-My Hero-
-A 'Final Fantasy VII' fanfiction-
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"Hey Cloud, can I ask you some questions?"
"What do you want to know?"
"I've been assigned an inspirational writing piece for my Language class, and the theme of the piece is supposed to be someone who made us who we are today. The problem is...I don't know enough about who I want to write about."
"I think I can help you. What would you like to know?"
"Well...if it's not going to be too hard on you...I'd like to know what it was like back when you were..."
"I can't promise I'll answer all your questions, but I can try."
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'My Hero' – Ethan Yeoman
When life takes a turn for the worst, a lot of people grumble and complain because it's human nature to do so. I tend to take a different approach: I swallow my anger and I move forward, because I know that somewhere out there is a rainbow with my name on it. This view on life I was taught by the one person who I can call my hero with a proud voice. Sure, it might make her cry in front of people which I know she doesn't like to do, but I can't think of anyone else I'd rather write this assignment about than her. I say 'her' because she is my hero, a woman with a heart of gold and a body that tells a different story every time you look at it. She makes me smile, she makes me laugh, she teaches me things that I know I'm going to need when I get older, and she even finds time to let me cry on her shoulder when things don't go my way.
I first met my hero a long time ago. I was orphaned during the fiery destruction of Nibelheim, but this woman – then a teenager only five or so years older than I – pulled me from the burning wreckage I once called home and took me under her wing, suffering small burns to her hands as a result. She pulled me away from the torment of living on the streets and gave me a home in her heart, even if we couldn't really settle because she was being hunted like a wild animal. Her partner told me stories of what her life was like before she was thrown into refugee status, day after day of immense strain and torture put onto her body but somehow she managed to keep a brave face and keep him, her cousin and a few other important personnel in line and on task. Despite having heightened abilities because of the torture she was put through, my hero doesn't let that get in her way; she trained herself to be careful with how she uses her abilities. Nowadays she uses these abilities to get things done at home, whether it be fixing something or helping my brothers and sisters in their daily lives. And believe me, I have a lot of brothers and sisters.
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"So was there any difference between then and now?"
"Not really, Ethan. Though if I had to name one difference it's the physical side of things."
"You mean the scars?"
"That, and the tattoos. I never knew there was so much to fight for until it was explained to me..."
"Um, Rhea...what was Wutai like? You know, back when you were raising your children?"
"Back then? Ethan, my boy, despite all you hear about the times 'back then', they were fun. To tell you the truth, I only learned there was a war when we were stormed."
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If I thought living in the mountains of Nibelheim was bad, my hero's mother explained to me life in a small village without the comforts of running water and modern technology. I never knew that my hero actually had it rougher than what she told me about when she was being put through the torture. I suppose when she was going through the torture she had the modern conveniences that we all take for granted now. When I think about it, I often wonder how she managed to get by before she was taken from her family forcefully. The death of her father at thirteen didn't really help her situation, but she put her philosophy of putting on a brave face into practice and got through the next two years without regret.
Her mother then went on to explain to me the meaning behind each of the marks she has on her body. Her eyebrow stud best represents the ripping pain she's had to deal with; as she has had that stud ripped away far too many times to count (I'm impressed she still gets it pierced in the same spot, to be honest). There used to be two lip rings and a tongue bar, but she had those removed when she started running around Midgar because they made her sick once (some infection she caught in the Wall Market or something, I don't really know). She has a tattoo of an anchor resting over her heart, because (as I researched) anchors are a symbol of hope, and my hero believes that hope should always live within your heart. I never really understood what was so great about hope that you had to fight for it, but as my hero says "There's no sense focusing on a time you can't change, when you need to focus on the time you can."
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"Hey Reno, want to help me with my writing project?"
"Sure thing kiddo. What do you want to know about?"
"I want to know about the Shinra Secret."
"Ah, I see...well, the guy was a legend. Matter of fact, he still is. Why don't you ask –"
"It's kind of going to be a surprise until I get my marks back."
"You are one brave kid. I like that."
=^w^=
The one person I knew I had to ask for information was the one man my hero considers a brother beside her own twin. I figured if I learnt more about the sort of man her father was then I can get a broader picture of the sort of person she is, and in turn see if I can pinpoint the things that make me the sort of person I am today. From what I gathered, her father was a brave man who never said 'die' because that wasn't his philosophy; he believed there was always a way of getting things done, even if it meant going against the rules. Around his colleagues and his enemies he was called 'The Secret' because he always had a hidden agenda that managed to get all of his jobs done for him. It reminds me so much of my hero, because even if she disagrees with the plan of action she always has a back-up plan that gets the same results. In a way, I picked that up because I always make plans for everything; some of the plans I make are results of 'what if this doesn't happen?'
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"Cloud, I have some more questions for you."
"Oh?"
"About your current relationship status."
"I do believe that is none of your business."
"It is if I want to finish my writing project."
"...I now wonder no more where you get your manipulative personality."
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Further discussion with my hero's partner revealed to me a lot of traits that I never thought to exist under the scarred and weary skin, but it seems that everyone is human. The reason my hero rescues so many children without thinking is because she doesn't want them to have their childhoods ripped away from them like hers was; she wants them to live their lives and get the most out of them. Back when she rescued me I thought she was some kind of angel sent from the Lifestream to get me through the whole 'loss-of-family' ordeal, but after finally receiving a home I realised that it was something that came to my hero naturally, like riding a bicycle or rehearsing lines in a song. She doesn't ask for anything, she only ever wants to give. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know, something that her partner likes to take advantage of and spoil her whenever he can. I like to think it's because they've known each other since they were teenagers and he's always had a crush on her, but I'm digressing.
My hero has made me into the person I am today because without her I wouldn't be alive today. She's given me another chance to do the things I want to do and be someone that I never thought I could be. Because of her, I now know that there is a reason to keep hope alive and if that hope is extinguished then you've obviously forgotten something very important to fight for.
My hero is someone I am more than happy to name and more than happy to praise for everything she's done in my life. My sister...
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"...do you like it?"
"Ethan, if I didn't have a reason to keep you before, I definitely do now. This is...this is something else, that's what this is. Where did you get all the ideas from?"
"I talked with a few people who are close to you. Reno, Cloud, your mother..."
"Ah, that explains how you now know so much about the marks on my body."
"Everything I wrote is true, and...I really wanted to show you how much you really mean to me and I figured this was the best way to do it. I'm not really that much of a sentimental person, so before I-"
"You're not going anywhere. Come here so I can hug you and never let you go."
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...Tora Altona, the owner of the Lost Pathways Orphanage.
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DISCLAIMER: The disclaimer applies to the characters and settings of the 'Final Fantasy VII' series – SquareEnix – and Tora, Ethan and Ethan's writing – me.