Demons of the Past
Gabe Ricard
darksideblues_666@seanbaby.com

I've got a few ideas for simple little fics featuring some of the lesser-used characters from one of my favorite RPG Chrono Cross. This one features Greco and isn't nearly as good as some of the amazing fan fiction in the section thus far but I hope you enjoy it none the less.

Greco yawned and looked up at the clock, is it nine already? Things had been slow for awhile ever since he had done his part albeit a small one to help save the world. Today however the day seemed to go by before he had known it. It was a comforting change of pace. He yawned again and stood up walking over to his bed and sitting down. His eyes moved to the picture on the table. It was a picture that had been beautifully drawn by the man in the city that was as close to an actual photograph as you could get. The picture was that of a striking young woman wearing a white dress with long, raven black hair. He though that when he put the picture away long ago he would be able to lose himself in his work and try to forget. However, after what had happened with the Timedevourer combined with his life seemingly slowing down to a crawl, forced his mind to wander. Now once again her picture sat on his table reminding him of what had happened many years ago.

"Greco!"

Greco was jostled from his thoughts and turned to see a man with a mask of great concern on her face. "Yes?"

"You must come quickly! A…girl…she's…"

Greco didn't need to hear anything else he quickly rose from his bed grabbing an aged, thick book from the table and running out the door with the man following close behind.

"What's the problem?" he asked stepping into the wooden house behind Zappa's Smithy. He put the book down and looked around. A girl lay on the bed thrashing and moaning (Authors note: come on get your minds out of the gutter) her face contorted in pain even though her eyes where closed. Next to the bed was a young man who was about the same age as the girl and behind him was who Greco assumed to be the parents. Near the door watching was Zappa and his wife Zippa.

"She had been under the weather for the last few days," began the man who had brought him to the house. "Then yesterday she was forced into bed with a high fever and just a few hours ago began screaming and thrashing around."

Greco nodded, "Thank you, I would like you to please leave." The man said nothing only turning and walking out casting once last glance at the girl.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Zappa.

"For now amigo you can go back to your shop, please." Zappa nodded and led his wife whose face was also filled with concern as she mumbled something about knowing the girl since she was a child to her husband as she left.

Greco looked at the girl who had broken out into a heavy sweat and Greco knew she had an abnormally high temperature. He played the symptoms in his mind knowing full well this was a possession. His heart froze as he realized what was possessing her.

"Drangue..." he whispered, "The demon of ones tortured past."

"What's wrong with her?" asked a frantic woman's voice that pulled him back to the real world. Greco turned to see the voice belonged to the mother.

"She's been possessed," replied Greco softly.

"Can you help her?"

"I will try--you can be sure of that." He reached over to the table and picked up the book he had brought with him. He walked over to the right side of the bed and looked down at the girl. How can Drangue still be in this world? I thought I had destroyed him--I know had." He shook his head quickly and opened the book, flipping to the appropriate page and began reading though he knew in the back of his mind that he was only kidding himself if he thought he would be able to exorcise this demon with simple cantations.

Greco shut the book and shook his head. It had been over an hour and it failed, as he knew it would. He knew what had to be done but he didn't want to do it

"Why aren't you helping her?" demanded the father his voice shaken and angry. "You aren't going to just give up on her are you?!"

"No amigo I will not--I see there is only one thing I can do. This girl right now is in a coma battling a demon that destroys who it takes over through their dreams. She will lose and she will die and the demon will move on. There is only thing that can be done. Someone who is familiar with the demon must allow the demon to possess then must destroy it from there."

"But who can do that?" asked the father.

"I am more familiar with this demon then anyone else so I will do it." Greco walked over to the girl and was about to place his hand on her forehead but was stopped. He turned around to see the young man that had been standing at the girls side the entire time.

"She's my fiancé--please save her."

Greco nodded and took a deep breath. He never thought he would have to face Drangue again. He tore the fabric off his left hand and placed his hand on the girls forehead and began muttering under his breath. A few moments later the girl stopped moving. After a moment a small glow of light seemed to pass through the girl and into Greco. A moment later Greco let out a scream of pain and crashed against the wall slumping down unconscious.

Greco opened his eyes and looked around he was surrounded by darkness. He looked around in every direction as he heard faint laughter. "Who's that?" he demanded. "Show yourself!" he turned around to see a child no older than five standing in front of a house.

"Hello--Mr. Gweco, I missed you soooooo much," smiled the child coldly.

Greco knew what house he was standing in front of. "No--not again--please--"

The child giggled and walked into the house. Greco felt himself being forced to walk inside the house and stopped stopped as he was now inside. The child who Greco knew was Drangue stood in the corner silently. Greco looked ahead to see a girl laying on the bed thrashing around screaming. Greco felt his entire body tighten as he recognized the girl almost immediately

"Victoria--"

Standing above her was an elderly man that Greco also recognized immediately and beside him was a teenager that Greco knew was none other than himself. He had forgotten how young he had looked. He turned to the child. "Don't make me watch this!"

"You shouldn't have interfered with me," replied the child. "It wasn't enough that I took your precious Victoria? It doesn't matter after you get to watch every agonizing moment of this day I'm going to envelope you in pain and darkness then I will resume my work on that pretty girl. She certainly reminds me of Victoria.

"Stop it!" roared Greco his hands shaking.

The child giggled again and put a finger to his lips, "Shhh--it's starting."

Greco's hands continued to shake violently as he turned to the scene before him.

"Demon!" cried the elderly man dressed in a long robe similar to what a priest would wear. "I command you to leave this girl at once!" No response came.

"What is possessing Victoria?!" cried the young mask less Greco.

"It is Drangue--the demon of ones past. After possessing someone it manifests itself inside ones dreams and uses the persons own memories to destroy it and take the soul for energy."

"Can we stop it? It'll kill her if we don't!"

"I know--Perhaps we can-" the mans words where cut off as a bolt of lightening shot from Victoria's body and struck the man in the head sending him flying into a shelf which fell on top of him.

"No!" young Greco ran over to the shelf and pulled it off and held up the man but it was too late. Young Greco turned to Victoria's possessed form and stood up picking up a large book. "What am I going to do?" he said out loud frantically. He opened the book and began mindlessly turning the pages looking for something, anything. Finally, he stopped on a page and began reading stumbling along the way. At that point he remembered something that the wiseman he had come here with had taught him during his apprenticeship. His mind began racing for what it was but in its frenzied state the answer would not come. As he tried desperately to think he continued reading from the original page. Then out of nowhere Victoria stopped screaming and thrashing and lay still. Young Greco stopped reading and stared hoping against hope that his love, the girl he was supposed to marry in a mere three days would open her eyes and be herself again. Seconds later Victoria let out one final scream that sounded more human then anything else she had done, shot up about three feet in the air and a bright light seemed to explode out of her then she fell back on the bed her body turning to skeleton almost instantly.

Young Greco looked up his eyes welling up with tears, "No--Victoria--" he raised his hand up trying in vain to reach her before his hand fell to the ground and he passed out just as Victoria's parents came bursting into the room.

"I tried to save her--" whispered Greco. "I--

"You tried I know, I know."

"Huh?" Greco turned and saw nothing but darkness he looked in every direction and saw that he was now surrounded by it.

"You didn't know how to save the woman you loved--what was so sad is that you would find out mere days later."

"Shut up!" cried Greco throwing a punch into the darkness. As he did, he felt himself trip over something and fall head over heels. He fell and fell and kept falling all the while hearing Drangue laughing, taunting him from the darkness from every part of it. Then he crashed to what obviously was the ground and stood up. He was in a shrine of some sort he didn't know were.

"Welcome to your resting place Greco. I've been waiting for this."

Greco looked up and saw Drangue who assumed the appearance of the Wiseman Greco had been with that day. He jumped off the high spot from where he had been standing and sneered at Greco "Why? Why do you want to see me die so much?" demanded Greco.

Drangue shrugged off handily, "No reason really--When I possessed Victoria I learned about her love for you and yours for her and thought how much fun I could have destroying you--Now prepare to taste pure hell like your beloved had." With that he jumped at Greco who normally could have reacted in moments but something was cementing him in the ground. Drangue struck him in the jaw sending him crashing into a wall. Greco groaned and pulled himself from the wreckage to see Drangue appear in front of him. Kick him in the stomach then grab his head and knee him in the throat.

Drangue cackled as he uppercut Greco. "Powerless to stop me--it seems to be a recurring theme with you," he taunted picking Greco up by the throat and tearing his mask off revealing an aged, bloody and worn face that barely resembled the muscular physic it rested upon. Drangue cackled again. "Sorry to end this so quickly but I am a busy demon." With that he raised the bloody Greco and wound back his fist glowing with power. "Sweet dream-huh?!" Drangue dropped Greco and turned to see a brilliant white light. Drangue shielded his eyes and hissed at the light. "What the hell is that?!"

"You have caused pain and anguish for many Drangue--that ends now."

"Who is that?!" demanded Drangue.

Greco recognized the voice long before its angelic form appeared from the light. "Vic--toria."

Drangue's eyes widened as he saw Victoria whose long raven black hair flowed gracefully as she descended from the light to the ground. "How can that be?! I took your soul!"

"You are wrong Drangue," answered Victoria coldly. "I died before you could take my soul though you foolishly believed you had it. It's over."

"We'll see about that!" screamed Drangue raising his fist and charging at Victoria who dematerialized away from the attack and appeared behind Drangue raising her hand and blasting Drangue to his knees. She blasted him again and then a third time and by then Drangue appeared to be barely alive.

"Victoria--" Victoria turned to see Greco forcing himself to his feet and smiled, "Greco my love. Do what you could not have done all those years ago. She extended her hand and placed it on Greco's head. The white light she had used to bring Drangue to his knees now seemed to giving renewed strength to Greco. When she pulled her hand back Greco looked stronger then he ever had been before. His fists glowed with energy.

"Only you can silence this evil forever." She whispered standing back.

Greco had a million things he wanted to say to her but knew about the task at hand. He nodded and advanced slowly to Drangue who by now had risen to his feet. His eyes where wide with terror as he saw Greco with his newfound power. "Stay back!!" he cried in vain swinging at Greco who casually caught it in his hand and squeezed Drangue's hand then driving his other fist into Drangue's skull which seemed to crack it open. Greco said nothing as he punched Drangue in the gut creating another crack then punched him again and again until finally, Drangue looked like a doll that was coming apart at the seams and was ready to burst.

"No! please! I beg you!" Drangue tried to raise an arm to defend himself but was too weak. Drangue didn't even have the strength to cry out as Greco drove his fist a final time into his chest causing him to break into a million pieces which turned to dust long before they hit the ground. Greco stood back and smiled as a light breeze blew the dust into every direction.

Greco turned and saw Victoria who had watched the entire struggle. "Victoria--I'm sorry." Greco slowly walked towards Victoria his head hung low. "I--"

Victoria gently placed her hand on his face and lifted his head up to look into her eyes. "It is okay--I know you did all you could that day. I still love you and I always will."

"I want to be with you forever," Greco whispered.

"Now is not the time for that. One day we will be together forever. But for now the world needs you. Be patient my love."

Greco wanted to protest but knew in his heart she was right. "I know--"

"Let me give you an incentive," with that she reached behind his head and pulled his face towards there embracing him in a kiss that both hoped would never end as the light engulfed both of them.

Greco slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was back in the house. He stood up and looked over to the bed and saw the girl sitting up in bed surrounded by her fiancé and parents. They saw Greco standing up and the mother and father left the bedside and walked over to Greco their faces with indescribable relief.

"I don't know how to thank you--my daughter."

Greco was feeling incredibly tired and lightheaded but smiled and shook the fathers hand. "It was my pleasure." He turned and shook the mothers hand. "I better go. I think it would be better if you had time alone with your daughter." He smiled through his mask then moved towards the door and opened it walking out into the bright morning.

"Damn--I'm late for my match," Greco chuckled and stood up. He had been awfully busy the last couple of months. He returned to wrestling and was having a great time. He had also just married Serge and Leena and had just been hired by Kid to train a new group of soldiers. He grabbed his cape which he wore at his matches and quickly walked out the door and nearly crashed into a man that was heading for Greco's door.

"Can I help you amigo?"

"Mr. Greco?"

"The one and only."

"Good I--have something for you." The man fumbled around in a bag before finally pulling an envelope out and handed it to Greco.

"What's this?"

"Open it and find out! I got more deliveries so I gotta go." With that the man bounded down the steps and ran towards the city.

Greco eyed the envelope curiously before tearing it open and pulling out what was inside. It was an invitation that read simply:

Mr. and Mrs. Mokein cordially invite you to their wedding ceremony to be held a week from today in Marbule.

Greco read the last line of the invitation and smiled. It appeared that someone was watching him from above smiling down upon him. He also had a pretty good idea of who it was.

End.

Pretty corny eh? Ah well--Greco was one of my favorite secondary characters and was one of the characters I had a fan fic idea for to add to their character which I hope I did with this fan fic. I hope you got a laugh out of this and be sure to let me know what ya think and if I should do some of the other character I have in mind. One more thing and I know this is a stupid question but if anyone ANNNNNYOONNNEEEE can tell me how to get a column published on FF.NET please let me know. Once again thanks for reading.