She wasn't supposed to have been there, not that that stopped her. Or Denzel, for that matter, but he only came so that he could've said that, yes, Dad, he did try and stop her and, yes, Mom, he did keep an eye on her so that she didn't get hurt. He didn't try very hard to stop her, all things considered, and she only knew that because ever since Advent Day he'd been very good about being a responsible (if protective) big brother. He was just as worried as she was, so that was probably why he caved as easy as he did. After all, their family (Cloud in particular, not that they needed tell him) seemed to attract trouble like an Auntie Yuffie to materia, and there came a point where their worry for their family's wellbeing surpassed their desire not to get in trouble. Getting grounded was a small price to pay to make sure everyone was okay.
Not that the trip to the church was without complaint, because of course it was. Denzel was fourteen now, and was about to get in serious trouble all for his ten year-old sister's sake. He was all "Marlene, this is stupid!" this and "We're gonna be in so much trouble..!" that. Like, sheesh. Cloud and Uncle Vincent had enhanced hearing, doofus. They'll hear you a mile away if you keep whining like that, then they'd get in trouble before they even got there! She told him so, and he huffed, but kept the rest of his comments to himself so she was happy.
Somehow or another, they actually got to the church undetected. Genuinely, it was surprising. Things didn't normally work out that well for them when they tried sneaking up on their family in the past, especially if Cloud, Auntie Yuffie, Uncle Vincent, or any of the Turks were there... And every single person on that list was in the church. Whatever was going on in there must've been intense if no one knew they were out there.
They did not, actually, go into the church itself. They were young, not stupid. They were stumped, at first, on how to eavesdrop on the meeting without entering the building. But then Marlene remembered one of Cloud's stories, the one where he fell through the roof of the church and met Auntie Aerith, and proceeded to ignore every single one of Denzel's panicked gesturing to stop what you're doing right now, young lady and climbed the debris surrounding the building. It was tough, and she scraped her knees even with Denzel's help (after he stopped fuming and decided to make sure she didn't impale herself), but eventually they made it to the roof of the building. There was a large Cloud-or-maybe-Uncle-Zack shaped hole in the roof that provided the perfect view of whatever was going on inside.
Except they didn't really get to see what was going on. They saw Tifa and Barret hugging Cloud in a way that really worried them, because the last time they held each other like that was on Advent Day after Cloud woke up in the holy water, and that was when they thought the kids were asleep. They couldn't hear what they were saying, which was probably for the best because it was probably really gross and sappy, but it also meant they didn't know why they were all so sad.
They didn't get to wonder what was going on for long, either, because after their parents separated Cloud stepped in front of the pool, and there was a gi-GAN-tic flash of light that scared the lifestream out of them. Of course, that meant that Marlene jumped in fright, slipped, and fell through the hole. And, obviously, Denzel lunged after her, trying to catch her but instead fell through the hole himself.
It almost seemed like slow-motion, Marlene thought. Kind of like when she was little, and at Miss Elmyra's house for the very first time. When she had looked out the window, wondering where the suited man (who she now knew as Mr. Tseng) took the flower girl, and saw the plate fall. Agonizingly slow enough that, even from the distance over in Sector 6, she could see each cable snap, every beam crumble, every section of road and home break apart into debris. In this case, she could see the expressions of surprise on her family's faces slowly morph into horror, into heartbreak as they fell. She watched as some of them lunged forward, arms outstretched, as if they could reach and catch them in time. Some yelled, calling out their names. Their parents - Tifa, Barret, Cloud - were the worst to see by far, as no child would ever want to see such pure anguish on their caretaker's faces. It was made all the worse by the pre-existing tears and remorse already present, and she knew in that small, short moment of free-fall that there was a very good reason that they were not supposed to be here.
In her mind's eye, she could imagine Auntie Aerith wearing a similar expression of shock and anguish, accompanied by a man that matched the few pictures of Uncle Zack that Cloud had managed to find.
Then she blacked out.
And then she hurt.
When she was done hurting, she went back to being blacked out. And when she was done being blacked out, she realized she was wrong, she was actually hurting still, but it was just a dull throb compared to the full-bodied this-is-probably-what-cartoon-characters-feel-like-when-they-get-electrocuted pain she felt earlier. And when she was done comparing her earlier torture to her current state and deciding that she just felt like her gym teacher put her through PT for a week and that she'd live, if reluctantly, she realized four important things: One, that Denzel was out cold beside her, Two, that they were neither in the church or in the Seventh Heaven, Three, that they were definitely not alone, and, most importantly, Four, that she didn't know the person in front of them even a little bit.
Now, Marlene was a very brave girl. Her parents made sure to tell her that often; They reassured her that they were very proud of her for being able to go through all the trouble that came with being in their family and come out with a bright smile, especially at her age. So, yes, Marlene considered herself brave and took pride in that. However, she would also insist that, upon waking up in an unfamiliar environment with a very large man (with a very large sword and very bright eyes) looming over you, anyone with half a brain would scream.
And scream she did, exactly how her Uncle Cid taught her to scream if she were ever trapped and made uncomfortable by a scary man.
"Get the hell away from me you limp-dicked son of a whore! Don't you fucking touch me you goddamn shitty son of a bitch! I'll rip your balls off that sorry excuse of a maggot you call a cock and shove it so far down your throat you'll be shitting sperm for months!"
She didn't actually know the meaning behind half the things she yelled, but the stranger definitely did. The man paled so rapidly she was almost scared he'd faint, and he very quickly backed up away from her. He raised his hands placatingly, and seemed almost desperate when he tried to soothe her.
"H-hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not - I'm not going to hurt you, okay? Please - please stop screaming, oh gaia -" The man stared at her wide-eyed, very cleary unnerved by the words coming out of her mouth. She did stop screaming - mostly because she was still aching and out of breath - and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Good, good, th-thank you...I just want to help you, okay? Will you let me help you?"
He gestured to Denzel next to her as he spoke, but otherwise didn't move. She appreciated that, because she didn't have any more insults to spew out, and also because it gave her a chance to study the man in front of her. He was... well, big. Buff. He had a kind of intimidating face, but so did her Papa, and the smile he was giving her was kind besides. He kind of looked like Cloud when she first met him at the old Seventh Heaven - he had the clothes, the glowy eyes, the sword...
The sword?
"Is that a Buster Sword?" She blurted, because she swore it looked just like the one at Uncle Zack's shrine in the church. The man blinked, confused, and glanced between the sword on his back and the girl in front of him. Eventually, he nodded.
"Why, yes...Yes it is." He said, slowly, still looking a bit confused. She understood his confusion, unfortunately. All the other kids at school gave her weird looks when she talked about swords, too. "Why do you ask?"
She shrugged. "Cloud has a Buster Sword, too. He doesn't use it anymore, though. It makes him sad 'cause it used to be my Uncle's, so he keeps it at the church."
The man still looked confused, but nodded along. "Ah, is Cloud your companion over there?" He asked, gesturing at Denzel. She laughed.
"Him? No! That's my brother, Denzel." She said, still giggling. Oh, Denzel would die of embarrassment if someone mistook him for Cloud. Ha! "Cloud's my other dad. I don't call him that, though, 'cause Denzel calls him Dad and I already call Barret Papa. And he was Cloud before he was my dad, so I think he's always gonna be Cloud."
"You have...two dads?"
"Yup! And a Mom! Her name's Tifa."
"Two dads...and a mom." The man looked more confused the longer they spoke, and Marlene remembered then that not everyone knew that families could be different from just a mom and a dad, but it was too late at that point, so she just smiled and nodded. The man seemed to deliberate on that for a moment, then shook his head. "Alright, you have two dads and one mom. Okay. Do you know where they are?"
Marlene opened her mouth, closed it, and frowned. Last she knew, they were in the church. At the same time, though, she and Denzel were also in the church before she woke up. And yet, here they were, not in the church. She sighed, and shook her head. The man frowned.
"Do you know...where you are, right now?"
Again, she shook her head. The man looked vaguely alarmed, and scratched the stubble on his chin.
"What's your name?"
She had half a mind to keep it a secret, because she learned stranger-danger the hard way on Advent Day, but she'd already given him a whole lot of information about her parents, so that argument was a bit null and void. It was probably the sword on his back that made her trust him so much. Or maybe it was the satisfying way that he looked like he was about to cry when she screamed? Thoughts for another day.
"Marlene Wallace-Lockhart! What's your name, mister?" She supplied cheerfully.
The man smiled that kind smile at her again. He said, "Nice to meet you, Marlene. My name is Angeal Hewley. I'm a SOLDIER, First Class."
Marlene made a face at that, causing him to frown. "My parents don't like SOLDIERs." She said, inching away from him and squinting suspiciously. It was the truth; It wasn't very often that they ran into ex-SOLDIERs around Edge, but when they did it was very awkward and tense. Cloud especially didn't like them, because they always looked at him weird and asked weird questions.
"Is that so?" Mr. Angeal asked, to which she nodded. He hummed. "Well, Marlene, I can understand if your parents don't particularly like SOLDIERs. But, I think they'd like us even less if I just left you and your brother here all by yourselves, huh? There are monsters around here, you know."
Her eyes widened at that. She nibbled her lip, thinking. He had a point. If there were monsters around, then their parents would rather they go with someone who could fight those monsters off (like a SOLDIER!) than stay by themselves. It was responsible, she decided, especially seeing as Denzel was prone and unable to help defend her from monsters.
She nodded. "I suppose you have a point there, Mr. Angeal. Mhmm." He smiled at her, shuffling over to Denzel and bending down to pick him up. It was bridal style, and she giggled.
Denzel in his arms, Mr. Angeal stood back up and looked at her. "Come with me, if you will, Marlene?" She smiled up at him. Standing, she brushed off her skirt and decided to throw whatever caution she could've taken to the wind, and walked with him.
"Wo-ah." Marlene whispered, dumbstruck. Mr. Angeal had taken her and Denzel to what looked like a big camp of some sort, with a whole lot of tents and people bustling about. The part that really took her breath away, though, was that every single one of them was a SOLDIER. All of them! Granted, all of their sweaters were different colors than Mr. Angeal's, and they almost all wore weird helmets, but still! There! Were! So! Many!!!
"Impressive, huh?" Mr. Angeal asked, sending a smile down her way. She nodded enthusiastically, and stepped closer to him. It was impressive, yes, but as they came into the camp all the SOLDIERs also turned to stare at them, which really made her uncomfortable. She wasn't scared, no, because she was ten years old and ten year-old girls don't get scared unless they were babies. She was too brave to be a baby, no matter what Denzel said. So, no, she wasn't scared, just...Apprehensive! Yeah!
Mr. Angeal must've been able to tell she was apprehensive, because his eyes narrowed and he looked over her to the SOLDIERs currently staring at them. She couldn't see his face, but he must've given them something like her Mom's mom-glare, because they all scattered and went back to what they were doing.
All except one.
"Angeal! There you are, man! I was looking all over for you, I thought you said you'd be back sooner! What gives?" A man ran over to them excitedly, hands waving. His spiky black hair made her blink, because it almost rivaled Cloud's hair in how outrageous it was. But, also, there was something a bit familiar about it...In fact, she felt that she should probably recognize him, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Hmm... Oh, he was still talking. "- and you're usually never late, so I got a bit worried, 'cause you never know when a ninja might be hiding in the trees and waiting to strike, you know? Anyway - Why do you have kids."
Mr. Angeal sighed, and shook his head fondly. Marlene would've smiled at it, because her dads did the same thing often, but she was too busy studying the man in front of them. Spiky black hair...purple eyes...energetic...SOLDIER...
"Zack, this is Marlene and Denzel. They're...lost." Mr. Angeal said. There was something about the way he called them lost that made her uncomfortable, but then she realized what she'd called the other man by.
"Zack?" She asked, and lo and behold, he turned to her. "Zack Fair?" She asked again, for clarification. Her heart was racing, anticipation and excitement and dread all rushing through her veins and making her hands sweaty.
"The one and only!" The man - Zack, honest-to-gaia Uncle Zack - said, smile bright and voice cheery. Then he paused, and looked at her in confusion. "Wait, how do you know my last name?"
Mr. Angeal, too, looked down and regarded her closely. She realized, then, that the reason she felt uncomfortable when he called them 'lost' was because he didn't believe it. Now, too, his gaze held suspicion. Marlene bit her lip and fidgeted, suddenly very nauseous and hot all over. It was hard to breath, and her eyes were burning. She felt like crying, or maybe screaming some more, but mostly that she really, really wanted her Papa, or Mom, or Cloud or any of her Aunties and Uncles or maybe even one of the Turks because even though they made her parents mad sometimes they still looked after her and Denzel real good, or --
She wanted to go home.
Before she knew it, she really was crying, sniffling and whining and trying very, very hard to stop. She covered her face with her hands to try and hide her tears, because she was ten years old, dangit! She was a brave girl, she couldn't cry! And even if she did, it would only be where her family could see her, not some SOLDIERS in a weird camp! (She tried not to consider Uncle Zack, because Cloud had told her that Uncle Zack went away with Auntie Aerith, and while her parents liked to pretend she didn't know what that really meant, she did. She knew exactly what that meant. She knew.)
Above her, Mr. Angeal and Uncle Zack made various noises of alarm. She didn't look back up at them until she felt herself being tugged into a warm hug. She sniffed, and peeked through her fingers to find that Uncle Zack had knelt down to hold her. "Hey, hey, now...Marlene, was it?" He asked, voice gentle and soothing. She nodded, still teary-eyed. "Well, nice to meet you, Marlene. I'm sure it's real scary being lost out here, huh? Surrounded by all these big, scary dummies - uh, SOLDIERs?" She giggled weakly at that, and nodded again. He gave her a pat on the head. "It'll be okay, alright? You and your brother will get home to your folks soon 'nuff, okay? Pinkie promise."
His hand rubbed soothing circles against her back, and she felt herself calming down. It reminded her of one of her Papa's hugs, big and warm and safe. He said that she and Denzel would get home, and she believed him. Cloud always said that Uncle Zack was a hero, and that he always kept his word, and she knew that Cloud would never lie to her. Cloud's stories about Uncle Zack were her second favorite, right before stories about Auntie Aerith, and she often wished she got to meet him at least once.
Now, though, she felt safe, and warm, and tired, and she still ached all over, and all she wanted was a nap.
She fell asleep right where she was, and dreamt of a Seventh Heaven that had one extra room, just for Auntie Aerith and Uncle Zack.
Marlene woke up to yelling, which was a really dreadful way to wake up. The bed she was in was also pretty dreadful, because it felt more like a sack on the ground than an actual bed. She wasn't sore anymore though, so that was a plus.
" - hell are we!? And who the hell are you?!" A voice yelled above her. It sounded a lot like Denzel. Ugh, was he seriously in a screaming match at whatever-time-it-was in the morning? She thought teenagers were supposed to be married to sleeping in...
She groaned. "Tha's two fer th'swear jar, Denz..." She grumbled out, pushing herself up. She stretched, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and yawned. Bleariliy, she looked to where she heard her brother's voice from. Denzel was standing up, arms out to his sides, and seemed to be blocking her view of the front of the tent. The...tent? She blinked, and realized, yes, she was in a tent, and was not laying in a bed, but a cot. But why..?
"Listen, Denzel, I promise we're not gonna hurt you or your sister."
"Oh, and you expect me to just believe you?! Get real!"
Marlene blinked at the exchange. She scooted, looking around Denzel to see that, yes, he was definitely yelling at Uncle Zack. Made sense. He learned the exact same lesson on stranger-danger that she did, except more personally. Unfortunately for her, she recalled that he missed the whole talk that led to her decision to trust these SOLDIERs (at least temporarily), and it now fell to her to calm him down. Sigh.
Yawning again, she crawled around her brother, and waved. "Morning, Uncle Zack." She said as cheery as she could for having just woken up. After a moment of silence from both parties, she realized what she had called him, and let herself faceplant into the ground. "Sorry." She moaned.
Above her, Denzel growled. "Is your brain fried or something? Uncle Zack's dead, Marlene." She didn't appreciate his tone, though she did understand it. And she did appreciate the fact that he didn't beat around the bush about it like their parents did.
"I said I was sorry! Geez!"
"Woah, woah, woah. Hold on a sec," Zack interrupted, looking at her with a strangely wounded expression, "Is that why you cried earlier? You thought I was your uncle?"
A beat passed. Then,
"You made her cry?!"
Marlene sighed as a new yelling match began. Only, this time, it was her fault. Her and her big mouth... This really wouldn't help her convince Denzel to trust them. Hoo boy...
Just then, her stomach let out a loud gurgling groan, effectively putting a pause in the argument. She flushed, embarrassed, but nonetheless thankful for the distraction.
"Erm...Mr. Zack?" She asked, picking herself back up off the ground. She rubbed her neck sheepishly, and asked, "Do you guys...have anything to eat?"
Uncle Zack blinked, then beamed and nodded. "That's what I came to get you two for, actually! Breakfast is hot and ready!"
"...Breakfast? But..."
"The two of you slept all yesterday and all night, yes." A new voice came. Uncle Zack jumped, and quickly stepped out of Mr. Angeal's way. He opened his mouth, and Mr. Angeal cut him off. "I could hear the yelling across the camp. Is everything okay here?"
Denzel tensed, obviously about to say something scathing about this other stranger, but Marlene slammed her fist on his foot before he could say anything. "Morning Mr. Angeal! Everything's fine, Denzel's just a dummy. Swear jar, Denz!" She called out cheerily as her brother hopped on one leg and swore up a storm. The two SOLDIERs gaped at the words coming out of his mouth. Uncle Cid would be so proud...
"So that's where she got it from..." Mr. Angeal muttered. He huffed, shook his head, and left the tent. Over his shoulder, he called out, "It was nice meeting you, Denzel!"
Denzel did not say 'nice to meet you' back, which was very rude but not out of character. Mr. Zack lingered in the tent flap, glancing nervously between a still-glaring Denzel and herself. She sighed. Stupid boys, making her do everything... Nonetheless, the picked herself off the ground, and, after dusting herself off, walked on over to Uncle Zack. She had to dodge Denzel's attempt to pull her back, which caused him to turn that glare over to her.
"Marlene! You get your butt back over here, or I swear I'll --"
"You'll what, tattle? Besides, I'm hungry." She replied, sticking her tongue out. And as if never having been annoyed in the first place, she looked up at Uncle Zack with a bright smile. "Ready when you are!"
Uncle Zack looked between them nervously one last time, before shrugging and leading her out of the tent. Behind them, Denzel growled, and shot forward to grab her hand and yank her away. In retaliation, she grabbed onto Uncle Zack's hand, as she knew quite well that SOLDIERs and the like were sturdier than a Gold Chocobo. He sputtered for a moment, looking at their joined hands, and then back over to Denzel, who glared venomously.
When noone stepped forward to continue, and a quick glance showed the two boys engaged in a tense staring match, Marlene sighed again. Honestly, where would these boys be without her? She shook her head, and started walking, dragging the two behind her and ignoring their startled noises.
As they made their way through camp, she noticed the other SOLDIERs snickering at them. Or, more specifically if their rather rude pointing meant anything, they were snickering at Uncle Zack. Her eyes narrowed.
Unacceptable. Punishable by death.
She was, unfortunately, not allowed to kill people yet. Not that she really wanted to, or thought she could, anyway. At the moment, though, her one true desire in life was to commit murder on those rude, slovenly, blasphemous creatures. So, in lieu of a cold-blooded massacre, she did the second best thing: She channeled her Mom.
Tifa Lockhart was many things. She was a kind-hearted, loving soul. She worked harder than almost anyone on Gaia, striving to make a living for herself and her familiy. She tirelessly helped any and all who came through the doors to Seventh Heaven, without asking barely a thing in return. She was empathetic, nurturing, and an all-around angel...or so goes her reputation.
Not that any of the above was false, of course. Tifa really was one of the nicest people alive. It's just that, generally, people tend to forget just what all she's accomplished. It's not their fault, of course, Tifa doesn't just go around flaunting her role in AVALANCHE (like certain Auntie Yuffies). Still, though, it should go unsaid that people really should try and remember her past more often; It would do them a world of good if the reminder of just what she's capable of didn't come up solely when her temper flared.
Tifa Lockhart of Edge gave out free lunches to the homeless and volunteered at the local orphanage. Tifa Lockhart of AVALANCHE could make Rufus ShinRa cower in fear.
And cower those sorry-excuses of SOLDIER did when Marlene looked over at them. She did not need to speak; The unspoken 'mind your business before it becomes MY business' was recieved loud and clear. Triumphant, she huffed, and continued on her merry way, her companions none-the-wiser.
She was promised breakfast, dangit, and she was going to get it!