Title: A Darkened Ray of Light

Author: L145

Fandom: Mai-HiME/Final Fantasy X crossover

Pairing: Shizuru x Natsuki

Rating: PG-13 because of factors I'm not quite sure of yet

Warnings: AU, crossover, obviously

Summary: Agreeing to be a sacrifice in order to save the world is a hard decision to make, yet, even in futility, necessity will always win.

Disclaimer: Do you really think I have enough money to own both Mai-HiME and Final Fantasy X when I'm just a poor college student? Really, now... Anyway, Mai-HiME belongs to Sunrise, and Final Fantasy X belongs to SquareEnix from when it was still SquareSoft. (Trust me - if I owned that game, we wouldn't have to be annoyed by Tidus so much.)

I'm going to try to write this in a way that even those who haven't played FFX will be able to understand what happens. Except this Prologue. If people don't understand it, I'll clarify it before the next chapter, okay?

For those of you who do know and have played FFX, note that this is not a rewrite of the game. I would put this at about... 2 years before the game begins.

Title from the game script: Yuna says "...summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of Light. Everyone in Spira depend on us. So, I try to practise smiling when I am feeling sad, you know?" Why is it darkened? Um, for dramatic effect?

Thanks to Guubear for putting this idea in my head with her drabble, Guardian, and then chatting with me about related topics and finally causing my mind to explode with the want to write this! That was so much fun:-D If you like the story, be sure to thank her!

Prologue

A quiet melody echoes through the room, the notes forming sorrowful phrases that, while beautiful to hear, no one ever wishes to, for its meaning is dark and lonely. No one remembers who composed it any longer, for it is as old as the earliest memories of the world. Yet, everyone still recognizes its loveliness and dreads it all the same.

It is the melody of death, of that haunting place, the place where the Summoners travel to defeat the cause of death. In doing so, they cause their own demise, a cycle that forever shall dominate the land of Spira. It is the melody of the land of Zanarkand.

But to the young girl sitting in a wheelchair, it is a song of promise, of hope that someday, this song will be feared no more. She is Kazahana Mashiro, and she commands the force that works in Zanarkand. Her prayers each day have control over the awakening of the menace that plagues the entire land, of Sin. When the cycle completes, she begins it again. That is her purpose, a purpose she has fulfilled for the past thousand years, along with her companion, Himeno Fumi.

Yet, there is another who has a part in this mystery, and that is the boy standing in front of Mashiro. He is devious and he is terrifying, yet it is unclear of whether or not he really is a bad person, even to the two others in the room.

"Nagi, has the time come?" Mashiro asks calmly, her eyes downcast.

A wild smile forms on the boy's face. "Indeed, it has. Finally, it is time for the cycle to begin again. Ah, it has been too long!"

She shakes her head looks straight into his crazed eyes. "It is not right to rejoice in the pain that is to come to these innocent people."

"And why not?" he counters, turning around to face the piano where Fumi sits, playing. "Do you forget your title, Queen of Hell?"

"I did not choose to be named as that," she answers. "Even if it is my duty to reinstate this cycle of death, I do not enjoy it the way you do."

Nagi laughs, jumping up to stand atop the grand piano, causing Fumi to halt her playing. "The foolishness of the people is what I enjoy - the false hope of those summoners sent, one by one, to face the undefeatable."

Mashiro leans forward, wishing she could stand and face him. "That hope is all they have. And someday - someday - one of them might be able to break the cycle for us."

Smile fading, Nagi flips off the piano. "And you want that?"

"Don't you wish to be free?" she asks.

He smiles, stating, "I am free." And then he jumps through the open window behind Mashiro, causing her to bow her head in shame once again.

Fumi stands from the piano bench and walks over nexy to Mashiro. "It's time for your praying, Mashiro-sama. I will help you to the shrine."

"Yes, Fumi-san," Mashiro states softly, guiltily.

Fumi wheels her over to the shrine at the back of the connecting room. She helps Mashiro down to kneel on a small pillow and then stands behind, watching the silent girl in front of her. After about an hour of silent prayer to Yu Yevon, Mashiro's strict posture begins to waver. She reaches her right arm out to catch herself, but her young body is too weak. Without hesitation, Fumi gently grabs her and pulls her back onto the wheelchair.

Her body is drenched with sweat from the intensity of her thoughts, her arms and legs weak from the lack of movement, her eyes almost closed from the exhaustion she feels, yet she still manages to sit up straight and look at Fumi. With a guilt in her eyes and sorrow in her voice she asks, "Fumi, is this all right... what we're doing?"

A sad smile forms on Fumi's face, but she wipes it away instantly and cheerfully says, "Mashiro-sama does what she has to. That's good enough for me."

Elsewhere, a huge monster arises from the sea. Its name is Sin and its purpose is only one thing. That is destruction.