Von Rosenberg family singers

Disclaimer: I don't own FF12, nor do I own Sound of Music/Von Trapp Family Singers but… well…

Warnings: Ok, this fic was based on confusion, about confusion, begins with confusion, ends with confusion. You have been warned.

She could never understand these Humes, Fran thought as she reluctantly ran faster to keep up with her current party. She honestly thought that she figured them out well enough already… but she supposed she was wrong. Sure, Humes can be idiotic, silly, and downright annoying at times but looking at the children before her now, she could not help but think that they were beyond annoying at that moment – for now, they seemed hopeless.

"So Penelo, how many have we chained?" the young white haired boy asked, almost excitedly, not stopping once to catch his breath as he ran once more after seeing another frightened bunny in the corner of his eye.

"Oh Vaan…" the young girl sighed, as she ran after him, "we've chained… sixteen….twenty… twenty seven… oh thirty, THIRTY! Oh Vaan, could we please stop now?"

I second the motion, Fran thought to herself, but stayed quiet nonetheless, thinking her words would not reach the hyperactive boy in the first place. Children. How she loathed them at that moment.

"Vaan, just stop killing the bunnies already!! Can't you see they're so cute and puffy and … Vaaan!!"

"We need just about two more Penelo!" the boy replied, not even looking the tiniest bit remorseful after slaughtering balls of helpless fluff, "Just stay behind and look then. After all, I did say that I would kill them myself. Just don't look if you don't want to see."

"But Vaaan!!"

The girl seemed so close to tears and Fran was torn between comforting the girl and whacking both of their heads just to make them unconscious and easier to bring back to camp.

"Well then, I guess Penelo and I can just stay here and wait, until you make that mark of yours appear…"

"No Fran!! You can't do that. The seeq hunter in the hunter's camp said that this one is pretty nasty. I would kill it if I could do it myself … but it has great magicks … or so I heard… and I really need your help Fran…"

How immature, she muttered, mostly to herself, feeling uncharacteristically murderous that day. She supposed it was the sun's heat… or the odd mist that she felt the moment she stepped into the area.

"I tire of your games Vaan, and believe me; you would rather see me gone than see me lose my patience."

"B..bu…but Fran!! Please!! I just need four trophies more and we'll be the talk of the hunt club for sure!"

The boy's games were starting to get to her head, and for a brief moment, she remembered the cocky smile on Balthier's face.

"You'll never last an hour with that boy,"

His voice nagged her in her mind.

"I bet you Fran, you are utterly defenseless against that boy's stamina, and that my dear is your weakness."

She never should have made a deal with her partner. She guessed she also had her confidence to blame. She always thought her self to be more patient than others – more open to new things than others. She knew she can endure whatever situation and she wanted to prove this to Balthier but…

Soon they heard loud footsteps coming their way and Vaan tensed up and moved to a battle position. To his disappointment, and Fran's relief, it turned out to be Basch, heaving a little, yet looking serious.

"Her highness sent me here," he said softly, "She said that she was tired of waiting and that I should fetch you right away."

Sometimes having a prima donna princess could be a blessing in disguise…

"You heard him Vaan, let's go…" Fran said, looking almost as if she were ushering the two, "you know how Ashelia hates waiting…"

"But but but FRAAAN!!"

The knight looked as if he felt sorry for the boy until Fran added, "And you know how Basch dislikes being away from the princess… especially when she's alone with Balthier…"

Basch visibly paled, and it took Penelo a lot of effort not to giggle. Yet the viera got the reaction she wanted, and sure enough, the knight then awkwardly placed his hand by the back of Vaan's neck and nudged him forward.

"Baaasch!! Please please please, just a few minutes longer,"

"…Maybe next time Vaan…"

The boy pouted once more and bent his head, almost looking like he wanted to shout out of frustration. He was so close… so damn close. Now he would have to run around the forest again, running after stupid bunnies and murdering their kind and … not that he minded… but it was an annoying task and he didn't like it how it took them a loooooooong time to spawn and Penelo was always tagging along, yet she was always being difficult because she says they're cute and …damn it!! They were not cute. Not cute at all….. and what did he care about what Penelo thought were cute, she didn't know any better – come on, she said she thought Larsa was a "sweet" boy… sweet his bu…

"Oh oh…Oh no!! Look!!!" Vaan was jarred from his thoughts when he heard Penelo's frantic cry behind him.

Just then, a huge monster appeared, yet its actual shape was hard to see. It just seemed to be a big … big ball of…cottony…and fluffy…

"It's the rare mark!!!!" Vaan almost jumped with delight, as he pulled out his spear behind his back. "come on, come on, let's just finish it quickly and get out of here."

The knight muttered to himself yet grabbed the hilt of his sword nonetheless. Penelo followed in tow, casting dispel on the monster, as was her habit every time they were engaged in a not-so-ordinary fight.

Fran noticed something different about this mutated bunny… it seemed to be … darker than most fiends she saw. Yet somehow… its essence as a bunny couldn't be denied either... judging from its seemingly soft ears and big, well rounded eyes.

"Oh… oh no!! You guys!! More bunnies are coming this way!!" the young girl shouted for her companions to hear, as she saw the marching army of bunnies having something that seemed like a determined look in their eyes.

"Maybe we should start a mist quickening," Fran suggested, thinking that their shared efforts could easily bring the fiends down.

"But I have to steal something from it before we kill it," the young boy muttered as he awkwardly slipped his thief's cuffs on, "Hang on just a sec…"

"We haven't got time. Fran is right," Basch looked towards her direction and she nodded in reply. She bent down her head, preparing herself and waiting for the right moment….

"Oh no! Look out!!!!"

She opened her eyes a second too late. She saw something coming out of their enemies' mouth – as if on a collective effort, they made a move that she has not seen before. To her horror, her companions started spinning before her eyes and before she could even escape… her own world started spinning

And spinning

And spinning

And spinning

And suddenly she was so dizzy that she almost fell… down the …

Grassy plain?

Where the hell was she?

Fran could not figure out the state she was in. Perhaps she was transported to another zone… she heard that such a spell occurred … yet only those guardians in Tomb of Raithwall were capable of doing it but… No… she cannot… possibly be…

She noticed how bright and happy the atmosphere seemed to be… almost like the hills were alive…there were trees and flowers and butterflies… and her ears picked up a sound… a sound of a stream? And what's this… it was like… she heard some sort of music

"I cannot possibly be dead." Fran hit her head, in an effort to wake herself up, but to her utter disappointment, she realized that she was stuck in wherever it is that she was. Perhaps staying in this confused state could not possibly help her. She must recover and…

"Penelo! Vaan! Basch!" she called, and heard her voice echo through the wind, "Could you hear me?" she walked more, starting to feel anxiety instead of confusion, "Balthier! Ashe!! ANYONE?!"

She started sniffing around and honing her senses but… nothing!!

She was in trouble and she knew it… but as she surveyed her surroundings again…it was almost as if she was stuck… in a dream?

Ding … dong… ding … dong

Bells? She looked around and saw where the sound came from. Sure enough, she saw a big structure, just below the hill and towards the stream. Surely, if it had a bell and the bell just rung… someone must be there… and she could possibly get some of her questions answered….

She ran hurriedly towards the structure, running like she never had before. She ran past the trees… the stream … the grass…until finally, she reached the structure that she had seen earlier.

It seemed like a fortress up close, for it was bigger than what she expected. The halls were quiet as the bells had stopped ringing. Nothing could be heard… nothing… yet somehow she felt something … deep in her heart. It was like a call… almost like a call from the wood…

"I cannot understand Fran. She causes us nothing but trouble"

She heard it… it was faint but she heard it. It was a familiar voice…

"The other day, she talked about leaving us and I warned her of the consequences but… still. She is too adventurous for her own good."

Who were they? People she knew? It was highly likely – that was… if she truly were the Fran they talked about.

"But we must admire her spirit. Not too many of us are blessed with such energy and courage…"

"I agree, in fact I want to be more like her,"

"Oh Mjrn, surely you kid! Jote would certainly not like that…"

Mjrn? Jote?!

"Sisters!" Fran gasped as she saw the white haired maidens, talking amongst themselves.

"Fran!" they all said simultaneously.

"It's about time!"

"What… what is happening… what are you…?"

"And still you ask us questions? Jote had been looking for you…" an older viera said, "I cannot believe you made her wait."

"Made her wait? But I…" she hoped to clear things up … but now she seemed more confused than ever…

And to her utter dismay, she was suddenly pulled by her younger sister towards one of the dark corridors.

"I'm telling you Fran, it's going to be all right. Jote wouldn't be that angry, I just know it, I know she'd understand."

"Understand what?" she replied, almost afraid to ask, feeling like the answer could confuse her more.

"Understand your situation… that you… you have a feeling as if you don't really… belong."

Again she tried to think about what had happened before she found herself in this bizarre world. They were in the Salikawood… hunting a rare mark. She was with Vaan… and Penelo… and Basch came along… when suddenly the mark appeared… and many of its minions followed it… and then the mark did something…

"Fran! Have you been listening to what I have been saying?" Just then, she found herself seated in the middle of a room, and to her absolute disbelief she saw her older sister Jote, merely inches from her.

She knew she had a strained relationship with her eldest sister although they have reached a certain sense of understanding after what had happened to Mjrn not too long ago… but to see her before her now, with a concerned expression in her face… surely…

"It's an illusion… a strange form of magick has bound me. You do not exist. This world does not exist" she mumbled to herself as she closed her eyes to erase the images.

But to her utter dismay, as she opened her eyes, her sister's face was still there – and she was frowning, her ears twitching a little as if feeling a certain level of unbearable mist.

"Leave us Mjrn," she heard her "sister" say. As she heard the footsteps' sounds become fainter and fainter, she was forced to look at Jote once more. "Fran, are you all right?"

Due to the fact that she did not know what to do, Fran merely sat still and looked in front of her passively, fully convinced that she was stuck in an illusion – probably a magick induced state. It would be proper for her to just calm herself to keep her from possibly inflicting harm on her peers. She'd snap out of this illusion soon… she has to.

She merely looked on as the image of Jote continued to speak to her, "I know Fran that you wish to seek the world outside the wood. Some of us are destined to stay… whereas… some are destined to leave."

"And you approve of this?" she mumbled before she could stop herself. Surely, the real Jote would think otherwise.

"We have received a call from the Dalmascan Order… A captain in particular,"

A captain?

"Captain Basch Von Rosenberg of Dalmasca. He had recently retired from all his exploits after the war and decided to adopt seven children and take them under his wing – probably as a form of repentance or whatnot for all that had transpired in the war…"

"Seven Children!" She stood up from her seat and thought about it once more. Children… children. Before this had ever happened, she was thinking about children… and how she loathed them…

"I think it would be a good experience for you if you went to his aid… to know more about the world outside the wood and to know more about humes…"

Now she knew what this was about… the mist was possibly toying with her anger and annoyance. It was bringing out her feelings and playing tricks with her mind. Confusion often lead people to fail to distinguish a friend from foe… surely under the guise of these children… she would not be able to recognize her allies and actually make her go against them.

"I suggest you leave as soon as possible…"

Oh she'd help those children all right. But she knew better than that wicked mark. She would not harm them…. She would play the part, so be it. But she will not hurt the "children".

"I will not let you down. I shall be good to them…I'm pretty confident that I would be…"

Author's notes: IT WAS WEIRD WASN'T IT!? I'm sorry. I've had a horrible last-song-sung-syndrome with that song in Sound of Music (the one with the puppet show...) and it's been playing in my head all weekend… so… well… I admire those people brave enough to read this. Ahahahhaahhaa!!! I wouldn't mind getting flamed for this but… beware….of… the … bunnies!