Here is the first chapter of my newest fanfic, co-authored with LarxenetheFirefly. It's a Final Fantasy fic, but it isn't based off of any of the games, shows, etc. Instead, it's an original storyline set in the Final Fantasy universe. This is done because I know next to nothing about any of the other stories. I would greatly appreciate it if somebody made a flash game of the fic. I tried to do it using Game Maker(tm), but it absolutly stunk.
Without further ado, the story.
The first thing that Kaiya noticed about Matteo was that he was tall. Tall and thin, but muscular; it was as though he had trained hard for most of his life.
The second thing that she noticed was the black tattoo that curled from above his right eye and down his neck, of some sort of serpent-beast. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt, with patches missing on the undersides of his elbows. A sculpted black breastplate covered his chest, and there were gray fingerless gloves on his hands. His pants were jeans, slightly form-fitting, but not tight enough to show anything. On his feet was a pair of durable leather hiking boots. He clearly was a traveller, if his threadbare and worn clothing were any indication. His hair was black, and spiked back, and his eyes were an icy blue that somehow held the warmth of joy and laughter. But to Kaiya, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Not for her.
Kaiya herself was rather unusual, by Otherlander standards. She resembled a four-armed cross between an Utharaptor and a fox, her fur being golden with chocolate markings. Her green eyes surveyed the landscape, and then she moved out of the alley, subtly morphing into a human.
"Excuse me, but are you Matteo?" She asked, moving alongside him. 'Not too close,' she told herself, 'maintain an air of authority.' It was vital that she make her first impression a good one. She did not have much time left.
To Matteo, it looked like this woman had something very uncomfortable stuffed down her pants. Like a ferret, or a snake. "I am. Why do you ask?"
The woman let out a sigh, all signs of discomfort gone. "I have a problem back home, and I was hoping that you would assist me. I cannot tell you all the details now, though. Please meet me at my lodgings, the apartment on the corner of 1st and 3rd. I will be asking others to come to the meeting, do not fret."
Matteo thought it over. 'A woman comes out of nowhere and asks you to help with some kind of problem that she can't talk about; sounds pretty suspicious.' He was tempted to just ignore her- but there was something in her eyes that prevented him from doing so. A power of sorts, that convinced him that, as crazy as her request was, he should at least honor it. He nodded slightly.
"I'll come, but I can't make any promises that I'll help you."
Kaiya relaxed slightly. He would come, if only to see what it was about. That's all she ever expected.
Jet slunk through the dark training hall, watching for signs of movement. His sensei sat in the corner, watching her students' progress. Jet closed his eyes and focused, listening for any sign of movement, his hands reaffirming their grip on the practice swords in his hands.
A noise! Turning to face the sound instantly and noiselessly, what he saw gave him a shock that he never showed in his movements or his expression. A pair of glowing green eyes was watching him from out of the darkness. Soundlessly, Jet rushed the thing, watching the shadow within a shadow move. A long, whip-like tail thrashed at him, though he dodged and counter-struck with one of his blades. A hand grabbed the sword, another latched onto his other wrist, and a second pair of arms held his legs firmly.
A low, female voice sounded out of the darkness, slightly rasping but gentle. "You have impressive skills. If you had seen me in the light, you would have had a better chance at defeating me. Not many can see me in the darkness. I suppose that it is something you will be working on."
Jet grimaced. "Who are you? Why did you come here? What are you?" he gasped, fear evident in his tone. He squirmed in its grasp, desperately trying to get free; he found within seconds that its grip was iron; only after a fleeting glance for help at his still watching –or meditating; he never could tell the difference between the two- sensei, fell limp.
The figure laughed and set him down. "I am one who seeks your assistance. Perhaps you could show me your face, and I will show you mine, though you will probably scream, given your earlier terror."
Jet lowered his face mask and pulled down his hood. His shaggy brown hair was done up in a ponytail, and his keen brown eyes remained fixed on the figure in front of him.
A fireball appeared in one of the figure's hands, and allowed Jet to see his assailant clearly. "I am, of course, not human. Please meet me in the apartment on the corner of First and Third. I wish to speak with you and two others. I will be waiting."
The inhuman figure slunk away, and the lights in the dojo came back up. Jet could now see that everyone else had passed the test and gone home. And he – he still had trouble fighting in the dark, something that the ... thing... had pointed out to him. Sourly, he began packing up his supplies, treating them rather roughly and without his usual care.
His sensei sighed, noting her pupil's anger. Warm grey eyes looked at him with utter compassion, and she said kindly, "Jet. I understand that you are hurt and confused. But you are young, and not many- in fact, none -of the other students would have faced what you have nor attempted to do so. I suggest that you see what it is that she wants. Perhaps she will be better able to train you than I possibly could."
Jet sighed. "But sensei, I tried so hard. I even remained calm!"
His sensei grinned. "While you may not have done well, you were still able to fight, and see your opponent. That is, to me, a pass." Jet looked up, an air of shock on his face. "Now go home, and get some rest. I believe that you will need it."
Cid White was finishing up tuning one of his rides when she came in. She was walking confidently, and her face was emotionless. "Well, hello there, Ma'am. How can I be of service?" he asked, eyeing her. She certainly didn't seem to have anything that needed repairing, but he had learned to keep his mouth shut when it came to business.
Kaiya studied the man. He had shaggy red hair that fell over his vivid green eyes, a smile on his grease covered face. He wore a pair of overalls over a purplish gray shirt, the sleeves tied around his waist. His hands were covered in soot, and he was broad-shouldered. "I am Kaiya. I would like your help with a problem, and though I am unable to pay you, I can assure you that money will be collected during the venture."
Cid scratched his chin. "Will there be anything like my babies?" As he spoke, he gestured to a row of perfect motorcycles.
Kaiya gave a laugh. "Of course- maybe even better; if they are, I cannot say. I pay no attention to those sorts of things."
Cid tapped his chin, deep in thought. It didn't take long to reach a decision. "Fine, I'm in. Where do I have to go? What do I have to do?"
Kaiya gave a small laugh. "Simply go to the apartment on the corner of First and Third. I will be waiting."
Cid watched as she walked out. There was something mysterious about that woman, something very mysterious indeed.
The streetlights were just beginning to come on as the three whom Kaiya had called arrived at their destination. Jet surveyed the three keenly, noting Matteo's threadbare appearance and Cid's grease-covered face and hands. "I assume that you were the people the she-creature mentioned?"
Matteo reacted instantly, his well-honed reflexes startling the younger boy. "Do you have such a low opinion of women to go and call her a 'she-creature'?"
Jet struggled for a moment before delivering a kick to Matteo's chest, using the momentum to lift himself out of the man's grasp. "So she didn't show you, then."
Cid cocked his head to one side, his shaggy hair, a grease smudge over one of his eyes, and his short, pudgy nose making him look like a puppy. "Show us what? This chick walks into my shop and tells me to meet her here. What was there to show me?"
"Everything." Kaiya's voice came out of the shadows as she walked into view. Matteo and Cid both stifled gasps while Jet merely narrowed his eyes. "I beg your pardon for not telling the two of you earlier, but there were other humans beside yourselves about. If I had come as I am, I would have created a mass panic."
Matteo place a hand to his pounding heart. "Man, lady, don't do that. You just about gave me a heart attack!"
Kaiya raised an eyebrow. "A 'heart attack'? What strange skill is that? I do not believe I possess it."
Cid groaned. "A heart attack is when the heart stops beating for some reason. Saying 'You nearly gave me a heart attack' means that you scared him stiff."
Kaiya snorted. "I see. Anyway, on to what I called you here to discuss. My world is in grave danger, and it is growing by the hour. I have seen some of the creatures who pose this danger slipping through the gateway between our worlds. I must ask your help because I believe that you are the best warriors that your world has to offer for this task."
Jet sighed. "Then I'm afraid that you're mistaken. Our military is supposed to handle stuff like this, not us. What help would we be?"
Cid scratched his chin absent-mindedly. "Well, there must be something about us specifically that made her choose us. Care to enlighten us?"
"The three of you have Auras far brighter than anyone else I could see. I heard about Matteo from one of your psychics – she was rather accurate for someone with such a dim aura though. The other two I spotted as soon as I entered your city." She explained, ignoring their growing confusion.
Matteo crossed his arms and stared at Kaiya. "So some psychic mentions that I have a 'bright Aura' and tells you that I'm one of the people you seek, am I right on that?" Kaiya nodded. "Figures." Matteo muttered. "It was probably Nadine, my older sister. She always did love to dabble in the occult."
Kaiya's tail lashed. "The occult? So you believe that most of this is trickery and mirrors do you?"
Matteo blinked and started to back away as Kaiya's eyes began to glow and a golden circular symbol inscribed itself on the ground.
"You have just made your choice, Matteo, and the choice of both of your companions. You WILL help me. You cannot deny me."
Matteo gave a strangled gasp as golden, glowing threads began to enshroud him. Glancing to the sides, he saw that both Jet and Cid were being affected as well. "Wait! I'm the one who spoke up, punish me, not them!" He shouted, trying to make himself heard over the wind that was rising.
Kaiya simply glowered at him. "What is done cannot be undone, save by the highest magic. I will see you in Gera, Matteo, Jet, and Cid."
A brilliant flash of light blinded Matteo for a moment, before he found himself on his bed at home. "Was it just… a … dream?" he wondered, before he felt a searing pain on his right hand. Ripping off his glove, his eyes widened as he saw the glimmering shape of a flame on his palm.
"Remember, you cannot deny me. I will see you in Gera." Kaiya's voice echoed to him, and he shivered.
When the light had tried to turn him into a mummy, Cid had found himself back on his work bench. "Man, crazy dream." He muttered to himself, before a sudden pain in his left hand, followed by a numb feeling, jolted him out of his thoughts. Glancing at it, he was shocked to find a metallic glove encasing it, like a primitive suit of armour or a crude bit of cybernetic work. Hesitantly, he flexed his hand- the glove flexed with his skin, invisible ripples flashing across the surface. Grateful, at least, that he hadn't lost the use of his hand, he slid off the bench. "Man, this day keeps getting weirder and weirder." He said to himself.
Jet glanced at the clock. It was almost as though no time had passed since he had left his house to meet the she-creature, Kaiya. "I really should find out what she is. Otherwise, I'll have to keep calling her she-creature." He mused, settling back on his couch. Oh well. Nothing he could do about it now. He needed to catch up on his reading though, he decided, reaching out to grab his book.
He was startled out of his reverie by a sudden, sharp pain on his right shoulder. Hissing, he removed his shirt and found an elaborate shuriken seemingly tattooed onto his shoulder. It was pulsing with pain faintly, as if to remind him of the duty pressed onto him. "That Matteo…" He growled to himself. "He just had to go and open his mouth. Now we're stuck helping her!"
The three warriors clambered into their respective beds throughout the city. And in one apartment, a portal glowed faintly, calling to them in their dreams.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. LarxenetheFirefly and I will do our best to make sure this fic lives up to the name of Final Fantasy - Not hard since she's a fan of FFXII.
Read and review; constructive criticism will be used to bake cookies. Flames are not allowed! I have been flamed before, and I do not take lightly to it.
Tanglemorph and Larxene out.