Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Knights. I've had various ideas for fanfics floating around in my head nonstop for a while now, though... :dizzy look:
Warnings: Swearing/language, feminine issues, same odd humor as always(I guess that's not a problem, though, since you guys seem to like it... ...I love you guys.).
A/N: Gah, these chapters are all getting shorter... See excuse at end!
:n:
Rune grimaced.
The sun was shining brightly through his open window, and he was trying to get dressed, but...
He sweatdropped, digging through the rack of clothing Cesia and Rath(but really, just Cesia) had purchased for him the previous day.
"Isn't there anything in here that isn't..." he trailed off, letting his mind fill in the silent "slutty".
While he did have pants and shorts, they were all either microscopically short, or spandex-like in their tightness. The shirts that had been bought for him were all either very low cut at the top, very high cut at the midriff, backless, or incredibly tight around the chest.
A moan of despair welled up inside of him as an insistent knocking sounded at his door.
"Rune!"
He went to open it, recognizing Cesia's voice and hoping she could explain that there had been some sort of mistake and all of the clothes that were actually for him were stored in a bag at the very back of his closet.
"What is it?" Rune opened the door, letting in both Cesia and a rather disgruntled looking Rath.
"I thought you might need some help," the fortuneteller explained bubbly, "So I came by to offer my advice."
Rune stared at her suspiciously.
"...You sound like Raseleane."
Cesia giggled, obvious excited about getting to dress up the blonde.
"No, she and Cernozura are happily preparing for your fitting after breakfast. I'm just here under her orders."
Having suspected as much, Rune grudgingly let her walk over to his still-open closet and retrieve a short blue skirt.
"I thought we might keep it fairly simple for today, as you'll be taking it off in an hour anyway. So put this on, and," she tossed him a low-cut cream peasant top, "This as well."
Rune, slightly pink, walked into his bathroom to change as Cesia continued to explain the plans for the day.
"Thats and Kitchel should already be at breakfast, so we'll join them and then you three are going to be fitting for your dress clothes. That should take up much of the morning and early afternoon," she ignored the irritated growl from Rath, now seated on Rune's bed, "So we'll catch a late lunch after that and go over and fix up your cover story until they call us for dinner."
"For so long?" Rune called confusedly through the closed door.
"Some of the Dragon Fighters have relatives in Costa Rica village," Cesia explained, "So we need to elaborate on what you already have in case they pry."
"I still say we just tell them to piss off," Rath complained.
"Rath," Cesia shot him a warning glare, "Shut up."
He remained silent, but that might have been simply because Rune chose that moment to slip out of the bathroom, fully dressed.
"Oh!" The half-Yokai girl exclaimed, "That looks great! I didn't realize it would fit so well!"
That it 'looked great' was a bit of an understatement, Rune thought as he gaped at himself in the mirror above his wooden desk. He looked stunning. The cut of the shirt perfectly accentuated his chest and slim waist, and the short floaty skirt made his already long legs look even longer. He felt himself flush a deep red.
If he was still a guy, he'd be turned on by himself.
Wait... That brought up an interesting question, one that he had never actually thought about.
This gender change, did it flip his sexual orientation as well? Or, rather, not flip it? Was this lack-of-sexual-attraction due to the fact that it was a girl's body he was looking at? Or was it because it was his own body?
Rune shook his head.
He would just have to ask the other two about it when Cesia and Kitchel weren't around.
That thought suddenly struck a guilty chord in him as his mind went off on a tangent.
Tintlett...
That was right, he still needed to inform her.
But, he winced slightly, How was he to do that?
"Rune?" Cesia asked, obviously taking his reaction to indicate that he disliked what he saw within the mirror, "What's wrong?"
"Um," Rune jerked back to reality, slightly flustered, "Oh, um, nothing! I just realized that you could, uh..." he scrutinized his image, "You can see part of the bra through this shirt."
"Oh," she tilted her head to one side, "You're right. I'm sorry about that. Here, try this one."
He fumbled the thrown article of clothing, barely managing to catch it.
"...Thanks," he muttered, still distracted by his realization.
How in Dusis was he going to explain this?
:n:
The three entered a mostly-empty dinning hall, Cesia being their excuse to sit at the main table, instead of eating in the mess room or kitchen.
The fortuneteller scanned the single table, quickly going to sit next to Kitchel and Thats, close to the center.
"How's the diet going?" Cesia teased cheerfully.
"Shut up," Thats snapped back, turning a bright red and pointing a fork menacingly at her.
Rath made a low, irritable growl, and the Knight of Earth turned to him.
"You drop it, too," he complained, "Or the damned waitresses are going to start up the lesbian rumors."
That caught Rath off guard, and he blinked at his friend.
"...What?"
"He's just in a bad mood," Kitchel filled in cheerfully, taking a slow drink from her glass, "Some guard wolf-whistled at him, and when he told him off, got called a dyke."
Cesia sat, obviously irritated at the news, and Rath took a seat as well.
Rune, however, remained standing, a question floating on the tip of his tongue.
"Uh..."
He shook his head.
Later, Rune decided firmly, When the girls weren't around. He could consult with the other two later.
Before anyone could inquire to his sudden silence, he sat down as well, to the left of Rath, starting to dish food onto his plate.
"Did you explain what we're doing today?" Cesia asked conversationally.
The other girl nodded, brushing a lock of her hair from her face.
"Right," Cesia continued, only to be interrupted by Rath.
"So let's hurry up and get this over with," he complained, obviously impatient.
Rune sent him a disapproving glance.
"Rath, we haven't finished eating yet. And you just got here. Why don't you have breakfast first?"
"Not hungry," he muttered, turning slightly pink.
"It's a little early in the morning for cramping," Kitchel commented offhandedly, "That's gotta suck."
"Have a bite," Cesia advised, "If you eat a little, it might help some. But not that!" The fortuneteller quickly grabbed his hand back from taking a helping of eggs, "God, Rath, use your brain! Try something lighter. Like," she glanced over the array of food on the table, "Toast."
Rath stared at the piece of slightly charred toast, watching as it was dropped with a clatter onto his plate.
Sighing, he picked it up and took an experimental bite.
"Besides, we won't be having lunch until much later," Cesia continued, "And unless you want to just pass out in the middle of being fitted, you need to eat something."
There was a calm as the five ate in silence for a few minutes, then Kitchel sat up straight.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, "I just remembered. Swimming! We made them buy swimsuits, and the weather's perfect today! Why don't we go out to the lake in the afternoon? We'll be pretty secluded there, so we can go over their story there, as well."
As the three boys automatically flinched away, two forks and a last piece of toast falling to the table, Cesia's eyes lit up.
"That sounds like a good idea! As long as we can ensure that no one else comes with us, that would be perfect!"
Behind their backs, three pairs of eyes met in a mutual trapped plead of a stare that clearly read, "DO SOMETHING!"
"Um," Rune spoke up first, trying to remain calm as his two compatriots watched nervously, "I... I don't have a swimsuit!" He stated, brightening up at this simple realization.
"Don't worry," Cesia laughed, "I got one for you. It fit me nicely, and it's adjustable, so we should be able to get it to fit you as well."
Rune deflated, just to have Rath speak up in turn.
"Yeah, well, I can't go swimming," he explained forcefully, flushing a deep red with what he was trying to avoid saying.
"Couldn't he use a tampon?" Kitchel half-asked Cesia.
"Wha-? N-no way--" Rath's fearful outburst was cut off the other girl.
"Yes, he could." She shot him a pointed look. "It really isn't that bad, Rath. I don't see why you have such a problem with it. You go off on all sorts of dangerous demon hunts; this is just a bit of cotton."
Rath glared at the ground, deeply flushed but holding his tongue.
Rune nudged Thats, urging him to save them with a well timed excuse.
"Uh..." he stalled, "...I don't know how to swim?"
Cesia and Kitchel sent them twin stony glares.
"...As I was saying earlier," Cesia turned to her friend, "As long as we can make sure we are left alone without anyone else tagging along, I think that will be perfect."
"It's really only the Dragon Fighters we have to worry about," Kitchel rested her chin on her cupped hand as she thought. "Since everyone else either already knows, or won't be hanging out on the castle grounds. If we tell them we want some 'girl time', most of them should leave. And I might be able to dissuade some of the more persistent ones."
Rune felt distinctly nervous at the way her green eyes flicked to him for a moment.
"Um," he said, trying to shake off the feeling, "Um, shouldn't we be going to get fitted?"
"Mmm," Cesia stood, "You're right. We should be there right about now. Come on, R-Pyore," she caught herself.
Rath grimaced, both at the name and at the prospect of getting poked and prodded and wrapped about with various girly layers of material for several hours.
He sighed.
"Fine."
:n:
Fine.
Rath swore to himself, careful not to let the sound escape his lips.
This was defiantly not fine.
This was crap.
Total and utter crap.
"Raise your arms, dear."
He grudgingly did as Cernozura told him, holding his arms out at right angles from his body; his hands dangled limply.
Ignoring the soft chuckle as the woman deftly held up first a piece of deep red material, then quickly wrapped a loop of measuring tape around his bust, Rath sighed again.
"Lower your arms, dear."
He really wouldn't mind, Rath noted to himself, If it weren't for the infuriating giggles that kept filtering through in the background.
"Ooh, Lady Raseleane, I think Rath would look great in this one!"
Cesia and Kitchel, the two "real" females, were curled up on a couch, pouring over a catalogue of all the items in the royal closets.
The half-Yokai girl held up the page they were currently looking at, pointing to the thumbnail picture of the dress in question.
It was a tight-around-the-chest, flowing-around-the-legs little black number that Rath immediately found himself flinching away from.
"That's more suited to Cesia!" Was the first mad thought that dashed through his mind. Before a second one had time to form, however, his train of thought was interrupted by a sharp gasp and yelp of pain.
"Hey! Whaddya think you're doing?"
Rath craned his neck to see Thats, now bracing himself heavily against the arm of a nearby chair, half laced up in what appeared to be a very tight corset.
"That's way too tight," he continued, breathing quickly as he tried to refill his lungs with much needed oxygen.
Cesia glanced at him.
"Calm down. Breath slower. You're going to hyperventilate."
As he attempted to comply, already feeling his vision begin to shimmer and spin before him, Raseleane quickly unlaced the corset a couple of notches.
He took a deep breath, resisting the urge to glare at the Dragon Queen.
"...Thanks."
Rath sweatdropped.
At the very least, no one had attempted to stuff him into one of those devil-traps yet...
"Oh," Cernozura beamed, seemingly unaware of her subject's mental monologue, "Lady Raseleane, could you pass me that corset, please?"
Rath blanched.
Oh, hell no...
:n:
Lykouleon looked up from his paperwork.
"...Ruwalk?"
"No," Ruwalk shook his head, "I heard that scream, too."
"Oh. All right, then."
The Dragon Lord resumed reading documents.
:n:
"What... In Dusis... Are you trying to do?" Rath gasped out. He would be doubled over from the sheer effort of breathing, except that he wasn't able to bend at all without the demon-spawn cutting into his chest.
Rath relished the mental image of his sword slicing the corset, neatly hacking it into multiple parts.
"Do you think that's tight enough?" Cernozura asked, seemingly unsure of herself.
Lady Raseleane considered the panting boy-girl?-'s form, before clasping her hands together, nodding.
"That looks lovely, Rath, darling!"
"His name is Pyore now," Kitchel pointed out with a grin.
Raseleane nodded.
"Pyore. Well, Pyore, hold still and we'll figure out which dress you'll be wearing."
Rath glared at Rune. Of the three of them, he seemed to be having the easiest time with this fitting process: he'd been quickly measured, then shunted off to one side as the other two were poked and prodded.
Thats joined Rath in with giving the elf dirty looks, as now freed from the restraints of the corset, Cernozura held material up to his body in various shades of green.
Rune shifted, feeling distinctly self-conscious. While it was true that all three of them had been stripped down to their underwear, Rath and Thats actually looked as though they weren't supposed to be wearing anything more, as both of them were being constantly measured and the like. He, on the other hand, while he was seated comfortably on a chair in the corner, was still wearing naught but a bra and pair of panties... And he felt damnedawkward in doing so.
Shifting once more, curling his legs up under him this time, he reflected momentarily on how easy it really was to entertain oneself by playing with one's cleavage... Quickly squishing that thought and recoiling from it in shock, Rune pondered once more the question that had been bugging him on and off all day.
Now that he was a girl, did he like boys? Or still girls?
This was really the stupidest thing to wonder about, he noted, blushing slightly. Surely he'd be able to tell easily enough?
That was it, he decided, he just needed to check, really quickly, and no one would ever have to know.
Willing his face to not flush crimson, he glanced up once more, this time purposefully taking in the nearly nude forms of his two compatriots.
Well...
He ducked his head once more, glaring a hole through the hapless carpet.
This would be so much easier if they would just stand still and quite moving around and having arms and material and people in front of them!
But, he glanced back up once more, He did have to admit that they were good-looking. Rune let his eyes travel carefully over Thats'(being the closer one to him) body, taking in his new curves. He then stole a glance at Rath, lingering on his flat stomach.
Okay, yes. They were both rather attractive.
But as Rune looked them over once more, he had to admit to himself that he wasn't being turned on like he would had he walked into the fitting of two girls like that while still male.
O-kay...
So he was still straight, then. Or did this technically make him gay?
Rune was saved from any further confusion by Raseleane's sudden announcement.
"Look at the time! We've already been here for two hours. Cernozura, would you go bring these girls something to drink? They must be thirsty."
Both Rath and Thats nodded eagerly, muttering their thanks as the woman left, quietly closing the door behind her.
"Now," Raseleane smiled at Cesia and Kitchel, "Since you two are finished looking through that," she gestured to the catalogue, "Would you come with me to show me what you've picked out for the girls?"
As both Cesia and Kitchel giggled at the word "girls", the Dragon Queen led them through a back door to where many of the nicer dresses were kept to be tried on.
Thats moaned, speaking to Rath under his breath.
"Bets that they bring back at least ten for each of us?"
The Fire Dragon Knight responded darkly, "Except for faerie boy. There's gonna be one perfect dress for him... Just one. And with no need to be hemmed up or taken out."
Thats groaned at the thought.
"Hell, yeah." He turned to stare accusingly at Rune, "And what were you doing? It looked almost like you were checking us out!"
Eep.
Rune jumped in his seat, face blooming a brilliant red.
"M-me?"
As he met the deadpans of the other two, he relented.
"...Not exactly." Rune shifted under their stares, "I just," he fumbled, "I just was curious if, um, curious as to whether girls... As to whether or not I still liked girls," he admitted with some difficulty.
His response was much different than he expected.
Rune watched, startled as both Rath and Thats flushed slightly and looked to the ground.
"...I take it that you were wondering the same thing."
"...Not anymore," Thats admitted, as Rath bobbed his head several times.
Rune raised his eyebrow, and Rath added in a muttered: "Dragon Fighters."
Wait...
"What?" Rune asked, slightly shocked.
Rath glared at him, still blushing badly.
"I'm sorry Mr. I-Have-No-Sex-Drive, but some of us do. And some of us have... Um..." Rath paused, flustered.
"Noticed," Thats added in, against his will.
Any more information the Knights of Earth and Fire might have revealed was dropped dead, as Cernozura reentered the room, pushing a small cart bearing drinks.
"All right," she said sunnily, "Who's up for some lemonade?"
:n:
Garfakcy sweatdropped, slowly lifting his hand and pointing at the alchemist.
"L-Lord Kharl?"
Kharl smiled disarmingly.
"What?"
"That's..." he exploded suddenly, "That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard! What the hell were you taking? What the hell were you on," he was now ranting, flushed red in the face, "And what," he leaned back, glowering up at the alchemist, "The hell--"
"Hold that thought!" Kharl chirped, deftly dipping his hand into a pocket of his voluminous robes and retrieving a handful of ash(Much to Garfakcy's dismay. How many times now had he warned Kharl not to keep ash spells in his pockets without some sort of protective device around them? But did he ever listen? No... Did he even realize how long it took to get ash stains out of clothing?). The boy's eyes widened, but it was too late.
As he started to hurriedly back up, Kharl tossed the ash. It landed on and around his body, engulfing him in a brilliant white light.
Garfakcy began to cough as the smokey ash settled, and, before he was able to screech at his master again, Kharl continued.
"I believe your next question was going to be 'What the hell was I thinking', correct? Well, Garfakcy," his face lit up with a carefree smile, "I think you would make a very lovely young lady."
Standing before him was a distinctly feminine version of the tri-colored-hair maid, glaring at him for all she was worth.
"...You bastard."
:n:
Kat: I like the blinking. n-n And we agree that they need one more go before I leave. Because I still need to see "Bewitched". :nodding: We really like that idea about the hot air balloon!
Go-ruden Kiba: ...I so do not get that name... Sounds cool, though. :sweatdrop at own stupidity: ...Which one is your sister? Or is this a joint account?
Tarinyo's Forest:cracks up: I'm listed as "Thatz" on my friend's cell phone. But I think I may have told you that already... XD You did finally get it up, though:D
Kayla: XD That's a good way to get a random username!
Yavie Aelinel: Awww. About the popcorn, that is. T-T Yes! Yes, you did! XD And I'd love to switch places with one of them, too. XD
Ojosnegro: XD I put "negra" there, at first... Yay! non Now just for 19!
Old Fiat: Wow, um, I'm honored that you'd actually bother to ask me first! XD Sure, I'm cool with you doing that. Just so long as it's obviously different from mine, that is. n-n; Sorry that I took so long to respond! Tell me when you post it:O
Blackcat686: Any reason for the numbers:will just not put them in the reviewer mentions, otherwise: And thanks!
Yume-Chan29: Haha, I'm taking a slacker summer school class. :sweatdrop:
Chibi Sage Fan:long, long pause: ...Holy hell. :stares at:
Peophin-chan: But you still always get around to it! n-n Besides, I need someone to review late like that... Reminds me that I gotta get around to posting... :sweatdrop:
:n:
Hey, now that I can check the page views, I can tell if someone reads this and doesn't review! Get to it! I want feedback, goshdarnit!
And sorry about that wait and length(or lack of it). On the day I was honestly planning to write most of this... I... Um... I locked myself out of the house... :mega sweatdrop: So I wasn't able to work on writing it...