"Aren't you going to change?" Aeris' voice easily floated through the slats of the changing room. Oh Bahamut, this was so embarrassing. Still. I had to do it. And if I had to do it, I would do it right.

"Okay... I'm ready," I replied. I set aside my weapon, the massive Buster Sword. I felt naked without it, but that was the point. My new Mithral Armlet sooned joined it, followed by my uniform. I glanced at the changing room mirror. I looked... stupid. While my body was well toned and exquisitely manly, aside from the glow in my eyes that could be quite unnerving to many, my face was already done up in makeup that did its best to hide my masculine features from the neck up. Well, I would just have to count on the dress to cover everything from the neck down.

I started, as one must, with the lingerie I had gotten from the Honey Bee Inn. Man, that place was weird. The silken panties gripped me uncomfortably tightly. I was sure I'd be in rather intimate pain, rip the cloth, or both if anything turned me on while I was in this stuff... fortunately, the whole situation was just incredibly awkward and off-putting for me. So I was probably safe. At least until we got Tifa out and got out of there.

Next, I took a moment to apply the sexy perfume I had gotten from the woman in the restaurant. At least I smelled nice. That was something.

I tried on the diamond tiara for a moment. It was nice, but with my crazy hair... I don't know. I set it aside again. It should go on after the dress anyways.

And before that? I needed to put on that padded bra I had gotten from the sketchy merchant in that back alley. I had bought it from him mostly for fear that he would draw more attention to me and my little item collection if I didn't hand over some gil. Besides, as creepy as he was, at least he was correct. I needed a padded bra to make my outfit work and pass as a woman. Of course, I'd never put a bra on before. Truth be told I had never even taken one off of a woman. Hopefully, I'd be able to change that soon enough. Perhaps with Tifa, or maybe Aeris. I wasn't exactly dating either of them yet, but I hoped my heroics would count for something with at least one of them.

As I finally clicked the last clasp into place, however, something strange started to happen. The world started to rip away from me in an indescribable rush of color. I reached out, desperately, to grab onto something, my fingers wrapping around a piece of silky smoothness before I was flung free of the world entirely.

I woke up in a field of flowers, eyes complaining about a painful brightness even with my lids closed. I brought up an arm to shield myself from it, while I let my mind stop reeling. I wondered if I was back in the church in the slums for a moment, until I realized I heard chirping birds. Now that was an alien sound. I sure wasn't in Midgar anymore. They sounded even more musical than I remembered such things. More coordinated. I wondered if that meant this was a dream. Or perhaps they were some form of monster.

I sat up, and looked around, shielding my eyes with a hand now. I could see a cottage in the distance, and the birdsong seemed to be coming from beyond it. There was a dark and foreboding treeline in the other direction, but here where I was sitting was serene and peaceful.

Looking down, I saw my silken dress on the ground before me, still clasped in my left hand. The one last thing I had managed to grab on my way out of the dressing room, out of Midgar, and perhaps out of the world I knew entirely. Not my buster sword. Not my armor. Not even a single piece of materia. Well, at least I wouldn't have to run around in nothing but women's underwear.

Looking lower, I caught sight of my bra. It took a while to realize what I was looking at. It wasn't padded anymore. Not that it stuck out any less; my chest had swollen with soft, round flesh, filling out the contours naturally now. I spent a few minutes investigating, verifying what I saw. The breasts were real, sensitive to the touch, shapely but not all that generous, and remained even when the bra came off, however briefly.

I was surprised a moment when the exploration didn't cause me to strain the delicate panties that had been tightly hugging my manhood. The surprise turned to concern, and then with a quick check I confirmed the obvious conclusion. The bottom matched the top: I was entirely a woman now.

At least that would make wearing the dress less embarrassing. I stood up and donned the clothing, adjusting it as best I could without the benefit of a mirror. I had only tried it on once before, and it fit quite a bit differently now. Overly tight in the chest and hips, hanging loosely around my arms, and a bit too low at the bottom. It could use a bit of adjustment, but it would do for now.

I drew a deep breath and steeled myself. I was utterly unequipped for combat, but there wasn't anything here I needed to fight anyways. At least not yet. I looked the part of a civilian, a woman at that, perhaps a bit conspicuously provocatively dressed. I hoped I wouldn't be mistaken for a prostitute, at least. And perhaps I could find myself some equipment in the next town. Though how I would pay for it without my wallet, I wasn't sure yet.

Maybe it would be better if someone thought I was a prostitute. When you think about it, they're a form of mercenary, right? Right? Oh Bahamut, why was I even thinking of such a thing? The dress must be getting to my head.

As ready as I could be, I started off toward the little cottage, wondering who lived there. I was completely unprepared for what I would find.