A/N: It starts out a little shaky, but gets better (I think).

Chapter One: Change

A boy ran toward a golden horse, jumping on it quickly to escape the mob chasing him. "Thief!" They called, as he rode away quickly, urging his horse to go faster.

"Come on, Firae! Faster, faster!" He whispered, his long black hair trailing behind him in the wind. "We only have to make it to the forest…"

The golden horse snorted, running as fast as it could, nostrils flaring, eyes full of a spirit that only a wild horse can contain. Galloping in a broken rhythm that sounded not unlike the boy's pulsing heartbeat, Firae didn't stop running until they were a good distance inside the dim forest. The boy jumped off his mount, patting him on the neck.

"Thanks, boy." He said, sighing. He took the bag off his back, and grabbed some oats for his horse, holding his hand out as Firae quickly ate them, the hairs on his nose tickling the youth's palm.

"Yeah, you better like it… It was hard to get it out of that town." The horse nuzzled his chest, begging for more. The kid laughed, pulling some out and holding his hand out, again.

"You're a good horse, Firae."

They walked for a short while until they came to a rushing stream, and the boy sat on the edge of the bank as the golden steed drank his fill. "It's a shame we don't have any food in the forest anymore. Most of the plants have stopped growing here…" He leaned back on a tree. "I wish those humans hadn't come."

The horse snorted in agreement, and the boy decided they should get a move on. They kept walking, the unbridled horse following the boy wherever he went. Suddenly, at the crack of a branch, the boy stopped, listening intently. "Who's there?" He called.

A blonde-haired boy stepped out of the trees, grinning. "It's me, Delyn."

The dark-haired boy smiled. "Jezz!"

Jezz laughed, hugging the smaller boy. "Where've you been?"

"Stealing oats for Firae again…" Delyn said, looking sheepish.

"Typical Delyn."

Delyn laughed, happy to be in the company of his best friend. "I haven't seen you in a while," he said as they started walking together, Firae close behind.

"I've been getting training." Jezz replied, biting his lower lip and looking at the dark-haired boy out of the corner of his eye.

Delyn stopped, looking at Jezz guardedly. "Without me?"

"Well, yes…" He said, fidgeting slightly.

"In what?" He asked, a hurt look on his face.

"To become the Sun Elf." Jezz replied, avoiding his friend's gaze.

"You… made it? Con…congratulations!" Delyn said, trying to sound excited.

"And…" Jezz hesitated.

"And?" He asked

"…You get to be a Moon Elf."

"A Moon Elf? But they're only girls!" Delyn said indignantly.

"I know." Jezz replied.

"A girl…! But the Elders had me… Were they wrong?" He asked, shock evident on his slim features.

"Um, well, they knew what you would be…" He said, biting his lip again.

"They knew? But then, why did they put me with you…?"

Jezz kept looking at the ground, afraid to look his long-term friend in the eye. "Well, they already knew our destinies, you know that. And they, well, knew I was to be the Sun Elf, and they knew that…"

"That I would be a Moon Elf? A girl? And, then…" Delyn interrupted before trailing off in realization. "They want us to…"

Jezz gulped. "Yes."

"Did you know?!" Delyn suddenly yelled, looking angrily at Jezz.

"Well, yes, I had to choose my mate, Delyn." He said, looking at him shyly.

"B-but…" He stammered, trying to make sense of everything.

Jezz sighed, sitting on a nearby tree root. "I didn't know until a few months ago. There were plenty of would-be Moon Elves, but I'm the destined Sun Elf. You know there's only one every few hundred centuries… And they have to—"

"Mate with a chosen Moon Elf, yes, I know. So they can give life to the 'new world', right? Is that stuff even true?!" Delyn yelled.

"Well, the Elders tell us these things… It must be true."

"Maybe." Delyn grumbled.

"But, anyway, Delyn… The chosen Moon Elves were you, Selene, and Cynthia."

"Why didn't you choose Selene? Or Cynthia, even? They've grown up knowing they were to be female, and it's not like they aren't pretty!"

"Um, yes, but Delyn…"

"What?" Delyn asked, creasing his eyebrows at him.

"I…" He started, but then thought better of what he was about to say and stopped, "I just know you better. I thought we would just… get along better."

Delyn sighed. "I guess you're right. And if I have to become a girl, anyway…"

Jezz smiled. "Let's go back home."

They continued on the path through the forest, Firae knowing precisely what was going on, though he gave no hint of it.

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When they'd arrived in Kava, their town, the two boys looked at each other nervously. The Elders had started to approach them, and Delyn held an apprehensive look on his face.

Contrary to their title, the Elders hardly looked any older than Delyn and Jezz themselves, but they had indeed lived for hundreds of thousands of years. To become an Elder, they had all also given up all ties to anything that would identify them as lesser, including their names, all family and friends, and they also all looked incredibly similar with pale blue hair and white, unmarked skin.

"You have told him." An Elder said serenely.

"Yes," Jezz said, his eyes respectfully lowered to the ground.

The Elder turned toward Delyn. "You know what must be done."

The Elders did not ask questions, but insinuated statements in such a way that they could have been inquiries. Delyn was no fool, and knew exactly what was expected of him.

"Yes… but, when?" Delyn asked worriedly.

"Sooner is better. The Temple is yours." The Elders nodded sagely before turning their backs on the duo, marching to their own Temples, farther off.

Delyn awkwardly looked at Jezz. "I guess… we should go then."

He smiled indulgently. "I suppose so," he replied as he began leading Delyn towards an ornate silver building.

Once they got inside, they both marveled at its exquisite beauty. "Wow," they breathed in unison.

Everything in the entire Temple was silver and reddish-orange, the two colors together symbolizing the union of Sun and Moon, and the rooms were full of pillars with serpents, dragons, and various other animals carved into them. It was a truly awe-inspiring sight, and the two friends could hardly believe what they were seeing.

"So we have to… live… here? Together?" Delyn asked nervously.

Jezz blushed a little before nodding.

"Are there, you know, separate rooms?"

Jezz turned a deep shade of red, "Well, there are supposedly many rooms, but only one with a bed in it."

Delyn found himself flushing furiously at the insinuation, and wondered if he could back out of the agreement. He knew deep down, however, that it would be impossible. The Sun Elf chose his mate, and the Moon Elf had no choice but to comply…

"IthinkI'mgonnagoforawalk," Delyn muttered quickly before running out the door.

Jezz sighed sadly as his soon-to-be-lover ran quickly from his sight, but understood how he felt. All of this, being pushed upon him so suddenly? It was a wonder Delyn wasn't trying to kill him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered quietly, but as soon as he'd spoken the words, he wondered if he'd really meant them.

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Delyn

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Oh gods oh gods oh gods oh gods.

This was so much to take in at once!

Finding out I had been lied to about my own gender was bad enough, but now I have to live with and sleep in the same bed as JEZZ?!

A walk would certainly do me good. Hopefully.

I knew the forest well, and even in my fuming rage, I knew there was no way I'd get lost, so I left Firae standing in the yard of my—our—new Temple.

After walking a mile or two, I came to my favorite spot: a nice, calm pond with a little waterfall running into it, with plenty of shaded boulders to sit on. I chose my favorite rock to sit on before rubbing my forehead with my hands.

I had no choice but to accept Jezz, my best friend, as a…

a… lover.

And what was worse, I had been prepared my whole life to become male upon reaching adulthood! If I had been raised like a girl, I wouldn't have any qualms having to mate with Jezz, but now…

It was just confusing as hell.

And why did he choose me, anyway…? I suppose it was considerate of him, as otherwise I would have been shunned on the sidelines until some other, much older Elf, decided to take me as his bride. At least Jezz was handsome.

At that, my eyes widened and I clamped a hand over my mouth even though I hadn't said a word.

It took me a moment to calm myself down—it had shocked me to admit that I found Jezz attractive. Sure, he was fawned over by all Elves, but I'd gotten my fair share of winks and whistles, as well. I'd never thought of him as ugly, but I'd never admitted to myself that he was hot. Which, well, he was, so long as I was being honest with myself.

I felt a tightening in my throat, and blushed.

I tried to stop thinking about it. I was ALREADY thinking like a girl! But the act of trying not to think made me think about him more and I soon found myself imagining him shirtless which, yes, I had seen before, but never in such a way that I now felt and…

Biting my lip and staring up at the cloudy sky, I knew I was in trouble. I couldn't even blame it on girlish hormones! Not yet, anyway… Perhaps it would be better for me to be a girl, with such thoughts, but, then again, if I hadn't been told that, then I wouldn't even be thinking of Jezz in such a way…

Right?

Of course! I'd never felt anything but friendship for Jezz before now. I was just trying to delude myself because I had no other choice! It was…survival, or something.

I stood up shakily, trying to regain my confidence.

"I'll just go back, and it'll be just like old times, right? It won't change that much." I assured myself, before walking nervously back

(home)

to the Temple.

Where Jezz was waiting for me.

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Jezz

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As I paced around the Temple, I began to get more and more worried. He'd been gone for two hours already! My more practical side was shouting that two hours was a very short time, but I couldn't help being worried. What if this didn't work? What if he ran away?

Right when I'd made up my mind to go look for him, he stumbled in the front door, smiling weakly.

"Hey," he mumbled quietly.

"Hi," I managed to squeak out, suddenly extremely nervous.

"So…" he trailed off, looking at the floor.

"Um, when should we have… the ceremony… performed, do you think?" I asked shyly.

He sighed, slumping to the floor. "As soon as possible, I should think."

I gulped. "To-tonight?"

He turned his head up to look at the ceiling, resting his head against the wall. "I guess."

The rest of the afternoon was spent in a rush of arrangements, and I hardly had time to even think about Delyn throughout the preparations.

But once evening came, I began to feel really uneasy. I took to biting my nails, afraid that he would back out, or something would go wrong, or…

"We are gathered here to witness the Changing," an Elder said powerfully.

The room, which I had not noticed fill up with Elves, became silent, and I only became aware just then that Delyn was right beside me. It was against the rules to look at your partner during the Change, and so I had no idea what he looked like right now, but I could feel his presence, and I knew he was just as scared as I was.

"The gods have conferred that now is the time for a new Earth, and have Chosen the Elves of the Sun and Moon through which the process will begin."

There were a couple gasps from the audience, but most of the members already knew what was happening.

"We will now Change Jezz, the Sun Elf, and the Chosen bride, Delyn, into their appropriate new bodies, for now is the time of Beginning."

As the Elders began to chant, I felt shivers run up and down my body, and my hand automatically reached for Delyn's.

Holding hands, looking straight ahead, we both trembled as the heavy magic wove about us.

I couldn't help but think about Delyn, all the times we'd had together, my best friend, and how he…

And then I realized, that I still thought of Delyn as male, not female. And I wondered if I really wanted him to be female, since the Delyn I loved was…

It's not as though we elves, as children, have any distinguishing features that show us as male or female, but we are always raised into our respective genders, and would Delyn any be different as a woman? Would he change, not only in appearance, but in personality?

And I found myself thinking, without meaning to, that, I didn't want my Delyn to be a girl!

As the magic swirled around us, filling my lungs and the gaps between our interlaced fingers, my mantra cycled through my head. I don't want him to be a girl. I don't want him to be a girl. I DON'T WANT HIM TO BE A GIRL!

Then we both fell backwards as the spell ended, looking straight into each other's eyes, and felt my own widen.

One thought coursed through my mind.

"Oh shit."

A/N: XD I'm starting to really like this story. I started it a long time ago, but just tweaked it, and have started on Chapter 2. It should be fun, fluffy, and (hopefully) somewhat humorous…

Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and continue to read!