Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Changing Winds ❯ Evil Awakens ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: This is my first fic I've ever written, please enjoy. I've never been able to read FFU:After or anything of the sort. This is going to be my version of what happened after everything. I know there aren't many FFU fans out there, but if you are, tell me what you think! Please review! If I don't get many reviews I may not continue…

R&R ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy Unlimited or any of the characters…blah blah blah. You get the picture.

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Chapter 1: Evil Awakens

Oscar climbed out of the dark abyss that used to be the pit of Chaos, and stood up and looked over the ruins of the battle scene. "The Unlimited has escaped again", he said to himself. He looked over the ruins once more, and a white glow caught his eye. It seemed like a sword, but a figure seemed to materialize from it. Oscar began wiggling around, dancing and making strange flexible movements. "Makenshi-dono you've survived!"

The figure in white stood up, "Oscar, I thought you knew everything", he smirked.

Oscar almost seemed surprised to hear the child's voice, "Your majesty! But how can this be?"

The Tyrant made his way toward the squiggling figure. His eyes were deep violet in hue, and the mist emitting from his mouth was dark purple also. The mist greatly contrasted with the white clothing of Shiroi Kumo. "Makenshi wasn't as affected against the blast from Summoned Creature as I was. He tried to consume me in his final attack, and when most of my body was destroyed, there was still a part of me with him. Why he was more powerful then me is quite the mystery. Perhaps you didn't nurture the Chaos as well as you thought, hmm?" His face reflected boredom. "And I'd hate to send a loyal Lord of Gaudium to his death, though your plan with Fungus was entertaining."

Oscar bowed deeply, "I'm sorry your Highness, I greatly appreciate your kindness."

The Count covered his mouth with Shiroi's mask, and started towards the throne room. "I'm starving. And fix your mask, that eye's making me sick."

"Yes your majesty."

The Tyrant paused in his walking, and turned to Oscar once more. "And while you're fixing my meal, clean up Gaudium and fetch Helba and Pisto from the pit."

As they left the room, a frightened little puppet stared from behind a boulder.

"Kukukudyu…"

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The figure tossed and turned in her bed. Dreams had plagued her ever since her adventure to the Inner World. And most weren't pleasant.

"Ai! Yu!" The two children were running toward her with outstretched arms and frightened expressions. "Lisa!" Yet no matter how hard they ran they stayed the same distance away from her. A cruel and demented laugh echoed through the air and the tentacles of Chaos shot toward the kids. "Stop!" Lisa screamed, "They're just children!" The little Tyrant's face seemed to materialize in the sky, and he continued to laugh manically. The tentacles shot straight through the children's hearts.

Lisa shot up in her bed in a cold sweat. She breathed heavily and collected herself. "Why do I keep having these dreams?" she thought, "That laugh…and that sickening twisted energy flow." She shivered in her blankets, and dug around the neckline of her nightshirt. She found what she was looking for and closed it tightly in her hand. She released it and let it dangle in the air on a silver chain. Kaze's earring. Her mixed feelings for the mysterious man never faded, even two years after the incident. "Why did he give himself up?" She sighed and put the necklace back and glanced at the clock. "Only 6:30…" Lisa kicked off the blankets and went into her bathroom and ran a hot bath.

After breakfast she went back up to her room and decided to put on her old orange outfit. She then stared longingly at the dark pillar that seemed to sprout out of the ocean. She thought it would disappear once the Count was dead, but apparently she was mistaken. A depressing feeling crept over the room, and she decided she needed some fresh air.

"Ai! They're burning!" Mrs. Hayakawa quickly turned off the stovetop.

Ai looked disappointed and sighed. "Mom how about I pack the instant food instead?

Ai's mother smiled and said, "Now now, don't be discouraged. You need to learn how to cook."

Mr. Hayakawa came into the kitchen and wiped his brow, "Sure is a nice day for a picnic. How's the cooking coming Ai?"

She looked annoyed, "Just fine."

Yu came in a moment later followed by Chobi. "Err…smells good Sis."

Ai thwacked him on the head with the spatula and continued her cooking. Chobi grabbed a mouthful of hair and began tugging. Ai fell onto the floor and tried to take her hair back.

Marie turned to her husband, "Are you two almost done packing?"

Joe smiled warmly, "Yea just about, where's the sunscreen?"

She smiled back, "I already put it in the car."

Lisa awoke out of another daydream to find herself in the park. Summer vacation had already started for all the kids, and the Sakura trees were in bloom. She watched all the kids run around and eat with their parents. Memories of her mother washed through her mind. They never did mother-daughter things, though she loved her daughter very much. She was obsessed with training Lisa in Kingenjitsu. She wondered if she would teach her child the Arts as well. Constant training gave Lisa the incredible power she wielded now, but she didn't want to toss away her child's childhood. She sat beneath a nearby cherry tree and read the energy of the tree and the grass. "It's so peaceful here…" It was then she heard a familiar voice call her name, but it wasn't frightened like in her nightmares.

"Lisa! Over here!" Ai was waving her arms and motioning her to come join them.

Lisa greeted both the children and their parents and sat down on the blanket.

"You look well Lisa," Marie smiled.

She nodded, "You do too. And the twins have grown up in these past two years." Ai was growing into a young woman, and Yu was getting tall. They were talking with some of their classmates and enjoying themselves. Mrs. Hayakawa called them to lunch and they hurried over to the blanket.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, but Yu broke the silence. "Your food is great Sis. So Lisa what have you been up to?"

Lisa told them of various jobs that required her skills, such as retrieving tourist boats out of the pillar. Ai growing bored with the tale changed the subject.

"So Lisa, have you gotten a boyfriend yet, or did you have one from the start?" Marie looked at her sternly. Lisa only looked surprised and laughed nervously. "That "laugh" tells me you don't."

Mrs. Hayakawa finally broke in, "Ai enough." Lisa sighed and disguised her face with a smile, "I'm afraid not."

Lunch was soon over and Lisa was headed home. But she wasn't quite ready. It often got lonely, and her T.V. was broken. She knew she was near the broken down subway and decided to pay a visit to old memories. She carefully made her way down the musty stairs into the underground. "This is where it all started…" She sat on a moldy old bench when she discovered something that shouldn't be there. "A hole? This wasn't here before." She walked closer to investigate, but the floor around the hole collapsed, taking her in.

She landed on something soft and heard a moan. "Oww…" She got up immediately, and found something that looked like a gunnysack lying on the ground. "Oh Fango! I'm so sorry!" She looked around her and noted the familiar spiral of a giant staircase, though it seemed much wider. "The Inner World?" And in the middle sat a giant air ship. "Sylvia! Fango is the dimensional tunnel a new base for Comodin?"

Fango sat up and brushed himself off, "No. We're making new ports for Sylvia…or something."

"You mean Sylvia can travel like Elizabeth?!"

Fango shrugged, "I don't know."

Nav walked down the stairway behind her. "Long time no see, Lisa."

Lisa turned around, "Nav! What is all this?"

Nav flipped his scarf behind him. "We're making new ports for the airship like Fango said. Cid's discovered how to travel in the dimensional tunnel without being powered by Omega. He had to use his most powerful Soil engine to get us to Teros. There we made up large supplies of fuel water and started testing Sylvia in dimensional traveling. By luck, we've been able to travel to our desired destinations. He's also looking into making fuel water clothes, but he's having problems. He thinks only Bolbol and a few others have the talent of doing it."

Lisa let it all sink in. "So…What does the Comodin do without the Count to oppose?"

Nav took his cigar out of his mouth and shrugged, "We help out where we can… Would you like to come with? Tour the airship? Say hello?" She hesitated a minute, then nodded her head.

Onboard everyone greeted her warmly, and Cid gave her the main tour. Lisa looked uncomfortable, "Ummm…Cid? You wouldn't mind if I…"

Cid gave her the most welcoming look he could muster, "Lisa we'd love you have you onboard. You're like family." Lisa knew that meant more then it sounded. Her mother died, and her father left long ago. She visited Ai and Yu every so often, but it left her wanting more. Nav and Mireth smiled. Cid turned forward, "Alright, next stop, the Cactuar Village." He pushed some buttons and flipped some switches and the craft started to move. Then with breakneck speed, flew through the dimensional tunnel.

Sylvia stopped at a up-spiraling staircase. Lisa walked out of the ship, "Isn't the port already built here?"

Cid came out and explained. "Sylvia has special magnets on her sides that shift the stairs apart to allow her through. Much with the concept that the Inner World is always moving."

"Oh…" Lisa made her way up the stairs. She popped her head out of a hole and brushed some falling sand out of her hair. She gasped. This isn't the Cactuar Village…She recognized the giant pillars of sand, they were like giant eternal hour glasses. "Cid…I think we're in the wrong place."

Cid poked his head through the opening, "You're kidding! Sylvia hit every mark so far…" He went back down the stairs to check it out.

Lisa got out of the hole and surveyed the horizon. "Something feels a little different." Then she felt something, something familiar. Something she was hoping deep in her heart to find for these last two years. The energy of the sand always felt as if it was living, like each grain had a life of it's own. But she felt something much larger. She dashed off, stumbling through the sand.