[Disclaimer: Contrary to the popular belief, I do not own the rights to Final Fantasy and its characters. This story has been written solely for entertainment and no profit is to be made off of it.]

He narrowly dodged the blade and then leapt toward his opponent. His blow was parried and they were again at a standstill. This time his opponent acted first, swinging his sword in a horizontal arc. Going under the blow, he kicked his opponent's back, but his opponent quickly spun around held his sword at the person's throat. The wind blew across the ground, carrying the dry dirt and golden leaves.

"I win," he exclaimed. "No matter how many times we spar, you're not going to beat me." Raiga smiled and lowered his sword. "I do admit that you have improved quite a bit though. A ninja-to [ninja sword] is quite hard to use, yet you've become quite good with it."

A flicker of defiance shone in his eyes. "I've been practicing with it for quite a while, so I know how to use it." Shinjin looked up at his brother, who was two years older. Shinjin had always admired his brother but greatly desired to become stronger him. "I'll beat you someday, and you better be ready to admit defeat!"

Raiga laughed. "Really now? I hope that day arrives soon, brother." Slapping his younger brother on the back, the two headed back to their village. Their village could be found on the eastern outskirts of the great city of Sanyou, located to the south of Wutai. As they walked, Shinjin looked at his brother, who's appearance was very similar to his own. Both had black hair that fell just a little short of their eyebrows. Raiga was a few inches taller than Shinjin and also had a larger build. This helped explain how he could wield a longsword with such speed and efficiency, any why Shinjin preferred a lighter weapon. Nearing the village, someone lunged out at them.

"Shinjin! Where have you been? You were supposed to help me clear the field! Don't tell me you were challenging Raiga to another duel..."

Shinjin looked at her nervously. Her name was Shika and she was a close friend of Shinjin's since early childhood. Somewhat shorter than Shinjin, her dark hair went down to her shoulders. She had cute face, and a thin physique.

"You were weren't you? You owe me big!"

Shinjin stepped back and quickly began to run.

"Hey! Slow down!" She yelled and began to chase after him.

"Kids..." Raiga thought to himself.

Reaching home, Raiga put down his armor and sword. "Hello mother, hello father." Raiga and Shinjin's father was a great man, in size and in mind. He was the head of the army of Sanyou and a man feared by all the enemies of Sanyou. Gunshin's stern face yet gentle smile reflected upon his ability to be both a relentless warrior and a caring father. His wife, Shisei, was a beautiful woman with a gentle face. She and Gunshin fell in love a long time ago, yet the passion had not yet faded. Raiga and Shinjin greatly loved and respected their parents.

"Where is Shinjin?" Asked Shisei.

"He's being chased around by Shika again. He really should become more serious."

She smiled. "Shika is a nice girl. She's quite pretty as well. If only Shinjin could see what I see..."

Gunshin chuckled. "Give him a few years. He's only fifteen."

The door abruptly opened and Shinjin emerged breathless. A second later Shika flew into the doorway, knocking him right on to the floor.

"...Hah...I....got.....you....."

Shinjin sat on the floor defeated, and Shika collapsed next to him.

"Shika, would you like to stay for dinner?" Offered Shisei.

Shika nodded and whispered an inaudible 'thank you.' While dinner was being prepared, the boys, Shika, and Gunshin sat down and waited in a small room. The room was a maroon color except for the door panels, and an old painting of the village decorated one of the walls. There were two benches in the room, each one facing the other. Gunshin and Raiga shared one while Shika and Shinjin shared the other.

"Raiga, how was your duel with Shinjin?"

"I beat him again, but he's obviously improved quite a bit."

Gunshin looked at his other son. "Never leave yourself open to your enemy. Always be aware of your surroundings. At least this much I have taught you."

Shinjin nodded.

"With the basics under your control, all that's left is practice, and that comes over time." Gunshin turned to Shika. "So Shika, how's your father, Kanbu?"

Shika's father was the head of the village and was respected and beloved by the people. "He's been very anxious recently. He said something about that new ShinRa conglomerate and how it's been threatening and taking over several areas. My father believes that they might try to invade Sanyou and has tried to warn the government. I think he's getting stressed out over nothing."

Gunshin listened carefully. He had heard of this "ShinRa" before, and new that he would be called upon if an actual war did take place. While he was further thinking about the matter, he was interrupted by Shisei's shout.

"It's ready!"

The house was a relatively large house, but was not filled with countless possessions of wealth. Several army medals and honors were scattered around the rooms and the furniture was practical and efficient. The five sat down at a large, low, round table. Shisei was a very good cook, and all could hardly wait to eat.

"Let us all give thanks for this meal."

A moment of silence followed, then they all began to eat. They talked about various things and laughed and enjoyed themselves till it grew dark outside. Shisei noticed that they had all finished eating and began to clear the table.

"Would you mind staying the night, Shika? The streets can be very dangerous after dark."

"It's alright, I can walk home. Then moon is bright tonight. I've done this countless times before." She replied.

Shisei looked a bit uneasy, but eventually conceded.

"Goodbye, Shika! See you tomorrow!" They all cried out. Shika waved back and headed for home.

Remembering Shisei's warning, Shika suddenly became nervous. She looked around carefully in the dark and repeatedly checked to see if anyone was following her. Suddenly a shadow appeared. Terrified, Shika jumped back. The shadow advanced on her until she could see who it was.

"Meow."

Angry with herself for getting so worked up, she headed over to the cat to pick it up. The cat belonged to one of her neighbors who lived a short distance away. Carrying the cat, she saw something flash in the sky. Several more things flashed quickly after. A second or two passed, then there was an abrupt explosion. Several building began to catch on fire. Scared, Shika began to sprint toward her house when five soldier dressed in ShinRa uniforms intercepted her.

"Well look what we have here..."

[Author's Note: First time writing a fanfic in quite a while... Vincent's already made his appearance, but the plot will take a bit longer to take hold. The story starts here, obviously, and ends when Vincent joins the Turks. Although you probably didn't notice, I didn't just make up a bunch of random name; they all mean something in Japanese. I wonder who has the willpower to go look them up... Once this story is completed, I'm also thinking about writing another one from the time he meets Lucretia till Hojo experiments on him, but that's quite a long ways off. I hope you'll enjoy the story.]