Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion/Shin Seiki Evangelion, Girlfriend of Steel, and all related concepts and characters are the property of Gainax, Project EVA, Movic, AD Vision, Manga Entertainment, and other copyright owners and are used without permission.

Promises

Chapter One

The sun slowly rose over the mountains that surrounded Tokyo-3 to herald the start of another day. The glowing rays stretched over the awakening city and reflected off of the towering skyscrapers of the downtown core. They eventually shone down on a suburb that had been spared from the ravages of the Angels and fell upon three teenagers walking casually down the street.

The first, a lithe, graceful girl, sported a head of close-cropped powder blue hair and wore a teal pinafore dress over a simple white blouse. If one looked closely enough, one might have noticed a faint, almost imperceptible smile on her face and a tiny glint in her scarlet eyes as she sauntered down the street

The girl's female companion wore an outfit identical to hers, except that she had a pair of black shoes on her feet instead of the white ones the first girl wore. Her fiery copper hair flowed down past her shoulders while a pair of shining red metal clips on her head kept it in place; her neatly trimmed bangs framed a pretty face that wore an expression of smug confidence.

The third member of the trio was a brown-haired boy of roughly the same age as the two girls. He wore a pair of slacks with a plain white collared shirt. Much to the amusement of his red-haired colleague, he juggled a backpack, two book bags, and a pair of lunch bags as he walked. "This is the last time I walk to school with you, Asuka!" he puffed as he struggled to keep up with them. "You know I'm not good at rock-paper-scissors!"

The redhead stopped and turned to face the boy with an irritated scowl on her face. "Oh, quit your whining and be a man, Shinji!" she replied. She placed her hands on her hips. "We agreed the loser would carry everyone's bags to the next telephone pole. Besides," she added as her mouth twisted into a wicked grin, "it's not my fault that you suck at it." She ignored Shinji's muttered protest and lazily raised her arms above her head in a catlike stretch. "Hikari told me last night that a new transfer student's supposed to be arriving today. Heard anything about it?"

Shinji's quizzical expression told the redhead all she needed to know. "I guess not." She sighed and let her arms drop back down to her sides. "Why on earth would anyone want to move here, anyway?" she wondered out loud.

"Maybe his parents got transferred to headquarters or something." Shinji shrugged. "It's not our business anyway."

A wry smile crossed Asuka's face. "At any rate, whoever it is can't possibly be as boring as you are."

Shinji opened his mouth to reply to Asuka's taunt, but got distracted as one of the bags chose that moment to try to escape from his grasp.

"If you do not hurry," called a soft, distant voice that somehow managed to carry itself over the rumble of nearby traffic, "we will be late."

Asuka turned her head and saw her blue-haired classmate waiting for them at the telephone pole half a block away. "Hey!" the redhead exclaimed. "How did you... wait up, Wondergirl!" Asuka snatched her bag from Shinji's hand and dashed down the sidewalk after her. "Hurry up, idiot!" she called back over her shoulder. "You don't want us to be late for class, do you?"

"Whatever you say," Shinji sighed as he trudged after her.

- - -

The classroom was anything but quiet by the time Shinji walked through the door. Except for Rei, who quietly sat down at her desk beside the window as usual, everyone was huddled together in small groups catching up on homework or, more importantly, gossip. The two boys who waved at him from near the back of the room were certainly no exception.

"Yo Shinji," the taller of the pair called as Shinji approached them. The athletic boy's lean, tanned face broke into an enthusiastic, yet puzzled grin. "Do you know what all the excitement's about this morning?"

Shinji shrugged as he walked over to them. "I don't know, Touji," he replied. "I think it's because there's a new student arriving today."

"What? A new transfer student?" Touji exclaimed.Shinji nodded. "That's what Asuka said, anyway."

"Oh man, this is great!" Touji removed his white baseball cap and ran his fingers through his messy, coarse hair. "I hope she's a babe!"

"Hey, Loverboy, what makes you think it's going to be a girl?" piped up a sandy-haired, freckled youth behind Touji. He calmly took his glasses off and wiped the lenses with his shirtsleeve as the lanky boy's mind ground to a screeching halt.

Touji's excitement visibly drained out of his face as, for the first time, he considered the possibility that their new classmate would be a boy. "Well..."

"Remember," the boy added as he slid his glasses back onto his face, "the last time we got a transfer student, we got her." He nodded slightly at Asuka, who was chatting with Hikari on the other side of the classroom.

"Aw, shaddap Kensuke!" fumed Touji. "I'm just being optimistic. Nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"I suppose-"

The conversation stopped as the familiar sound of chimes rang through the school. The students scrambled to their seats.

"Rise!"

Hikari's voice cut through the classroom. Her classmates stood up as their elderly teacher entered the room and made his way to his desk.

"Bow! Be seated!"

The class did as it was ordered.

The old man's face broke into a broad grin as the students took their seats. "Good morning, everyone," he announced. "Before we get started today, I'd like you to help me greet our new classmate. Please make her feel welcome." He turned to the open doorway. "Come in, Miss Kirishima."

At the teacher's words, a smiling girl walked into the classroom. Short, wispy chestnut brown hair surrounded her cute pixyish face; her steel-gray eyes gleamed in the classroom's fluorescent lights as she grinned at her new classmates. She picked up a piece of chalk, wrote her name on the blackboard, and turned back to the class. "My name is Mana Kirishima," she said in a sweet, chirpy voice. "I'm glad to meet you."

"Glad to meet you too!" shouted Touji from his seat near the back. Several students sniggered at his outburst while Hikari looked to the ceiling and clapped a hand to her forehead.

"Doesn't that idiot have any shame?" she muttered to herself through gritted teeth.

"Now, class, settle down." The teacher looked around the classroom, searching for a spot for his new student. "Miss Kirishima, why don't you sit..." he spied an empty desk near the middle of the room. "Next to Ikari over there."

The new student nodded to the teacher and walked down the aisle toward the empty desk. She glanced at the young man fidgeting in the seat beside her as she passed; blue eyes met gray for an instant before Shinji looked at the floor again.

"Hi, cutie." She giggled as Shinji stuttered and his face turned crimson at her remark. "You must be Ikari. Nice to meet you."

As Shinji tried in vain to stammer out a reply, Asuka let out an annoyed growl that was drowned out by the whoops and catcalls from the rest of her male classmates–all but one of them, that is.

Touji clutched his head with both hands as the teacher tried to restore order. "Damn it," he moaned to himself. "Why does Shinji get all the luck?"

- - -

The sounds of excited chatter wafted up from the schoolyard as Shinji leaned against the railing that surrounded the school's rooftop. He barely felt the warm metal against his arms as he cradled a half-empty milk carton in his hands and absently stared at the city's glittering skyline.

"Mind if I join you?"

Shinji jumped at the sound of the unexpected voice behind him. The milk carton slipped from his hands and tumbled through the air to land, forgotten, with a wet splat on the pavement below. He whirled around and found himself looking into a pair of smiling gray eyes. "Kirishima!" he gasped in surprise.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Ikari," Mana apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Shinji smiled sheepishly. "Th-that's okay," he stammered. "I just didn't hear you behind me, that's all."

"I can tell."

Shinji's mouth opened and closed, but no sound emerged as he desperately tried to think of something to say."Well?" Mana prompted after a minute.

Shinji coughed nervously. "Well, what?"

Mana gestured toward the railing.

Shinji nodded hesitantly, then turned back to stare at the city skyline. A warm, gentle afternoon breeze washed over them as they leaned against the railing and gazed at the skyscrapers in the distance. "Wow, it's beautiful," Mana sighed. "Don't you think so, Ikari?"

"What, the city?"

"No, not that. The mountains."

Shinji blinked. "The mountains?" He looked at the forested peaks on the horizon. "I suppose."

Mana looked at Shinji curiously, then smiled. "Well, I guess you're too busy to enjoy the scenery, with you being an Evangelion pilot and everything."

Shinji turned his head and stared at her, shocked. "H-how do you know that, Kirishima?"

"Everyone here knows it. If that's supposed to be a secret, it's the worst-kept one in the whole school."

Shinji chuckled as he recalled the commotion he had caused on his first day of class. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Mana turned back to the mountains again. "You know, I'm jealous."

"Really? Why?"

"You get to go out there and protect Mankind from these horrible... things like some gallant knight, and I'm just a helpless bystander. I'm frustrated that I can't do anything at all. "

"You don't have to put it that way."

There was an awkward silence between the two teenagers for a minute until Mana's gaze drifted back to the schoolyard. "So tell me," she said with a grimace, "does Mister Watanabe always go on about Second Impact like that...?"

The two classmates chatted and watched the antics of the other students below until they were interrupted by a mocking voice from behind them.

"Well, look at you two just flirting away."

Both of them turned around.

"We're not flirting, Asuka." said Shinji. "We're just talking, that's all."

Asuka snorted. "Yeah, sure. That's just what you want me to think." She planted her hands on her hips and cocked her head accusingly at them. "You two seem pretty chummy for people who have just met. Are you two childhood friends or something?"

"N-no," replied Shinji, "we just happen to get along."

"Whatever. Must be nice to be popular for a change. Anyway, let's go," Asuka ordered. "We have to get going to headquarters."

Shinji blinked. "What, already?"

"Yes, already." The redhead sighed and rolled her eyes. "Just great," she muttered darkly. "Mankind's survival depends on someone who doesn't even know the time of day." She folded her arms in front of her chest and scornfully looked at her new classmate. "Kirishima, please excuse us. We have important work to do."

Shinji's cheeks flushed slightly. "Asuka..." he asked as he glanced at Mana, "would you mind waiting for me outside?"

Asuka's smug expression disappeared. She blinked in confusion for a moment, then scowled at her roommate. "I'm so sorry for interrupting you," she huffed.

The Second Child spun on her heel and marched to the stairwell leading back into the school. When she reached it she turned around, stuck her tongue out at the pair, and slammed the door behind her.

- - -

"Out of my way, you morons!"

The furious redhead shoved her way past Touji and Kensuke, nearly sending the freckled boy reeling into the wall. As the two of them watched, she stormed down the corridor and disappeared among the lockers by the school's entrance.

"Hmph. What's with Asuka the Grouch?" asked Kensuke as he picked his glasses up from the floor.

"Who knows?" Touji shrugged. "Maybe it's that time of–"

"I don't think so. She's been acting weird ever since this morning..." Kensuke's voice trailed off as something dawned on him. "Hey... you don't suppose...?"

The two friends looked at each other thoughtfully.

"Naaah," they said in unison.

- - -

A loud clack echoed through the briefing room as Ritsuko coldly walked up to a table and dejectedly threw her clipboard down onto it. "Well," she announced to the three pilots sitting in front of her in the briefing room, "I must say that this has been one of the most disappointing batches of test results I've ever seen."

"Were our synch ratios unsatisfactory, Doctor?" Rei asked.

Ritsuko snorted and shoved her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. "That's an understatement. I saw a slight improvement in your score, Rei, but Asuka's was down by seven points, and Shinji's score was down by thirteen." She glared at the purple-haired woman standing next to her. "Can you explain this?"

Misato blinked. "What are you looking at me for?"

"They're both in your care."

"That doesn't prove a thing."

"With the way you live, I'm surprised we haven't had to deal with anything more serious than low synch scores."

"Now see here-"

"If you ask me," interrupted Asuka, "it's all because of Shinji's lovesickness."

"Lovesickness!?" Misato and Ritsuko exclaimed together. They both stared at Shinji, who suddenly looked decidedly uncomfortable.

Ritsuko arched an eyebrow at the Third Child. "Okay, what's going on?"

Shinji stared at the floor and blushed furiously. "Uh, um, well, there's this new girl in class–"

"Who's been putting the moves on him ever since she arrived." The redhead finished his sentence, scowling. "It's disgusting! She has no shame at all!"

Misato smirked. "So why did your synch ratio drop too, Asuka?" she teased. "Don't tell me you're jealous of having Shinji stolen from you."

Asuka sputtered for a second before she shot to her feet and pointed her finger at Shinji's face. "My score's still better than his. What makes you think I'd be interested in a brat like him anyway?"

"Brat!?" Shinji protested. "I'm the same you age you are!"

"Enough!"

Shinji and Asuka both jumped as Ritsuko shouted and tiredly rubbed her temples. "Okay, there's nothing more for you guys to do here, so you might as well go home. I want better results out of all of you tomorrow, understood?"

The Children sullenly filed out of the room without another word and headed for the showers.

Ritsuko picked her clipboard up from the table. "I'm getting too old to be babysitting those kids," she muttered to herself as she gathered her papers. She looked up and noticed Misato grinning at her. "What are you looking at?" she demanded.

"Oh, nothing. Welcome to my world."

- - -

Spring had arrived in Tokyo-3.

Despite the endless summer brought about by Second Impact over a decade ago, the flowering cherry trees throughout the city still greeted the changing of the seasons. Every year a pink and white blizzard heralded the arrival of spring more vividly than the simple turning of a calendar page.As Mana walked along the street on her way home from school, the petals fluttering down from the trees weren't the only falling objects that were on her mind.

"So you had to catch the Angel with your bare hands?" she asked her companion in amazement.

"Well, not really," said Shinji. "I mean, it was the Eva that caught it."

Mana sighed and gave Shinji an amused glance. "You know what I mean."

Shinji smiled slightly. "Yeah, I know. But that's pretty well what happened. I caught it, Ayanami lowered its defences, and Asuka destroyed it."

"Wow, that's so cool! You guys make a great team!"

Shinji's grin widened. "You... you really think so?"

"Yes, I do." Mana looked longingly at some clouds hovering near the horizon. "I wish I could pilot an Evangelion."

The smile disappeared from Shinji's face. "Believe me, you don't," he said flatly.

"Why not? It would be exciting to actually be protecting Mankind instead of helplessly sitting around doing nothing."

"You're beginning to sound like Kensuke."

Mana chuckled. "Maybe I should go and buy a video camera one of these days."

"Please don't," Shinji groaned. "One person like him hanging around me is bad enough."

"He's not that bad, is he?" Mana asked, laughing.

"You should have seen him when we first met Asuka. I think he kept filming when Touji dropped his­"

"Shinji!" called a slightly muffled voice from beside him.

The Third Child turned his head in the direction of the voice and smiled in recognition as the window of a blue sports car parked on the side of the street next to him rolled down.

"Misato! What are you doing here?"

Shinji's guardian grinned. "Just doing a little shopping. Hey, is this your friend?"

"Yes." Mana bowed respectfully to the older woman. "I'm Mana Kirishima."

"Misato Katsuragi. Nice to meetcha." She removed her sunglasses and looked at Mana with a twinkle in her eyes. "You're Shinji's girlfriend, aren't you?"

"Misato!" Shinji cried, shocked.

Misato winked at the young woman. "I'm sure you'll lo-o-ve him. I hear he's a fabulous kisser..."

"Misato!!"

Misato flashed Shinji a smile. "Oh, you know I'm just teasing. Lighten up, will you?" She giggled and turned back to Mana. "You know, you should come over sometime."

Mana looked at Shinji, confused. "You mean...?"

Shinji nodded. "I live with Misato and Asuka."

"Oh, really..." Mana cocked an eyebrow at her classmate.

Shinji's face turned scarlet. "It's not like that!"

Misato giggled again. "You're a fast learner, aren't you?"

Mana smiled mischievously. "You're right, this is fun."

The tinkling of a bell saved Shinji from any further damage to what was left of his dignity as a man in slightly rumpled clothes strolled out of a nearby store, his arms overflowing with grocery bags filled with snack food.

"Why did you get this much, Kaji?" Misato asked, puzzled.

The unkempt man grinned. "We've got a lot of work to do tonight. I figured this way we could feed everyone in the command center."

"Idiot. What'll happen if chips get in the computers?"

Kaji shrugged as he put the bags in the back seat. "Potato chips, memory chips, what's the difference?" He turned and saw the two teenagers standing next to the car. "Hi, Shinji," he called jovially. "How's our little Casanova?"

Shinji groaned. "Not you too, Kaji..."

"That's a cute friend you have there." He turned to Mana and gave her a charming smile. "You must be..."

"Someone who shouldn't be talking with a man like you!" Misato cut in sharply. "Chasing after eighth graders! How low can you get, Kaji? Let's go!"

"Hey, what's wrong with a simple greeting?" Kaji protested as he climbed into the passenger seat. "I didn't even get her name!"

Misato started the car, waved at Shinji and Mana, and pulled out of the parking stall to the sound of screeching tires. The two teenagers watched them speed away.

"Misato seems like a very interesting person," Mana said thoughtfully.

Shinji nodded his head. "You don't know the half of it."

- - -

The hallways within the bowels of NERV headquarters were empty, save for a handful of technicians scurrying about on various errands. Apart from the hum of the air conditioners and the occasional page from the PA speakers, all was relatively quiet - until the calm was shattered by three words that suddenly echoed throughout the corridors as three women walked through the passages on their way to Central Dogma.

"They're doing what!?" Misato nearly shouted in disbelief.

"They're going to transfer Unit 03 to Japan from First Branch," Ritsuko replied clinically.

Misato snorted. "It figures. The Americans were so eager to land the contract to build Evas 03 and 04, and now they want to hand over the responsibility at the first hint of trouble."

"Still," said Maya, "After what happened to Unit 04, I don't blame them for wanting to. If it happens again if they try installing a S2 engine at First Branch..." her voice trailed off as she shuddered at the thought.

Ritsuko nodded in agreement as she continued Maya's line of reasoning. "Then we can kiss over a million people in the New Boston area goodbye."

"So that leaves Matsushiro as the only facility we have where we can perform a full S2 activation test without putting civilians at risk," mused Misato as she frowned and folded her arms in front of her. "You know, I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Commander Ikari's orders," replied Ritsuko. "We don't have a choice in the matter."

Misato stared at the ceiling. "I know," she sighed. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

- - -

The library wasn't exactly the busiest room in the school at lunchtime. Unless the specter of an upcoming assignment or exam was looming on the horizon, most students easily found some reason to avoid spending their time among the seemingly endless rows of books inside–which was why Shinji was surprised to see someone he knew doing exactly that as he walked past the open doorway.

"Hi, Kirishima. What are you doing wasting your lunch break in here?" Shinji asked the brunette as he walked up to the table she was leaning over.

"Oh, hi Ikari." Mana looked up from a map she had spread out in front of her. "I'm just checking out things to do around here. I figured I might as well explore a little now that I'm settled in." She frowned and pointed to a large blue outline on the edge of the map. "Have you ever been here?"

"Lake Ashi? Just once, with Touji and Kensuke a while ago."

"What's it like there?"

"It's really nice and scenic. There's a hot spring there, a village with those little souvenir shops and a few other things."

"It sounds like a nice place." Mana thoughtfully stared at the map. "It's supposed to be sunny on Sunday, but..." her voice trailed off sadly.

"But what?"

"I was thinking of going there, but it's no fun going to a place like that by yourself."

"Well, I wouldn't mind going there again, and I'm not doing anything Sunday..."

Mana fixed Shinji with a level gaze. "Ikari, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were asking me out. "

Shinji gulped and looked at his feet as he suddenly realized what his invitation sounded like. "Well..."

"You mean you wouldn't want to ask me out?"

"No!" he said hastily. "That's not it at all!"

"So..." Mana asked softly, "it's a date, then?"

Shinji shifted his feet and stuttered.

The girl's gray eyes twinkled with delight. "I'd love to go!"

"I-I mean, um, I'd understand if you don't, so..." Shinji paused for a second and blinked, then looked up at the brunette's smiling face. "What?"

"You should listen a little more. I said yes."

Shinji's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out for a few seconds. "R-really?" he asked when he finally found his voice again.

She nodded, blushing.

"That's great! I'll check the bus schedules after school."

Mana excitedly tore a page from her notebook, scribbled something on it, and handed it to Shinji. "Here's my number. Call me tonight when you figure everything out, okay?"

"Sure."

"Promise? I'll be waiting."

"I promise-"

Just then, the chimes echoed through the school to signal the start of afternoon classes. Shinji and Mana looked at each other.

"Oh, crap!" they exclaimed together.

The pair scooped up their books and ran back to the classroom.

- - -

"Okay, see you tomorrow morning, Kirishima. Bye."

Shinji pressed a button on the cordless phone handset and sighed. He stood there, grinning, half-expecting the dream to end at any moment and bring him crashing back to earth. Until then, he felt that nothing could dispel the magic of the moment. Absolutely–

"Well, looks like you're becoming quite a playboy."

Shinji jumped in surprise and turned around as Asuka stepped out of her room with a wry smile on her face. She moved a lock of hair behind her ear and pushed her way past Shinji on her way to the kitchen.

"I can just see tomorrow's headlines now," she drawled mockingly. "'Thousands of Shinji Ikari fans die of heartbreak. World Health Organization called in to investigate epidemic. Film at eleven.'"

"That's not funny."

Asuka scoffed. "Well, it's true. You and Kirishima are practically an item now."

Shinji shook his head as his roommate reached into a cupboard to grab a glass. "How can we? We haven't even been on a date yet."

Asuka smiled and turned on the tap. "Date or no date, you two will be the talk of the school on Monday."

"And I'm sure a certain pilot I know will have something to do with it, right?"

Asuka's eyebrows rose in mock surprise. "Oh by the way, Misato said an emergency's come up at Headquarters so she can't make dinner tonight. Since I ordered something last night..."

"Don't worry, I'll make something." Shinji said with a hint of relief in his voice.

The redhead smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. Now hurry up. I'm starving."

Fifteen minutes later, Shinji handed Asuka a fork and a steaming plate of fried rice. "It's instant," he apologized. "I hope that's okay."

"It'll do," she replied as she reached for the bottle of soy sauce in the middle of the table. "Thanks."

The two pilots quietly ate for a while. When Shinji finally looked back up from his food, he saw that Asuka had barely touched her dinner and was idly pushing a stray pea around on her plate with her fork instead.

"What's the matter? I thought you said you were hungry."

"I'm just a little preoccupied right now."

"Oh, really? About what?"

The redhead reached for her glass and took a sip of water. "You and Kirishima."

Shinji's eyes widened for an instant before narrowing slightly. "And what do you mean by that?"

"I don't think Kirishima's your type. I mean, look at her. She's smart, she's attractive, and she's got charm. You're... well, you're you."

"Thanks," Shinji replied dryly. "So... just who do you think is my type, then?"

Asuka propped up her head with her left hand and went back to pushing the unfortunate pea around. "I can think of someone in particular."

"Really?" Shinji asked, bemused. "Who? Hikari?"

"Nope."

"Rei?"

Asuka gave an amused snort.

"Don't tell me it's Misato."

The redhead shook her head. "As much as I can see the irony, somehow I can't imagine our guardian being a closet pedophile."

Shinji chuckled. "Well, who then?"

Asuka stared innocently at the ceiling.

"W-wait a second..." he stammered. "Not...?"

"Maybe."

Shinji blushed furiously as he stared in astonishment at the girl sitting across from him.

Asuka smirked as she got up and stacked her dishes next to the sink. "I didn't know you could turn that shade of red."

Shinji gaped at her for a few more seconds before he could finally talk again. "You... you weren't serious, were you?" he gasped.

"You idiot," Asuka chided, "of course not." She walked out into the hallway before she added, "I was thinking of Kensuke or Touji." She disappeared around the corner before her roommate could think of a comeback.

"Oh, by the way," she called over her shoulder. "Misato's not going to be home for a while. If you think you need kissing practice for Sunday..."

Asuka smiled to herself and walked into her room as she heard the sudden loud clatter from the kitchen.

CONTINUED...

- - -

Author's Note: 04-15-2004

This fic started out so innocently... One day Rakna posted on a message board and wondered why there were so few serious fics out there with Mana in them. I had just finished Girlfriend of Steel at the time and had seen several pieces of art with her in it, put a few pieces together, and... well, I wrote one. I've since rewritten it to fix some pacing issues and to expand on a few scenes, and this is the end result. I hope you enjoy it.

Anyway... special thanks go out to Rob, who preread the original first chapter, and to 'notime' for his prereading help and for putting up with a very slow writer. Hopefully the updates will come quicker now that my muse is back from stress leave.  ;)