Muddled Waters
[Prologue]
by MadamHydra
Last revised: 09/06/00
I've rewritten some portions of this prologue, with the main changes
being in Quatre's cursed form -- instead of a huge lion, he's now a
desert wildcat (about the size of a bobcat or lynx).
Also, I refer to all characters by their original sex (not the sex of
the cursed form). I also occasionally add suffixes to let you know
that the person is in cursed form. If you guys find this confusing,
let me know!
I'd like to thank SuzakuNoHi, Reishin, and Karasu7729 for helping me
to work out the ideas for this bit of insanity. ^_^ I'd also like to
thank Ryu-chan and her delightful online roleplaying for giving me the
inspiration for dealing with Wufei.... <evil grin>
Please fasten your seat belt and securely stow your sanity in the
overhead compartments or under the seat in front of you.
Warning - General craziness ahead....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Cause I'm just a girl
I'd rather not be
'Cause they won't let me drive
Late at night
I'm just a girl
Guess I'm some kind of freak
'Cause they all sit and stare
With their eyes
I'm just a girl
Take a good looks at me
Just your typical prototype
Oh...I've had it up to here!
Oh...am I making myself clear?
-- "Just a Girl" by No Doubt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In an high-pitched and absolutely adorable voice, Wufei shrieked,
"Now look what you did, Quatre! She's out cold!!!"
He was stating the obvious. Sally Po lay on the floor where she
had just fainted.
The gold, blue-eyed wildcat stared at the shimmering, ruby- and
gold-scaled miniature dragon -- just about the size of a mid-sized
iguana -- that hopped about furiously on Sally's desk and waved its
cute clawed arms around wildly as little wisps of flame escaped from
its muzzle.
As the wildcat hunched its furry shoulders guiltily, a small brown
piglet, one of its green eyes obscured with a long dangling tuft of
hair, blinked its one visible eye and mutely shrugged.
The wildcat suddenly held up a sign that read, {It was an
accident!}. The sign flipped and the back read, {I didn't mean to
knock over the water pitcher!}
Small elegant wings unfolded from the minidragon's back and Wufei
took to the air. As he flew in a dizzying pattern of twists and
loops, he growled, "We were supposed to break the news to her slowly!"
The wildcat's new sign said in big, hastily scrawled letters, {At
least you can TALK!!!}
"And where the hell's Duo!?" fumed Wufei, zooming around Sally's
office like a giant bumblebee on a massive sugar high.
Starting to look a bit cross-eyed from trying to follow Wufei's
wildly zipping flight, Quatre-neko put a sign reading, {He went to
tell Heero about what happened.}
Wufei froze in mid-flap and plummeted. Fortunately, he was over
the cot so he landed on something soft. The miniature dragon, the
wildcat, and the small piglet stared at each other over Sally Po's
unconscious body and sweatdropped....
--------------------------------------------
In another part of the city, on the campus of an exclusive
boarding school, a soaking wet Duo Maxwell skidded down the hallway in
a desperate search for a bathroom. Just as he saw one, a sharp female
voice said, "You're the new student, aren't you?"
Duo spun around and smiled weakly at the formidable looking school
official standing behind him.
"Ummmm... yeah."
The coldly elegant woman consulted the folder in her hand, then
gave Duo a highly critical stare. In a stern voice, she snapped,
"There's an obvious mistake in your file. Undoubtedly a careless
clerical error on someone's part."
"Well...."
"Never mind. I'll deal with the problem personally."
If Duo wasn't having enough personal problems of his own, he would
have felt sorry for the poor people in the school's registration
office.
The woman continued, "I'll have you know that the dress code of
the Rinkan school is very strict. Decorum is of utmost importance.
You're out of uniform." She scowled. "EXTREMELY out of uniform."
Duo grinned nervously and mumbled, "Heh... heh... sorry about
that, but it was raining...."
"Hmph. That's no excuse. Well, come on."
"Huh?"
"Don't just stand there like a clumsy dolt. You need to get
changed."
"But...."
"Come on! Classes have already started and you're wasting time.
I'm sure we can find a spare uniform that fits."
"But...."
The woman grabbed Duo's elbow and firmly marched her captive down
the hallway.
--------------------------------------------
Heero sat in the classroom and coldly ignored the giggling
teenaged girls behind him. Where the hell were the other pilots?
Over a week ago, he and the others had gone their separate ways to
handle individual missions, but they were all supposed to rendezvous
at this campus yesterday. Now they were late.
Heero found the silence the most troubling. Surely Trowa or
Quatre would have contacted him and notified him of any delays. Short
of catastrophe, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei were always prompt. So was
Duo, despite his scattered-brained behavior. The braided idiot might
be late for classes, yes, but not for missions.
He stared out the window at the pouring rain and scowled as he did
his best to convince himself that he wasn't worried about his fellow
pilots, especially a certain long-haired fool. Behind him, the
classroom door opened and the room started buzzing with comments from
the other boys.
"Wow, she's cute!"
"Man, I think I'm in love!"
"I get first dibs!"
"Like hell you do!"
"Look at that figure! And that hair! You could drown in that
stuff!"
As he continued to look out the window, Heero thought uneasily to
himself, (No, it can't be. She couldn't have found me THIS
quickly....)
The teacher coughed loudly and sternly said, "Quiet down and
please welcome our new transfer student."
(What am I going to do about her....)
Heero's thoughts came to a screeching halt when he heard a
familiar, cheerful voice. Well, an almost familiar voice... it still
had the unmistakable vibrant, rich, slightly husky tones... but it
wasn't nearly as deep as it should be.
"Hi! My name's Duo Maxwell. Glad to meet you!"
Heero whipped his head around and nearly fell out of his seat when
he got his first good look at Duo. With his mouth agape, he stared
blankly at the stunningly beautiful girl with the familiar butt-length
chestnut braid and bright violet eyes. She stood in front of the
class, dressed in the standard Rinkan schoolgirl uniform which
consisted of full length black tights, short dark green skirt, and a
matching tailored green vest over a white long-sleeved shirt.
Duo's cheeks were decidedly flushed as he waved hello to the
enthusiastic crowd of boys. The Deathscythe pilot flicked a quick,
nervous glance in Heero's direction, then blushed even more.
(He damn well BETTER be blushing! What does that idiot think he's
DOING!?!?) the cobalt-eyed teenager thought furiously to himself.
"Duo, please take a seat next to Mr. Yuy. Class, turn to page
43...."
Heero couldn't trust himself *not* to grab Duo by the throat and
start strangling the deranged idiot then and there, so he kept his
gazed fixed on his textbook and refused to look in the other's
direction.
As the teacher droned on, he managed to get hold of his temper and
snuck a quick peek at Duo. Heero had to admit that Duo's disguise was
absolutely flawless. Certainly, none of the other students remotely
suspected that Duo wasn't a girl.
But wait until they were alone....
Heero was forced to sit, seethe, and brood through three agonizing
hours of classes. And at every opportunity, the other boys and even
some of the girls in the class hovered and flirted with Duo. Finally,
at lunchtime, Heero stalked by Duo's desk, gave the Deathscythe pilot
a lethal stare, and marched out of the classroom.
Duo twitched uneasily, then hastily said, "If you guys will excuse
me...."
Amid loud mutters of disappointment that the new babe in the
class, like many of the other girls, had fallen for the sullen Heero,
Duo briskly left the classroom and discreetly followed Heero out of
the school building.
There was still a slight drizzle in the air as Duo rounded a
corner. Suddenly, he felt a steely grip on his arm. Without a word,
Heero dragged off his fellow Gundam pilot to a secluded spot behind
one of the school buildings. As soon as the Wing pilot was sure that
they were not observed, he spun Duo around -- nearly getting himself
clobbered by Duo's braid -- and shoved his companion hard against the
wall.
"Duo, what the hell are you doing dressing up as a girl!?"
"Uh... Heero... I can explain....."
"Explain!? How can you possibly explain THIS!" He jabbed his
finger into one of the soft, perfectly proportioned mounds on Duo's
chest.
"OUCH! Shit, Heero, that hurt!" Duo yelped.
Heero shook his head sharply, like a bull pestered by a relentless
fly.
"You can drop the act, Duo! What's with this ridiculous getup!?"
the Wing pilot growled furiously as he yanked open Duo's vest and
shirt and grabbed at Duo's bra....
But his fingers closed on something that was definitely not
padding, nor was it anything plastic. His hand was clutching
something soft and warm, as only real flesh could be.
"...."
Duo's face turned bright red and he looked away as Heero ever so
slowly tugged the edge of the bra down. It was as if the Wing pilot
was afraid to visually confirm what his fingers had already told him.
In a strangled voice, Heero choked out, "Duo... how...?"
The Deathscythe pilot shrugged and chuckled weakly.
"Well, you see... the other guys and I sort of had this
accident...."
"ACCIDENT!?!?!?"
".... accident at these weird springs in China...."
--------------------------------------------
In the region of Earth that was Wufei Chang's ancestral homeland,
the natives once spoke of a mysterious place in whispers and shuddered
in pure dread at the mere mention of its name. Despite numerous
warnings, people kept getting lured to the forbidden spot and kept
falling victim to its terrible power. But at the end of the twentieth
century, a cataclysmic event led most people to believe that the
horrible place's power had been forever broken. Real events soon
became nothing more than mere folktales and legends.
But everyone had been wrong. The power had not been destroyed.
Instead, it merely slumbered as it slowly regained its strength. And
finally, after several centuries, the valley's magic awoke with a
vengeance and once again, hapless victims were once again lured to its
seemingly tranquil waters, only to be confronted by a myriad of
terrible dooms.
Such was the fate of the unfortunate souls who dared to set foot
near the infamous valley of the cursed springs.
And Jusenkyo was not about to be satisfied with only four
victims....
--------------------------------------------
In an expensive hotel in the same city as the Rinkan campus, a
slight altercation was taking place.
"Get off of me!!!"
Picture frames rattled on the walls of the expensive hotel suite
as a furiously blushing Dorothy Catalonia grabbed and flung Relena
Peacecraft across the room. As Relena slowly slid to the floor in a
limp heap, Dorothy turned and froze as she caught sight of her own
image in a mirror.
(Oh god, look at me!)
A pair of incredibly cute furry cat ears poked out of her long
blond hair while a long feline tail protruded from under a very short,
very tight miniskirt. An equally skimpy halter top seemed barely
adequate to cover her breasts which appeared to have nearly doubled in
size.
"Hot water, hot water, got to get some hot water," Dorothy
frantically muttered to herself.
The door behind her burst open and a member of the hotel staff
exclaimed, "Miss Catalonia, I heard the noise. Is something wrong!?"
She took a wary step back as the young man's expression of concern
turned into a now familiar look of lecherous idiocy.
"Get a grip on yourself, you fool!" Dorothy yelled, but he only
seemed interested in her now awe-inspiring bust line. He lunged, only
to have Dorothy's foot firmly planted in his face.
"Now what?" she muttered in exasperation as she stared down on the
unconscious young man. Her rhetorical question was almost instantly
answered as someone grabbed her breasts from behind.
Grinding her teeth, Dorothy turned to look behind her, glared at
the blond-haired teenaged boy blissfully rubbing his cheeks against
her exquisitely curved butt, and growled in a dangerous voice.
"RE-LE-NA!!!"
--------------------------------------------
In the meantime....
"Sir, this is the designated location."
Treize Khushrenada peered around at the serenely glistening pools
of water scattered all over the small valley, then turned to glance
quizzically at Lady Une. Standing behind the OZ general, a masked
Zechs Merquise said in a suspicious voice, "It looks innocent enough.
There doesn't appear to be anything that would so attract the Gundam
pilots' attention. Are you sure, Lady Une?"
She frowned through her glasses and tapped the scanner in her
hands thoughtfully. "If this equipment is calibrated properly, then
this is the spot. But I seem to be getting some rather strange
readings."
Treize uttered a thoughtful "Hmmm...."
When Une noticed the OZ general approaching a rumpled heap of
cloth lying near the edge of one of the pools, she hastily stepped
toward him shouting, "Sir, stay away! It could be a booby...!"
Suddenly, her left boot slipped on a damp, mossy stone and she skidded
at full speed into the nearest pool.
Splash One.
When she fell, Une's scanner went flying into the air. It
ricocheted off of Zechs' silver mask, who fell over backward into
another innocent looking pool.
Splash Two.
The flying scanner then ended up neatly smacking the startled
Treize right in the face. Instantly knocked out cold, the young
general toppled into a gently steaming spring.
Splash Three.
--------------------------------------------
The score so far....
Jusenkyo: 9 Humans: 0
Author's Notes:
For anyone not familiar with Ranma 1/2, Jusenkyo is full of
springs that curse people who fall in one of its springs. A cursed
person changes into different sex, person, animal, monster, or entity
when hit with cold water. The cursed individual reverts back to
his/her normal form and/or personality when doused with hot water.
I'm borrowing the basic idea of Jusenkyo curses from Ranma 1/2, but
I've changed a few things to suit my own crazy whims. ^_^
A quick guide to the curses:
Duo - Spring of the Drowned Girl
Trowa - Spring of the Drowned Piglet
Quatre - Spring of the Drowned Desert Wildcat
Wufei - Spring of the Drowned Male Fire Mini-Dragon
Dorothy - Spring of the Drowned Sex Kitten Neko-girl
and last, but not least....
Relena - Spring of the Nearly Drowned Indestructible Hentai Teenage
Boy, also known as the Spring of the Nearly Drowned Ataru (of Urusei
Yatsura fame)
The Full Disclaimer
All rights and privileges to Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing are
trademarks and property of Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and
associated parties. All rights and privileges to Ranma 1/2 belong to
Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Communications, Inc., and associated
parties. The characters of these works are used WITHOUT permission
for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not
meant for sale or profit.
Original portion of the fiction included here is considered to be
the sole property and copyrighted to the author.
Send MadamHydra feedback!
Read more fics by the author at her homepage, Madamhydra's Lair.
[On to Part 1]