I. Cardboard Box

'There are places I remember all my life, though some have changed.
Some forever, not for better, some have gone, and some remain.'
—'In My Life' by The Beatles

Lagos, Nigeria
November, 2011

Kitchen supplies—check. Bathroom supplies—check. Clothing, shoes, jewelry—check, check, check. Sheva crossed out the things that were listed on the notepad she held. Everything seemed to be packed, save for photos and her trusty sidekick, Marvin the fat cat. She was pretty much ready to go to America. She just had to work up to stepping on the plane and saying goodbye to Africa.

She walked down the hall to her living room carrying a box of the last things from her bedroom, going through her head if there was anything else. She held back a laugh when she walked into the open space of the lounging area, the two people in the room arguing. Or rather the woman was complaining about something and the man looked bored off his ass.

When Josh caught sight of Sheva walking into the living room, he perked up a little. He pointed to the other woman in the room, "Sheva, tell Katie, my very beautiful and skinny wife, that she is not fat."

Katie looked at Sheva with an annoyed expression. With one hand on her hip, she pointed back at Josh, "Sheva, tell Josh, my lying and blind husband, that I'm fat because of him."

Sheva set the box she held with all the others by the front door. She turned to the two and sighed inwardly, "Katie, you're not fat. Josh, she's fat because of you."

Josh burst out laughing whereas Katie pouted and plopped down on the dark brown couch. When Josh and Sheva had gone on a mission in 2010 to Egypt, they both found a companion in the desert.

Josh had met Katie, a young Egyptian woman who was the daughter to a man that had many other daughters. It didn't take much to ask her father for her hand in marriage, and only after two months of courting, they had gotten married. Katie came to live with him in Lagos, Nigeria, and they couldn't be happier. To add to the happiness, Katie became pregnant in July of 2011. They were both elated, except for the moments when she would complain that she was fat and it was all Josh's fault.

For Sheva, her companion was an Egyptian Mau kitten named Marvin. When she found the kitty cat, he was malnourished from neglect, leaving him skin and bones. Sheva immediately rescued the feline, brought him home, gave him a name, and brought him back to a state of great health. That was until he took advantage of how much Sheva fed him. Now Marvin was a fat cat, living life at his own leisure. He was quite proud, but Sheva loved him dearly. With all the stress she'd go through, she needed a fluffy snuggle buddy, and Fat Marvin was perfect.

"I've gotten as fat as Marvin," Katie exclaimed.

Sheva scoffed and picked up the fat cat, having a little trouble with his weight. "He's not fat, he's fluffy," she defended him.

"Yeah, babe, you're not fat. You're fluffy," Josh said, not really thinking what was coming out of his mouth.

Katie gasped at his words. She grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at her husband. "How rude!"

"I was kidding," he shouted, holding his hands up, blocking the flying cushions.

She stopped, leaning back on the couch with a frown, "Let's hope our child doesn't get your humor."

Sheva blocked out the bickering couple to focus her attention on the cat in her arms. "You're not fat, are you?" Marvin purred, rubbing his head on her chin. "I didn't think so," she said, kissing the cat on his ear and putting him back down. She walked to the pile of boxes, checking all the labels.

"How many times are you going to check all those boxes, Sheva?"

Sheva turned to see Josh alone in the living room, looking back at her. "What happened to Katie?"

"She had to use the bathroom," he told her, gesturing to the bathroom down the hall. "Have everything packed?"

She sighed, joining him on the couch. "I think so. I hate moving."

"I know you do, kid, but this is a big opportunity, so enjoy it."

Sheva had been offered a transfer and promotion to the North American branch of the BSAA. After many hours and even days of deciding, she finally took the offer. Her new boss, Lewis King, sounded like a nice man and when she told him the news, he was ecstatic. He was excited to have a foreigner and a Kijuju survivor on his base. He warned her that he'd be bragging about her to other BSAA branches and he looked forward to having her around. That was two weeks ago and now she was boarding that plane tonight, heading for her new life in America.

It scared the shit out of her. Sure, she had spent time in the country when she was a teenager, but now she was grown up. Not the naïve girl who looked at everything with curious eyes, wanting to touch anything that didn't bite. And if it did bite, she'd want study every bit of it. Now she had gained knowledge of the world and what it was made up of. She had considered Africa her home and now she was going off, across oceans, to her new home. It was immensely frightening for her.

"I'll do my best. I'm just nervous," she murmured, knotting her fingers together in a nervous habit.

"Sheva," he called her name, placing a hand over hers. "You don't need to be nervous. You're a strong girl and you can do anything."

Sheva chuckled at the prep talk. "Thanks, Josh. I guess I'm ready."

"Good. Now, where are you staying when you get there?"

She shrugged. "A hotel, I'm guessing. Claire's picking me up from the airport."

"Claire Redfield? Why don't you stay with her until you find a place?"

"She never offered, and I couldn't just ask that of her."

Josh nodded, watching as Katie made it back into the living room. "Why don't you stay with Chris?"

Sheva stiffened at the name, but after a moment, she gathered her emotions and calmed her body and mind. "We're not on the best of terms."

Josh was about to ask what she meant when Katie gave him a look that told him to avoid it. Sheva had opened up to Katie about her strained relationship with the American agent, now captain. Katie never brought it up, knowing that it wasn't a topic Sheva was comfortable with and Josh didn't really need to know details. Just that the relationship was strained.

"Well, anyway," Josh broke the awkward tension. "Is there anything more you needed help with packing?"

"No, that was it, thank you."

He nodded and stood, holding out his hand for Katie. She gingerly took it and kissed his cheek. She gave a warm hug to Sheva, "Everything will be great. You'll find some hunky American and they'll all chase you around."

She snorted, "Thanks, Katie. I'm sure I'll be all the rage there."

She showed her friends to the door, giving Josh a big hug. He held her tightly for a while, rubbing her back and petting her hair like a father would with his daughter. "Don't be nervous. I'm only a phone call away and if need be, a plane ride away, too. Are you sure you don't want us to take you to the airport?"

Sheva pushed back the tears and nodded, "I'm sure. I don't think I'll be able to leave if you guys are there."

He chuckled and gave her a squeeze before he let her go. He kissed her forehead and wished good luck to his little sister for her new life awaiting her, oceans and countries away. And then they were gone. Leaving Sheva alone in her home, shelves empty of trinkets and decorations, her kitchen left empty of its pans and utensils, her bedroom and bathroom empty as well. Fat Marvin rubbed against her leg, purring lightly. She bent to scratch his neck, the bell on his collar jingling. His purring floored and now she could hear him clearly.

"Are you ready for America, Marv?" The cat plopped down on his side and wagged his tail wildly. "I'll take that as a yes."

Sheva grabbed the last empty cardboard box, grabbed the permanent marker and scribbled 'photos' on the side. She walked to the wall where her collections of photos were in the living room. She started with the first photo in a silver frame of Josh and Katie on their wedding day. Sheva was the bridesmaid and she even caught the bouquet, which made her want to toss it to the woman next to her. The next picture was one of Fat Marvin in a white frame with seashells on it. Another was one of Claire from the states. She was hugging a tall and handsome blond and a younger girl with a blue ribbon in her blonde hair was in front of them. Claire said that the man was her boyfriend, Leon Kennedy, and the young girl was Sherry Birkin.

She placed all these pictures in the box, piling them on top of each other. She packed all the photos in, except for one last one. The only picture she had of her parents and herself. Her parents didn't have a lot of money, so a camera was too expensive. But when missionaries came by their village when she was five, they took a photo of the young and small family.

The photo wasn't a traditional, 'say cheese' photo. Her Israeli father, Benjamin, was holding her wedding style while tickling her. Her Nigerian mother, Clementine, was holding her arms out incase her father dropped Sheva. Sheva had a wide smile on her face, her eyes closed from laughing, and her feet were captured flailing about. No, it wasn't traditional, but it was a happy photo. And it's one that she would gaze at often, thinking back to her short time with her parents.

She no longer cried when they came to mind, but rather her heart would ache and break just a little. But she kept strong, because she knew that's what they would want—for her to be strong and not dwell on their deaths when she could be living her young life.

Placing the photo in the box, she taped up the lid, making sure it was packed tight. Out of all her packages, this one was most important. She carefully added it to the stacks of cardboard boxes and sighed heavily. That was it. All she needed to do was get Fat Marvin's pet taxi out and they were off. It was going to be a long plane ride, so she needed to prepare herself. No doubt with her luck, she'd get stuck next to some snotty business man that doesn't know what thank you means.

She slowly paced around her home. She left the large furniture here, not wanting to pay the large bill for shipping furniture across an ocean to another country. Even though she'd miss her dark brown couch, or her navy blue painted bookshelves, she knew the next resident would love them as much as she did.

Glancing at the clock, she knew it was time to get Fat Marvin in the taxi and head to the airport as much as she wanted to avoid it. But it was time, and America was calling. After a minute of chasing, she got Marvin in the pet carrier. He wasn't a fast cat, rather just a stubborn feline. He growled in the carrier, chewing on the small crotched scarf Sheva had made for him to brush his teeth.

When the taxi cab arrived, the driver helped her put her luggage into the trunk. She took Fat Marvin into the backseat with her, having the front of the carrier face her. Sheva looked out the rear window as they drove off. Her home was fading into the distance, and mentally she said goodbye to the home she wouldn't see again. It'd be awhile until she visited Nigeria again, so she said her goodbyes now. Her nose burned a little, but she sucked it up; knowing that America was an opportunity that wasn't something she should pass up. Her only problem was certain people that already lived there. But maybe, she told herself, this was a time to mend certain relationships that had broken. Her biggest worry was that maybe they weren't fixable and maybe they were meant to stay strangers.

Author's note: I just needed to get this up today because for one, you all made me so happy with the reviews and two, because I didn't realize how much I miss posting stuff and talking to you guys!

What did you think of the first chapter of 'All But Forgotten'? Are you left with answers or more questions? Let me know in a review and please favorite/follow. It motivates me so much, you have no idea. In the next chapter, we're going to see what's going on in Los Angeles with Claire and her brother. Who's her brother again? Hmm, I've seemed to have forgotten. (Sarcasm.) ;)

Justsomegirl17: I don't want to spoil anything by stating the date of the prelude… It must be a mystery! I think you have the right idea who 'he' is. And we'll just have to wait and see if you're right. But I'll just say this: you're good at guessing! ;D About Revelations, it's like we were talking about the time between that game and RE5. I don't think Jill and Chris would be together any longer. Especially since she didn't go looking for him in RE6, no even offering her help! D: That sailor outfit is a joke! But it made me laugh so hard, so I like it! I just wanted to post it already, you know. :) Arrivederci, my love!
Sheva Giulia: I'm so happy you liked it, and it's so good to receive new reviews from you again. No worries, Sheva will be happy again! Good guesses, we'll see if you're right as the story unfolds. ;)
Sheva Redfield: I'm so happy to be back, and I missed you a lot too. :) I can't say if you're right or not about Josh, but I'm not a Josh/Sheva shipper. So that should give you a hint there. :) I love hearing your guesses and theories, so please, keep them coming! You'll find out more as the story unfolds, of course. But I'm excited! Oh my, don't hall monitors understand the need to read fanfiction! :P I'm so happy that your reading this story and also I'm excited to read your reviews. :) XOXO
MR. BSAA: Hope you liked the update! :)
Mss. KB: Haha, well, ask and you shall receive; here's the next story! I missed writing Creva so much. It's my first fanfiction love. It was a sad beginning, wasn't it? I'm sorry if it brought your mood down, but I hope this was a happy turn around. :) I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Thank YOU for having such a wonderful heart and always being so kind, Miss K. :) XO
HolleringHawk65: They have some amazing songs, Third Eye Blind. I'm so happy that they got to be featured and even better that it was the first part of the story! Ooh, maybe you're right! :)

I'll update sometime soon, just gotta get some major writing done. Till next time, Sarai.