Yuffie skidded to a stop as Aeris pulled back on her reins. The former ninja panted just a little. The long run had been quite exhilarating. She didn't like to admit it, but she was starting to get used to being a Chocobo.

"You're sure there's something in there?" Aeris asked hesitantly, staring up at the dark and imposing jungle before them.

"Oh sure kweh. They say there's an old temple with a materia as big as your head!" Yuffie assured her.

Aeris slipped out of the saddle carefully. She was still a little uncomfortable about riding Yuffie, no matter how often the new Chocobo insisted it wasn't a big deal. Tifa had already started retrieving rare and useful materia from places only a golden Chocobo could get to, thanks to Yuffie. Aeris had decided it was about time she tried it herself. She'd prove she could be just as useful as Tifa.

Clutching her staff, Aeris took a few faltering steps over the uneven terrain. She pushed into the dense foliage, Yuffie right behind her. Soon enough, she found the sparse path Yuffie had described to her earlier. "So all we have to do is follow this?" The girl confirmed as she trekked though the intimidating jungle, her unique Chocobo bobbing along after her.

"Kweh, in theory," Yuffie nodded.

"In theory?" Aeris worried.

"Well treasure hunting is never for sure..." Yuffie said, looking away innocently.

Aeris whimpered a little at the sound of some large creature off in the jungle, then took a deep breath, building her courage back up. She pushed on through the rough, but with a sudden burst of activity, something twice her size burst up through the bushes. She screamed, stumbling back over an exposed root. Yuffie hopped out of the way as she tumbled backward, arms flailing. The armlet containing her materia solidly connected with an exposed rocked as she landed flat on her back. The thing flapped giant wings, disappearing up into the canopy. Aeris moaned as the jungle quieted down again, sitting back up. She rubbed at the scrapes she'd received from the tumble.

Yuffie muffled a laugh with her wing.

"It's not funny!" Aeris insisted, getting back to her feet. She brushed herself off, not noticing the crack in one of her materia. With a pout, she tromped off down the path.

Yuffie giggled a little more, before jogging after her. When she caught up, she found Aeris peering over a rather steep gorge. More importantly, she could just barely make out what looked like some old ruins far off through the foliage. The crevasse wasn't too wide and was along a larger cliff face. The side they were on was steep, but the other side sloped gently back up to the path. A small waterfall rolled down the wall of rock, obviously the source of the break in the path.

"That plant," Aeris pointed. There was a large pitcher plant below them on the wall, maybe halfway down.

Yuffie nodded, "If you can get it to close it's lid, we should be able to get down pretty easily..."

Aeris scratched her head as Yuffie perked up. The flower girl started to look around as the Chocobo stalked off into the underbrush.

"Aha!" Yuffie cried, startling Aeris. "Over here!"

Aeris pushed aside some branches to find the grinning bird girl with a frog trapped under her talons. She made a mildly disgusted face at the squirming amphibian.

"Use this, the plant'll just spit him out," Yuffie advised.

"Do I have to touch him?" She whined.

"Well I can't exactly do it for you..." Yuffie said, flapping her wings once for emphasis.

Closing one eye, she reached down and gingerly grabbed the struggling frog. She went back to the ledge, Yuffie trotting after her. She held the frog out, almost as afraid to let go as she was to pick it up in the first place. Her problem was solved, however, by a swift Chocobo kick to her rear. Her feet left the ground entirely, and she seemed to hover in the air for just a moment, a surprised look on her face.

Yuffie snickered as the girl plummeted straight into the open pod. The lid snapped shut immediately. Yuffie hopped down the cliff, landing easily on top of the plant with a hollow thump. With another quick spring, she jumped down to the bank of the river with the usual grace and precision of a Chocobo. Which of course meant that she botched the landing entirely, rolling straight into a bush with a loud "Wark!"

Yuffie scrabbled to her feet. She came back out to the bank, trying to brush the litter from her feathers. She grumbled to herself, having lost all the fun from her prank. Still, it seemed like the plant should have spit her out already...

"Oooooh this is so disgusting!" Aeris said, lifting her arms out of the goo. Her attention was drawn to her lap by croak, deafening in the tight confines. She looked down at the frog. The frog looked back. "Eeeeeek!" She screamed, struggling in the enclosed space. The cracked materia in her bracelet began to glow. The crack widened, causing the orb to come loose in two pieces. They dropped into the fluid, starting to dissolve. Aeris futilely continued trying to escape from the frog until she noticed the fluid beginning to glow. She stopped, just long enough to go, "Wha..." before she disappeared down into her own dress.

Yuffie's eyes widened as a bright yellow light flashed from inside the pitcher plant. Suddenly, the lid opened and there was a flash of pink as the plant spat something up into the air. It splashed down into the river near the Chocobo. Yuffie watched the frog quickly swim away from what appeared to be Aeris' dress. She started to get worried, but then she noticed something football sized squirming inside the article. With her foot, she reached out, lifting up the hem of the dress. She was almost afraid of what she'd find, but once she did, she clamped a wing solidly over her mouth to keep from laughing.

Aeris coughed, spitting out some of the unpleasant plant juice. Yuffie lifted the dress out of the water, spilling the changed girl out into the river. Aeris tried to move, but could only manage a slight wiggle. She looked down, not making much sense of anything. She couldn't see her arms or legs. All she found was a finned, vertical tail coming off her rear. The fact that she seemed to have lost her clothes didn't escape her, and she was only distracted from her embarrassment when she realized she was under water. She panicked, looking around the shallow, crystal clear water. When she realized she was still breathing, she settled down. A second examination revealed only, to her further distress, large objects sprouting from her back. They looked a little like feathered antlers. She did manage to spot a large yellow blur above her, and with some doing, managed to propel herself to the surface.

Yuffie was still trying not to laugh as Aeris broke the surface, looking up at her pleadingly.

"What happened?" Was all Aeris could manage, looking like she was about to cry.

Yuffie tried to compose herself. "Well. It would seem, in my expert opinion kweh... that you're... looking a little green around the gills!" She failed, collapsing back onto the riverbank, laughing her head off.

Aeris sniffed, trying to keep from crying. Yuffie was right. She was looking kinda green, just like that frog they'd caught. She slipped back underwater, pouting. She wasn't a frog quite yet, she noted sourly. She was only a tadpole.

After awhile, Yuffie was able to stifle her amusement and, after a fashion, succeeded in coaxing Aeris back to the surface. "I... I didn't really expect this to happen," She apologized.

"I don't think it was because of you," Aeris admitted. "What are we going to do now? Am I going to be stuck like this? We're never going to get out of this terrible place..." She started to tear up again.

Yuffie rolled her eyes, sitting on the bank. "Oh stop being so dramatic. I'm not going to just leave you here kweh," Yuffie winced, her domestication hammering that statement home in her mind. "Maybe if you're lucky you'll turn into a frog eventually..."

"I don't want to be a frog!" Aeris pouted, the gills on her back twitching in annoyance

"Yeah, well I didn't ask to be a golden feather duster," Yuffie countered, ruffling her tail-feathers.

Aeris sank back to the bottom, still pouting. She lay on the riverbed staring up at the distorted world above the water, wondering if she'd ever be able to go back to it. Aeris sighed, idly waving the feathery gills on her back. The river flowed slowly, carrying the cool water across her body. It lulled her into a calm state, easing her stress from the unusual situation.

Some time later, Aeris blinked awake leisurely as a large shadow fell over her. "Oh! I guess I fell asleep..." She mumbled to herself, before noticing she wasn't alone. She looked up at the sizeable fish eyed her. She was pretty sure she was too big to eat, but she didn't want to put it to the test. She fanned her tail subtly, but the fish kept their distance constant. "Now, I don't think you really want to eat me Mr. Fish..." Aeris tried.

A new instinct kicked at the back of her mind, causing her to bolt off into the river as fast as her tail could propel her. The fish reacted instantly, chasing her as she weaved between the submerged rocks. Something told her she couldn't outrun the predator, but she was way too large to easily hide in any nook she could see. The fish closed on her. Invisible tears trickled out as she whimpered to herself, swimming as fast as she could.

Just as she thought she was done for, giant talons swiped the fish from its pursuit. Aeris belatedly realized she was safe, finally gliding to a stop. She panted, instinctively fanning her gills.

Yuffie stared at the fish in her claws longingly as Aeris peeked out of the water. "I hope I'm not going to have to babysit you the whole time," The Chocobo chided.

"Thanks..." The tadpole said meekly.

"Man... I really wish I could cook this," The Chocobo pined. She tossed it away with a disappointed sigh. "I'm not looking forward to eating greens until you graduate from amphibian school..." Yuffie complained. She didn't really like Chocobo greens, even though they were surprisingly good, something else she was loathe to admit.

"I'm sorry," Aeris said. "If I even graduate..." She added quietly to herself.

"It's not a big deal, really," Yuffie assured her.

Aeris tried to stay hopeful, sinking back underwater, but she still worried about her future.

***

The dawn cracked through the canopy, sending tiny shafts of light down on the glen next to the river. Yuffie was sleeping, curled up in a makeshift nest, when a wet weight landed on her shoulders. Spurred by her instincts, she shot up out of her nest with a mighty "Wark!" jumping nearly ten feet straight up. She hopped around in a panic, unable to see. Something wet was wrapped around her head, coving her eyes. After a few moments of manic kwehs and warking, she slowed down. She stood in the clearing, panting. "Aeris..." She said, unamused.

"Yes?" The voice behind her head asked.

"Let go..." She said. Quickly, her eyes were uncovered. She felt a weight on her shoulders press down, and Aeris landed in front of her.

The diminutive flower girl held up her arms. "I've got hands again!" She beamed. She turned her large webbed flippers around, looking them over. "Well... kind of..." She sat down on her haunches, the most comfortable position she'd found. Her gills and tail were gone, and she'd regained a set of long, slender legs. She seemed mostly back to normal, except for the fact that she was still a frog.

"Yea... well you're still naked," Yuffie said purposefully, rather unamused. It really bugged her when people took advantage of her skittish Chocobo instincts.

Aeris immediately turned from green to red as she realized how exposed she was in her current position. She curled up as best she could. When that failed, she gave a mighty leap, splashing into the river. She surfaced, floating on her back with her arms over her chest. She kicked her legs, pushing herself through the soothing water. Something about the cool, flowing stream always made her feel at ease.

"I think we can try to get going now," Yuffie suggested.

"It's been almost a week," Aeris said. She blushed at the thought of going back in her condition. Although, they never treated Yuffie badly, even though Aeris still wasn't sure about the riding part. She hopped out of the river, then up on the Chocobo's back, holding onto her saddle. "Lets go to those ruins. Maybe we can still find something," She hoped. She really didn't want to go back with her only accomplishment being getting turned into a frog.

Yuffie nodded, climbing the slope back to the path. She trotted along the path towards the ruins.

Aeris struggled to hang on to the saddle. She found her hands just weren't that good for grasping anymore. Her slick skin made it hard to find purchase, whether on her hands or... other places. She blushed as she was jostled, rubbing against the leather saddle.

Thankfully, the two odd adventurers came to the remains of several standing stones. The ruins concealed an opening into the rockface, densely overgrown by the jungle. Yuffie pushed her way through to find an ancient staircase. Cautiously, she moved down the path.

Aeris looked around at the dark passage, a little scared. She hugged the saddlehorn tighter. They emerged into an underground chamber. Thankfully, it was much less intimidating. It was even a little pretty, actually. Mineral formations hung from the ceiling, glittering in a pale shaft of light from somewhere above. Aged pillars lay crumbling around a sunken chamber, now filled with water seeping in from somewhere. Aeris perked up a little, glancing around. She hopped down, crawling over the edge of the water.

"Kweh, looks like that myth was a dud," Yuffie noted sourly.

"There's something down there!" Aeris called out, leaning over the water.

Yuffie bobbed over, looking down over the frog's shoulder. Something was glinting under the single ray of light, down at the bottom of the flooded ruins. She pulled back suddenly, to avoid the splash as Aeris jumped in without hesitation.

Aeris kicked, diving down into the shadowy depths. She missed being able to breathe underwater a little, but had quickly learned just how long she could hold her breath. She came up to an old, broken altar. On top of it was an ancient figure of some kind, details long since worn away. Her eyes widened as she found a large, blood red sphere in the figurine's chest. Aeris gazed into it. It seemed to glow under the beam of light from the surface. Gingerly, she reached out, grabbing the figure. With enough tugging, it finally came free. She spun end over end through the water, eventually righting herself. More importantly, she had her prize. She kicked her legs, slowly making her way to the surface. It took all her strength, but she managed to push the statue up out of the water at Yuffie's feet. The frog girl flopped onto her back next to it. She grinned up at the bird, trying to catch her breath.

Yuffie craned her head down, cocking it to the side. She examined the red jewel with her expert eye. "Kweh what do you know," She laughed, "That materia is just about the size of your head!"

"Oh... ha... ha..." Aeris panted.

Between the two of them, they managed to get the artifact into their pack. With something to show for all the effort, they made their way out of the ancient forest. Aeris gave one last look at the river that had been her home, missing it a little already. Once they got back into the open, she quickly forgot all about it. It was all she could do to simply hang on to the speedy Chocobo. She remained flushed nearly the entire trip, thanks to the constant stroking of her soft skin. When they finally arrived back at home, she was rather light headed.

"Wark!" Yuffie instinctively called out. She covered her mouth with her wings in embarrassment for moment, before sighing and dropping them back to her sides. She meant to call out for someone, but her Chocobo side was rather dominant sometimes. It was something she was slowly coming to terms with.

"You're back!" Tifa exclaimed, rushing out Yuffie's call. "We were getting so worried..." She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the duo.

Aeris groggily looked up at Tifa. She blinked, suddenly quite aware that she was still completely naked. Awkwardly, she half-heartedly attempted to cover herself, smiling weakly. "We um... ran into a little trouble..." She offered.

Tifa wasn't sure how to respond as the frog and Chocobo looked at her sheepishly.