Warning: Darkfic Ahead
Ranma 1/2 - Final Fantasy VII crossover
PM Productions Presents
A Phillip Masters Fanfic
Eugenics
Chapter 2 (B): Life's Dream

Japan, Nerima, September 21, 1996

     Ranma sat in the Nekohaten, a bowl of ramen cooling before him.
For the first time in his life, he couldn't eat.  The normally succulent
meal sat on the table, ignored and unwanted.  Around him, with thier own
lightly steaming bowls, were some of the only friends he had left in the
world.
     Not that he had many previous to the blast anyway.
     "Cologne?" he asked, after finally getting fed up with the morose
silence that had filled the room.
     "Yes, Son-in-law?" the old woman replied, sounding tired beyond
her, relative, years.
     Ranma smacked his tongue against he roof of his mouth, trying to
revive his worn out saliva glands.  A glass of water sat next to his
ramen, taunting him, knowing that he couldn't stomach the thought of
ingesting *anything* at that moment.  "You say that we now have an enemy
to face... yet there is no way to get to it?"
     The wizened Amazon nodded slowly, staring out the front window.
"The power released was enormous... even if we faced our adversary, I
doubt our ability to defeat it.  Perhaps if we had Happosai and
Saffron... then maybe...."
     Ranma cut her off, suddenly sitting up with an angry expression.
"But we don't even know if they are even alive!  Sure, they have ki on
par with your own... but your village... the Musk... they were all much
closer to the impact!" he exclaimed, glaring at her... finding an anger
within himself and finding nowhere else to focus it.  
     Cologne turned her gaze to Ranma.  "Do not be angry with me,
Son-in-law.  There are better ways to use your strength... for one, have
you seen to your mother yet?"
     Ukyou and Shampoo both gasped, and even Mousse's eyebrows furrowed.
"That's right!" the chef cried, "We forgot entirely about her!"
     "I didn't forget." Ranma said quietly.
     "Then why Ranma not see if mother okay?" Shampoo asked, confused.
     Ranma stood up and walked out the front door, a troubled look on
his face.  Everyone sat silent in his wake.  
     After the door shut once again, Shampoo couldn't contain her
curiosity anymore.  "What wrong with Airen?"
     Ukyou, her eyes still focused on the enterance, answered, "Ran-chan
hasn't been his mother's son for a long time now..."  She proceeded to
explain what had happened between Ranma and his mother.
     As the story continued, the eyes in the room grew steadily.  The
faces around the table went through various stages, including disbelief,
denial, anger, pity, and sorrow.  Even Cologne, who's mother had been
dead for centuries, couldn't help but recall times when things were
simpler, and the only joy in life was in having a strong mother to train
with, and share her life's discoveries with.  No one should ever be
denied this simple need... ever.
     "Genma must die," Cologne stated simply at the conclusion of the
tale.
     "I've been saying the same thing for years," Ukyou replied, "but
unfortunately, fate beat us to it."
     Shampoo nodded curtly.  "Serve Panda man right."
     Mousse shook his head ruefully.  "Live like an animal...."
     "Die as an animal," Ranma finished, standing in the doorway.  He
had heard the conversation within, and had made up his mind before
returning.  "I am going to find my mother."

Midgar, Lower Level, December 28, 4127

     The Cafe Asgard with stuck between a shoddy weapons shop, and a
brothel even the most desperate of men generally gave a wide berth.
However, for its rather seedy surroundings, it was a good eatery.  The
kitchen was clean, and the food kept customers coming back.  On top of
this, the waiteresses were the cutest in the city.  
     Needless to say, the brothel was regularly complaining about the
cafe stealing their clientele.  This was of course, answered with a
laugh and a rather lewd comment by the cafe owner about the state of the
brothel's women.  On a regular basis the cops needed to be consulted to
sort out the problem.
     Ryle and Aeris, however, were unaware of the unofficial war raging
in the back streets at night.  They were only interested in one thing at
the moment, and that was each other's eyes.  Two plates of the House
Special sat between them, looking as they had when served.  
     About ten minutes into the date, when they had ordered and truly
settled down, they rediscovered the reason the date had been made so
spontaneously in the first place.  
     "You have the most amazing eyes," commented Aeris, her words so
light they were more breathed than spoken.  
     Fortunately, Ryle had hearing that could detect a heartbeat across
a crowded room.  "I was about to say the same about you," he replied,
similarly subdued, but louder so she was sure to pick it up.  
     A small blush perked up on the young woman's cheeks, and she looked
down, breaking the spell.  Her eyes disappeared behind her brown bangs,
which formed a split veil over her face.  
     Ryle, caught up in a sudden wave of a foreign emotion, found
himself asking, "Has anyone ever told you that you were beautiful
before?"
     The blush deepened and she looked up again, their eyes meeting once
more.  Instantly, they were locked in place.  "Only my mother."
     "Well, you are... and more people should say so more often."  Ryle
had no idea why he was saying the things he was.  However, he found it
gave him an indescribable pleasure.  As long as it persisted, he
certainly wouldn't stop.
     "Thank you," Aeris managed, though she looked more red than peach
anymore.  "You know, Ryle, there's something about you... I can't put my
finger on it.  I just met you yesterday, and I feel I've known you
before... it's hard to explain."
     Ryle shook his head.  "No need to... I know exactly what you mean.
Maybe we knew one another in a former life?"
     Aeris laughed, the melody of it filling the air.  "Perhaps."

Midgar, SOLDIER Headquarters

     "Officer Strife, Cloud."
     A young man, in his twenties, stepped forward.  His hair was blonde
and done up in a spiky style.  Muscles rippled about his frame as he
moved, his chest barely being restrained by the tight duraflex armor he
wore.  "Sir, Cloud Strife reporting for duty!" he announced in a clear
and strong voice.
     The Commander almost smiled at the recruit before him.  He was
green... fresh... not a drop of blood on his caloused hands.  
     That would change.
     "You are to report to Division 22 barracks at once.  Your
commanding officers are Sephiroth and Ryle."  He grinned, looking up at
Cloud.  "Be proud, son, you're in the big leagues now!"
     Cloud beamed with pride and saluted smartly.  "Yes, sir!"  With
that, he hefted his bags, grabbed his orders, and headed toward his new
home.

Japan, Nerima, September 21, 1996

     Ranma ran down the street once again, this time trailed by two
companions.  Ukyou was to his left, and Cologne was to his right.
Shampoo had begged her to come along, but the old woman insisted she
stay behind and tend the store.  
     It was almost a fifteen minute flat run to the side of town Nodoka
lived in.  The trip was, as usual, a pleasant dash through Hades.  Fires
still burned, as though they would never go out.  Smoke choked the air,
cutting visibility down to a few meters at times.  The constant sound of
torment and agony joined the darkness, causing a feeling in the trio the
likes of which they had never felt before.  Hopelessness.  It filled
their hearts, and clouded their minds.
     However, even with this eternity dragging at them, they finally
arrived.  
     To find nothing.
     Coming onto the scene, Ranma stopped.  Before him was a destruction
that was absolutely and undeniably complete.  There were no fires, for
there was no fuel.  There were no screams, for there was no pain.  For
almost two miles beyond the point where the neighborhood had sat, lay a
desolate plain, devoid of anything but ash.
     Ranma fell to his hands and knees, watching as his fingers sank
into the layer of faceless gray that layered everything in sight.  In a
whim he closed his right hand and lifted it up.  He stared at the small
stream of dust that slowly fell from cracks in his steadily tightening
fist, and blew away in the breeze.  
     He felt a hand come down on his shoulder, and new it was Ukyou.  A
clop from his right announced that Cologne was near too.  He opened his
hand and looked at the small compacted piece of carbon lying in his
palm.  
     A drop of water fell on it, shortly followed by another.  He smiled
softly, as he felt it was a good sign that the rains had come.  The
Earth needed the cleansing that only Mother Nature could provide.
     He looked up toward the sky, and saw only the black cloud of soot
and the colorless sakura of ash.  

END Chapter Two (Draft)
Ah... another one down.  Took me a while to get the inspiration to
finish this chapter, for a few reasons.  I hope to start 3 soon, as I am
eager to work on this fic.  It's probably my favorite fic I've done,
aside from How to Love Another (which I *do* plan on continuing) and
Poetry in the Night.  I am very aware that there are a few nitpicky
continuity errors I need to tweak in this fic... but I figured there
would be so I'm not surprised.  I plan on revising this fic as soon as
possible.  Please send comments, whether good or bad... or any opinions
you'd like to give to this address. 
Thanks for reading,
PMasters (11-5-98)                      

"I'm only holding back the rain.  So many raindrops, so many pains.  I
want to find my train someday.  As seasons go past the station." - Tokyo
Babylon OVA 1
/ E-mail at:  PhilMasters@webtv.net /
Web page pending use of a computer!
"...has anyone ever used something alive for a coat of arms?" - The
Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea (Mishima Yukio, 1965) / 
"You see, what you call a cat, we use as armor." - Rune (El-Hazard,
1994)