Disclaimer: Joss, WB, UPN, M.E, and various other corporations own Buffy. They can keep 'em, too. Final Fantasy is owned by Square and their subsidiaries. Although I wish I owned the rights to those games, it's never gonna happen…

Title: Vampire's Final Fantasy

Author: Paradigm Shifter

Rating: R. What, you expect me to write something that isn't?

Feedback: Much appreciated, and craved.

Crossover: Final Fantasy/Buffy the Vampire Layer

Continuity: Buffy: Seasons 1 & 2, up to the end of Becoming. Final Fantasy: VIII, but the game hasn't been truly started yet. Set in the universe, but the time has not yet arrived… (It starts when Squall and the others are around 8 years old.)

Notes: I'm going slowly insane… my writing time goes down, so what do I do? I start a new fic. Jeez.

*

{Two Weeks Later}

Edea sat down next to her newest Orphan. She felt uncertain about what she was about to do, and fear crept into her heart.

"Alex?" she asked gently, "I have to ask you something, and I would like you to answer truthfully."

Alex looked at her, and the uncertainty he felt mirrored hers. "Yes, Matron?"

"My husband runs an Academy… a Military Academy. It's based in Balamb, and is the premiere Academy in the world. He has hopes to open others in various locations… Galbadia, Trabia, even Esthar, if they will let him." She stopped. "I am sorry, my husbands… Cid's enthusiasm affected me for a minute. You seem to have great knowledge of tactics… you have saved Seifer twice in the past week. He is arrogant, but doesn't deserve to be left to the monsters that roam around here."

"You got arrogant right," muttered Alex, "the last time I pulled him out from an encounter with some Jelleyes, he cursed me for a good ten minutes before he finally realised I wasn't going to rise to it."

Edea smiled. Squall and Alex got on well; Alex seemed to be the only one other than Ellone that had ever managed to draw Squall out of his shell. Selphie and Quistis adored him, the protective older brother. Irvine and Zell were wary, as if he was going to steal their girls. Seifer hated him with a passion. But then, Seifer hated everyone with a passion, so it didn't matter so much. "Cid was here the last time you rescued Seifer… he was just going looking himself. He thinks you have great potential, Alex, but you need to tone down your recklessness. It wont do your friends any good to be rescued, if you get killed doing the rescuing."

Alex blushed. "Sorry."

"It doesn't really matter too much, now… but you cannot do things like that at an Academy. Everyone works together, but one does not throw himself away for the others."

"When would I be leaving?" Alex asked with suspicion.

"It would be soon… you're almost too old to enter, and it would be a lot of work to catch up. Fortunately, you don't seem to have forgotten everything you learned, simply who you are…" Edea played with a loose thread on her dress. "Which is still bad, but it means that you can actually remain with your age group."

"I can't leave Squall and the others." Alex stated, "and I can't let Seifer alone, he'd get in too much trouble."

"Don't worry about leaving them permanently, they will be joining you eventually; in a few years at most… and you can come back to visit during breaks."

Alex sighed. He could see he wasn't going to win. Matron thought it was a good idea, and while she wouldn't pressure him, he knew his giving in was inevitable. "OK. I'll go."

A deep voice sounded from behind him. "Good, my boy. I'm glad to have you come to Balamb Garden!"

Alex turned round to see Edea's husband, Cid, standing there with a huge grin splitting his face in two. The slightly portly man didn't look like a fighter, but then, Edea didn't look like the only remaining Sorceress alive, so in both cases; appearances proved to be deceptive.

Alex smiled. "It should be interesting, sir."

Cid's face betrayed his shock at that title. "Not sir. Never sir." He seemed to be thinking. "Headmaster will do, I think."

Alex turned back to Edea. "How am I gonna tell Squall I'm leaving?"

Edea frowned. "He is still extremely vulnerable, emotionally. I was not aware that he had such a strong bond with Ellone… when she left; it nearly destroyed him. He seems to have transferred that bond to you…"

"You're not helping, here," pointed out Alex. "You're simply givin' me reasons to stay."

Edea sighed. "I'm not sure how to do it, but it will only be a few years at most before we send Squall to Balamb. It's…" she looked at Cid. "What we have planned for all of these children. Our children."

Cid sat down, next to Alex, sandwiching him between Edea and himself. "Ultimately, it is for the best… the time is coming, Edea, when we will need…"

Edea shot him a look. "You think I don't know that? But Alex doesn't need to know all of this. He will have enough to worry about."

Cid reached across and gripped her hand. "Don't worry. We'll survive… we'll win."

Edea smiled softly, and looked back at Alex. "Don't worry about Squall. But tell him gently. It might also be best if you do mention that he will be joining you soon… it will give him something to aim for, instead of getting in stupid fights with Seifer."

Alex sighed. "Something tells me: this isn't going to be easy…"

Cid laughed, "If there is one thing marrying a Sorceress teaches you, Alex, it is that things that are worth it rarely are!"

Alex smiled wanly at Cid's humour.

*

Giles sat in the hospital chair in Willow's room, watching the redhead with tired eyes. She had fallen back into her coma after the successful casting of the Soul Curse, and had yet to reawaken. "What happened, Buffy?"

Buffy looked to Angel. They… well; she… had decided that telling them the truth, exactly what had happened, would destroy the group dynamic. The Slayer needed her watcher, even if she didn't need friends. Angel shrugged at Buffy's look. His eyes clearly said to her; I want to tell them the truth. It's the least they deserve.

Buffy began to speak. "Well… um… y'see… we kind of… had this little accident… yeah…"

"What sort of accident?" Giles asked patiently.

Angel spoke quietly. "I opened Acathla."

Giles looked at him, and nodded. It was pointless to get worked up, because Angel was obviously more torn up about what he had done as Angelus than Giles' could ever hope to make him by mere words. "I see. Thank you for telling me. I take it, though, that it closed again? Otherwise we would all be guests of a very hot place for the remainder of our lives…"

Angel opened his mouth, but Buffy spoke before he could. "It's closed. I made sure of that."

Angel looked at Buffy, and shook his head. "Buffy. I can't lie. Not about this."

Buffy glared at him. "Angel, shut up."

Giles fixed Angel with a piercing gaze. "Lie? About what? Acathla is still open?"

Angel felt a blood tear trickle down his cheek, and run into the corner of his mouth. He opened his mouth to speak, but Buffy again cut him off. "You say one word, Angel, and I will stake you where you stand!"

Angel turned away, showing her his back. "Then do it, Buffy. Because I will tell Giles." He turned back. "Xander vanished through the portal. He had a piece of my bloodied shirt in his hand, and 'as the Blood shall open the portal, so shall the Blood close the portal.'"

"So… Xander has gone." Giles blinked. "Is that what you are trying to say?"

"Not quite. But it will do for now. Get some rest, Giles… you'll need it later." Angel turned and walked out.

Giles looked at Buffy, disappointment in his gaze. "And why did you not want me to know that? Or did Angel not tell the whole story?"

Buffy couldn't meet her mentor's gaze. "Giles… I'm… I'm sorry. I can't do this ri… right now…"

She fled.

Giles sat back. "If not now, Buffy, then when?"

Only the dull beep of monitoring machines answered him.

*