high of a regard. "And call me Shinji.
Please?"
"Hai, Ikari-san."
(Yes, Mr. Ikari.) She gave a short bow
and walked off to finish preparing
for the morning.
Shinji sighed as he
watched Kasumi continue to take
the chairs from the tabletops and place them
on the floor.
He shook his head. She'll never
change...
He remembered when
she'd first come to work at the
restaurant. She was a fresh, young,
bright-eyed student
who was looking for a job to help ease the financial
burden
that college would have had on her parents. Her sunny
disposition
had been contagious. He noticed how Hikari,
their other two waitresses,
Ayaka and Reiko, and even he,
himself, had become a little more upbeat just
by being in
such constant contact with the lively young woman.
Eventually, he and the rest of the staff grew very fond of
the
girl.
Shinji sighed. He
had been asking her to call him Shinji
every morning for the last two weeks,
but she plainly
refused to do so. A memory from little more than a month
prior flashed in his mind. A smile crept onto his face. At
least it's
better than 'Ikari-sama'... He allowed himself a
small chuckle as he
went over to the kitchen.
"Hey, Hikari."
Hikari looked up
from the chopping and turned around
to acknowledge him. "Hi, Shinji." She
answered with a
cheerful smile before getting back to her vegetables,
preparing for the usual morning orders.
Shinji grabbed an
apron from a hook near the door. He
went to the refrigerator to get a few
ingredients ready as
well. "How was your date last
night?"
"I-It was fine." She
answered, the knife in her hand
hovering a few centimeters from the chopping
block. A
blush quickly spread through her face.
Shinji spared a
glance to his partner. "That good, huh?"
He teased.
"Be quiet, you."
Hikari sent him a glare like the old days
as the Inchou (Class
Representative) of class 2-A. Shinji
just started to laugh. "Why are you in
such a good mood
today?" She asked with a pout.
"I don't know." He shrugged. "Just feel
like today's
going to be a good day, I guess."
The kitchen door
swung open, revealing a
lavender-haired woman. "Reporting in, boss." She
said
simply. "Reiko, too."
"Alright, Ayaka."
Hikari answered. "Then we'll open up
as soon as you two are
ready."
"One more thing."
"Yes?"
"Someone's here to see Ikari."
Shinji turned his
head from the pot he was taking out.
"Me?"
"Yeah."
Taking off the
apron, he started for the door. Shinji
didn't bother to ask Ayaka for any
more information. She
was a woman of few words and wouldn't give him any if
she didn't deem it necessary, whether he was his
employee or not. But,
she was a dependable worker and
someone he could
trust.
Shinji looked out in
the dining area. Sure enough, there
was a man there. Kasumi was asking him
if he'd rather sit
and wait. Seeing Shinji's approach, the man shook his
head 'no.'
"You Shinji Ikari?" The man asked gruffly.
Shinji stepped up to
the man. "Yes." He caught a
glimpse of movement as the man reared back and
let his
fist fly. His head snapped to the side as the blow
connected
with his jaw.
"Ikari-san!" Kasumi
cried out as Shinji hit the floor. She
was at his side in the same moment.
As Shinji looked up,
he noticed Ayaka and Reiko had also stepped in between
him and the man with no hesitation.
"Get. Out." Ayaka
said behind clenched teeth. She sent
a deadly glare to the offender. Shinji
saw that she was
slightly shaking from suppressed
rage.
"Now." Reiko added
coldly, with an underlying fury in
her eyes behind her calm demeanor. She
set her feet and
raised her hands to a ready position.
Shinji glanced
between the two women, then at the girl
beside him. He wondered, not for the
first time, how he'd
gotten such good friends.
The man pondered his
situation. He'd laid out his target
and was more than willing to continue.
But, in his way was
an innocent and caring girl cradling him and two women
standing in between ready to defend him. How naïve of
them.
Protecting such a man. The first looked angry
enough to take on a small
army. The other had a passive
anger and had fallen into a combat-ready
stance. He
weighed his options and took a course of
action.
Neither woman said
anything as the man turned and
left. They didn't ask why he had done that.
They already
knew. There were plenty of cultists out there that were
angry with NERV and it pilots for killing 'God's
messengers.'
Reiko went to the
kitchen to get Hikari while Ayaka got
some ice from the
bar.
"Are you okay,
Ikari-san?" Kasumi asked. She put
Shinji's head on her lap as she probe his
jaw to see how
badly he was hurt.
Shinji blushed at
the position they were in. "I'll be fine."
He answered, looking at the
younger woman's
amber-colored eyes. She turned away,
embarrassed.
Kasumi developed her
own blush as she, too, noticed
what she was doing. "I just wish people
wouldn't do that."
She said, bringing her gaze back Shinji's face.
"Messengers of God, or not. If it wasn't for you there
wouldn't be
anyone left..."
Shinji was about to
say something to the girl, but was
cut off by a yell in the kitchen.
"What!?" The door flew open
as Hikari stormed into the dining area. Her
worry was
clearly etched on her features. "Are you
okay?"
Shinji groaned as he
lifted his head from Kasumi's lap.
"Yeah, but I guess the day isn't as good
as I thought it
would be." He said ironically.
Hikari giggled at
his statement as Ayaka came back
with a bag of ice. "Here." She said simply,
tossing the ice
pack at him.
Shinji caught it and
placed it against his jaw. "Thanks."
The woman nodded and went back what she
was doing.
As did Reiko.
"Shinji-kun. I think
you should take the day off." Said
Hikari.
Shinji knew that he
shouldn't argue. Whenever she
added the '-kun' to his name, it meant she had
her mind
made up. It would have been an exercise in futility to
convince
her to let him work. "Okay. But I think I'll go to the
park, or something,
before I head home."
"Alright. And,
remember I'm coming over tonight to go
over this month's numbers with you."
Hikari went back to
the kitchen after Shinji nodded his
acknowledgement.
Kasumi lingered a
moment. "See you tomorrow,
Ikari-san." She uttered before returning to
work.
"Yeah." Shinji answered before leaving.
[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]
The woman let out a
thankful breath as she neared the
restaurant. She couldn't find the place
for the life of her.
What should have been a twenty minute walk took more
than an hour.
She took a deep
breath and went through the front
door. The morning crowd was already in,
and the place
looked busy. She took an empty table near the kitchen
door.
A young girl with
brownish, red hair and amber eyes
approached her. "Welcome." She said
cheerfully. "I don't
think I've seen you around here before... My name's
Kasumi, I'll be your server this morning. What would you
like? One of
our cooks is out today, so it'll take longer than
usual
to-"
"Actually," The
woman interrupted as she took out her
picture. "I'm looking for this man."
She said holding it out
so the waitress could see.
The teenager glanced
at the photo. Her eyes narrowed
as her gaze was trained on the woman. "What
do you want
with Ikari-san?" She asked accusingly.
The woman's eyes
widened at the girl's tone. She
steeled herself as she answered the girl's
inquiry. "I just
want to see him, is all. It has been years since I've
spoken
to him last."
"Oh." Kasumi
blushed, clearly embarrassed by her
behavior. "Ikari-san is the cook that's
out today. He took a
personal day."
The woman sighed. "Do you know where he might be?"
Kasumi thought for a
minute. "I think he said that he
was going to walk in the park. I'll make
sure." She turned
towards the kitchen and raised her voice. "Hikari-san?
Where did Ikari-san say he was going?"
Hikari popped her
head out of the kitchen door. "He
was going to the park.
Why?"
"Because, there's a
lady here who-" Kasumi turned to
find the chair empty. "Where?" She looked
up to find the
woman's figure heading for the door. "There." She pointed
in the woman's direction.
Hikari watched the
retreating figure. A spark of
recognition flashed in her eyes. "Isn't that-"
She shook her
head. "It couldn't be..."
[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]
Shinji smiled as he
watched the kids play in the
playground. He was seated on a bench at the
park in the
middle of Tokyo-2. Leaning back, Shinji closed his eyes
and
turned his face skywards. Sounds of children's
laughter rang in his ears.
They were such innocent and
happy sounds.
But, they only
reminded him of his own childhood.
Shinji violently shook his head, refusing
to dwell on such
painful memories. He'd come so far from the lonely and
depressed boy he once was.
Hadn't he?
Of course. He had
good friends now. Happy memories
to help fight back the bad
ones.
But...
He felt like
something was missing. Someone to share
his heart with. He'd long since
gotten past his fear of
getting close to people, for the most part. He was
still shy
about things like talking to women, or dating. But, it was
easier to open up, to be prepared for the possibility.
He thought back to
his times back in Tokyo-3. The
times at the start of his time in the school
when a girl
would, once in a while, flirt with him. It overwhelmed him,
even if it was only because he was a pilot.
He recalled his
times with Rei, before the Sixteenth.
She had mysterious aura about her. It
mixed well with her
beautiful face and soft, though cold, voice. He used to
be
able to picture himself with her, until that day. He had
begun to
fear her for her origins that day. But, following his
move to Tokyo-2, he'd
thought about it more. He slowly
started to see her more as family. Before
long, he
whispered his apology to the winds hoping it would reach
her
beyond the grave. He also thought about sending a
letter to the other Rei,
but knew she would just be
confused by it.
He remembered his
times with Mana, the beautiful spy
from the military who had fallen in love
with him. Through
all the happy memories of the vivacious, energetic girl,
one
memory that stuck out in his mind. His father's order to
have her
turned over to the military after she'd been found
out. It served to
compound on Shinji's hatred of his father.
He never knew what happened to
Mana or her partner,
Musashi, after the detonation of the N2 Bomb. He
reminisced about how she'd be around often. And he
remembered how she
felt when he wasn't able to see her
anymore. But, he knew, somehow, that she
was alive and
well somewhere. 'Matte iru yo.' The last words between
them reverberated in his thoughts. 'I will wait for
you.'
He considered his
times with Asuka, as well, even if
most of the best times were when she'd
insult him rather
than hit him. Despite her arrogance, some of her words
rang true. She was one of the prettiest girls in Tokyo-3. He
recalled some of the other nicknames she'd picked up
other than 'Demon'
from Toji and Kensuke. 'The Foreign
Fireball,' 'The Red-haired Beauty,' and
'The Goddess of
Flame.' He thought about what life would've been like if
they'd ended up together. But, those visions were
squashed that day in
the hospital...
Shinji was broken
from his reverie when something hit
his leg. He looked down at his feet to
find a soccer ball.
A voice rang out
after he had picked it up. "Hey, Mister!
Can you throw that ball over
here?"
Shinji smiled at the
child as he did so. He watched the
kids back and forth for a while, before
looking at his watch.
It was getting late. The sun was getting ready to set.
Shinji
couldn't believe how long he'd been in the park. He got
himself
together and headed for home.
Thirty minutes
later, Shinji was in his living room. The
sun had set and he was going to go
stargazing on the roof
of his building. So, he was writing a note to Hikari,
in case
she came while he was gone. He knew that most likely that
most
of the patrons of the restaurant would be making their
way to the bar to
watch some sporting event, or other on
TV. Hikari would be free to close up
the restaurant then.
'On the roof' was all the note said. He left his
apartment,
sticking the note on his door on the way
out.
[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]
The woman let out an
exasperated breath as she
plopped down on a bench in the park. The place was
a lot
bigger than she thought. She had spent hours going
around showing
people Shinji's picture. Of course
everyone knew who it was, they
just didn't know where he
was at the moment.
It had gotten dark a
while ago and the only ones left in
the park were parents who were
collecting their children
from the playground in front of her and couples
seeking
privacy in a far too public place. She looked away from
those
benches in disgust. But, of course, she wouldn't
have any aversions to doing
that with Shinji on one of
these benches. She felt heat flash in her cheeks
as
intimate scenes played unhindered through her mind.
Maybe, I should
try his apartment again... She
thought
to herself. The decision was made a split second after the
thought hit her conscious mind. And she was off.
Eighteen minutes
later, the woman reached the
apartment building, breathing heavily. She took
two more
minutes to calm herself before she made for the
stairs.
She saw a note stuck
on his door as she approached.
What would Shinji-kun be doing on the
roof? It can't be
that. His psyche profile does not show any tendencies
toward that sort of behavior anymore. She kept her
ruminations away
from more morbid thoughts as she
started climbing the stairs again. She
quickened her pace
as she got higher. Because I'm excited to see
him... She
told herself.
[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]=======[ ]
Shinji leaned back
against the railing on the roof of the
building. The stars were slowly
appearing one by one.
Shining against the blanket of darkness. Shinji knew
it
wouldn't last long, though. It wouldn't be long until the
lights of
the city came on. But still, it was his favorite part of
living in Tokyo-2.
It always took a while after sunset for the
city lights to come on. There
was always just enough time
to appreciate the natural lights of the sky
before the
man-made lights of the city drowned them
out.
'Man fears the
darkness. And so he scratches away at
the edges of it with
fire.' Shinji turned around and
grinned
as he recalled the words that Rei had said that night after
he,
Asuka, and Rei defeated the Ninth Angel. It was one of
the more pleasant
memories between himself and his
fellow pilots. He smiled as he looked out
into the city.
Hmm, Hikari was right. I am in a good mood today.
Though, I can't see why I should be...
Shinji was so inured
in his thoughts, he didn't notice
the nearby door open. A woman stepped out
onto the roof,
panting. She stepped forward silently, disbelieving. Shinji
remained unaware as she reached out with a quivering
hand towards him.
She stopped a hair's breadth away from
the man she'd sought out for the
longest time. Taking a
calming breath, she took a step back and wet her
lips.
"Shinji-kun?" She whispered.
Shinji's head
snapped up at the ghost of a voice.
Slowly, he craned his head around. When
his midnight
blue eyes met the eyes of the woman who had spoken his
name
so softly. Most of the woman's features were
engulfed in shadow, but the
soft moonlight highlighted her
mahogany hair. Seconds passed as the light
slowly played
across her face, eventually coming to accentuate the
turquoise color of her eyes. His breathing became rapid as
recognition
flared in his mind. Those eyes, he froze as he
looked into the eyes he had
once thought, a long time ago,
he wouldn't be able to see again. As his lips
started to
move, he found that his mind had locked up. "M-Ma-" He
was
able to get out before his knees gave way. Their eyes
remained fixed on each
other as Shinji hit the ground. The
woman looked at him expectantly. He
rushed his brain out
of its stupor and forced it to relearn how to speak.
"M-Mana?"
Ecstatic, Mana flung
herself at Shinji, throwing away
her fantasies of him taking her in his
arms, and wrapped
her arms around his neck. "Shinji!" Her vision blurred as
tears came to her eyes. She'd waited years for this
moment, she could
hardly believe it. Her arms tightened
around Shinji, as if to keep him from
leaving her.
Leaving was the
farthest thing from Shinji's mind at that
moment. But, millions of questions
flooded through his
mind. He placed his hands on her shoulders and
reluctantly pushed away from her. She gave him a fearful
look as he rose
with a confused expression. "But-But-" He
stuttered out. "You- Why didn't-
How did-"
Mana raised herself
up to him, placing a finger on his
lips to silence him. "I'll tell you
another time." She said
looking directly at his eyes again. "Just... let me
enjoy this
moment for now." She took a step forward. Putting her
arms
around Shinji once more, she buried her face in the
crook of his neck. As
she breathed in his scent, she began
to cry tears of
joy.
Shinji stood
stock-still for a moment, not knowing how
to react. When he felt moisture
touch the surface of his
neck, where Mana's face was currently residing, his
arms
came up of their own volition. He could feel Mana smile
against him
as his arms encircled her.
They stood there in
that position for a few minutes until
Mana spoke up. "Ai shiteru, Shinji."
(I love you, Shinji.")
She murmured. "I always have. And I always
will."
Shinji pulled back
from the embrace. One of his hands
came from around her back. He cupped her
chin with his
fingers and brought his face to hers. "I never knew how
much I loved you," he whispered against her lips, "until I
stopped
seeing you next to me every day. I've missed you
so much, Mana-chan." Gently
their lips met in a kiss that
conveyed the love for each other that had only
built up
over the years.
When they finally
parted for air, they stood there, just
staring into each other's eyes and
reveling in the feeling of
being together again. Seconds passed, then minutes.
Then,
by some silent signal, they both turned toward the
door. Shinji's right hand
tentatively captured Mana's left.
Mana leaned her head against Shinji's
shoulder. Their
hands clasped one another at the palm, their fingers
intertwined. As they both passed through the doorway
leading to the
stairs, a single thought passed through their
heads at the same moment.
Reunited, at last...
The End
Heh, I've been kicking this idea around in my head
for weeks. Ever since I've heard of her, I
wondered why there were barely
any fics out there about Shinji and the only girl who had
admitted to loving
him. (Even if it was in a game outside the series) As far as I know, there is
only one Mana/Shinji fic out there besides this one. So, I set out to do
something relatively new.
And this is the result. Though, I wonder if anyone
knew it was Mana from the beginning...
I apologize if I got Mana's characterization wrong,
I've never played "Girlfriend of Steel."
(Can someone please tell me
where I can download it or someone I can get it from?!?) All the
information
I got was from websites about the game and inklings of her personality were few
and far between. I also apologize if Shinji is too OOC, but remember that
it's more than five
years after the whole mess with the Angels and he's had
good friends helping him heal old
wounds. And lastly, I apologize for the
ending. A bit over the top, but, heh, whatever... they're in
love and the
feelings only grew over time.
Now that I'm done tearing down my own meager
self-confidence talking and thinking about my
bad writing, you can go and
find a better read elsewhere. But, leave me a review first, please!
^_^
