Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII Characters belong to Squaresoft ( Now Square- Enix, but bah they were freaking Squaresoft when the game came out). All Original Character's belong to Frozen Ninja ( that being me).
Pairings: Reno x OC, other pairings subject to change, but will try to keep it mostly canon to the game.
Author Notes: This is the final version of the revision of the first chapter/prologue ( it works as both really). I may revise at some other point, when I have more of the rest of the story done and I've been through some schooling and writing classes.
I'm okay with it, sort of. There are parts I don't like still. Those who know me, will know which parts.
However, I've decided to write the damn chapter, and get on with the rest of the fic. It will not be perfect, but feh. It'll be there.
This chapter has been edited, but has not been through my beta-er. She's currently feeling a bit off. When, she's better, the edited and beta-ed version will be put up. So thanks goes to Kat Reverie for being my beta reader to begin with.
I believe Cloud is still out of character, I did try to fix that.
I will try to update more.
Warnings: This is a reworking of the game, with a number of original characters, plot changes and such. If said things offend you, or you dislike, please don't read.
Also, heavy cursing for most chapters. This chapter contains a short instance of discrimination.
Some Out of character-ness for the game's original ones, but I am working hard to avoid this.
Side note: Translations of some japanese words and usage will be at the end of the chapter. I will only put these for the first chapter the words appear in.
Rating: For the most part, I'd this is PG-13 ish, with parts being more R for some situtions and a good deal of language.
Chapter One/Prologue: Train missing chaos
She hated catching late night trains. She equally hated navigating the rat's maze that was the city of Midgar. Swearing vividly and rapidly under her breath the young girl darted through the nightly swarms of civilians. Enraged yells of disrupted humans followed her wake, she ignored both the yells and her own bodily concerns as she pushed and tripped past. She absolutely had to catch that train. It wasn't as if it was her fault, that the blasted city was a nightmare to navigate.
'It's not like I'm directionally challenged or anything.' She thought dryly.
The sounds of a train leaving made the girl freeze in her tracks. The words that erupted from upper Sector Eight's station intercom made the teenager swear violently.
" Last Train departing for Sector Six!"
She bolted forward. It was to no surprise that she ran straight into some poor, unsuspecting child. She staggered on her feet, her legs flailing as she landed on her rump. The child got an enraged snarl and a glare of smoking ice. Girl, or boy, it yelped none the less, fleeing from the enraged teenager.
"Fucking idiot brat!" Her accented voice grumbled, as she stumbled to her feet, rubbing her sore bottom. " What moron has kids out at this damn blasted hour anyway?"
An irritable scowl crossed her face as she plodded into the Station. Thanks to the interfering brat, the train was long gone. The attendants eyed her warily, and then looked away when they got ice filled glares. This they could easily ignore, after all they dealt with irritable, train missing clients all day.
" Wonder if Carrie would mind putting me up for the night?" She pondered out loud, as her feet meandered over towards the Sector Seven tracks. " It's not that far of a walk from Sector Seven."
It was the most practical solution. Carrie had said she was welcome to stop by anytime. True, she hadn't been by in several months time, but she hadn't been near in that time span. She could also eat, bathe, and sleep free of charge. Walking wouldn't seem so bad when she'd had enough nourishment to make her legs stop feeling like jelly.
A bath! A real honest to Leviathan bath! With hot water and soap, even. Even three years in Midgar hadn't cured her wishing for an honest to the gods and goddesses wutain bath. She hardly missed home at all, but bathes were definitely on the list of things she did miss. Food was another. She shook her head.
" Bad Aine!" She scold herself, not caring that she drew stares." This is not the time or place to think of things like Takoyaki, or Okonomiyaki, or Oshizushi, or Kitsune Udon, or..." She trailed off, half drooling and half keeled over in pain from her hunger aching. The thoughts of food had doubled her empty belly's rages.
" No thinking about food, at least not until I have access to food." Aine mumbled softly. " Get to Sector Seven, then bodily nessicities."
That decided she turned her body towards the direction she thought the platform would be in and darkness imploded the station. She squeaked out of surprise. Her eyes could barely make out anything. She took a slow and very deep breath.
'It's just a power outage.' She thought silently, then her lips turned downwards in a frown as her mind retorted. 'Wait! Wait! Hold on a miniute! Midgar runs on Mako. Reactors don't just go out.'
She cleared her thoughts with a shaking of her head and sitting down hard. Her already sore bottom complained to deaf ears. She gave an annoyed sigh, and fell on to her back. There was nothing to do but wait until the power returned.
Around her people swore and yelled. She heard civilians tripping, stumbling and colliding with hard objects. She even grimaced as she heard the sounds of a unfortunate individual colliding with a light pole. Panic was rising around and within her.
It was a struggle to keep her own down, but she managed. Aine relieved her own panic by slipped her hand into her pocket. There she kept a pouch with some of her best throwing knives. Her slender fingers gripped several by their grips.
At least she wasn't afraid of the dark. Not of any bogey man, anyway. She knew what dangers the dark held and what advantages. She was in the disadvantage, and that she disliked about as much as missing her train.
She waited, and waited. She turned her head, pressing her ear against the pavement. She could hear the shifting of heavy shoes against stone. Staying like that, nerves on edge and muscles tensed, she continued to wait as her mind was a whirl of thought.
'I have nothing to worry about. Who'd attack a innocent fifteen year old girl.' She flinched as the thought crossed her mind. 'What innocent carried at least twenty extra pounds in throwing knives on them at all times?'
Or, she realized, had a Steal orb in their armlet. The Ice and Cure materia didn't look that much out of place. All the people she knew from the slums carried weapons and materia of some sort. Midgar was far too dangerous a city not to.
' I would have back home to.' The girl thought to herself. Growing up in the war had demolished any childhood illusions that there was no need for a girl-child to carry weapons and magic on her at all times. Her papa had been the first to teach her that, and he'd been the ever cheerful optimist.
Almost as suddenly as they'd gone out the lights returned, blinding anybody who had their eyes open. Aine bit back the cry of pain, and the urge to claw at her burning eyeballs. She didn't care that it burned as the sounds of several pairs of heavy boots reached her ears.
No one made a sound. The thin hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, like an enraged cats. Her muscles tensed and her nerves sang. Every fighting reflex came alive as her fingers tightened on cold metal, biting into her skin.
She shifted her head, and greeted the sight of a gun barrel with wide eyes. Her mechanic training took over first. A standard Shin-ra MP issued gun. Then her other training responded. Three Shin-ra MP, of the lowest rank had her surrounded. No materia on any of them. They were slow, weighted down by heavy guns, and armor. They could see in the dark with those idiot looking head lamps.
If she hadn't been caught unaware, she could easily have either avoided this squad or rid the world of them. 'Now, this day can not get any worse.'
"C-can I-I help you?" She stammered, and for a good measure whimpered. She did the special trick with her voice, the one that made her southern wutain accent much thicker then it was. She made her eyes go even wider. She hoped she looked the poster picture of innocent and terrified. If they were true idiots, she could probably fool them into thinking she didn't speak a word of Midgarian.
"Look at this." The man sneered down at her. " A little wutainese bitch."
" She could be one of them. " Another, this one sounding more intelligent." AVALANCHE is an Anti-Shin-ra group. I've heard there are plenty in Wutai, who are still sore from losing the war."
This, she had to admit, was very true. A good deal of the very conservative lords to the day she'd left still snarled at anything new, foreign, or Shin-ra. Her, included.
" AVA-A-RA-N-CHI?" She asked bewildering, making a show of stumbling over the group's name. It did sound vaguely familiar. She couldn't place her finger on it, though. Strange, she'd always thought if caught and accused, it would be of theft.
Scoffing inwardly, she thought' As if these imbeciles can catch a thief of my caliber.'
"I-Isn't that something that happens on mountains?" She asked aloud and despite her thoughts innocently.
" Don't play innocent with us. We know your game. We've got you surrounded."
"Honest! I don't have a clue what you are saying?" She was telling the truth, for once. They should have been honored. " On what evidence are you accusing me?"
" Well." That came from the third. He moved so he could leer down at her, making her more then just a touch uncomfortable. " Your the most suspicious looking.
Aine stared at them dumbfounded. Where was Shin-ra breeding their idiots these days? Honestly! She'd always figured them for smarter, or at least with enough brains not to give imbeciles fire-arms. She almost felt insulted that her country had lost the war, except she'd found just as many fools there as in other countries and cities.
Seriously, how did they come up with her and suspicious?!
The fifteen year old was of a slender and very slight frame, just reaching an inch over five feet. Her legs looked long for her size. Her curves, still growing, were about average for her age. The tank-top she had on was of a dark coarse blue that was both small and baggy, showing her naval. She dressed her lower half in baggy cargo pants that hung loosely off her skinny hips, at one point they'd been a shade of off white. Her feet and lower legs were covered by calf high black lace up boots, that were all but invisible beneath the ends of her pant legs. Her jewelry, a plain black choker and a pair of plain light blue earrings.
She was dressed like most teenagers from the slums. Her clothes showed wear and tear, but hid her knives well. Her only other accessories, black fingerless gloves, and a mythril armlet on her left wrist.
Of course, it could have been the rest of her appearance that made them wary. Her skin was a touch lighter then that of most pure blood wutains. She doubted that was it. It was either her hair or eyes, and it was usually the hair that made people think about her twice.
Her eyes were the usual almond shape, but their color was that of an odd bright slate-blue. An artist back home, had eloquently described them as if some one had blended the colors of storm clouds and icicles. It was a color that often stood out. Hardly enough to be considered suspicious.
Her hair, on the other hand. She groaned mentally, and not for the first time wished she wasn't so proud nor stubborn. She kept her hair shortish, cut at half an inch past her chin. Her bangs grew whichever way they liked, which was usually covering the left side of her face down to just past her chin. They grew shorter in the middle and then longer again down the right side of her face. Several long strands growing past that ear down to her chest. The only attempt to tame her hair she made was a band of fabric tied around the forehead, that forced some bangs out of her eyes. For the most part her hair was as raven's black as most wutains, however running through it in rampant streaks was bright sapphire blue.
It was never the style that attracted attention, always the colors. It was strange, and surprisingly natural. It could easily have been fixed with hair dye, something she would never do. Her father's hair color had been the same bright blue, and she'd inherited it him. That alone, in her mind, made it worth all the trouble it attracted.
" Maybe you should look for people wearing armor, materia and carrying weapons?If you asked me." She said sweetly as she could. " Those would be the ones I'd look into."
One of them pointed to her armlet, shining with two viridian and one lutescent orbs. In the excitement of having a gun barrel in her direct vision she'd forgotten about it..
Aine smiled slowly as if she weren't quite quick in the head. "Oh...yeah." Pondering, she wondered if there was enough time to blast them with magic. They'd probably shoot her full of holes before she got the chance.
" So, should we shoot you outright?" The gun was pushed even further in her face, the hard metal digging into skin. She was sure that he smirked beneath his ugly helmet. " Or should we take you back to headquarters for Interrogation."
She knew damn well what he meant by interrogation, and no want, need or desire to experience it. Aine decided in a split second if she was going to die, she'd do it quickly and fighting the entire way. Focusing as energy shot down into her armlet. Magical energy returned, racing up her arm in a stream of cold;like icicles in the dead of winter. The chill kept her focused as magic channeled into the palm of the girl's hand.
" How about choice three: Let the kid go?"An unfamiliar voice nearly made Aine drop the spell. Spying a man in his early twenties behind the idiot guys. He had the spikiest blonde hair she'd ever seen, and his bright blue eyes glowed with mako. The SOLDIER uniform and giant sword completed the picture.
Attention wavering, the spell began to lose control, draining her. A soft and weak moan escaped as her vision swam with bright white lights with black under-shadows. The spell vanished with her fainting. 'Aho! Aho! Aho!' She screamed silently at herself. 'You should know better then to try casting spells when your that low on energy!'
"Uh..?" Slowly and weakly, Aine peered up to find eerily glowing eyes staring directly into hers. " Kid? You okay? Your eyes are rolling back in your head."
" No. I feel like a fucking moron." The youth declared bluntly. "What happened to the imbeciles?"
He shrugged, and gestured to a pile of very dead, and a tad bloody Shin-ra Mp's. " Look. Kid. You need to get out of here." Blondie spoke slowly. " It's dangerous here."
" Really? No shitting me? I hadn't noticed." Her retort dripping in sarcasm, a fierce ache had begun to stampede through her head.
He frowned. " You don't seem like the type to faint from fright."
" More like the type to ignore her bodily functions, and not sleep or eat for several days. Then miss her damn train. Then tries to cast to foolishly cast a spell on no energy."
" Which?"
"Sector Six slums." She thought he'd meant train. She hoped he did. " I bet I've missed the on to the Sector Seven slums now to."
" Yes. "
" Oh. Joy." Aine grumbled. " I hate today. It officially fucking sucks."
No response. A stiff one, this weirdo.
" Why'd you help out anyway? Last I checked most SOLDIER's don't help civilians in distress?" She asked for the sake of curiosity.
" I'm not with SOLDIER." He said slowly, and oddly. His eyes took on a strange look, and stared at her as if seeing something or some one else. " Not anymore."
"Uh...kay...?" Wonderful. Not only had she needed to be rescued, but the rescuer was more then a little off." Umm..."
" Your going to Sector Seven slums?"
Just as she nodded hesitantly, he pulled her to her feet, dragging her out of the station, his grip on her to strong to break.
" Hey! Where are you taking me?" When he didn't respond or let go. She continued yelling. " Damn it! Answer the question, let me go, or I'll stab you!"
" Train to Sector Seven. I need to get on it. So do you." Speaking as he dragged her down an alleyway and towards a bridge that ran over the tracks. " Your a little girl. You shouldn't be involved. If I leave you here, they'll go after you again for something you didn't do."
" Why do you care? You and I are perfect strangers?"
" I don't especially."
" Your with..eh...what the fuck did they call it? AVALANCHE?" The girl inquired, curiosity winning control of her mouth.
" There he is!" A shout after them, answered her. He turned quickly, shoving her behind, and drawing his sword.
" What are you doing?" She demanded crossly. " I thought we had a train to catch?"
" We do. If I don't take care of these, they'll shoot at us."
"Nande ya nen!" Aine demanded, now getting very cross and prickly.m and drew three slim blades from her pocket, holding them firmly between her fingers, as she aimed past him and threw. Not even bothering to see if they'd hit. It had been years since she'd missed anything with knives. " Can we get on this train now?!"
" Are you sure they..?"
" Yes!" She snarled before he could finish. " I never miss. I would have done that to the other idiots if I hadn't had a gun barrel pressed to my face!"
" Alright. Follow me."
They had to take care of three more sets of soldiers before they made it to the bridge. Once each set was eliminated, another would came to it's place until finally the two of them were truly surrounded with their back against the edge of the bridge.
" How light are you?" The man asked looking down at her seriously.
" Very." Aine responded weakly, eyeing what she considered to be not very high on the good to bad scale.. Strong hands suddenly gripped her by the waist, and before she could voice a loud and very vulgar protest, She found herself thrown over his un-armored shoulder. Ramming her eyes shut, she was almost certain of what was about to take place.
He jumped off the side of the bridge landing solidly atop of a speeding train car. Train sounds roaring in her ears. Aine grimaced as she felt her stomach begin it's fighting routine to escape through her mouth.
Not daring to open her eyes till she felt the ground beneath her feet. Her legs folded under her as the train threw her balance off. She remained on the floor in a tumbled mess of long legs and limbs. Her stomach churned horribly in time with the train.
" Uh..kid? You alright?" He asked as Aine made some strange half strangled noise from the back of her throat. " You don't look alright. Er..actually..you look kinda green."
"Kinda?" Out came her weak croak.
" Er..well..very.." He hesitated glancing toward the door and back at her. She waved her hand at him weakly, to indicate she'd be fine.
"Stay out of trouble." He told her seriously before striding out of the car and into the next car.
Aine groaned, resting her head against the floor, and willing her stomach to stop doing summersaults. She knew it from long experience that this was in vain. She closed her eyes and listened to the rhythmic sounds of churning train wheels.
Aho: Fool. Strength of insult depending on the area the user is from.
Nande ya nen: You gotta be kidding me