Archdruid Sephiroth Presents

A Neon Genesis Evangelion Fanfic

Trading Places

I: Day Zero

Asuka Langley Sohryu was the kind of person who wouldn't let anything get her down. If she had an issue she couldn't solve, she'd still try to solve it. In this case though she simply didn't have a very good day and there was little she could do about it... but so far this entire week seems hell bent on being the most horrid in her short life.

It all started yesterday when she found out the Third Child, the perverted baka hentai himself, had been swooped away by the latest addition to Class 2-A. Her name is Mana Kirishima. For the life of Asuka, she hated everything about that girl. Mana was just too prissy on the surface, which lead Asuka to the inescapable conclusion that she was definitely hiding something. But Asuka would be damned if she knew what it was the girl was hiding. Was she a spy, or did she simply exist to infuriate her?

But the fact was, Asuka wasn't even sure why she was so bothered by the fact that Shinji was falling for Mana in the first place. What did she care what that perverted baka did and with whom. He wasn't a man fit for her after all, certainly no where near Kaji's caliber. And yet, it annoyed her to no end.

Then there was an angel attack during an important test in the simulation bodies. The Angel, later identified by the MAGI as Iruel, invaded the chamber and very nearly caused NERV to self destruct before the bridge crew managed to deal with the problem. Asuka as a result was left floating in a plug in the middle of Lake Ashi, completely naked. She was not happy about that at all, especially with the rescue crews being such hentai themselves.

If she had a chance to unwind, maybe she could get around all of the crap that happened so far this week. But now she found out she would have to go to NERV straight from school because Commander Ikari ordered another cross-activation experiment. This time, the experiment was to be conducted only between the First and Second Children, and of course their respective EVAs.

Asuka's mood had changed from simply not happy to completely flustered. She planned on going to the mall after work to take out her aggressions on some new video game they just got in at the arcade. That plan was now completely blown out of the water since by the time the experiments would be done, Asuka would be lucky if she had time for a light dinner before going to bed for school the next day.

To make matters even worse, she'd been having some odd feelings lately, pointed towards yet another object of her near constant aggravation, The First Child. Rei Ayanami was more than simply an enigma to her now, she had become a source of utter frustration and aggravation. Rei was the Commander's favorite, always garnering the most attention from him and yet compared to Asuka, Rei's sync ratio was a joke. Her complete lack of social skills was even worse. She was always too eager to follow orders and displayed little to no emotion, coming off like a machine. To Asuka, Rei was a living doll... And if there was anything Asuka hated in this world, it was dolls.

The explanation for her hatred... in fact Pediophobia, the fear of dolls... would take a while to explain. It all came down to mother issues, with her mother treating a doll as her daughter instead of her real one. Madness was status quo for NERV after all. But that experience, as well as finding her mother had hung herself and the proxy Asuka doll, would go a long way into building the mental trauma of the Second Child.

Dealing with Rei was like dealing with a doll... And yet, somewhere beneath the surface, Asuka couldn't help but wonder if there was something more than that. She did have to admit to herself that Rei was beautiful in her own way. Her hair and eyes were definitely exotic, and her skin was always flawless, despite the many injuries she sustained as an EVA pilot. Her hair was silky… her eyes were deep, and her curves were in just the right places... perfect in the eyes of Asuka who wishes she had similar curves.

Upon thinking this, she decided it was probably time to have her head examined. Asuka was many things, but a lesbian was not one of them. She wasn't one of those girls, and she'd never be. Asuka only had eyes for men (specifically Kaji), and wouldn't have another girl as a consort. That's what she kept telling herself anyway, despite her inherit bi-curiosity. Still, Rei was beautiful in so many ways that Asuka, even in her most adamant anti-lesbian sentiments, couldn't help but be entranced by her. If only she could reach out to Rei and get the introverted girl to open up…

… And that's when she honestly wondered if Ritsuko was qualified to give her anti-psychotic medication. Asuka would see a shrink but they cost money she didn't want to spend. For now, she would concentrate on finding out what she could about Mana Kirishima and why she seemed so shifty and untrustworthy to her… and do her damnedest to get Rei out of her mind.

From Rei's perspective, nothing mattered and nothing would ever really matter. She knew why she was created, she knew what her purpose was and she knew she would be granted release from this painful existence when her appointed time had come. Nothing beyond that mattered to her. And yet… as of late, she was both bothered by and fixated on Asuka. She didn't understand why she had acquired such a fixation, but she realized she was beginning to feel a pain within her. It was a pain she couldn't identify as it left no visible marks or injuries. It wasn't real pain, in a matter of speaking, but it could be defined the same way, she realized. The blue haired girl wondered if this is what normal people call loneliness since she seemed to feel it when she was completely alone, but she pushed this feeling aside. It was irrelevant in face of the scenario. After all, she had maybe a year before Third Impact, and then it wouldn't matter anymore.

Yet she couldn't help but become fixated with the Second Child. Her brashness and superior attitude were distracting and yet Rei wondered what she would be like to be that confident in herself. She was only ever truly confident in The Commander's Plans for her and his scenario. What did self-confidence feel like? Was it always so liberating? It was then that she realized that the Second's personality was intoxicating in its own way, and she contemplated keeping her distance more and more in case such exposure pushed her from her purpose.

Whenever Rei thought about Asuka though, she would smile ever so slightly. The girl took very good care of herself and her thin body was shaped in a pleasing way. Though Rei knew from the redhead's rants that she wished she had more meat on her body, Rei herself thought that Asuka represented her own type of perfection. In that respect, Rei was certain that Asuka would only become more pleasing to the eye as she aged.

But that would never happen. The scenario would end the world in less than a year. That thought made Rei a little sad. She compared it to watching a great painter work on a masterpiece a little at a time but knowing the painter would never get to finish the project. And for this reason alone, Rei decided her feelings for Asuka were irrelevant.

Neither child knew that their lives were about to be changed for a time. If but for a little while, things would be very different for them, and they might just get to understand their roles in the world a bit better. But would they gather understanding of each other from this episode, or is fate simply playing a cruel joke upon them?

NERV, 1938 hrs (7:34 PM)

Asuka sat in Rei's plug wishing she were somewhere else. The atmosphere inside the plug was just as placid and dull as she expected. Though there was a calm here in Rei's plug, she kept feeling like she didn't belong here. She had the feeling that despite her ability to synchronize with 00, she wasn't welcome here.

"How does it feel inside 00?" Ritusko asked over the com link.

"Weird," Asuka said immediately. "I feel like I'm some alien environment." Her face scrunched in disapproval. "It's almost calm, but I feel like something doesn't approve of me being in here. Mein Gott, are we done yet? This is almost unbearable!"

"Patience," Ritsuko replied. "We should be done in a few minutes.

Meanwhile in 02, Rei was experiencing unusual sensations of her own. The atmosphere here was almost stifling, as if Asuka's infectious attitude were apart of the plug itself. It was very distracting and it made syncing with the EVA a difficult venture. Though she manged it, she felt like something was watching her... And that something was angry.

"How about you Rei?" Ritusko asked.

"It is… uncomfortable here." It was the best assessment she could come up with. "Like Pilot Sohryu, I feel unwelcome."

The bridge was in slow motion with the technicians, the Operations Director and Ritsuko herself just waiting and watching the data. Information scrolled cross the screens in front of the bridge bunnies. Some of the data was important, but as Maya herself learned over her tenure here, much of it was irrelevant... at least to the bridge crew. She was sure her Sempai would find the data at least somewhat fascinating.

"They're both holding at 27%," She reported. "No really high enough for proper operations, Sempai."

"Not unexpected," Ritsuko whispered. "The pilots are as night and day."

"This seems like a monumental waste of time and resources," Misato commented. "We know the cross-synchronization experiments were a failure before, so why did The Commander order another set?"

"Who knows," Ritsuko replied. "He didn't give me a reason, he simply wanted it done. I've learned not to question him."

"We've reached the end of the timetable," Makoto reported. "Shall we begin the shutdown?"

Ritsuko nodded. "I guess there is no point in dragging this thing out. There hasn't been a change in synch scores for the past 20 minutes."

"Being shutdown procedures," Misato ordered.

"At least nothing went wrong," Ritsuko whispered. Misato heard it and frowned.

Suddenly the computers flashed and yelled alerts as red lights began flashing.

"You had to say it, didn't you," Misato complained over the alarm.

"Sempai!" Maya yelled as the computer continued to whine and scream. "Both of their synchronization ratings are rising rapidly!"

"What?" Ritusko ran to her tech and looked over her shoulder.

"40%... no 50%! They're still rising!"

"Eject the power cables and send the forced shutdown command," Misato ordered quickly.

"Cables ejected, Units 00 and 02 have switched to internal power," Hyuga reported."One minute 'till shut down. Both EVAs are rejecting the shutdown command."

"Eject the plugs," Misato order grimly, hoping there wouldn't be any injuries. She remembered Rei's activation experiment and hoped this wouldn't result in the same thing all over again.

"Both EVAs are rejecting the command interface!" Makoto replied. "40 seconds 'till shut down!"

Inside the plugs, both pilots suddenly felt as if the LCL's pressure was increased. Their heads felt like they were put in vices as the LCL began to bubble around them. Asuka and Rei struggled to stay awake amidst a mental pressure they couldn't identify.

"Get us out!" Asuka screamed as her brain felt like it was going to explode.

"30 seconds till shutdown," Makoto reported.

"Synchronization rate of both pilots has crossed the 100% mark, 120%, 150%!"

Both EVAs suddenly began reacting as if they were trying to reject their respective pilots. They broke their restraints and grabbed their heads as if feeling what their pilots were feeling, pressing against the sides of their skulls to ease the pain. With a roar they broke free of the final restraints and tried to punch their way out of the test chamber. Each hit cracking the walls and stressing the frame of the room.

"Activate the Bakelite System! Do it!" Misato yelled.

Both EVAs were immediately drenched in the reddish liquid which was quickly crystallizing around them. They continued to fight back, newly forming crystallized Bakelite shattering with each movement while more of it clung to their armor, weighing them down. Both of the pilots were screaming in pain now as the pain intensified. Asuka opened her eyes and saw the inside of her own plug, but before she could contemplate why that would be the pressure caused her to black out.

2304 Hrs (11:04 PM)

Rei was the first of the pilots to awaken. Her eyes opened but everything she could see in the dark was fuzzy and undefined. She had no idea which hospital room she was in, only that she was in the medical ward at NERV. She sat up, finding she was naked in bed as she usually was when she woke up in this place, but something was definitely off. She felt her hair cascade over her shoulders and down the front of her. In the darkness she make out the strands and puzzled at just what had happened.

Long hair would indicate she was unconscious for quite some time, probably comatose, but wouldn't Ritsuko cut her hair occasionally if that were true? And if she were comatose, why was she alive? Commander Ikari would have simply killed her and activated the Third. Could something have happened to prevent that? Wouldn't there have been angel attacks since then? So many questions filled her head, but she decided to quiet her mind for now and focus on finding out what really happened. Speculation was getting her no where.

Rei shifted to the edge of the bed and stood up, nearly falling over when she tried. Everything felt off to her, as if her height was wrong. Her weight seemed off which was affecting her balance. It was almost like she was in a body that wasn't hers. Carefully she made her way to the bathroom and nearly collapsed on the sink, though she avoided a fall for the second time in as many minutes. Steadying herself, she reached out and turned on the light. It blinded her so she closed her eyes and concentrated on relaxing them so they could adjust.

Slowly, Rei opened her eyes and stared into the mirror. A look of shock came over her face as she took in what she saw. It was not her face that was staring back at her.

Her hand came up to touch her cheek, and blue eyes followed every movement. Rei pushed her red hair from her face and shoulders, and saw that her body was shaped differently from what she was used to seeing. She blinked, looking into the pools of blue that were the windows of her soul and realized she wasn't staring at herself at all... she was staring at Pilot Sohryu.

"This was not part of the scenario," she deadpanned in a voice that was not her own.

Several rooms down the hall, Asuka was starting to awaken herself. She was also in the dark and cursed at her inability to see very well at all. Her hands reached up to her head to try to sooth away her headache when they came in contact with the tips of her hair.

"Wait," she whispered.

She grasped her hair finding it was significantly shorter than she remembered.

"Mein Gott, don't tell me they had… to… cut…" she stopped talking. Her voice wasn't her own. Something was very wrong here and she had to find out what. She got out of bed and quickly fell to the floor. Her balance was completely off and she had no idea why. If they did cut her hair maybe they had to operate on her brain? It would explain her difficulty in finding her balance, she realized. Would she be able to pilot EVA again? The thought scared her beyond her wildest comprehension. EVA was everything to her, and if she lost that, she lost herself.

Carefully getting back to her feet she made her way to the bathroom as swiftly as she could and threw the light on. Instantly she was blinded and turned away covering her eyes. Nothing felt right. She felt fuller in her body than she was before, and far less bony. Her balance was completely shifted and everything seemed off. Maybe once the light no longer hurt, she's be able to see the scar on her head that she knew had to be there. Damn them for taking her hair!

As her eyes started to adjust they were looking down. Immediately she knew something was very wrong. Her breasts were bigger than she remembered and her skin was paler by a long shot. Her body was absolutely perfect, but she knew it wasn't right. She was supposed to be thin. In fact, Asuka had seen a body just like this just yesterday…

"No…" she whispered as she forced herself to turn to the mirror and look into it. A gasp escaped her lungs as she stared into crimson eyes. Her hands reached up to her head which was covered in an azure mop. Her eyes took on a terrified expression as she examined her almond shaped head.

"No… I…" A hand went over her mouth as she realized she was speaking with Rei's voice.

Rei's voice…

Rei's eyes…

Rei's hair…

Rei's body…

Asuka had become the doll…

The scream that tore from her lungs could be hard several halls away.

Moments later Ritsuko ran in and saw Rei crying at the mirror, barely holding on to the sink. This was an odd feeling for Ritsuko as the normally emotionless First Child had never cried to her knowledge.

"Rei what's wrong?" She asked tentatively. She was suddenly grabbed by her lab coat as the tearful child looked at her and said the last thing that Ritsuko ever though she would hear out of Rei.

"GIVE ME MY BODY BACK YOU BITCH!"

"What in the name of…" and then it dawned on her. "Oh Kami-sama… Pilot Sohryu?"

"Yes it's me! What the fuck have you done to me? Mein Gott you turned me into the doll!"

"Calm down pilot, right now!" she snapped causing Asuka to suck in a tear before she backed off and almost fell over again after losing her balance for at least the third time. Ritsuko pulled a hospital gown from out of closet next to her and tossed it to her. Asuka put it on though she did take a moment to look at her new body. She hated being in Rei's body but at the same time, she had to admire it.

"I don't know what's happened, but getting hysterical about it is not going to solve the problem. Understand?"

Asuka nodded. "Why do I look like Ayanami?" she asked a little calmer, but Ritsuko could hear her straining to keep her temper in check. It was obvious she was beyond pissed off.

"I don't know yet," she replied. "I need to check on Asuka… I mean Rei.. and see if the same thing happened to her. Stay here, lie down and try not to get hysterical. We'll figure this out."

Asuka nodded but she was now more worried then ever. How could this have happened to her now? She didn't want to be a doll. And if Rei had control over her body… no, she couldn't even contemplate that.

Ritsuko went to Asuka's room, or more accurately where she had Asuka brought after they got her out of the EVA. Inside the bathroom, she found Asuka staring at the mirror and examining herself. Though it appeared to be with clinical detachment, Ritsuko could have sworn she saw a slight pinkish tone come over the girl's face.

"Rei?" she asked questioningly and watched as Asuka's head turned in her direction.

"Doctor Akagi," she replied. "I seem to have an unusual problem."

Ritsuko sighed… it was going to be a long night.

End of Chapter I

You let me violate you

You let me desecrate you

You let me penetrate you

You let me complicate you

-Nine Inch Nails, Closer