We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world.
~ The Buddha
The River of time had flown far since the Meteor rained down from the sky. The people of Gaia, though momentarily set back, had survived, and slowly went about the task of rebuilding their lives and civilization. As the years flowed into decades flowed into centuries, new cities of metal came to rise above the planet's surface, new factories filled its air with fumes. The destruction that once threatened the world became resigned to a distant memory, ancient history. History in time faded to legend, until all that was remember of such fateful days of old were deeply distorted legends told to children.
The wise would say that history repeats itself, but fools choose to ignore this. And so humanity is forced once more into the cycle of history through its own ignorance. And through its vanity and hubris, humanity once more planted the seeds of a new crisis, unwilling to learn from the mistakes of its ancestors.
Shinra Corporation had once more become a powerful entity in the world, championing itself as rebuilding from the ashes of the world's death like the Phoenix. Its first few leaders had been wise, pragmatic men, seeing the folly in the old ways, and hoping to build a new, responsible future for humanity. But as the sands of history flew, with it came new men, new leaders of Shinra who knew not the dangers of the past. Lessons were taught, handed down, but in time the chain of wisdom from father to son was broken until greed and avarice once more ruled the day.
No longer standing beside their fellow humanity in camaraderie, the rich grew richer, and flaunted their wealth over the poor, who they condemned tacitly to living in increasingly deplorable conditions in the slums of Neo-Midgar and other such cities. And it was in such a slum, inside the lower level of District Four that a young woman sat, twirling a yellow flower idly in her hands.
The very name "District Four" was one bespoken with contempt by the social elites of the city. Its inhabitants lived in squalor and miserable conditions: Hundreds of meters of metal framework buried the district, hiding any sight of the sun's rays. The only light was provided by that little bit that escaped through or by the eerie glow of incandescent bulbs, powered no doubt by the Mako generators run by the Shinra Corporation. Shinra – a word to the inhabitants of the District surpassed any other insult. To them, the Shinra were the cruelest of tyrants, condemning them to a life of darkness and disease with little hope of escape. Shinra employees rarely dared enter the slums, for good reason; those who did were often beaten within an inch of their life by various gangs of muggers that plagued the streets.
Still, the members of District Four were not without their humanity. Even in so dark and wretched a place, the spark of hope shone in the hearts of those who dared to dream of something more. And Sekina was such a dreamer. No matter what difficulty life presented her, she always seemed to maintain a positive composure. Her green eyes sparkled as she studied the flower in her right hand, her left idly stroking a strand of her dirty-blonde hair. As she beheld the flower, she smiled softly. In her hands she beheld the beauty of the universe manifest in the flower's bloom, and that was enough to bring her a sense of content.
The girl's intent gaze was suddenly interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. Looking up suddenly, she met the intense gaze of a young, yet rather stern looking male. Silver hair flowed down his side in the slight breeze as his grey eyes met hers. "Laecien…" She said with a soft smile, rising to her feet, standing almost three heads shorter than the male before her. She was not remarkably tall even for a woman, and the young man was nearly two meters in height "I was wondering when you'd arrive."
"Yes, well… business kept me occupied…" the man said in a slightly dismal tone, his hand reaching to a pocket within the cloak at his side, pulling out a few dozen gil and extending his hand. "Give this to your mother for me."
Sekina shook her head sigh, closing his fist, "You know I don't approve of you stealing like you do."
"Well what's the alternative?" Laecian nearly exclaimed, his voice growing cross, "Work for these Shinra vermin? Sekina, the reason we're here. The reason we can never leave this slum is because of them and what they do… These few gil are the least that they I owe us. And I intend to collect on that debt someday." He sighed, clenching his fist at his side. "Besides, your mother's sick, Sekina. She needs her medicine. We both know that. Sometimes, you just need to survive."
"It's just… it frightens me…" Sekina said, finally relenting and accepting the coins, nodding in thanks, "A few days ago they executed someone they found stealing a bag with only a few hundred gil from one of their officers. He was young, just a boy; but they killed him. Filmed it and put it on broadcast for the world to say. 'Justice served' they call it. Laecian, every time you go up there, I'm worried sick that it might be you I see next on the news."
"What are you, my mother?" Laecian scoffed playfully, "Anyhow. I'm careful, I always am."
Sekina frowned disapprovingly, to which Laecian quickly interjected, trying to move the conversation to another topic. "So you make any sales today?"
"A few, yeah," Sekina nodded with a smile. "People seem to like my flowers. They bring a sense of hope. There's barely any sunlight, not much fertile soil. Yet even amidst all the darkness and misery, these things of beauty grow and prosper. They're… kind of like us in a way.
But enough musing," she added with a giggle. "So you said you had a surprise for me?" Sekina's eyes rose intently.
"Yeah, well, it's umm… nothing much… just something I found when I was going to the upper levels the other day. But when I saw it, I thought of you, and how much you would like to see it, so… Here, put this on" Laecian took out a piece of cloth, tying it across Sekina's eyes, taking her hand in his.
"Upper levels, huh? Is it safe?"
"Presumably. It's still below anything the Shinra dogs would care to patrol."
"Still though, I'm scared." Sekina giggled playfully. "I think I need a bodyguard to protect me."
"D-don't be absurd." Laecian protested. "Why would I take you anywhere dangerous?"
"Laecian", Sekina cooed, "Just in case… would you be my bodyguard?"
"That depends. What's the salary?" Laecian quipped, playing along.
"Well," Sekina said thoughtfully, "That depends. If gil is what you're after, I'm extraordinarily poor. If flowers, I'm extraordinarily rich. Buuuut… if I gave you a flower, what would you do with it? I mean, for a man so skilled as my bodyguard, you don't seem to get out much. Twenty-four years old, and not even a girlfriend to give it to."
"And what if I have my eye on one?"
"Well, then one of my flowers might be very valuable indeed."
"Maybe… but value is relative. To us a gil is a lot, right. Because we don't have all that many. But to the Shinra dogs with a lot, they're almost worthless. I mean, what if this girl – she already had a lot of flowers. Wouldn't it be worth not very much to her?"
"Already has a lot of flowers?" Sekina giggled, "Laecian, you got your eye on one of my customers? Really though," she said shaking her head. "I think if this girl of yours is like most any, it's the giver that matters more than the gift."
"I… umm… really?" Laecian blinked, almost stumbling as he continued to lead the blindfolded Sekina up the path he'd discovered.
"Yes, Laecian, reeeeaaaaallllllyyyy…" Sekina replied playfully, drawing out the last word in feigned mockery. "So," she added a moment later, "Are you going to be my bodyguard, or should I look elsewhere?"
"Umm, sure."
"Great! Well, here's your flower then!" she said, stopping to pull it out and handing it to him.
Laecian reached, meeting her hand with his to take the flower, placing it within an inner pocket of his jacket. "So you think that the girl I give this to would go on a date with me?" he asked idly.
"Probably. They're very nice flowers after all."
"Alright. I'll hold you to that. At least I know where to go to complain if you sold me faulty merchandise."
"If you must." Sekina replied, pausing for a moment "So… Laecian, we almost there. My feet are getting a bit tired. I'd hate to have to insist that my bodyguard carry me."
"Such a slavedriver… But yeah; we're almost there. Watch your step here now, there's some rubble about."
"Can I take the blindfold off yet?" Sekina said, taking her hand to the cloth.
"No, not yet…"
"Now"
"No…"
"Nooooooooooow?" she asked in a childlike tone.
"Fine, now." Laecian said, his hand meeting hers as he untied the cloth from her eyes.
"Laecian, wha-" Sekina paused as her green eyes caught sight of the lights; lights she'd only imagined from the stories elders had told. "A-are those stars?" She exclaimed, her eyes gazing up into the hole in the metal frame above them.
"Yeah," Laecian nodded. "I mean, you can see them on the upper level too of course, but there's Shinra dogs there to chase us away, and… I mean. I just wanted you to be able to see this."
"Laecian, thank you." Sekina said, twirling around in a blissful dance, "This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."
"You know…" she added, "This might seem really strange. But, the other night, I had a dream. I was in a city. It looked almost like the slums where we live. Only, it wasn't. But… I was by some pipes to a Mako generator with my basket of flowers. When suddenly, I had the urge to look up at the sky, and… I saw them. The stars. It was so beautiful, so surreal And then… something happened. But … I can't remember what.
Ahh, well, it's silly of me to carry on like this about trivial matters, but… it was so clear. And now, now I'm here, able to see the stars. Just… thank you."
Sekina smiled, laying on the ground, her chin resting on her hands her emerald eyes sparkling for the first time in the light of the heavens. In this blissful serenity, it was difficult to envision the chaos that would soon ensue.