DIMENSIONS
by
The Ionic Butterfly(aurelia_@yahoo.com)
Ranwolf(ranwolf@hotmail.com)
All Gargoyles characters belong to Disney/Buena vista studios. Characters
from the Final Fantasy series, Chronotrigger etc. belong to Square and Squaresoft.
The Characters of Nic Maza and Miyabe Tendo belong to Ranwolf and Ionic,
respectively. C&C are always welcomed. Flames will be read, considered, laughed
at, then burned. (Get it? Flames? Burned? ^_^)
EPILOUGE: WELCOME HOME
Dio had set up the formal ceremony in the Event Square, followed by a dinner and
dance in the reception hall. Miya had been fitted for a dress and Nic for a tux. Nic had
a hard time trying to get the tailor to make his tux a little bigger than a good fit, but
finally won the argument. The events would start at 9:00 p.m. and last the whole night.
They had all day to play around in the giant amusement park.
Aeris had begged her dad to take her to the Wonder Square. Tifa wanted to take
Yuffie and Miya to play in other places. Since it was only girls going with Miya, Nic
decided to follow the men to the Wonder Square.
Miya and the girls played on roller coasters and in the Speed Square. Nic was
having a grand time playing "Mog House," a video game. Aeris was watching him
intently, showing him how to play. Tomas was shouting, "Da-da," from his dad's arms.
Cid took Aeris to play with the crane machines.
A time later Nic stood before a simulator when Miya showed up. Tifa took Tomas
from Cloud. "Take Nic in there," she told Cloud.
"Nic, have you ever had a fantasy? I mean, like when you were little, did you ever
want to join the army or something?" Cloud asked.
Nic looked at him. "Not really," he answered.
"Didn't you ever want to be a superhero, or say, a movie star, or something?" Tifa
asked.
"Well, I guess. I always liked westerns and always wanted to be in a saloon fight,
like in a John Wayne movie," Nic said smiling.
Cloud grinned. He had no idea who John Wayne was, but he went with it. "Okay,
saloon fight it is, who's coming?" he asked.
Nic swallowed. "I can't, Cloud. I don't want to lose it again," he said.
"Nah. You won't. This machine only reads your mind to see the situation you want.
You'll win no matter what. It won't mess with you," Cloud said.
Miya put her arm around his waist. "Come on. It'll be fun," she said smiling up at
him. While Cid stayed with Tomas and Aeris, the others went inside the simulator.
*****
Nic found himself sitting at a table, in a saloon with a bar and spittoons and a
player-piano wearing out the song "You Are My Sunshine."
He found himself dressed in the fashion of the time, right down to his snakeskin boots,
leather chaps, and ten-gallon hat. A badge over the left side of his chest, declared him
Sheriff. Cloud was dressed the similarly, only he was the deputy. Yuffie looked cute in
her cowboy get-up too. Barret was behind the bar, playing bartender. Miya was missing.
Tifa sat in Cloud's lap in a very skimpy and low-cut dress, there was no doubt she had
the body for it.
As if Cloud knew what he was thinking, he grinned and shook his head. Tifa was
smiling at Cloud's hand in the poker game. Nic suddenly knew it was his turn to lay
down cards, and knew his lines like this whole charade was a well-written western.
"Read 'em weep, boys... And one gal," he said, smiling at Yuffie. "Four Kings."
Yuffie frowned "Damn!" she said slapping her cards on the table.
The man dressed in black, Ace, cursed. "Yer cheatin' Sheriff. I know ya are," he
accused.
Nic chuckled to himself before putting on an insulted face. The whole bar went
silent. Nic knew his line. "What did you just call me? My ears seem to be deceivin'
me today." He stood up slowly. Ace rose too, and moved to Nic's side. He grinned
ferally at the hologram that barely reached his nose. Ace spat in his face. Nic easily
kept his anger in check, enjoying the situation. He took hold of Ace's tie and wiped
his face of the spittle.
"Take it outside," Barret warned, brandishing a club of somekind.
"Aw, he ain't worth it boss," Cloud said calmly, shuffling the cards. The two men sat
back down, glaring at each other.
Nic took a drink of the beer in front of him while watching Ace closely. The beer was
warm and tasted like piss. He glanced at the saloon doors as a lady walked through.
She was dressed in a lavender dress adorned with lace, and a lavender parasol rested
on her shoulder. A thick braid was pulled over her shoulder. She was so beautiful Nic
had to remind himself to breathe.
She slowly walked to the bar and sat down. She locked eyes with him for a
moment, then looked away giggling. It was Miyabe. Nic stood and went to join her.
Ace frowned at him for leaving the game before having a chance to win his money
back.
"Howdy, ma'am," he said, tipping his hat to her and then leaning against the bar.
His tail swaying playfully from side to side.
"Is that how your momma taught you to talk to a lady?" Miya asked, actually doing
a decent job of faking the proper accent.
Nic grinned. She had her lines too apparently. "I'm the sheriff of these here parts,
and I don't recall having seen you around before," he said.
"Well, my Oji...Uncle Ace is letting me stay with him for the summer. Are you
gonna buy me a drink or just sit there gaping all day?" Miya asked, smiling sweetly.
Nic told Barret to get the lady a drink. She was handed a glass of red wine. "You're
uncle know you drink that stuff?" Nic asked.
"What my uncle don't know ain't gonna hurt 'em, Sheriff," Miya said, getting into
the accent.
"Well, how's about we make a little bet over here at the poker table?" Nic suggested.
"Ain't gonna be no betting with my niece," Ace yelled from the table.
Nic looked over at the man. "Then I make you a deal you can't resist. All my money,
all seven hundred dollars, against one kiss from the lady," Nic said, adjusting his hat.
Ace twirled his dark mustache that seemed to curl upward. He looked at Miya, and
she was smiling innocently at the sheriff. "You got it," he finally said, returning to the
poker table.
Nic tipped his hat to Miya, grinning. "Be right back for my kiss, missy," he said.
"Forgive me if I don't hold my breath." Miya said in such a way she clearly meant
the opposite.
Cloud handed the cards to Ace to deal. Nic looked at him, and suddenly Nic
remembered that anything he did in here, he would win. He grinned at Cloud as Miya
came up behind him to put her hands on his shoulders. "Gom bata ne. (Good luck.)"
She bent down to whisper in his pointed ear.
Nic waited until all his cards were dealt before tapping them on the table. He
spread them out slowly. Ten of spades, jack of spades, queen of spades, king of
spades... Nic felt Miya's grip on his shoulder tighten. He fought to keep his face
straight as he looked at the last card. Two of hearts. Nic nearly swore aloud. He was
supposed to win!
He laid the two down slowly and motioned for another card. He slowly raised it,
and had to keep from yelling out when he saw the ace of spades.
Ace took two cards and his face was giving nothing away. Nic's mind was repeating
the phrase, "I beat you! I beat you!" over and over like a little kid.
"Well, I sure hope you got something better than a full house, ace high, buddy,"
Ace said smiling and laying his cards down.
Nic shook his head as he lay down his royal flush grinning. Cloud, Tifa and Yuffie
cried out in pseudo-amazement. "Well damn," Cloud laughed.
"Damn, missy, fates must want the kiss to happen to deal me a hand like that,"
Nic said, turning to Miya. He stood up and she threw her arms around him kissing
him before he had the chance to move. His eyes widened with surprise at first, but
then he closed them.
When it was over, he heard Ace behind him saying, "You're a cheater."
Nic tipped his hat to Miya. "It might be best if you step away," he warned. As he
turned around to face Ace, the gambler sucker punched him in the jaw. He fell across
the table, and sat up, rubbing his jaw and grinning.
"That wasn't very nice." Nic's eyes flashed black for a moment.
"Boss?" Cloud asked. He was looking at the door where a lot of Ace's men had
just walked in. They looked drunk and ready to fight.
Nic looked at Cloud. Tifa ran to a corner with Yuffie and Miya. Yuffie pulled away
from the older woman's grip and joined the two in the middle of the room. Barret was
suddenly beside Nic and Cloud. The four found themselves back to back surrounded
by a good dozen men. "Well, boss? What do we do?" Cloud asked.
"What's the plan, o fearless one?," Yuffie asked, eyeing two goons that looked like
they deserve a beating.
"What else can we do?" Nic said. He looked to the men surrounding him and growled.
"Get the can opener, boys and girl, we're having some 'Whup-ass' tonight! He spun
around catching the closest man in the face with the heel of his boot, knocking a man
off his feet. The fight was on.
Cloud was kicking, punching, whatever he could to keep the men off him. Nic
laughed as Barret grabbed two men by the throat and rammed their heads together,
knocking them out cold. Nic turned back to his own fight just in time to see a fist
coming at him, hitting him in the nose. He wiped it and saw blood on his hand. He
kicked the man in front of him in the kiwis, so hard that he actually flew up, his
head went through the ceiling and the man hung there.
Nic barked a laugh. Now this is how to have fun. He saw Yuffie doing martial arts
moves, which would make Kathy Long look like a rank amateur, against the advancing
men. Tifa was also holding her own, picking up a chair and slamming it across the
back of one of the men. Miya was missing. He looked to the door and saw her tossed
over Ace's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She was kicking and punching and screaming
to no avail. Or was she laughing? Nic couldn't tell for sure.
"Go on after her, well hold this down!" Cloud yelled. The blond man eldowed one guy
in the throat and tossed another out the window. He grinned at Nic. He let out a surprised
yelp as three men tackled him.
Nic was quick to follow. The world flashed as he stepped outside, and he suddenly
found him on horseback. He was surprised at how well he rode considering he had
never been on a horse before. He was chasing down Ace and Miya. He came to a
railroad track, and could hear a train coming. He looked a little ways down and saw
Miya tied to the tracks. "You've got to be kidding me."
He jumped off his horse and ran to her. He could now see the train as he quickly
began untying the ropes. "Please, help me, sheriff!" Miya yelled. She was still giggling.
"That's some uncle you got there, missy," he said working on the ropes, he would've
pulled her up first but the ropes were tied around the rail as well.
Miya shrugged as best she could. "I was adopted?," She offered as an excuse.
The knot was too complicated, so he cheated, slashing the ropes with his talons. He
rolled her off the tracks just in time, the train rushed by them, kicking up enough dirt to
choke a herd of elephants.
Nic found himself lying over Miya, the both of them were covered in dirt. "If you're gonna
kiss her, ya better do it. The timer is about to go off and this will be over," Cloud warned
from behind. Nic smirked and kissed her. A loud buzzer rang out, and Nic found himself
standing in a large dome that was the simulator. "Tell me that wasn't fun, boss," Cloud
said.
Nic's nose no longer hurt and he knew it was all illusion. "We have to bring the
clan here someday," he said to Miyabe.
"You two had best get over to the tailor's shop and get your clothes and get ready.
It's almost eight," Tifa said.
Nic nodded. "Cloud, about Tifa..." he started.
"You think you made her look like that? Nah, the machine put us how we wanted to
be. She was just showing off." Cloud grinned. Nic nodded and headed for the shop.
*****
The ceremony went well. The Arena Master had awarded Nic the Chronotrigger,
his arm was in a sling. He had smiled at Nic and said something about putting in for
retirement. Nic had apologized, but the Arena Master would hear nothing of it.
Saying he should have realized something was wrong when Nic's "Rage Pattern"
spiked to unprecedented levels.
Esther, the woman who arranged the chocobo races, awarded Miya the gate key.
Miya and Nic were now seated in the reception hall with their friends at the table
of honor. Miya was dressed in a deep blue satin-like dress that went to her ankles.
Her hair had been braided carefully with deep blue ribbons adorning it. Nic wore a
slightly oversized tuxedo. He kept fidgeting with the tie that was too tight. At one
point ready to tear the damn thing off.
They had just finished dinner of some sort of fish. Musicians had been playing soft
classical music somewhere in the background. Now that dinner was over, the musicians
packed up and left. A live band came onto stage. Their name was Angelic Tendencies
and they played what Nic could call love songs. Cloud and Tifa got up to dance, and
Barret asked Yuffie to. Miya and Nic were left alone with Cid, who soon excused
himself to the bathroom.
"Want to dance?" Miya asked when Nic didn't ask.
"Not really. I mean, I can't dance that well and you know that. I don't want to step
on your feet here in front of everyone," Nic answered.
Miya smiled at him, not letting him know she really wanted to dance. She looked
up and saw Teioh walking toward their table. He smiled at her.
"Would m'lady honor me with a dance?" he asked suavely.
Nic glared at the man. "She dancing with me, thank you very much," Nic growled
in answer. Teioh's face paled as Nic's eyes momentarily turned black. He mumbled
something under his breath that sounded like an apology and quickly disappeared
from the reception. Miya tried to keep the grin off her face as Nic helped her out of her
chair and led her to the dance floor. He held her close and actually kept his feet off hers.
She rested her hand gently on the place between his shoulder blades. She smiled at
him. "Unless you're planning on getting very friendly in front of all these people, keep
it still," he warned with a smile.
They danced a few more dances before Cloud suggested they leave and go back
to their rooms. On their way, they passed a man dressed in red standing beside a
giant stuffed Mog with a cat on its shoulders. "Would you like your fortunes told?"
the man asked as they passed. He grinned.
"Reeve!" Cloud shouted and shook the man's hand.
Nic and Miya were introduced. "So seriously," Reeve said when the introductions
were over. "Would you like your fortunes told?"
"Sure," Yuffie said. Reeve hit the cat in the back, and soon a piece of paper fell
from the Mog's mouth. "You will find what you seek," she read aloud. "What kind of
fortune is that, Reeve?" she asked, pretty mad.
Reeve shrugged. "How about you two?" he asked, looking at Miya and Nic. Nic
nodded and Reeve punched the cat.
"Within a year, the two will be three," it read. "and the three, four."
"Sometimes you get bum readings like that. Let me try again," Reeve said.
"You will soon take a trip in which you could very well lose your head."
Reeve punched the cat pretty hard this time.
"One of your blood will battle the forces of heaven itself."
"I don't know what is with it tonight. It usually gives decent readings," Reeve said,
kicking the Mog.
Another piece of paper popped out "Stop hitting me you lugnut!!"
Everyone laughed.
*****
"So, do you guys want to stay, or would you rather be getting home?" Cloud
asked in the lobby of the hotel.
Nic and Miya looked at each other. "We should probably get back. After all, if a
year has passed, the clan is probably really worried about us, I've lost my job and
Cassi probably found a new roommate... Oh God, Nic, we do need to get back,"
Miya said, beginning to worry.
"All right, but calm down, okay?" Nic said, hugging her.
Miya looked up at him. "Nic, this is serious," she said.
"Whatever is there when we get back doesn't matter. We'll be together and can
rough anything," he said to her. "'Sides, I'm sure Xanatos will put you back on the
payroll."
"Tifa and I should probably get back to the 7th Heaven, too. Shera is probably
going nuts trying to run the place," Cloud said.
"Yeah. Let's go get our stuff and get out of this place," Yuffie said, not thrilled with
the prospect of spending another night at the Ghost Hotel.
*****
"So does this gate just work any old time?" Miya asked.
"Yeah, I think so, because it's still here." Cloud said. They had taken the Highwind
to the spot where the gate was.
Miya held the key up and the gate grew larger. "Sugoi(Wow)," she muttered.
Nic adjusted the Chronotrigger to infinity. "Well, everyone, it's been fun. We'll try
to visit," he said.
Everyone exchanged good-byes and Miya held up the key again, making the gate
enlarge. Nic took Miya's hand as they stepped through. As they "fell" through the
portal, it occurred to Nic that he and Miya may never see Cloud, Yuffie, Tifa, or any
of the others again. Which is too bad, he would have liked to have seen the clan's
reaction to Midgar.
They landed on their feet this time, gently. Nic looked down the street at The End
of Time. the sight he saw made him frown.
Gaspar was there, talking to two people. The people looked at him and waved. It
was Masa and Mune. "What the hell?" Nic said aloud.
Mune hid behind his brother. "Now just calm down," Gaspar said, "No anger please."
"What is going on?" Nic asked after he and Miya were closer.
"I needed these two to take care of some business for me," Gaspar said.
"Yes," Masa and Mune said in unison.
"You see, Nic, these two possess a great power. Masa understands all strength,
and Mune understands all knowledge. Together, they make Masamune, a legendary
figure that is extremely powerful. What some would call a god. It's their job to prevent
all these worlds from ending up here or in other words facing their destruction," Gaspar
said. "What you hold in your hands could indirectly trigger, excuse the pun, your
world's Apocalypse."
Nic looked at the Chronotrigger. "This thing could cause the world's destruction?
If it fell into the wrong hands...," he started.
"Exactly. That's why I have to ask that you give it back," Gaspar said.
"To who?" Nic asked.
"Masa and Mune. They will take you through the gate and then come back, sealing
the gate. By sealing the gate, none of the creatures that plague Cloud's world can
reach yours," Gaspar said.
"Wait a minute. Masa and Mune can't come with us. Only three can go through a
gate," Miya butted in.
Masa and Mune looked at one another. They held hands, and suddenly a bright
light surrounded them. They seemed to actually merge together. They became so
bright that everyone had to shield eyes. When the light was gone, they looked down
where the brothers had been standing. A simple yet beautiful katana, with a leather
bound hilt and gold blade, lay in their place. Gaspar reached down and picked it up.
He unsheathed the blade and twirled it once. Masa's voice rang out in the air. "I'm the
wind! I'm the wind!" he cried. Mune laughed softly.
"Behold the Masamune," Gaspar said. "As one, you can take them with you." He
handed Nic the sword carefully. "Be very careful with them," he warned.
Nic felt as if he were invincible holding the sword. He knew all and could conquer
all. The Masamune seemed to laugh at him. "The power is ours," it said, a mix of both
voices.
"Mr. Maza, I have some instructions for you," Gaspar said, "Once on the other side,
you are to lay the Masamune down, lay down the Chronotrigger and the Gate Key.
Also leave the maps and letter I wrote you."
"Why?" Nic asked.
Gaspar sighed quietly to himself. "You cannot begin to understand the space-time
continuum, though you have some experience traveling in it. When you lay the
things down, Masa and Mune will separate, and then put the key, 'trigger, and maps
and letter in boxes and envelopes to give to you after going back in time. Then when
you two get here again... Well for the first time... They will take the key and 'trigger
from you two as you fight in Cloud's world. They will then pay Dio to make you work
for the set, you will come back here and do everything again. They will seal it after you
get back."
"Can you understand how you get caught in a circle? Your past will be relived over
and over. In fact, for all you know, this isn't the present or the future. This may have
already happened and you are just reliving it."
"Then what's the point of giving us the Trigger and Gate Key, if you're just going to
take it from us anyway?," Miya asked. Gaspar didn't answer her.
Nic thought for a few moments. The Masamune lent him no knowledge. "No. This
is the first time. Because of the letter you wrote...," Nic said.
"But you will or even have said that every time. And by the way, I havn't written that
letter yet wrote that letter. It just appeared," Gaspar said.
"This is confusing!" Miya yelled.
"Temporal loops can do that."
"I think you two should be on your way home," Gaspar said, he then turned and
walked off into the darkness without so much as a thank you or good-bye.
Nic led Miya toward the gate. "How much do you think we have missed?" Miya
asked. The Masamune laughed. As they stepped through, they fell.
Nic heard screaming first. Hudson was screaming, "NOOO!" Nic then remembered
two night before when he and Miya first stepped through Hudson yelling as
they vanished. He stood up looking at his watch. Three seconds past midnight. They
had missed three seconds in their own world.
"Wha... What...okay. What just happened?" Brooklyn asked.
Miya looked to Nic and almost burst into laughter. He grinned at her. "Let's get
back to the tower. We'll try to explain everything there...," Nic said, laying down the
maps, letter, key, Chronotrigger, and the Masamune. He took Miya's hand, leading
her off. He turned and looked at Bronx, who was sniffing the items. "Leave it alone,"
he said.
Bronx obeyed and padded over to the others. He looked at Miya curiously then
stood by her side. For some strange reason, for the rest of the night and everytime he
saw her afterwards, Bronx did not leave her side.
THE END... for now.
*****
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Ionic Butterfly: This story was the brainchild of Ranwolf and me, Ionic. Hope you liked it.
The rights for the characters and ideas for this story come from many places. Disney,
Buena Vista, Square and Squaresoft, and Ranwolf has the rights to
Nicodemus Maza. Miyabe Tendo is mine.
Special thanks to Ran who let me use his characters and ideas for this story. With
our minds combined, I think this story ended up pretty cool.
Ranwolf: Don't let Ionic fool you. She wrote a majority of this fic, I just edited it and
wrote the fight scene. She came up with the idea for the saloon fight too.
Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed this story. Ja mata na, ^_^.
by
The Ionic Butterfly(aurelia_@yahoo.com)
Ranwolf(ranwolf@hotmail.com)
All Gargoyles characters belong to Disney/Buena vista studios. Characters
from the Final Fantasy series, Chronotrigger etc. belong to Square and Squaresoft.
The Characters of Nic Maza and Miyabe Tendo belong to Ranwolf and Ionic,
respectively. C&C are always welcomed. Flames will be read, considered, laughed
at, then burned. (Get it? Flames? Burned? ^_^)
EPILOUGE: WELCOME HOME
Dio had set up the formal ceremony in the Event Square, followed by a dinner and
dance in the reception hall. Miya had been fitted for a dress and Nic for a tux. Nic had
a hard time trying to get the tailor to make his tux a little bigger than a good fit, but
finally won the argument. The events would start at 9:00 p.m. and last the whole night.
They had all day to play around in the giant amusement park.
Aeris had begged her dad to take her to the Wonder Square. Tifa wanted to take
Yuffie and Miya to play in other places. Since it was only girls going with Miya, Nic
decided to follow the men to the Wonder Square.
Miya and the girls played on roller coasters and in the Speed Square. Nic was
having a grand time playing "Mog House," a video game. Aeris was watching him
intently, showing him how to play. Tomas was shouting, "Da-da," from his dad's arms.
Cid took Aeris to play with the crane machines.
A time later Nic stood before a simulator when Miya showed up. Tifa took Tomas
from Cloud. "Take Nic in there," she told Cloud.
"Nic, have you ever had a fantasy? I mean, like when you were little, did you ever
want to join the army or something?" Cloud asked.
Nic looked at him. "Not really," he answered.
"Didn't you ever want to be a superhero, or say, a movie star, or something?" Tifa
asked.
"Well, I guess. I always liked westerns and always wanted to be in a saloon fight,
like in a John Wayne movie," Nic said smiling.
Cloud grinned. He had no idea who John Wayne was, but he went with it. "Okay,
saloon fight it is, who's coming?" he asked.
Nic swallowed. "I can't, Cloud. I don't want to lose it again," he said.
"Nah. You won't. This machine only reads your mind to see the situation you want.
You'll win no matter what. It won't mess with you," Cloud said.
Miya put her arm around his waist. "Come on. It'll be fun," she said smiling up at
him. While Cid stayed with Tomas and Aeris, the others went inside the simulator.
*****
Nic found himself sitting at a table, in a saloon with a bar and spittoons and a
player-piano wearing out the song "You Are My Sunshine."
He found himself dressed in the fashion of the time, right down to his snakeskin boots,
leather chaps, and ten-gallon hat. A badge over the left side of his chest, declared him
Sheriff. Cloud was dressed the similarly, only he was the deputy. Yuffie looked cute in
her cowboy get-up too. Barret was behind the bar, playing bartender. Miya was missing.
Tifa sat in Cloud's lap in a very skimpy and low-cut dress, there was no doubt she had
the body for it.
As if Cloud knew what he was thinking, he grinned and shook his head. Tifa was
smiling at Cloud's hand in the poker game. Nic suddenly knew it was his turn to lay
down cards, and knew his lines like this whole charade was a well-written western.
"Read 'em weep, boys... And one gal," he said, smiling at Yuffie. "Four Kings."
Yuffie frowned "Damn!" she said slapping her cards on the table.
The man dressed in black, Ace, cursed. "Yer cheatin' Sheriff. I know ya are," he
accused.
Nic chuckled to himself before putting on an insulted face. The whole bar went
silent. Nic knew his line. "What did you just call me? My ears seem to be deceivin'
me today." He stood up slowly. Ace rose too, and moved to Nic's side. He grinned
ferally at the hologram that barely reached his nose. Ace spat in his face. Nic easily
kept his anger in check, enjoying the situation. He took hold of Ace's tie and wiped
his face of the spittle.
"Take it outside," Barret warned, brandishing a club of somekind.
"Aw, he ain't worth it boss," Cloud said calmly, shuffling the cards. The two men sat
back down, glaring at each other.
Nic took a drink of the beer in front of him while watching Ace closely. The beer was
warm and tasted like piss. He glanced at the saloon doors as a lady walked through.
She was dressed in a lavender dress adorned with lace, and a lavender parasol rested
on her shoulder. A thick braid was pulled over her shoulder. She was so beautiful Nic
had to remind himself to breathe.
She slowly walked to the bar and sat down. She locked eyes with him for a
moment, then looked away giggling. It was Miyabe. Nic stood and went to join her.
Ace frowned at him for leaving the game before having a chance to win his money
back.
"Howdy, ma'am," he said, tipping his hat to her and then leaning against the bar.
His tail swaying playfully from side to side.
"Is that how your momma taught you to talk to a lady?" Miya asked, actually doing
a decent job of faking the proper accent.
Nic grinned. She had her lines too apparently. "I'm the sheriff of these here parts,
and I don't recall having seen you around before," he said.
"Well, my Oji...Uncle Ace is letting me stay with him for the summer. Are you
gonna buy me a drink or just sit there gaping all day?" Miya asked, smiling sweetly.
Nic told Barret to get the lady a drink. She was handed a glass of red wine. "You're
uncle know you drink that stuff?" Nic asked.
"What my uncle don't know ain't gonna hurt 'em, Sheriff," Miya said, getting into
the accent.
"Well, how's about we make a little bet over here at the poker table?" Nic suggested.
"Ain't gonna be no betting with my niece," Ace yelled from the table.
Nic looked over at the man. "Then I make you a deal you can't resist. All my money,
all seven hundred dollars, against one kiss from the lady," Nic said, adjusting his hat.
Ace twirled his dark mustache that seemed to curl upward. He looked at Miya, and
she was smiling innocently at the sheriff. "You got it," he finally said, returning to the
poker table.
Nic tipped his hat to Miya, grinning. "Be right back for my kiss, missy," he said.
"Forgive me if I don't hold my breath." Miya said in such a way she clearly meant
the opposite.
Cloud handed the cards to Ace to deal. Nic looked at him, and suddenly Nic
remembered that anything he did in here, he would win. He grinned at Cloud as Miya
came up behind him to put her hands on his shoulders. "Gom bata ne. (Good luck.)"
She bent down to whisper in his pointed ear.
Nic waited until all his cards were dealt before tapping them on the table. He
spread them out slowly. Ten of spades, jack of spades, queen of spades, king of
spades... Nic felt Miya's grip on his shoulder tighten. He fought to keep his face
straight as he looked at the last card. Two of hearts. Nic nearly swore aloud. He was
supposed to win!
He laid the two down slowly and motioned for another card. He slowly raised it,
and had to keep from yelling out when he saw the ace of spades.
Ace took two cards and his face was giving nothing away. Nic's mind was repeating
the phrase, "I beat you! I beat you!" over and over like a little kid.
"Well, I sure hope you got something better than a full house, ace high, buddy,"
Ace said smiling and laying his cards down.
Nic shook his head as he lay down his royal flush grinning. Cloud, Tifa and Yuffie
cried out in pseudo-amazement. "Well damn," Cloud laughed.
"Damn, missy, fates must want the kiss to happen to deal me a hand like that,"
Nic said, turning to Miya. He stood up and she threw her arms around him kissing
him before he had the chance to move. His eyes widened with surprise at first, but
then he closed them.
When it was over, he heard Ace behind him saying, "You're a cheater."
Nic tipped his hat to Miya. "It might be best if you step away," he warned. As he
turned around to face Ace, the gambler sucker punched him in the jaw. He fell across
the table, and sat up, rubbing his jaw and grinning.
"That wasn't very nice." Nic's eyes flashed black for a moment.
"Boss?" Cloud asked. He was looking at the door where a lot of Ace's men had
just walked in. They looked drunk and ready to fight.
Nic looked at Cloud. Tifa ran to a corner with Yuffie and Miya. Yuffie pulled away
from the older woman's grip and joined the two in the middle of the room. Barret was
suddenly beside Nic and Cloud. The four found themselves back to back surrounded
by a good dozen men. "Well, boss? What do we do?" Cloud asked.
"What's the plan, o fearless one?," Yuffie asked, eyeing two goons that looked like
they deserve a beating.
"What else can we do?" Nic said. He looked to the men surrounding him and growled.
"Get the can opener, boys and girl, we're having some 'Whup-ass' tonight! He spun
around catching the closest man in the face with the heel of his boot, knocking a man
off his feet. The fight was on.
Cloud was kicking, punching, whatever he could to keep the men off him. Nic
laughed as Barret grabbed two men by the throat and rammed their heads together,
knocking them out cold. Nic turned back to his own fight just in time to see a fist
coming at him, hitting him in the nose. He wiped it and saw blood on his hand. He
kicked the man in front of him in the kiwis, so hard that he actually flew up, his
head went through the ceiling and the man hung there.
Nic barked a laugh. Now this is how to have fun. He saw Yuffie doing martial arts
moves, which would make Kathy Long look like a rank amateur, against the advancing
men. Tifa was also holding her own, picking up a chair and slamming it across the
back of one of the men. Miya was missing. He looked to the door and saw her tossed
over Ace's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She was kicking and punching and screaming
to no avail. Or was she laughing? Nic couldn't tell for sure.
"Go on after her, well hold this down!" Cloud yelled. The blond man eldowed one guy
in the throat and tossed another out the window. He grinned at Nic. He let out a surprised
yelp as three men tackled him.
Nic was quick to follow. The world flashed as he stepped outside, and he suddenly
found him on horseback. He was surprised at how well he rode considering he had
never been on a horse before. He was chasing down Ace and Miya. He came to a
railroad track, and could hear a train coming. He looked a little ways down and saw
Miya tied to the tracks. "You've got to be kidding me."
He jumped off his horse and ran to her. He could now see the train as he quickly
began untying the ropes. "Please, help me, sheriff!" Miya yelled. She was still giggling.
"That's some uncle you got there, missy," he said working on the ropes, he would've
pulled her up first but the ropes were tied around the rail as well.
Miya shrugged as best she could. "I was adopted?," She offered as an excuse.
The knot was too complicated, so he cheated, slashing the ropes with his talons. He
rolled her off the tracks just in time, the train rushed by them, kicking up enough dirt to
choke a herd of elephants.
Nic found himself lying over Miya, the both of them were covered in dirt. "If you're gonna
kiss her, ya better do it. The timer is about to go off and this will be over," Cloud warned
from behind. Nic smirked and kissed her. A loud buzzer rang out, and Nic found himself
standing in a large dome that was the simulator. "Tell me that wasn't fun, boss," Cloud
said.
Nic's nose no longer hurt and he knew it was all illusion. "We have to bring the
clan here someday," he said to Miyabe.
"You two had best get over to the tailor's shop and get your clothes and get ready.
It's almost eight," Tifa said.
Nic nodded. "Cloud, about Tifa..." he started.
"You think you made her look like that? Nah, the machine put us how we wanted to
be. She was just showing off." Cloud grinned. Nic nodded and headed for the shop.
*****
The ceremony went well. The Arena Master had awarded Nic the Chronotrigger,
his arm was in a sling. He had smiled at Nic and said something about putting in for
retirement. Nic had apologized, but the Arena Master would hear nothing of it.
Saying he should have realized something was wrong when Nic's "Rage Pattern"
spiked to unprecedented levels.
Esther, the woman who arranged the chocobo races, awarded Miya the gate key.
Miya and Nic were now seated in the reception hall with their friends at the table
of honor. Miya was dressed in a deep blue satin-like dress that went to her ankles.
Her hair had been braided carefully with deep blue ribbons adorning it. Nic wore a
slightly oversized tuxedo. He kept fidgeting with the tie that was too tight. At one
point ready to tear the damn thing off.
They had just finished dinner of some sort of fish. Musicians had been playing soft
classical music somewhere in the background. Now that dinner was over, the musicians
packed up and left. A live band came onto stage. Their name was Angelic Tendencies
and they played what Nic could call love songs. Cloud and Tifa got up to dance, and
Barret asked Yuffie to. Miya and Nic were left alone with Cid, who soon excused
himself to the bathroom.
"Want to dance?" Miya asked when Nic didn't ask.
"Not really. I mean, I can't dance that well and you know that. I don't want to step
on your feet here in front of everyone," Nic answered.
Miya smiled at him, not letting him know she really wanted to dance. She looked
up and saw Teioh walking toward their table. He smiled at her.
"Would m'lady honor me with a dance?" he asked suavely.
Nic glared at the man. "She dancing with me, thank you very much," Nic growled
in answer. Teioh's face paled as Nic's eyes momentarily turned black. He mumbled
something under his breath that sounded like an apology and quickly disappeared
from the reception. Miya tried to keep the grin off her face as Nic helped her out of her
chair and led her to the dance floor. He held her close and actually kept his feet off hers.
She rested her hand gently on the place between his shoulder blades. She smiled at
him. "Unless you're planning on getting very friendly in front of all these people, keep
it still," he warned with a smile.
They danced a few more dances before Cloud suggested they leave and go back
to their rooms. On their way, they passed a man dressed in red standing beside a
giant stuffed Mog with a cat on its shoulders. "Would you like your fortunes told?"
the man asked as they passed. He grinned.
"Reeve!" Cloud shouted and shook the man's hand.
Nic and Miya were introduced. "So seriously," Reeve said when the introductions
were over. "Would you like your fortunes told?"
"Sure," Yuffie said. Reeve hit the cat in the back, and soon a piece of paper fell
from the Mog's mouth. "You will find what you seek," she read aloud. "What kind of
fortune is that, Reeve?" she asked, pretty mad.
Reeve shrugged. "How about you two?" he asked, looking at Miya and Nic. Nic
nodded and Reeve punched the cat.
"Within a year, the two will be three," it read. "and the three, four."
"Sometimes you get bum readings like that. Let me try again," Reeve said.
"You will soon take a trip in which you could very well lose your head."
Reeve punched the cat pretty hard this time.
"One of your blood will battle the forces of heaven itself."
"I don't know what is with it tonight. It usually gives decent readings," Reeve said,
kicking the Mog.
Another piece of paper popped out "Stop hitting me you lugnut!!"
Everyone laughed.
*****
"So, do you guys want to stay, or would you rather be getting home?" Cloud
asked in the lobby of the hotel.
Nic and Miya looked at each other. "We should probably get back. After all, if a
year has passed, the clan is probably really worried about us, I've lost my job and
Cassi probably found a new roommate... Oh God, Nic, we do need to get back,"
Miya said, beginning to worry.
"All right, but calm down, okay?" Nic said, hugging her.
Miya looked up at him. "Nic, this is serious," she said.
"Whatever is there when we get back doesn't matter. We'll be together and can
rough anything," he said to her. "'Sides, I'm sure Xanatos will put you back on the
payroll."
"Tifa and I should probably get back to the 7th Heaven, too. Shera is probably
going nuts trying to run the place," Cloud said.
"Yeah. Let's go get our stuff and get out of this place," Yuffie said, not thrilled with
the prospect of spending another night at the Ghost Hotel.
*****
"So does this gate just work any old time?" Miya asked.
"Yeah, I think so, because it's still here." Cloud said. They had taken the Highwind
to the spot where the gate was.
Miya held the key up and the gate grew larger. "Sugoi(Wow)," she muttered.
Nic adjusted the Chronotrigger to infinity. "Well, everyone, it's been fun. We'll try
to visit," he said.
Everyone exchanged good-byes and Miya held up the key again, making the gate
enlarge. Nic took Miya's hand as they stepped through. As they "fell" through the
portal, it occurred to Nic that he and Miya may never see Cloud, Yuffie, Tifa, or any
of the others again. Which is too bad, he would have liked to have seen the clan's
reaction to Midgar.
They landed on their feet this time, gently. Nic looked down the street at The End
of Time. the sight he saw made him frown.
Gaspar was there, talking to two people. The people looked at him and waved. It
was Masa and Mune. "What the hell?" Nic said aloud.
Mune hid behind his brother. "Now just calm down," Gaspar said, "No anger please."
"What is going on?" Nic asked after he and Miya were closer.
"I needed these two to take care of some business for me," Gaspar said.
"Yes," Masa and Mune said in unison.
"You see, Nic, these two possess a great power. Masa understands all strength,
and Mune understands all knowledge. Together, they make Masamune, a legendary
figure that is extremely powerful. What some would call a god. It's their job to prevent
all these worlds from ending up here or in other words facing their destruction," Gaspar
said. "What you hold in your hands could indirectly trigger, excuse the pun, your
world's Apocalypse."
Nic looked at the Chronotrigger. "This thing could cause the world's destruction?
If it fell into the wrong hands...," he started.
"Exactly. That's why I have to ask that you give it back," Gaspar said.
"To who?" Nic asked.
"Masa and Mune. They will take you through the gate and then come back, sealing
the gate. By sealing the gate, none of the creatures that plague Cloud's world can
reach yours," Gaspar said.
"Wait a minute. Masa and Mune can't come with us. Only three can go through a
gate," Miya butted in.
Masa and Mune looked at one another. They held hands, and suddenly a bright
light surrounded them. They seemed to actually merge together. They became so
bright that everyone had to shield eyes. When the light was gone, they looked down
where the brothers had been standing. A simple yet beautiful katana, with a leather
bound hilt and gold blade, lay in their place. Gaspar reached down and picked it up.
He unsheathed the blade and twirled it once. Masa's voice rang out in the air. "I'm the
wind! I'm the wind!" he cried. Mune laughed softly.
"Behold the Masamune," Gaspar said. "As one, you can take them with you." He
handed Nic the sword carefully. "Be very careful with them," he warned.
Nic felt as if he were invincible holding the sword. He knew all and could conquer
all. The Masamune seemed to laugh at him. "The power is ours," it said, a mix of both
voices.
"Mr. Maza, I have some instructions for you," Gaspar said, "Once on the other side,
you are to lay the Masamune down, lay down the Chronotrigger and the Gate Key.
Also leave the maps and letter I wrote you."
"Why?" Nic asked.
Gaspar sighed quietly to himself. "You cannot begin to understand the space-time
continuum, though you have some experience traveling in it. When you lay the
things down, Masa and Mune will separate, and then put the key, 'trigger, and maps
and letter in boxes and envelopes to give to you after going back in time. Then when
you two get here again... Well for the first time... They will take the key and 'trigger
from you two as you fight in Cloud's world. They will then pay Dio to make you work
for the set, you will come back here and do everything again. They will seal it after you
get back."
"Can you understand how you get caught in a circle? Your past will be relived over
and over. In fact, for all you know, this isn't the present or the future. This may have
already happened and you are just reliving it."
"Then what's the point of giving us the Trigger and Gate Key, if you're just going to
take it from us anyway?," Miya asked. Gaspar didn't answer her.
Nic thought for a few moments. The Masamune lent him no knowledge. "No. This
is the first time. Because of the letter you wrote...," Nic said.
"But you will or even have said that every time. And by the way, I havn't written that
letter yet wrote that letter. It just appeared," Gaspar said.
"This is confusing!" Miya yelled.
"Temporal loops can do that."
"I think you two should be on your way home," Gaspar said, he then turned and
walked off into the darkness without so much as a thank you or good-bye.
Nic led Miya toward the gate. "How much do you think we have missed?" Miya
asked. The Masamune laughed. As they stepped through, they fell.
Nic heard screaming first. Hudson was screaming, "NOOO!" Nic then remembered
two night before when he and Miya first stepped through Hudson yelling as
they vanished. He stood up looking at his watch. Three seconds past midnight. They
had missed three seconds in their own world.
"Wha... What...okay. What just happened?" Brooklyn asked.
Miya looked to Nic and almost burst into laughter. He grinned at her. "Let's get
back to the tower. We'll try to explain everything there...," Nic said, laying down the
maps, letter, key, Chronotrigger, and the Masamune. He took Miya's hand, leading
her off. He turned and looked at Bronx, who was sniffing the items. "Leave it alone,"
he said.
Bronx obeyed and padded over to the others. He looked at Miya curiously then
stood by her side. For some strange reason, for the rest of the night and everytime he
saw her afterwards, Bronx did not leave her side.
THE END... for now.
*****
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Ionic Butterfly: This story was the brainchild of Ranwolf and me, Ionic. Hope you liked it.
The rights for the characters and ideas for this story come from many places. Disney,
Buena Vista, Square and Squaresoft, and Ranwolf has the rights to
Nicodemus Maza. Miyabe Tendo is mine.
Special thanks to Ran who let me use his characters and ideas for this story. With
our minds combined, I think this story ended up pretty cool.
Ranwolf: Don't let Ionic fool you. She wrote a majority of this fic, I just edited it and
wrote the fight scene. She came up with the idea for the saloon fight too.
Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed this story. Ja mata na, ^_^.