A/N: Wow, I'm still quite apprehensive about putting this up, but at least now I know someone out there likes it. Haha. Thanks for the advice Forestwater. I try to be more showy, but the talking to the author part is staying because it's part of the writing style. I try to maybe tone it down, though...

Disclaimer: I don't own Horton Hears a Who.

It's Tough Bein' a Fish

by Zeakari

Chapter Two

The world swirled unsteadily into Ned's consciousness. He could feel soreness lingering in his muscles, as though he had ran a marathon. His eyes twitched and he considered just lying there and sleeping for another few hours. Deciding against it, he cracked his eye open a little, groaning as the light hit his exposed pupil. What happened? he wondered as his vision showed the world as a watery blur. His eyes shut tight and a yawn forced its way out of his throat, lolling his tongue out unceremoniously. He pushed himself up with his arm, immediately waking up completely in a panic when he started floating up. He didn't float for long, though, as he reached the surface of the shallow water he now found himself in.

Water. He was surrounded by water. His first thought was that he hadn't wet the bed since he was three. His second thought was how stupid the first thought was as no Who could pee this much in one night. At least not without noticing or killing themselves because that's a lot of lost water. His third thought didn't happen as his mind had gone completely blank when he pulled his head up out of the water. He was lying in front of himself. There was a giant version of himself lying right in front of him, unconscious and drooling. Were his lips really that chapped?

Ned's breathing became quick and shallow and his now tiny heart began to race. His eyes darted around and he realized for the first time that he was in a dome of glass turned on its side. A dome of glass. His blood ran cold and his pupils constricted. He remembered what had happened. There was a dome of glass. His fish had been in it. There was an explosion. Now his body was lying in front of him, giant and all that fun. His panicked mind trudged slowly to the realization that he was now in his fish's body. That's why his body looked so big. And he was in the fish bowl. He was a fish.

Ned felt lightheaded for a moment and he let out a giddy laugh. "I'm a fish," he slurred between giggles, his voice strangely high-pitched. "A little fishy." He floated around in the small amount of water stupidly before snapping out of it. "No! I gotta get out of this mess."

He looked at the entrance to the bowl, which was on its side since the bowl had been tipped onto the floor. Without hesitation, he leapt out of the water and landed clumsily on his face before flopping to the side. He stood himself up, unsteady on his little fishy fins, before wobbling over to the giant LaRue. He tried to jump but fins really weren't made for jumping (at least not on land), let alone walking. He ended up falling to his side and he flopped around in frustration. This was much more effective, he realized, and used it to land on the Who's chest in front of her face.

"Dr. LaRue! Wake up!" he shouted, standing upright and slapping her in the face with his little fins. A soft groan was his only response as the Who remained unconscious. "LaRue! You wake up right now!" he screamed, flopping uselessly up and down on her in frustration.

The sound of a groan and movement stopped him in his flops. He turned around and held himself up with his front fins, his eyes widening as he saw his own body begin to stir awake. Gasping, he flopped to the floor and over to his body, forgetting to try and walk. He ended up splashing in the water and nearly forgot what he was doing when his fishy skin felt relief at being in contact with water again. He shook his head, quickly snapping out of it as his own blue eyes cracked open and looked blearily at him. They unfocused and drooped sleepily and his head was turned to nuzzle the wet floor.

This is like a freaking nightmare. Ned thought as he watched his own eyes snap open again, focusing on the little fish that he now was. "Th-Thidwick?" he ventured cautiously.

This had quite a reaction on the fish-turned-Who. His mouth gaped wide open and he flopped clumsily, not used to having to work with long limbs such as arms. The sight would have been comical if it weren't for the situation. Actually, it just wasn't comical to them. It can be comical to you, though considering you're not there, so go ahead and laugh or be generally amused. Thidwick wriggled his way to the bowl with surprising speed. Ned blanched as he watched his face being dunked in the water.

"No, Thidwick!" he shouted at his pet and flopped uselessly against his body. "You get my face out of there! I have lungs, I can't breath underwater!"

Thidwick stared at him with wide eyes, his mouth scrunching up in fear. It didn't take long at all for him to start coughing violently as his new lungs vehemently denied the entrance of the water. He threw his head back, taking the bowl with him and causing the rest of the water to splash over his new body. He gasped for air and made a squeaking noise, his voice muffled by the bowl now on his head. In absolute panic, the once-fish stumbled to his new, violently shaking feet and stumbled out of the room, ignoring Ned's cries for him to stop.

"Thidwick! No! Nueh-he… He can't- Dr. LaRue!" Ned turned desperately to the unconcious Who. He rolled around in the water before quickly making his way to her. This time he slapped his whole body against her face, splashing the collected water all over her.

This time he received a much better reaction as the Who gasped and muttered in sleepy surprise. "Wha?" She sat up and groaned, placing a hand over her eyes as a headache throbbed to life in her skull. Her hand traveled down her face and her brows furrowed in confusion when she noticed the wetness of her fur.

"This is no time, wake up right now!" Ned shouted.

She opened her eyes again and stared blearily at him. "What happened?" she muttered mostly to herself.

"What do you mean 'what happened?' What the heck were you trying to do!?" the mayor demanded.

LaRue's eyes widened and her head slumped slightly to the side. "Y-You can talk?" she uttered in a squeaky voice.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, that's what I am; a magical talking fish." He was obviously in a bad mood due to the current situation. Understandable. "It's me, the mayor! Your stupid… thing stuck me in my fish's body! Why did you take my fish??"

"F-Fish can't talk," Mary Lou said stupidly, still in that squeaky voice.

The Who-turned-fish marched (as well as a fish can march) right up close to her face and looked her in the eyes. "I… am… the… mayor," he said through clenched teeth. His frustration quickly faded once more to dread as he remembered that a certain little fish had run away with his body. He grabbed her face with his nubby little fins. "You have to get my body back! Thidwick is in it and I don't know what he'll do!" He started to pant when a suffocating feeling came over him. "You… You…" he let go of her face and stumbled back as his breathing became more labored. His energy drained and he flopped to the side.

LaRue jumped to her feet and took the fish in her hands, muttering inchoherently to herself. She quickly strode over to a sink, grabbing a round, empty flask on the way. She filled the flask with water and dumped him inside. Ned merely floated in the water for a moment as his little fish body regained energy.

"You… um… you need to stay in water… Mr. Mayor," the pink Who said softly after she calmed herself down.

"Weneedtogetmybody!" he exclaimed, in one short breath, swimming frantically around the makeshift fish bowl as his fright returned with his energy. He stopped suddenly and gave her a look of annoyance. "Why the heck did you take my fish?"

LaRue looked away sheepishly and scratched the back of her head, wincing as her fingers applied pressure on the bump she had received during the explosion. "It…" she giggled nervously. "It was supposed to increase an animal's intelligence... When did you get a fish?"

Ned sighed and shook his head before quickly returning to find-my-body mode. "We've got to get Thidwick!"

"Right away, Mr. Mayor," she said and hurried out of the room.

A/N: I… am satisfied with this chapter. Gawd, it feels so good to be happy with what I write. This story is just what I needed, seriously. Now, please leave a review if you'd like while I go skip across a field of flowers.