So what possessed me to write this thing? Well, several factors: One, I always wanted to write a FF6 book/novella (since FF6 is my favorite Final Fantasy game). Two, I decided that I needed to write more...and three, I wanted to tie FF6 in with FF7 somehow. I know that it's not the same world or even the same universe...but what if it was? How would the world drastically change in several thousand years, between each game? I decided to explore that a little, and write this story.

Some people might have questions or even issues with some things I mention or do in the book. I'll consult the larger ones which my friends who "proofread" this thing commented on:

1. Aww, this isn't another stupid "return of Kefka" thing again, is it?
--No. I wanted to stay away from that, although I did intentionally make it seem that way for a while. It just seemed to me that in the FF games, there always were a standard amount of good guys that had similar jobs, and did similar things. For instance, Yang is Sabin is Tifa is Zell. Rydia is Lenna is Terra is Aeris is Rinoa. Zemus is Ex-Death is Kefka is Sephiroth is Ultemicia. Okay, the villain one isn't exactly as similar as you'd think...but the ties between each game are evident. So that's how I came up with the reincarnation thing, and why Shadow was posessed by the "spirit" that made Kefka insane.

2. Why didn't you include Umaro or Gogo?
--Well, probably because nobody's a huge Umaro fan. Yes, he's cool in the Colloseum in FF6 (give him the Rage Ring and watch him go!). However, I decided that trying to write from a yeti's viewpoint would sort of....suck. And as for Gogo, I have plans for him, just not this book.

3. This book?
--Yes, I intend on writing at least two more books. As you can figure from the open ending with Locke and the phoenix ordeal, life is continuing for the FF6 folks and I simply can't let that go on undocumented. ^_^ But anyway, the end of this book sets up the next one.

4. You're doing the Terra-Edgar-Setzer love triangle thing. You suck.
--Eh, yeah...but really you could picture it happening. Not only that, but I first intended on giving Terra to Edgar. Then I changed my mind and wanted her to go to Setzer. Now I don't know who I want to get the girl, but I suppose I'll figure it out soon enough. Um...anybody have a preference? ^^;

5. You have Leo pegged as a black guy! He's white!
--Actually no. I call FF6 the damn racist game because everybody's white, almost everybody's blond, and you just don't see a nice balance of minorities. But in truth, Amano drew Leo as a black man. You can even see this when you're playing Leo in that short bit in Thamasa before he dies; go to the menu, and you'll see in his picture that he's definately black, even if the stupid programmers made his sprite fair-skinned and blond.

6. Why did you kill of Strago and Shadow?
--Well, I figured Strago's time was coming anyway. He's 71/72 in the game (don't forget, a year progresses throughout the gameplay), and at this point he would be nearly 74 years old. I figured the least I could do for him is make him go out with a bang. And Shadow...well, I always liked Shadow. He was a coward at heart, and he seemed terribly cold...but yet I liked the character. I used him because there were so many ways he could of gone after the game ended. I seriously doubt that he just DIED in that stupid tower.

7. Why are you so damn inconsistant? You plan to rescue Terra several times!
--Yes well I tried a different method of writing. Usually I take notes on roughly what I want to happen and then write to connect those thoughts. This time, I just sat down and wrote...sat there and empty my mind. Honestly, I'd go back to proofread and not remember writing a lot of things. I any case, I bounce around a lot because I didn't set any real structure for this story. The next story is a bit more thoroughly planned out, so it won't hop about as much.

8. Cyan speaks differently than he did in the game. Why?
--Because whoever translated FF6 to english obviously didn't understand how archaic english worked (DOWN WITH TED WOOLSEY!!). This is why the only word Cyan says is "Thou", even if it doesn't fit. It's not as bad as FF2 for NES emulators (the damn king says "thine" every three words, even if it doesn't fit), but it still bugged me. I cleaned up his form, grammar and damn forms of the various reflex verbs that we simply don't have in english nowadays.

9. You do artwork. Why didn't you do illustrations for this story?
--Because I'm a) lazy and b) I barely have any time. Go to college full-time and work part-time. See how much time YOU have.

10. Terra seems different...
--Yes, she is. That's because she grew up a bit. When Locke found her in those mines, she not only had lost her memory, but she was apparently still an adolecent (Even though she was 18). Not only that, but seeing that Terra is the main character of the game, they don't do a whole lot of character development on her. The game switches to fix on the lovers, Locke and Celes. Granted, those are two of my favorite characters (and Setzer), but I thought Terra really should be in the spotlight througout an entire story.

11. If Terra's the main character, you sure include thing about Locke a lot.
--Yes, I'm guilty of being a major Locke fan. He's up there as one of my favorite game characters (along with Sephiroth and Magus). Anyway, I included plenty of tidbits with Locke in here because not only is he a good friend of Terra's, but he's also the focus of the next book. Yes, that again. I might not write the next book as quickly as I wrote Rebirth (this took me a few months), but I do intend on getting it done.

12. Why FF6? Why not FF7 or FF8?
--Granted, FF7 and FF8 are good games, but I don't think they beat FF6. FF6 was the last of the Final Fantasy series in my opinion (sans FF9), and while FF7 and FF8 both have their strong points, FF6 still captures the whole fantasy feel. If you want to read FF7 or FF8 fanfics, look elsewhere. :Þ

13. Why title it "Rebirth"?
--Two reasons. One, to mislead you into thinking it's a "return of Kefka" thing. Two, because it's about the rebirth of magic. In the worlds of Final Fantasy, magic always seems to shift and change, and cause drastic changes in each world. Obviously, this time is no different.

14. Anything else?
--Yeah. Please don't MST my fanfic. I worked hard on this thing, and I know that no matter how hard I tried, I might of missed a typo or a wrong word. Also, if you have comments...be kind. I've gotten flames in the past, and I really don't like them (heh, who does?). In any case, thanks for being patient and reading this far. If you want to contact me, e-mail me at AnnMage@aol.com. You can try to IM me, but odds are I'll be busy so I might ask you to shoo (nicely, of course). Thanks.
----Annie Felis ^_^

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