Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 4 ~Unwanted Memories

Joanna wiped the sweat from her brow and continued to hack away with her pick. It had been a hard day's work in the Mythril Mine. Being a miner wasn't seen as a very respectable career, especially for a girl. Her mother had told her countless times that no man would want to marry her when her face was always covered in dirt and soot. But it was the only way to support her family and because of that, she didn't really mind. She hadn't been accustomed to the hard labour at first and it had been hard to get used to it. But it was better this way for her to be supporting the family rather than her father with his diminishing health.

Her mother worried about what would happen to the family estate after her fatter passed. In efforts to preserve the comforts she had been used to over her lifetime, she had been trying to set her daughter up with multiple 'nice, young gentlemen.' Joanna wouldn't have any of it. She refused to be married off just to save the family name. She had more dignity then that.

She was torn from her thoughts when a thunderous sound coming from above echoed throughout the mine. One miner screamed for everyone to get to the panic room. As soon as she reached the room, the rock outside began to collapse trapping her, and everyone else, within.

~Vincent's P.O.V~

I drove through the town held up by floating docks. It was in this town that much of the lower class of society lived. Only those who worked in the Mythril Mine held residence here and only those met with desperation for money worked in the poor health conditions of the Mythril Mine. The swamp was filthy from the pollution of the mining and many towns people were becoming sick because of the fact. It gave more reason as to why anyone with enough money in their pocket would not even consider living there.

I pulled up, where the investigation was being held, on the small patch of land before the entrance of the mine. I told Yuffie to, "Wait here," before exiting the car to speak with Royce.

"This must be pretty big if he's here," I said referring to Augustine Dobrogeanu, ruthless leader of the Turks.

"The Science Department really fucked it up this time," he replied, "An experiment they call the Midgar Zolom escaped from their labs. We were able to chase it out of the city without causing too much damage or drawing too much attention. Scumbags, just making it more and more powerful just to see what happens. They've cost so many lives and for what?"

"Cool it Mazaki," indifference was a crucial part of being a Turk.

He breathed in sharply and sighed deeply through his noise, "Right, let's just get the job done."

"Alright," I said turning back around, "just let me tell- ...shit."

~Yuffie's P.O.V~

Of course I wasn't going to wait in the car. What do I look like? A ten year old?

Besides, I had to explore this town, that for some reason I had never heard of before and for that matter, didn't even exist in the time I was from.

It smelled nasty here. Like rotting fish, rotten eggs, and rusty metal. Many of the town's people looked sick and had a nasty cough too. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to live here. Everything was so dirty and run down. It was worse than the Midgar slums.

'Great, I even feel too guilty to pick pocket them...'

It didn't help that my stomach was going crazy because the floating town just had to shake around every time it was hit by a wave. I leaned against a railing and faced the gross orange polluted water below me waiting to blow chunks. I closed my eyes finding that the sight didn't help my stomach. Neither did the smell for that matter.

'Okay maybe this wasn't such a great idea…'

I felt someone brush past me. I looked up and saw a small figure run by. I wouldn't have paid any attention if it weren't for…

Wait a minute… small hooded figure… "WAIT UP!" I called following him into the alleyway he was heading for.

Like the first time I had chased him he was ridiculously fast for someone with such short legs. When I reached a main street again I thought I had lost him before I heard car breaks screeching to my left and saw the boy crossing the street and the chase continued. As we reached the very edge of that dock the boy hopped into a white limousine with tinted windows that drove away almost immediately.

"H-hey!" I yelled out of breath as the car speeded away.

'Well… there goes all my answers… Why was he even here anyway...? WAIT A MINUTE!'

I checked my pouch and patted down my pockets. The strange materia that had brought me here was gone.

"CRAP!" I yelled before practically having to jump out of the way as a car went speeding down the street.

"Sheesh, what's wrong with some peo- WHOA!" I screamed falling against a trash can as the dock shook violently underneath me. I was too preoccupied by not knowing what the heck was happening to care that I was covered in a bunch of stinky garbage.

Large waves began washing up against the sides of the dock, high enough to reach the houses on the other side of the street. Before I could even process what was happening a giant snake like monster erupted from the mine and began heading straight towards the town.

"OH BOY!" I screamed as the docks really began to shake. My eyes bulged as some closer to the monster even flipped over. These were huge docks too. The size of at least two blocks and at most ten. I could see the people tumbling and falling into the water. I could hear the joint screams even from this distance and then the dock just fell on top of them all. I knew there was no hope for them. The waves continued to grow higher and that monster was still pissed. So I did what any great ninja would do in a crisis like this.

I ran.

"HOLLY LEVIATHAN!" I screamed as the water began swarming the streets like tidal waves. I jumped at a wall from a barrel and pushed my feet with all my might against it before back flipping onto the balcony on the next building just above me. I hoisted myself onto the roof and ran as fast as my legs could carry me before jumping to the next one, and the next one, and the next one...

I could feel the dock slowly begin to rise behind me. This worked in my favour as gravity made it easier to jump from the rooftops, which now got lower than me with each step I took. Lower and lower till I was falling more than I was jumping. I could see the edge of the town. I was so close. Once I was there I was going to have to run like hell. I jumped the last few roofs before tucking and rolling into the gross muck in front of me. I waded as fast as I could through the rest of the swamp and ran for my life once I reached solid ground.

I could hear a thunderous crash as dirt flew out from behind me in a big cloud. I coughed and waved a hand in front of my face trying to clear the smoke. I held my hands out in front of me and walked around blindly trying to find my way out of the cloud. Smoke filled my lungs and I couldn't breathe. I removed my soaked black wrist band and held it over my mouth and nose in hope of protecting my lungs from all the toxins in the air. I knew I couldn't stop now. I fell down on my hands and crawled on all fours. My eyes watered as the smoke stung and blinded them. This seemed to be never ending.

Finally I could see a light shining high up in the sky and I knew it was the sun. I ran in that direction, tripping every once in the while over Leviathan knows what until I realized that I was in a wide open grassy plane. I turned around at this point to see what was left of the town. It wasn't even recognizable. The cement docks were burning and jutted out of the water at irregular angles and the water was stained red. The monster was still looming over the town and it was furious. I could see bazooka's shooting at it from the land before the mine.

"For Leviathan's sakes…" I said letting myself drop to the ground, putting my head between my knees trying to catch my breath. I looked up and saw little specks in the distance coming from the direction of Midgar. I watched as they got closer and closer before realizing that they were helicopters. Rocket launchers on the sides of them began to assault the monster. This only made it angrier.

I began to notice other people on the shore around me. Some were bloody and delirious, some were crying, others were desperately screaming out the names of comrades and family. Black vans began pulling up and rescue workers began to file out. The shock was beginning to wear off and it was then that I began to realize how serious this was. People had died, I couldn't imagine how many. I thought of Vincent and my lip began to quiver.

N'o Yuffie, you know what happens to Vincent,' I thought putting my head back between my knees trying to calm myself. This didn't make me feel any better though. Vincent may live through this day, and he may live through all the turmoil he suffered… will suffer at Hojo and Lucrecia's hands so that he would be able to meet me someday. But even then… I still had no idea what happened to him after the last time I saw him… in my time that is.

I shook my head to clear it of these thoughts. I had never been the kind of girl that gets overly emotional and I definitely wasn't going to start now. Besides, I thought as I got up and tried as best as I could to clear the dirt from my skin, hair, and clothes, these people needed help. Their whole lives had been destroyed. Everything they knew and loved had been taken from them. I knew how that felt and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

"Mamma, are you sleeping?" a young girl asked a frail looking woman from her spot on the futon they were sharing.

"Yes," she answered in a tired voice.

"… Why was Papa so angry?"

The woman took a shaking breath and held her hand out to the girl pulling her to her chest. The young girl rested her head against her mother's shoulder and looked up at her waiting for an answer.

"He's just worried. There are so many troubles that he bears alone."

"Why does he have to bear them alone Mamma?"

The woman sighed, "Because he doesn't want to burden anyone else. He overestimates his strength."

"Can we help?"

She sighed, "We can be there for him."

"What if that isn't enough?"

The woman didn't answer. The girl rested her head on her shoulder knowing she had fallen asleep and soon she did too. It seemed like this rest didn't last long before the firing of guns awoke her.

She stood up on her tip toes to look out the window. Tanks were rolling down the main street towards the temple accompanied by soldiers with machine guns and bazookas. A bomb exploded and lit everything up like day day. She was blinded as the light faded and the darkness returned. She could hear the watch guard ringing his bell warning the town of the invasion. The shoji screen door was slammed open and a servant barged into the room.

"Come Princess," she said, "We must get you out of here!"

"Someone needs to carry Mamma!" the girl cried going back to her mother's side.

"Mamma! Mamma!" The girl cried shaking her as the servant left the room to find and able bodied man. The woman groaned and rolled her head to the side but did not respond. "Mamma come on! We have to go!"

The servant returned with a temple guard and the next thing she knew they were running down the halls and into the streets. They ran in the direction of Da Chao where emergency camps were set up at the foot of the mountain. The girl looked back once to see her home burning to the ground. After what seemed like hours they stopped to rest. The guard set the girl's mother down so she was resting against a tree trunk.

"Your highness," the servant said taking a canister from the sleeve of her Kimono, "You must drink and regain your strength," she said bringing it to her lips. The water just rolled down her chin.

"Your Highness…?

"Mamma!" The girl said racing over to her, MAMMA!" she shook her, "Mamma wake up!"

The woman did not respond, only stared back at her with blank soulless eyes…

I gasped and bolted up.

"Are you all right?"

Thank you for reviewing xxDarkAssassinxx, X-Leavitt-x-Amber-X, 3Sora3, Yuuki-Neko, and PrincessofBadLuck!

Reviews are appreciated. They inspire me to ACTUALLY continue writing the story ya'll want to read... + I'm lazy... and with no motivation in life I would end up one of those fat people on a couch that they have to lift out with a crain and take to the hospital in a pick up truck. LOL so...

I regret nothing.