Change

Disclaimer. I don't own Gundam Wing. *pouts* Warnings: cursing, pain Pairs: you'll figure it out. Notes: you don't have to go back to read this, but I changed something small in chapter three. Basically, it says that Heero only has to become Chiharu one week during the month. Sort of like having a period, but without all the bloody mess. Dr. J is probably OOC, but what is his personality like anyway? So if he is OOC then he is my interpretation that fits the story. Dramatic irony is being used. Woot! I used a vocabulary word!

Chapter 9


Heero stared dispassionately at the spherical device in front of him. His eyes and body betraying nothing of what he was feeling, but his thoughts kept going around in rampant little circles.


//Shit. J's got to be kidding. Something that can separate Chiharu and I? Something that would improve everything about me? Dr. J is mad. How would he even know how to do something like that?//

"It will only be for a month. Just in time for you and Chiharu to switch bodies. Both of you will under go training. To tell you the truth, Chiharu has been holding you back slightly, my boy." Chiharu growled angrily at Dr. J from within Heero's head. "So please think of it as an advancement in learning."

Suddenly a past comment of Duo's popped into Heero's head. Actually the comment was more of a mumble that Heero wasn't really supposed to hear. It was sometime in the beginning of their blossoming friendship when Heero had been rescued by Duo from that military hospital.

"Geez, if you didn't bleed I'd think you were only training and skin. Hm, anymore training and maybe you'll actually be the robot you want to be."

"Heero?," Dr. J asked.

//Hn, what did he say?// Heero asked Chiharu in his head.

//He just explained a little about what training you'll be having and the training I'll have to go through. You have a decision. // Chiharu summarized.

Heero seemed somewhat confused by the fact that he had a decision in the matter. But then his soldier side reasoned that the question was given by a commanding officer. So of course he would follow blindly.

"I accept."

Dr. J smiled and tapped his cane onto the ground.

"Splendid. Just put your hand onto the top of Styx."

Heero nodded and stepped forward towards the device. He slowly reached out and placed his hand on the smooth surface. The hairs at the back of his neck stood on end as the device called Styx glowed green and haunting like the eyes of his gundam.

Heero sucked in a breath as everything else inside him seemed to be escaping through his finger tips. He felt drained as he watched silver and red energy flow from his fingers down to the device. His arm started to numb then quickly the feeling spread through his body. He fell to the floor but saw in the glowing green porthole the ghostly face of Chiharu swirling in the glass. She looked pained and she seemed to cry for help, but he didn't have that connection with her anymore. His head hit the floor and he blacked out.

*~*

Chiharu watched within her green tinted world as Heero fell down to the cold metal floor. She was screaming, but even she couldn't hear it. Suddenly, tall slender legs came into her limited field of vision. After several moments of what could have been assumed to be a conversation, the person with long legs crouched down to tap on the glass. It was a woman, she tapped the glass as if she was waiting for an animal to appear.. The woman didn't feel right to Chiharu, she could sense a malevolent aura was surrounding the stranger.

Let the fun begin.

The woman's voice echoed in Chiharu's head. The only sound she had heard in a while. The woman stood up again; Chiharu's green tinted world was quieted again. Chiharu watched as Heero was dragged away from the room. Suddenly things around her started to shake and bounce. Somebody was carrying her from the metal room, in the opposite direction as Heero.

She was placed back on the ground in a darker room. Some faint light was coming from a few candles mounted on the walls. Within the limited light there were some robed figures with their hands folded as if they were praying. The woman then walked into Chiharu's sight again. With a look of deep concentration was on her face. The woman's mouth started to move rapidly, like she was saying something fast, or chanting. Her aura seemed to become visible and became a blinding white light. Chiharu closed her eyes, but felt herself being pulled up from the machine, Styx.

A memory came to Chiharuthen, she remembered what Styx was. The river Styx, the river of the dead, the river of memories.

Chiharu opened her eyes. She was floating above the Styx machine. Noises flooded back to her, but the chanting was still mumbled; almost like it was of a different language. The strange woman slowly moved her hands in Chiharu's direction, palms forward. Chiharu realized that the blinding light that the woman was emitting before wasn't white. If possible, the air around the woman grew darker with green sparking in different directions.

The chanting became louder, more urgent. Chiharu was being pulled towards the woman, towards the darkness. She tried to fight as her floating energy was being dragged towards the woman. But there was nothing Chiharu could do. She was being dragged into the woman's hands and into the woman's body. *~*

Chiharu woke up with a start. She gripped the thin bed sheet to her chest as she tried to steady her heart. Something felt different. She looked down and noticed that her hands were longer and paler. Her nails were perfectly manicured and painted with pink nail polish. She ran a hand through her hair unconsciously and noticed that it wasn't as tangled as her usual hair. She pulled some tresses into her field of vision and noticed that they were honey colored and cut perfectly to her shoulders. She felt taller as well. Chiharu felt numb and tears started to slip down her cheeks. There was an emptiness swimming around her heart and memories of her new body were slipping into her head.

"That's enough crying."

Chiharu ignored the voice, but glanced up. This woman was older. She looked more worn. She had long blond hair that was up in a tight bun. Dark blue, almost black, eyes glared angrily at Chiharu.

"Don't defile the body of my perfect pupil by crying. Be stronger and get ready. You're going to learn how to become a perfect shape shifter," the older woman said.

The woman's heels clicked noisily on the metal floor, as she walked towards Chiharu's bed.

"You will call me Madam Gilstern. Nothing else but that name. Shape shifting is a painful business, I hope you're ready for pain!""

Gilstern grabbed Chiharu by the front of her pajamas and lifted her from the bed. Energy overloaded Chiharu's senses as she was forced to change. Chiharu screamed. *~*

Heero gasped and sat up quickly. He felt like something inside of him had been torn viciously from him. Something important like an arm or a leg or a person. Heero ran a shaky hand thought his messy hair closing his eyes.

Its going to be like this for a month, he told himself, you have to get used this or you won't survive. Think of it as part one of your training. What if she really does leave permanently? Are you going to melt into a puddle?

He snorted at his stupidity and his dependence for another.being.

Heero opened his eyes again and looked around the room. The room was made of metal, there was a mirror on the wall across from his Government Issue cot and dresser. There was a desk and chair against the third wall, like the dresser and cot it was made of the same cold metal. //Ah home sweet home// Heero thought ironically. Heero noticed that on the chair were some clothes neatly folded. on top of them folded just a meticulously was a letter, addressed to him.

Heero reluctantly got up from the stiff bed and shivered when his bare feet hit the cold metal floor. (1) Looking down he noticed his state of dress. He was only in his spandex shorts. Weird, he thought then walked over to the chair. Taking the note he read it.

Heero,

The bathroom is on the right side of the hallway third door. After you are finished in the bathroom report to the mess hall. You make a left from the bathroom, go down the hallway, and make a right at the end of it. It's the last door.

Dr. J

Heero crumpled the note in his hand and picked up the clothes. He quickly walked to the bathroom and took a short shower. When he unfolded his clothes after his shower, he was a little confused. The pants were loose and flowing with several different sized loops and pockets on them, but what surprised him was the shirt. He held it up, it was white like the paints but it had different embroidered pictures in silver on it. On the back there were two massive holes, surrounded by the silver embroidery. His fingers lightly traced the embroidery on the back of the shirt.

Suddenly pain washed over him. Heero clutched the shirt to his chest as he fell to his knees. Something inside his head was screaming, but it wasn't bells it was a familiar scream. It was Chiharu's scream.

Heero blinked back tears of pain. He quickly put on the holey shirt and fled the bathroom. (2) Heero ran down the hallway, made a right, then went through the silver double doors to the mess hall. Dr. J looked up from the tea he was drinking and looked coolly at Heero. Heero stalked towards Dr. J and pulled him up by the collar.

"What's happening to Chiharu?" Heero growled. Dr. J smirked at Heero.

"I didn't think your connection would be so strong with her. Hm, we'll have to get past that," Dr. J mused.

Heero shook the doctor. "Old man, tell me what you're doing to Chiharu."

"She's training," he answered, "She's a weak point within you. I've been observing your statistics from recent battles and I've noticed that you've been hesitating and acting nervously. Don't worry, she'll be fine."

Heero glared at Dr. J for a while longer before releasing him and taking a seat across from him at the table. Heero's heart was pounding in his chest. There was a dull ache in his head as whatever had happened to Chi seemed to subside.

"Are you hungry Heero?" Dr. J asked. Heero looked up at J and nodded. J smiled and made a movement with his hand. The doors then opened, kitchen with different platters filtered into the room. They left their trays then fled the room.

Heero raised an eyebrow at the food, wondering where his usual training food was. The food that would condition him to get used to rations and get used to eating whenever it was only absolutely necessary. J chuckled at Heero's semi-confused face. Heero turned a glare at J.

"Eat whatever you'd like Heero," the doctor said leaning back in his chair, "Enjoy it while you can."

Heero's eyes narrowed at the many implications of that one statement. Not listening to his soldier side that was screaming that this was poisoned or this was just a test; Heero started to slowly eat the food.

After eating several pieces of bacon, French toast (3), scrambled eggs, and pieces of fruit, the table was cleared and the two say there, staring at each other. Well, Heero was glaring while J had an amused look to his face.

"Isn't there something you want to know?" J asked. Heero's eyes narrowed further.

"Why are there two large holes on this shirt?" Heero asked.

"Oh well of course. It's obviously there so you don't rip your shirt when you let your wings out." J made fluttering motions with his hands.

"Wings? Why would I have wings?" Heero asked bewildered.

"Well that's a secret. Maybe when you get older." *~*

"Again!" Gilstern demanded. Chiharu closed her eyes and concentrated on growing out her hair. She imagined the way her honey hair would flow in the wind, how her hair would brush against her skin, and how it would feel to run her hand through the long hair.

"That's long enough."

Chiharu let out the breath she wasn't aware of holding. She reached over her shoulder and grabbed the honey locks that reached past her butt.

"Very good. I didn't expect you to get this far." Gilstern grabbed the long hair and cut it crudely to shoulder length again. "One more lesson with hair and you'll be able to join my other shifter's in regular class. Now you'll learn how to change the color of you hair." Gilstern smoothed her hair and suddenly it was a dark brown color. "Now, quickly change to Ophelia so you can have a feel for how the energy is supposed to flow."

Chiharu nodded silently and shape shifted. She waited and felt as Ophelia's energy effortlessly changed her hair from honey to red. Chiharu blinked and suddenly she was in command again.

"Change your hair to brown. Your natural color."

Chiharu nodded and closed her eyes concentrating on the flow of color and energy. She opened her eyes when all of her energy seemed to be used.

"Hm," Gilstern said, inspecting the hair. "You've done rather well. Tomorrow's lessons begin early. You'll be with the others. Now leave."

Chiharu nodded and quickly left. A sigh of relief passed through her lips. After three days of growing skin and changing hair, she finally had time to relax.

*~*

Heero sat down onto the ground, breathing hard and sweating. Flying was hard. He had to make sure he had the right balance he had to use muscles in his back to control his wings, muscles that had never been used like for flying. Then with the positioning of his body in relation to the up or down drafts. and He had to learn all this in under a month.

"We've only got a 20 days left, Heero," J reminded him, "you must learn how to fly and fight in the air. You also have to learn how to block out pain and outside thoughts." Dr. J tapped his cane on the ground impatiently when Heero made no movement to try to fly again. Dr. J let out a frustrated sigh and threw his hands up in defeat. "Fine Heero. Rest then." J turned and left.

Heero smirked and laid back onto the cool metal. His wings went limp then malted. Feathers surrounded him and he grabbed a fist full of them. He looked at them; Heero could still remember the sensation of unfurling the massive wings for the first time. The weight on his back and the way it opened up some vague nostalgia. It was a great feeling of freedom, but in the back of his mind he would keep thinking about how much Chiharu would like this and how much he missed her.

Heero sat up suddenly, something deep inside him ached dully. A pain was filling Chiharu, but Heero still had no idea what was happening to his counterpart.

"Twenty days," Heero reminded himself before he got up to take a shower. *~*

Chiharu wiped the sweat off of her face. She had just shifted the muscles in her face to be contorted to Gilstern's face.

"You're not a full blooded shifter," Gilstern explained, "You can only shift things in your host body." Chiharu nodded and glared the retreating back of Gilstern.

//Don't do that! // Ophelia snapped. Chiharu rolled her eyes.

//Why not? //

//It's disrespectful. Gilstern has been nothing but-//

//Ugh, please just shut up. I've got a headache and my back hurts. Just shut up and get your head away from Gilstern's ass. //

Ophelia gasped, but her voice went quiet in their shared minds. Chiharu smiled and sighed. Peace and quiet. She rolled her tight back muscles and wondered briefly what Heero was doing and exactly how much pain he was in.

*~*

The month finally ended. Despite the fact that she had been using all of her energy in the past month Chiharu still felt the need to shift to the surface of Heero. As she walked towards him she could almost feel the same anxiety coming form him. She reached out towards the Styx machine again. Chiharu was pulled back into the green tinted machine then several moments later she was pushed back into her body. //When did I start thinking of it as my body?// Chiharu thought. Power washed over her. Their memories were exchanged and each reviewed what they had been missing.

"Heero!" J snapped. Heero turned, ignoring the flood of memories. "You will not use your wings unless instructed to do so, but the rest of your training can be used whenever, The same with Chiharu. All training is within her grasp of use. Your new assignment." J presented a laptop to Heero. "You'll be acting as a destroyer alongside Quatre. Good luck."

J snapped the laptop closed then moved to the side. Heero took in a deep breath and finally left the cold metal building.



I like metal! Can't you tell?

Haha. Get it? Holey shirt? Holes in the shirt, but it's holy and.*crickets chirping* never mind

(3) Wait. French toast? Shouldn't I be calling it Liberty toast or something? *snort* What a joke.