Gamer4 in. Welcome, my friends, to the final story in the Live Alive mini-series. I'll give my usual quick summation for those of you who haven't read the other stories in the mini-series yet, but at the same time, I really don't recommend reading any further without at least a basic familiarity with the others. A couple weeks ago, I began work on a mini-series based on the Squaresoft game, Live A Live, or possibly Live A eviL, depending on how you look at it. It consisted of eight different short stories across eight different fandoms, with very loose connections between them. This story is the one that will tie them all together, bringing the protagonists of each story together for the grand finale. There was a week-long break in the middle, where a poll was run to see which main character the readers wanted to take the main character role in this story. As of now, things stand in a tie, so I'll do as I said I would, and, as a tie-breaker, play things by ear, trying to distribute the time between the various characters. Hope you enjoy- this is what everything's been building towards. Let's dive in.

Disclaimer: Lots of things to disclaim for this story. Alright... *Deep breath...* I don't own Warriors, Ranma ½, Legend of Zelda, EarthBound, Harry Potter, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Xenosaga, Teen Titans, or Live A Live/ Live A eviL, the game this whole thing is inspired by.

Live Alive

Time Crash

Chapter I

The Arrival

Night had fallen, not that it made any impression on the room the blue-robed figure sat in. In her world, the sun never rose- the world was locked in a perpetual twilight.

Her eyes closed as she floated gently above her bed, breathing gently as she contemplated everything that had happened. Finally, she spoke aloud. "Why?" she muttered. "Why can't I defeat them?" It was all she could think about- the sole thought ravaging her mind. She couldn't put a time frame on it- since she had entered this world, time had become irrelevant, seconds blending into minutes into days into months. She may have been at it for only a few days, or possibly several years. There was no way to tell. And yet, every time she thought she was on the verge of success, victory was snatched away from her. She could feel it, so close, hanging tantalizingly in front of her, but she could never quite grasp it...

Slowly, her eyes opened, she touched down on the floor, and made her way to the window, and looked out upon the desolation on the other side. The city had fallen easily- almost too easily- and yet, in all other times, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't succeed there where she'd succeeded here. Why? It made no sense... the life that infested this earth was designed to fail... wretched creatures ruled by simple, petty desire... by all rights, they should have been halfway to destroying themselves before she even turned up. She wasn't the cause of their destruction, she was merely hastening the already inevitable process... a process she'd already witnessed firsthand.

Once, she thought, she might have stood alongside those she'd been fighting so hard to destroy. Once, she'd fought for the cancerous growths that called themselves humans... but she'd seen their true colors. Used, betrayed, and cast aside like garbage, she'd been granted a glimpse of humanity's true face.

And so began her journeys through time and space. She'd become a traveler, venturing throughout the world, attempting to show others what she had seen, allowing them to witness for themselves the scum they were fighting for... but they wouldn't see it. No matter what, they were determined to shut their eyes, blinding themselves to the truth, continuing to struggle on for their puerile ideals...

Finally, she returned to herself, allowing the view of the desolate, ruined city to fill her like a poison. Perhaps... perhaps that was the way to do it. If they wouldn't see the truth, then make them. She'd had enough of going to others' worlds... it was time for them to come to hers. And if, even then, they refused to see the truth... there was no helping them.

XXXX

"Ah, that really is bitter," Virgil muttered as he swallowed the contents of the mug in front of him. "Dark, bitter, and hot as hell... that's coffee." A slight smile came to his face. "And the truth is... that's just the way I like it."

KOS-MOS gave a curt nod, and was on the point of turning when a strange voice met her ears. "You, born from nothing, were created by humans to fulfill their selfish desires..."

KOS-MOS turned, only to see Virgil still glaring down at his coffee. "Did you say something?"

"What?" Virgil asked, looking up. His eyes widened as they spied the floor beneath KOS-MOS. "What the hell is that?!"

KOS-MOS looked down and made a flinching motion that conveyed a great deal of shock for the newly-born android. The floor beneath her had transformed into a swirling black vortex- and it was absorbing her rapidly. She looked up as it consumed her up to her waist. "Find Shion," she said, monotone as ever, but conveying a sense of urgency nonetheless. "Must... protect... Shion..." Her speech began to distort as her eyes closed and she slipped through the vortex.

XXXX

"Oh, really?" Ranma smiled, reclining back into his bed. "That's... that's great to hear. Nice... nice job, Akane."

"Thanks...Ranma," Akane said, a smile warmer than anything she'd felt lately sliding across her face.

"Come on," Dr. Tofu spoke, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, guiding her back towards the lobby. "Let him rest."

Akane was on the point of allowing herself to be guided out when she felt her foot fall through nothing, almost like climbing a set of stairs and thinking there's one more step than there is- but there were no stairs in this building...

"Wh-what?" Tofu gasped, leaping back as they both looked down to see a swirling black vortex forming on the floor. Akane, already stumbling, had fallen into it face-first, and was already almost completely swallowed by it.

"Akane!" Ranma gasped, trying to force himself to his feet. However, in the time it took to stand and leap forward, the vortex had already disappeared- taking Akane with it.

XXXX

Well, that's alright," Shinji nodded, standing, feeling strength course through him as he remembered everything Rei had told him. A fury almost at the level of what he'd felt towards Karasu was pumping through his veins. He knew what was happening now, and refused to take it sitting down. Looking around, he saw the looks of surprise on Asuka and Misato's face. "I've got some words for him, too."

He was on the point of leaving when a large, black vortex seemed to open up beneath him. In a moment, his eyes opened in terror, recalling the last time such a thing had happened. Behind him, Asuka and Misato, both of whom seemed to recall the incident as well, leapt forward, each taking an arm and attempting to pull him back. He let out a scream of terror as he felt himself being consumed. "It's cold... it's cold... so cold!"

"Come on, baka! Stay back here!" Asuka cried, pulling with all her strength. However, despite all of their efforts, Shinji slipped beneath the darkness. Asuka dove forward, but by the time she'd touched the ground, the vortex was gone.

XXXX

Jeff snapped. "And that-" he growled, grabbing Ness by the ear before he could continue embarrassing himself, "-is officially where I lose my patience. Come on, you wanted to show me the arcade, right?"

"Oh, right, we've got some great games!" Ness perked up as he was dragged away. "Want me to show you my high score on Donkey Kong? Come to think of it, I was going to play some of that just before I headed out, but then I got into that fight with Frank, and then I had to go talk to the Mayor, so I never really got the chance-"

"Do you ever turn off?" Jeff sighed, releasing Ness and turning to stare at him in exasperation.

"Oh, sorry," Ness said, turning slightly red. "I... I'll just be talking about one thing, then I start thinking about something else, and then that leads to another thing, and the next thing you know..."

Jeff sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, only returning to the world when Ness said, "By the way, did it suddenly get really cold in here, or what?"

Jeff opened his eyes and looked down to see Ness halfway through sinking into a black vortex. "Ness!" he exclaimed, paralyzed by shock.

"Huh?" Ness asked, looking down. "Oh, this? Yeah... that appeared a couple seconds ago. Kind of weird, huh? Looks like I'm going on a trip. Mind taking care of King while I'm gone?"

"Dang it, Ness, I gotta... get you... out of there!" Jeff grunted, grabbing onto one of Ness's arms and beginning to pull.

"It's alright, I don't think it's dangerous!" Ness noted cheerfully. To demonstrate his point, he took his free arm and dipped it beneath the vortex and pulling it back. "Kind of cold, but not too bad, you know? I'll get back as soon as I can."

"Ness, work with me here!" Jeff growled, struggling to keep his friend above ground. "At least try!"

"See you around!" Ness said cheerfully as the vortex seemed to give a tug, pulling him further into its depths. He smiled and flashed his usual peace sign as it pulled him down and vanished, leaving Jeff standing, alone and stunned, over the patch of grass where his friend had just disappeared.

XXXX

The world had faded into darkness. Harry looked around as various images went streaking by- images of forests, small towns, castles standing in fields, large cities, and simple views of the stars. He didn't know what was happening- the last thing he remembered was talking to Ron and Hermione, when the floor had abruptly turned to darkness beneath him. Ron and Hermione, of course, had tried to pull him back out, but it had pulled back, relentlessly taking him into its depths. And now... he didn't know where he was.

Finally, he seemed to touch down on some center of gravity. He could, at least, walk. Slowly, he began making his way forward in this strange, dream-like world.

Ahead of him, he saw a staircase leading up. He didn't know what good it would do, but everything else seemed to just stretch off into oblivion, so that was the direction he took, ascending the stairs...

XXXX

He blinked, and found himself awake, leaning against a metal wall of sorts. "What..." shaking his head, trying to clear it, he brought himself to his feet, examining his surroundings. He seemed to be trapped in a cell of sorts. Was he in a prison? If he was, it didn't resemble any prison he'd ever seen or imagined before. For a wild moment, the thought occurred that this might be Azkaban, the wizarding prison, but a simple look around was enough to prove this false- Azkaban was made of stone, and guarded by dementors, the most foul creatures ever to walk the earth. This place was made of metal, and he couldn't sense any dementors anywhere near the place.

Slowly, Harry made his way to the cell's door. On the outside was a white room that seemed to have fallen apart. As far as he could tell, there was no one else there. Feeling himself, he was glad to note that he still had his wand, tucked in his robes. He wondered if he dared to chance using magic to escape the cell- he doubted this place was Hogwarts, but on the other hand, he also knew underage sorcerers were allowed to use magic in times of crisis, and he didn't have the slightest clue what was going on. For all he knew, his life was in danger right now.

Slowly, keeping an eye out for anyone approaching, he pulled out his wand and tapped on the cell's door. "Alohamora," he whispered. A click, and the door swung open, allowing him to step out.

On the other side, he could see that the large room had several more cells all around the walls. Well, this was certainly a prison of some kind, though he couldn't imagine where. Abruptly, his attention was caught by a low, sniffing sound. Spinning around, he saw that he wasn't alone in the room after all- one of the other cells was occupied. Approaching, he saw a young man in a white shirt and black pants, curled up in a corner. Making sure to keep his wand out of sight, he approached the cell. "Hello?"

XXXX

Slowly and jerkily, Akane's eyes cracked open, revealing a blood-red sky. Looking around, she found herself to be on the roof of a large building of sorts, surrounded by a vast city. She racked her brains, but couldn't identify anything as being familiar. It was by the ocean, and on a small island off the coast stood a large tower, in the shape of a giant T, probably the most prominent landmark around- she had to wonder who had thought to build such a thing.

Where was she? One moment, she'd been talking to Ranma in the hospital, and the next, she'd woken up in this strange place. The whole city seemed deadly silent. No matter how hard she listened, she couldn't hear the slightest signs of life. Could it be... she was alone?

She shook her head as she stood. Well, she'd never know if she didn't leave this rooftop. She couldn't even really identify the building she was standing on without moving somewhere. Looking around, she was able to find a set of stairs leading back down into the building, and began her descent.

On the streets, things were little better. The whole place looked like it had been torn apart, and no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't see so much as a stray dog or cat running across the road. The whole place just felt... desolate. Like nobody had lived there in years.

She only stopped when she heard a faint voice in the distance. She froze, listening as hard as she could. If there was someone else there, someone who might be able to help her get out of this place, then she wasn't about to let them get away. Slowly, she began to move towards the voice, picking up the pace as it got louder. Finally, she rounded a corner and found the voice to be coming from a nearby arcade of sorts.

"Stupid machine, give me back my quarter!"

She pushed the door open and made her way in to find a young man dressed in a striped shirt and jeans, carrying a baseball bat that he was currently using to beat down a nearby arcade cabinet.

"Who're you?" she asked, getting into a defensive stance.

The boy turned and gave a start when he saw her. "Oh, hi! I didn't expect to see anyone else in this weird place! How's it going?" All thoughts of the arcade machine abandoned, he smiled and approached her with a hand out.

Akane, trained as she was, reacted by grabbing the hand and tossing him over her shoulder. She spun around, only to see him... floating through the air until he landed gently on his feet. He turned and brushed himself off. "Well, that wasn't nice," he noted, looking genuinely hurt. "I was just trying to introduce myself."

Akane was even more put off by this. "Who are you?" she asked.

The boy's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're from Japan? Awesome! You guys make some great games! My name's Ness- I'm from Eagleland!"

"'Eagleland?'" Akane repeated. "You mean America?"

"Meh, kind of," Ness shrugged. "I never really paid attention in history class... or math class... or science..."

Akane interrupted. "You speak pretty good Japanese for someone from America."

"Oh, no, I'm lousy in Japanese. Never took a single year!" Ness announced happily.

Akane's eyes narrowed. "Then... you're talking to me... how?"

Ness was still smiling. "Well, you see, I have psychic powers! Never had any trouble talking to people from different countries before- you should hear some of the things that Poo and I talk about all the time! Ah, he's such a cool guy..."

"Psychic powers?" Akane asked, glaring at him suspiciously.

"Oh, yeah- one of my great-great-great grandparents or whatever stole them from an alien species he got kidnaped by!" Ness announced, just as cheerfully as ever.

"Uh...huh," Akane nodded. "Sure."

"Don't know why the girl who has a boyfriend who turns into a girl would be so skeptical," Ness noted, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, well, the thing about that is-" Akane started, only to freeze. "HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" she shouted.

"I know, I know," Ness smirked. "Your parents arranged it, right?"

Akane glanced sketchily at Ness. "How did you know all that, anyway?"

"I told you, I'm psychic!" Ness repeated, giving a bow of sorts. "Anyways, we're really not getting anywhere- come on, let's go!"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up, what makes you think I'm going anywhere with you?" Akane glared at him.

"Well, it's something my friend Jeff said," Ness shrugged, turning around. "Power in numbers! If you and I get together, we have a better chance than if we try to go it alone! I can see that I can trust you, you got here the same way I did-"

"You mean you got swallowed by some weird vortex, too?" Akane asked.

"Sure enough," Ness nodded. "And if we both got here that way, then who's to say there aren't some other people around who got here the same way? And maybe one of them will even have a way to get out!"

Akane narrowed her eyes. "Again, how do I know I can trust you?"

Ness shrugged. "I guess you really can't know for sure- I mean, even if I promise not to stab you in the back, you can't be sure that I'm not just lying. But, hey, I promise not to stab you in the back. I mean, I just want to go home, so what would I really have to gain?"

Akane was still reluctant, but nodded. "But I'll take the lead," she added, stepping in front of him. Ness smiled and shook his head, allowing her to do so.

XXXX

Shinji gasped as a word pierced what had hitherto been dead silence. "Hello?" He looked up from the cell he'd awoken to find himself in, and saw a young man with black hair not unlike his own- except much, much messier- standing on the other side of the bars. He was dressed in black robes, round glasses, and had a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "Wh-who're you?" he choked out.

The boy rose his hands. "Harry," he said simply. "Harry Potter."

"Are you the one who brought me here?"

Harry looked around. "No," he shook his head. "I was talking to my friends when... the floor turned black and just pulled me in. Strange story..."

Shinji stood. "That- that's what happened to me, too!" he exclaimed. "But... my friend- she's in the hospital! I need to get back!"

Harry was thinking. "So... we both got here the same way..." Looking back up, he spoke out loud. "Sorry, what was your name?"

"Oh... Shinji. Shinji Ikari."

It wasn't a name Harry had heard before. "And... who's your Quidditch team?"

"Quidditch?" Shinji repeated blankly. "What's that?"

And, apparently, he was a muggle. And yet... and yet, they seemed to be in much the same situation. He'd already used a bit of magic in his proximity- if this was a situation he'd be punished for using magic in, he was already going to be. A little more couldn't hurt...

"Well, Shinji," Harry said, "I can get you out of there, if you want."

"Do you know how to get out of this place?"

"No, I just woke up myself," Harry admitted. "But we can find out more if we get out of here than we can if we just sit around. What do you say?"

Shinji stood. "Let's go," he said.

Harry nodded, produced his wand, and slowly tapped on the cell's door. "Alohamora," he repeated, and the door clicked open. Shinji's eyes widened as he looked up at him.

"How- how did you do that?"

"Long story," Harry shook his head. "Come on, or you don't get to hear it." Not that he had any intention of telling him anyways. Shinji was trembling, but followed him out nonetheless.

"Now... where to go first?"

"The roof," Shinji said, sounding nervous even as he spoke out.

"The roof?"

"We should... get a good vantage point... see where we are, and all that... shouldn't we?"

Harry turned to examine Shinji closer. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't unlike the Neville when he'd first met said boy. Even when he was trying to defend his position, it ended up sounding less like a suggestion and more like a question. "Alright," he said, for lack of any ideas himself. "The roof it is."

As it turned out, it didn't take long to get to the roof, where they found themselves to be in a vast city. Harry shook his head- this wasn't London. Looking at Shinji, he asked, "Do you recognize this place?"

"N-no," Shinji shook his head. "This isn't Tokyo-3, that's for sure."

Harry blinked. Tokyo...3? "What do you mean, Tokyo-3?"

"You know, the third Tokyo," Shinji explained, in the air of someone explaining the ludicrously obvious. "One of the few cities still standing?"

Harry blinked. "This is the first I've heard of that."

"Second Impact?" Shinji said, turning on him with genuine confusion forming in his eyes. "Brought the Angels? Destroyed most of the world's population? You never heard of that?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "Though... if the world did end, I could imagine it looking like this..."

The city was desolate. Several of the buildings were destroyed, or in the state of falling apart. The blood-red sky was the cherry on top of the place's creepy atmosphere.

Shinji was on the point of agreeing when his eyes fell on something that made them widen. "Rei?" he stuttered out, and suddenly dashed across the rooftop. After a brief moment, Harry followed. Shinji led him to the corner, where a strange girl was laying on the floor. Shinji slowed as he approached. "No... it's not," he muttered. The blue hair resembled his old companion, but this particular girl was taller, her hair was much longer, and, in general, aside from hair color, she bore little resemblance to his friend.

"Someone you know?" Harry asked.

"No... but I thought..." Shinji mumbled, hope fading as he reached out and touched her.

Abruptly, the girl jerked, and her eyes opened, revealing them to be an even deeper shade of red than the sky. She looked up at them. "Identifying..." she said, blunt and concise. "Matching historical records... Shinji Ikari... Tokyo-3, Japan." Shinji blinked in surprise as she spoke his name, then passed to Harry. "Identifying..." she repeated. "Matching historical records... Harry James Potter... Godric's Hollow, Britain." For a moment, she looked around, as if to see if there was anyone else nearby. Finally, she simply said, "Self-identification- KOS-MOS, acronym- Kosmos Obey Strategic Multiple Operations System. I am... happy... to be... of... service..."

As she spoke, her speech slowed and distorted, until her head was slipping onto her chest.

"Hey, are you alright?" Shinji asked, bending over.

"Losing... power... locate... emergency supply... returning to minimal functions to preserve lifespan..."

With that, she shut down, returning to a state of apparent hibernation.

"She- she knew us..." Shinji gaped. Beginning to suspect something, he ran his hand along her arm. "She- I think she's a robot!"

After running a hand down the same arm, Harry reached the same conclusion. Well, that wasn't something he'd expected when he woke up that morning- being sucked up by a black vortex that left him in a prison in some desolate city next to a timid boy who apparently came from beyond the apocalypse, then finding a futuristic robot on the roof who knew his name and... almost knew where he lived. Right country, and he was born in Godric's Hollow, but was currently living in... he shuddered... Privet Drive.

"Do you think there's something around here that could get her some power back?" Harry asked- he wasn't familiar with robotics- then again, why should he expect Shinji to be?

"There might be," Shinji said, shaking his head hopelessly.

"Well... let's try to find something," Harry decided. "She knew who we were, which is more than either of us did when we woke up. If there's anyone who will know what's going on here... I'd put my money on her."

"Alright," Shinji nodded, standing. "Let's just... remember where we are..."

"Hold on," Harry nodded. He raised his wand to the air and shouted, "Periculum!" A jet of red light fired from his wand and into the sky, leaving a red mark above where the robot lay.

XXXX

Bringing the first chapter to an end. As noted before, this story is not to be the one-chapter affair that all the others were. I would say we've got at least four chapters worth of content here. And, yeah, disturbing lack of a certain pair of warriors (I had to chicken-peck this sentence because my cat just tackled my arm and basically demanded my attention), bu I promise they'll come in next chapter, appropriately titled The Gathering. Hope to see you all then! Please R&R, constructive criticism welcome, not so much with the flames, Gamer4 out!