(Author's Note: Well…the idea for this story popped into my head one day so I started thinking about it and then came to a decision…here's the first chapter of A Dance with Demons…hope you like it…)
Disclaimer: FF7 and Squaresoft are not mine. Any other characters are.
Chapter 1
The sky was black. It was either from the clouds or just from the time of day…or night really. It was late. The sleek black chocobo blended in perfectly with its surroundings as it ran without worrying about stumbling on the forest path. Its rider only paid half attention to where they were heading. His mind was on his mission more than anything.
His chocobo suddenly warked and began to prance nervously. He looked up and reached his hand out to rub his birds head.
"Sh-h-h-h…what's the matter boy?" he asked softly. The chocobo calmed and stood still as he looked around. Not seeing anything he nudged the black bird forward and decided to keep an eye on his surroundings. The only sounds were the crunch of leaves under the chocobos feet and the wind as it blew through the trees.
After another hour of travel he finally found a place that looked like it would be good for a campsite. He dismounted his chocobo and relieved it of the packs from its shoulders. After he set his bag next to the trunk of a big tree he fed and watered the bird. He tied the reins to a low hanging branch.
He walked around the small clearing and found enough dry sticks to build a small camp fire. Once that was done he opened one of his packs and pulled out his bedroll. He unfolded it under the tree for shelter. The sky looked like it would start pouring down rain any minute. He got that done then opened the second pack. He pulled out his travel rations. He began to eat.
After a minute his chocobo let out a wark and began to prance again. Its green eyes rolled as it stomped the ground. He stood up and went to soothe it but movement caught his eye.
He froze in mid-stride and looked to the other side of the clearing. That's where the movement had come from. He narrowed his eyes.
The little girl gasped, her eyes going wide in fear. She turned and started to run.
"Wait!" She stopped and looked back at the man in the clearing. He wore a dark colored suit and a tie. His hair looked black but she couldn't tell. His eyes were to dark to see the color. "Come here," he said in a soft tone to show that he meant no harm.
Timidly the little girl walked towards him. Her eyes were still wide and watching for any signs that he would hurt her. He could see that her hair was a light color as well as her eyes but it was too dark to tell what color. She wore a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that was torn and dirty. She had dirt smudged on her face, arms, and legs. Her long hair was tangled and had a few leafs in it too.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked bending down to go through one of his packs.
"W-w-we were attacked by a mon-monster…" she sniffed and looked like she might cry.
"Are there others with you?"
She shook her head. "No…the monster…" she sniffed again.
"Oh…hey come here. You look hungry," he said and held out another pack of his travel rations.
She walked closer to him. She slowly reached out and took it from him. "Thank you!" she said.
He smiled, which for him was rare. "You're welcome. Here. Sit down and eat. I'll get you something to drink," he said motioning at his bedroll.
She sat down and began to eat. He handed her an extra canteen of water that he had. He sat down and they eat in silence.
She yawned when she was finished. "Thank you sir but…I've caused you enough trouble," she started to get up and walk away.
"No. It's too dangerous for you to leave here now. Go ahead. You can sleep there. I'll stand watch," he said.
"Oh…okay…" she laid down and got settled into his bedroll. A minute later she was asleep. He watched her for a few minutes then looked around the clearing for more wood to feed the fire.
****
The next morning the little girl sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"Did you sleep well?" the man asked her. She could see what he looked like clearly now. He had short raven black hair and brown eyes. His suit was a dark navy blue and his tie was red.
"Yes I did. Thank you," she said. He could see her clearly now. Her eyes were a pale sky blue. Her hair was long and a pale blonde almost white color.
"Hmm…but what to do with you now?" he was talking aloud to himself but her eyes widened in fear. "No, no. I won't hurt you. You can't stay out here by yourself…I'm heading towards the chocobo farm…want to go with me?"
"SURE! If you don't mind…" she said her fear gone.
"Not at all. Let's break camp then we'll leave," he said. They did that then he mounted the black chocobo and pulled her up in front of him. "Hold on!"
She squealed when the chocobo took off at a run. They reached the chocobo farm an hour later. He rode away leaving the little girl there to be cared for…
****
The man sat up and opened his eyes. "Another dream…about her…" he sighed and shook his head. He was to meet with his friends in Cosmo Canyon tomorrow so he better get ready to leave.
****