A Ranma ½/Final Fantasy VII Crossover (with mentions of Sailor Moon)
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Awakening
Darkness.
Beautiful, majestic, and utterly void darkness.
Here, he was at peace. Here was where he belongs. Here was where he can rest his tired body, his battered mind. Here was where he can mourn for her, until the end of time and beyond.
For you. For me. For us. For our future… no more..
Ranma slept.
The ice surrounded him. Curled with its wintry embrace, he dreamt only of the void.
Purposelessness... His dedication taken, his work sabotaged. And he would sleep, heal, and close himself to the world, as the world has closed itself to him.
An eternity came, and passed.
Finally, Ranma's mind, muddled and confused, disturbed after its long slumber, began to dream of the world.
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LOCATION: ICICLE VILLAGEProfessor Gast stomped his feet, feeling somewhat annoyed.
As much as I value the greatness of scientific research and development, does it have to be this cold here?
Icy wind blew, and the lab coat, while long and covered him from neck to shin, the thin fabric it was constructed from offered him little to no resistance against the cold. Remind me later to reprimand myself. Idiot, coming outside without your winter coat, you'll turn into an icicle before you finish the research.
"Professor! Over here, Professor!"
Gast sighed and looked toward the voice. A young man, covered from head to toe by a thick layer of Jumping[1] hide, ran toward him. His aide, in charge of the expedition when he couldn't spare himself from his work, whether it be documenting some new, bizarre monster they found in this barren land, to the daily reports he must make to their generous sponsor, the Shinra corporation. Generous, that is, as long as they continue to produce results. Adequate results, which will no doubt further the company's main objective---make more money.
The young aide skidded to a stop in front of the professor, both hands on his knees, back-bent, and panted, his body making its displeasure of the heavy running exercise in an oxygen-deficient environment evident.
Gast resisted the urge to sigh, again. And shivered when another blast of wind blew by, he eyed the aide's Jumping coat with envy, a clear reminder of his own pea-brained-ness.
"What is it?" The professor inquired in a bored voice. "Did another icicle get stuck in the driller? I told you, just crank up the engines, it'd melt on its own. These new models Shinra sent us are Mythril-platted and highly resistant against the cold, specifically designed for our purpose here." Gast frowned at the young man disapprovingly, "As my aide, you of all people should know that I cannot be disturbed for every little thing, there are reports to fill out, documents to be recorded, samples to be analyzed, which is the reason that you are in charge so I can do them." His tone has changed through out the conversation from bored to severely annoyed. There we go. That'll stop the lad from bugging me with the petty details every time an issue comes up.
The young man stood up, still taking deep gulps of air, looking wide-eyed at the professor.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be in my lab..." Gast nodded at his aide, his mind already picturing the cozy little cabin, with a nice, warm fire burning nonstop in the hearth. He was taking his second step toward his private sanctuary when the aide finally came to himself and spoke.
"Professor, we... we didn't have any trouble with the machine." The youngster gave a loped-side grin, "I think we found something!"
The professor froze, all thought of his discomfort forgotten. "Show me."
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For over two thousand years, Ranma knew only of the void, of the utter emptiness.
Sightless, soundless, motionless, mindless. Oblivion. A barren paradise.
Yet, this peace was not to be.
Whispers of reminiscences began to tease his mind, soft and gentle. They increased swiftly, both in volume and magnitude. And with them...
Darkness was replaced by swirls of unidentifiable colors and shapes...
Silence by distorted vibrations...
Sensation of awareness came, dragging his spirit away from death, and back into the world of the living.
Light.
Whiteness.
Sound.
Ambiance.
Impression.
"... scanner... someth... there!"
The humming of loud machinery.
"Holy shi... finally..."
Exclamation of human voices.
"Cut it... careful... damages..."
Inkling of reposition.
"... fascinating... completely..."
Indication of examination.
"...condition... stasis... lab... Nibelheim...Midgar…"
Senses dulled again. Tired after the exertion when the body has been deadened for so long. Sleep came, and it would not be another decade… or three, before the mind truly awakens.
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Memorandum to Head Science Dept., Shinra
From Professor Gast, Chief of the Northern Geological Expedition
Location: Nibelheim
X Year, X month, X day:
Specie: Unknown; found.
The expedition has been successful. At approximately 500 meters below the original focal point, we have found the remains of unknown specie. Said specie was found inert in an at least 2000 year old geological stratum, encased in ice. Its genetic makeup unlike anything we've found on this planet, although the being's body has suffered heavy internal and external damage to several vital organs and bodily appendages, the being is identified to be female in structure, code name JENOVA, and procedures has be taken to transport the being to the main lab located at Nibelheim for further research.
*Note: Jenova may be originated from an extinct race of being known as the Ancients. Historical records conclude that they were the native inhabitants of the planet before the existence of humans. It appears to be dormant at the time being, although positive feedbacks were received during some of my initial experiments. However, if the Ancient is 'awake' at present time, it has not manifested any form of communication that we recognize.
Specie: Human(?); found.
Another creature, humanoid in appearance, was found in the near vicinity of specie: JENOVA, also encased in ice. After undergoing biological testing, it has been found human, though it generated several abnormal readings that our present mechanism could not identify. Said being appears to be a young male of Wutaian heritage. Additional testing on the male's brainwave structures revealed said male to be dormant, and like JENOVA, he has also undergone severe mutilation of both internal and external assortment that are fatal to a normal human being. While he has currently lapsed into a deep coma, steps has been taken for a transfer from the main lab located at Nibelheim to the central laboratories at Shinra Headquarters, Midgar, to be placed in an advanced stasis tank until his condition improves.
*Note: It is my belief that this human was communicating with the Ancient when, for reasons currently unknown to us, both were severely wounded and frozen by whatever event that has caused the Northern Continent to turn into the barren land we see today. Yet through a stroke of luck, the two were 'preserved' by the oncoming ice, which acted as a primitive stasis chamber for the two, thus the reason that they are still 'alive' today. It simply amazes me that a human is able to survive in such primitive conditions, although I suspect the odd readings we've gathered from him played a crucial role in his continued existence. I shall look forward to the day he awakens; it is my personal belief that this person may be the key to the many mystery of the planet.
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APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS LATER...
Green was everywhere.
It pressed against his body, seeping into his pores, peeking under his eyelids, oozing into his mouth, and trickling down his throat. Green tastes horrible. It stung his eyeballs too.
"Urg..." The words' original intent was lost in the green bubbles. It was an uncomfortable experience, he decided after a moment, to try to speak in the greenish liquid.
Ranma felt weak, his bones made of jelly, his muscles dough. Soft and squishy, not an ounce of strength, no matter how hard he willed it.
He was disturbed, he knew it. It was the reason he woke, something had happened, he doesn't know what, only his body reacted and dragged his mind from the long slumber it had lapsed into.
One eyelid twitched, then the other. Slowly, the right one peeled upward, no more than a mere centimeter, before it squeezed itself shut, disliking the feeling of the green liquid against the sensitive areas of the eye.
Ouch! That stung!
The left one moved, braving the needle-like sensation, slowly prying itself open, one millimeter at a time. Until all that was left was the needles, and the endless green.
"Urg..." Another wave of bubbles, tickling pleasantly against his face, they ruffled his bangs, and escaped through the air holes at the top of the tank.
Ranma ignored the bubbles, and concentrated on the world. Endless green because fuzzy green, then green-with-colors-that-aren't-green, and finally into things that are not green, but is covered with a layer of green through the liquid that was still jabbing his eyes.
And along with sight, came sound, however distorted.
"...oud... omeone... in here..." A soft, symphonic voice.
"...the #%@$... is this... human ...?" A rough, heavy voice.
"Why...familiar…Sephi…?" Young, masculine, full of confusion, underlined with terror.
Ranma paid them little attention. He was focused on a point of his glass prison. Watching it intently.
A hand, garbed in red, fingerless gloves rested on the glass. Pale fingers extended, long and slim, delicate looking, but he can make out the telltale calluses; this hand belongs to a fighter.
He squinted. Narrowing his eyes, his line of sight traveled upward, following the hand to an arm. Firm muscles, covered by milky skin, and he took a smooth turn to the right. A white tank top, stretched, covering two... he turned straight up, no need to linger there. And time stopped.
Blood rushed in his ears, the sound louder than any waterfall, caused by the escalating rate of his heart, pounding his chest to the point of bursting. His throat constricted, denying his body the entrance of oxygen, fed through a tube that was jabbing uncomfortably in his mouth. His eyes burned, vision dimming, until the face was all that's left.
Violent emotions raged within him, screaming the impossible. He could feel the bubbles tickling his body, the pressure expanding out and away from his body, power rolled within him, seeking escape. Pressure building, and building, until his glass prison finally gave in.
*chink*
A silver of a crack appeared. As if it has a life of its own, the crack enlarged, expanding from its origin like the web of a spider, it grew, and grew.
The sound of glass shattering, of liquid Mako bursting from the stasis tank, of a body slamming against the glass, causing more to shatter, the sound of coughing, as the body tries to expel the liquid out of its lungs. The sound of heavy breathing. And...
"Firefly...?" [4]
The cry of a desperate man, suddenly presented with a shining ray of hope.
Yet, it was not to be.
The face looked back, surprise shimmering in the eyes. Slowly, it shifted. Violet eyes brightened until they turned into crimson, purplish-black hair lightened to dark brown, then lengthened, passing the chin, rolling down the shoulders, and came to a stop around upper thigh, the ends tying themselves together loosely with a maroon band. The face's expression was one of confusion, mixed with a hint of fear, but the most important of all, the eyes held no recognition.
Stupid, he cursed himself. Stupid, she died. Don't you remember? She died because YOU weren't there to protect her.
Tears burned, he refused to let them fall.
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THE ENTRANCE TO SHINRA HEADQUARTERSTifa nibbled her lower lip. It was a gesture she had picked up while training under Zangan, a sign of nervousness. By the time she realized that the casual gesture had grown into a habit, it had been too late to quit said habit.
She made a conscious effort to stop, sneaking another peek at her companion. Golden hair framed a chiseled visage, gravity-defying strands poked up, down, left and right; Chocobo-haired freak, she remembered, it was one of their favorite taunts back in childhood. How she regrets those days, when she had her gang of followers, and ignored the loner, the outsider.
Is this how he felt, back in the days? She wondered. To have someone you care about, yet doesn't return your feelings? She kicked herself mentally, Tiferet Lockheart, now is NOT the time to brood. Aeris is a nice person, and she's in trouble because of us; rescue her first, /then/ think about...
Firmly squishing all thoughts of nostalgia, and the hint of a strange, heart-wrenching emotion, all the way to the back of her mind, Tifa resumed her study of the fair-haired young man.
Glowing blue eyes, a sculptured face, slim figure, lean and taut, elegant in its masculinity. Pretty, in an exotic way. Clothed in dark-purplish attires, and literally radiated pride and indifference. The gigantic broadsword only intensifies the feeling of formality and invulnerability.
So different. Changed so much from who you were. And you make me feel unsure...
"Well," her dark-skinned friend roared, "Let's get this show on the road!"
"Wait!" Tifa exclaimed. "You can't mean to tell me you're just gonna run in there and start shooting!"
"Well, you got a better idea?" Barret retorted. "This is the quickest way!"
"There has to be some better way! A quieter way." She looked towards the silent young man. Begging silently, willing him to look at her. Please Cloud, give me some time, let me think about this, about what we're going to do, please...
"There's over sixty floors, if we sneak in, it'll take too long. We'll go through the front door and use the elevators, the sooner we get to Aeris, the better." The blond spoke, his eyes on the gigantic building. "Come on." He ran inside.
"Yeah! Let's rumble!" The large man bellowed and raised his gun arm in anticipation.
Yes, of course. Aeris comes first...
Taking a deep breath to calm her jarred nerves, and to repress the sensation of tears in her eyes, Tifa blinked several times before following the two into the foundation of Shinra.
Aeris... comes first... before me...
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THE 67TH FLOOR
"Did he just say...specimen?" Tifa asked softly, placing her hand on the glass. "Poor thing..." The large, red feline beast ignored her, choosing instead to huddle into itself.
She tapped the glass, trying to get a better view of the beast; it was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Roughly around the size of a Kalm Fang, if not larger, the beast's body covered with fire-red fur, and a blazing-crimson flame burned at the tip of its tail, while several tattoo-like markings can be seen on its legs.
I wonder what kind of creature it is? Tifa inquired mentally. And... She blinked and took a closer look at the creature, Are those Mythril Armlets on its legs!? And Materia inserted on its headdress!?
What? How... Whatever question she had disappeared as she heard a strangled, half-scream. She turned swiftly, and...
"Cloud!" The brunette quickly ran to his side and kneels down to her companion while her dark-skinned friend looked over her shoulder with anxiety.
"Jenova... Sephiroth's... so... they brought it here...?" The blond mumbled.
"Huh?" Barret blinked and looked into the dome next to him before stepping away quickly. "Where's its goddamn head?!" He snapped, unnerved by the monstrosity within.
Cloud was silent. His eyes had a glazed look, as if he was in a trance. A moment later, the ex-SOLDIER shook himself, and attempted to stand up with some help from Tifa and Barret.
"Let's go." No explanation was offered, and none was requested. After all...
Aeris comes first...
They ran past the dome and a series of crates. After dispatching two Moth Slashers and a 3rd Class SOLDIER, looting the Carbon Bangles as Cloud made a few experimental sweeps with the Hardedge he 'acquired' whilst the team stopped in front of a research tube to prepare themselves. [3]
"Geez," Barret wheezed, taking the moment to relax on one of the crates near, "All the running, this ain't my cup of... aaarrghhh!" Whether it be that the wood was too ancient and rotten, or simply because Barret was a man of weighty constitution, the crate creaked and collapsed into itself, leaving the gun-armed man dazed in a heap of rubble.
"Barret!" Stifling a giggle, Tifa, along with the help of Cloud, pulled the now thoroughly disgruntled man up. Huffing and muttering dark curses under his breath, the former leader of AVALANCHE begins to dust himself off.
After kicking away some of the splinters littered over the floor, the team made a pleasant discovery.
Picking up the green orb, Tifa examined the Materia they found hidden under the debris.
"Poison. Here, Cloud," she tossed it to her blond companion. "It might come useful later on." She scanned the room, Maybe there are more...
Her inspections lead her to the test tube near them. It was filled with some sort of green goop, liquid Mako, she supposed. During her lessons with Zangan, he had given her a brief overview on the history of Mako, including its uses in a liquid form... Something about stasis, and preservation, I think… hmmm…
Placing her hand on the glass to scrub off the layer of dust collected on the surface, the dark-haired young woman tried to get a closer peek at its contents.
Eyes looked back.
She gasped.
"Tifa?" Noticing her distress, the blond inquired, "What's wrong?"
"Cloud! There's someone in here!"
"What the #%@$! Another monster? Is this one human?"
His eyes glued to the stasis tube, Cloud murmured, panic evident in his tone of voice, "Why does this all seem so familiar... this… Nibelheim." He clutched his head, willing the pain to go away.
"Cloud? Are you..." Whatever the young woman was going to say was lost in the sound of glass cracking, and shattering under her hand. "Gah!" A backflip, completed more on instinct than reasoning, saved her the fate of being drenched with the green goop, or body-slammed by the life form kept within the stasis tube.
The young man, yes, it was a young man in that tube, coughed and made several retching sounds. After vomiting a large quantity of... ewwww..., he looked up, and into her eyes.
"Firefly...?" An inquiry of some sort, full of sadness and hope. It sounded like a name. Unsure, she looked back.
A moment later, he dropped his eyes. "You're not her..."
Confused, Tifa examined the man in front of her.
Black hair. Oliver skin. Not to mention quite naked. She blushed a little. Typical Wutaian features. Although... He has blue eyes. That was new. They sparkled with luminosity from the way lights reflect, different from the shimmers of inner flame like Cloud's. And there was something about the way he spoke, his accent...
She was interrupted from her musings by Barret, who thrust his gun arm in front of the man's face. "Alright, you, who the #%@$ are you and why the #%@$ were you in that #%@$^@& tube? You work for Shinra?"
"Barret!" Tifa exclaimed. "What are you doing? He could be an innocent!"
"Yeesh Tifa, I'm just trying to find out what's going on."
Cloud spoke up. "It doesn't matter, we have to leave, Aeris' safety comes first." the ex-SOLDIER said. "We can come back for him later." IF we can come back at all, was left unsaid.
Tifa nibbled her lip again. "But Cloud, we can't just leave him here."
The blond gave her an exasperate look, and sighed in defeat. "Wait here." He turned and ran back, returning a moment later with a bundle in his hand. SOLDIER garment. Probably taken from the 3rd Class SOLDIER they had slain earlier on. He threw the outfit on the young man, who was trying to stand up by supporting himself with his hands, "Put these on, then hide. We'll come back for you later."
And with that, the spiky-haired young man stepped into the service elevator nearby. "Come on, we can get to the next level through here."
With a last glance at the young man, Tifa and Barret quickly followed.
Aeris comes first...
A.N. I had fun writing this chapter. Seems like I'm finally getting the hang of it. Cool. ^_^
*holds out a box of cookies*
I'll give you, my dear, innocent readers, the same choice I've given to others. Guess, guess what's going on. You know how to contact me. And if you guess right, I'll give you a cookie! ^_^
And, one more thing:
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *takes a deep breath* BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *hack* *cough* *choke on her cookie*
Water... Somebody...
[1] As you've no doubt realized, I've changed the historical layout of Final Fantasy VII to better suit the fanfic.
[2] For those of you who don't know, Jumping was the man-sized rabbits that dwelt near Icicle Village.
[3] Remember the layout of the 67th floor? The stasis tube is where the save point was, and the crate Barret sat on was the box containing the Poison materia.
[4] It came to my attention that some people don't even have a clue on what Hotaru meant in Japanese. -_-
C & C Welcome at: yanslana@yahoo.com
Editor: The 17th Immortal
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