Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: In My Memories

Prologue: Disgustingly Good

"Memories... what are they really? Are they merely to remind us of what we once were or do they give us hints of where we are going?"

"This should be good; we'll send it to Ikari so his aunt can get him and everyone else out of there is time. I hope." A long white quill scratched across the parchment a few more times before the elegant hand holding it set it down, the owner of the hand slightly apprehensive. "All we have to do is wait for that mail moogle so we can make sure..." The owner of the voice and the quill was a blonde Clavat girl with bright green eyes. She had her hair thrown back into a long ponytail so she could write without getting her hair into it.

"Do you believe we have the time for that? This isn't just about our village. We don't have the right to do such a thing. Anyways where would they go?"A Clavat with bright brown eyes stepped forward, his brown hair in a cowlick and dirt smudged across his weary features. "Ikari would... prefer to stay at a place he knows." The Clavat was hesitant to say such a thing but shook that feeling aside.

The female Clavat snapped at that. "Akuma, he's only eight! He couldn't grasp the thoughts of death even if we were to kill a monster in front of him! How could you say such a thing? Ikari... he's not going to die... Mommy and Daddy are going to stop him before he can hurt Ikari..." The Clavat girl was slumped in her chair, sobbing uncontrollably. Akuma walked over and rubbed her shoulders, whispering softly. "Satu... we can only do what we can." Despite loving the Clavat girl dearly, the stress was getting to all of them. "Besides, once we end this... Ikari will be the way he's to be..."

The Clavat girl let out a shrill noise. "Ikari is Ikari and Mommy will love Ikari either way!" Satu was referring to herself in third person more often and he could tell he was getting more irate as the days passed. It all started when the shadow of that mountain was casted over them... also the shadow of the truth...

~Tipa, ? Years Later~

The sun beat down on his shoulders, his blonde hair blowing slightly in the breeze. It was about mid summer and the weather was nicer than ever; he had just finished farming and so he was relaxing under his favorite fruit tree. But it would probably be the last day that things would be like this. The Caravan left first thing in the morning and he had been summoned to it. He felt a boil of excitement run through his veins and he grinned broadly. It was him rather than his older brother Ramsey. The quiet little Elgion that everyone took for granted because of his very young looks. He looked about ten but actually he was about thirteen.

"Elgion, hey, c'mon!" Elgion bolted up and glanced around and smiled broadly, running over to the one who called him. Elgion let out a small huff of mock annoyance when the other ruffled his hair, causing him to squint his brown eyes. "How long did you plan on sitting there daydreaming? Dinners ready." The other was an older Clavat with graying hair.

Elgion nodded. "Thanks father!" He ran ahead of his father towards the house pausing when he reached the door. Elgion slowly turned to look at his father and decided to tell him. "Um, Dad… I've been having those dreams again…" He shivered slightly as he remembered the laugh from his dreams. It was so taunting and hateful.

Elgion's father walked up to him and patted his head. "It's only a dream, no one will hurt you."

"You don't know that; you can't be sure. I heard the caravan was dangerous, so why are they sending someone so young?" Elgion in truth was really nervous.

"Roland has his reasons."

A young girl trotted along the path singing a children's carol, her high pitched voice hitting the two Clavats quickly. The girl, who spotted them and stopped singing, ran up to them and smiled, blue-grey hair long down her back, her bright blue eyes beaming at them. She held up a loaf of bread to Elgion's father. "Just as you asked Mr. Arion! Freshly baked and delivered in time for dinner."

Arion took the bread from the girl, smiling in return. "Thank-you little lady, now run along, I'm sure your mother wouldn't want ya to miss dinner yourself."

The young girl nodded, sending an inquisitive glance at Elgion. She waved slightly and ran off rather quickly, giggling loudly.

Arion smiled lightly patting Elgion's head once again. "Nice little girl that one is. She only really gets out when delivering bread though."

Elgion blushed lightly and nodded, staring in the direction she had gone in. "She was really cute." He glanced at his father who was laughing heftily.

"Elgion, m'boy, she's a Selkie. All Selkies turn out to be a lot different when they are older."

"What does that mean?"

A soft chuckle came from the older Clavat. "You'll understand when you're older. Well inward with ya, Yer mother would chew my head off if you were late fer dinner." He ushered the blonde boy inside, taking a final glance back in the direction that the Selkie girl had gone in with a slight grimace. "Poor girl, havin' ta deal with people who hate 'er" He wandered inside himself, closing the door behind him.

~The Next Day~

"You have all of your stuff? Nothings missing? You have food, gil, all your weapons and travel clothes?" An older Clavat woman with brown puffy hair was nit-picking over Elgion, fixing on of his white gloves on his dark green, light green, white and brown travel clothing.

Elgion nodded picking up a rucksack, sword and shield. "Yes mother, I do!"

"We'll miss you! Don't hesitate to write and eat your greens too!" She hugged Elgion tightly, winding the boy slightly.

A younger Clavat girl came bouncing in, crying heavily. "Don't get eaten by monsters!"

"You'll do fine, just stick together!" An older Clavat came in. He wasn't as old as Arion but still a bit older than Elgion.

Elgion nodded. "Don't worry; I'll be fine, Rebecca and I'll be sure to stick with everyone Ramsey." He grinned widely as his father came into the room. "I'll be back with the Myrrh!"

Arion ruffled Elgion's hair slightly. "That's m'boy, just come home safely..." Elgion gave a quick nod and waved to everyone before heading out the door.

He ran along the path, his bag somewhat heavy on his back but he was too excited to care. Or was it fear? Elgion shrugged it off as he noticed Roland waiting for him and the others in front of the giant crystal in the villages square. He recognized the Selkie girl from the other day so he lined up next to her, giving her a grin, which she returned with a shy smile.

"O, keepers of the crystal, thy memories to light shall flow, forgotten jewels lose their glow. In time they shall return anew, to be gathered like drops of dew. Journey forth, seek the water of life." Roland's speech made little sense to Elgion but he supposed that he'd understand when he was older and more of an adult. Or maybe he'd never understand until he was old and grail, sager than those without traveling experiences. Roland walked over to Elgion and handed him a large book that was rather heavy. "This is the Crystal Chronicle. Keep logs of your journey and be able to look back on the previous caravans. Now I bid you all a safe journey. May the stars watch over you and protect you." Roland began walking them towards the village gate, and as they approached Elgion could see practically the whole village waiting by a large wagon.

On the front of the wagon a large blue beast stood, it's stout and stubby legs having something akin to hooves. The female Clavat of the group squeaked, grinning widely. "A Papaopamus!" She ran up to the creature and began petting it. The other male Clavat gave a hefty sigh, rolling his eyes as the other caravan members found spots in and around the cart. The male Lillitie sat at the front of the wagon, reins in hand and the female Lillitie sitting beside him as the two Yukes trooped into the wagon. The female Clavat ran around to the back and sat on the edge of the wagon, feet dangling. Elgion took up next to the large blue beast and smiled; it looked fluffy. He heard a small grunt behind him and he glanced over his shoulder to see the dark haired Clavat take up a side while the Selkie girl stuck near the back of the cart, looking somewhat out of place. Elgion felt a pang of sympathy and pity but did his best to shake those emotions away.

He glanced back as they started moving, waving to his family like most of the others did. He wanted to cry but was happy; finally he was getting out of the comforting ring of his family but it felt weird, it was like he had never truly been part of it to begin with, the whole scent and feeling of traveling didn't feel new to him at all. It was the same with the way his father had taught him how to use a sword; it was as if he had had a blade in his hands on a regular basis - just the thought of that sent a shiver down his spine.

From where he was he could see Roland making conversation with his father but gave it little toughts as they set off towards the world and towards their goals. He knew it would be hard along the way and there was bound to he many hardships but he knew that he'd enjoy the good times...

Roland watched as the caravan began to fade from view, Arion at his side. The younger male Clavat glanced at the white-haired man, questioning. "So they're off. Do you still think it's wise to send off such a young group?"

Roland could only chuckle slightly, a gleam in his eyes. "I'd trust Kiouku's predictions with my life. If he says it's time for the one wearing two-faces to start his journey then so be it."

Arion made a small scoff. "If it was only him you needed to send why put the other little rascals in with him? And why not send someone more experienced with him besides Dakuane and Ninamia? They're only seasoned to two years! Just to trust a silly fortune teller's word...?"

They both turned upon hearing a small chuckle, seeing a long haired red head with bright red eyes and a purple cloak approach. "A silly fortune teller indeed. But who gives a damn about that? It all comes down to timing. Anyways, they'll all be fine, especially with him." The man's alabaster skin seemed to glow and his eyes seemed to be alive like garnets thrown in a fire. "This caravan will make the difference. He won't even see it comming."

Arion glared at the other man. "If you needed him then why not put him in with the older caravaners?"

The fortuneteller smirked and reached into his cloak and pulled out a polish garnet, letting his thumbs smooth over it. "Why? Becasue the older ones would have to be replaced sooner or later. It's better to use the younger ones... that way the're happy memories of home an getting to know each other will burn all the more brighter... This will be the end.

~Some Time Later~

"Hail fellow caravaners!" A small Lillitie in dark armor was pulled to the side of the road, a wagon and a few other Lillities there along with two moogles. The Tipa caravan pulled to a stop, all of the member collecting at the front, curious at the stop. "You are the caravan from Tipa, are you not? I herd they were sending out a new caravan. You seem quite capable. My name is Sol Racht. I am captain of the caravan from the great fortress Alfitaria. Our caravan boasts a history that stretches back thousands of years. But, let us discus that some other time." He then turned to the moogle that was conversing with another one of their caravan members. "Stiltzkin! Do you have a moment? This is the caravan from Tipa, come say Hello." The moogle ran over and glanced at the new caravan, smiling as Sol continued. "Allow me to introduce Stilzkin. He may not look it but he is a seasoned adventurer. Even we turn to him for council from time to time."

The moogle chuckled slightly and shook his head. "No, I'm just a moogle that likes to get around. I learned all sorts of things in my travels before I knew it. I'm on my way somewhere right now but I can teach you a thing or two if you like."

The young caravaners gave each other glances, some apprehensive, others nervous. The male Yuke, who's helm shone bronze and arms were two toned stripes of light and dark drown nodded, his travel clothing of dark blues and greens shifting as his dark bat-wings fluttered. "Yes, that would be a good idea." His voice held a cool tone to it, as if he had seen many things. "Well for the younger ones at least; we can only teach them some of what we know and what we know mostly of is spell casting."

The female Yuke gave a nod of agreement, the spiral on her helm bobbing. "Yes, such a wise thing to consider Dakuane." She fixed her pink and brown travel clothes with arms that were similar to that of the other Yuke, her fluffy pink wings resting slightly on her shoulders.

Stilzkin gave a smile. "Well, let's find a better spot." And with that he turned and gestured for the caravan to follow. It took only a few moments for them to get orginized before they were off at a semi-slow pace. They weren't too long traveling along the path before they found an opn are in Port Tipa, right beside the water. It was tranquil to say the least, the blue water sparkling brightly, meshing in with the yellow sand with the occasional plant spurting next to a slight cliff face. It was in the soft sands where Stilzkin sat, a small smile crossed his face as the young Caravaners looked to him and their older peers questioningly.

Dakuane gave a frisk nod and the moogle cleared it's throat. "You see our world is covered by something called Miasma. It's similar to a poison that affects and kills people so in order to protect themselves the people send out Crystal Caravans to gather Myrrh, the only thing that repels Miasma. In order to use the Myrrh however, each village has a crystal that wards off the Miasma by absorbing the Myrhh in a ritual, but I'm sure you've all seen that. Anyways, the Crystal Caravan's duty is to go to Myrrh Trees and fill up their Chalice, which also provides a protective aura, with three drops and return to the village. After you get a drop from one tree it takes two years for that drop to replenish. But be warned; monsters are attracted to Myrhh trees and so there will be pleanty around to hinder your path. That's why you must be strong. Now, onward to lessons; first physical lessons. I'm sure you all know how to swing your weapon and jab it around like a mad man, but be sure to refine yourself and find a style that suits you; you don't want to be awkward with the way you fight. Also don't forget to shield yourself, and definatly don't forget to dodge!"

The male Yuke took it over from there, stepping forward with Ninamia at his side. "As for magics, you collect orbs called magicite as you proceed. They will grant you the ability to cast, but don't get too ahead of yourself and say that's done there. You can merge magicite to create stronger ones. It's all trial and error there however, so we'd best leave that for after you cover the basics. I believe that is it?" He glanced to his counterpart who gave a reassuring nod, placing a hand on his arm in a seemingly affectionate manner. The small moogle also gave a nod to show closure to the session, starting to lead the caravaners towards the Port Tipa exit, leading them back to the spot where they had first met with Sol.

Once there the moogle gave a semi-small bow, all of the Tipa Caravan members getting the hint of departure. "Well I believe this is good bye. Perhaps we will see each other along the road ahead but until then be safe." The younger members gave muttered good-byes and waves as the moogle left them on the open path to re-organize and gather themselves to their original positions around and in the wagon. Dakuane took the initiative there and began leading them down a side road, the worn dirt having the occasonal bump as grassy fields were passed on either side. The Yuke acted as if he knew exactly what he was doing; his pace brisk as he moved to the front of the group to lead the younger members in a seemingly random direction.

But the direction wasn't as random as some of the caravaners thought as they arrived at a tranquil looking place that had a river flowing steadily to one side and tall, thick grass around the worn dirt path. The new potion of the group gaped, looking around as they wandered away from the big wagon, but not too far as to run out of the aura of the chalice. Nanamia went to Daukune's side and they both nodded to each other, the male Yuke taking the usual leadership and clearing his throat, catching the attention of all the youth. "This place is a good place for all of you o get use to the trails of collecting Myrrh. There is a Myrrh tree located here somewhere. You all know our duty; collect the drop. But be weary - monsters are drawn to Myrrh so collecting the drop isn't going to be a simple walk. Be alert and keep your senses about you. Here starts your duty as a Crystal Caravaner. Welcome to River Belle Path."