Creature Changers

I know I took a friggin long time to update this time! Please feel free to skip the reviewer response and disclaimer! Since the disclaimer is now boring anyway…

means speech by creatures.

Disclaimer: Again again again I say, I do not own Golden Sun. Can you read? Can't understand English? Ougon no Taiyou wa watashi no mono janai. Wakarimasu ka? Still don't understand? Huang jin tai yang bu shi wo de. Ming bai ma? Still can't understand? EGO don't own Rutilus Sol solis. Operor vos agnosco? Gah. Last attempt, I'm sure those who understand are sick and tired. Gwisga t addef 'n Euraid Heula. Ddealli? … Don't understand, you shouldn't even be here. Cause this fic is in ENGLISH.

(A/N: My disclaimer is getting lamer. This isn't even funny.)

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raitei: Thank you for the compliment! Yeah yeah, my pretty centaur's revealed in here, but since everyone guessed correctly, I'll say it now. It's Felix all right. Garet and the others will change too. Soon. The new names are mostly filler characters, and I don't care about them; their names were mostly spun out of thin air. Briggs' family name was also spun. As for Sepians Unus, he is an OFFICIAL character, just that I gave him a slightly different name. Slightly. Pairings wise, you and I are friggin ALIKE! XD I'll see what I can do here. But if I end up doing valeshipping, I hope I'll have enough skill to entice mudshipping lovers! Thank you for all the support!

Princess Viv: Waaiiiii you're back! I'm not doing Legend of the Stars now because I need a break from serious stuff. So this more lighthearted and (hopefully since I'm trying to make it) humourous one is on my list. Mia and the others are going to be introduced, but you should've noticed that I'm not sure if I'll do mudshipping this time. I know it's your greatest desire, so I'll take that as a vote!

savinglifelessness: A zebra can do lots. Kicking, biting, stomping, headbutting, pushing… you name it. A human with no special weapons can do loads too. I mean, if zebras were useless they wouldn't survive and would be extinct by now. Thank you for the compliment!

Kodoku: The phrase I wrote when I thought of it. But I realized only later that it's not mine. I REMEMBER WHERE IT'S FROM. Inuyasha, which I don't own, had an episode where Toutousai said something similar. So guys, I don't own that quote! The game Whacko is played all over schools in my country, so I decided to use it! It's pretty fun. Especially the forfeits… (imagines Felix having to do ballet) Yup the centaur is Felix. Everyone's so smart! You don't talk too much, I do. (points at all reviewer responses) You won't like this disclaimer, it's not as nice. (I'm running out of ideas and I need to go crazy)

crazy-but-fun: Thank you! I'm continuing! Please don't die!

hope: It's Felix, yeah. Thank you! And oh. It's not jealousy that got them. It's fear. Humans often fear and dislike things they don't know. Plus dragons in history are known as horrible creatures who steal princesses, yeah? Only a few people (like me, like Jake, like Mayuko, like…) are dragon lovers. Thank you for the review!

lunarwolvesshadow: Thank you for the compliment! Yes, Whacko is fun, like mentioned somewhere above, schools in my country play it. The most popular forfeit is "chicken dance", something you'd probably not want to do, but since everyone uses it I thought I'd give ol' Briggs something else.

guy: I'll count that as a vote for Valeshipping.

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Chapter 4: Learning Lessons

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Isaac stared at the second mythical creature he had seen in real life. The centaur had viridian green hair on the horse part of his body, and his long swishing tail was dark brown. Like his hair.

"You're also… a mythical… That's why you wouldn't tell Mr Char what creature you were!" Isaac cried.

"Yeah. Four hooves was the closest I could get to sounding normal and still tell the truth," Felix said. His expression turned serious. "You're a new kid, but you've got to learn this. When you're picked on, you have to fight back."

"We're forbidden to…" Isaac protested.

"By the teachers? Yes, you may get punished, but it's the least you can do to defend yourself. That is the unwritten rule, of the honour of the students," Felix said quietly. His deep brown eyes stared into Isaac's unblinkingly. "Do you understand? Isaac Gaia?"

"Yes," Isaac replied. Felix's body glowed and he began to shrink swiftly. Back in his human body, with a nonchalant look on his face, no one would have guessed that he was a changer, much less one with a mythical creature.

"We'd better get to dinner," Felix said. He turned and walked swiftly off to the canteen, leaving Isaac to linger behind with his thoughts.

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"You're late! How was it?" Dora demanded, a crease cutting into her forehead. Isaac smiled and placed his bag on the sofa.

"Not bad. Extremely interesting," he replied cheerfully. "As today was Orientation Day, we were asked to stay back to dinner. Sorry to be late."

"That's all right, son," Kyle called from in front of the television, "But next time, call home. Dora's been strangling me with worry."

"I have NOT!"

"Oh yes you have, you even bullied poor Flint to…"

Isaac chuckled as he went up the stairs to his room. Its walls were painted a light creamy brown, and except for a simple white bed, a brown mahogany cabinet and several large cardboard boxes, the room was rather empty and neat.

Sitting on the white bed was a flat glass chessboard with two brown creatures on either side of it. Each was the size of a human palm, and looked extremely alike. Only a few barely noticeable differences separated the two.

"Check! Check!" One of the creatures chirped.

"You cheated, I know you did!" the other one yelled with a slightly higher voice.

"I…"

"Cut it out, Flint and Ground. I came up to escape mom and dad's quarrel, not to listen to yours," Isaac said jokingly. Both brown creatures whipped their heads, or rather top part of their bodies, around. With identical shrieks they launched themselves at Isaac, who laughed and patted them affectionately.

Scientists had found the tiny creatures known as djinn extremely fascinating. Afraid of being used as guinea pigs, they had escaped and spread all over the world. Though no one really knew what their abilities were, not even the djinn themselves, devoted owners keeping them as pets had fiercely protected those they kept. Others had disappeared, hiding themselves.

Following Greek mythology, the four different species of djinn had been named Venus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter. Each djinn had their own name, but somehow that was all they knew.

Isaac remembered when Flint and Ground, both Venus djinn, appeared at his window. All they knew then were their own names and scary scientists. They didn't know where they came from, what had happened, just that they were found by humans. Isaac had immediately took the creatures under his thumb. Ever since then, they had been helping Dora with the housework using their amazing abilities.

"Isaac! Isaac! You're back! You're back! Do you know what Dora did to me today!"

"And me! She…"

"Sorry, guys. Whatever she did, it was because she was worried about me," Isaac said apologetically.

"Even nerves can't be that bad," Flint said, raising one eye.

"Yeah, yeah. She practically poured hot tea over me!" Ground complained.

"Give her a break. Wouldn't you guys be worried if your kid was going to school in an unfamiliar place?" Isaac asked. Flint and Ground eyed each other.

"Do we even have kids?" Flint asked.

"We really don't know anything about ourselves," Ground said sadly.

Whenever the djinn felt bad about not remembering their past, they behaved like mopey children. Isaac heaved a sigh. Time for the usual counseling.

"Now, you mustn't get upset. It's not your fault…"

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"Identity crystal detected. Please enter and gather in the Parade Square for morning assembly," the gate announced, swinging open. Isaac looked around and saw that the parade square was already filled with assembling students. Cards with names of classes were held up by teachers, and students from the class gathered in a straight line in front of the teacher.

Isaac hurried over to the queue for class 9A. To his relief, there was no one in the same line he could recognise from orientation.Except…

"Yo, Randall! Had good hols?" Garet yelled at someone in another line. Isaac grinned. Garet looked extremely friendly, and he did help when he had accidentally changed.

"Alright, students! Settle down, settle down!" Kraden cried. As usual, no one bothered to listen to him. Kraden shook his head and sighed. "I think I'm a little too old for this."

Those who bothered to listen laughed. It wasn't long before the 'changer-hater' threat was used, and the noisy chatterboxes shut up.

"Well, check your timetables and your maps, don't get lost, and watch out for each other. There's not much on first day other than that, and you will be given five minutes of class contact with your form teachers to settle administrative business today. Teachers, you already have your orders. You can begin now."

A green eyed lady with short brown hair holding the 9A card beckoned to her class and motioned for them to sit around her.

"I am Alana Malvonite, form teacher of 9A this year. I will be taking you for Literature lessons, but that will come when I see you in my classroom. Now, I need to assign a temporary chairman and vice chairman," she said briskly before scanning the class with sharp, alert eyes. Hearing the grumbles of several students, she raised her thick eyebrows.

"It's temporary," she hissed. "You can vote after a week of getting to know your classmates better. For now… is there a Rachel here? And a Dave?"

Two reluctant hands rose. Miss Malvonite nodded. "Right. You two will take the job for now. Before you head for your first class, go to the general office and collect the school diaries. Distribute it immediately. Is there anything else?"

Rachel Aishaw and Dave Nicholas put down their hands, both looking revolted at the idea of responsibilty. The rest of the students were silent. Miss Malvonite handed the class list to Rachel.

"That reminds me. Your lockers are located outside my classroom. A simple instruction manual with the locker's original combination will be taped to the door. Each locker has a number on it, and will be assigned according to index number. Find out from Rachel your number, and that will be your locker number. Dismissed," she said curtly.

Isaac decided that she was the responsible and serious type. There might not be much humour in her lessons, but they would definitely be taught well. The determined look in her face showed that she wanted to do her job well.

Snapping out of analysation mode, Isaac hastily grabbed his bag and pulled out his timetable. Checking it briefly for (1)Suisanday, he wondered what Mr Theophilus Mil, teaching Maths, was like. Slotting the piece of paper back into his bag, he headed for the staircase with the rest of his class. Nearly all of them were talking and laughing away.

On the third floor, the students unanimously entered the first classroom. A fairly tall man with spiky hair and suspiciously bright eyes greeted them with a grin. He wore black rimmed glasses and a lined shirt, which immediately struck most shallow students as 'geek' at first sight.

"9A, right? Sit down!" he called, grinning. "I have no preferences in sitting arrangements whatsoever, so you can choose your own seats."

The positive comment sent the students scuttling to find seats. Navy blue tables were arranged in pairs with cream coloured chairs behind. Isaac knew that an unwritten and unfair rule was that older students get to bag seats, while new ones took the leftovers. Patiently, he stood at the side until most of the seats were taken.

Hesitantly, he slipped into the chair next to Garet, who grinned.

"Tough being a new guy, ain't it?" he said good-naturedly. "I'll sponsor you for the first few days, okay?"

"Sponsor?" Isaac racked his brains furiously. Sponsor? Sponsor? Is that a term I should know!

"That means, I'll show you around and all until you get used to the school. Orientation never works," Garet explained.

"Uh, right. Thanks."

"So, everyone got a seat! Now, let's get down to business. I don't believe in lessons on first days, so let's have a bit of icebreakers today!" Mr Mil said happily, placing himself in the teacher's chair and propping both feet on his table. Several students gasped at the undignified action, but he just grinned.

"Ol' Mil never does anything serious on his first day," Garet whispered. "And he's known for the most unexpected things, like…"

"Let me tell you a ghost story!" Mr Mil yelled suddenly. He grabbed a long wooden ruler and poked it towards the light switches, flicking them off. The classroom did not end up in complete darkness, as early sunlight was flitting in through the windows. Laying the ruler beside his table, Mr Mil placed his elbows on the table and clasped his fingers together.

"Now, there was this mall in the middle of Crystalia. It had an underground carpark, which allowed overnight parking. One night, a man working at the mall was placed in charge of switching off lights and such. Because of that, he was the last to leave. As he went down the elevator to the basement carpark…"

The two periods in Mathematics passed quickly. After three ghost stories, Mr Mil led his students in singing 'Home on the Range'. Then he showed them funny caricatures of several teachers, and ended with balancing a blue whiteboard marker and a duster on his nose.

Many students didn't know whether to cry or laugh, and some did both, but as the bell rang, everyone of them waved goodbye to Mr Mil and went out laughing.

Chuckling at the memory of Mr Mil's face, Isaac began head for the next lesson, Changing. But Garet grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip and dodged into the red toilet.

"We're not having lessons with Mr Davies," he hissed.

"Why…" Isaac broke off. "Because of… the creatures we become…?"

Garet nodded. He peered out.

Just then, someone screamed. Isaac and Garet whirled around, and met with an extremely angry face. A face with brown pigtails and thick glasses.

"M-Marilyn! Heh, sorry about this, we…" Garet stammered.

"BOYS IN THE GIRLS' TOILET!" Marilyn screamed. "OUT! OUT OUT OUT OUT!"

Garet dragged Isaac out with one hand over his ear, wincing. They dashed down the staircase towards the Hall, leaving Marilyn to scream in the toilet.

"Every Changing lesson, we'll work with Master Kraden in here," he explained, gasping. Knocking on the door with three sharp raps, he put his ear to the wood and motioned for Isaac to do the same.

"Creature creature," a low voice muttered.

"Changer changer," Garet replied.

The door opened a crack and Kraden peered out. Seeing Garet's cheery face and Isaac's confused one, he smiled. The door opened wider.

"Come in, come in!" Kraden greeted.

Cautiously, Isaac followed Garet in. Kraden locked the hall doors behind them and leaped nimbly onto the stage. He motioned for Isaac and Garet to do the same.

"Right, Garet, the usual meditation," he instructed. Garet nodded reluctantly and sat down cross-legged in a corner of the stage. Kraden then turned to Isaac. He smiled.

"Now, I want to assess how much control you have over your transformation and how much you know about it. Let's have a little bout, shall we?" he asked. As Isaac nodded, one hand slipped under his shirt. Isaac watched, slightly fascinated, as Kraden shrunk and gained more wrinkles, turning green and sprouting a large, hard shell.

He racked his brains and found the answer as Kraden's new jaws formed. The snapping turtle.

Transform, a voice said solemnly, echoing softly. Isaac jumped.

"One of Kraden's many 'amazing achievements'," Garet called, grinning. "The ability to speak while after changing."

None of that, you! Turtle Kraden yelled. Isaac, please change.

Gulping, Isaac reached for his own birthmark. He had not tried to change since Briggs attacked him. Closing his eyes and concentrating hard, he began to feel the changes in him. Bones lengthed and strengthened. Scales sprouted from his skin. Blades grew out from both arms.

When Isaac opened his eyes again, he saw the turtle glaring at him. Its jaws were slightly opened, and its eyes were ferocious.

Isaac's blood stirred. This was no longer a lesson, but a fight.

A fight that Isaac wanted to win.

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(1) Suisanday: Equivalent of Wednesday. I can have my own days, can't I? Basically the same though, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five a year...

The "Creature creature", "Changer changer" passcode belongs not to me. I got the idea from Digimon 02, the movie Diablomon Strikes Back ("Digi digi" & "Mon mon").

I'm not sure if this is long enough, no page count and no word count in Wordpad. I'm currently using my brother's laptop, which has no microsoft word, as my computer has very happily decided to take a break and stop working. Probably on vacation somewhere...

Is that a cliffhanger or is that a cliffhanger?

Daidairo