Neon Genesis Evangelion – Spiritus Sancti

Note from the author:
Disclaimer – Neon Genesis Evangelion and all related characters, concepts, etc., are property of ADVision and Gainax.

Well, here's the next part to spiritus sancti =) I'd just like to say thank you for the comments, even though I only got two from ff.net =)

Anyway, for those of you who do your homework, if you compared this version with those from last time, you'll find that indeed I have merged some chapters together. In my opinion it helps me work the story better ^_^.

Note, for those of you confused about Shinji's outburst, I am indeed writing a prequel. But I plan on doing a little more than that. You'll just have to wait till I get it done neh?

Well, let's see what Shinji and Asuka are up to...

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Chapter 2: Peaceful Hopes
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"No…" Shinji whispered weakly, his voice drained of all strength as he looked at Asuka.

He climbed off the bed and rushed out the door. Asuka followed after him. She had been giving things a thought over and she had come to a horrid conclusion. Shinji DID care for her, but her pride and arrogance had blinded her from it. She didn't know what she was going to do now, things were just so awkward.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" She hollered as she gave chase.

Shinji was still tired and feverish so it was easy for Asuka to catch up to him. She found him leaning against the wall, trembling. Asuka ignored the trembling, but she found it harder to ignore his pale colour. The pale white lights of the hospital seemed to make him ghostly white. He looked like shit...

"Idiot! What do you think you're doing?!"

There was no reply.

"Oi! Shin~"

"Get the HELL away from me!" Shinji snarled.

Asuka was shocked. It wasn't like Shinji to act like this. It only took her a moment to recover from her shock.

"The hell I'll get away from you! Who are you to tell me what to do?!" She retorted.

Shinji whirled round and glared. Asuka was again temporarily shell-shocked. His glare was full of anger and sorrow. She recovered once again and returned his glare, with one of annoyance.

Shinji looked away first.

Pushing past her, he shuffled away, leaving a fuming Asuka behind. He ignored the infuriated scream and crash as he made his way back to his room. The corridors rolled on and on, almost as though a maze was being run through his head. He had reached his resolve.
No more running. This time it would be OTHERS that would be backing down.

*

Misato arrived at Shinji's room to find him tugging on his black school pants. He continued dressing, oblivious to her presence. Misato also noted the way he was going about his business.

[rather definite for Shinji…If not a little aggressive…]

Misato cleared her throat softly, casuing Shinji to jump at the sudden sound. He gave a weak smile as he turned to face her.

"Mi-Misato." Stammered Shinji.

"I see you've woken up."

"Uh…Yeah."

Misato smiled softly as she moved to sit on a chair. Things had definitely changed. Not only with Shinji, but Asuka as well; over the couple of days in which Shinji was hospitalized, she seemed to lose a lot of her temper, becoming almost despondent. Oh, she still blew up at things regularly, but Misato noted how Asuka didn't seem to have a spark that once made her tantrums so ferocious.

"Shinji, we need to talk."

"Yes?"

Misato slowly mulled over how she was going to approach Shinji in a conversation where she was worried over his mental well-being. It was a delicate subject, and Shinji was one of those people that needed to be re-assured they were doing well. Unfortunately, things got from bad to worse when a furious Asuka stormed into the room. Her eyes almost glowed a dull red from anger as she looked round the room.

Spotting Shinji, Asuka became a blur as she ran across the room and slapped him. The impact was loud enough to echo round the room and probably a fair way round the hallway. Shinji was thrown to the floor by the hit and even Misato rose to her feet.

"G…" Asuka trembled.

She looked down as Shinji slowly tried to get up. She wanted to say sorry and see if he was alright. But her defenses were already in attack mode.

"BAKA!" she screamed at him as he got up.

Shinji looked up.

Asuka stepped back.

Shinji slapped Asuka.

Misato pushed Shinji onto the bed.

Asuka dove at Shinji.

Misato threw Asuka into a chair.
Things were bad, very bad. And as Ritsuko Akagi walked into the room, she decided to leave again. It was pathetic how people could fight over such trivial situations.

Inside, Misato was raving mad. Her two roommates had gone nuts.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!" she yelled.

Misato was raving mad. Her two charges had gone nuts. Both Shinji and Asuka were breathing heavily and looking at the floor. Their faces flushed with shame at their behavior. An eerie, guilty silence seemed to cover the room, and it wasn't welcome. Misato was worried, she had to find a way to calm her roommates down and why they were acting like this. To her relief, a very familiar doctor that allegedly died during SEELE's attack walked in.

"Once again, the eternally virtuous Major Katsuragi has everything under control." She chided.

"Ritsuko? Thank God…"

it was going to be a long day.

*

Misato walked over to the table where Fuyutski and Ritsuko sat, carrying a tray with three mugs of coffee. Taking a swig, the warm brew left its trail down her throat, a comforting warmth that calmed her and she purred with delight. Fuyutsuki looked up from his mug at her.

"So, Major Katsuragi. Why was I called here?"

"The mental state of the pilots." Ritsuko replied. This caught Fuyutsuki's attention.

"Go on."

Misato leaned forward to continue.

"Commander Fuyutsuki, recently, as you know, things have been tense since the attack by SEELE. However, recently, the conflict between the second and third child has come to a peak."

Ritsuko smirked. [That's a delicate way of putting things.]

"How have they reached a peak, Major?"

"Well, they tried to kill each other?"

Fuyutsuki shifted mildly in his seat. His face was a mask, obviously appearing unaffected by the news.

"And what analysis have we got?"

"Psychologically speaking, they're doing backwards handstands on the brink of insanity. All I can is that they are extremely stressed, they really need a break."

"Which is why I need to ask a favor." Misato piped in.

"What is it, Major?"

"I request that the acquaintances of both pilots be brought to Tokyo-3."

"What?!"

"I believe it would be to the mental benefit of both the Second and Third Children."

"I am not Commander Ikari."

"I know, which is why I'm hoping you will see reason."

Fuyutsuki scorned at Misato.

"You're twisting my arm, Major."

"I know."

Ritsuko stifled a grin as Fuyutsuki quietly grumbled to himself.

"Well, if you can find some sort of reason to bring them here, you have my leave."

"Thank you, sir." Misato saluted, before walking off.

Ritsuko took a sip from her mug as Fuyutsuki frowned.

"I think she's got a little too much free reign on her jurisdiction here."

"Well, Commander, don't you think it's time you started looking for a Sub-Commander?"

"You mean Katsuragi as a Sub-Commander?"

"Just a suggestion."

"…" Fuyutsuki looked into the distance, lost in his thoughts.

*

Shinji sat in his room, listening to his SDAT. He felt furious, it was an awkward feeling that nagged at him annoyingly. With nothing to occupy his mind, he thought of SEELE's attack. He couldn't remember the majority of it. He recalled an explosion or something before everything went black. He had woken up to see some sort of clone of his father before falling unconscious again. The next time he had woken up was in his room.

[weird…I can't remember any of it…]

Shinji's anger gave way to his curiosity but he still had this lingering feeling of hatred and annoyance. He was sick and tired of people trying to use him and put him down.

[from now on, no one puts me down.] He said it with zeal. But after some thought, it may have been only with Asuka in mind in which he pledged such a cause.

[I must make my peace with Asuka soon…I was the one who was wrong to attack her like that…]

Shinji looked down at himself. Compared to other boys of his age, he was under built and really needed some work. Piloting EVA hadn't helped his physique, but it had taught him how to deal with pain. He decided he'll have to talk to Misato about some sort of self-defense training program as he walked out the door.

Pen Pen was in the kitchen, looking longingly at a can of sardines someone had carelessly left on the kitchen bench. Although Shinji had a broken arm, he felt sorry for the poor penguin. And there was something comical about the sight.
Shinji smiled at the sight…

It was something he hadn't done in a long, long time. It felt oddly warming.

"Did you want some food, Pen-Pen?"

"WAARK!" the penguin gave some form of a nod and flapped its flippers.

"Haha, okay okay, lemme get it ready for you…"

Even as he had a broken arm, and had to struggle with the can opener to prepare Pen-Pen's food, Shinji found himself smiling and actually being happy. Although it confused him, he continued being happy as he emptied the contents of the can onto a plate. Shinji then looked round the kitchen for something to eat for himself. Misato obviously hadn't been shopping recently.

[Guess it's up to me to go get the groceries again…]

Shinji slipped into a jacket and put his shoes on.

*

Asuka left her room to find the apartment empty. In the middle of the living room, Pen-Pen lazed about, his belly full. He obviously had a feed and now she too was hungry. Shinji's room's door was still closed so he had probably gone to sleep.

[no way I'm going to ask that baka to cook for me now…]

She had quietly decided after much thought, that perhaps giving Shinji a second chance may be the right thing to do. Entering the kitchen, Asuka swiftly scrounged round, looking for a source of food. Upon finding none, she began to fret.

"Scheisse! Misato forgot to buy more food! Ah well, I'll go buy it."

Slipping into jeans and a t-shirt, Asuka left the apartment.

*

The streets were beginning to darken to a pale indigo as night loomed over Tokyo-3. It was a cool, windy night. The kind of weather Shinji had learned to appreciate most. It was crisp and it felt clear to Shinji.

Looking round, people walked happily together, all smiling and laughing. Everyone seemed to be coupling together. Seeing so much love and affection around left a gaping hole inside Shinji. He yearned for acknowledgement and comfort. He wanted to be loved.

[It'll probably never happen to me anyway…]

The pale warm glow of the Convenience Store welcomed him. It's atmosphere was reassuring as he entered.

Cheap music piped in through speakers in the ceiling and the air was stale. Shinji coughed a little as he moved to look through the isles of goods.

[What is it that I should cook tonight and what will Misato need for the week…?]

Shinji looked round the store.

[Heh…Beer's about the only thing that woman needs.]

Shinji smiled at the thought, then picked up a basket from the pile at the front of the isle. Shinji thought he'd try something his teacher had taught him a long time ago. He'd try to cook a little Italian food. He had once tasted a food called Lasagna from when he was living with his teacher. His teacher had given him the recipe and he had taken care to memorize the recipe.

[Milk…]

The frost of the fridge chilled him, but it was oddly soothing as he picked up a bottle of milk. His broken forearm and wrist were still in a cast although the remainder of his arm was out of its cast. The lack of use was evident as his arm shook with the strain of holding the basket.

Shinji looked round for cheese. It wasn't too often they ate cheese and he didn't know which type to pick. One had the flag of Italy on it, so he decided to go with that one, seeing as he'd be making Italian food.

Walking over to the noodles section, Shinji looked for the Italian pastry that goes into lasagna. Sure enough, in a tiny little corner on the bottom row, there were small red and green packs of the pastry.


Putting two packs into his basket, Shinji continued to pick up the rest of his ingredients.

[I'll cook something up and see if I can make peace with the Asuka and Misato when I get back…]

*

The walk was roughly fifteen minutes long, and in that time, Asuka Langley Soryu had done a considerable amount of thinking.

In the time when Shinji was gone with his arm wounded and knocked out in hospital, Asuka came to reflect on his presence in her life. Although it was only about two weeks, Asuka learned to actually appreciate the chores Shinji managed to do. He managed to cram in all the chores, the work from school and still pilot an Evangelion whilst saving the world.

[He also learnt to take the beatings I gave him…Baka…]

As the days grew by with Shinji's absence, Asuka found herself thinking about him more and more, until he was the only thing she was thinking about.

Asuka's reflections on the past weeks halted when she encountered the Third Child exiting from the local convenience store, bags of goods in hand. She looked softly at him with a firm scrutiny to see if he was still mad at her.

He looked back.

They had a staring match for what seemed like an eternity before Asuka chose to break the silence.

"D-Do you need any help with that?"

Shinji looked evidently shocked. It was perhaps, the first time Asuka had ever offered help on a meager thing as carrying the groceries. Recovering, he remembered the oath he had taken and he straightened up, hefting the bags in his arms.

"No."

He looked away and continued to walk back to the apartment.

Asuka was affronted, to say the least.

[I'll make peace with him when I get back to the apartment…]

She continued inside and for some reason, the cheap pipey music in the store made her heart sink in her chest...

*

Rei Ayanami was perplexed. Feeling perplexed didn't quite make her feel...good. She was supposed to be dead, and she knew she should be. But the fact is, she wasn't.

[Why am I still here...?]

Her purpose was Third Impact. But that had obviously passed. Her commander, Gendo Ikari had also passed away. She was at a loss as to what to do. Her thoughts drifted through the meagre list of all the people she could talk to. In fact, the list was limited to one.

Shinji Ikari.

Rei's brow knitted itself in an almost anxious frown. Such a facial action was strange for the girl, and even those who knew her a little better than others would have also said that was strange.

[I am ...]

Rei took a while to think out the end of that sentence. She would definitely have to talk to the Third Child.

[...changing.]

She got off the bed and slipped on her shoes before making her way to Major Katsuragi's apartment.

*

Asuka was fuming. That was the least that could be said about her as she entered the apartment with a bag of sausages and some ham that cost her a fortune. Shinji decided it might be best to leave her alone till dinner time when the lasagne would be ready. The Second Child, even though she had been catatonic for around a year and a half, still had a temper to be reckoned with Shinji wasn't in the mood to test his mettle.

He quietly laid down the first layer of pasta and shuffled over to the stove to see if his bolognese sauce was ready. Things seemed to be going fine right now. With a bit of luck, perhaps tonight wouldn't be so bad.

[Or they could just kill me and end it all now...] he snickered to himself at his snide attitude.

Listening out, except for the soft bubbling of the sauce and the cars outside, there wasn't a sound to be heard in the apartment.

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Author's End-Note:
What a bland Chapter…

Anyway, the next chapter has begun and things will eventually begin to get interesting. I'd like to apologise in advance, a tragedy in my personal life happened. Yes for those of you curious, it has to do with the Bali incident. Although it's not DIRECTLY related to me. My sister's boyfriend was killed.

But I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm sorry the chapter's so short, I'll post up a revised, longer edition. This was just something I wrote on my laptop on my way to my sister's place.

Umm thoughts about this chapter. I basically pretty much decided to include Rei Ayanami now. I thought I was neglecting her a bit and although I did have plans to include her LATER on, I guess she sort of just fell into place there.

It seemed right to write her into the story at this time. That's pretty much what I'm writing this story as. Whatever seems right and should go there, goes. ^_^ hopefully I'll be able to come up with an epic tale that all of you will enjoy.
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