Gender Switch Challenge
Jun. 14th, 2009 05:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ameliazellove community.
Title: Gender Switch Challenge
Character: Zelgadis, Amelia, and some Xellos
Rating: PG
Amelia held up her ball of light as she made her way down the dark path. “How much farther is it, Mister Zelgadis?”
The chimera frowned as he glanced at the map. “According to this, it should be in the middle of the cave. We’ll find a large lake there.”
The princess nodded. “And that’s the spring of transformation?”
“Correct,” Zelgadis replied as he placed his hand against the wall. “And if all goes well, this will be my cure.”
“If it does change you back into a human,” Amelia replied. “The map didn’t say exactly what the spring does to people. We should find a way to test it first.”
Zelgadis nodded. He didn’t want to risk being turned into a frog or worse. With his luck, that would be the case.
Zelgadis’s excitement grew as a clearing came into sight up ahead. The pair entered and were given a grand view of a large spring. The water was sparkling, crystal clear. A small hole in the roof of the cave allowed enough sunlight to enter, so Amelia dispelled her ball of light. “What should we do now, Mister Zelgadis?”
Zelgadis reached for his canteen. “I’ll take a sample and find a test subject to experiment with.”
“Oh, but where’s the fun in that?”
The pair whirled around. “Mister Xellos?!” Amelia exclaimed. “Where did you come from?”
He shrugged. “Oh you know me. I just decided to pop in.”
“Good, then you can pop out too and leave us be,” Zelgadis grumbled.
“Why Mister Zelgadis,” Xellos replied, attempting to sound hurt. “Is that any way to treat a friend?”
“A friend? No. You? Yes.” The chimera turned back to the lake. “Just stay out of my way Xellos.”
“Oh, I’ll be more than happy to.” The mazoku priest turned to Amelia. “Aren’t you going to follow him?”
Amelia smiled nervously. “I don’t think he’ll need my help.” Besides, Amelia thought, He would probably prefer that I keep an eye on you instead.
Xellos nodded. “Oh, I see.” He opened an eye. “By the way, Amelia, I have a suggestion for you.”
She blinked. “You do?”
“Yes, I was thinking that you keep using the same justice pose over and over again. Isn’t it about time you tried something new?”
Amelia raised an eyebrow. “But it’s a classic pose! No offense, Mister Xellos, but I don’t think a mazoku would be the best judge on the subject.”
“No, but you have to admit, repeating the same routine over and over again can make things so dull.” He smiled. “Besides, shouldn’t a follower of justice be open minded?”
Amelia wrinkled her nose. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with her pose. It was a classic and classics never die! On the other hand, it wasn’t often that Xellos tried to be helpful. As a champion of justice, she had to hear him out. Maybe this will be a chance for him to learn to be more human! Amelia stole a glance behind her and saw Zelgadis had just knelt down to the spring’s edge.
“Alright Mister Xellos, what do you suggest?”
The mazoku leaned against the wall of the cave. “First, raise both arms.”
“Um…okay,” Amelia replied and obeyed his order.
“Good, now raise your right leg in the air. Yes! That’s right.”
Amelia frowned. “I don’t see how this pose is very just. It’s hard to keep my balance.”
Xellos clapped. “Just one more thing, and it will be perfect. Lift your head so you’re facing the ceiling.”
“Like this?” Amelia asked, as her arms started to feel stiff.
“Yes, that’s perfect.” Then, without warning, Xellos grabbed Amelia’s shoulders and gave her a shove. Losing her balance, Amelia tumbled backwards, colliding, into Zelgadis’s back. With a loud yell, the pair fell screaming into the water.
Amelia felt her whole body tingle as she swam back up. She broke the surface and gasped for air. She hollered, “Mister Xellos, that was a horrible trick!” but scared herself as soon as she said it. Why did her voice sound so deep?
Xellos nodded. “Ah, so that’s what the spring does. I’ve been curious about this place for awhile.”
“Mister Xellos, you can’t use people as your personal test dummies!” Amelia yelled, again in a very deep voice.
“But you were so convenient. I couldn’t have done it without you Miss Amelia, or should I say, Mister Amelia?”
Amelia stared, dumbfounded. It took her brain a moment to understand Xellos’s meaning as she glanced down. To her horror, her bosom was gone and her chest was now flat. Her body had grown and gained muscles. She paled. “Oh my- I’ve changed into a boy!”
Xellos nodded. “Yes, although I don’t think you should be concerned about that right now?” He pointed to the water. “Mister Zelgadis hasn’t come up for air yet. Doesn’t he sink under water?”
Immediately, Amelia plunged into the water. Frantically, she searched the bottom until she saw a large body. She grabbed Zelgadis and hauled him up out of the water. Amelia was astounded at how much stronger she felt. She was unusually strong for a girl her age, but as a boy she felt even stronger.
As they reached the surface, Amelia was relieved to hear Zelgadis gasping for air. She pulled him to the shore and let him collapse on the ground.
After a moment, the chimera leapt to his feet. He charged at Xellos and grabbed him by the front of his collar. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now!”
Xellos tapped a finger to his chin. “Because it would be unladylike for you to do so?”
“How does that relate to this-“
“Um…Mister Zelgadis.”
Zelgadis turned, his fury was replaced with shock as he spotted the princess. “Amelia, what happened to you?! You’re a boy…wait, why is my voice so high?”
Sheepishly, Amelia pointed towards the chimera’s chest. Zelgadis glanced. His body felt numb as he saw a large pair of breasts staring back at him. “Oh gods…”
“It would appear,” Xellos replied, freeing himself from the chimera’s grip. “That the spring changes the gender of whoever falls into it.” He folded his arms. “I believe that there might be a book in the library in the next town about how to change back. Shame I can’t remember the name.” He patted Zelgadis on the shoulder. “Oh well, have fun.” With a grin, Xellos popped away, leaving Zelgadis trying to deciding if he wanted to hunt the mazoku down and kill him or faint. After pondering for a moment, Zelgadis decided to go with fainting.
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“Do you feel better now, Mister Zelgadis?” Amelia offered her canteen. “You were out for ten minutes.”
The chimera, still scowling, took the canteen and gulped down a mouthful of water. “A bit, yes. However, I’ll feel ten times better once I can get some revenge on Xellos.”
Amelia sweated nervously. “I can understand your reasons for that, but we should be more focused on dealing with our current problem.”
Zelgadis sighed. He was trying not to think about their “problem” for a few more minutes. He glanced downward and stared at his now female body. “Xellos mentioned the local town library having some information and as much as I want to kill Xellos, that’s probably our best place to start.”
Amelia rose to her feet. “Yes, and with justice in our hearts I’m sure it won’t take long to track down that book!” She pointed forward. “If we leave now, we can be at the library before nightfall.”
Zelgadis coughed. “Actually, by the time we get back it will be dusk. By the time we complete our other missions the library will be closed until morning.”
Amelia frowned. “What other missions Mister Zelgadis?”
Zelgadis sighed. He wasn’t sure how to say this without receiving a glare. “Well, it’s mainly to find new clothes for you.” He tugged at his own shirt. “My clothing is rather unisex, but your current clothes…the style is too…feminine.”
Amelia’s eyes narrowed. “Well, what’s wrong with that? I like my clothes, any hero of justice would be proud…”
“Any FEMALE hero would,” Zelgadis cut in. “But I highly doubt there’s any male hero of justice who would agree to wear that outfit.” He climbed to his feet. “If you wear that while we’re in town, I think it’s going to give us some unwanted attention.”
Amelia took another glance at her clothing. She stared at her pink pouch and her short cute puffed shelves, both seeming strange on her muscular body. “You have a point,” Amelia admitted. She sighed in defeat. “All right, I’ll get some new clothes to last until we have this problem worked out.”
Zelgadis nodded. “Good.”
“As long as I get to pick a new dress for you.”
The chimera choked. “Amelia, my regular clothes are fine.”
“I know, but it’s not fair if I’m the only one who has to buy new clothes.” She smiled at him. “Besides, I want to see how pretty you would look in some of the latest styles I’ve been seeing.”
Zelgadis sweat-dropped. He began to worry about becoming Amelia’s new favorite dress-up doll.
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At the local tailor, Amelia selected simple clothes for her temporary outfit. She bought plain white tunic with long sleeves, black pants and a long brown cape. She couldn’t be a hero of justice if she didn’t have a cape.
Zelgadis glared at the tailor who had raised an eyebrow as soon as Amelia entered. He had managed to convince Amelia that it would be cheaper if he continued to use his original outfit. However, the princess kept eyeing a pink dress she insisted he would look beautiful in. Zelgadis decided to distract her by pointing out it was getting late and they should find an inn to stay at for the night.
They found a decent one at the other end of town. Amelia went to book a room and Zelgadis went to take a seat. It had been a far too long a day. He was exhausted and he wanted to forget his current problem temporary by ordering some dinner.
The chimera was so tired, he didn’t notice the mercenary who was getting up, and bumped into him. “Oh, I beg your pardon, miss,” the man stammered.
Zelgadis cringed at being called “miss”. “No, it’s fine. It was my fault.”
The mercenary was staring at him blankly. Zelgadis felt very uncomfortable, and pulled down his hood even further and went to take a seat far away from the man. Unfortunately, the mercenary appeared by his side as soon as he sat down. Zelgadis’s uneasiness was increasing. “What? You want something?”
“Um…” the mercenary stammered. “I feel bad for bumping into you, so will you perhaps let me buy you dinner?”
A knot grew in Zelgadis’ stomach. “Um…no, that’s fine-“
“But I insist!” The mercenary took a seat. “And if I may be so bold miss, you’re very beautiful.”
He groaned. Great, just great. He was having someone hit on him. “I have a hard time believing that, seeing as my face is covered at the moment.”
“But I’m sure it is!,” the mercenary continued. “I know because of your body structure, it reminds me of another beautiful woman I once knew.”
“Oh?” Zelgadis asked, trying to think of a way to get out of this.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the mercenary said, slapping his chest with his fist. “I am the mighty warrior Volun! No doubt you have heard of me.”
“No, I haven’t.”
Volun looked disappointed. “Oh…but I have done many great deeds! I am considered a great warrior.”
Zelgadis nodded, wondering what was taking Amelia so long.
“And I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” Volun moved in close. “You know there are rumours that Shabranigdu was revived a few years ago.”
The chimera froze.
“The hero that killed him,” Volun puffed out his chest. “Was me.”
It took every speck of Zelgadis’ will to not strangle the man. “What?”
“Yes, I was surprised that I could pull it off,” Volun said, grinning from ear to ear. “But he was no match for-“
“You’re lying.”
Volun blinked. “E-excuse me?”
“You’re lying,” Zelgadis continued, feeling very annoyed. “It’s obvious that you’re lying in a poor attempt to impress people, but I’m not going to fall for it for a second!”
“Why not?” Volun asked, looking hurt.
“Because I was-“ Zelgadis stopped himself. On second thought, maybe it was better to keep the truth to himself. Who knew how this moron might respond to it. “I just know you’re lying.”
Volun’s eyes grew big and watery. “You remind me so much of her.”
Zelgadis shifted uneasily in his seat. “Dare I ask who?”
“The beautiful woman I told you about,” Volun’s fists tightened. “Her name was Miss Lala and our meeting was fated to be. She said the exact same thing when I told her my unbelievable story.” Tears built up in his eyes. “We were going to get married, but then tragedy struck and she left me.”
Zelgadis scoffed. “Miss Lala must be a smart person.”
“But even if she really was a man, I still wanted to marry her.”
“…..Wait, what?”
“You’re the first woman I’ve seen that’s been able to stir my emotions since Miss Lala left-“
“Seriously, wait, what’s this about her being a man?”
“Miss, please!” Volun seized Zelgadis’ hands. “Please, tell me your name!”
“Um…” Zelgadis frantically looked around for a large object to hit him with. “Look, I’m not-“
“Hold it right there!”
Volun whirled around. Zelgadis had never felt more relieved as Amelia raced forward. “I will not allow this, Mister Volun!”
The mercenary’s eyes narrowed. “And who are you to give me orders, boy?” He paused. “Wait, how do you know my name?”
Amelia sweated a little. “That is not important!” She pointed her finger at him. “In the name of justice, I ask you to leave this woman alone.”
“Why?” Volun folded his arms. “Are you her brother?”
Amelia frowned. “No, I’m…her fiancé!”
Zelgadis choked.
Volun stared shocked. “Fiancé?!” He suddenly turned sheepish. “Oh, I see.” He slowly walked off, blushing madly. “Forgive my rudeness Miss I didn’t realize. Bye!” Quickly, he ran out of the room.
Zelgadis stared at her. “Fiancé?”
Amelia sighed. “Sorry, but it was the best excuse to use.” She shook her head. “I never imagined that we would run into Mister Volun.”
“How exactly do you know him?”
The princess laughed nervously. “That’s something you should ask Mister Gourry.”
“Why would-” The chimera stopped himself. “No, on second thought, I probably don’t want to know.”
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The next morning, Amelia felt she was beginning to understand a mystery she had never understood before. She did felt awkward when she had to get dressed for bed, but she felt more adjusted to it in the morning. As she started to get dressed, she caught herself in front of the mirror and began to pose. Then, out of curiosity, the princess began to flex her muscles. She’d always wondered why men enjoyed posing in front of long mirrors and watching their muscles flex but now she understood why. It was fun!
She laughed as she tried to make a muscle visibly appear on her arm. “Now I know why Daddy enjoys this so much.”
“Amelia, aren’t you ready yet?”
She snapped back to reality and grabbed her tunic. “Just a minute, Mister Zelgadis.”
“Well, hurry up! We don’t have all day.”
The princess quickly finished getting dressed and opened her door to an annoyed Zelgadis. “It’s about time,” he barked. “What was taking you so long?!”
She blushed. “Nothing…much.”
He growled. “Fine, let’s just get going and not waste any more time.”
Amelia’s eyes narrowed. She folded her arms and refused to move. “I’m sorry for making you wait Mister Zelgadis, but there’s no need to snap at me.”
The chimera paused and sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
Amelia tilted her head. “Really? Was the bed uncomfortable?”
Zelgadis blushed. “No…they were distracting.”
“They?” Amelia’s eyes widened. “Oh, you mean-” She pointed to his chest.
The chimera’s blush turned a brighter red. “How do you girls sleep with these things?”
Amelia stroked her chin. “I don’t know, it’s never been a problem for me.”
“How can it not be a problem?” Zelgadis shook his head. “Never mind, this is turning into a weird conversation.” He gestured for Amelia to follow him. “Let’s just go to the library and pray we can find that book today.”
Amelia nodded and began to follow. “By the way, Mister Zelgadis, have you ever tried flexing your muscles in front of a mirror?”
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After spending four hours searching in the library, Amelia yawned and stretched. “We’re not having much luck so far, are we?”
Zelgadis shook his head. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack…I’m going to make Xellos pay for this.”
Amelia leaned on her hands. “Maybe we should ask that librarian. She seemed very helpful.”
Zelgadis grimaced. “I don’t think that’s a good idea Amelia.”
“Why not? There’s nothing wrong with asking for help when needed Mister Zelgadis.”
“Because that girl seems to have a crush on you.”
Amelia dropped her book. “Say what?”
“Since we got here she’s been very helpful to you, but she’s been ignoring me. You might not have noticed, but she’s also been following you.” He pointed to the far end of the book shelf. Amelia glanced back and spotted the young librarian peeking around the corner and quickly ducking behind it as soon as she was noticed.
Amelia suddenly felt uncomfortable and gained an understanding of how Gourry must have felt. “Oh, I see. I’d better not then, the last thing we need is another Volun incident.”
“Here it is!” Zelgadis cried, throwing the book on the table. “The description of the spring is here and it looks like the cure is on the next page.”
Amelia smiled. “That’s wonderful Mister Zelgadis! What is it?”
As he read the next page, his face paled.
“Mister Zelgadis?”
Silently, he closed the book and began to walk away.
“Wait! Mister Zelgadis where are you going?!” Amelia chased after him. She ignored the loving stares the librarian was giving her as she ran out the doors and grabbed the chimera by his wrists. “Mister Zelgadis? What’s wrong? Isn’t there a cure?”
“Oh, there is,” he replied darkly.
Amelia frowned. “Well, what is it?”
Zelgadis sharply turned around. “The cure is simple. A kiss.”
Amelia blinked. “A kiss?”
“From the same sex you were originally.” Zelgadis twitched. “In other words, I need to kiss a guy and you need to kiss a girl in order for us to turn back to normal.”
Amelia’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding?”
Zelgadis shook his head, feeling sick to his stomach. “I can’t believe this. There is no way in hell I’m going to force myself to kiss some stranger…”
“Never mind how awkward it would be to explain why you suddenly changed into a man,” Amelia muttered. “Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be a stranger. We can ask somebody we know.”
Zelgadis stared skeptically and folded his arms. “Really? Like who?”
“Miss Lina or Mister Gourry?”
Zelgadis shuddered. “Lina would die before she did that and I would die before I would willingly kiss Gourry.”
“How about Miss Slyphiel or Mister Pokota?”
“No.”
“Miss Martina or Mister Zangulus?”
“…You’re joking right?”
Frustrated, Amelia placed her hands on her hips. “We’re going to have to ask somebody to help us.” A thought occurred to her. “Unless…what if we kissed each other?”
Zelgadis choked. “E-each other?”
Amelia blushed and pushed her middle fingers together. “Well, you’re currently a girl and I’m currently a guy, it’s a technicality but it might work.”
Zelgadis blushed and looked away. “I suppose it’s the best solution at the moment. But let’s agree to keep this a secret between us.”
Amelia nodded, unsure of what to do now.
Zelgadis placed his hands on her shoulders. Amelia’s body froze, but she forced herself to lift her head. The chimera breathed deeply and leaned in. Their lips touched. Their skin began to tingle. Suddenly there was a bright flash.
Startled, Amelia stumbled backwards. As the light vanished, she glanced and was relieved to see her old body again. She looked over to Zelgadis. He too had changed back to his male body and looked pleased.
“I’m glad that’s over with,” he replied.
“Yes,” Amelia nodded. “Although, it doesn’t seem just that Mister Xellos should get out of this with no punishment.”
Zelgadis smirked. “Oh, I’ve made a plan for that.” He began to walk down the street. “I tracked down that Volun and I sent him a letter.”
Amelia followed and raised an eyebrow. “What kind of letter?”
He grinned evilly. “Nothing much. Just a love letter from a Miss Xellos who’s been his secret admirer for years. I made sure to mention that should he ever run into her in person to not be fooled by his appearance or believe what she says because she is actually a woman in disguise.”
Amelia frowned. “Um…that is a nice plan Mister Zelgadis, but it’s unlikely that Mister Volun will ever run into Mister Xellos.”
“I know,” Zelgadis smirked. “But he will no doubt be sending Xellos all of his love, which will probably make Xellos sick for a good six months at least.”
The princess laughed.
Elsewhere, Volun was writing a love ballad about his new love, and Xellos suddenly felt sick to his stomach.
ameliazellove community.Title: Gender Switch Challenge
Character: Zelgadis, Amelia, and some Xellos
Rating: PG
Amelia held up her ball of light as she made her way down the dark path. “How much farther is it, Mister Zelgadis?”
The chimera frowned as he glanced at the map. “According to this, it should be in the middle of the cave. We’ll find a large lake there.”
The princess nodded. “And that’s the spring of transformation?”
“Correct,” Zelgadis replied as he placed his hand against the wall. “And if all goes well, this will be my cure.”
“If it does change you back into a human,” Amelia replied. “The map didn’t say exactly what the spring does to people. We should find a way to test it first.”
Zelgadis nodded. He didn’t want to risk being turned into a frog or worse. With his luck, that would be the case.
Zelgadis’s excitement grew as a clearing came into sight up ahead. The pair entered and were given a grand view of a large spring. The water was sparkling, crystal clear. A small hole in the roof of the cave allowed enough sunlight to enter, so Amelia dispelled her ball of light. “What should we do now, Mister Zelgadis?”
Zelgadis reached for his canteen. “I’ll take a sample and find a test subject to experiment with.”
“Oh, but where’s the fun in that?”
The pair whirled around. “Mister Xellos?!” Amelia exclaimed. “Where did you come from?”
He shrugged. “Oh you know me. I just decided to pop in.”
“Good, then you can pop out too and leave us be,” Zelgadis grumbled.
“Why Mister Zelgadis,” Xellos replied, attempting to sound hurt. “Is that any way to treat a friend?”
“A friend? No. You? Yes.” The chimera turned back to the lake. “Just stay out of my way Xellos.”
“Oh, I’ll be more than happy to.” The mazoku priest turned to Amelia. “Aren’t you going to follow him?”
Amelia smiled nervously. “I don’t think he’ll need my help.” Besides, Amelia thought, He would probably prefer that I keep an eye on you instead.
Xellos nodded. “Oh, I see.” He opened an eye. “By the way, Amelia, I have a suggestion for you.”
She blinked. “You do?”
“Yes, I was thinking that you keep using the same justice pose over and over again. Isn’t it about time you tried something new?”
Amelia raised an eyebrow. “But it’s a classic pose! No offense, Mister Xellos, but I don’t think a mazoku would be the best judge on the subject.”
“No, but you have to admit, repeating the same routine over and over again can make things so dull.” He smiled. “Besides, shouldn’t a follower of justice be open minded?”
Amelia wrinkled her nose. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with her pose. It was a classic and classics never die! On the other hand, it wasn’t often that Xellos tried to be helpful. As a champion of justice, she had to hear him out. Maybe this will be a chance for him to learn to be more human! Amelia stole a glance behind her and saw Zelgadis had just knelt down to the spring’s edge.
“Alright Mister Xellos, what do you suggest?”
The mazoku leaned against the wall of the cave. “First, raise both arms.”
“Um…okay,” Amelia replied and obeyed his order.
“Good, now raise your right leg in the air. Yes! That’s right.”
Amelia frowned. “I don’t see how this pose is very just. It’s hard to keep my balance.”
Xellos clapped. “Just one more thing, and it will be perfect. Lift your head so you’re facing the ceiling.”
“Like this?” Amelia asked, as her arms started to feel stiff.
“Yes, that’s perfect.” Then, without warning, Xellos grabbed Amelia’s shoulders and gave her a shove. Losing her balance, Amelia tumbled backwards, colliding, into Zelgadis’s back. With a loud yell, the pair fell screaming into the water.
Amelia felt her whole body tingle as she swam back up. She broke the surface and gasped for air. She hollered, “Mister Xellos, that was a horrible trick!” but scared herself as soon as she said it. Why did her voice sound so deep?
Xellos nodded. “Ah, so that’s what the spring does. I’ve been curious about this place for awhile.”
“Mister Xellos, you can’t use people as your personal test dummies!” Amelia yelled, again in a very deep voice.
“But you were so convenient. I couldn’t have done it without you Miss Amelia, or should I say, Mister Amelia?”
Amelia stared, dumbfounded. It took her brain a moment to understand Xellos’s meaning as she glanced down. To her horror, her bosom was gone and her chest was now flat. Her body had grown and gained muscles. She paled. “Oh my- I’ve changed into a boy!”
Xellos nodded. “Yes, although I don’t think you should be concerned about that right now?” He pointed to the water. “Mister Zelgadis hasn’t come up for air yet. Doesn’t he sink under water?”
Immediately, Amelia plunged into the water. Frantically, she searched the bottom until she saw a large body. She grabbed Zelgadis and hauled him up out of the water. Amelia was astounded at how much stronger she felt. She was unusually strong for a girl her age, but as a boy she felt even stronger.
As they reached the surface, Amelia was relieved to hear Zelgadis gasping for air. She pulled him to the shore and let him collapse on the ground.
After a moment, the chimera leapt to his feet. He charged at Xellos and grabbed him by the front of his collar. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now!”
Xellos tapped a finger to his chin. “Because it would be unladylike for you to do so?”
“How does that relate to this-“
“Um…Mister Zelgadis.”
Zelgadis turned, his fury was replaced with shock as he spotted the princess. “Amelia, what happened to you?! You’re a boy…wait, why is my voice so high?”
Sheepishly, Amelia pointed towards the chimera’s chest. Zelgadis glanced. His body felt numb as he saw a large pair of breasts staring back at him. “Oh gods…”
“It would appear,” Xellos replied, freeing himself from the chimera’s grip. “That the spring changes the gender of whoever falls into it.” He folded his arms. “I believe that there might be a book in the library in the next town about how to change back. Shame I can’t remember the name.” He patted Zelgadis on the shoulder. “Oh well, have fun.” With a grin, Xellos popped away, leaving Zelgadis trying to deciding if he wanted to hunt the mazoku down and kill him or faint. After pondering for a moment, Zelgadis decided to go with fainting.
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“Do you feel better now, Mister Zelgadis?” Amelia offered her canteen. “You were out for ten minutes.”
The chimera, still scowling, took the canteen and gulped down a mouthful of water. “A bit, yes. However, I’ll feel ten times better once I can get some revenge on Xellos.”
Amelia sweated nervously. “I can understand your reasons for that, but we should be more focused on dealing with our current problem.”
Zelgadis sighed. He was trying not to think about their “problem” for a few more minutes. He glanced downward and stared at his now female body. “Xellos mentioned the local town library having some information and as much as I want to kill Xellos, that’s probably our best place to start.”
Amelia rose to her feet. “Yes, and with justice in our hearts I’m sure it won’t take long to track down that book!” She pointed forward. “If we leave now, we can be at the library before nightfall.”
Zelgadis coughed. “Actually, by the time we get back it will be dusk. By the time we complete our other missions the library will be closed until morning.”
Amelia frowned. “What other missions Mister Zelgadis?”
Zelgadis sighed. He wasn’t sure how to say this without receiving a glare. “Well, it’s mainly to find new clothes for you.” He tugged at his own shirt. “My clothing is rather unisex, but your current clothes…the style is too…feminine.”
Amelia’s eyes narrowed. “Well, what’s wrong with that? I like my clothes, any hero of justice would be proud…”
“Any FEMALE hero would,” Zelgadis cut in. “But I highly doubt there’s any male hero of justice who would agree to wear that outfit.” He climbed to his feet. “If you wear that while we’re in town, I think it’s going to give us some unwanted attention.”
Amelia took another glance at her clothing. She stared at her pink pouch and her short cute puffed shelves, both seeming strange on her muscular body. “You have a point,” Amelia admitted. She sighed in defeat. “All right, I’ll get some new clothes to last until we have this problem worked out.”
Zelgadis nodded. “Good.”
“As long as I get to pick a new dress for you.”
The chimera choked. “Amelia, my regular clothes are fine.”
“I know, but it’s not fair if I’m the only one who has to buy new clothes.” She smiled at him. “Besides, I want to see how pretty you would look in some of the latest styles I’ve been seeing.”
Zelgadis sweat-dropped. He began to worry about becoming Amelia’s new favorite dress-up doll.
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At the local tailor, Amelia selected simple clothes for her temporary outfit. She bought plain white tunic with long sleeves, black pants and a long brown cape. She couldn’t be a hero of justice if she didn’t have a cape.
Zelgadis glared at the tailor who had raised an eyebrow as soon as Amelia entered. He had managed to convince Amelia that it would be cheaper if he continued to use his original outfit. However, the princess kept eyeing a pink dress she insisted he would look beautiful in. Zelgadis decided to distract her by pointing out it was getting late and they should find an inn to stay at for the night.
They found a decent one at the other end of town. Amelia went to book a room and Zelgadis went to take a seat. It had been a far too long a day. He was exhausted and he wanted to forget his current problem temporary by ordering some dinner.
The chimera was so tired, he didn’t notice the mercenary who was getting up, and bumped into him. “Oh, I beg your pardon, miss,” the man stammered.
Zelgadis cringed at being called “miss”. “No, it’s fine. It was my fault.”
The mercenary was staring at him blankly. Zelgadis felt very uncomfortable, and pulled down his hood even further and went to take a seat far away from the man. Unfortunately, the mercenary appeared by his side as soon as he sat down. Zelgadis’s uneasiness was increasing. “What? You want something?”
“Um…” the mercenary stammered. “I feel bad for bumping into you, so will you perhaps let me buy you dinner?”
A knot grew in Zelgadis’ stomach. “Um…no, that’s fine-“
“But I insist!” The mercenary took a seat. “And if I may be so bold miss, you’re very beautiful.”
He groaned. Great, just great. He was having someone hit on him. “I have a hard time believing that, seeing as my face is covered at the moment.”
“But I’m sure it is!,” the mercenary continued. “I know because of your body structure, it reminds me of another beautiful woman I once knew.”
“Oh?” Zelgadis asked, trying to think of a way to get out of this.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the mercenary said, slapping his chest with his fist. “I am the mighty warrior Volun! No doubt you have heard of me.”
“No, I haven’t.”
Volun looked disappointed. “Oh…but I have done many great deeds! I am considered a great warrior.”
Zelgadis nodded, wondering what was taking Amelia so long.
“And I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” Volun moved in close. “You know there are rumours that Shabranigdu was revived a few years ago.”
The chimera froze.
“The hero that killed him,” Volun puffed out his chest. “Was me.”
It took every speck of Zelgadis’ will to not strangle the man. “What?”
“Yes, I was surprised that I could pull it off,” Volun said, grinning from ear to ear. “But he was no match for-“
“You’re lying.”
Volun blinked. “E-excuse me?”
“You’re lying,” Zelgadis continued, feeling very annoyed. “It’s obvious that you’re lying in a poor attempt to impress people, but I’m not going to fall for it for a second!”
“Why not?” Volun asked, looking hurt.
“Because I was-“ Zelgadis stopped himself. On second thought, maybe it was better to keep the truth to himself. Who knew how this moron might respond to it. “I just know you’re lying.”
Volun’s eyes grew big and watery. “You remind me so much of her.”
Zelgadis shifted uneasily in his seat. “Dare I ask who?”
“The beautiful woman I told you about,” Volun’s fists tightened. “Her name was Miss Lala and our meeting was fated to be. She said the exact same thing when I told her my unbelievable story.” Tears built up in his eyes. “We were going to get married, but then tragedy struck and she left me.”
Zelgadis scoffed. “Miss Lala must be a smart person.”
“But even if she really was a man, I still wanted to marry her.”
“…..Wait, what?”
“You’re the first woman I’ve seen that’s been able to stir my emotions since Miss Lala left-“
“Seriously, wait, what’s this about her being a man?”
“Miss, please!” Volun seized Zelgadis’ hands. “Please, tell me your name!”
“Um…” Zelgadis frantically looked around for a large object to hit him with. “Look, I’m not-“
“Hold it right there!”
Volun whirled around. Zelgadis had never felt more relieved as Amelia raced forward. “I will not allow this, Mister Volun!”
The mercenary’s eyes narrowed. “And who are you to give me orders, boy?” He paused. “Wait, how do you know my name?”
Amelia sweated a little. “That is not important!” She pointed her finger at him. “In the name of justice, I ask you to leave this woman alone.”
“Why?” Volun folded his arms. “Are you her brother?”
Amelia frowned. “No, I’m…her fiancé!”
Zelgadis choked.
Volun stared shocked. “Fiancé?!” He suddenly turned sheepish. “Oh, I see.” He slowly walked off, blushing madly. “Forgive my rudeness Miss I didn’t realize. Bye!” Quickly, he ran out of the room.
Zelgadis stared at her. “Fiancé?”
Amelia sighed. “Sorry, but it was the best excuse to use.” She shook her head. “I never imagined that we would run into Mister Volun.”
“How exactly do you know him?”
The princess laughed nervously. “That’s something you should ask Mister Gourry.”
“Why would-” The chimera stopped himself. “No, on second thought, I probably don’t want to know.”
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The next morning, Amelia felt she was beginning to understand a mystery she had never understood before. She did felt awkward when she had to get dressed for bed, but she felt more adjusted to it in the morning. As she started to get dressed, she caught herself in front of the mirror and began to pose. Then, out of curiosity, the princess began to flex her muscles. She’d always wondered why men enjoyed posing in front of long mirrors and watching their muscles flex but now she understood why. It was fun!
She laughed as she tried to make a muscle visibly appear on her arm. “Now I know why Daddy enjoys this so much.”
“Amelia, aren’t you ready yet?”
She snapped back to reality and grabbed her tunic. “Just a minute, Mister Zelgadis.”
“Well, hurry up! We don’t have all day.”
The princess quickly finished getting dressed and opened her door to an annoyed Zelgadis. “It’s about time,” he barked. “What was taking you so long?!”
She blushed. “Nothing…much.”
He growled. “Fine, let’s just get going and not waste any more time.”
Amelia’s eyes narrowed. She folded her arms and refused to move. “I’m sorry for making you wait Mister Zelgadis, but there’s no need to snap at me.”
The chimera paused and sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
Amelia tilted her head. “Really? Was the bed uncomfortable?”
Zelgadis blushed. “No…they were distracting.”
“They?” Amelia’s eyes widened. “Oh, you mean-” She pointed to his chest.
The chimera’s blush turned a brighter red. “How do you girls sleep with these things?”
Amelia stroked her chin. “I don’t know, it’s never been a problem for me.”
“How can it not be a problem?” Zelgadis shook his head. “Never mind, this is turning into a weird conversation.” He gestured for Amelia to follow him. “Let’s just go to the library and pray we can find that book today.”
Amelia nodded and began to follow. “By the way, Mister Zelgadis, have you ever tried flexing your muscles in front of a mirror?”
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After spending four hours searching in the library, Amelia yawned and stretched. “We’re not having much luck so far, are we?”
Zelgadis shook his head. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack…I’m going to make Xellos pay for this.”
Amelia leaned on her hands. “Maybe we should ask that librarian. She seemed very helpful.”
Zelgadis grimaced. “I don’t think that’s a good idea Amelia.”
“Why not? There’s nothing wrong with asking for help when needed Mister Zelgadis.”
“Because that girl seems to have a crush on you.”
Amelia dropped her book. “Say what?”
“Since we got here she’s been very helpful to you, but she’s been ignoring me. You might not have noticed, but she’s also been following you.” He pointed to the far end of the book shelf. Amelia glanced back and spotted the young librarian peeking around the corner and quickly ducking behind it as soon as she was noticed.
Amelia suddenly felt uncomfortable and gained an understanding of how Gourry must have felt. “Oh, I see. I’d better not then, the last thing we need is another Volun incident.”
“Here it is!” Zelgadis cried, throwing the book on the table. “The description of the spring is here and it looks like the cure is on the next page.”
Amelia smiled. “That’s wonderful Mister Zelgadis! What is it?”
As he read the next page, his face paled.
“Mister Zelgadis?”
Silently, he closed the book and began to walk away.
“Wait! Mister Zelgadis where are you going?!” Amelia chased after him. She ignored the loving stares the librarian was giving her as she ran out the doors and grabbed the chimera by his wrists. “Mister Zelgadis? What’s wrong? Isn’t there a cure?”
“Oh, there is,” he replied darkly.
Amelia frowned. “Well, what is it?”
Zelgadis sharply turned around. “The cure is simple. A kiss.”
Amelia blinked. “A kiss?”
“From the same sex you were originally.” Zelgadis twitched. “In other words, I need to kiss a guy and you need to kiss a girl in order for us to turn back to normal.”
Amelia’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding?”
Zelgadis shook his head, feeling sick to his stomach. “I can’t believe this. There is no way in hell I’m going to force myself to kiss some stranger…”
“Never mind how awkward it would be to explain why you suddenly changed into a man,” Amelia muttered. “Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be a stranger. We can ask somebody we know.”
Zelgadis stared skeptically and folded his arms. “Really? Like who?”
“Miss Lina or Mister Gourry?”
Zelgadis shuddered. “Lina would die before she did that and I would die before I would willingly kiss Gourry.”
“How about Miss Slyphiel or Mister Pokota?”
“No.”
“Miss Martina or Mister Zangulus?”
“…You’re joking right?”
Frustrated, Amelia placed her hands on her hips. “We’re going to have to ask somebody to help us.” A thought occurred to her. “Unless…what if we kissed each other?”
Zelgadis choked. “E-each other?”
Amelia blushed and pushed her middle fingers together. “Well, you’re currently a girl and I’m currently a guy, it’s a technicality but it might work.”
Zelgadis blushed and looked away. “I suppose it’s the best solution at the moment. But let’s agree to keep this a secret between us.”
Amelia nodded, unsure of what to do now.
Zelgadis placed his hands on her shoulders. Amelia’s body froze, but she forced herself to lift her head. The chimera breathed deeply and leaned in. Their lips touched. Their skin began to tingle. Suddenly there was a bright flash.
Startled, Amelia stumbled backwards. As the light vanished, she glanced and was relieved to see her old body again. She looked over to Zelgadis. He too had changed back to his male body and looked pleased.
“I’m glad that’s over with,” he replied.
“Yes,” Amelia nodded. “Although, it doesn’t seem just that Mister Xellos should get out of this with no punishment.”
Zelgadis smirked. “Oh, I’ve made a plan for that.” He began to walk down the street. “I tracked down that Volun and I sent him a letter.”
Amelia followed and raised an eyebrow. “What kind of letter?”
He grinned evilly. “Nothing much. Just a love letter from a Miss Xellos who’s been his secret admirer for years. I made sure to mention that should he ever run into her in person to not be fooled by his appearance or believe what she says because she is actually a woman in disguise.”
Amelia frowned. “Um…that is a nice plan Mister Zelgadis, but it’s unlikely that Mister Volun will ever run into Mister Xellos.”
“I know,” Zelgadis smirked. “But he will no doubt be sending Xellos all of his love, which will probably make Xellos sick for a good six months at least.”
The princess laughed.
Elsewhere, Volun was writing a love ballad about his new love, and Xellos suddenly felt sick to his stomach.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-15 02:24 am (UTC)