Chapter 1 - Birth of a Friendship

The sunrise in the port village of Kilika was among the most beautiful in all of Spira, and it was one of the many reasons that Gian had chosen the small island on which to make a new home and a new life.

Gian was a former soldier of Bevelle who was just short of thirty years of age. He stood six feet tall and he was one of Bevelle's more proficient swordsmen, as well as a functional white mage.

Gian really liked the small island village even if the villagers seemed wary of him. He found Kilika to be peaceful, quiet, and completely devoid of politics and everything else he disliked about Bevelle.

Gian peered out his window and watched the beginning of the village's daily activity. He saw merchants setting up their displays, boats arriving and departing from the dock, and fishermen out looking for their catches of the day. He also noticed one of the more popular residents of the village, a young woman named Tara.

Tara was a young woman of twenty, and a native of Kilika. She was a slender woman of medium height, with a lightly tanned complexion and long, slightly-wavy black hair. Most people who saw Tara would consider her attractive. As a budding black mage, Tara had learned how to take care of herself at an early age, no thanks to the destructive force known as Sin. Tara often helped with the care of many of the young children in the village as well. Tara had given some thought to joining the Yevon clergy, but she was never actually able to make up her mind to begin. Tara also liked the simple nature of Kilika, and she was in no hurry to leave the only home she had ever known.

Gian smiled and resumed cleaning up his small cabin. Afterwards, he began to prepare breakfast. One of Gian's specialties was a quiche-type dish made from eggs and fresh fish caught by his friend Roman, the old fisherman. Roman was one of the few natives who decided to strike up a friendship with the new arrival. Gian loved listening to the old man's stories, and Roman always made sure that Gian had an ample supply of fresh fish.

Gian finished preparing a pan of the delicious entrée and placed it into the fire oven. A few moments later, he heard a knock at his door. He did not expect to see Tara standing in the doorway.

"Hi! I don't even really know if you like this or not, but… I thought you might like some coffee this morning," she offered. Gian smiled and accepted.

"You said the magic word. I love coffee, and the Kilika blend is the best in Spira. Thank you!"

"You're very welcome. Wow, something smells good! What is it?"

Gian paused to check on the progress of his masterpiece.

"Breakfast. Are you hungry? I always make more than I could ever actually eat."

Tara took another deep breath and savored the aroma coming from the oven. She eagerly accepted.

"If it tastes as good as it smells, how could I say no?"

The morning was getting off to a great start. Gian began to dish up the delightful concoction.

"Good. Perhaps together, we can eat it all and I won't have to feed the fish today." Tara laughed as she tried to picture Gian cooking to feed the island fish.

The two sat down to enjoy breakfast. Much to Tara's delight, her breakfast tasted every bit as good as it smelled. Their conversation turned to the background of Kilika's mysterious new resident. Tara was just as curious as many of the other residents were.

"You know, I always see you coming and going, but I never seem to see you out in the village. I'm curious. Tell me about yourself."

"There's not much to tell, really," Gian explained, "I was born in Bevelle. I grew up and went to school there as well. When I turned eighteen, I joined the Bevelle Guard. I spent many years in the Guard and I got to the point where I felt I had accomplished all I was going to. I've been just about everywhere in Spira. I came through here more than a few times, and I'd always thought this village might be a nice, quiet place to live. It's on the water too, and that's a big plus. The chance came up, so I took it. I really like it here, even if the villagers seem a little nervous around me.

"I'm not nervous around you," Tara replied, somewhat surprised. "You seem like a nice-enough guy. They just don't know you. Go out into the village. Get to know people, and let them get to know you. The uneasiness will disappear, I promise."

Gian considered Tara's words. "Maybe you're right. I'll try it and see what happens. How was breakfast? Did I do okay?"

Tara patted her tummy. "If you always cook this well, you'll be seeing a lot more of me - in more ways than one."

"I could think of worse things. I'll stop short of fattening you up. So what's going on today?"

"Nothing much, really. I figured I'd do some cleaning and laundry. What about you?" It was a beautiful day, and Tara did not want to spend it cleaning and doing laundry.

Gian knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to do the one thing that he loved more than anything - that didn't involve consuming copious amounts of coffee. "I'm thinking of renting a boat. Being out on the water relaxes me. I love the water, and the peace and quiet that comes with it."

"Sounds like fun! Want some company? If you don't mind, that is." The idea of boating seemed to work for Tara.

Gian did not mind at all. He wanted a reason to get to know the young woman and now he had one.

"Let's do it!"

They both walked to the end of the dock where they found Roman unloading fishing gear from his boat, having finished his morning trip. Gian handed his friend a nice amount of gil, and then turned to Tara. "Looks like we have a boat!"

The old man smiled. "You kids have fun, now!"

Tara had known Roman her entire life, and she knew he was an excellent judge of character. If he liked Gian, that was good enough for her. In time, the villagers would accept him as well. She was certain of it.

The two spent the next couple of hours on the water talking about anything and everything, from politics, to the various locales of Spira, and even blitzball. They were having a wonderful time together and both hoped it would be the first of many.

Their route cut a wide circle, almost halfway to Baaj Temple and back. At one point in the trip, Tara wondered if Gian knew where he was going. Gian reassured her that even though he grew up in Bevelle, he had been around boats and water since he was very little. He knew what he was doing.

As the pair returned to Kilika Dock, they discovered, to their horror, that not much of the village remained. Sin had come and gone, and left nothing but destruction. The pair could not believe their eyes as they surveyed the damage. They saw cabins lifted completely off their docking posts and destroyed, entire sections of the dock blown away, and other cabins with missing roofs and caved-in walls. Fortunately, most of the villagers had found safety in the jungle area towards the center of the island, but many of their homes were now either non-existent or uninhabitable.

Tears filled Tara's eyes as she surveyed the remains of the dock. She knew that Kilika would rebuild, as they had done so many times in the past. Gian wondered how many more times it would be necessary.

Tara stared at a blitzball that was floating just a few feet from what remained of the dock. She knew the child the ball belonged to, and she knew it was his favorite toy.

"This has to stop. Nobody should have to live like this," she sobbed. "No more!"

The people of Spira had lived under the constant terror of Sin for almost a thousand years. Calling it living, though, was a stretch. With tears still welling in her eyes, she stood silent for a few moments and then made her decision. She turned to face the man she instinctively knew she would always be able to depend on.

"Would you be my guardian?"