Hi, this is my first fan fiction. I thought that a Final Fantasy Tactics Advance would be just the thing to start me off. I don't own the game, Square Enix does, but Shakata, the boy, and similar characters belong to me. So begins my story.

The Boy's Story

Chapter 1: In the Pub

The kid didn't look like much. With his pale red robes, one would think that he was the child of a rich noble. But what would a noble's son be doing in a part of town like this? There he sat, in the pub of Cadoan, which was another mystery in itself. Cadoan was a town of Nu Mou, which was evident in the races of the patrons. Why was a human here? He had just come in and sat down, like he owned the place. He talked to no one but the waitress, who had come long ago. People in the bar shifted their topics of discussion from what previously held their interest to the boy. What was most interesting about him was the seal he wore above his face. It was a solid gold seal bearing an eye. This was the sacred sign of Alchemy, an art that was only practiced by Nu Mou. More and more questions sprang up about the child.

The only other non-Nu Mou pub patrons were a Moogle and a Bangaa. They seemed even more interested in him than anyone else. Whispers were exchanged between the two over the boy. Finally the Bangaa stood up from the table and strode over to the boy's table, trailed by the whisper, "Be careful, kupo."

The Bangaa sat down at the boy's table. He didn't seem to notice. Not even when he cleared his throat for attention. Finally the Bangaa initiated conversation.

"Lousssy weather, huh?"

The boy merely nodded his head.

The Bangaa tried again. "Ssso, my friend and I were talking over there, and we were wondering..." The Bangaa paused for a breath. "We were wondering if you belonged to a clan."

This prompted a response from the boy.

"Well well, someone asks me about something other than my Alchemist skills. And from you, no less."

The Bangaa looked confused. The boy generally had that effect on people. "Me?"

The boy looked up at the Bangaa. "Yes, you. If you want someone innocent to join your web of death and deceit, try to not look like yourself. Those glasses have no lenses, those robes look like they came from a stage shop, and a black diamond is inscribed on your hand. You are no mere clan leader. You are Shakata, the Dark Bishop and leader of the Phora Cult." The boy said this just loud enough for everyone in the pub to hear.

It was hard to tell what happened first: the amazed look on the Bangaa (now revealed as Shakata)'s face, or the screaming. The Phora Cult was a well-known "clan" that spread death and disease wherever it went. Shakata was public enemy no. 1, as proclaimed by the castle.

After the initial pandemonium and the evacuation of the pub, only the boy, Shakata, and Shakata's moogle friend remained inside.

"Ssso, you know who I am. Impresssive. But no one has ever known who I am and lived."

Shakata pulled out from his robes an ornate staff that glowed with magical power.

"Let'sss ssse how your Alchemy fares against my dark magicssss."

The boy unveiled a mace with a sharp blade curling around it. With a stroke of his hand and a cloud of smoke, Shakata was transformed into a frog. The boy then turned his attention to the retreating moogle. He pointed his mace, and the moogle was frozen in time. He wasn't just an Alchemist.

The boy left just as he came-silently and confidently, only now he had a smile on his face.

And so ends Chapter 1! Like what you read? Don't like what you read? Review or mail me at evadude@kc.rr.com.