From Thief to Turk

Author's Note: Hey guys. Yet another work by moi! I hope you'll enjoy this one because I've thinking about a story to do that has Tseng in because I think that he is the most gorgeous guy in the whole of Final Fantasy (yes, even more gorgeous than Vinnie or Seph!)

Warning:This story has an OC (original character) in it. If you hate OCs, I guess you're just gonna have to miss out on the opportunity of a wonderful story. Ah well, your loss...

Also: Lemons in later chapters, swearing, violence and possibly any other things that I can't think about but will feel like putting in. It is rated M for a reason so if you guys are younger than 16, I'm sorry but you'll have to leave. Boohoo...

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII or any of its components.

The girl eased out of the shadows, purple-blue eyes wide. She had done this plenty of times before but her heart still raced. She watched carefully as the woman laughed with her friend, bag lying haphazardly next to her in one of the spare chairs. If she could just find the right moment to strike...

The woman was wearing glasses that probably cost more than the girl's entire body. Her lips were rich and red, her hair Harlow gold. She had the trademark face of a rich, carefree young woman. The girl envied her and her lifestyle so much, it hurt. If there was a God, why would he give some people good lives and others bad? Didn't everyone deserve to be equal? The woman stood up, glancing first at her bag and then at her friend.

"I'm going to the loo Christie, could you do me a favor and look after my belongings?" Christie nodded with a smile.

The girl grinned gently to herself. This was perfect timing! She watched as the golden-haired woman walked away and Christie looked at her posh watch absent-mindedly. Suddenly, her cell phone rang and she dove into her bag to find it.

While she was engrossed in conversation, the girl decided to make her move. Making sure that no one was looking, she quickly made her way over to where Christie was sitting, laughing heartily at something. As quick as a flash, the girl had whipped the bag out of sight and made a run for it, through the shadows that hid her so well. This was her life. Constantly robbing people just so she could get some food or clothes. She hated herself for it but there was nothing that could really be done. She had no qualifications as she hadn't finished her school career. Any jobs required adequate experience before she could get them. Experience that she didn't have. Every time she told herself it would be the last time she theived but it was always a lie. It seemed that for her, there would never be a last time.

The girl pushed open the dirty back door of her "house". Well technically, it wasn't hers because she just squatted in it. It was a forgotten place located in a dingy side alley. There was no running water, electricity or gas and so the girl had to make do with bathing in the nearby lake every morning. If she was hungry, she would eat cold beans straight out of the tin or any other tinned foods that were cheap to purchase. While she was washing, she would normally scrub her clothes clean as well. She didn't have soap powder or any luxuries like that but she always bought the extremely depreciated bars of soap from the local drugstore. They smelt too strongly of lavender and they were rough on the skin, but there was no other choice. At least it kept her relatively clean.

The girl sat down on the excruciatingly worn thread-bare carpet to examine her latest "findings". She emptied the expensive bag onto the floor. There was jewelry of all different makes and carat's, a purse full of bank notes, a driver's licence and car keys. There was also a smaller bag inside the bigger one. Opening it, she found nothing more than make up which didn't interest her so she put it aside. The girl was just imagining how many things she could buy with the money she was now holding in her petite hands. For a start, she would buy a mattress and bed covers for the old bed frame that was currently in one of the downstairs rooms. Then, she could finally have somewhere comfortable to sleep. The hard ground was making her back ache. She would also buy some shampoo, new underwear and some more clothes. Even after that, she would still have plenty of money left for food and any other necessities.

While she was still contemplating what to spend her money on first, her tired eyes suddenly caught something glinting on the floor, near the upturned handbag. From where she was sitting, she could see that it was gold. The girl picked it up and on closer inspection, realised that it was a locket. She carefully opened it. In one side, there was a picture of the woman she had taken the bag from and in the other, there was a picture of a little girl, a girl with bright blond hair and deep blue eyes and pale skin. A girl that looked so fragile that just touching her could break her. Turning it over, she saw something had been engraved on the back of the locket. She peered to get a closer look.

Sweetheart, you will be in my heart of hearts forever. Love Mummy xxxxx

Her eyes widened as she read. What had happened to the little girl? She shuddered violently as thoughts of her own bleary past came rushing back to haunt her.

Flashback

"Mummy!" she screamed, eyes wide with fear as she watched the sight in front of her. Her mother was tied up to a chair, her lip had been split open and her eyes were swollen shut. Standing over her, a bandit grinned evilly before punching her in the mouth again. Her mother whimpered slightly. She was too weak to do anything more.

"NO!!! LEAVE MUMMY ALONE!" she screamed. One of the bandits glowered at her.

"Shut up little girl or we'll kill your mummy right now, ya understand?"

She cowered away, scared out of her mind. She had no idea what to do. The bandit who was currently torturing her mother grinned again.

"Any last words to say to your daughter before we beat you to a pulp?" he asked calmly. She could see her mother struggling to open her eyes, in an attempt to look at her beautiful daughter for what she knew would be the final time.

"S-Sweetheart" she finally whispered, her voice uncapable of producing anything louder. Still, the girl heard every word. "I-I love y-you and I always will. R-Remember that. No matter what happens, y-you'll be in my heart of h-hearts forever. Now please, go, save yourself and never look back no matter what you do".

She had nodded, her vision blurred by the constant waterfall of tears falling down her face. Although she hadn't wanted to, she had run and run and run, away from the house and as far as she could go. She didn't have an idea of where she was going but she didn't care. She just wanted to be as far away as possible. As she ran, one thing kept playing again and again in her head.

"No matter what happens, you will be in my heart of hearts forever".

End of flashback.

The girl shivered violently, hot, salty tears forming in her eyes and travelling rapidly down her face. She couldn't bear for her mother to see her like this. She was just an animal who robbed because she couldn't get a job. The freak who fell out of school. The disaster who will forever be a failure... she just couldn't.

"Don't worry mother, I promise you, I will do my best to be successful in life. I will take risks, I will feel the gains and most importantly, I'll have fun like you always told me to do. Mother, trust me. I will not fail you with this promise".

And for the first time in a long time, the girl felt at ease. It was if she could feel her mother's smile radiating her with love from her seat in the heavens.

Right so what do you think? Good or not so good? I'd hope to think that you enjoyed this chapter because I had to think quite deeply with this one. And sorry if you were expecting FFVII in it already but don't worry; I will definitely get to that part. Just keep R&Ring ok?