Chapter 1: A Day on the Plains

"Whoa!" I shouted, waking up.

"What's up?" Aki asked me as she passed by.

"Dunno... I had this real funny dream," I muttered. "Or was it a dream...? I'm not sure..."

"Having blackouts again, Fuyu?" Natsu asked as she passed by us, carrying a package. "I thought you only blacked out after I beat you. Besides, we don't have time for cat naps."

"Huh...?" I muttered.

Oh, yeah! We're getting supplies to go through the mountain pass day after tomorrow.

"Like that matters... damn..." I said, getting to my feet. I started shuffling around, though Aki followed me.

"What?!" I shouted after a minute.

"Geez... don't be so mean," she said. "I just wanted to tell you what you're supposed to get for our trip."

"Oh, right," I muttered. "Well, it better not take long. I promised to fight Zidane and Rinoa later, so... yeah..."

"Is that all you think about? Fighting?" Aki asked chidingly.

"Well... no, I think about babes, too..." I muttered.

"So predictable... silly Fuyu," Aki muttered as I looked on indignantly. "Anywhoo, I think you should get just a little bit of food. A few cans should do."

Okay... list of things to do today: steal mom's canned potatoes and corn, fight with Zidane and Rinoa, then go lurk in my grotto...

or I could challenge Natsu again, but I'd probably lose.

"All right," I said. "Meet me here in an hour."

I promptly dashed off, running towards my house at the base of the mountains. I waited for the perfect opportune moment... mom was taking out the garbage, so I quickly dashed inside using my ninja skills. I searched the cupboards quickly, taking a couple of random cans of food, then ran to the bathroom before mom could see me.

"Fuyu? Are you in here?" she asked. Somehow... she knew I was in the house...

"Uh, yeah, mom," I shouted from the bathroom. "Got a bit of a stomachache."

"Okay. You better not be taking food cans again, though," she said, and I began to sweat a little. "Last time you did that we had to go over to Natsu's for dinner... and that was embarrasing, remember?"

Yeah... I was totally humiliated... having to go to Natsu's, of all people... because of my foolish antics...

"No, I just got a stomachache," I lied. Using the wit I had developed from frequently thieving cans, nicknacks, and other things, I was able to deduce we'd have enough for a couple days... enough to last until I hightailed outta here.

I stuck the cans of food in my pockets, then quickly sidled against the wall until I reached my room, opened the window, and jumped out. I dashed across the grassy plains as quickly as my feet would carry me... fast enough to get back to the spot Aki and I had agreed to meet up with fractions of a second to spare. Aki looked down at her watch as I moved across the plains, tapping it until it beeped.

I walked up to her, exhausted from the effort.

"You're... let's see... 1/500th of a second late," she said.

"Oh... can it..." I muttered, pulling the cans out of my pockets. She laughed, then took them and placed them in a satchel she was carrying.

"Is that all, Fuyu? I thought you were better than that," Natsu asked as she passed by.

Damn it, Natsu! It ends tomorrow!!

"Okay... well... is that all?" I asked. "I kinda have to go keep a promise, so I hope you don't need anything else..."

"Oh, all right... guess I'll turn in for the day," Aki sighed.

"What, it's okay for you to demand other people thieve their parents' canned foods, but you don't have to pitch in?" I asked. "How's that work out?"

Aki simply sighed and waved her finger as she walked with her back turned toward the village.

Women... I'll never understand them.

I ran off toward the center of the plains, where Zidane and Rinoa were already waiting.

"What took you?" Zidane asked cheerily.

"Oh... it was... nothing..." I muttered. "Well... are you ready? I've got something planned after this, so I'd appreciate it if you guys made this quick."

I pulled out my wooden sword that I used for fighting... it was nicked heavily from my fights with Natsu.

"Yeah, sure," Rinoa said, taking a boomerang out from a satchel she was carrying. Zidane pulled out a couple of wooden daggers, and we all got into our fighting stances.

"Don't hold back," I said. "I'ma challenge Natsu again tomorrow... and I REALLY wanna beat her this time."

I dashed forward, blocking one of Zidane's blows and knocking Rinoa's boomerang back at her. I shifted my feet, dodging another of Zidane's blows, then hit him in the side with my wooden sword. Having knocked Zidane down, I dashed toward Rinoa, knocking her boomerang aside again before moving in for the hit...

I got poked in the back with a wooden dagger. I spun around to block the second of Zidane's blows, then parried a third, knocking him aside again. Before I could move in on Rinoa, I got whacked in the head with her boomerang, leaving me a bit disoriented. I groaned as I stumbled forward, swinging with all of my force at Rinoa... but someone else blocked the blow...

"That's quite enough, Fuyu," I heard Natsu say. "Hitting defenseless women... and I thought you considered yourself a ladies' man."

My anger burned indignantly as I lowered my sword, such as it was. I took a few steps away.

"How about you take on someone your own size?" Natsu asked. I sighed, turned around, then angrily pointed at her.

"It ends tomorrow, Natsu. I'll finally defeat you, I swear!" I shouted. "And I never go back on my promises!"

I walked off amid protests from Natsu, Rinoa and Zidane towards my secret hideout... the place I'd never show anyone... my grotto. Shoving aside a large boulder with a great deal of difficulty, even moreso when I closed myself in, I found myself in my favorite place. There were small waterfalls leading down, splashing me with just the right amount of mist, and walls absolutely covered in my crude chalk doodles. In the center was a floating, circular rock, which I liked to meditate on.

I meandered around the gotto for a short while before meditating. I'd need to be at 100 tomorrow to get the rest of the supplies... and more importantly, to defeat Natsu...

I looked around uneasily... sensing another presence.

Odd... I've never told anyone about this grotto.

I finally caught glimpse of a silver-cloaked man, his face shrouded by the cloak.

"Hey! Who the hell're you?!" I shouted.

"A forgotten relic of the past," the figure replied.

"Well, whadda ya want from me?" I asked.

"I've simply come to find the door," he replied.

"Door? Like, to another world?" I asked.

"You understand so little," he replied.

"Who cares? I'll find the truth!" I shouted after looking down in thought for a moment, but the man... he was gone.

I was wierded out from that, so I quickly stealthed out of the grotto, then dashed back home. It was getting late, anyways.

CHARACTER PROFILE - NATSU

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Age: 15

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Brown

A beautiful girl from the Plains of Fate. She is a powerful swordswoman, using swift and frequent strikes to overwhelm her opponent. This has made her Fuyu's self-declared rival, as he relies on powerful strikes to quickly take his opponents down. Natsu yearns to find something beyond the cloudy skies and grassy plains, all she has ever known.

Her name means "Summer," and she wears a pink robe and sandals.

AREA - PLAINS OF FATE

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A beautiful valley, consisting of sprawling plains surrounded on all sides by an impassable mountain range. The sky is always cloudy, leaving its residents in confusion as to whether or not it is day or night. Nobody has ever seen the sunshine or starlight.