Disclaimer: I don't own Ragnarok Online! Isn't that great? Because if I owned it, King Tristan would be hosting same-sex marriages, not that he doesn't, because I've seen a lot of private servers actually having said marriages! Oh, if only I was skilled enough to hack the servers and change the coding in there! I don't own…erm…-checks plot book- Naruto! Sorry for the randomness of the crossovers!
A little drabble on crossovers:
Let's admit it. Some OCs (original characters, for the casual reader) really suck bad. OCs are not meant to become main characters. For a game like Ragnarok Online, having an OC is inevitable. Not to mention contending with the manga and anime version of the said game.
Just having an OC as a main character is hard. Controlling an entire populace of OCs is even harder. You have to create character and personality, you have to manage what they say and how they say it. You have to create habits, remember them as if it is you in another dimension. So how do we make this easier?
Simple! We do crossovers! This makes sure that the characters from the different anime shows are to which readers can relate to! The main point of a fan fiction is to let people understand the main character. If people know how the sub-characters act and feel, they can focus more on the main character.
The crossovers are a bit one-shot anyway. They rarely will get past one chapter.
A little drabble on responding to reviews:
Ok fine. Although I loathe that said rule, I have to admit that the administration has a point. I've seen dozens of fics that have review responses composing half of the whole word count. And that's plain suckage in my opinion.
So to exploit this loophole, we will instead have an FAQ, which faintly reminds me of a curse phrase, to which the main character will strive to answer general inquiries for the unwashed masses. These will be found at the end of every chapter, to prevent the author from answering the same question every review he has.
And…thank you for the reviews! You don't know how happy I am with receiving reviews! Not that, I'm really asking for you…but it warms the heart knowing some person in a far-offish land (or your next door neighbor) is taking time to write how he/she generally loves or hates me and my writing! So thanks for feeding me guys!
Alright…now on to the story.
"I'm home!"
"Welcome back. Did the professor let you off early from your detention?"
"Yup! Something smells good, you makin' somethin' here?"
"Apple taffy…it's for Halloween tomor- Hey! Why are you all muddy? And stay still! You're tracking mud all over the carpet!"
"The professor made me choose either two hours of solitary confinement or half an hour of collecting Ambernite shells in Geffen. Took me another half-hour to make the trip back and forth Juno."
"Oh my god! Are those snail innards I see in your gloves?!?"
"Huh…which one-"
"That's it! GO! Bathroom NOW!"
"But I wanted candy!"
"Keep your hands off the taffy! Until I see no trace of snail gut in your hands, you are not eating one of my taffy apples."
"Can I have two then?"
"BATHROOM!"
"Peh! Jerk!"
"It has been awhile since we first met huh?"
"Two years. My opinion of you being a bastard still stands..."
"Bastard."
"And yet, this bastard has to contend cleaning up after you."
"I'm not comfy with your neatness. Gosh, can't you even spare me a single germ in our room?"
"…you like germs?"
"Hell no! But germs are what Mother Nature blessed upon our poor Midgard souls. Without said germs, we will remain zombies: wake up, eat, work, eat, sleep. It's a blessing when one day, you just wake up, eat, sleep, eat, sleep."
"Being sick, per se?" "You know what? We, poor Midgard souls, have a way with dealing with that type of mentality. It's called seeing a shrink."
"Hardy-har-har. And what? Degenerate myself into the mediocre goop of society?"
"Sigh…I really don't get you. Can't you just try and live a normal life? Wake up early, work an honest day's pay, and retire happy?"
"Are we back to square one?"
"We're Sages, Katze. We are not meant to open the path to uncharted lands, we are there to document said uncharted lands. Leave the hero stuff to the knights and the hunters. Let them do their jobs and we'll do ours."
"Is there a problem with my unique way of thinking?" "Just because I don't do protocol, I don't do stuff the conventional way, I don't do…w-whatever. Time and time, I've proven to you that I can take care of myself…"
"…Katze."
"I'm seventeen for crying out loud. And I've got one life to live. If I should spend it doing stuff the way other people do, then what's the point of living? I should just hire them to run my life."
"I'm sorry, Kianu. You, as my best friend, and as my rival, should understand better. I can honestly tell that you know me. But at least... if you can't support me…then can you just leave me alone?"
"You're still as foolhardy as you can come, Katze." "I just don't want you getting hurt, you know that. I can't always be there, running behind you to catch you when you fall…or stop you from casting some deranged spell your mind can easily come up with…"
"I know I'm weak…" "That's why I want to become stronger. I always make you worry…and I always find myself apologizing to you for making you worry like that."
"I can't even call you my rival anymore. You're more of my protector than my rival. That's why I want to go out of my way to do stuff without your help; do things without you around! You're my fucking rival, damnit! I don't need your fucking help!"
Katze failed to notice the slightly bluish aura resonating at the retreating person's feet.
Chapter 3: Entry 3
"…haaaack…cough…cough…." Katze finally opened his eyes, startled at what happened. The faint memory in his cloudy mind registered a very dangerous looking spine of ice heading towards him…that and the temperature around him suddenly dropped to ten degrees below zero.
He was surprised when his peripheral vision registered a height far too greater than what he was used to standing. Last time he remembered, he was only five feet ten inches tall…why did the floor suddenly seem so tiny and…faraway?
Err…can anybody explain why his whole body is cold and paralyzed?
"OH MY…HOLY FRICKING PIECE OF – "
Yup, everything clicked. If that giant ice spike jutting out below him and encasing his damn whole body in subzero conditions did not state the obvious for him, that smug face in the dark corner of the dungeon-room would bite him in the ass for him to take notice of the situation he fell into.
"Who are you!" Katze narrowed his glare at the pair of green (!) eyes observing him from the distance. Oooh…if looks could kill, he'd be a very happy man right now.
There was a slight shifting of clothing coming from those eyes' general direction. By and by, they went closer and closer towards him, still locked on his own eyes though.
The light slowly revealed a platinum blond, around twenty-one years of age. Delicate lashes crowned intense green eyes, a slight tug on his lips forming a cross between a smile and a smirk.
A pure white fox scarf lazily slung itself on the other professor's shoulder, while a choker graced his pallid neck. His lithe body followed suit, professor uniform just showing he was the conservative type – standard professor suit, ashen pants, and a Wizardry staff dangling in his belt alongside numerous slim potions and a pouch that held scrolls of some sort.
"Please." The smirk-smile degenerated to just a smile, and Katze suddenly found it hard to remove his gaze from those lips that…err… languidly spelled out every word. "Humor me; it has been a while since we last met."
Oh my god…outright sexy! Damn, damn, damn! Thank heavens I'm encrusted in 3 feet of ice! My libido would have outright killed me! Must…resist…ravishing…evil…guy!
"Ugh…" The poor professor groaned miserably, the other taking it as a sign of pain from his ice prison. Oh, if he only knew! "…fuck if I knew you! Who are you?"
The other frowned, a bit skeptical and disappointed. His lips were tugged in a scowl and a pout, and Katze found himself whining again at his own predicament. Gah! It's a scowt! The ice isn't helping me calm down! No help at all!
"You spoke my name earlier." He slid closer, resting his one hand on his staff. Katze was now subjected to the full intensity of his emerald irises.
"Well," Katze immediately looked away, tugging his thoughts to something less-enticing…like two Orc warriors making out. Good…that certainly wilted away any of his apprehensions earlier.
Then again…that was just damn outright disgusting. Like an orc lady and an orc warrior having sex…eww.
"Try being hit face on with an ice spell and being unconscious for thirteen and a half seconds." His voice came out calm this time, and Katze mentally congratulated himself for being serious at least once for this conversation.
"Fourteen seconds." The other corrected.
Katze just rolled his eyes and snorted.
"You failed to add the casting time of the spell."
"Che…" He bared his canines, and grinned cockily at the professor. "Still precise to the dot, eh Kianu?"
Katze momentarily stopped; eyes wide in recognition.
"Uh."
Kianu remained rooted in his spot, a shy smile dawning on his face. "Been awhile and –"
"YOU PRICK! I'LL KILL YOU! KILL YOU! YOU LEFT ME WITHOUT SAYING A WORD! NEXT THING I HEAR, YOU'RE A FUCKING PROFESSOR ALREADY! ASSHOLE! I DON'T NEED YOU! YOU FUCKING HEAR ME?!? YOU GO ON WITH YOUR PERFECT LIFE, YOU SELFISH BASTARD! YOU EVEN DON'T MAKE GOOD CANDY! I HATE YOU! HATE YOU SO FUCKING MUCH! WHY DON'T YOU JUST DRIVE A STAKE THROUGH MY HEART?!? HUH?! HUH!?!? I HOPE YOU ROT IN THE WORSEST PART OF HELL!"
Kianu stood rooted to his ground, eyes transfixed at the berserk brunette trapped in ice. Did…did the guy really spend his years hating him for leaving him without telling?
The brunette sobbed hard, howls echoing across the dungeon room.
Kianu said nothing, to his credit, understanding the situation. He let the smaller man cry, empty his tears and frustration out. He'd dealt with this situation back then, and he knew confronting Katze while he was berserk with anger at the moment did nothing better for the situation.
He was still sobbing, yelling profanities and choice curse words once in a while. The blond stood his ground, being the emotional punching bag. He just shifted his eyes away from the brunette to ease the pain of being lashed at.
It took a goodly five minutes for the incessant cursing and yelling to stop. Kianu slowly dared a face towards the quietly sobbing Katze. Streaks of tears had either dried or frozen off of his cheeks, and his breathing came out in choked gasps.
From what he had picked out of the threats of Katze killing him, and the choice cut of words Kianu had no idea the brunette had picked up, he construed that the boy had a rough life after his departure. There were mentions of bullying, teasing, being taken advantage of, and betrayal that the brunette had undergone during his three years-absence.
"A…I-I'm c-cold…" A soft whisper.
"O-oh…I didn't mean to – " He fumbled with his words again.
"P-please…don't s-say you're s-sorry." Katze was starting to turn a little blue around the edges. "S-sorry just won't cut it."
There was a tint of disappointment in the tone. Sorry won't cut it alright…both for flash freezing him…and for leaving him for almost two years.
"Then I won't." Kianu's stiffened, his voice turned steely; sounding like the bastard Katze had known last two years ago.
The hesitations in his movements earlier had long been discarded for the awkwardness of the situation. Mumbling a few words (which sounded like Dispel), and slamming a yellow gemstone into the ice, the spire cracked at its base and made a sickening, breaking sound.
Shards of ice scattered around, the area suddenly transforming into a gauche winter wonderland. Slivers of ice fell from the dark ceiling of the dungeon room; like hailstones falling amongst the descent of snow.
In the midst of the freezing spray, Katze fell; eyes on the brink of unconsciousness, silk robe trailing behind him; into the arms of the other professor.
He fell weakly, lightly and limply against the hold of the blond professor. He was shivering somewhat, breath hitching once in a while (a symptom of mild hypothermia), but color started to return to his skin. What was once bluish and hard became tinged with a rosy pink tone.
Kianu slowly led the man to his feet, but he felt some sort of resistance from the smaller professor. Limp arms futilely held tighter against his chest, and he saw Katze lift half-lidded eyes to his own.
"Ngh…tired…I-I'm t-tired…" He croaked, shivering somewhat and pleading the other to not let go of him.
The two stood in silence, ice still falling from the ceiling.
"You're late!!" A priest glared at the newcomer.
"Dun' get your loins on a twist, mate. Juz' came back from Thanatos, se'?"
"We sent the summon two hours ago! And what time do YOU arrive?" The priest flailed his arms around, emphasizing his distress.
"Oh, c'mon mate! Is' not lik'ly tha' you won' start withou' me?"
"Just please hurry up, senior." The priest gave up, taking a clipboard behind him and placing a check mark on the form attached to it. He was exasperated. "So many here need our help."
"You've got nothin' ta' worry love." The high priest winked saucily, earning a raspberry from the priest who handled the relief operations. "On'e question, thou'…"
"Yeah?" The priest looked up from his clipboard to eye his senior. "What is it?"
"I mean, crikey, what dumbass would blow up un inn in Prontera in tha' middle of tha' day?" He scratched his bleached hair in annoyance. "I dun' suppose it was a munster who di'd it, cun' it?"
The priest glanced at the smoking remains of the inn, other priests fumbling around to heal the wounded and revive the unconscious. "I don't suppose." He shuffled through his reports. "It says here that a professor was detained and was held responsible for this mishap."
" E' professur?" The high priest quirked an eyebrow.
"No name was given." He shook his head. "The military has yet to give a statement on what happened here."
"D'ey give any description 'bout this professuh?" The high priest scooted, eyes hopeful in an instant. " 'air color? Eye color? Weight? 'Aight?"
"None whatsoever." The priest turned a careful glance at his senior, who suddenly lost his earlier vigor. "Have you not found him?"
"Nuh." The high priest slumped, turning around to the general direction of the wounded. "Be'en searchin' for 'im 'igh and low. Ev'ry cit'y, ev'ry town…even thu' small 'amlets.."
"And still no sign of your brother?"
The high priest stopped walking momentarily, head lowering. "I love 'im. With all my 'eart. 'is the only fam'ly I got."
He walked away once more, thoughts albeitly cleared as he laid his hands on the nearest victim.
"Nngh…"
Dark eyes hesitantly slid open, vision stained and still muddled. Carefully, he hefted a hand onto his right eye, massaging the area with his palm.
Minutes later, the throbbing in his head ceased.
"Muu where am I?" He coughed, sneezing after a few seconds. He was about to grab his cheap blanket to wipe his nose when he felt the material beneath his free hand.
Silk? He glanced around, panicking a bit, not recognizing where he was. He wasn't in the inn he was staying with its wooden floors, chipped whitewash walls, detergent-smelling cotton blankets and creaky beds.
Oh hell no. If the stone-tiled floor, the cheerily-glowing hearth, his Parisian-style triple mattress bed, and the red, silk blanket he was about to wipe his nose with, did not clue him that he was in a different place apart his stinking old place; nothing would.
"Ow…which reminds me that I blew up half of the inn." He clutched his head, migraine set off by the onslaught of memories returning to him. "Damn that assassin cross…"
Blue light…
Dungeon…
Ice spike…
Platinum blond hair…
"Owiee…pain…" Katze moaned pitifully, abandoning the idea of remembering what happened earlier. He never was good in retaining things in his head. Any opportunity, like bumping his head or sneezing harshly, his cranium would take it and flush away information like say…what the hell happened to him?
Sliding out of the silken bed sheets, he tentatively took his first steps in the surreal room. There was a window across the bed, with a large enough window sill ideal for sitting. A few birds idly hopped in said sill, singing a furtive song on how pathetic he looked at the moment.
The floor was cold, and the moment his feet touched them, it had sent shivers creeping up and out his spinal column. He shuddered, and wobbled a bit; his hands immediately grasped upon the bedside table for support in case he fell.
Thankfully, having reached the window sill without having a make out session with the floor; Katze momentarily adjusted his eyes at the glare of the outside light before finally realizing where he was.
Oh wow… He mouthed out. I'm in Prontera castle! In one of the castle rooms!
From his vantage point, he saw a Kafra girl idly talking to a few travelers; laughing once in a while. Acolytes were being led outside the Sanctuary by a flustered priest and priestess towards the south. On his right, a bunch of novices hung out by the Fellowship monument, one of the novices took it as an idea of fun by climbing the statue of two hands until a guard came and scolded him.
He chuckled, knowing that it somehow reminded him of himself. He did not dare bring up the memory lest summon another unforgiving migraine-like headache though. He contented himself basking in the warm afterglow of the setting sun.
The eastern wind blew a gust of wind at him, and soon the twenty-some professor realized that he was without clothes save for his loose black cotton boxer. He shivered, and leant on the warm stone window sill for some heat.
A sniper spotted him, and their eyes clashed for an instant. With a naughty grin, the sniper whistled and waved at him. The professor had the grace to look away, abashed, and brought his arms around his chest, feeling somewhat like a girl.
The sniper still waved at him jovially, until his party took notice of his antics and their leader (a lord knight) tore the sakkat off his head and violently ruffled his brown hair, like a noogie of sorts. The sniper scowled, pouting somewhat, and gave a last wave to the professor before the lot of them walked away.
Katze gave a small wave back half-heartedly and trailed his gaze at them for a short distance. His eyes widened a bit when the lord knight snuck a peck on the sniper's cheek. From the distance, he could make out the silhouette of the sniper flailing his arms out; and moments later, two shadows became one.
He willed looking away; he did not need to see this. The sight of the two was both painful and magical for him. It was…endearing and yet at the same time, Katze wished to destroy it.
Why? He was not a spiteful person by nature. A pessimist hiding in a shell of cheer and indifference, no doubt. But never did he think of ill thoughts against other people in line with his dream.
And yet…even from afar, he could see the lord knight whispering something in the sniper's ear. And the younger one would laugh at that, and then would speak something of his mind. This brought a smile of endearment into the lord knight's lips and hugged, nay, crushed the youth into his embrace.
Tears fell unbidden in the professor's eyes. Yet, he continued watching. And watching. Partaking in what could be considered as a romantic suicide. Slitting yourself and watching your blood leak to the floor.
And Katze remained watching, paining himself, and tears marred his cheeks…
"S-senior, is it okay for us to be even here?"
The priest glanced around wearily, eyeing the tavern with half-disgust and half-wonderment. It was rare for men of their profession to idle in places like these.
"Ke'ep your socks together, mate." The high priest in question made a beeline to the bar, where the bartender shook a few drinks up. "You really need to get out more of'ten."
The priest hesitated, clutching the clipboard tighter to himself. A lot of the customers were of the shady professions: assassins, stalkers, rouges, thieves…it was as if the slum people of Prontera converged in this one hell hole of a beer house.
"Hey, ba'rtenda." The high priest swung on his stool and slid his elbow on the counter. "One Vermilion on the Beach 'ere."
The priest eyed the crowd cautiously, sitting carefully on the stool beside his senior. A few seconds later, a large mug filled to the brim with questionable liquor was set beside him; just in front of his senior.
"Senior!" The priest scolded, turning a scowl on his oblivious companion. "No way are you going to drink that! You've taken your vows!"
The high priest kept mum, and he grinned a knowing grin, before he paid with a few zennies. The bartender only nodded, pocketing the coins and proceeding to serve the next patron.
Clutching the wooden mug securely with one hand, he carefully slid from his stool and walked the distance towards the swinging doors of the tavern. The priest took it as a cue to leave, and he was relieved to an extent, as he eyed the other patrons one last time before he left with his senior.
Both trekked the distance from the tavern to the other side of the city, Prontera Sanctuary. It was nighttime when they came and left the tavern, and the moonlight and the stars seemed to be the only guide to where they were heading to.
"You can go inside 'f you wanna." The high priest spoke, sobered by the environment. He cautiously slid a glance to his companion, to see if he was going to leave him alone.
The priest had breathed a sigh of relief. The Sanctuary suddenly looked like a lighthouse in the middle of a stormy ocean; and he was no idiot to relinquish the opportunity. But he sensed the sudden change in the high priest. He just couldn't put the feeling of what that change was.
"I'm going in, I still have to prepare a report on the relief operations." The priest finally spoke, the other tilting his head in response. "If you need me, senior, I'll be in the office, dusting up the old typewriter."
"Will do, mate. Will do." The high priest made a mock salute, giving a half-hearted grin. This made the priest all the more worried, but he went inside nevertheless.
The moonlight shone in his eyes, dark reflecting light. He trudged the pathway to the back of the Sanctuary; the graveyard to be exact. There, a handful of tombstones adorned the meadow-ish field; a lone tree in the corner stood stark in the scenery.
Just below the tree, an unimpressive pile of rocks were nestled between the wooden buttresses. The high priest cautiously neared the site, eyes glazed and mind adrift elsewhere.
The amber liquid from them mug slowly flowed from the topmost stone down to the pile. The high priest did not give thought in anything save watching the stones glisten under the moonlight with their coating of liquor.
He fell to his knees, quiet; just staring. The crickets sang, and the leaves rustled in the wind. The moon was now at the apex of the sky, everything shone under a semi-morning sun.
And yet…why is everything still so dark?
"Father…"
Knock knock.
"Huh?"
Katze was brought away from his musing by the window sill. Sensing his apparent state of disarray, he roughly wiped his cheeks dry. He was a bit surprised when the sun had been replaced by the moon now. How many hours had passed since I woke up?
"You're awake." Kianu commented. He carried with him a tray of silver filled with something that looked like yellow porridge and a pitcher of water.
Katze remained standing, willing himself not to make any movement. He was still wary of the man before him, even if he was the one who had taken him to this room and had obviously cared for him.
"How long…" Katze cleared his voice, realizing it felt somewhat dried and unused. "How long had I been asleep?"
The other remained quiet, setting the tray on the nearest tabletop. After only fixing the rumpled bed did he finally answer.
"Two days." He spoke softly. "I thought you'd never wake up."
A cold gust of wind suddenly slipped through the open window. Katze horribly shivered, realizing he had been standing only in his boxers for the whole afternoon and for a good part of the early evening. Did castles ever hear about the wondrous mechanics of curtains?
"C'mere." Kianu took the thick, cotton blanket from the bed and made for the brunette. The younger professor was flushing red all over, an apparent reaction from the cold. He hadn't noticed anything else until Kianu draped the blanket around him and carried him, bridal-style, back to bed.
Katze could not forget his hate for this particular blond. Two years should have embedded enough hate for him to resist being carried pathetically and not stone-cursing the blond in place.
And yet…the tiniest whiff of a musk scent caught his nose. The brunette panicked, trying to find the source.
He remembered this scent, could acknowledge the events that revolved around this particularly musk brand of aroma. It was a manly aroma to be exact.
He identified it when he fell sick, and could only make out a shadow beside him; gently patting a cool towel on his forehead to abate the temperature.
Or that one time when he was unconscious, having been attacked by a mob of Dragonflies. A tired body fell beside him afterwards, but the field had been quiet now. The monsters have all gone.
He knew that all those times, it was only Kianu that looked after for him.
It was only him that genuinely cared for him.
Which was why he was terribly hurt, so terribly disappointed, that one day; he did not find the blond beside him anymore.
He almost lost faith that day, but he continued on living.
He had lived those two years alone, and he was doing fine. Until this day…all his beliefs and all of the walls he put up to protect himself broke down somewhat.
He did not know what to do anymore; he suddenly felt so, so helpless.
Kianu glanced at the quiet brunette once every three seconds, apparently quirked at why he wasn't spouting off how he hated his guts and how he should burn in the deepest pits of hell.
Could two days of unconsciousness do that to you? He asked himself, slightly shaking his head in disbelief.
He had no idea what drove him to suddenly sweep the younger professor off his feet and snuggle him close to his chest as he traversed the distance from the window to the large bed. Kianu thought it was foolishness that appeared in a blue moon; a smaller part of him begged to differ.
Only a few feet more and he can dump Katze on to the bed, feed him, let him sleep and then he can finally go back to his own room.
"…rrrngh…nghrrr…mhmmrmm…"
The brunette was purring! He nearly dropped Katze on the floor, surprised and at the same time…something undeniably warm seemed to creep up from his stomach to his face.
As to further worsen his demise, Katze nudged (nudged?!?) his nose on the crevice where his left arm and his left chest met. Kianu would have not minded otherwise when he suddenly felt something warm and moist tickling his bare left arm.
Surprised, and a bit aroused and shocked, the blond lost all strength in both arms; dropping the brunette straight into the cold, hard floor.
"Shit!" He cried out, lunging and bracing the younger professor towards himself. He twisted their positions, and he caught the brunt of the fall, making an 'oof' sound as the brunette fell on top of him.
Katze still remained oblivious to everything around him, to which Kianu thanked God. He unconsciously held the brunette tighter towards himself, a bit relieved and disbelieving that the brunette wasn't hurt in any way.
Gathering his strength up for a goodly two minutes, he heaved both of them up and out of the somehow warm floor.
Daintily, he lowered the brunette down onto the bed, shaking his head softly at the now-forgotten meal. Carrying the tray with him back outside, he gave one last look at the gently-snoring brunette before he closed the door to the room.
Since I've been drained of my smart-aleck-ness...I'll leave a thank you to those who painstakingly took time to review. Two weeks per update...woah.