My Friend-My Master
By: M14Mouse
Type: Final Fantasy 9
Summary: Choco thinks about his life with his former Master and then his new Master.
Disbution: M14Mouse's Hiding Spot and whoever wants it. But you have to ask.
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Author's Note: This is my first Final Fantasy fic. I haven't written in a story in about four
months because of school. So, forgive me for the mistakes. Spoilers ahead!

Choco's POV

Master. The word is like a dead pepper inside my beak. I hated my first master. He was cruel. His appearance didn't help either. He was dirty and ugly. His nose and chin was pointy and his eyes looked red. He had a long scar along his left cheek. His skin was dark and rough. Usually, he wore a wore out pair of desert boots, brown shirt, and pants. He wasn't very bright either because he used a chocobo for farming. He would tie me up to an odd thing and force me to pull it. He shackled my legs with chains to prevent me from running away. The chains were old and rusty. They cut into my legs and claws. When he was finished with me, he ties me to a tree and left me.

He gave me very little food. But that wasn't the worse part, it was the whip. Every time, I didn't do what I was supposed to do. He would whip me. The whip cut into my feathers and felt the blood bleed into my feathers. The cuts never truly healed because he
usesd his whip a lot. It felt if my life was slowly drifted away with every hit of the whip.

One day, my master took me a place where there were a lot noise and people. He tied me to a tree and left me again. The rope was too tight around my neck. I could hardly breathe. The weather grew cold and it started to rain. At the first, the rain strings my cuts.

Slowly, the rain began to wash away the dry blood on my feathers. As it continues to rain, I grew very cold. My world became white and hazy. For a moment, I thought I was going to die. Funny, I didn't want to die but I wanted the pain to go away. As I close my eyes, I fell into darkness. When I woke up, I found out the rope was gone. I could breath.

What a wonderful thing!

"Are you alright, kupo?" a voice said. I moved my head toward the voice. It was a moogle. I could barely answer with a kwph. Quickly, the moogle look over my wounds.

"Who has done this to you, kupo?" the moogle asked. I was about to answer until I heard my master's voice.

"Who are you? Get away from that chocobo!" My master said. I was scared. I didn't wanted to beat again. So, I ran. I ran for very long time. At least that was how it felt for me. Finally, I collapsed with exhaustion in a forest clearing. When I woke up again, I found there were greens next to me. Quickly, I eat the greens. What a treat! I rarely had greens when I was with my former master.

When I finished eating, I looked around the forest. The forest wasn't very big but there was plenty of food. The moogle, who save me, came flying in.

"You are alright, kupo!" The moogle said. I nodded my head.

"My name is Mene, kupo. What is your name, kupo?" Mene asked as he flew above me.

"Kwph." I asked.

"Choco, kupo? Nice name, kupo." Mene said.

As time past, Mene and me became friends. With time, my wounds heal, my legs become strong again, and my feathers became bright and yellow. We lived in the forest where no humans ever come. Mene thought I should have a master because he couldn't take care of me. Quickly, I told him I didn't need a master. I didn't want a master.

But Mene didn't push the subject.

Until the day a human came into the forest. A HUMAN! I was terrified. I will not have another master. Quickly, Mene greeted the human. Mene said something to the human and the human nodded its head. Slowly, the human walked toward me. NO! I ran from the forest. I ran to another nearby forest and hide until the human left. But a familiar smell caught my nose, it was a gysahl greens! The human was holding them. I knew if I eat them.

The human would be my master. I knew I should have run but the smell of the green moved me toward the human. Finally, I ate the greens from the human's hand. The human talked softly to me and softly stoke my feathers. The human told me his name. His name was Zidane. I notice something about the human. My new master had a tail! I never knew humans could have a tail.

Carefully, my new master got my back. "Are you all right? I am not that heavy, I am?" My new master said.

"Kwph." I said.

In truth the human wasn't very heavy. In fact, my old master was heavier than he. Quickly, we returned to the forest. Such, we began our adventures. I and my new
master look for buried treasures. I meet the chocobo god and I could evolve. I could walk on the water, climb mountains, and fly. Oh, how I loved to fly. But most importantly, I and my master became friends. We played in the ocean, the forests, the rivers…everywhere. I saw the most amazing things under the ocean and treasure.

He treated me with kindness I could only wish for. He left me near a village where he said they will take care of me if anything happened to him. He said he had to go
somewhere and he will be back soon. But I saw something in his eyes. Fear, hope, and
determination in his eyes. I rubbed my head against his arm. He turned to look at me and he smiled. He stoked my head then turn and left me. The odd creatures in the village took care of me. Very odd creatures. They wore very big hats and strange outfits. But they did take care of me. They had a baby chocobo with them. The odd creatures seemed to take care of the baby.

It has been several days since I have seen my master. I was very worried. One day, the earth began to shake. A strange mist covered everything. I thought the mist was gone. When the strange mist returns, my master returned with friends. His new friends had tails like him. They talked very funny to me. They were afraid of me, too. They called me a monster. If they like have never seen a chocobo before. Master said to give them
time to understand me. I didn't understand but I did what Master said.

That morning, Master left again with his friends. I saw many ships fly across the sky. They seemed to be heading toward that giant tree in the sky. There was a lot of noise from the ships and the ground if the ground was fighting the ships in the sky. This was scarier. The noise stopped and the mist began to disappear again. Everyone was very happy and started cheering. But master still haven't return and I was worried. Hours turn into days. Days turn into weeks. Master never returned.

One day, another one with a tail came to me. I think her name was Makoto. She told me, she was going to find Zidane. She got on to my back and we left the village. We travel over mountains and forests until we made to the giant tree. It seemed so peaceful and beautiful now. It didn't look like the tree I saw when I flew by it. She told me to stay where I was. She disappeared into the deep roots of the giant tree.

A couple hours later, she returns with master. He looks awful! He looks nothing like I remember. He was dirty and pale. And when the girl placed him on my back, he was very light. Almost if he weighted nothing. Quickly, we return the village. The creatures with the big hats and the creatures with the tails took him into one of the house. I didn't see him for many weeks. But I knew he was alright. Me and the baby chocobo become great friends. It was a good feeling to be with my kind again. But I still worried about my master.

Many months later, my master came to me. He was still a little pale but he was better. His hair was longer. He smiled at me and stoked my feathers along my neck. He said we are going on a journey soon. A week later, he got on my back and I flew over the great ocean to a small island. We landed in a small forest and walked over to a small crack in the mountain. He gave me a dead pepper and quickly, I broke the crack in the mountain. When we entered, we entered paradise. I could see chocobos everywhere. It was a sight to see.

I was home. Master got off my back. I turned to him and I saw Mene! Mene was here, too.

"You made Choco, kupo," Mene said happily.

"You are home now, Choco. Our adventures I will never forget but it is time for us to part. You have found your paradise. Now, it time to find mine." Master said.

Tears were in my eyes. Master and Mene are leaving. They were my friends. I couldn't leave them.

"Kwph!" I protested.

But Master smiled and stoked my feathers one last time.

"Look at what you have before you, Choco. And remember it. Look around you, and
treasure it. You could change things here, you know. You could get the Chocobo god to let Mene stay here. But remember, I will always be there." Master said as he pointed to my chest.

With a final good-bye, master left. But Mene did stay. Finally, I got Chocobo god to agree to it. Chocobo god can be stubborn but I would not give in. I found a mate and have many babies. From time to time, I think back to my master. I ask Mene if he knew if master was alright. Mene said he going to find out on the Mognet. I wouldn't count my feathers if he would get a letter from the Mognet. I looked toward the beautiful sunset. I thought of my master and my friend.

The End

-To lose a friend is the greatest of all evils, but endeavors rather to rejoice that you possessed
him than to mourn his loss. Seneca-