AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is Chapter I of my epic story Aishiteru (I Love You). This story is quite long, and I've written about...60 chapters so far for it, and am finally gettingit up upon hope you read and enjoy it.

I don't own anything FF related.

Read and review, if you would.

Part I - Connection (Enishi)

Chapter I: Meeting

We met on the top of the world.

I guess all stories have to have a beginning and no matter how I start, that line always seems to come to mind first when it comes to ours.

We met at the top of the world.

Okay, maybe not exactly at the top of the world, but when you are at the top of the highest mountain in Attowa Chasm it certainly does feel that way.

I was gazing out at the rising dawn that hung over the desert when she came up silently from behind out what seemed to be nowhere, and sat next to me.

I remembered the hawks circling overhead in lazy circles as the sky faded from a deep purple color slowly into a hue of orange.

We sat together like statues for what felt like hours, side by side, not saying anything, just watching the sun creeping its way up slowly.

Finally, I couldn't take it any longer, and I looked over at her out of the corner of my eye.

The first thing that struck me about her was that she had long black hair tucked that fell down to the ground, tucked slightly underneath an old felt hat. Her body wasn't thin, but wasn't fat at the same time. She didn't bother to look back at me, but instead tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and stare out at the falling sun.

"Utsukushii?" she whispered softly out of the blue, as if to no one in particular.

Her word caught me off guard.

She spoke that other language?

I have always heard of those that spoke a different language, yet had never encountered one of those people before.

Can she maybe also speak English?...

I coughed slightly, and it appeared to catch her off guard.

"Ano?..." she said softly as she finally turned to look at me, her green eyeslooking atme inquisitively.

I pointed out at the horizon with my right hand, to where the sun had almost disappeared behind.

"Beautiful, isn't it? The red, orange, purple, all melding into one beautiful color show. Like someone took a bucket of paint, and splattered it everywhere...it takes my breath away." I spoke slowly, carefully, in the faint hope that she might follow what I am saying.

She shakes her head in slight confusion, and looks at me with slightly squinting eyes.

"Watashiwa eotteelukotoo watashiga kotowa litoshinaekotoo zennendealu. Watashio keyoshinasai…"

"You don't understand me?" I said.

The look of further confusion on her face told me all. She couldn't pick up on even a single word of it.

I tried quickly to be able to think of a way to get what I was trying to say through to her, in a way that she would be able to understand…and then a brilliant idea striked me.

I got up delicately, not bothering to brush the dust from my pants where it had gathered from the hours of sitting. I treaded carefully to where she was and then squatted down upon my knees right behind her. I then took her left hand, and immediately felt her stiffen up for a moment.

"Trust me." I told her slowly, with no hint of threat in my voice.

She seemed to pick up on the meaning of my intentions towards her, and allowed her hand to relax in my grip.

I pointed her hand up at the sky.

"Sky." I said slowly, carefully.

She nodded slightly in response, accidentally causing a few stray strands of her long hair to brush against my face in the process.

She smelt like rolanberries.

I then moved her hand over to the glimmering orb that was hanging in the sky.

"Sun."

Again she nodded slightly, and I could swear that I could see the corners of her lips curl upwards slightly, even from behind.

I then took her hand and drew it in a wise brush arc across the sky.

"Beauty."

"Aaaaa!" She exclaimed happily, her voice bubbling over

"Ochilukalaoyobi otsukushii-shyonikon goosulu shyokunosubite?" she said in those words that I couldn't possibly hope to understand.

Did she get what I was trying to say?

Did my idea work?

She then turned around, and looked at me.

I could see by the look on her face that she had figured out what I was trying to say.

We smiled for a moment at each other, and then she stood up.

She leaned in closely to me, and then whispered into my right ear, "Watashiwa ima ikanakelebanlanaihoshiga soleokisadasuleba, watashiga kakukanelude watashitachiwa…futai aukotoo kotoo."

She pulled back quickly, and then tossed me a wink. She then crossed her arms in front of her in an 'X' position, and closed her eyes while tilting her head skyward.

"Watashio tsulesalinasai." She whispered, and then a black orbish glow of energy came out of her body, surrounding her and then swallowed her whole, causing her to disappear without leaving a trace.

Save the faint smell of rolanberries.

I remember the thoughts going through my head of who was she, and will I ever see her again.

But little did I know at the time…

That was only the beginning.

-fin Chapter I: Meeting