Just some random idea that popped into my head one day. Don't kill me for starting something new and leaving my other stories, I am sorry, okay? I can't help it, my brain just tells me to type things, so I do. U The beginning is a little creepy, but it gets better, I promise.
I own nothing, except Lina. Vivi is property of her respective owner.
Chapter 1
It was a cool June day. Lina wandered silently around the streets of the city. She had only a few days until her best friend, Vivi's, birthday, and she had to find the perfect present. Lina frowned, hitched her purse higher on her shoulder, and walked some more. She stopped suddenly, observing the entrance to the Chinatown area. This was San Francisco, a city Lina knew well, despite the fact that she was only 18-years-old. She decided that the oriental shops would be a good place to search, and joined a crowd headed into the district.
Lina and Vivi lived in an apartment in Palo Alto, a little town about an hour outside of San Francisco. Lina attended an arts institution in the city, while Vivi went to a nearby private high school. It was Lina's aunt that let them live in their own little apartment, with the permission of Vivi's parents.
Lina strolled in, around, and out of shops for about an hour until something caught her eye. She walked down a small, secluded alleyway, and stopped, looking up at a hanging sign. It read 'Mystreyo's gifts' in big, bold letters. Underneath, it read 'A gift for anyone and everyone'. Lina tilted her head to one side, frowning slightly.
"Couldn't hurt," she muttered, before stepping up to the door and pushing it in.
Somewhere, a bell rang softly and Lina walked inside. The shop was dimly lit. The blonde haired girl walked in, examining a stand to her left. It held odd things, a dragon carved of strange wood, a necklace with a sun amulet on it, a small stone gargoyle. Lina let her fingers drift over the necklace before a stand of books caught her eye. She glanced at some of them, not recognizing any of the titles. Hidden behind the bookcase was a glass counter, with a cash register on it. Lina walked over, looking around for anyone who worked there. There was no one.
"Hello?" Lina called, leaning slightly on the counter.
"Hello." Lina gasped, jumping and spin around to face a doorway she had not seen. A young man stood in the doorway. He was very pale, with long, layered silvery hair, and dark blue eyes. Lina frowned at his appearance. "Can I...help you?" he asked casually - too casually for someone working in THIS shady place - and walked over to the counter. He slipped behind it and leaned on the glass, giving the girl a smiled that seemed to say 'I-know-something-you-don't-know'.
"Uh, I was looking for something for my friend's birthday...but I don't think you'd have anything, so..." Lina said softly, turning to the main door.
"What's your friend's name?"
"Excuse me?" Lina asked.
"Her name," the man repeated patiently, resting his chin on his hand.
"Vivian," Lina said suspiciously.
"And yours?"
"Lina," the girl said. "Are you Mr. Mystreyo?"
"Nope, I'm just a worker," the man smiled cheekily.
"I think I'm going to...go."
"Really?" the man pouted. "Because I think we may have something you'll be interested in."
"Interested in?" Lina repeated, turning back to him.
He grinned at her. "Yep, they've been waiting just for you, Miss Lina."
"They?" The girl was very confused by now, and more than a little creeped out.
"Stay here, I'll go get them." The man gave her that mysterious smug smile again, then disappeared through a door to the left of the counter. Lina considered making a break for it, but her curiosity got the better of her. She moved back over to the counter, never taking her eyes off the door.
After a few minutes, the white haired young man came back, carrying two small boxes. He set them on the counter, opened the lid and pulled the contents out of the first. On the countertop, he set a small figurine - or what Lina THOUGHT was a figurine. It had shoulder-length silver hair, pale skin, and wide green eyes. It was the most adorable little chibi figure Lina had ever seen. Then, the little figure blinked and looked up at her.
Lina's eyes widened and she leaned down to look at the little thing. "It's alive!" she breathed. The little thing seemed to grow tired of her staring and walked over to the other box, tugging on the side of it.
"Yes," the store-worker said. "They are, in effect, mini humans. They can walk, talk, think, and do anything we can. I believe you recognize him, Miss Lina."
"It-It's Kadaj, from the new Final Fantasy 7 movie," Lina whispered.
At the name Kadaj, the little thing looked up at her, he had been busy trying to open the other box, but was too small to manage it.
"Precisely," the worker said. He picked up the second box and Kadaj fell to the countertop. (The little one picked himself up and glared darkly at the worker.) The worker handed the other box to Lina. "This one is yours."
The girl frowned confused, but took the box, pulling off the lid. Sitting at the bottom of the box was a little person with long silver hair, and the same skin and eyes as Kadaj. He looked up as the lid was taken away, and his bored/dreamy eyes settled on Lina's.
"Yazoo," she whispered. "How is this possible? And what did you mean they've been waiting for me?"
"Ah, only one of them is waiting for you, the other is waiting for your friend. And I don't know how, all I know is that I was told to give them to a Miss Lina and a Miss Vivian. Here, take this, too." He handed her a folded piece of paper.
Totally creeped out, confused and shocked, Lina took it. "Uh, how much do I owe you?" she asked dumbly.
The man smiled. "Don't worry about it, just take good care of them."
Lina nodded silently, slipped the paper into her purse, then stopped, trying to figure out the best way to get the two little guys home. She decided to keep them in their boxes, at least until she got them home.
Lina made her way back out onto the well-lit streets of Chinatown, and, from there, to where she had left her car. Silently she got inside and set her purse down on the seat. She could hear muffled yelling inside, and pulled it open. It seemed Kadaj was yelling at Yazoo about something Lina couldn't even begin to guess. She saw the paper that the shop worker had given her and pulled it out, unfolding it.
It read:
How to care for you Chibi
Lina would have stopped reading and laughed right there if she didn't have two chibis currently fighting in her purse.
Chibis are like humans and have their own personal tastes. The most important staple for their care is love. The owner must be able to love and understand their chibi in order for it to thrive. Also, a chibi must be fed, clothed and sheltered, as a human must. In addition, depending on the chibi's origin, it may be more or less compatable with other chibis from their world. Treat your chibi as you would have them treat you, and you will be able to build a lasting friendship.
Lina stopped and raised one hand to her forehead. "What the hell have I gotten myself into now?" Frowning, she began to read again.
Knowledge about Chibis
Chibis choose their own masters. It is not uncommon for a chibi to be found on the street or in a shady shop, requesting a certain person by name. When a chibi is chosen to come from their world to ours, they are given the name of the person they are to find, and will do anything to find this person.
"That explains something," Lina said softly.
History of the Chibis
Chibis are the people of other worlds who, in death, have been given the chance at life again in another world as a chibi, a small, cute creature. They are aware of their past lives, and that will greatly influence a chibis personality. This can also influence their behaviors toward other chibis.
There have been some cases where chibis have chosen to become real people for a 'trial'. If the chibi and the owner pass these trials, the chibi can be human again forever. Very few chibis actually choose to try the trials, because they risk endangering themselves and their owners. There is only one case of a chibi actually succeeding, because of the love the owner and the chibi shared. No one knows what the trials are.
Lina's eyes were practically bugging out by this point. It was a little much to take in at one time. Trying to calm herself, she took a deep breath. "They're just like normal people...just smaller...and cuter... OMG! What have I gotten into?" She glanced at the page again, seeing a small blurb at the bottom.
Congratulations on obtaining a chibi. We trust that you will treat him or her well and that you will grow to care greatly about your new friend. Chibis are a great responsibility, and we hope that you will respect and care for them. Best of luck.
At the bottom there was a signature that Lina could not make out. She was also getting a headache from Kadaj's yelling - now about getting out of his box. "Alright, alright, we're going, hush up."
Lina walked up the stairs of the apartment, conscious of the talking inside her purse, even if she couldn't make it out. She stopped outside the door to their place and pushed the door open.
"Vivi, I'm home," she called.
"Heya, out shopping?" Vivi asked, poking her head in from the dining room. She had a sly grin on her face.
"Uh, yeah. Viv, come in here, I've got something I need to show you..." Lina said.
Vivi frowned, but came in anyway, flopping down into a living room chair. Lina took a deep breath and pulled the two boxes and the paper from her purse. She handed the paper to Vivi, who read it, looking confused. Next, Lina found the box Kadaj was in (he'd fallen silent when they had entered the apartment) and handed it to her friend.
"This one is yours," Lina said quietly.
Vivi opened the box, her eyes widening. "Ohmygod."
Lina had already pulled Yazoo from his box and set him down on the coffee table. Vivi put Kadaj there too, and Lina began to tell her everything that had happened that day.
During the story, Kadaj and Yazoo were trying to explore, looking for a way down from the table. Yazoo had climbed up onto a stack of magazines, looking down at the pictures, while Kadaj was busy trying to climb into a coffee mug. Vivi noticed and picked him up before he could burn himself, setting him on the magazines with his brother.
"That's...crazy...and creepy," Vivi said to Lina.
"Yeah, and what are we going to do about them?" Lina asked.
"Keep them, of course," the other girl said. "Where else are they going to go? And look at them, they're adorable!"
At that, both of the chibis looked up, blinking. Lina laughed at the totally blank look on Yazoo's face. "Yeah, they are kinda cute," Lina said.
"It's settled, then," Vivi said. "They're ours!"
Kadaj glanced at his brother. "Why do I feel suddenly afraid?" he asked. Yazoo smiled faintly.
End of chapter one. What do you guys think of it? Please R&R, and lemme know, okay? Thankies! Ja ne.