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 Two

Muted instrumental music filled the air as Shinji stretched in a vain attempt to get the kinks out of his back before he continued walking toward the lounge. After spending most of the afternoon in a simulation plug, he just couldn't wait to get something to wash the salty, metallic taste of LCL out of his mouth.

To his surprise, he found Misato waiting for him by the drink machines when he stepped through the door. She grinned enthusiastically at him he walked up, then waved his hand away as he was about to put a coin into one of the machines.

"Here, this one's on me," she said cheerily before she slid a few coins into the slot. She held up two cans of tea and handed one to Shinji. "Hey, what's this I hear about you going on a date tomorrow?" she asked as she opened her drink.

"Huh?" Shinji stopped mid-sip. "How did you know?"

Misato smiled mysteriously. "A little bird told me."

The pilot arched an eyebrow as he had an idea just who that bird was, but kept sipping his drink. "It's nothing, really. Mana and I are just going to spend the day at Lake Ashi."

"You're taking her to the hot springs? Aw, that's sweet. Congrats, Romeo." Misato smiled and affectionately punched Shinji in the shoulder. "Ah, young love. My little Shinji's growing up so fast." She sighed wistfully with an exaggerated dreamy look in her eyes.

"Misato..."

"You know, I expect to hear all the steamy details when you get home..."

Shinji defiantly closed his eyes and folded his arms in front of him. "Stop teasing me."

"Oh, all right." She pouted for a moment but the mischievous twinkle never left her brown eyes. "But I'm still going to have to have that talk with you tonight..."

"Hey, Katsuragi." A familiar voice came out of nowhere and interrupted Misato's taunting. "Take it easy on the poor kid, will you?"

Misato's impish smile disappeared as she looked round to see Kaji grinning at her from the doorway. She nodded in the unkempt man's direction as he casually strolled toward them. "Sorry for butting in like this," he said, "but I was just seeing if we're still having dinner tonight. That is, if you're done giving bedroom tips to Shinji."

Misato almost dropped her can as her face nearly matched the color of her jacket. "W-what--?"

"Just because we did that sort of thing on our first date," Kaji deadpanned, "doesn't mean that Shinji needs that sort of advice."

Misato angrily pointed at Kaji. "We did NOT...!" She stopped mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open, as she realized that Shinji was still standing next to her, watching them. After a few awkward seconds, she closed her mouth with a snap and let her hand fall to her side. "If you'll excuse me," the indigo-haired woman said stiffly before turning on her heel, "I'm late for a meeting with Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki." She pitched her empty can at a waiting garbage bin; it clanged off the wall a good foot away from its target and fell to the floor with a loud, hollow rattle as she stormed out of the lounge.

Kaji leaned against one of the machines and watched her leave. "Well, so much for dinner," he sighed before he turned to grin crookedly at Shinji. "She can dish it out, but she sure can't take it, huh?"

"I guess not," Shinji replied with a smile before he drank the last of his tea. "So..." the young pilot said as he turned and looked quizzically at Kaji, "how did you find out about the date?"

Kaji shrugged. "Remember where I work." There was a faint metallic clink as he put a few coins into a coffee machine. "So, you nervous?"

"A bit." The young pilot walked over to the now slightly dented can that Misato had thrown on her way out and bent down to pick it up. "Uh... Kaji?" he asked. "Um... can I... I mean, do you mind if...?"

Kaji chuckled. "You want some advice, huh?"

Shinji tossed both cans into the trash. "How did you know?"

"It's written all over your face." The roguish man grinned before he took his steaming cup out of the dispenser and took a careful sip.

"I guess I'm more nervous than I thought," the pilot said with a nervous sigh.

"Well, I'll see what I can do for a fellow bachelor," Kaji said with his usual charming grin. "What's the problem?"

Shinji shrugged helplessly "Well... women."

Kaji raised his eyebrows and whistled softly. "Now there's something countless wise men have pondered over the ages."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean don't bother trying to figure them out."

The youth's shoulders slumped a little. "That's not very encouraging, Kaji," he said glumly.

"Hey, just because men can't understand women doesn't mean that I can't help." Kaji sat down at a table and motioned for Shinji to join him. "Now," he continued as the boy pulled up a chair, "there's no magic formula that will work every time because every woman is different. Part of the fun is trying to figure out what works for the one you're going out with."

"So is there anything I should do tomorrow, then?"

Kaji shrugged. "It depends. Do you want to keep seeing her?"

"Well..." Shinji's cheeks flushed a little as looked sheepishly down at the floor. "I haven't really thought about that, but... sure."

A mysterious grin spread slowly across Kaji's face. "Then here's what you do..."

Kaji peered around the room conspiringly before leaning over the table. Shinji listened in eager anticipation as the older man met the boy's gaze with a serious one of his own.

"Just be yourself."

Shinji blinked. "Be myself?" he repeated.

Kaji nodded solemnly. "Sounds simple, doesn't it? It's surprising how many guys forget that."

"That's it?" Shinji asked incredulously. "That's the big secret?"

Kaji leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "No, that's not all of it, but like I said, everyone's different. It is the most important thing if you really like her, though. If she doesn't like who you really are, then there's no point."

"But what if she doesn't?"

"Then it wasn't meant to be." Kaji shrugged and took another sip of his coffee. "You learn from your mistakes and move on." He looked up at a clock mounted on the wall. "Hey, speaking of moving, shouldn't you be getting back? I'll bet Ritsuko's probably looking for you by now."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," He reluctantly stood up and smiled gratefully at Kaji. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Kaji flashed him a grin and winked. "Let's both do our best."

The smile on the young pilot's face grew, buoyed by confidence, as he turned and walked back out into the corridor.

- - -

Shinji nervously paced inside the apartment, pausing briefly only to place a neatly folded towel into a backpack. What little light that managed to sneak in through the drapes drawn across the windows bathed everything in a peaceful half-light that seemed to silence everything except for the deep, rumbling snores coming from Misato's room. He took one last look around before, satisfied, he picked up his pack and slung it over his shoulder.

Everything was ready.

Unfortunately, that fact did little to calm the fluttering he felt in the pit of his stomach.

The rattle of an empty beer can rolling on the kitchen floor shattered the early morning calm. Startled, Shinji spun around with an apology on his lips, only to see a pair of beady, black eyes blinking back at him. He relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, hi Pen-Pen," he whispered.

Misato's warm-water penguin watched him intently from the entrance to the kitchen. "Wark?" he squawked as he cocked his head inquisitively.

The Third Child blinked, puzzled. "But... I just fed you," he said, pointing at a plate of fish and an open can of beer next to the table.

"Wark!"

"Oh, I get it," Shinji replied as realization dawned on him. "Sorry, but you can't come this time."

"Waaaaark!" Pen-Pen cried as he flapped his flippers.

"Shh!" Shinji frantically waved his hands as he tried to shush his roommate. "Do you want to wake everyone up?"

The thought of possibly having to spend the rest of the morning with at least one cranky, sleep-deprived roommate was apparently enough to calm the penguin down. He stared at Shinji with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Shinji apologetically shook his head. "I'll take you next time," he said as he turned around and reached for the door. "Promise."

Pen-Pen quietly watched as Shinji slipped out of the apartment and closed the door behind him. Silence settled back over the apartment again as he gazed after the boy for a little while longer before he preened his ruffled feathers and slowly waddled back to the kitchen with a disappointed sigh.

- - -

"Wow... and I thought the view from the school roof was nice..."

Mana gazed out over the lake as she and Shinji strolled down the gravel path that ran along the shore. She held a wide-brimmed sunhat to her head as her white cotton dress billowed and flapped in the brisk wind that blew in from the water. A handful of ducks bobbed on the lake's rippled surface while the crimson arch of a shrine entrance stood out in sharp contrast to the greenery of the forest on the far shore.

"It's so beautiful," the gray-eyed girl sighed. "I wish my life was as peaceful as this."

Shinji chuckled ruefully. "You're not the only one."

Mana nodded. "Still, it's nice to get away from everything for a little while at least." She looked sidelong at her companion. "I'm so glad we decided to come here, Ikari," she said with a faint smile on her lips.

"You're... um... my pleasure," Shinji replied hesitantly.

"Hey, relax." The brunette smiled gently. "We're supposed to be having fun here. Don't tell me a fearless defender of humanity is afraid of someone like me."

"No!" Shinji said hastily. "It's not that at all."

"Good. I should hope not."

The gravel crunched softly under their feet as they made their way along the path. After several more minutes of walking in the sunshine, Mana looked at the pilot next to her for a long moment. "Ikari..." she asked hesitantly, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure, I guess."

The brunette fidgeted slightly as she walked. "Well, we've known each other for a little while now."

"Right."

"And, well, going on a date is a way to get to know someone better, right?"

Shinji nodded.

Mana held her hands in front of her and wrung her fingers gently. "So... now that we're actually on a date..." She took a deep breath and held it for a second before blurting out, "I was thinking that maybe you could call me Mana if you really wanted to." The words came tumbling out in an anxious rush.

Shinji stopped in his tracks. He looked at her for a second and opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it and looked back out over the water. "I... I don't know," he replied nervously. "I guess I'm not comfortable with it."

"I see." A thoughtful look crossed Mana's face. "Well, if it makes you feel better we could--oh!" she exclaimed as another gust of wind blew her hat off her head. She grabbed at the wayward garment, but the breeze carried it just out of her reach and sent it tumbling through the air and into a grassy clearing on the other side of the path. Without a second thought, both of them chased after it as it skittered and tumbled over the grass. Shinji lunged after it before it cartwheeled into some bushes...

...only to get bowled over as Mana tried to do the same thing.

The teens landed on the grass in a tangle. Shinji found himself lying on his back when the world finally stopped spinning; when he opened his eyes again he saw Mana kneeling over him, staring back with a shy smile. He nervously coughed, looked away, and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Here's your hat," he announced as he produced Mana's lace-trimmed sunhat and held it up to her.

The brunette accepted it graciously with a twinkle in her gray eyes. "That's why I like you, Ikari," she said, "you're such a gentleman." She stood and firmly placed it back on her head. "Thank you."

Shinji lay unmoving on the grass as his thoughts suddenly ground to a halt. His mind struggled to comprehend what the pretty, chestnut-haired girl had just admitted.

She... she likes me?

His mouth worked soundlessly before he finally looked back up at her and returned her smile with a timid one of his own. "You're welcome, Kiri... Mana."

Mana's musical laughter filled the air as Shinji picked himself up from the ground. "There you go, Shinji. That's the spirit."

- - -

Floodlights shone up from the floor of the tomblike chamber and cast sinister shadows through the stark, cheerless room within the depths of Terminal Dogma. The eerie glow illuminated two figures standing in front of the brain-like mass of conduits and blinking circuitry that loomed overhead out of the darkness

"I've just received word from First Branch," rumbled a flat baritone voice clearly audible over the hum of machinery echoing through the room. "Unit 03 is on its way and will arrive tomorrow morning." Gendo Ikari turned to the woman next to him. "I'm leaving you in charge of the delivery and modifications, Doctor."

"Yes, sir," replied Ritsuko. "According to the progress reports, the testing facilities at Matsushiro will be ready on schedule."

Gendo nodded with a satisfied grunt before he looked at a slender naked body that hung motionless within the clear cylinder hanging down from above. "And the test pilot will be...?"

Ritsuko flipped through the papers on her clipboard and shook her head. "I don't recommend using the dummy plug under the circumstances. Therefore, one of our prospective candidates..."

"...will be chosen as the Fourth Child?" Gendo asked, finishing Ritsuko's sentence for her. He turned his head slightly at the scientist beside him; the spotlights reflected off the lenses of his glasses almost menacingly as he regarded her.

Ritsuko nodded.

"Excellent," Gendo replied curtly. "I will leave things in your hands, then."

"Yes, sir."

NERV's commander let his gaze travel up to the peaceful face of the figure floating above him in the cylinder. "Rei," he called.

The young woman's eyes, tinted orange by the golden liquid surrounding her, opened slowly at the sound of Gendo's voice. "Yes?"

"That's all for now. Let's eat..."

- - -

"How's your lunch?" Mana asked the blue-eyed boy sitting across the picnic table from her as they sat in the shade of a pine tree.

Shinji looked up from his food and hastily swallowed. "It's great," he said approvingly. "You're a terrific cook."

Mana beamed back at him. "Thanks, Shinji. That means a lot coming from someone who cooks as well as you do."

Shinji looked back down at the weathered wooden tabletop. "I'm not that good," he mumbled bashfully.

"Sure you are. You're one of the best in our home economics class."

Her companion said nothing, but simply smiled back at her.

The wind blew through the treetops, raining a handful of pine needles down on the two teenagers below. Shinji grinned sheepishly at Mana and watched as she started to methodically pluck them out of her bento box. "Maybe I should have picked a better spot," he said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh, that's okay," she replied brightly. "Nothing like a little garnish to brighten up your meal."

Shinji chuckled softly. "I guess there are worse things that can land on your food, huh?"

Mana's face twisted into a look of disgust. "Let's not go there."

"Sorry."

They ate quietly in the shade for a few minutes until Mana spoke up again. "Hey Shinji, do you remember when we went to the rooftop at school on my first day?" she asked.

"Kind of," Shinji replied before biting into a rice ball.

"Do you still mean what you said? About us getting along, I mean?"

Shinji chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. "We're on a date. We're on a first-name basis. I can't see how we can be getting along any better unless..." his voice trailed off; he blushed as he realized where his sentence was leading.

"Great," she said softly. "I'm glad you see it that way."

Shinji curiously raised an eyebrow at his companion. "What's this all about?"

The brunette said nothing, but simply reached into her purse and fished out a camera.

Shinji's chopsticks fell from his fingers and dropped to the tabletop with a faint clatter.

Mana looked at Shinji quizzically, then glanced down at his half-eaten food. "Too spicy?" she asked with a slightly worried frown on her face.

Shinji hastily took a drink from a can of soda sitting on the table in front of him and shook his head. "N-no," he stammered, "it's not that."

"What's wrong, then?"

Shinji uncomfortably avoided her gaze. "I... I don't like having my picture taken."

"Oh," Mana said, glancing down as she nervously turned the camera over in her hands. "I'm sorry. I should have asked you first." She fidgeted a little in her seat. "It's just... well, I wanted something special from our first date, you know?"

"We could head to the souvenir shops," Shinji said hopefully.

Mana shook her head. "We could, but it's not the same. I wanted something more personal. How many first dates can you have with someone?"

Shinji frowned slightly as he thought for a moment. "Well, if it means that much to you..."

The young brunette regarded him, her brow creasing in concern. "Look, if you don't want to, I understand."

"It's okay."

"You sure?"

Shinji heaved a sigh and smiled weakly. "Sure."

Mana's face brightened instantly. She flagged down a middle-aged couple that happened to be walking by their table. After a few words and an agreeable nod, the teenager handed them the camera, scooted around the table, and placed her arm around Shinji's shoulders. After a smile, a bright flash, and a brief thank-you, it was all over.

"See?" she asked as she sat back down in her seat and put the camera away. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No, I guess not..." Shinji stopped and looked at Mana when he noticed she was peering at him earnestly with an odd look on her face. "Uh," he said uneasily, "what's the matter?"

The corners of the young woman's mouth twitched. "I hate to tell you this, Shinji, but..."

"But what?"

"There was some rice on your face." She pointed to a spot on her cheek. "It's still there."

- - -

A wedge-shaped strategic bomber etched a milky white contrail across the sapphire sky as it lazily flew westward high over the Pacific. The gigantic aircraft was designed to deliver enough destructive force to level a city, but for this mission it carried something far more devastating.

"This is Neo Path four-zero-zero," the pilot announced as he adjusted his radio gain slightly. "Cumulonimbus clouds confirmed." He glanced at his instruments. "Barometer indicates no hazard. We're on course and expect to arrive on schedule. Over."

There was a slight pause before the speaker in his flight helmet crackled to life. "This is Ecta six-four," the disembodied voice said. "We copy. Over and out."

The pilot let out a breath and flipped a few switches until the red autopilot indicator flashed on, then looked over at the young woman sitting next to him. "So how do you like flying this crate so far?" he asked as he wearily undid his oxygen mask and scratched his salt-and-pepper beard.

"It's okay, I guess." The co-pilot looked out through the cockpit glass as the air around the bomber began to grow hazy. She drummed her fingers on her lap. "Boring, though."

The pilot grunted. "Get used to it. Japan's still seven hours away." The outside world disappeared as the plane entered the cloudbank. "It isn't as glamorous as flying a Raptor, but--"

The co-pilot jumped in surprise and shielded her eyes as a burst of blinding cerulean light flashed across the cockpit windshield. "What the hell was that?" she gasped.

"Relax. It's just some electrical discharge," her companion said soothingly as he checked the instruments again. Satisfied, he relaxed in his chair. "Nothing to worry about."

"If you say so." The woman stifled a yawn. "Boy, I could really use some coffee right about now."

The pilot flashed her a grin and pulled a thermos out from behind his seat. "Now that you mention it..."

As the jet-black aircraft continued on its way, faint traces of crackling energy played over the surface of the precious cargo suspended underneath its fuselage for a few seconds. A crimson light flared in the massive object's eyes for an instant before all was quiet again.

- - -

"Aaah..."

Shinji closed his eyes as he sank up to his chin in the steaming water of the hot spring. This is what Heaven must feel like, he thought to himself. With a sigh, he let his thoughts drift with the tendrils of steam that rose from the surface of the water. The mist seemed to shut out the rest of the outside world and wrap him in a warm, moist blanket where the only things that mattered were the pleasant warmth of the water, the rocks beneath him, and the faint aroma of pine needles.

"Okay, Shinji, I'm coming in." Mana's voice came to him through the fog and brought him back to reality. He shifted his naked body so his back faced the dressing rooms.

"All right, I'm ready," he called.

"And no peeking! Promise?"

Shinji grinned as he squeezed his eyes tighter. "I promise."

A faint splash and a subtle change in the rhythm of the ripples lapping against Shinji's body heralded Mana's arrival. Her bare shoulders brushed against his back as she settled down on the smooth rocks underneath. He gulped as his mind wandered; briefly, he concentrated to avoid the effects of thermal expansion on a certain part of his body. The contented sigh that came from behind him didn't help matters in that department much.

"Ooh, this is nice," Mana purred.

Shinji sighed as he let the water perform its magic on his body. The warmth surrounded him and worked its way inside, relieving the tension in places where he didn't know he had any. Beads of sweat and condensation plastered his hair to his forehead before running down his face to join the water in the spring.

The two teenagers relaxed for some time, facing away from each other, until Mana broke the peaceful silence.

"Shinji?" she asked shyly.

"Yes?"

"My back's getting all itchy. Could you scrub it for me, please?"

She giggled as Shinji suddenly thrashed and sputtered.

- - -

Misato leaned against a well-used metal filing cabinet and held a tiny black figurine of a cat in her hands. The smells of coffee and stale cigarette smoke surrounded her as she idly caressed the smooth, cool porcelain. "You seem pretty serious today, Ritsu," she asked the blonde woman sitting at the desk. "What's up?"

"I'm going over the procedures for Unit 03's activation test," Ritsuko said, her voice barely audible over the rhythmic tapping of her keyboard and the chattering of the printer.

"Oh, I see. Are you going to use Rei's dummy plug system for the test?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "No. We'll be using the Fourth," she replied nonchalantly.

Misato blinked in surprise before her head snapped around to look at her old friend. "The Fourth Child's been found?"

"Just yesterday." The blonde stopped typing and picked up a smouldering, half-finished cigarette from the overflowing ashtray next to the keyboard and brought it to her lips.

Misato's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I haven't received a report from the Marduk Institute yet."

Ritsuko took a long drag from her cigarette. "The official documents are arriving tomorrow." She exhaled slowly before she placed the lipstick-stained butt back into the ashtray and crushed it out.

The violet-haired woman's brow furrowed as she gave Ritsuko a sidelong glance. "Are you hiding something from me again?"

"No, nothing at all."

"Well, okay," Misato sighed as she set the figurine down. She grabbed her cup of coffee from the top of the cabinet, stood up, and walked behind Ritsuko's chair to watch the monitor from over the scientist's shoulder. "So, who is it?"

Ritsuko typed in a command on her keyboard. After a second, the computer beeped and flashed the Fourth Child's picture and profile on the screen.

"Christ!" Misato gasped and nearly dropped her mug. She tried to take a sip of her coffee in an attempt to steady her suddenly frayed nerves, and noticed that her hand was trembling. She watched the data scroll up Ritsuko's monitor but paid hardly any attention to it as one thought kept racing through her mind.

What the hell am I going to tell Shinji?

- - -

Mana's white sunhat rested on her lap as the two teenagers began the long bus ride back to the city. She quietly sat on the hard vinyl seat, playing the events of the day over in her mind while the bright orange rays of the setting sun poured into the bus through the rear window and tinted everything inside with a deep amber cast.

An almost perfect ending to an almost perfect day, she mused to herself as she gazed out the window.

Mana jumped a little as she felt something brush against her arm. She looked down to see Shinji's hand resting on the seat between them. Her gaze moved up to the boy's face; he sat there, simply staring out the window at the scenery as the forest slowly gave way to gently rolling fields. Puzzled, she looked back down uncertainly at the hand on the hard vinyl beside her.

Was he trying to hint at something?

There was only one way to find out. Hesitantly, the brunette reached down and gently placed her slender hand on top of his.

Shinji's hand jerked at her touch. For a long moment, Mana worried that he would move his hand away, that she had pushed things too far too soon. Uncertainty filled her mind as his hand trembled under hers.

A long, awkward minute passed, then two, until Mana's breath caught in her throat as Shinji's hand finally moved.

His hand slowly turned itself over to rest against hers, its palm facing upward, before their fingers twined together. Mana smiled to herself and glanced at the young man sitting next to her; she saw the same smile mirrored on his face as he gave her a sidelong glance before he closed his eyes. Her smile grew as she moved closer to the pilot and leaned against him with a small sigh.

Now it was perfect.

- - -

"Bye, Shinji," Mana called as he climbed aboard another bus. "I had a great time. Call me!"

Shinji waved back at her from the window. "I will. See you at school."

Mana placed her hat back on her head as she watched the bus drive off into the traffic and disappear around a corner. A throng of commuters surged around her as she turned around and headed back into the train station, but she was so lost in her own dreamy thoughts that she paid them little mind. She smiled blissfully to herself as she made her way through the bustling crowd toward her own bus stop.

She didn't notice the burly man who had stepped into her path until she nearly ran into him.

"Are you Mana Kirishima?" he rumbled.

Startled, she looked up. As she did, another man appeared out of nowhere stepped behind her. Both men loomed over her with stony expressions on their faces.

"Y-yes..." she replied timidly. "Is there something wrong?"

The two men silently reached into their pockets and flipped open their wallets. Mana's eyes went wide when she saw their identification.

"If you could come with us, please?"

The brunette nodded nervously and removed her sunhat. "Yes, of course," she replied.

The two men led the trembling young woman to a nondescript black sedan parked on the street beside the station. One of them opened the rear door for her and waited for her to climb inside.

- - -

"I'm home!" called Shinji as he kicked off his sneakers and placed them by the front door of the apartment.

"Mmm-hmm." Asuka lay on the living room floor, splitting her attention between a magazine and a soap opera while Pen-Pen snoozed beside her next to a half-eaten bag of microwave popcorn.

Shinji shrugged off his roommate's distracted response and looked around the apartment. "Hey, where's Misato?"

"Still at work," the auburn-haired girl replied without looking up from her magazine. "She called a little while ago."

"She's working on a Sunday? That's odd." He picked up a manga from the floor and sat down at the little table in the living room. "What's for dinner?"

"Take-out."

Shinji shook his head slowly as he idly flipped through the pages. "You really should learn to cook one of these days, you know."

"Hmph," Asuka replied indignantly. "Just be thankful it's not Misato's--"

"It's not Misato's what?" Misato asked suspiciously as she poked her head around the front door.

"Nothing." Asuka kept watching the television as if nothing had happened.

Misato raised an eyebrow at the redhead for a moment before she saw Shinji sitting at the table. She smiled and nervously cleared her throat. "Ah, there you are. Good. I need to talk to you."

"If it's about dinner, Asuka already ordered take-out."

"No, it's something more important than that." Her smile disappeared as she turned her head to look at the teenager lounging on the floor. "Asuka, could you give us a moment please?"

"I'm comfortable! Why should I have to move--"

The redhead's objection was interrupted by the shrill warble of the phone's ringer.

"I'll get it." Shinji stood up and grabbed the cordless phone off its cradle before anyon could say anything. "Hello, Katsuragi residence," he announced.

"Shinji?" The youthful voice on the other end of the line was practically bubbling with excitement. His heart gave a little skip as he recognized the caller.

"Mana? Is that you?"

Misato's eyes widened.

"Oh, Shinji!" Mana said giddily. "I just got the most exciting news!"

"Really?"

"Guess what? Just after you left the station, some men picked me up and took me to NERV headquarters--"

"H-headquarters!?" Shinji interrupted as his brow wrinkled in confusion. "What were you doing there?"

"I was just getting to that! You won't believe this! I'm going to be an Eva pilot! Just like you!"

Shinji blanched. The phone began to tremble in his hand as he turned and stared at Misato with a mixture of shock, dread, and disbelief. His guardian simply bit her lip and solemnly nodded at his unspoken question.

"I start my training tomorrow!" the teen gushed on the other end of the line. "Oh, this is so cool! We can go out there and make the world safe together! I can finally make a difference! Isn't that wonderful news, Shinji? Aren't you happy for me?"

The handset slipped from Shinji's shaking hand and landed softly on the carpet. As the stunned boy stood there, trying to make sense of everything, he barely heard Mana's tinny voice through the earpiece as it lay on the floor by his feet.

"Hello? Shinji? Are you there?"

"Hello?"

"Hello...?"

- - -

CONTINUED...

- - -

Authors' Note: 5-22-2004

Boy, you could see that plot twist coming a mile away, couldn't you? :P

Well, those of you who have read the original story probably know what changes I've made this time around. In addition to making a few minor adjustments to the pieces that were already written, I expanded on Shinji and Mana's date and tried to make it the main focus of this chapter instead of having it almost as a side note.

Once again, thanks go out to Rob for his help on the original first draft, and to 'notime' for prereading the "new, improved" chapter.