Final Fantasy [Begins]

[classy_cat18]

Kite Rowe

I had spotted him again when I was gobbling my last fruit tart. My feet were glued to the ground, my mind arguing whether to just leave him alone for the night. At that instant, a voice screamed in my head:

JUST GIVE HIM THE DAMN TOY!

“Tch,” I sneered as I gathered up the courage to call out to him. “Nova!”

The manchild took one look at me and took off running in another direction. This wasn’t like him at all. Why was he avoiding me like the plague and darting around like he was in trouble?

Maybe he really did skip house arrest without permission. I followed him even as we both bumped into people. It was a miracle that I didn’t completely lose him. He’s heading for the stage?

A guard stopped me from following him backstage. “Not allowed, pal,” he said gruffly.

How did Nova get permission?

“I was just following my friend—“

“You can wait for him outside.”

I rolled my eyes and waited for him at a spot where I could keep an eye on the entrance. “He’ll spend all night in there if he wants,” I muttered.

But eventually he did come back out. This time he didn’t bother trying to hide from me. “How’d you get in there?” I questioned.

“Blagged my way in, as usual,” he replied.

That’s all he’s going to tell me? He never was one to talk about himself but today he has been more secretive than usual.

His eyes were glued to the stage on the beach. I hadn’t taken the time to watch the show since I had spotted him earlier. With him staying put for a change, I could relax and watch the show with him. The performers danced elegantly, giving as good of a performance as they always did. It was like watching a dream.

My fingers fiddled with the Chocobo toy. This is it. The perfect time to give it to him. I opened my mouth to speak only for a grunt of pain to come out when some kids stepped on it while running past.

“You okay?” Nova asked me when he noticed me shaking my foot.

“Yes. This is for you,” I said in a rushed voice as I handed him the toy, not even bothering to look at him. “I fixed it up and was going to find a way to sneak it to you while you were in house arrest.”

I glanced at him long enough to see him studying it. “Th-thanks. How’d you know it was my birthday?”

“Y-Your…” I shook my head. Another thing he didn’t bother telling anyone. “I hear things,” I lied.

“It’s great. Thank you.” He smiled and slipped it in his pocket. A small smile of my own appeared.

Good, he likes it. I turned my head to him only to find someone else had joined us. Nova had that “trapped rat” look again. It’s that girl from two weeks ago!

“Can I speak to you?” the girl asked Nova.

Poor Nova was sweating bullets. “I’ll uhh, be right back…” he told me.

“Are you in trouble?” I asked although I already knew the answer.

“No-“ he tried to lie.

“Yes,” the girl cut in. “He is. Please excuse us.”

“Please take as long as you need,” I whispered as I left them. Forget the whole damn show; I was going back so I can take my frustration out on some poor useless hunk of metal. It helps to imagine some idiot’s head in its place.

No matter how far from the stage I got, I could still see the brilliant lights and hear the voice of the songstress. Those only made me pick up the pace until I was running as fast as I could. I only stopped when I heard everything get quiet… and then get loud again.

But this time the sounds were totally different.

“Something’s wrong,” I murmured to myself. I ran the rest of the way to the shop to get my sledgehammer.

The heavy weight of my improvised weapon didn’t slow me down too much. Nova and that girl were still there. If Nova’s been harmed… Lindzei help whoever harmed him!

“FIEND!” a woman shrieked before almost crashing into me. Right behind her was a black-and-gray fiend, with a hole right through his wide-open maw.

“And this party keeps getting BETTER!” I growled, swinging my sledgehammer at the last word. It got the fiend right in the mouth and sent it flying.

Even worse than I thought. Figures that if Nova and the others could get OUT, the fiends would eventually be able to get IN. I reached the beach and concentrated on saving innocent people from the fiends attacking them. “NOVA! WHERE ARE YOU?”