AN: This is the story of Rosa and Cecil, on their first meeting. I know no one really cares about FF 2 (FF4 in Japan), but some reviews would be nice. This is a one shot fic!

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with any FF crew. Except that I play the games :)

Light and Dark

She bent down over the parchment, hurriedly copying the notes the Master White Wizard had written on the board. She knew the others were watching her. They were always watching her. . . She was a merchants daughter, after all, and, to them, had no business learning how to cure.

"Marry and get a rich husband," she was often told. "That was the world you were born into, and that is where you should stay."



Class was over for the day, finally. Rosa slid from her seat and moved out of the class as quickly as possible. She reread her notes as she walked back to her home in the city. She was careful to avoid the muddy spots on the road. It had rained much in the last few days.

"Watch it!" called the voice of a young man. She looked up in time to a ball coming toward her. She ducked and the thing soared over her head.

"You should watch where you are going," one of the young man shot. There was a dozen or so of them.

"Leave her alone. She's just a girl," shot another, stepping forward. He was a handsome young man, maybe a year or two older then her. His hair was light, sun bleached, his eyes a deep blue.

"I am not 'just a girl'," she replied angrily. "I'm a white wizard." The other boys began to laugh.

"Go home and play with your dolls, girl. Heal them, if you can!"



Rosa stalked away.

"That was cruel," she heard the handsome youth say. "No need to pick on the kid because she has dreams."

"Kid!" she fumed silently, picking up her pace. "They are kids themselves. Bah. Boys are so stupid sometimes!"



Rosa stomped into her house. She slammed the door and ran into her room.

"Honey?" her mother called. "Rosa dear, is anything the matter?"

"No mom," she replied. "Nothing at all." She pulled her hair out of the twin braids her mother always made her wear. She tossed the childish pink ribbons onto her dresser. She was fourteen, after all, not some little kid.



Rosa reached under her bed and pulled out her bow and the pack of arrows her father had given her before he died. He had been a great archer, but that hadn't saved him from the monsters in the sea. . . . And she would be as good as he had been! She would show everyone that she could be just as good as he had been.



Rose headed into the nearby woods. She crouched low in the bushes, watching as the patrolling guards made their rounds. There were three of them, two regular guards and a Dark Knight.

"Dang imps," the Dark Knight growled. He walked with a sever limp.

"Don't worry," said an all-too-familiar voice. It was the young man from earlier, Rosa realized. "We'll get you some help when we get back."

"Dang well better." The youth just smiled in a long-suffering manner.



After they had disappeared along the path, Rosa set up her targets. She pinned targets to the trees. She removed the yellow sash she wore, the sash that marked her as a trainee, rather then a true white wizard. It interfered with her ability to shoot. She stepped twenty paces from her target, then readied her bow.



She heard a commotion, swords against swords, men shouting, imp voices. She ran toward the sound. Those soldiers were already hurt. If they took another ambush....

"Corin, Kain!" she heard the young man cry. "Kain, protect Corin!" Rosa peered over the bushes. She could see them. The Dark Knight was flat on his back, bleeding from another wound.



Rosa saw that she had a clear shot at one of the imps that was attacking the young guard. She drew back, without thinking, and unleashed an arrow. The imp let out a gurgling scream, and fell over. Rosa set her sights on the next, while the guard was busy with the third. Another clean shot, and it was dead. Grinning, she slung her bow over her shoulder.

"You, in the bushes, come out! Be you friend or foe?" demanded the youth. She stood up and came into the light.

"Friend," she replied, holding her hands out.

"A white wizard? And you can shoot like that?" She smiled.

"Thank you, sir," she said.

"If you are a white wizard, then you can heal Corin!" Rosa hesitated.

"Well, I. . ."



"Cecil, behind you!" cried one of the men. Another imp came charging at them. The young man jumped in front of Rosa, knocking her out of the imp's attack. He took a blow to his shoulder, but he killed the imp. As the imp fell, the young man stumbled backward, landing on the ground before Rosa. He cried out.

"Cecil?" Rosa cried. He looked up at her.

"Protect them til you get to town," he whispered before passing out. Rosa stared at him, trembling. He had swooned. The only way to revive him was a life spell. And she had never even cast the first Cure spell. But, he had saved her life.



Rosa touched Cecil, hoping against hope that it would work.

"Life1, bring back this one

Oh sun, moon stars,

Revive him light

Bright him out of the night. Life1!" She pulled on the magic she felt humming in her veins. She had never felt it before now...



A brilliant light trickled from her fingers, resting on him. Cecil's eyes blinked open, his wounds closing over. He sat up slowly, looking around in wonder.

"You did this?" he asked. Rosa just nodded. She was just as astonished as he was. "Do you have the strength to heal Corin, White Wizard?" Again, Rosa nodded.



She went over to the Dark Knight, and quickly recited her cure spell. He grunted appreciatively, pulling off his helmet. He was an older man, perhaps entering his forties.

"Sir Cecil, them dang imps might come back. Best you take this back." Rosa blinked a few times, spinning around to face the youth. He was a Dark Knight? Cecil solemnly took the helmet from Corin, then the rest of his armour.



"I, I must be going," Rosa said suddenly. She ran back into the woods, not bothering with her spent arrows. Her mind was spinning. Cecil was a Dark Knight... but they were selfish, solemn Knights who used the Dark Sword. . . but he was gentle, kind, even playful.

"White Wizard!" She froze. She had made it back to her targets, but Cecil had followed her. She turned to him, giving him a small bow of her head.

"Sir Cecil," she greeted. He appraised her solemnly, holding his helmet under his left arm.

"I'm afraid you have me at a bit of a disadvantage," he said, a smile turning up the sides of his lips. "You know my name, but I'm afraid I do not know yours."

"My name is Rosa," she replied softly, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Rosa? A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Pardon me, a beautiful White Wizard. After all, you objected to the term 'girl' earlier, did you not?" She blushed deeper, but nodded. "It is a funny thing, Rosa, but I could have sworn that you wore a yellow sash, that you were a trainee."

"I am," she replied, motioning to the discarded yellow sash.



Cecil chuckled.

"You can cast spells now. You are no longer a trainee. Pick up your sash. You will see." Rosa made a face. She knew that the sashes that trainees wore would turn white once they were real white wizards. She reached down to put her sash back on. After all, she was still a trainee. She should wear the sash.



The sash went white at her touch. Rosa stared at it in disbelief.

"Well, White Wizard Rosa, I must go." He took her hand and kissed it. "Could I meet you again?" She went red.

"I would like that very much," she whispered. "I am the former Merchant's daughter."

"Then I will be by tomorrow night, after the moons have risen."

"I will wait all night." Cecil smiled.

"No Knight worth their armour would make you wait that long, Rosa. Fair thee well."



Rosa watched him disappear into the woods. She trembled. A boy was coming to court her. Not just any boy... a Knight! And she could cast spells. The others would be so jealous!

Rosa headed back home, feeling stronger, more alive, then she ever had.