Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Music of the Bell ❯ Shourou ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One: Shourou

Legal, boring stuff:

I don't own Lindblum, Alexandria, and any other Final Fantasy references. The only things I claim to own are this fic and my characters.

"Come on... Where is it...?" I asked the empty room, quietly. I had only run away from my parents' shop for 3 hours now, and already my old tendencies were after me. My wooden staff and bag were missing, and I had just put them down in my Inn room, beside my bed.

My name is Shourou Dace. I have messy, dirty-blond hair, which was hanging in my eyes as I hung over the side of the bed, searching the floor. My black, cotton shirt and canvas pants were clinging to my skin as the heat of the day floated through the open window. The blue cloak hanging on my bed's headboard was my nicest possession, a relic my grandfather had given to me.

"Now, Ringer," my grandfather, Gramps Dace, had said as he gave me the cloak, "this cloak isn't just any piece of cloth. It was given to me by my grandfather, a Sound Mage of the highest order, and has been passes down since... since the days of Mist Engines. If you lose it, you'll never be a Sound Mage like your father and older brother!" Ringer had been my nickname, since my real name meant "Bell Tower".

"Yes! Here it is!" I smiled, pulling myself back up. My bag had slid under the bedside table, where the unlit electric lamp sat. My staff, however, was still missing. I sat up, and looked over at the open window, sighing.

"Maybe Sound Mages aren't supposed to be so forgetful..."

* * * * *

"RINGER!" My Sound Magic instructor, my uncle Topaz, yelled. I jolted awake, blinking sleepily.

"Yes, Uncle?"

"You were sleeping. And I was trying to tell you about instrument choice!"

"Sorry, Uncle."

"Anyway, the instrument a Mage chooses reflects his or her mind. A louder, stronger person might carry around a drum, or an accordion like your cousin Mikal. You, however," he glared at me, disappointedly, "will probably end up with something dishonorable, like a horn or a gypsy tambourine. Why, my father, your grandfather, was a right powerful old Mage, with a mandolin. A Mandolin, mind you, is a very powerful piece of magic for us. Strong music with those things."

"Maybe... I'll get a flute..."

"A flute is a female instrument, my boy! The instrument your father has in mind for you is a violin, anyway..."

* * * * *

"Fresh Fish! Fresh from Alexandrian Harbor!"

"Jewelry! Fine jewelry imported from Lindblum!"

The shopkeepers were crying out, loudly, and I sighed, giving up on finding my staff in this mess. I needed to go get some form of instrument in town, or my trip to Lindblum and Sierra City would be cut short by the first monster that attacked me. Standing up, and draped the thin blue robe over my shoulders, and headed into town.

There were colorful shops everywhere I looked, and I passed medicine shops, armories, and junk shops, all of which told me the same thing: Only old Cinna would have any musical instruments, outside of town. I wasn't going to stand a chance out there anyway, without some weapon or instrument.

As I left the synthesis shop in desperation, a four-armed man pushed past me, knocking me and my bag into the stony street. He ran on past, and I stood up, spitting the dust out of my mouth angrily.

"Come back here with my seeds, Alleyway Jack!" A girl shouted out, and she ran past me. She had dirty hair, with mud and leaves mixed in, and her clothes were brown, with grass stains and mud along the long pants legs and sleeves. Her wooden sandals clapped against the road, and I noticed, first off, that she had a flower actually growing out of his shirt pocket. I just stood there; hands in my pants pocket, watching the strange girl run past. As the people around me bustled on, I noticed that the money in my pocket was missing.

"Hey! That four-armed guy stole my Gil!" I shouted, startling the noble couple beside me. I started running after the girl, fighting my way though the crowd. At last, the girl stopped, and I jogged up to her, out of breath.

"Excuse me, Miss? Are you chasing that four-armed man?" I gasped, politely as I could. The girl turned towards me, and her dark green eyes bored into me, suspiciously.

"Yeah. Did he steal something from you as well?" she asked, and I nodded.

"My money. Must have been when he knocked me over, running from you."

"He'd better run... If I catch him, he'll no longer be a four armed man. So, what're you supposed to be? A priest?" She smirked, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, I'm a sound mage, and I don't have an instrument. Not only that, but without that money, I won't have one at all."

"A sound mage without an instrument, huh. How melancholy. What's your name, kid?" the girl asked, crossing her arms.

"Shourou. And I'm not a kid, I'm 15."

"Shourou? `Bell Tower'? Weird name."

"Oh? And what's your name, then?"

"Tara. Tara, the Geomancer."

"A Geomancer?" I asked, trying to remember what my Uncle had taught me about them.

"Yeah. You know, Earth Magic. Plants, rocks, water; I can control it... somewhat. I'm better with plants, really."

"That's pretty cool."

"Yeah... So, Shourou, I guess the guy's gone. Where are you headed?"

"I guess the Prima Vista, outside of town. I still need to get an instrument."

"Ok then, I'm going to come with you. Maybe we can find our four armed friend."

"... Who said I wanted you to come with me?" I asked, glaring a little. "I'm perfectly fine by myself."

"Oh Please" Tara snorted. "A Sound Mage without an instrument is helpless. Unless you can whistle, that is."

"..." I glared at her, and headed towards the gates of Alexandria.

"Wait up. I was serious about coming with you!" Tara shouted, chasing me quickly.

It's an unfinished chapter; I'm going to add the rest whenever school lets me. Review, make suggestions, flame, whatever. I've already got all my characters planned, including a Dragon Knight, a Summoner Mime, and a Gothic White Mage.