Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ The Switch ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

An accident at an Evangelion test makes Shinji and Asuka interchange something very important, Shinji uses Asuka's Eva, while Askua uses Shinji's.

Anime/Manga: Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 01.02.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 5.6K | Visits: 2.6K | Status: Completed

Evangelion: The Switch

by Persona Ohnlyne

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Evangelion, GAINAX does. I'm just borrowing them, I'll give them back when I'm done.

This story takes place a little past the middle of the main story of Evangelion, after the part when the three kids have to make all those compatibility tests, seeing if one pilot can use another Eva (Remember when Rei got on Eva 01 and Shinji in Evo 00). After the attack of 12th angel, but before the 13th angel takes over the Evangelion unit 03.

With that over, on with the story.

Another test.

Another long, boring, and seemingly pointless test.

Needles to say, Asuka Langley Shoryu was bored out of her mind.

Well, Shinji was bored too, but he never complained, unlike Asuka who said so all the time.

The whole week have been of pure tests, seeing how the synchronization ratios of each children were with their respective Evas, all type of tests of the sort.

Rei had been sent home for the day, she had tried to pilot Eva 01, and her synch ratios had been good with it like it had been with unit 00.

That only left Shinji and Asuka.

Ritsuko had them get into their respective Evas to update the info on their synch ratios with them, and then told them to switch units. With Shinji in unit 02 and Asuka in unit 01.

"Shinji, you better not ruin anything in my beautiful Evangelion 02, got it!?" Said Asuka from the intercom between the two Evas.

"Yes." Replied Shinji flatly, not wanting to argue with Asuka right now. After all, she had called him a pervert when he said that unit 00 'smelled like Rei' when he was piloting it.

Asuka had been using unit 02 at the time, so she didn't understand. Rei on the other hand, had clearly said that unit 01 felt like Shinji. So he knew that he was right.

But he was Shinji after all, and would not argue with anyone, no matter if he knew that he was right.

"Okay now kids, pipe down." Ritsuko's voice came from the communicators of both Evas, "we are going to begin the test now, ready."

"Yes." Replied Shinji.

"Of course I'm ready, I'm always ready. Now can we do this and go home?" Replied Asuka.

Ritsuko ignored Asuka's comment and turned off the communication with both Evas. Then she turned to look at Maya. "Let's begin the test."

Maya nodded, "Yes, both Evas are being started... now!"

Both Shinji and Asuka felt how the world around them was going alive, and got the familiar sensation when the two of them got into their evas.

But that lasted just a second. After that, everything seemed to fall apart.

"ARRRGGGHHH!!!" Both Asuka and Shinji felt like their very being was being thorn appart, the two of them hugged themselves as they threw their heads back and screamed.

"What's going on!" Asked a very worried Misato, turning to look at Ritsuko.

"I don't know! This never happened before!" Replied Ritsuko, "Maya, what's going on!?"

"The readings are off scale! Both children seem to have a thorn in their souls! Ity's the Evas! I can't shut them down! They are not responding!" Replied Maya.

"Get them out of there now!" Demanded Misato.

"I CAN'T! We have to wait till whatever is going on is over, and then pray that they are okay." Replied Ritsuko, her voice showing that she was upset too, but knowing that yelling wouldn't do any good right now.

Inside the Evas, both Asuka and Shinji felt like if the cores of their being were being replaced with another one. It was too much for the two of them, and they fell unconcious inside the LCL filled entry plug.

And then, it was over.

"The Evas have ceased their functions, it's over." Said Maya as she looked at her monitor.

"How are the pilots?" Asked Misato.

"Stable. But unconcious." Replied Maya.

"Send a medical team to get them to the infirmary, we have to see what happened in there." Answered Ritsuko.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

One hour later.

Shinji and Asuka were both transported from the Evas to the infirmary. They were placed in the same room in separate beds.

Asuka slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she was in the infirmay.

How humiliating! How could she, the great and powerful Asuka Langley Shoryu, be in ... wait ... great and powerful? Why did she said that? Somehow it felt wrong ... it was funny, she of all people should be convinced that she was more superior than anyone ... but if that was the case, why did she felt different now?

She tried to get angry with herself for saying that, and found that it was easy to do so. Trying to focus that on something else, she tried to think about her superiority over others again.

And again she couldn't do it ... all she could think about was how pathetic she was ... WHAT!? Pathetic! No ... that wasn't right! That couldn't be right! She was Asuka Langley! The pilot of unit 02, and ... and ... and she couldn't think anything else ...

She could, however, think of reasons of why she WASN'T great and powerful. She remembered all the times when she tried to take down an angel by herself, how she had always messed things up, and Shinji would always fix things by defeating the angels by himself, being succesful were she had failed.

What was going on here!? Shinji! Better that her! NO! ... Wait ... yes, he was ... his synch ratios were better than hers, his victories were more than hers and more impressive that hers, and she owed him her life many times and ...

Asuka felt like she was going to freak out, something was wrong here. VERY wrong! Somehow, all this that should feel very wrong to her felt absolutely familiar, she was pathetic, she was just a bother to everyone ... the thoughts kept coming at her and no matter what she did, she could not push the thoughts away, nor argue with what they were telling her, all she could do was stare up to the ceiling.

She had to do something, anything to distract herself from what was happening, at least for a second.

Looking up, she said the first thing that came to mind, "I don't recognize this ceiling." She said flatly.

A few feet away from Asuka, on the other bed, Shinji was just coming to, as he opened his eyes slowly, trying to get them to focus and getting used to the light.

He looked up, and noticed that he was in the infirmary.

Again, in the infirmary. Huh? Why was he felling like he shouldn't be here? After all, he ALWAYS ended up in the infirmary, he was a pathectic weakling.

Wait ... a pathetic weakling!? What the fuck is wrong with you! Shinji yelled at himself inside his head. You are Shinji Ikari for crying out loud! You pilot the Evangelion unit 01, you are the protector of the whole world! Yeah! That's right, he was NOT pathetic!

Then he felt like he had to find someone who WAS pathetic, just to convince himself of his superiority. Wait ... superiority? Were did that come from?

It didn't matter, he was superior and that was out of the question.

Asuka, now SHE was pathetic. Always acting all though around people, when he knew that she was a fragile as anyone else. As he remebered when she had been crying in her sleep, crying for her mother.

Yeah, Asuka is pathetic, that was something that he could focus on without much problem.

Something on the back of his head told him that it was wrong, that he should not think of others like that, but it was quickly pushed away.

Asuka was pathetic, whenever the Evas went out to fight the angels, she would always lose, and he had to come to her rescue like the weakling that she was. Yes, that's right, a weakling, Asuka was a weakling.

He then realized that he was finally completely awake, and having no intention of just laying down on a bed like some idiot, he sat up on the bed and looked around.

It was then that he noticed Asuka lying down on the other bed, with her eyes open staring right up at the ceiling.

He smiled, a superior smile as he looked down at her and crossed his arms over his chest, looking as confident as possible. "Hey Asuka! What are you doing?"

Asuka heard Shinji's voice, and turned her head to look at him. When she looked at him like that, she felt even more insignificant. "I ... I was just staring at the ceiling."

"Staring at the ceiling? Well, only a weakling like you would waste her time looking up at the ceiling." Replied Shinji.

Asuka should have jumped out of the bed and yell at him for how he had talked to her. But she found out that she couldn't, all she could do was turn her head away, away from that superior gaze. All she did was reply, "I'm sorry."

"Humf!" Grunted Shinji, back in his head, very back in his head, something told him that it was wrong to treat Asuka like that, that she didn't deserve it. But he pushed it away. Asuka was a weakling, of course she deserved it!

"What ... what do you think happened?" Asked Asuka from the bed, never turning to look at him.

Shinji turned his head to look at Asuka again, "What happened? How should I know!? But I can tell you this, I'm sure that it was your fault, there was something wrong with your unit 02, 'cause unit 01 was perfect and is WAY better that your stupid red Eva."

Somehow, Asuka didn't feel like arguing with that. She just said, "I'm sorry."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Meanwhile, back in the testing facilities, Ritsuko had finished with the tests, and had found out what had happened.

Now she had to explain it to Misato, since she was the tutor of both Shinji and Asuka.

She was hoping to avoid this, since she just knew that Misato was NOT going to be happy about this.

Misato was pacing nervously around the room, when she noticed Ritsuko walk in. "So?" She asked.

"Well, we know what happened, but I don't know how to explain it." Replied Ritsuko.

"Just tell me what happened!" Demanded Misato.

Ritsuko sighed and answered her, "their souls switched places."

"What!? What does that mean? Like a brain transplant or something?" Misato was still worried, but she wanted to understand what happened.

Ritsuko shook her head. "No, that would be their minds. I said that they switched souls."

"Okay, I'm lost here. Could you explain that one please?" Said Misato.

"Okay, I'll try." Replied Ritsuko, "the mind is how a person thinks and reacts, the mind is formed trough years of life, with day to day experiences, its what tells us who we are, and who other people are. The soul, in the other hand, its what determines who we really are. Unlike the mind, we are already born with a formed soul, which changes also day by day, what makes it change are the souls of the other people we meet every day, our experiences with others. So while our mind tells us what to do every day, our soul is what influences our mind into taking this or that decition or talking like this or like that to someone."

Misato blinked a few times, trying to understand everything. Then her eyes opened wide as she realized what Ritsuko was saying. "You ... you mean that ... that Shinji and Asuka ..."

Ritsuko nodded, "Yes, even if Shinji is still Shinji and Asuka is still Asuka, Shinji will act like Asuka, and Asuka will act like Shinji."

Misato was at a lose of words, finally she found the will to say, "oh boy ..."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Back in the infirmary.

Shinji had gotten up from the bed, not wanting to just lie down the rest of the day, and was pacing back and forth around the room.

Asuka was still on the bed, she was sitting up, and could only look at Shinji as he stepped back and forth.

Something felt out of place for the German girl, like she should be pacing around the room fussing about making them wait here in the infirmary while Shinji sat on the bed looking at her walk. But now that seemed ... not right.

At first Shinji had that same feeling, that he was doing something that Asuka was supposed to be doing, while Asuka was doing something that he should be doing. But it was more easy for him to push that though away. He didn't know why, but all of a sudden he had all this confidence, and it seemed that Asuka was letting him push her around!

If only they knew.

"Shinji ... hum, why don't you calm down, I'm sure they'll come soon." Said Asuka from her point on the bed.

Shinji turned to look at Asuka, an annoyed look on his face that made Asuka jump back a little. "Shut up Asuka, I'm not bothering anyone. If I want to walk around the room, then I'll walk around the room!"

Asuka turned her head away, "Forgiben."

(Forgiben: 'I'm sorry' in German, or at least I think it is, if I'm wrong here e-mail me.)

Shinji made an annoyed sound at that and then resumed his frantic pacing.

It was at that moment that the door of the room opened, and both Shinji and Asuka turned to look at whoever had walked in.

It was Misato and Ritsuko, both seemed worried about something.

"So? Why are we here? Did something happen to us? When can we go home?" Asked Shinji, sounding annoyed and angry at being kept in the infirmary for so long, Asuka just sat on the bed, letting Shinji do all the talking.

Misato and Ritsuko looked at each other and sighed, a sigh of resignation, Shinji's and Asuka's attitude had confirmed everything.

Then they both turned to look back at the two children.

"Yes Shinji, something did happen in the Evas. How did it happen we don't know yet, we'll have to make a few more tests for that. And then try to find a way to fix it." Replied Ritsuko.

"Fix it? What needs to be fixed? I feel great, no broken bones or anything." Replied Shinji.

"That's because the problem did ... what should be the word ... core damage." Said Ritsuko.

Asuka tilted her head in question, Shinji was more direct. "Meaning what?"

"Whatever did happen there, you two kind of ... well, your souls switched places." Said Ritsuko finally.

"WHAT!?" Now Shinji was angry AND confused.

"What do you mean?" Asked Asuka, she was also a little worried, but didn't show it.

"It means that even though you two still remain the same person, your 'personalities' your 'essences' have been switched. In other words, Shinji has Asuka's personality while Asuka has Shinji's." Ritsuko finally explained.

The two kids just remained immobile for about half a minute.

"We what!?" They asked in unison.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That night, inside Misato's car. Misato Katsuragi was driving back home for the day, while Asuka and Shinji were sitting in the back seat.

The three of them were in complete silence.

Once in a while, Misato looked up into the rear view mirror to see what they were doing.

Shinji was resting his head on his right hand while he looked out the car window with an annoyed/angry look on his face.

Asuka, on the other hand, was sitting with her hands on her lap, her gaze down with a worried look on her face.

Misato didn't know if she wanted to laugh or to cry.