Hey guyz! Its me again! ……………Lakers lost………… well, that about sums up my week. Damn, to think that we were so close and we just messed up when it counted. Let me tell ya, a 39 point blowout does not do good for your fan base. At least all the bandwagoners are jumping ship and you finally get to tell who the real Laker fans are. But hey, the 09 season is only four months away and there are a lot of events that will keep me occupied until then (The Beijing Olympics and Pacquiao versus Diaz should be fun). Anyway, here's Chapter 11.
CHAPTER 11
Glaring at the shadowed corner of the grounds, Ranma's eyes focused on the hazed silhouette that slowly emerged from out of the darkness. As the outlines of the figure became more distinct, Ranma readied himself for the worst possible scenario… but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next.
From out of the dark corner, a nightmarish entity appeared in front of Ranma and slowly walked towards him. The creatures eyes were as red as blood while its skin was black as night. Its hair that also had a tinge of red in them resembled a crown of spikes. Its left hand, a gold adorned claw, shimmered through the dark afternoon as a pair of bat-like wings slowly unfurled from its back. Embedded on the left portion of its chest was a small orb of swirling blue light.
The dark creature stopped just a few feet from where Ranma stood; its masculine figure that was about a foot taller than the black-haired boy was motionless as a rock. There was an eerie silence between the two of them that stretched on for what seemed like an eternity.
Finally, the creature broke the silence.
'I commend you for being able to sense my presence. It seems that your instincts haven't changed a bit.'
"Who… Wh-What are you..?"
The creature smirked.
'You have no idea how many times you've asked me that same question… Cloud.'
"Cloud..?"
'Don't worry, Cloud… In time you will come to understand everything.'
"Sorry… but you've got the wrong guy." Ranma replied coldly.
'Do I now…' The creature spoke with a questioning grin. 'I look into your eyes and I see through the very depths of your soul… There is no denying it… you are Cloud Strife.'
"Will you stop calling me that!!" Ranma shouted, his annoyance with the creature steadily rising. "I'm Ranma! Ranma Saotome! I'm not this Cloud guy or whoever the hell you think I am!!"
'But you are… Cloud.' the creature insisted. 'And nothing can ever change that fact.'
"Alright, now you're just pissing me off! If you call me by that name one more time then I swear that it'll be the last thing that you ever do!!"
'Oh really…' there was a mixture of skepticism and curiosity in the creature's voice. 'Interesting… I wonder how strong this persona of yours is… Cloud.'
"Alright, that's it! I'm kicking your ass right now!!"
Ranma, with his incredible speed, ran straight for the creature and, with every ounce of strength that he had, threw a vicious right hook that was aimed towards its face. But the creature barely even flinched and easily blocked Ranma's attack.
"What!?"
'Hmpf… This body of yours isn't as strong as the others.' it scoffed before unceremoniously throwing Ranma to a nearby tree that immediately broke in half due to the impact.
The young Saotome quickly picked himself up and resumed his assault.
"How about this! Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire Fist)!" he shouted as his fist suddenly became lightning quick and bombarded the creature with hundreds of blows. The creature, however, stood firmly, unblinking even as the black-haired youth landed strike after steady strike.
Soon enough, the creature seemed to grow weary of this one-sided affair and from out of nowhere he took out a giant steel, cross barrel rifle. With one swift blow it swung the rifle's steel barrel that hit Ranma square in the chin, sending him straight to the ground.
As Ranma gingerly tried to stand, the creature aimed its gun at him at point-blank range.
'You know you can't win…'
Ranma gazed at the creature's blood-red eyes and for a moment… it reminded him of something he wished to forget.
It reminded him of the blood that had trickled down his hands, of the girl that he wanted to protect above everyone else but never did… of a promise that he had failed to keep…
He briefly closed his eyes, and as he opened them once again those blue azure orbs now showed a cold indifference. The will to fight had completely gone and was replaced by a cold, uncaring glare.
Ranma stood up and with his right hand he guided the tip of the gun right to his forehead.
"Kill me…"
The creature was silent, its red eyes still staring at Ranma.
"Pull the trigger… Do it."
'Do you really wish to die..?'
"…Yes."
'Why..?'
"…I have my reasons."
The creature slowly lowered his gun.
Ranma sighed. "Cant do it, huh?" there was a look of disappointment on his face. He started to walk away.
'So… you must've seen it then.'
Ranma continued to walk with his back turned to the creature.
'It must have been painful for you… to watch her die.'
His eyes widened as he stopped dead on his tracks. This thing… it couldn't possibly be talking about her… could it?
'She didn't deserve to die so young… especially not by that manner. She was a good person… Aeris.'
Ranma quickly glanced back.
"Y-You… You know her?!"
'She was a dear friend.'
"So she isn't… she isn't just a dream then! S-She's real!"
'I can assure you, she was no dream.'
"Take me to her!" Ranma demanded. "I want to see her!"
'You're not ready yet.'
"What do you mean I'm not ready!?" he shouted. The possibility of seeing her again lit a fire inside of him. He wanted to see her so badly; even a glimpse would do… Just so that he could say his goodb-… no, he still didn't want to believe it… that she was gone.
'Your eyes are still blinded by the illusion of this reality… You are not ready to see… the truth behind truths.'
"Then what do I have to do to prove that I'm ready!"
'…A test.'
"Test?"
'Tell me… What is my name?'
"Wha…" Ranma had a confused look on his face. "What kind of stupid question is that!?"
'That is your test. Until you answer that question, I won't tell you anything further.'
"That's not fair!" he said, outraged.
'That's the condition.'
"And what if I can't find the answer?!"
'Don't worry… When the time comes, you'll know.'
The creature then slowly approached Ranma and pulled out an old and frayed pink ribbon.
'Take it.'
Ranma took the ribbon from the creature's hand. He looked at it and noted its color that had faded and the blood stains on its surface.
"What is this..?"
'There was a time when you valued that ribbon more than life itself.'
Ranma gazed at the ribbon in his hand with great curiosity. He was puzzled by the creature's words.
'We'll meet again… sooner than you think.'
And with those words, the creature vanished into the shadows.
Ranma was standing in front of the wooden gate of the Tendo residence. It was already well past midnight and the dimly lit streets of Nerima were a testament to how late it was. The indoor lights of the surrounding houses had been turned off and only the lamp posts, that were few and far in-between, still shone.
He had spent the entire evening thinking about the ominous creature that had revealed itself to him. He had neither eaten nor had he spoken a single word since that fateful meeting.
He slightly raised his hand to the gate and was about to knock, but he hesitated. He sighed a bit before pulling his hand back. The others were probably sound asleep by now and it wouldn't have been right for him to wake them.
He decided that instead of entering via the front gate, he'd jump over the wall that surrounded the house instead.
As he jumped over the concrete wall around the house and landed stealthily to the other side, his eyes looked at the open air living room and he quickly spotted the outline of a young figure that was leaning on one of the wooden beams.
He slowly approached the figure, the moonlight revealing who this person was.
"Akane..?" he whispered as he recognized the sleeping blue-haired girl whose body was covered by a warm and thick blanket.
He stared at Akane. She had waited for him to come home. After ignoring her for the past few days, this was the last thing that he expected her to do.
As he stared at the youngest of the Tendo sisters, he noticed that a part of the blanket had fallen off her shoulder. Her body shivered as the cold night's breeze blew through her.
Ranma inched himself closer to Akane and covered her with the fallen portion of the blanket.
'…Ranma.' she mumbled in her sleep as a small tear rolled down her cheek.
He was a bit startled at first, but as time passed he found himself musing over her sleeping face.
This wasn't the first time that he had looked at her this closely, but this was the first time that he had seen her like this… so peaceful, gentle, the tomboyish features that he had come to know about her was blurred by her serene sleep.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered. He was never really someone who could show such feelings out in the open, so he decided that it would be best to grab this chance.
"I'm sorry that I acted like a jerk in front of all of you. I… I didn't mean to, but…" He shook his head. "I-I don't know."
A lifeless chuckle escaped his lips.
"I guess I really am… pathetic."
As he slowly raised his head and wiped the small tear from Akane's cheek…
'Ranma… don't leave me, please…' she spoke in her sleep once more.
He didn't know what came over him, but he suddenly found himself leaning over to Akane. His lips inching closer and closer to hers… only a second away until…
-
'Dilly dally, shilly shally'
-
He stopped, his eyes widened as he heard her voice from the back of his mind. Her sweet voice that he thought he'd never hear again.
He pulled back, his eyes filled with confusion and guilt.
"…I shouldn't be here."
He slowly backed away and left without saying another word.
Silenced reigned throughout the dark museum. The different portraits that were displayed on its walls served as this room's mute occupants. Some were works of art while others were just plain grotesque.
But from out of the myriad of pictures that were clustered inside the room, there was one portrait whose beauty stood head-over-heels above all the rest…
It was a portrait of a young woman with chestnut-brown hair that was tied by a long, pink ribbon. Her eyes that were a swirling pool of emerald green light could drown any man. Her cheeks were as rosy as a flower in full bloom. Her face shone like the morning sun and her smile was like a glimpse of spring in the middle of winter. Her pink dress and red jacket complemented her beauty quite well as her delicate figure stood gracefully in the middle of a great field of flowers.
The clock that hung inconspicuously on the wall continued to tick quietly, the smallest of its three hands pointing to the number "2".
Suddenly, the door to the museum began to creak open and the figure of a young man with black hair and deep blue eyes slowly entered.
The young man walked towards the portrait of the young woman. And as he stood in front of the image, his sad gaze was focused intently on the painting.
"I want… to meet you."
A rare smile crept on his lips.
"I know that we've only met in my dreams… but… when I first saw you, something inside of me came alive. And ever since then, I've always wanted to see you. Every time I went to sleep all I could think about, all I could dream about… was you."
He sighed before he continued on.
"My fiancées, they always treated me like a piece of meat. They were like a bunch of ten year olds fighting over a new toy… and most of the time they acted like ten year olds too. They strangled me with their constant bickering and fighting."
His eyes of endless blue slightly lit up as his smile turned into a smirk.
"But you… you were different. You were kind and understanding. When I'm with you… I can actually breathe; I can raise my head a little higher, not to mention I don't feel the impulse to act like a jerk. When I'm with you I feel like I can be the hero that I always wanted to be… that I always wished to be. You were cheerful like a child but God knows that you're the most mature person that I've ever met. You had your own problems too. In fact, my problems came off as nothing compared to yours. But still you were able to smile. Even with all that burden on your shoulders you still smiled and faced them head on. You weren't as physically strong as the others, but your heart… your heart was greater than all of ours put together."
His eyes continued to stare at the portrait with such passion.
"And that's why… I love you."
He slowly approached the portrait.
"I wanted to protect you… more than anything. I wanted to be a hero in your eyes. But I failed. I couldn't protect you. I wasn't there when you needed me. But still… you smiled at me, even though I couldn't keep my promise."
He raised his hand, his fingers gently tracing the cheek of the young woman in the picture.
"You changed me. And whether I became better or worse… I really couldn't care less. Even if that THING didn't tell me that you were real, it wouldn't have mattered, because to me… you are real. And I'd do anything… to be with you."
He slowly sits on the floor and leans on the wall next to the portrait. He pulls out a pink ribbon from his pocket. The ribbon was old and frayed with a few drops of blood staining its faded color of pink. He placed the ribbon in front of him and closed his eyes, and that was when he noticed it… The ribbon… it exuded a familiar fragrance…
It had the scent of flowers… of lilies…
"I want…"
The sweet scent of the ribbon intoxicated his senses. It was lulling him to sleep.
"I want to meet you… again…"
His eyelids were getting heavy, his consciousness slowly floating away.
"…Aeris."
'Let me join you…'
The man stared at him with eyes of deep crimson, the strangers golden claw mirrored on the surface of his great sword as Tifa and Barret took their defensive stance. The red cloak that was draped over the man swayed with the gentle breeze.
They were inside some sort of underground basement, below a mansion in a town called Nibelheim.
This town, this was his… his home. But all he could remember was fire everywhere, people screaming in terror… and that monster, standing in the middle of it all.
"What changed your mind?" he hears himself ask.
'If I join you, there's a chance that I'll be able to meet Hojo… and also… I might be able to atone for the sins that I've committed in the past.'
The man's red eyes pleaded to him.
'Please, let me join you…'
He nods. "All right, then. But first, tell me who you are?"
'I was with... the Shinra Manufacturing Department in Adminstrative Research, otherwise known as-- the Turks... But that's all in the past now.'
"What's your name?"
'My name… it's…'
It was cold. He could hear the gentle drops of rain as they fell on the rooftop of the museum that sheltered him.
'Is he dead?'
He could hear familiar voices surrounding him.
'Of course his not! Idiot! He's breathing isn't he! Try waking him up.'
'Why me!?' one of the voices protested. 'What if he gets mad? I'm sure as hell not dying a virgin!'
'You guys are useless.' a feminine voice chided.
He suddenly felt a pair of soft hands shaking him about.
'Hey Ranma! Wake up! Akane's been worried sick about you!'
He slowly opened his eyes. The room was filled with light coming from the fluorescent bulb on the ceiling. He looked outside and saw that it was raining.
'Come on, man! Wake up! It's already seven in the morning! School is gonna start soon!' Hiroshi scolded.
"I know… I know his name."
He started to laugh.
'Oi Ranma, you okay?' one of his male classmates asked.
"His name… I finally know his name."
He immediately stood up and dashed out of the museum.
'What's up with him?'
'Don't know. I'm guessing his finally lost it.'
In the midst of the unfavourable weather that had enveloped Nerima, a red-haired girl could be seen racing through the streets. Her Chinese tailored shirt and blue pants, clothing that was more appropriate for males, were drenched by the pouring rain. It was quite apparent that the girl was in a hurry, pushing through the men and women who blocked her way.
After running for over fifteen minutes, she reaches her destination at last. Standing in the middle of a playground, her sight roams around as if searching for something… or someone.
"I know you're there!" she shouted to the heavens.
"I know the answer to your question! So stop hiding and show yourself!!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a dark figure emerging from the mist of the morning rain and slowly making its way towards her.
"…Vincent."
Didn't see that one coming, did ya (if you did then by all means give yourself a well-deserved cookie). Nice try Anime-Freak but no dice. Hehehe… Because of the major downer that the lost gave me, I was able to angst up this Chapter a bit (hmmm… angst). I also decided to describe Aeris portrait in more detail in response to a prior request. And here's a bonus question: Can you guess what anime the line "Truth behind truths" came from. Well, RnR please.
Author's Note: Just to clear a few things up. (1) To those who think that I cheated (that includes my bro who gets to read my fics before I actually post them here) No, I did not pull a character switch at the last minute. (Exhibit A) If you check the last dialog in chapter 7 then you should notice that there were apostrophe marks at the start and at the end of the dialog and when you check Sephiroth's dialog in Chapter 8 there were none. (Exhibit B) All the protagonists in FF7 were introduced through dream sequences with the exception of Vincent prior to this chapter so you kinda knew that he would make an appearance sooner or later. (2) Vincent is in his DoC Chaos form (try searching the FF wikia for some pics). Now, the reason I did that was (A) He looks awesome when he's in his DoC Chaos form (B) Well… I'll tell you guys some other time. I also made some changes in how Cloud meets Vincent in the game but the essence of that meeting, I think, is still there.
