[FFML][shortfic][xover][FF7/?] Darker Fancy Here's a little New Year's gift for you guys. I jotted it down in a few hours and it's a bit surrealistic but I hope you like it. ^_^ I don't think something like this has been done before so I hope I'm not unconsciously plagarizing.... ^_^; I haven't played Final Fantasy VII for myself so all my information is from the various strategy guides and FAQs I've read. Put down any inaccuracies to artistic license. BTW, this story contains a spoiler for FFVII. ------------------------------- DARKER FANCY - A Final Fantasy VII/(guess!) crossover He heard her calling his name. And when she called, he had to follow. In the middle of the night, he headed for the huge shell house in the center of the forest. His companions trailed after him, asking questions that he could not or would not answer. He moved purposefully through the shell house, always following her voice. He stepped out onto a platform only to see a stunningly beautiful crystal city lying below. Descending, he and his companions arrived at the center of the city where they found HER. She was kneeling in prayer, oblivious to their presence. He swiftly climbed up to where she knelt, leaving his companions to follow as best they could. He stared down at her bowed head. At first, he only felt happiness and relief. He had found HER and she was safe. But then something terrible swelled and grew inside him like a black, soul-shredding cancer. For here was the source of his pain, the feelings that tormented him without mercy, the turmoil which consumed his life.... As long as she existed, he would keep suffering. Without conscious thought, his hand grabbed for the huge sword on his back. A tremendously strong grip pulled him around and yanked him off balance as an all too familiar male voice shouted, "What the HELL do you think you're doing!?" He stared blankly at his male companion for a second, confused. Although the man was as strong as ever, why was his comrade shorter and more compact than he remembered? And where did the guy pick up that huge backpack and that ridiculous head scarf? He shook his head to clear it. This man was no comrade, no friend -- only a rival for her. The man didn't care about him, his suffering, or his anguish. The man only cared about HER. He pulled himself free from the man only to be grabbed by his female companion who yelled, "Don't do it! This isn't you!" He gazed at her in bewilderment. Why was she trying to stop him? After all, the young woman kneeling before them was her rival. Why should this companion try to stop him from killing HER? Hadn't the woman standing beside him tried to do the same thing herself? In that one murderous attempt, she had forever betrayed his trust although he couldn't quite remember the specifics. And when did she start toting that weird bladed weapon on her back? But the details were unimportant. He had more important tasks to worry about. He glared at the female fighter and threw her aside. There was a low growl behind him. He spun around, blade in hand, to face the large cat beast crouching behind him. He froze as some senseless terror briefly drowned out his hatred of HER. The purplish pink cat beast growled, "You crazy!?" His fear paralyzed him just long enough for his other two companions to pounce on him. As they struggled back and forth, the kneeling woman softly whispered his name. He turned to look as SHE lifted her head. He had never seen her so tranquil... so rapt. There was no hostility or anger on her face as she looked at him and gave him a slow, loving smile. As long as he lived, he would never forget how she looked at that moment -- her short, black hair that rippled and gleamed with the slightest move of her head, the dark brown eyes,.... He felt the raging darkness in him slowly seep away, to be replaced by wonder and hope. He took a step forward.... then a sudden impulse made him look up. Out of the light plunged a dark figure. It was if his hatred, thwarted by her smile, had now been given physical form. He could do nothing but watch as the great sword plunged completely through her. With agonizing slowness, she slumped over, held up only by the monstrous blade that had been wielded with such deadly precision. The black-clad figure looked up at him. Blue-eyed gaze met blue-eyed gaze. The man in black smiled ever so slightly before pulling his sword out of her body. It slid free with an unforgettable scraping sound. She sagged bonelessly to the floor. He ignored the black-coated man... creature... no, MONSTER standing over him. The one that laughed. The one that gloated. The mad one. With her limp, cooling body in his arms, he had enough madness of his own. "No." He flung his head back and screamed, "NOOOO!!!" ------------------------------- Ranma sat bolt upright and screamed, "NOOOO!!!" Hiroshi hacked and choked on his soda as it went down his windpipe. Daisuke completely botched his battle turn and was forced to watch helplessly as JENOVA-LIFE pounded the crap out of Tifa and Barrett. He turned to glare angrily at the now awake Ranma. "Why the hell did you do that!? I was trashing the bastard! What's a matter with...." Daisuke's voice faded off as he saw Ranma staring blankly into space. For a long moment, the young man didn't respond -- then he turned his head slightly. Daisuke could only wonder at the look of raw pain and unendurable loss on Ranma's face. The schoolboy thought, (Whoa! Must have had one doozy of a nightmare!) Hiroshi was still hacking and wheezing but he managed to stifle the noise when he too saw Ranma's expression. "Uh, Ranma? You... okay?" The young martial artist did not react immediately, then he suddenly got up, flung open the window to Daisuke's bedroom, and jumped out. His two classmates followed him to the window but they only caught a fleeting glimpse of him disappearing into the cool, near-moonless night. ------------------------------- She was annoyed with HIM -- not an unusual state of affairs. She stepped out onto the side porch. The night was abnormally chilly for that time of year and she pulled her bed jacket more tightly around her shoulders. (I wonder what that idiot's doing at... what, 4 AM in the morning? Baka!) She fumed. It was the anniversary of her first meeting with HIM. True, it hadn't been the happiest moment of her life to find out she had a sex-changing fiance. But seriously, after all they had been through together -- especially that ordeal at Mount Phoenix followed by the bombed wedding less than a week ago -- one would think that the date would have SOME sentimental significance to even that insensitive twit. Oh yes. Akane Tendo was most definitely ticked off at Ranma Saotome. She turned to go back indoors when she noticed someone standing silently on one of the large rocks edging the koi pool. Even with the feeble moonlight, Akane instantly recognized Ranma. She had no idea how long he had been standing there. Watching her. "You jerk!? Where the hell have you been all night? And what the hell have you been doing? No doubt you've been 'making up' with Shampoo or Ukyo!" He didn't answer. He stepped off the stone and stalked purposefully in her direction. Wordlessly, he thrust something cool, leafy, and fragrant into her hands. And then he kissed her. Not a nervous kiss. Not a playful kiss. He REALLY kissed her, with all the passion and the intensity of a man who knew exactly what he felt and knew exactly what he was doing. Akane was so stunned that the thought of resisting or retaliating completely slipped her mind. He took a step back, never taking his eyes off of her, then he abruptly jumped up and disappeared from sight. She is left staring blankly at the empty space where he had just been standing. There had been no shyness, no awkwardness in Ranma's expression -- just a terrible sense of urgency and need. Akane looked down in her hands and saw flowers -- gorgeous yellow flowers with the scent of heaven. She had never seen such beauties before. Where could Ranma have possibly gotten them at this late hour? She gently stroked a silky petal as she gazed out into the night. Wondering and dreaming.... -------------------------------------------- Author's comments: I don't know why I did it. I think I've been reading too many FFVII strategy guides and been watching that Full-Motion-Video of Aeris' death too many times. Combine that with constant work on my Ranma 1/2 fanfic, too much Mountain Dew, and this little story/scenerio spouted and wouldn't go away. Why was I reading not one but multiple FFVII strategy guides when I don't even PLAY Final Fantasy VII? What can I say? I'm the sort of person who skips to the ends of stories -- even mystery stories. So there! :P There's something oddly enticing about the idea of mixing Ranma 1/2 and FFVII. However, I suspect that certain unnamed persons could start issuing death threats if I take time out from writing "Tiger Claw". ^_^; -------------------------------------------- Quick and dirty disclaimer: All rights and privileges to Final Fantasy VII characters belong to Square Co., Ltd. All rights and privileges to Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Communications, Inc., and associated parties. The characters of these series are used without permission for the purpose of entertainment only. -------------------------------------------- madamhydra@aol.com /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E http://members.aol.com/madamhydra/index.html