Chapter 8 – The Good Days
"So, for the next two weeks you'll be quartered in an apartment next to the Mall, and we've already got all your material in it – and, ah don't worry about dinner tomorrow, Lara is very excited to meet you."
Mana and Colonel Beck were walking up the stairs of the remodeled Capitol Building. Mana had just arrived in the country two days earlier, and the time difference had caught up to her. It was just after 7:30 PM, but she just wanted to curl up in a ball on a bed. And probably cry about Shinji as well, not that she would tell anyone that's why. Or that she had even been crying intermittently since she left Japan. Such was the life of Mana Kirishima, newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the JSSDF Army.
Hearing Beck, Mana felt awkward. "It's alright – I really don't mean to impose like that. I mean, it's not like I can't grab food myself. I'm sure there are some decent places near the apartment."
The two passed into the hallways around the central chamber, passing by door after door marked with a name and district. Most were closed, and they passed few people.
"Ahh, Mana. I'm not quite sure you understand Mississippi women. My wife did not ask me to invite you – she ordered me. And should you fail to appear, I am reasonably certain that she will take it out on my own hide." He stopped walking and smiled warmly at Mana. "Really, you're not imposing if you're invited." He placed his hand on Mana's shoulder and squeezed.
"Right," Mana said, "so when do I get to see the place?" Two suited young men took the opportunity to pass right between Mana & Beck. Mana shot a dark glance at their backs.
"I just need to make a showing to one representative in particular, he's been a fairly key force behind the whole Jet Alone Prime² project."
They stopped at a door, and Mana read the placard beside it – 'John Scott, 5th Congressional District, Iowa'.
Beck put his hand on the doorknob, hesitated, then looked at Mana. "And let me give you just a little warning, Mr. Scott-" Mana waved him off.
"Colonel, I've faced down Angels and Cherubim. I think I'll be fine."
Beck smiled, "I know you will." With that, he opened the door. The two were greeted with a strange sight, as a woman not much older than Mana sat on the floor, surrounded by manila folders, stacks of extremely old carbon copies, and loose sheets of paper. At the sound of the door she looked up, and Mana could see her eyes were covered in red lines, and circled with black.
"Ms. Thomas," Beck said, "are you alright?"
She blinked her eyes a few times. "Oh, oh, Colonel. How are you?" Ms. Thomas tried to push herself off the floor, scattering pages with her hands until she stumbled. The two rushed in and caught her by the armpits before she hit the ground.
"Ms. Thomas, what happened?" Beck asked. Mana & Beck helped the young woman to a seat, and Mana got her a cup of water.
After Ms. Thomas took a long drink from it, she coughed twice. "Ah, Re-representive Scott wanted me to go through... all the legal opinions written on Truman's t-takeover of the steel foundries in the 50's." Mana & Beck looked over the landscape of paper spread across the carpeted floor. "I-I haven't slept. In a few days, I think. I just... just didn't think there'd be so much," she said.
Beck laid a hand on her shoulder. "I think you've done plenty enough for our good public servant. Why don't you head home and get yourself some rest?" Ms. Thomas smiled back at him and nodded. Mana grabbed what looked like her purse and handed it to her.
"You're not far, are you?" Beck asked. Ms. Thomas shook her head. "Well, why don't you ask one of the Billings boys down the hall to walk you home, just in case." Ms. Thomas nodded and left. Mana smirked at Beck.
"Trying to play matchmaker between the interns?" she asked. 'You're worse than Misato,' she added in her mind.
"Now, now, I just believe a young woman oughtn't be forced to walk home by herself in the evening. And they're good boys from that town. They understand how a lady ought to be treated." Beck sat down on one of the wooden seats, taking care not to step on any stray papers or knock over any stacks.
"Uh-huh, sure. I totally believe you there," Mana said, smirk still firmly attached to her face.
"And just because I noticed those two are a little shy around the fairer sex has no bearing on my recent actions," Beck pointed at Mana, "and now you've got me practicing for my talk with some senators later this week!"
"Because you need practice bullshitting."
Beck slapped his knee at that, "Ha ha!"
Outside the open door, Mana could hear two heated voices echo off the marble from down the corridor come closer. She could make out some of what they were saying.
"-listen here, there's a reason I've got that DR after my name!" said the first voice.
"Do I care who you caucus with? No!" said the second, "You want my help with your rider, you damn well better convince Ms. Lafayette to vote 'yes' tomorrow!" The voice turned into a man standing at the doorway, still facing the hallway.
"And that's final!" he said, pointing. He then turned and looked inside the office, noticing Beck, Mana, and the papers in that order. He turned to Beck and smiled broadly. "Nick, you old dog!" He closed the door and stepped into the room, accidentally knocking over a stack. He ignored it, and grabbed Beck's hand as he stood up. "Ha ha! It's good to see you, ya rebel bastard!" he said.
"It's good to see you again, Representative Scott," Beck answered.
"No no no! Drop that crap – we're all friends here!" He looked around the room. "Hey, where did Jessica-"
"I told her to head back home. She was a little exhausted," Beck said.
Scott nodded his head, "Right, right." He looked over at Mana, who stiffened to attention under his eyes. "And who is thi- wait!" Scott looked at Beck. "Is this your Japanese girl?" Beck opened his mouth to reply, but Scott ignored him and went over to Mana. "Ah, KOH-NEE-CHEE-WAH, MISS," Scott said, speaking loudly to try and come across more intelligibly, before he then awkwardly bowed.
Mana waited until he had gotten upright before shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Representative Scott," she said in barely-accented English.
Beck cut in, "Yes, this is Second Lieutenant Mana Kirishima, sent over by the JSSDF to help us out."
Scott yawned as he nodded his head. "Right, right." He clapped her on the shoulder, "Don't you worry about nothing, I'll get the votes on the committee to fund our dear Colonel's giant robot fantasy!"
Scott turned back to Beck, "Can you- I mean can you, did you hear about what that Langley bastard wanted from us a few days ago?"
Beck shook his head. "I can't say I have. What was Pieter asking?"
Scott stomped his foot. "I'll tell you! That son of a bitch thinks WE, the United States GOVERNMENT, ought to pay those Nerv bastards for all that shit we took from them after New Vegas. Pay!" Mana could see Scott's bulging face turn redder as he hit his hand on the table. "And you want to know the worst part? I think the President wants to. The President! Son of a bitch is supposed to represent our interests abroad, not cave on them!"
Beck cleared his throat and motioned toward the landscape of papers, "So I take it that's what all these opinions on the steel takeover were for?"
Scott looked at them as if it were for the first time, and changed his demeanor completely. "Right, right. Forgotten about that. Well it's all history now, so it doesn't matter so much." Mana saw Beck's jaw clench, but Scott remained oblivious.
Scott laughed, then opened up the door to his inner office. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make some phone calls. Nick, call me tomorrow afternoon and we can talk to Liz. Night!" Scott shut the door, the wind blowing a few pieces of paper into the air.
Mana stared at the door, and silently wished that hate could set things on fire.
As she and Beck walked through the hallways away from the office, Mana fumed. "What the HELL was that? 'Is this your Japanese Girl'! Goddamn! And what was that calling you a rebel for!"
Beck sighed. "He thinks everyone born south of Mason-Dixon is some kind of Confederate. Scott is... a special breed of jackass," he said, "but he's been the key ally for the project in Congress for a while now. Only that new Senator from Maine's been open enough as well to it to push funding for the project. Without Scott's efforts, we'd be nowhere. He's... distasteful, but sometimes you need the help only a dick can give you."
Mana stopped, her frown dropping away. She then began giggling uncontrollably. Beck palmed his face.
"That wasn't what I wanted to say."
It was a few years after Mana's first visit to Washington. She'd recently been promoted to Captain, and she vividly remembered telling Kaji about it.
See, I'm successful here. They see what I can do.
She had been summoned to the area because she was to give a full testimony against her commanding officer, General Jonathan Powers for criminal negligence. Once the investigation concerning Unit Zeta's activation test was through, Mana hoped, the bastard would see the inside of a jail cell.
And Mana would probably be out of a job.
It still shook her up when she thought about it, so she tried not to think about the screaming and-
Mana shook her head violently. It had just been a police siren in the distance.
She was drinking at a small bar just outside the District on the Virginia side. A pre-Impact jukebox sat along the far wall, the flashing lights not catching anyone's eyes. A group of well-suited lobbyists sat in the far corner, speaking too loudly and being too friendly. Outside the bar a summer thunderstorm lashed the night.
Mana peered into the glass of beer in front of her. What she was doing was something of a long shot, but she had to try. She had no intention of failing here and going back to Japan with her tail between her legs. She would do everything to prevent going back to Tokyo-3.
The door opened, and Mana saw her man walk in. He was drenched, his raincoat having failed miserably at its appointed task. He took it off as well as his hat, and hung them up on a rack near the door, revealing the face of Edward Treadwell, junior Senator from Maine. He was of middle-age, with the first creases appearing on his face (though she did not notice that they were of joy, not anxiety). He wiped a hand through his short black beard, and tried to dry his face. Edward looked around the room before his noticed Mana sitting far away from the other patrons. She motioned her head toward the bar, and he nodded back.
Mana kept drinking as he went to the bar and ordered his own. With drink in hand, Edward sat down across from Mana, and took her hands in his. She didn't think about how similar he held them to an earlier man in her life. "I heard about what happened, Mana. Are you alright?"
"I've been better, Ed," she replied. They were both quiet. Edward left his drink untouched.
After a few minutes, Mana spoke up, "I'm going to need your help, Ed."
Edward nodded his head, "You can count on me, Mana," he said.
"I'm just... this is terrible. I should have triple-checked the mental locks or... made a last-minute diagnostic of the sapient... I should have done something," Mana said, her voice fraying with anger at the end. "Why in the Hell did I trust Powers with anything? I knew he was a bastard but..."
Edward squeezed Mana's hands, "Hey, hey," he said to get her attention. "Look at me. Mana, you followed the regulations. That's what the investigation will find out. You did everything that could be expected, and more so sometimes. This was bad, but it's not going to derail the project. I know how much it means to you and Beck."
Mana looked up from her drink to Edward. She nodded slowly. In the corner one of the lobbyists tripped over his own feet and landed on the floor, laughing.
"We'll have the committee meeting two days from now, which gives me some time to make some calls to Tiborough and Johnstone. We'll keep this alive. You just need to trust me," Edward said.
"Tiborough hates you, though," Mana said.
"Oh I know," Edward replied, "but Arkansas has a hefty stake in the construction of our dear machines. He'll do what's necessary if I trade a few horses with him."
Mana narrowed her eyes, "What are you thinking about?"
Edward licked his lips. "I'll probably have to vote for our dear friend Mr. Langstreet's Supreme Court bid."
Mana sucked in her breath. "You told me you'd rather shoot off a foot than vote for him!" she whispered, "I can't make you do this!" And in some part of her mind, she might have believed what she was saying.
He held up a hand. "Don't worry about me. I won't give in on anything too big, but I'll do what's necessary."
Mana stared at Edward, trying to read underneath his face. She then closed her eyes. "Thank you," she said.
He kissed the top of her hand. "It's the least I can do for you."
Mana really hoped she wasn't blushing.
"Now, where are you staying tonight?" he asked.
"I've got a room over at Wellsy's for the next week," Mana said.
Edward carefully let go of Mana's hands. "Would you care to spend the night?" he asked, "It's... I've missed you."
Mana took hold of his hands this time. "I've missed you too. That sounds nice. Not afraid of the Capitol paparazzi catching the dashing Senator with his girlfriend?"
Edward grinned, and pulled Mana up from the table. "I would never be ashamed of you," he said. Mana quickly downed the last of her beer, and Edward left his drink on the table. The drunk lobbyists never noticed their leaving.
'All good things must come to an end,' Mana thought as Athene drove her back to the Tokyo-3 airport.
"Well, I hope you had a great time, Colonel," Athene said as they pulled near to where Mana's chartered flight sat, "It's been a pleasure to serve you."
Mana looked over at Athene in the driver's seat, "It's been nice to get to know you, Ms. Prideaux. Good luck on your research." Mana got out of the car and grabbed her suitcase. Athene smiled and waved as she pulled out and drove away.
Mana breathed out and let her shoulders slump. Here she was, leaving Tokyo-3 again. And again, something like a thief in the night. But she couldn't stay here forever.
Mana waited around a few minutes, conscious that she was meant to arrive back in Washington before heading to Trident, and frustrated at the short time she had to get there. Mana heard another car pull up behind her, along with a door opening.
Mana turned to see Shinji pull himself out of his car (not new but not old), and she couldn't help but smile.
"Need any help?" she asked.
"No no, I'm alright," Shinji responded, kicking his leg to try and free it from whatever had caught it. After a tug, he jumped back a few steps trying to keep his balance. Mana tried not to laugh, but didn't do a very good job at it.
Shinji walked up to her and noticed her smirk. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up. Or do you want these flowers?" He produced a nice bouquet from behind his back. Mana was both surprised and impressed.
"You want me to clock you this time as well?" Mana asked.
Shinji laughed, "Not really, no. But you didn't really give me time to get anything fancier to send you off with."
Mana crossed her arms. "And who said I needed a gift for leaving? Are you trying to send me some kind of subtle signal, Mr. Ikari?"
Shinji gestured awkwardly with the bouquet, "Hey! I just thought it would be a nice gesture. You know, a 'We really liked having you here, so come back soon!' sort of thing."
Mana uncrossed her arms, and took the flowers. "Thank you," she said, "but who's this 'we'?"
Shinji scratched his scalp behind his ear. "Ah, uh... people... here. You know."
Mana stopped for a moment and tried to figure out what to do. Shinji's stammerings meant almost certainly that it was just his idea, and no one else had been involved. If he had at least mentioned Hikari, Mana would have understood that, as Mrs. Suzuhara was one to never leave a good occasion for wishing someone well.
But no. Shinji Ikari, the man she had broken the heart of nearly two decades earlier, was giving her flowers.
Mana did not understand what was going through his mind. Furthermore she was at a loss as to how to respond. So she did the first thing that came to her mind – try and cover her confusion.
"Right, right," Mana said, "I, uh, I understand. Yeah... thank the others for me, will you?"
"Yeah, I will," Shinji replied.
This wasn't really how Mana wanted to end this visit. For a while longer they faced one another. Perhaps they were looking at each other.
"Sooo," Shinji said, "thanks for letting me know about Athene. That would have been awkward."
'As if it isn't awkward now,' Mana thought.
"No problem," she said, "I don't think anyone wanted to see her kick your ass."
"Wouldn't be the first time a woman put me in my place," Shinji said.
Mana wasn't sure what to make of that either, so she kept her mouth shut.
"It was... it was really good to see you again, Mana," Shinji said. Mana saw that he was still smiling. She didn't perhaps understand why, but it was infectious.
"I... this has been nice. It was good to see you again, Shinji," Mana said before checking the time.
"I guess I can't keep you long," Shinji said. Mana shook her head.
"Well, have a good time back home then," he said.
Mana would spend the next week trying to figure out why she did what she did next.
Walking right up to Shinji, she leaned in and kissed his cheek.
From the way Shinji tensed, Mana could tell he was just as confused about it as she was. She leaned back.
"I'll keep in touch," she said. Shinji looked dumbly at her for a few seconds before nodding his head.
With that, Mana walked away with her suitcase and flowers, feeling Shinji's gaze at her back. Getting into the scramjet, Mana breathed in deep from the flowers. They were nice, nicer still for being unexpected.
And with that, Mana left Tokyo-3.
Colonel Beck leaned back and stretched his arms out above his head, thrusting his chest out towards Mana. He let out a groan, then slumped back into his seat. Scattered around the table were stacks of paper, many of them with Mana's signature at the bottom. Her hand would have gotten cramped hours ago, if not for having cybernetic limbs – a perk, perhaps, she thought. They had been at the meeting room in one of Tokyo-3's high rises since before noon, hashing out some of the last details of Mana's deployment to the United States. Mana looked at the clock – 9:24 PM.
"Now Mana," at Beck's voice, Mana turned back towards him, "this is the last one. That's your acceptance of commission from the JSSDF." He slid the slim packet over the table towards her. She flipped open the thin plastic covering to read it. One more piece of bureaucratic nightmare to cut through. But as she was reaching towards the black pen, which had started this day full, but was now visibly on its last few dregs, Beck opened his mouth.
"Actually, Mana," he said. Mana's eyes shifted upwards to him. He sucked in his lips, then let them out.
"How about we leave that one for tomorrow," he said as he gathered up the rest of them. Mana raised an eyebrow at him. He noticed it.
"I just think, we're not in a hurry to get this all done, we can take our time, and I don't want you to rush into this and then have second thoughts. I'd hate for you to arrive in the States and feel like you should've stayed."
Mana pulled the cap off the bottom of the pen with her teeth, flipped the pen around and recapped it. "Colonel, you've given me four months to think about this. Don't you think I'd've figured it out by now?"
Beck smiled. "You'd be surprised at what pops into view that last night. Trust me, let's leave it for tomorrow. It's getting late, and my old bones are a-creaking."
"You're not even 45 yet!" Mana replied. Beck grinned wider. "That still makes me twice as old as you, young lady. I may not have the long white beard, but I swear I've got something up here," he said as he knocked his knuckles on his temple. Mana laughed at that. She let out an over-large sigh, and put the pen down. "Fine, fine, fine. I suppose I'll listen to you this time. But don't expect my resolution to change, Colonel!" Mana pointed her finger at Beck, who raised his arms.
"Just think of it as getting used to listening to me, then," he replied.
"Alright, alright. I can do that," Mana said, getting up out of her chair. She grabbed her backpack from the ground, and slung one strap over her shoulder. Standing at the door she asked "When do you want to meet tomorrow?"
Beck placed another pile of forms into his briefcase, then looked up at Mana. "Hrm, how does 10 in the morning sound?" Beck grinned, "We don't need to get up too early for it."
Mana nodded, "Sounds good. See you tomorrow then, Colonel." Mana walked out of the meeting room with Beck's voice following her, and made her way down to ground level, where she stepped out into the warm August night. She started walking back towards her apartment. As she walked through the still-substantial crowds, she wondered why Beck had told her to think about it overnight. Did he think she wasn't ready for it? Was he giving her an out? She had already given her resignation to Commander Ikari, where else would she go now? It wasn't as if she could go back. Not if she wanted to hold her head up high.
The train was crowded, but not stuffed, and Mana was glad she didn't have to stay on it long. She yawned into her hand. 'Suppose doing nothing takes a lot out of you.'
After 10 minutes on the line, she got off at the nearest stop to her apartment. What else could Mana do? The Evas weren't needed anymore – they were being put into storage, with their pilots now free to go about their lives.
When he received her resignation, Commander Ikari had asked Mana if she had told Shinji of her plans yet. She had answered – no. He had made no further comment.
Mana got to the apartment building just after 10. She got out of the elevator on the seventh floor, and headed to her place. Kaji had graciously let her keep their old apartment, after he and Misato had shacked up in an empty one on the same floor. She opened her door, threw her backpack into the doorway, then closed the door again. She walked to the familiar door – apartment 708. Unlocking it, she opened the door and called in, "I'm back!"
"Welcome home!" she heard from inside. She could smell the food being prepared as she closed the door and took off her shoes. "I've been keeping some beef soup on the burner, if you haven't had dinner yet," the voice said. Mana smiled. He was always considerate like that. Her stomach growled in anticipation.
She walked into the front room. The television was on the news, where a respectable, middle-aged man, and a younger, good-looking woman gave details about happenings across Japan and the world. Seated on the couch in front of it, Mana could see the back of a head, looking down at something. She walked over and peered over his right shoulder. The young man had a book filled with musical notes and discussions about them.
At her presence, the young man turned his head toward Mana. "Hey Shinji," Mana said, then pecked him on his cheek as she rose and walked towards the kitchen. She could hear him put the book down and get up from the couch. As Mana ladled the soup into a large bowl, Shinji spoke. "So what've you been up to, Mana?" They both sat down at the kitchen table. Mana began wolfing down the hot food.
In between slurps, she replied, "I've been, uh, sort of wandering. Trying to... find something to do, you know?"
Shinji nodded his head. "I guess. I still don't get why you resigned from Nerv – you could have gotten the pilot's salary, and not just the pension."
Mana spooned another measure into her mouth and swallowed. "We talked about this. I just... I was sick of them making me see those quacks." Her left hand began clenching and unclenching.
Shinji took Mana's hand in his, feeling it relax at his touch. "It's okay, Mana. I'm not saying it was wrong. I was just wondering. Plus, it's not as if the pension is that bad," he said with a smile. Mana ate some more, quiet. After a minute or three she said, "So, what was that book you had?"
"Oh! It's a musical biography of Rostopovich. Just got it this morning, and I've been running through it all day. It's got some really interesting insights to it."
Mana finished up the soup, and began mopping the last of it up with bread. "That sounds fun."
Shinji beamed. "Yeah, it was a great find." When Mana was finished eating, he stood up, grabbed her bowl, and put it into the sink. He went back and began kneading Mana's shoulders. She let out a long breath. "Thanks," she said. "No problem." For a few minutes she let him massage her shoulders, neck, and upper back. Neither spoke. The television quietly continued in the other room. Mana closed her eyes and concentrated on Shinji's hands.
"Do you want to watch a movie tonight?" Shinji said. Mana opened her mouth slightly, "Sure. What are you thinking of?" Shinji continued squeezing out various knots in Mana's muscles. "Well, I was thinking of Dr. Zhivago. My father actually recommended it to me."
Mana grunted in agreement, and Shinji smiled. After a few more minutes, Shinji leaned down to Mana's ear and whispered, "Okay, wake up, sleepyhead. Let's watch that movie before you fall asleep." Mana groaned in her throat, and slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes. Shinji was already on his way to the television. Rolling her head, Mana got up and followed him. She sat down on the couch next to Shinji and leaned onto him as the movie started.
They sat there and watched the old film. As the film went on, Mana found herself lazily caressing Shinji with her hand, and she could feel the small shivers going through his body. She looked at him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, feeling his face turn to a smile. But before long the occasional pecks became deep kisses, and they began making out on the couch. About halfway through the forgotten film, Mana pulled away from Shinji.
"Let's go to bed."
Shinji looked into her eyes. "Sure."
When they got into Shinji's bed, Mana pinned him down and straddled his waist. She kissed him hard. Mana wondered in the back of her mind if he imagined she was Asuka when they did this.
After an hour, both lay exhausted and sweaty. Shinji took in deep breaths through his mouth. Mana turned onto her side, and watched him stare at the ceiling with closed eyes.
"Wow," he said. He opened his eyes, and turned his head to Mana. "That was incredible."
Mana scooted over to him and put her arm around his torso, resting her head on his armpit. He kissed the top of her head. He closed his eyes again and Mana could feel his breathing slow down. After a few minutes Mana spoke, pricking Shinji awake.
"What do you think is going to happen?"
Shinji blinked his eyes a few times, trying to wake up. "Sorry Mana, what?" Mana kept her head resting on him.
"What do you see in your future, Shinji?"
"Oh, uhm." Shinji tried to think. "I'd, uh, I'd be in some orchestra or something, playing the cello. I've gotten a lot better lately, and I think I could pull that off." Mana was silent, which Shinji took as a cue to continue. "I – well I see us, in our home together. Probably still here, now that I think about it. And, I think we'd be married. Maybe we'd adopt a kid." Mana kept quiet. "And we, we'll never need to fight in the Evas again, and we could tell our kids how we saved the world when nobody thought we could. And we could just spend time together, not even doing anything." Mana said nothing. Shinji smiled, assuming she was asleep, and began to drift off himself. Just as he was falling asleep, Mana spoke very quietly.
"That's a good dream."
The next morning, Mana arrived at the meeting room at 10 AM sharp. Beck was already there with the final forms.
Without a word, Mana signed them.