Chapter 1:

The Beginning

My name is Michiko. My eyes are grey and my hair is black. I was born in a settlement named Gadar on the planet Jahan. I have had an unusual experience; one I doubt any others have had or ever will have.

You see, I thought he was a character created for a game. I thought he existed only in my imagination. My life was changed forever because of him.

This is my story. No, not mine alone.

This is our story…

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I was a young woman of twenty-seven when it all began. I had started my first job one year before. I worked as an animator for advertising, using realistic graphics in commercials, thus eliminating the need for actors. I had let my vacation days build up since then. I worked most weekends. On the anniversary of my first day, my boss called me into his office.

"Michiko, I want you to take a nice, long vacation."

"Please, sir, if I may," I stuttered. "I've only worked here for one year. Please, do not fire me."

"Of course not! I've watched how hard and long you work. I have also noted that you have taken no sick days or vacation."

"Yes sir."

"Take the next four weeks off with pay. You could use it. You're too young and pretty to work this much. Go out with your boyfriend, maybe get it going on, if you know what I mean."

"Please sir, don't," I whispered shamefully. "I have no man in my life. You and my co-workers are the only ones."

"Pity. Well, why don't you go out and meet somebody?"

"There is no one in this place," I muttered. I turned to leave.

"You're telling me that you've got no one to go home to, or cuddle up to on a cold night?" my boss asked. I turned to face him and forced a smile.

"Not for a long time now. Good night, sir."

No sooner had I gotten back to my office to prepare to leave than I began crying. My lover of three years had been killed in the war five years ago. I had received a package of his belongings. Among them were a diamond ring and a letter to me. It said:

Dearest Michiko,

If you are reading this, then it means I have left this world. I am terribly sorry. Among my belongings, you will find an engagement ring. Please give it to a woman named Neha. She is in your graphics class. I bought it from a merchant here in Cadfan. Why am I not giving it to you? I wish I could tell you in person. After we moved in together, the romance left. I no longer enjoyed bedding with you. Remember the party we went to for spring break? I met her there. I left early with her, if you recall. I said I was taking her home, because she was feeling ill and was unable to contact her ride. What you don't know is that we rented a hotel room for the night. I felt stronger for her. This must be paining you. Please, as my last request, give this ring to her for me. I love her.

Prem

I was never so upset and heartbroken as when I received that letter. I later learned from his friends that he was making love to other women, not just Neha and I. She never got the ring. I had it melted down at the blacksmith's. Somebody now owns a sword with bits of gold and diamond in it. I never trusted another man. I moved out of his house and into a cabin in the woods. I lived there in solitude for the next five years, planning never to wed or fall in love again. I had no pets or family, for neither of my parents had siblings, and they had both died. Then again, nobody on our planet had siblings.

Perhaps I should explain. We humans used to live on a planet called Earth until about three hundred years ago, when the planet suffered heavy overpopulation. The governments of the countries decided to join together and send the families with one or no children to a newly discovered planet. One-quarter of the population left. This was not enough to relieve the planet, so the single adults that were capable of having children and wanted to have them were sent to this new world, as well. This relieved the planet for a while. Three years later, Earth was destroyed. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, blizzards, and volcano eruptions, among many other catastrophes, ended the world. Every living thing on the planet died. It lies quiet now. No life will ever again live on the world. To prevent overpopulation here on Jahan, every couple is allowed only one child. The only exception is twins, but even then one couple must agree to forgo the miracle of birth. We use renewable resources, and if one person contributes to pollution, he is locked up. We use swords, bows and arrows, daggers, and other medieval weapons for protection. We are trying to preserve this planet. We do not want this one to end as Earth did.

The war Prem died in was a battle between humans and the aliens that live on this planet. They were discovered living in caves fifty years after humans arrived, and refused to share the land. The two races fought for two hundred and forty five years before the aliens surrendered five years ago. The survivors now act as our slaves. Each household contains a male and female. If they have children, the young ones are sold. When the elder servants die, new ones are sold to replace them. I have one. His wife died when she was discovered to be pregnant. It was a time when they were beginning to grow in numbers, and officials killed any pregnant females until the numbers were down again. They feared that the aliens would overrun us. I have never bought another. When my current one dies, I am buying no replacement. I am one of the few humans that feel sorry for them.

Anyway, back to my story. I wiped my eyes and packed my case. I locked my door as I left for a whole month.

"Madam, what might I be able to do for you?" Therapon asked me as I entered the house a few minutes later.

I looked him over. He was about four feet tall with green skin. His eyes were blue, and his arms ended in three slim fingers. He had no mouth, so he talked through telepathy. He had been given a robe to wear, but he didn't wear one all the time. The aliens were somewhat humanoid, but could not wear our normal clothing. They usually wore nothing, but the government had issued an order that it was 'indecent exposure.' They give robes to each slave when they are born. I allow my slave to go without clothes whenever he pleases. I have gotten used to it. My beliefs have always been that if a creature is living, it has the right to follow the ancient traditions of its race. The leaders of this world cannot see that. I only make him wear his robe when I have visitors or soldiers are coming to check up on me. They come around every once in a while to the isolated homes. My servant wears one because he wants to. Coincidentally, this one was in the war and he was the one that killed Prem. When I found out, I told him that it was fine, and I forgave him. In reality, I was not angry about it, especially after I discovered that he cheated.

"Not tonight, thank you," I smiled. I am gentler with the creatures than most people. My friends often look at me strangely when I am polite to their servants. "I will not be going to work for the next month. I have been given orders to take a vacation."

"Very well, milady. Here, allow me to massage your feet. You look so tired," he said. He began rubbing my feet.

"Thank you, Therapon," I muttered. I leaned back in my chair and did not move until he stood hurriedly. "What is wrong?"

"I am so sorry for putting that there. Again. I must go prepare your dinner."

I began to laugh a little. He was always trying to get at me. It was not uncommon for servants to fall for their masters of the opposite sex, particularly if both were unattached. I had gotten used to these antics, although most people would usually beat the crap out of the servants or kill them. Fortunately, our races cannot interbreed. I found these situations rather amusing, and have often been forced to hide my giggles when it happens at a friend's home. I looked down at my skirt and, sure enough, it was halfway up my thighs. I stood and pulled it back to just below my knees as Therapon waddled back in. Their feet were close together, so they greatly resembled penguins in their gait. Penguins were birds that lived in the coldest corners of the Earth. The looked like they wore tuxedos, but could not fly. They died out with the Earth.

"Dinner is served, madam."

"Thank you."

I ate my dinner quietly. I finished quickly, took a shower, and went to bed. I locked my door and windows, as always. I was always fearful of burglars and hostile extraterrestrials roaming about. I played a little of my favorite game, Final Fantasy VII. An hour later, I fell into slumber not two minutes after my head hit the pillow.

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I awoke early the next morning, which was odd. It was just beginning to break dawn, and not even Therapon was awake. I wrapped my blanket around me, slid my slippers on my feet, and walked outside.

"My, is it cold."

Fog covered the ground a few yards away from my house. I breathed the morning air in deeply. It was a few minutes before I looked up at the sky.

"What the heck?"

A large grid was glowing high in the sky half a mile away. Several seconds passed before a beam of light shot at the ground. My first thought was that the aliens got hold of our technology and were waging a new war. The beam landed just beyond my line of sight. The grid disappeared, and I could make out the form of a man where the beam had landed. He stood and walked backwards out of the fog shakily. He seemed very weak. I watched another grid form, but instead of a beam, it sent a cloud of green bats after the man. He looked at them in despair.

"Hey, you! Over here!" I called to the stranger. I didn't know what I was thinking, but he followed my cry.

He stumbled on the steps and fell into my arms. His long, silver hair gleamed in the growing sunlight. I realized then that he had fainted. I dragged him inside and shut the door tightly, listening as the bats hit the door. I looked at them, and saw that they disappeared in a cloud of smoke when they made contact. I refused to move until they were all gone. When they were gone, I knelt by the silver-haired man. I brushed back his bangs and gasped. I checked the booklet that came with the Final Fantasy VII game to make sure it was him. I woke Therapon and he helped me lay the man in my bed. I removed his clothes so Therapon could repair his wounds. I gazed in disbelief as we left the room to let him rest.

"Sephiroth…"

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Ah, Sephiroth. The best villain of all time. Ahem. This is my second story on fan fiction. Please read! I hope it's okay. Just so everyone knows, Michiko is NOT based on me. I do NOT want reviews asking about that. If I get some things wrong about Sephiroth, it's probably because I haven't finished FFVII yet (scratched, used disc= crappiness). Please don't flame me for mistakes!

NINJA MAGE