Flames danced wildly around the room. Fire consumed everything. The drapes on the windows burst into flame. The roof exploded and cracked stirring Miko from her sleep. The yellow fire roared and wood began to crack as the roof started to cave in. Her eyes wide with terror as she saw the support beam give way and slam down into the floor just feet from her. The beds next to her were empty, the room was filling with smoke, the heat was intense. Flames lapped at her heels as she ran towards the door.
Just as she went to get out of the burning house a black hooded object blocked her way, in the man's hand was a large slender sword. The man pointed the sword at her and she gasped.
"What's going on!? Who are you!? Why are you doing this?" she screamed.
The man spoke as if he was already dead, "A child cries, a woman dies, mother and child embrace in death." He stepped forward as more of the roof fell onto the wooden floor of the cottage, the flames burned hotter and hotter, the orange flames consumed everything it touched. The wooden frame was about to give way to the fiery inferno.
"BURN!" Miko screamed, afraid for her own life. With a flash of her eyes flames exploded and consumed the man blocking her only exit. His suit was burned instantly, but his naked body remained untouched by the flames. Even while encased in fire he was unable to be burned. The sword in his hand shot out from his hand and impaled her to the hilt in her stomach.
Miko threw up some blood and grabbed the handle with her hand, pulling the sword from her own body she cried out in agony. The flames danced ever closer, even she would be consumed in the inferno at this rate. Upon pulling the bloodied sword from her body she lashed out at the man, stabbing at his heart, "DIE!"
The man raised his hand and grabbed the sword point in between his index and middle finger, it didn't even seem to cut in as he pulled it back with a solid jerk, ripping it from Miko's grip.
Miko in a panic ran from the man encased in fire, she lunged over a burning timber and dove under the kitchen table only to leap out a second later and burst through a window. She landed on the ground and gasped, "I'm alive."
She took off running into the streets screaming, "Oni! Han! Where are you!?" Though as she ran down the streets of Kalm she realized their was no lights on in any of the houses in Kalm, no street lights, not even one house was lit up. The city was cold and barren. Miko ran out towards the forest on the edge of Kalm.
Tired and out of breath she reached the tree line and fell to her knees. Coughing and wheezing she could barely breathe, she spit up stringed saliva and mucus. It was several minutes of gasping and coughing before she regained her breathe and ease, but she turned back to look at the cottage just in time to see the roof fall in and the house go up at a hurried pace, the flames feeding on everything inside.
Miko checked her trench coat and found her pistol and grabbed it and walked into the woods. As soon as she enterred the woods she gasped in horror as she realized something was in the woods with her, something big. It stalked her from beyond a tree about fifty feet way, bushes rustled, footsteps in the darkness.
She looked up to a tree and screamed in terror as two bodies hung from the tree, still dripping blood into a pool on the ground. Even though it was dark she could tell it was Oni and Han. She dropped to her knees and screamed, firing her pistol twice into the air. A piercing scream echoed throughout the forest. The two tortured comrades looked to have been attacked by animals, as flesh was torn from their bodies and the nature of the hanging was one not to kill. Rope supported them, but their arms were bound together. They were left to be easy prey on purpose.
Growls came from the bushes, the sound of wolves. They emerged and they circled Miko, she was trapped on all sides by six separate wolves. She pointed the gun at one and fired, but it jumped into the air. It lunged at her and tore her arm, taking off the sleeve of her trench coat with its powerful teeth. Then another lunged and bit into her other arm, tearing off another sleeve as it ripped into its victim. They moved closer and Miko quivered in fear, dropping her gun to the ground.
The wolf in front of her lunged for the neck, a killing attack. Miko saw it and the wolf burst into flames in front of her. It was like an explosion and the body of the wolf slammed into her, knocking her onto her back. The other wolves joined in and they started to rip and tear her exposed flesh and completely removed her trench coat.
Another explosion took care of a second wolf, but they were too quick and she could not react fast enough as they tore into her naked flesh. She screamed and screamed as the wolves feasted on her still living body.
Then the sound of a sword silenced the wolves all at once. A soft cry echoed the forest as they were slain and fell to the ground. A man approached her and stood over Miko, it was a cold face, but he had saved her.
"The child cried, so the mother died." says the man.
Miko got onto her knees and started to crawl away in fear, she led a bloodied trail as she crawled on her hands and feet towards a tree. Her tears would not stop falling, she was being tormented by this savior and devil.
"I will free you from your prison." he said as the sword plunged through her calf and pierced her shin, pinning her leg to the ground. She cried in pain and her body was giving out. She felt his hand on her back, moving down lower and lower. Then a burst of pleasure as he touched her were no man had before, but it was not a hand, it was a gun.
"Your womanhood is dangerous, but if you promise to seal it I will let you live."
She cried and grabbed for the sword pinning her to the ground, but his quick arm grabbed hers and with a jerk her arm broke and fell limp. She cried out silently, the pain over took her and she fell to the ground. Begging for her life as she passed out.
She regained consciousness and realized she was in her bed, "Huh? How!?" She felt her right calf and check her arm and body. She was overjoyed and happy.
"THANK GOD! It was a dream!" she yelled. It was morning and the sun's glare slightly blinded her, but she looked over to the two beds next to her.
"Oni? Han?" she asked.
She saw they were missing and felt uneasy, they had never been missing before. They always were together and were never apart. Suddenly the door opened and a figured entered the house, Miko ran over and shouted, "Oni, Han! Where have you two been?"
She turned the corner and saw the shadowy figure of a man, dressed in black. She fell to her feet and eyes widened, "NO!" As her eyes widened the materia absorbed into her body reacted and in the unfocused state she caused flames to spontaneously burst from the drapes and walls. The man approached her and drew a sword, "A child cries, Miko dies." Miko immediately turned to run towards the window in which she jumped out of in her dream, but the man cut her off and cut into her right arm with his sharp sword. The shining blade glimmered in the sunlight as it swung, the blood ruptured from the wound and coated her arm a dark crimson.
"My déjà vu…was right…" Miko gasped as tears ran down her face.
The man in black grinned and nodded, "Woman! You must suffer for your sin!" The blade came down and sliced her left arm, which bled profusely like the other.
"You shall bleed tears of crimson!"
The sword stabbed and pierced her neck and twisted ever so slightly. Nevertheless the blood shot from the wound, covering her trench coat with her blood.
Miko started screaming, but nothing came out. She was unable to speak or vocalize a single word, all the came up was a gurgling sound that came from the blood spilling into her throat that she was choking on.
"I won't kill you yet, it'd be a waste of all the trouble I did to find you." said the man. He sheathed the bloodied sword back on his back and his cape covered its existence. The man pulled a black satin wrap from his hand and covered it over her neck wound, making it tight. Miko waited until she felt the bleeding stop before becoming violent again. As soon as he tied the wrap to her neck her eyes clenched and widened as flames burst onto the man, encasing him in fire. Though it was short lived as the man kicked her head and sent her flying against the wall, leaving her unconscious. As soon as the flames started they died away, with the user being unconscious the magic ceased and the man was virtually unscathed.
Miko regained conscious to find herself tied to a chair with rope. She was in a different place, it was dank and had a strange chemical odor. Her eyes were literally pinned closed by what felt like needles. Her arms were bound to the chair, her legs which were spread were bound to each leg of the chair.
A cold piece of metal touched her thigh, it was slender and sharp. As it moved it cut the flesh and warmth flowed down her leg. Then he did it again to the other leg, making symmetrical cuts.
"Will you give up your womanhood for me?" the familiar voice asked.
Miko was silent as she thought, but it was only a few seconds when she mouthed out, "I will, if you tell me who you are! My body will be yours! Just let me live!"
The man laughed and the sword plunged into her womanhood, severing her womb and pushing through the other side. Her body thrashed and thrashed, she strained and her mouth stayed open for a long time, in a silent scream. Again and again the sword pierced her body, each thrust brought on more and more pain. She screamed and screamed, but not a single word was ever said.
The blood trickled down her legs and she wished that more then cotton and leather protected her. The trench coat was probably stained red with her blood now, her slops must have also been soaked in her blood. Though the most humiliating thing to her was about to be done. It was worse then being raped to her. Her tormentor grabbed her black face mask and pulled it down, revealing her nose and mouth. Her face was hideously scarred. Her lips were cut and mutilated. She was missing all of her teeth, her checks had burns and holes in them. Miko was the subject of brutal torture during the Midgar-Wutai war. She remembered being raped, burned, mutilated and starved by the people of Wutai. Her hatred for the Wutai people made her determined to be in SOLDIER. She joined SOLDIER 7 years ago and was now 21 years old, but was still considered a 2nd Class SOLDIER.
"That's a good girl." said the voice. A hand grabbed her chin and forced open her mouth. She was forced to drink a disgusting tasting fluid, it tasted like acid and burned as she swallowed it. She started to throw up, her body convulsed and spasmed and she passed out again.
She awoke again in a cell, confined naked to a white chair. Arm and leg restraints held her down. A doctor walked into the room and smiled, he had a shifty grin on his face and gray hair, he was the splitting image of Professor Hojo. He approached her and gently patted her head, "Welcome my dear, you will be an elite member of SOLDIER. No worries you will never have to remember this, we'll drug you before the procedure and you'll wake up feeling fine. The restraints are for body spasms, which can happen. If anything is wrong, just say so."
Professor Hojo smiled and Miko mouthed two words at him. Her face clenched up and she was bitter and angry. It was not hard to tell what those two words were, but Hojo smiled and patted her on the head again, "No need to say "Thank you." like that, dear. You'll make an old fool like me blush. I hear you remember my son saving you. You'd make a perfect wife for him."
Hojo grabbed a needle filled with a clear fluid, "Okay, this might hurt a bit, but I promise you that it will be alright." He put the needle into her hip and she started to get drowsy and close her eyes. Hojo spoke as she slipped into unconsciousness, "You'd be perfect for him."
She awoke again to see a black-caped man in armor standing next to her. The man was considerably older then she was and had long silver hair. It had to be Sephiroth. Miko sat up and Sephiroth bent down and kissed her on the forehead. He smiled and whispered into her ear, "When you are an adult come to me and I will marry you, I promise."
Miko's eyes widen, it was what Sephiroth had said when she was held by the people of Wutai. Sephiroth made a promise to save her and marry her if she ever got into trouble, but Sephiroth was dead now. Miko remembered it and started to cry.
"Come to the Northern Crater. You will meet me there. Then we can be together."
Miko blushed and nodded, "I will. Just lead me there, my love." Sephiroth smiled and his body began to fade. Miko reached out for him, but it was too late.
"I will."