Disclaimer: this will apply for the rest of fic. I don't own final fantasy or its characters, the movie "the beach", or the character Gepetto.

chapter 3
something new

I awoke to the gentle rocking of the fishing boat. My eyes fluttered open to see the sun sitting on the horizon casting brilliant hues of reds and oranges across everything in sight. The ocean looked ablaze with fire by the reflecting sunlight dancing a delicate and symbiotic dance on top of the calm ocean waters. A slight breeze was playing with my hair, strands now tickling my face. I slowly crawled to my feet and began working my way to the bow of the boat to take in the breathtaking view.

While on my way, I noticed that five bodies sprawled out on the deck had impeded my path. The sight was truly one to behold with entangled limbs lying every which way. It soon became clear what I had forgot: my camera. In the mass of confusion that had ensued earlier in the still darkened morning, Selphie had managed to cozy up to a bulky fishing net with a stream of drool trailing from her mouth onto the net. One of her arms appeared to be tangled up in the netting while the other was clutching a familiar cowboy hat. Zell was sleeping, or rather snoring, at the base of the net with his head resting on the back of Irvine's shoulder.

Seifer apparently had cuddled up to the sleeping cowboy, clinging to the material of Irvine's shirt. One of his arms was draped unceremoniously over Irvine's waist. There was no doubt in my mind that Seifer had mistakenIrvine forQuistis sometime in the night. Irvine was sleeping on his stomach with his head turned to the side, which happened to be the same side Seifer was curled up to. Quistis rested on top of the fishing net with her legs resting on Zell's stomach. A devious smile crossed my lips. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. I maneuvered my way past the sleeping mass and crouched down next to Seifer and leaned close to his ear.

I heard a rustling noise from the netting and looked over the see both Selphie and Quistis beginning to stir out of their slumber. Selphie looked dazed and very confused at where she was. She was about to say something but I held my finger up to my lips.

"Mmm…Seifer I'm cold," I whispered in my best Quistis impression. Upon hearing this, the blonde nudged closer to Irvine and moved his draped arm from the cowboy's back upward until his hand found Zell's head. His fingers then began to twirl the spiky blonde's hair. To my surprise neither Zell nor Irvine stirred from Seifer's …advances. Quistis had a look of disgust on her face while Selphie was trying not to bust out in a fit of giggles.

"Sei, I'm still cold…hold me," I whispered only this time in more of a soft pout. Seifer then scooted so that he was flush against Irvine's side while tightening his grasp. Quistis' mouth was now agape while she laughed silently to herself. I was trying hard to contain myself while Selphie had both hands covering her mouth from the laughter dying to escape.

"Hmm…not now Selphie," Irvine groaned.

"…Selphie?" Seifer mumbled.

"…"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Selphie erupted into laughter while clutching her stomach and rolling onto her back. Quistis was wiping the tears away from her eyes and leaning forward. I stood up and crossed my arms on my chest laughing aloud and shaking my head.

"What the-" Irvine gasped.

"What's wrong with your voice Quistis?" Seifer asked, his eyes beginning to open.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Seifer shrieked out in shear horror as he realized his rather close proximity to Irvine instead of Quistis. He instantly rolled away from Irvine and jumped up running for the side of the boat. Irvine tuned pale as the realized that Selphie was not the one clinging to him. Zell's head fell to the deck as Irvine began to sit up from his position.

"Whoa … that was a trippy dream, I swear someone was rubbing my head," a confused Zell said.

Upon hearing this Seifer leaned over the side and began retching. Quistis promptly stood up and walked over to him.

"Seifer…are you … are you okay?" Quistis asked in between fits of laughter while placing one of her hands on his back.

"Ah!" Seifer immediately whirled around.

"Jumpy are we? You know, I would venture to guess that Quistis has you… oh how shall I put this…high strung?" I asked with an amused smile.

"On a tight leash!" Selphie spat out in between chuckles.

"Whipped is more like it," Zell stated.

"Yes Zell, I think you're right," I said while Selphie and I both started in a fit of laughter again. "Whipped seems to fit!"

He turned around slowly to glare at me. I could tell by his face that he was putting two and two together, deducing that I was indeed the culprit.

"Oh, you're fucking dead Leonhart!" He ran at me and grabbed the front of my shirt preparing to hit me. All I could do was laugh at him. Quistis had to come over to calm him down.

Irvine sat in a state of shock while Selphie crawled her way towards him. She placed his hat back on his head and tossed her arms around him, drawing him into a hug.

After enough time had passed and Seifer was done threatening my life, I walked to the bow of the boat. The sun was a little higher in the sky and Balamb was quickly coming into view. I leaned over the railing to peer down into the waves slamming into the boat. There was something hypnotic about watching the boat slice through the waves and seeing the spray fly out. I found myself not being able to tear my eyes away from the destructive force. I was so preoccupied with concentrating on the waves that I didn't notice Zell resting his arms on the railing right beside me.

"You know, I've never seen anyone so fascinated with waves before."

I turned to look at Zell and slowly brought myself upright. I racked my brain for a comeback, something about hotdogs no doubt. I was about to speak when Zell pointed ahead. I looked up and saw that we were pulling up to a dock where two dockhands were waiting with rope in hand.

"Yeah, so we were all kinda wondering what to do next," Zell said.

A smile crept onto my face. Balamb. We had finally arrived. I began thinking about this new adventure that I was embarking on. Stuff about where I'm from, who my family is, none of that mattered anymore. I felt like I had just cut myself loose from everything that I had ever known by crossing over the ocean and leaving Esthar behind. So after seven hours of virtually no sleep, we had arrived in Balamb. We came here looking for something more beautiful, more exciting, and yes I admit something more dangerous.

"Uh…we should probably find a place to stay, and I know that you are always hungry-"

"That's what I'm talkin about! Food! Man, I wasn't gonna say anything earlier, but I'm starved." Zell looked like a kid in a candy store at the mere mention of food. I just shook my head at his antics.

We unloaded and said our thanks to the guy who owned the boat. The slips on the dock were filled with all types of boats imaginable. Most of them were fishing boats that were preparing to head out for their catches. Men with gruff faces sat fixing their nets and hooks, most of them too busy to acknowledge us. As soon as we hit the beach, we all just stopped and stood in amazement. Selphie was twirling around in a circle trying to take it all in.

From a distance the water took on a blue-green tint that glistened and reflected the rays of the rising sun. The waves were beginning to break on the beach, creating a thunderous sound as they collapsed. The sand was clean and very fine-grained with fragments of shells scattered about. Large umbrellas were set up as people were already beginning to make their way down to the beach and claim their spots. Towering palm trees swayed gently from the winds coming in off the ocean. Lush green vegetation and tropical flowers dominated the landscape further inland.

I dropped my pack, took off my sandals, and walked down towards the water. I waded in until the water reached the bottom of my shorts and looked through the clear water down at my feet, and surprisingly I could see them. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the rest of the group in a daze, each with their mouths slightly agape at the sheer beauty they had just stumbled upon.

It took a while for everyone to get over the initial shock of finally arriving. I thought that it would be best to find some place to stay first, much to Zell's displeasure. We strolled into Balamb and were shocked to see merchants bartering at this time in the morning. I have heard that Balamb never sleeps, so I guess this proves it.

So this is it, Balamb, good time city. Here, gil gets turned into counterfeit watches and even genuine scars if you don't watch out. This is where the hungry come to feed, I thought to myself.

People from all over flooded into the streets, trying to make deals. The natives would try and sell you everything: luggage, cameras, batteries, postcards, you know, the same old shit. They even have those shirts that say "best family vacation ever" and "I came to Balamb and all I got was this shirt." The streets were aligned with open-air markets with meats and fruits that no one really knew how old they were.

"Got fresh mangos here! Get your mangos here!" yeah, fresh my ass. So the natives would come up to us and ask us to by this and try out that. Some were even grabbing our arms to get our attention. We just ignored them and kept walking until one native asked us a very unsettling question.

"Hey, you wanna drink pig's blood?" We all stopped and I turned to look at the man in disbelief. Quistis and Selphie had grossed out faces.

Don't ever be afraid to try something.

"Pig's blood? Ugh…no thanks," I stammered out still in shock of the question.

"Whats wrong, you scared? Afraid of something new?"

"Scared!" Seifer replied in a raised voice. "We're not scared of shit!"

"We just don't like the idea," I answered starting to get agitated.

"Ha! Like every tourist, you want it very safe, just like Esthar," the man said, his words dripping with disdain. Irvine and Seifer had begun to crack their knuckles while Zell was shooting the man death glares. So he could tell easily that we were from Esthar, but nobody gets away with insulting us.

"What the hell did you just say?" Irvine asked stepping closer to the man.

So don't ever refuse an invitation or resist the unfamiliar.

"Bring on the pig's blood you crazy fuck," I spat out. I never step down from a challenge.

We followed the man into the back of his shop and to my surprise Quistis and Selphie had come as well. Looking past the back door I noticed wild pigs chained up outside, probably about to be butchered right out on the street. We came to a table were three men were sitting. They had stern looks on their faces; one was even dragging a dagger back and forth across the top of the table. We stopped and stood in front of the table, glaring at the men. The man with the dagger dropped it and smirked at us. He then placed six glasses onto the table. The native who had approached us came by with a jug and began filling the glasses to the rim with the crimson red liquid. I stared at the glass in front of me trying to quell my fears.

Without another thought, I grabbed the glass and began to chug the foul substance down. I could feel the blood ooze its way down my throat and into the pit of my stomach. Tipping the glass up, the remainder of the blood slid into my mouth where I swallowed every last drop of it. I cringed as the rancid liquid traveled through me and slammed my glass back onto the table. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and looked at everyone else. I nodded my head telling them that I was okay. Seifer grabbed his glass and began to chug the blood, followed by Irvine and a pale looking Zell. Quistis and Selphie exchanged glances and grabbed their glasses in front of them, each stepping up to the challenge.

Never fail to be polite and never outstay your welcome.

With a satisfied look on my face I looked over the three men sitting across the table. I guess that you could say that an understanding passed between us and we exchanged nods.

"Gentlemen…it was a pleasure." And with that we left the butcher's shop.

Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience, and if it hurts, it's probably worth it.

so there you have it. i did take one scene from the movie, but modified it of course. what do you think?
ciao