Fan Fiction / Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ There Are No Coincidences ❯ The Road Not Taken ( Chapter 1 )

The Road Not Taken

I was fortunate to notice this place from my balcony, and even more fortunate to get here unnoticed. To add to my luck, I have found it unoccupied. The view from this hilltop is breathtaking. Autumn has made its presence known by decorating with its favorite colors. The fall colors stood against the pale houses adding lovely warm touches. So much has happen. So many coincidences took place, which has led me here. I wonder what started all this? My name is Hikaru Rose, and I am 16 years old. I was born in Tokyo, Japan. When I was seven, my parents died in a terrible plane crash. With no other living relatives, I was sent to an orphanage in Tokyo. I spent four years there until the Roses' came and adopted me. They took me to New York with them where I now reside. I attend Crossroads High School in NYC. I am a junior in high school. I think it may have started that day at school. I walked down the hallway that leads to my locker. . I glanced at the mirror, which hung on the inside of the locker. I checked the make-up around my dark blue eyes, and on my ivory skin. I pushed the few loose strands of raven black hair out my eyes and made sure that the rest of my shoulder length hair was securely bound in its usual low ponytail. After finding everything satisfactory, I headed to class. While putting my books into my desk I heard a cheery familiar voice, "Good Morning Kairi!" I turned and faced the blond-haired girl and gave her a hug, "Hello Rikku! How are you doing?" Her green eyes lit up and she returned my hug with a bear hug," I'm doing great! What about you?!?" I smiled and replied, "Can't complain." We sat down at our desks right across from each other, and continued to chat happily. Rikku's name is actually Kumiko, but I prefer to call her Rikku, as she prefers to call me Kairi. These nicknames are an old fondness we share. Rikku is your typical blond: happy, hyperactive, hilarious, and often clueless. Nevertheless, I would not have her any other way. She is my best friend and looks out for me; I look up to her as a big sister. Well, rather down to her since she is shorter then me, and she hates it especially because she is a year and a half older than I am. We talked until our teacher entered the room. She soon gave us our usual good morning speech, which consisted of how it was NOT a good morning, that it is NEVER going to be a good morning, that she HOPED we were going to behave (but her tone indicated that she expected we would not) and concluded with roll call. As you can guess, Ms.Dragsdale is not an optimistic person. After roll was called, Ms.Dragsdale spoke again in her gloomy voice," We have two new students. I HOPE you will welcome them to our school. Boys, please introduce yourselves." The taller of the two stepped forward. He was slim. His hair was chocolate brown, and his eyes were dark grey. He had a light tan. His mysterious grey eyes remind me of a cloud. ."Hello, my name is Yun Katana." He sat in the empty seat behind me. As he passed me I could perceive that he was very muscular, most likely an athlete. He caught me looking at him, and smiled. I blushed and smiled back. Rikku noticed the exchange and flashed a mischievous smile at me. I wanted to wipe that smile off her face so badly! I squinted disapprovingly, which made he smile wider. I rolled my eyes and focused on the other boy. He too was tall and slim. He had blond hair, light blue eyes, and a shade or two darker skin than Yun. He gave off a very different feeling than Yun. He reminded me of a sunny day. His eyes reminded of the sky, his hair the sun shinning on the seashore. "Hello My name is Kun Katana and yes, Yun and I are brothers, Twins to be exact." He smiled and went to the empty desk in front of Rikku. He walked to his desk, took his seat and class began. For some reason these boys seemed familiar. This feeling puzzled me. Time busily passed until the lunch bell rang. Rikku and I grabbed our lunches and headed to the lunchroom. We scanned the room for empty seats. After searching for about five minutes or so, Rikku suggested we go outside because there was no room inside. I think she had other intentions.

"Hey Kairi! Look it's the new guys! Let's go sit with them!"

"Rikku I don't know…"

"O! Come on Kairi!"

She ran off before I could protest any further. I guess there was nothing else to do other than go after her. When I got there, she and Kun were involved in a rapid conversation. "Sit down Kairi! OVER by Yun." She gave me that mischievous smile of hers again. I shot her an "I'm going to hurt you for this later look." She just smiled as I took my seat by Yun. "Hello, I'm Hikaru." I extend my hand. He took it and grasped it strongly.

"Hi, nice to meet you. Hikaru, huh, that's Japanese for light."

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Tidus and I were raised in Tokyo, mostly in an orphanage. We were adopted a few years ago. Our father got a promotion, so we had to move here."

I had been taking a sip of my water when he said that. I choked in surprise. Now I knew how I knew them! "Hikaru are you alright?" His tone had genuine concern. Rikku came over and started to pat me on the back"Yeah, Kairi are you ok?" Kun was looking at me as well; he seemed concerned too. I looked at Yun,"Cloud? Is that you?" His eyes widened then narrowed. He had a look of disbelief on his face. He spoke in Japanese" No way, you can't be the little Kairi I knew." I smiled and replied I back in Japanese. "You better believe I am, Cloud." At that moment, I jump and hugged Cloud and he hugged me back. "How ya doing midget." I gently punched his shoulder. Rikku and Kun (who is actually Tidus) had this clueless look upon their faces. Cloud and I told them what had just happened and that we had discovered quite possibly the oddest coincidence ever. Four kids from the same orphanage in Tokyo, each being adopted at different times, and end up meeting about five years later unplanned and in another country. Is that weird of what? The Bell rang shortly after we finished explaining everything to Rikku and Tidus so we had to run to our classes, but we agreed to meet in the park after school. All through the day I could not help but think of the old days when Cloud, Tidus, Rikku, and I used to play at the orphanage. We were like a family, always watching for the others. I remember the day we picked nicknames. Cloud had found a cool book and he read it to us. After he finished we started to think of how the characters seem to act like each of us. Therefore, we took the names of characters and kept them as our own. When the school bell finally rang, I bolted out and headed to the park. On my way out, I ran into Rikku literally, but she did not seem to mind. So we headed to the park together. When we got there, something odd was going on. The park was empty. There was not a soul in sight. Rikku did not seem notice this, and just strolled in. I followed hesitantly. Cloud and Tidus were waiting for us. Rikku and I walked towards them as soon as we reached them a dark portal of nothingness opened under our feet. We fell within it. Once we were completely in the portal, we started to float through theses strange looking tunnels. These tunnels were similar to the wormholes in Star Trek. I tried to say something to the others but no sound would come out. After a few unsuccessful tries, I gave up. We warped through the wormholes until an opening appeared. We were soon dragged into this crack. The gateway led us to a forest. Autumn leaves lay everywhere, and more were falling. "Where are we?" Rikku asked with a frightened tone. "I don't know." Cloud replied looking around for a clue of where we were. We picked a direction and headed that way. We walked in silence until I tripped over a branch. I started to tumble down the hill, and I hit my head on a rock. After that, I cannot remember anything more until I woke up. When I awoke, I found myself in a stunning room decorated with the most exquisite objects I have ever seen. "Where in the world am I?" I asked to no one in particular. "You are in Llednevir, the peaceful dwelling of the Middle Realm.," answered a feminine voice. "Where? " I questioned.

"All in good time, you shall know all." The voice came into the light so I could see her. Yes, it was a girl, as I had thought. She had long auburn waves that went down all the way to the middle of her back, light skin and pointed ears like one of Santa's elves. Her ears did not surprise me as much as her eyes. Her eyes were dark orange as the inside of a sweet potato. "I am called Aki," she said. As I looked at her, all my memories flooded back. "Aki, Where are my friends? Are they here?" I said this as I was getting out of the bed. "Yes, they are here; we are waiting for you to awaken. Come with me and I'll take you to them." By the time she finished the sentence, I was already out of bed. Aki took my hint and she led me to a large room. Within it were many books, chairs, and tables. It resembled a private library. Cloud and Tidus were sitting at a table talking to two dark haired men across from them. Rikku was looking out a window. I could tell she was worried. Rikku turned her head from the window and focused on me. I saw a wave of relief washed over her face. She ran over to me and hugged me tightly. She mumbled some words that I could not understand because of how fast she was talking. After she let me go, Cloud and Tidus commenced in checking if I was ok. Which I assured them several times that I was. "I'm sorry to interrupt but we must be going. Please follow me." Aki said as she headed into the direction opposite of where I had been. She led us into a large open hall. The only furniture that I could see was eight chairs. Seven of these chairs were in a semicircle facing the eighth. The eighth was larger than the others were. We were soon told to each sit down in a chair. We took our seats. The most beautiful woman that I have ever seen entered and walked towards the eighth chair. She was tall, with long chestnut colored hair that went down all the way to her knees. Her eyes were of a dark amethyst, and her skin was as pale as snow. She was clad in a light blue gown of magnificent make. She walked to the eighth chair with long graceful strides. When she reached the chair, she stood in front of it. She then looked at each of us with gentleness and compassion. Her stare was intertwined with intelligence. She smiled,"Finally they are all here. Welcome all of you!" she sat down. "I am Aeris, Mistress of Llednevir. The reason you were all summoned here is that you are the chosen ones. The ones chosen to fight the entity called Sin sometimes referred to as Chaos and its minions, the Phantoms." She spat the words Sin, Chaos and Phantoms with disgust. "There are four dimensions: the worlds that are now, the alternative worlds, the middle world-that you are now in-, and the World of the shadows. Sin is from the Realm of Shadows. Sin feeds on the darkness within the hearts of the inhabitants of the planet. Once Sin has consumed enough hearts, and the planet does not have enough pure hearts left to defend it, Sin can plunge it into darkness. Then the planet is annexed to the Shadow Realm. This is the unfortunate fate of planets without pure hearts. However, these planets can be saved, by the pure of heart. Beware of Sin. It is cunning and smooth in speech. Many fall victim to Sin and its phantoms that do its bidding. You have been chosen to fight Sin because each of you has a special power. You may not know it, but you do possess ability. I can tell by looking at each of you that you are pure of heart, but all of you will be tempted." With that, Aeris arose and left the room. We were then led to different rooms and told to rest, for we would have a big day tomorrow, and would need our strength. I sighed and lay on the bed, clothes and all. When Aeris had spoken of Sin destroying people and planets, I could somehow see it within my mind. It was as if I had been there when it all happened, which frightened me to be honest. I stared up and the ceiling. After a fitful sleep, I got up and walked to the balcony. Llednevir was a lovely place. Its white houses seemed to be made of material similar to mother of pearl. From the balcony, I spotted a lush green hill. Something from that hill beckoned me to come. Aki had told me that the Sin and phantoms could not enter the Llednevir because of a special protective barrier that Aeris had made. As long as Aeris was alive, the phantoms could not enter this place. Whatever was calling to me, I answered. I hopped off the balcony and headed to the hill. So here, I stand now, so far away from where I began. "A lot to take in for one so young." I turn my head to see Aeris standing there. She walked towards me and sat down. When I had first met Aeris in the hall, she had a different air around her. An air that told me not to speak, but now it told me the exact opposite.

"So many things happened today that I am still having doubts that they ever took place. I am still waiting to wake up, and find that these events were nothing but a dream."

"I assure, you are not dreaming. This is real, Hikaru"

"I'm beginning not to doubt that anymore."

"Hikaru, what do you think of your reuniting with your friends? I have given up trying to figure out how she seemed to know everything, like, what my name was and what happened. I answer shyly, "A coincidence." I heard Aeris let out a sigh, "You have a lot to learn. Hikaru, there is no such thing as a coincidences, just inevitabilities. Your friends and you were brought here for a reason. For nothing ever happens without one. Because you are a one of the chosen, you have the power to save or destroy the worlds. You must choose to either remain pure of heart or fall to darkness. There are two Roads to follow, and you must choose one." Aeris got up and she left me alone to my thoughts. What she said reminded me of a Poem by Robert Frost called the Road Not Taken. I memorized this poem a while ago.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Author's note

When I read a story,I like to lookat the names and check if they mean anything. Since I do that,I thought for other stories that I should do that for mine. I decided to add a page of name translations.

Hikaru "Kairi" Rose

HIKARU is the masculine version of the word hikari meaning "light" in Japanese. I used the masculine form to give her a special touch to show she is tough. Kairi comes from the end word of hikari I just added and "I". Kairi was analso a character from the game Kingdom Hearts. I called her Hikaru Rose to show beauty.

Kumiko "Rikku"

Kumiko means eternally beautiful one in Japanese. I called her that to show a gentle spirit, that in her heart she is kind. Rikku has two roots; Riku without the extra K means "land" in Japanese oris a Finnish short form of Richard meaning, "Bravepower". Rikku may be pretty but she can be brave when needed. Rikku the spelling comes from the character in the game Final Fantasy X.

Yun "Cloud" and Kun "Tidus" Katana

Yun is Chinese for cloud and Kun is Chinese for Sun. Cloud means Cloud. (WOW I used an English name!)Cloudwas a character Final FantasyVII. A cloud becomesdark and mysteriouswhen rainis about to fall. Tiduswas acharacter from final fantasy X. Tiduswhich is pronounced Tii-da in the Japanese version,( not Tee-dus or Tide-us)is from the Ryukyu (Okinawan) dialect of Japanese, and means "sun". It comes from the honorific once used to refer to an Okinawan king: Tidanukwa, or Tedako in Japanese, which means, "child of the sun".A Katana is a type of sword.

Aki

Aki is short for Akiko, which means autumn child in Japanese. Just plain Aki means autumn.

Aeris

The Latin word Aeris means air. This is a hint to Aeris' connection to nature and her importance, without air and an atmosphere, there would be no life.

Llednevir

Llednevir is Rivendell backwards. From archaic English, Riven Dellmeaning a deeply cut valley. Rivendell from the Lord of the Rings was,The hidden refuge of Elrond Halfelven, founded in the Second Age against the assaults of Sauron in Eriador. It lay in a deep valley in the western foothills of the Misty Mountains, and endured under the Lordship of Elrond through the War of the Ring and beyond.

Special thanks to

http://japanese.miningco.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?sit e=http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/jap.html

http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.html

http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/nchara.shtml

Thanks for making your pages!

All right now! Please review! I need to know if it is good, bad, or just plain ugly!

-"Air" and "atmosphere": this seems to be an allusion to Aeris' connection to nature and her importance to the planet. Without air and an atmosphere, there would be no life.

Abedrabo1