Chapter 3: Assassination at the Honey Bee

The Midgar air was and is still polluted and quite unhealthy. I couldn't see how Tifa could live like this... then again; maybe she no longer lived here. Yeah, the latter seemed to make more sense considering how lively and optimistic she was. She wasn't the type to stay in a horrid place like this.

It was already night time and the assassination would start in only a few minutes. I grasped the handle of my inconspicuous brief case before heading off to the Honey Bee. I remembered seeing an abandoned building not too far from it and within bullet range, so I'd stay there until my opportunity came.

The metropolis was busy tonight, as it always was and the closer I came to the Honey Bee, the more prostitutes I encountered. More than once did they try to grab my attention, but I had no intentions of going out of my way to give them any money, pleasure or not.

As I neared the unused building, I thought I caught a glimpse of a familiar looking woman. When I looked around, I saw no one of any considerable familiarity and just shrugged it off. Besides, Tifa's the only person here worth remembering and I highly doubted that she'd come to this place.

The building I would be staying in for the new while was old and worn out. No one seemed to notice it so it was a perfect place to hide while waiting for my target to appear. I opened the rusty old door and closed it behind me before ascending the creaky stairs. Once I found a good spot for my stakeout, I set down my brief case and opened it. Inside was a simple assortment of parts for a gun and I began to put it together. Tonight would be an easy catch.

I walked down the streets of Midgar. I wore a red tube top that barely covered my breasts and a black miniskirt that barely covered anything. I had fingerless black gloves that came up to my elbows to hide the scars on my forearms and wrists. My destination was nearing and I prepared myself for the night to come. I was going to the Honey Bee where I worked as one of the dancers.

After Cloud's betrayal, I gave up hope on everything. He was the only thing keeping me together after my difficult life and now I was just crumbling. I lost my bar to a business man because I had insufficient money to pay for bills and such. Without it I was unemployed and was forced to find other means of getting money. No one in the professional business world would take a girl from the slums such as myself, so finding a well paying job was difficult. I was broke and living in the streets for the bar was my home after Cloud left until that man took it away from me. When all seemed lost, she came to me.

She was a fairly old woman; probably around her mid forties or something. I remember seeing her look at me with pity in her eyes from the café window across the street. She looked kind enough with her soft brown eyes and motherly aura. I smiled weakly at her through the window before walking down the street to find something to eat.

I was simply glancing around the garbage bins for something edible when I heard someone walking towards me. I instantly turned around and raised my fists defensively but then saw that it was only the woman from the café.

"Come, child. You do not deserve to live like this." She said to me and it brought tears to my eyes. No one had ever been so kind to me without ever knowing me and it made me happy to know that she didn't think me to be garbage left to rot away in the Midgar streets.

She grasped my hand softly and with a caring that I could never have felt with my own mother and led me to a building. A sign hung over the entrance and it simply read: "Inn". She continued on through the threshold without letting go of my hand and brought me to a couch in a small front lounge.

"Please wait here while I get you something, dear." She kindly said before walking off somewhere. When she came back, she held a thick blanket and a cup of tea.

"Drink this. It will help you with that fever you've come up with." She told me while placing her hand on my forehead. It was only now that I noticed how sickly I've been feeling the past few days. I guess that I was too numb with pain to notice.

As I sipped my tea, the kind woman sat opposite me in a chair and began to ask me a few questions.

"Would you please tell me your name?" she inquired. I hesitated to tell her for my caution had increased after Cloud left me and my trust would only go so far. When I wouldn't answer she just smiled and continued on.

"I'm Uma Madrena, if you'd like to know mine." She said with a warm smile. I just nodded and continued to sip the tea.

"I could give you a place to stay at my hotel. You could stay for as long as you want." She offered. Instantly I ceased to drink to tea and stared at her. She couldn't possibly be so kind to do that for me... could she? Seeing my bewildered expression, she chuckled.

"Don't worry, darling, I'm not here to trick you. You look like a lively soul and I couldn't bear to see you wandering the streets broken." She explained.

A moment passed in silence. Her gaze and smile never wavered and with such intensity, I set down the tea and began to cry. The innkeeper left her chair and came to sit beside me. She gently rubbed my back as I cried on her shoulder. No one had ever been so kind to me since mother died and I felt like I had something back after all those years of pain and misery.

After my tears subsided and her soothing words of comfort quieted, I turned my head to look at her with my still tear-filled eyes.

"I'm sorry for crying, Miss Madrena, but you're too kind to me. I don't deserve all of this." I choked out through my swollen throat.

"Nonsense, child. You have every right to be happy. You'll stay in my hotel and you could work here to make money for yourself." She said. I shook my head.

"Well, please just stay at my hotel for you cannot possibly find happiness in living in the Midgar streets." She insisted. I considered her for a moment before smiling genuinely for once and uttering my deepest gratitude.

"There is no need to thank me, dear." She said before helping me to my feet and leading me to a comfortable hotel room.

I still lived with Uma Madrena. She had found out about my job and instantly demanded that I work with her. I told her that I didn't want to be a burden to her. She was persistent and held a good argument, but in the end, I refused. I didn't deserve such hospitality from this kind woman.

As I neared the entrance of the Honey Bee, I noticed a figure clad in black and I could have sworn that I saw that person before. His head turned to me and I saw familiar red eyes that I couldn't quite place where I saw them before. His gaze lingered for only a millisecond before he went into an old abandoned building not too far from the Honey Bee. I kept my gaze there before turning and entering the "club".

Inside was a bunch of drunken men trying to get some ass. I was disgusted by them, but knew that it was solely my fault that I was here. I just couldn't take Miss Madrena's offer even though it cost me to be utterly disappointed in myself.

I passed Alex Ricardo's office. He was my boss and seemed to favor me. It sickened me to no end. But I knew that he was my only hope to get money, so I treated him with respect no matter how much I wished to cause him pain. He wasn't a good man and if he wasn't dealing with whores like myself, he was dealing with various gangs in the city and selling them Lord knows what.

A few minutes later I was onstage and dancing.

I waited patiently like a cat stalking its prey. It was only a matter of time that Alex Ricardo would come out of the Honey Bee. My sniper was ready and I stood by the window. It was only a matter of time...

A few minutes passed and still I waited patiently. Prostitutes were walking to and fro flaunting themselves at passer bys. There were drug lords prowling the shadows tempting the addicts around. Even if I scorned them all, I knew I was no different. I was an assassin. A ruthless killer without a heart. After she took my heart, there was nothing left of me except hate.

Lucrecia...

I closed my eyes for a brief moment and the memories played across my eye lids like a film on fast forward.

Back then I was twentytwo years old. The day was sunny and the garden of the Shinra mansion was full of bloom. I was walking with Lucrecia through it. We were silent and just enjoying each others' company. I chanced a glance at her beautiful form. She wasn't very tall as she only stood 5'5". She had beautiful brown hair that shimmered in the sunlight whenever she moved and her complexion was the fairest that I'd ever seen then. What I loved most were her green eyes that matched perfectly with the nature around.

She was a trainee scientist at age twentytwo, as well,and she had volunteered to go to the Shinra mansion to study since the mansion was renowned for its advanced technological and scientific instruments. I was simply here because it was a weekend and the Shinra mansion was only open to visitors during this time. It was my only time to see Lucrecia and I loved every moment of it.

I had somehow come to love this woman after a year of friendship. There was something about her that I was drawn to, even after I lost hope in having a relationship with anyone.We'd steal a few kisses here and there but we never voiced our feelings to each other. For me, I think this feeling had started about a few months ago when she left to live in this mansion and now I was so sure of this that I'd come to a resolution. If I didn't act now, then I didn't know when I would be able to again.

"Lucrecia..." I said. She turned her head to me and smiled.

"Yes, Vincent?" she said while tilting her head like she always did when asking something or wondering.

"What do you think of me?" I asked, knowing full well how foolish the question sounded. Lucrecia chuckled lightly.

"I think that you're the greatest friend that anyone could ever have." She told me. The word 'friend' rang in my head and taunted me, but I ignored it and went on.

"Are you sure that I'm only a friend to you?" I asked. Her eyebrows rose and she turned her body fully towards me.

"What are you asking, Vincent?" she inquired. I sighed before continuing.

"What I'm asking is... do you love me?" This caused her face to become rigid. She looked worried and it made me worry, too.

"Vincent, I..." she abruptly stopped to catch her breath for tears were threatening to fall.

"Lucrecia..." I began, but she cut me off.

"No, Vincent, I'm sorry." And I knew what the answer would be. "I don't love you..."

I just nodded my head and accepted her answer without question. I wanted to put my hand on her shoulder and tell her that it was okay, but I couldn't bring myself to lie to her. It wasn't okay. I thought that she loved me. She even acted like it and those kisses we'd share... gods, it was too much. I clenched my fist and held back the tears for fear of ruining my pride. Lucrecia took one last look at me and ran off. I couldn't help but to follow her.

What I saw was just too much for me. She had run into the arms of her teacher, Professor Hojo. He was holding her close and stroking her hair as she cried into his chest. I hid behind the hedges as I watched them. Hojo whispered something that made Lucrecia smile and then they did something that made me boil with anger. He kissed her. And she returned it.

There was no point in returning to the mansion. I chanced love again and it just bit me in the ass. After that, I never spoke with her again. I feared to be hurt once more. I feared to love.

My eyes opened suddenly and I remembered where I was. It seems that I snapped back to reality just in time because Alex was walking out of an alley looking smug. I set up my sniper so that I was ready to shoot and waited for the opportune moment. I waited until he came into perfect range. He paused to light a cigarette and it was bothering me how much he was stalling. He began walking again and when he came into the perfect range, I shot. Twice, just to make sure he actually died.

The screams that followed were deafening. "Somebody call 911!" someone yelled out frantically. I wasted no time in packing my gun up and leaving the building. Police sirens were nearing the area and I had to make a quick getaway. I was a very stealthy man, so it was not difficult.

One of the windows in the back of the building was broken and not a shard remained on it, so I chose to slip through it. I landed gracefully on the pavement of the alley and walked back to the hotel at which I stayed at.

AN: Well, that's the end of this chapter. I know it ended kind of abruptly, but I need the next part to be separate lest I want this chapter to be overly lengthy. By the way, you all must have figured out that the italics mean flashbacks, right?