The Final Chaos
Phase 2 Part 2: Insanity Reigns
by David Farr
Final Fantasy 7 and all characters and idea connected to it are the property of Square Co. Ltd.
Ranma 1/2 and all characters and ideas connected to it are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Both are used here without permission for the purposes of Fan Fiction.
Readers are warned that this fanfic contains material that may spoil the plot of the computer game Final Fantasy VII. I apologise to any reader still playing the game.
*****
Cloud's reply was interrupted by a shout from down the street. "Cur, you are being very familiar with my pigtailed goddess!"
His hand shot over his shoulder, and Cloud silently cursed his leaving his sword at the dojo. His mind immediately started forming a plan.
"Kuno, go away!" Ranma yelled. Kuno advanced on the pair.
"Play along Ranma," Cloud whispered.
Cloud turned to face the young man he guessed to be Kuno. "I am Strife Cloud, and who are you to claim this girl?" Ranma turned her cool gaze to Cloud.
"I am upperclassman Kuno, but I am also called the Blue Thunder of Furnikan High, and this girl is my most beloved, that is my claim upon her!" Kuno answered.
"Ah, I have heard of the great Kuno Tatewati, a man of honor I am told. So tell me great warrior, how is this girl you claim called?" Cloud looked thoughtful for a second as he ran the words back through his head, then nodded.
Kuno seemed lost for words, an unfortunately short lived condition. "How dare you question me?!" he demanded.
"You claim the honor of a woman who not only doesn't want your attention, but whose name is unknown to you. I do more than merely question you, I question your honor!"
Enraged by Cloud's words Kuno charged slashing with Bokken. Cloud dodged the attack, letting Kuno shoot past him.
"Ha, more evidence of your lack of honor. Attacking an unarmed foe, without challenging him what's more. What a great man you must be!"
Kuno turned glaring at Cloud. "Then I challenge you to a duel of honor!"
Cloud nodded. "I will bring my sword to Furnikan High, tomorrow morning before school. We will fight then."
Kuno put away his Bokken. "I will meet you then." He turned and paced away.
As soon as Kuno was out of earshot Ranma doubled over in laughter. "That was the funniest thing I've ever seen. I am so glad I met you."
Cloud joined Ranma's laughter. "I enjoyed it, that man is one of the biggest blowhards I've ever met."
*****
"That child has an aura more powerful than anything I've ever seen before," Dr. Tofu told them once they had managed to get him to calm down. Tifa and Akane had finished sparring in dojo and joined the group sitting around the table while Magic Knight Rayearth played in the background. "Perhaps you should tell me more about her."
Tifa looked at Red XIII, Akane, then Doctor Tofu. "She's something called the Guardian of the Key."
"Or just the Guardian, we're not really sure exactly," Akane interrupted.
"She was summon by a artifact called "The Key of Intellect" by a madman. We don't know why, but she transformed into a monster, killed her summoner, and then attacked us." Tifa continued. "It was only thanks to Ranma, the Nekoken and the Key that we defeated her. She then transformed back. Other than that we don't know much about her."
Tofu frowned. "All I can suggest at this point is to talk to her and try to find out as much about her as possible. I'll do a little research on spirit summoning, I might find something."
*****
Tifa sat with Kimiko in the guest room of the Tendo dojo. She had decided to question the strange girl directly.
"Kimiko, do you mind answering some questions for me?" she inquired nicely. When Kimiko sat there looking at her blankly, Tifa asked again.
"Yeah," Kimiko replied in that bored tone only little kids can manage.
"Is your name really Kimiko Ishikawa, I mean Ishikawa Kimiko?"
"Yeah," Kimiko replied in that same bored tone.
"Do you remember what happened before we met?"
"Yeah," she answered once more in the bored tone.
"Will you tell me?"
"No."
Tifa blinked in surprise. "Why not?"
"I can't."
"Is there something stopping you, or don't you want to?"
"I don't know." Kimiko still talked with that same bored tone.
"Will you tell us when you can?"
"I just can't!" Kimiko exclaimed.
Tifa recoiled slightly at her outburst. "Well, let's change the subject. Do you know anything about the keys?"
"Sure!" Kimiko replied happily.
"Will you tell me something about them?"
"Yeap!"
Tifa sighed. "Please, tell me something about the keys."
"Cloud has one."
"Something I don't know."
"The war key's on this world."
Tifa leaned forward. "What's your connection to the keys?"
"Your planet awakened the keys so that they could be found."
Tifa sat back, confused. No matter how she put the question and it's answer together, they didn't make sense. Then it clicked. "You're answering my previous question!"
Kimiko giggled, nodding. 'Oh great, this going to go downhill fast!' Tifa thought.
*****
Sometime later Cloud met Tifa coming out of the guest room looking extremely tired. He gently put his arm around her.
"Akane told me you were trying to talk to Kimiko. So how did it go?" he inquired.
"Meaning this in the nicest way possible Cloud, she's crazy," the exhausted woman replied.
Cloud chuckled. "You haven't met Kuno. No matter how bad Kimiko is Kuno's worse."
"I'm not placing any bets. I gather you met him today."
"I'll tell you all about it later, Ranma's going to try and teach me his Mouko Takabisha seeing as it's easier to throw than Peta-Flare," he informed her.
Tifa nodded. "I'll keep sparring with Akane, maybe she'll learn a normal limit break."
"You mean one that doesn't light her up like a pyre," Cloud smiled. "You might want to try learning her mallet trick, being able to pull a weapon from nowhere could be useful."
*****
"Damn you Ranma! I'm lost again thanks to you!" Ryoga declared. He was wandering the streets of Nerima (actually wandering through the back yards of Nerima). Surprisingly he was only two blocks from the Tendo Dojo. Unsurprising he was headed away from his destination. "When I find you Ranma I'll make you pay, no matter what!"
Ryoga was so involved in his vengeance, that his attacker managed to splash him without him sensing their approach. A pair of hands picked P-chan up, and for a moment he panicked, but calmed down again when he saw who held him. If he'd paid more attention, he wouldn't have.
"Going after Ranma again, eh P-Chan, now we can't have that." Then P-chan's captor did something completely out of character and the little black pig hurtled into oblivion.
*****
Nabiki stood in the backyard of the Tendo household, watching the pair of warrior standing on the roof. Cloud and Ranma stood a foot either side of the point, both in the same stance. For some time they had been as still as statues.
Twilight was spreading across the sky when Akane and Tifa passed Nabiki heading for the dojo. Her silent vigil went unremarked by the pair. Shortly after the sounds of battle started in the dojo a strange yellow-green light lit up the Tendo roof. With a simple cry Cloud released a beam of green yellow magic into the sky.
"Needs a name," Ranma commented, staring up. "You know you were supposed to be using chi, not magic."
Cloud was also star gazing. "You're right. I think your method for focusing chi is too close to reaching for the magic for me to learn both. However the ability to throw magic without materia will be useful."
The twilight quiet was shattered by a detonation and a flash of light from the dojo. The pair of fighters slide down the roof and dropped to the ground to join the general charge.
The scene in the dojo caused a mass halt at the door. Akane stood, arms outstretched facing a slightly blackened and smoking Tifa.
"She did it," Tifa coughed. "Anyone got a Restore materia?"
Cloud walked up to her and cast a cure spell. "What were you two trying?" he asked as everyone started to float off again.
"Just wanted to find out if Akane could use materia," Tifa explained. "Guess she can."
Ranma looked over at Akane. "That uncute tomboy?"
SLAM! "Course I can you jerk!"
Cloud look down at Ranma. "Do you like having your head smashed into the ground or something?"
"Figure it's a good way to work up my stamina," Ranma groaned from the floor.
"I think it's because you've got a smart mouth," Tifa commented. "I need a bath after that, see you three inside." She headed out the dojo door.
Ranma popped to his feet. "Strange girl, cute, but strange." Akane once more slammed him to the ground.
Cloud looked at Akane. "Was that because he called her strange or cute?" he inquired. Akane shot him an annoyed look.
*****
Yuffie sighed. She wasn't usually a depressive person, but without her at home, her dad might start seriously considering her betrothal, and she didn't want to return to find she'd managed to wander down the same road as Ranma and Akane.
"What's wrong Yuffie?" Kasumi asked, smiling a worried smile.
Yuffie looked up at that smile, and felt a warmth she hadn't felt for many years. "Just some problems I left behind at home," she mumbled.
"Do you want to talk about it? That may help," Kasumi offered.
Yuffie smiled back. "Thanks, actually you might be familiar with the problem, my dad's trying to do to me what your's did with Akane. The only way I've managed to keep him from marrying me off is by conducting my own search, I was hoping to find someone I could deal with, but now..."
"Aren't you a little young to marry?" Kasumi asked.
"I'm seventeen, and of noble blood. I'm not too young."
Kasumi nodded knowingly. "What's the problem with finding someone at home?"
Yuffie humphed. "There was a big war some time back, Wutai suffered greatly, most of our true nobles died in that war, leaving just the snivelling cowards who'd managed to avoid the fighting. After that Shinra grew and most of the non-Wutai nobles vanished as it expanded. Now the only hope I've got to look for are the best fighters in the world, but they're all taken, or too old, or too ... ah ... not human."
Kasumi smiled a knowing smile. "Perhaps you can find someone on this voyage, then convince them to go back with you."
Yuffie jumped to her feet. "Yes," she cried, "that's exactly what I'll do!" A though struck. "Ah, can I take someone home?"
"Easily!" cried Kimiko as she dashed through the room.
Yuffie looked at the door Kimiko had left through. "Think she was talking to me?"
*****
That night two figures watched the Tendo dojo. Only one was aware of the other, but didn't really care who it was.
He was a warrior, on a quest, and his business was with two of the fighters. He'd been following them since Midgar, hoping to catch them alone, but always there had been others with them. Here, maybe, they would feel safer and guards would be lowered, then he could attack.
*****
The students of Furnikan high had an almost mystic sense when it came to challenges. It probably helped that Nabiki had set up a betting board. When Ranma and Akane turned up with three strangers the crowds started gathering.
"Nice place you got here," Yuffie commented, leaping up to stand on the wall. She had left her armour at the dojo, but her crystal cross still hid behind her pack.
"Funny, I'd have thought Kuno would be here waiting for me," Cloud commented, looking around.
"Probably wanting to make an entrance," Ranma pointed out.
"We'd better get inside Ranma, and watch from there like everyone else." Akane took his hand and the pair hurried inside.
"Have fun!" Cloud and Tifa called, waving. Ranma laughed.
"So you have shown to face the sword of the Blue Thunder of Furnikan High!" a voice cried, and Cloud turned to face Kuno. "Have you brought a weapon this time?"
Silently Cloud reached over his shoulder to the open topped bag hung across his back. From within he carefully drew out his massive sword, he lowered it, gripped in both hands till he was looking across the point towards his opponent. "I am Cloud Strife and this is Ragnorak. Defend yourself and your honor."
"Aptly named sword," someone commented in the crowd.
Kuno produced a bokken, holding in ready. "Words do not impress me, prepare to fight."
"Ah, Cloud," Yuffie interrupted. "His sword's made of wood."
"It's called a bokken," Tifa explained, "and it can still be deadly in trained hands."
"Strike strike strike strike strike," Kuno yelled dashing forward. Cloud dived to one side, rolling, then coming to his feet. The wall behind Cloud cracked from the attack. Cloud leapt forward and slashed at Kuno, who swept his bokken up to parry the blow. Ragnorak slid easily through the wood, but was deflected from its course.
Kuno tossed away the broken bokken, and retrieved another. Kuno attacked Cloud, catching the warrior across the legs. Wincing in pain Cloud leapt straight up somersaulting over Kuno, then spinning to catch him with the flat of his blade.
Stumbling forward Kuno twisted around to face Cloud, and the pair faced off.
"Come on Cloud, stop playing with him and finish this!" Ranma called from the balconies.
Cloud nodded to Kuno, then flew forward. With a single downward slash Cloud split the bokken in half lengthways, then spun with blade outstretch to bring Ragnorak swinging around to strike Kuno. A twist of the wrist at the last moment caused the flat of the blade to impact Kuno, sweeping him up, sending him flying a short distance, before crumpling to the ground.
There was scattered applause and comments from amongst the audience.
Yuffie jumped down to look at the young man lying on the ground. "He's gone," she reported. "Cute too," she added under her breath
Cloud spun his sword before shoving it back into the bag on his back. "Damn, and I was hoping that I could deliver one of his speeches to him." He turned and walked towards the exit. "You coming Yuffie?"
Yuffie looked down at the unconscious Samurai. "No, I think I'll take him in to the nurse, then hang around for a while."
"Watch yourself, we'll see you later," Tifa called.
*****
Lunch that day they decided was ramen, and the Cat Cafe was the most obvious place for the two of them. The restaurant was packed with the usual lunch time rush, and they surprised to find that none of the Amazon trio were at work. Inquiring after them with Shampoo's father it turned out that Mousse had never returned yesterday from his daily Shampoo search. Cologne was out looking for the pair, but she too was overdue.
"I'm worried," Cloud commented as they left the cafe. "If it was just Shampoo and Mousse I'd be bothered, but Cologne has got to be one of the most powerful people in Nerima. I think we'd better hurry back to the dojo."
As they walked Cloud absently reached for something in his trouser pocket, then checked the other, then the pockets in his jacket, Frowning he looked at Tifa. "Did I give the Key this morning?"
"No," she replied. "Did you give it Ranma?"
"Must have," he shook his head. "Let's go."