All But One
Broken
To live and die without ever knowing the radiant warmth of the sun, or the blue tranquility of the skies…such is the life of a man of the slums.
Despite his life of poverty, Que'd was a man content with his life. Friends, family, security…these were all he needed to live in happiness. At twenty-four years in age, Que'd refused to move out from his parents' household, as he insisted on staying with them through his mother's sickness. His father was once a renowned doctor in the island of Mideel, but after a series of business-related circumstances, he and his family were forced to move to the city of Midgar, where his wife soon developed her illness. Que'd had little memory of the older brother he once had, though his father often spoke about him. He only knew that he had left his dying mother many years ago, abandoning his family, and leaving the one brother he ever had to look after himself.
Work in the materia shop was quiet for Que'd, since they rarely had customers in Sector Seven. Most of the residents busied themselves at home, at work, or at the bar on the other side of the vicinity. Seventh Heaven was quite a popular stop for men around his age, a humble abode managed by the very girl he and his father had helped save five years ago. The barmaid, Tifa Lockhart, was a beautiful young woman, but Que'd rarely ever met her, much less talked to her.
Darkness swept over the streets of the slums at around four to five o'clock each day, mainly because of the massive plate that shielded out the sun above. As Que'd walked home from another slow day at work, he threw of few scraps of his lunch at the stray cat that stalked him. The street lights illuminated at his left, casting a large shadow to his right. Que'd sighed at the thought of his sick mother at home, and the inevitable death that would slowly take her life. It was a strange illness, one that not even his father could identify. All he knew was that she became ill after moving into the slums, breathing polluted air, and drinking filthy water.
Que'd stopped.
He heard the a distant muffled scream. A woman's voice.
He scanned the area, slowly heading toward the alleys, where the noises came from. Then he saw them. A group of men, unmasked, each of them probably around thirty years in age, surrounding a strangled woman.
Que'd immediately dropped his bags, dashing toward the scene and pulling on the black leather gloves he kept in his back pocket. One of the men saw him, and yelled, "Hey! Let's get him!"
Que'd easily dodged the first punch, jabbing his fist hard into the man's chest, and causing him to fly back, grunting. He spun around, lifting his leg and thrusting a roundhouse kick to the next man, hitting him square in the jaw. Three more men circled him, two of whom were wielding small knives. Little did they know that Que'd had been a pupil of Zangan, master of martial arts. One man was quickly knocked unconscious, taking a hard blow to his neck. Que'd tilted his head back, dodging the knife that swung at him. He grabbed the wrist and tugged his weight forward, causing the man to flip over his shoulder and land hard onto the concrete ground. Que'd felt a sharp sting to his side, as the knife ripped at some flesh. Que'd grunted, his anger boiling, and unleashed a series of lightning-quick punches and kicks, a move Zangan called the Beat Rush. The last man lay still on the ground, along with the other unconscious forms that sprawled out in heaps.
"Are you alright?" Que'd asked, showing gentle eyes.
She nodded.
"Thank you."
-xXx-
Yuffie Kisaragi watched the gradual rise and falls of Vincent's chest, her hand resting near the brass claw that lay still on the bed. At first, she had been worried about his very survival, but Vincent Valentine was by no means an ordinary human, as his body's natural healing process functioned at many times the rate of a normal man. Tseng had removed the bullets from his body, and as time passed, the wounds healed themselves up, forcing Yuffie to watch in astonishment as the tissue and flesh wove together at an impossible speed. Vincent was an immortal.
But he was still unconscious, his body laying still on top of the bunk bed that they'd found in the third level of the facility. His heavy red cloak hung limply from the doorknob, but Vincent was still clad in his black uniform, his crimson bandanna still wrapped around the forehead.
Tifa occasionally came in to check up on the two, leaving some rice near the side table, and patting Yuffie on the back. "He'll be fine," she'd say, and Yuffie would just smile back, nodding.
-xXx-
Que'd jingled the gil in his pockets, casually walking down the crowded streets of Sector Six, where he had just finished taking care of a few errands. He brushed his fingers across the two thin papers in his left pocket, grinning as he made his way toward the Sector Gate. He had purchased two tickets to the theatre from the man in Sector Six. It would be quite a surprise for Lillia, as she was a passionate lover for drama. He pulled out one of the tickets, and smiled at the bold print at read "Loveless." He'd heard about this play before, and apparently, it was one well worth attending.
As he approached the steel arch that marked the exit from Sector Six, he saw a woman standing next to the gate, holding a basket in one arm. She had long, braided brown hair, and wore a pink long skirt that matched her ribbon.
"Would you like to buy some flowers?" she asked, smiling.
Que'd stared at the basket of yellow roses. "How much?" he asked.
The girl smiled wider, picking out one of the flowers and handing it to him.
"1 gil!" she giggled.
"Only 1 gil? You couldn't possibly make a profit out of that, could you?" Que'd asked, reaching into his pocket.
"Who said I'm doing this for the money?" the girl teased, still smiling.
Que'd handed her sixty-two gil, which was all the pocket change he had.
"Oh no, I couldn't!" the girl said, shaking her head.
"May I ask your name?"
She smiled. "Aeris."
"Well then, Aeris. Consider it my way of thanking you for the beautiful flower."
He dropped the gil into a small pouch she had in the basket, and nodded as he departed.
"Thank you! Hope she likes the flower!" Aeris shouted, waving.
Thirty minutes later, Que'd called Lillia, asking her to meet him in Sector Five, and telling her that he had a surprise waiting for her. When she arrived, Que'd handed her the flower, and pulled out the two 'Loveless' tickets, consequently receiving a tight hug and a kiss.
The two had been dating for a month now, and Que'd was already contemplating about his future, and whether or not Lillia was the woman he had been waiting for.
The play Loveless was indeed a fascinating work of drama, leaving Lillia in tears when it finally concluded. Que'd had found it quite depressing and a little unrealistic. Perhaps a little too dramatic. But then again, it was merely a play. Nothing more.
At the exit of the theatre, the couple purchased a cup of ice cream, and approached the nearest bench in order to share their thoughts on the drama they had just seen. However, the bench was already occupied by two men, one of them blonde, his head topped by a pair of goggles. They were both smoking, and seemed to be in conversation.
"Damn," the blonde one said, puffing out twin plumes of smoke from his nostrils. "That was a helluva play, eh?"
"Ha, I don't know, man. Fell asleep by the second scene. Anyways, how's the space program goin' in Rocket Town?"
"Shit man, I don't even wanna talk about it."
Que'd shrugged, and suggested that they find somewhere else to share their ice cream. Lillia pulled out the flower, which had been placed in her hair, right above her ear.
"Where'd you get this, anyway?" she asked, smelling the fragrance.
"Some girl was selling them in Sector Six. I think her name was Aeris."
-xXx-
It was called a materia-decipherer, or an MD. ShinRa had manufactured them up until the Meteorfall incident, but now they were pretty uncommon considering no one really cared for materia these days.
Elena pressed the trigger, pointing the gun-like device at one of the yellow materia. The digital display beeped, reading "Please wait…"
After a few more seconds, the display showed the properties of the materia, and Elena smiled. "Materia Identification Number: 109221. Name: Deathblow. Properties: Releases adrenaline into the user's circulation, temporarily boosting the body's physical capabilities and strength. Symptoms: May cause heavy fatigue when body potential is exceeded. Level: Unmastered.
"Yo Elena!" Reno poked out his red-haired head from the door, tossing her a loaf of bread. "Chief says the big guy's up. He wants us all to come."
Elena nodded, setting the MD on the side table.
-xXx-
Que'd and Lillia stood before his parents, awaiting their approval of the decision they had made together.
"We've been together for quite a while now," Que'd said, gazing at the pale skin of his mother's face.
Que'd's father nodded, turning his gaze to the woman. "Are you sure that my son is the man you want to spend the rest of your life with, Lillia?"
She nodded. "I've never been more certain about anything."
"Then I pray that you two may share a life of happiness and peace together."
Que'd had never been happier in his life.
-xXx-
The news headlines on the television read "Terrorism in Midgar."
Lillia tightened her grip on Que'd's hand, looking at him nervously. Que'd smiled, giving her reassurance. They returned their attention to the broadcast, straining their ears as the anchorman continued to speak about the tragic incident.
"-a few moments ago, the Mako Reactor near Sector One was demolished by an incredible explosion! The ShinRa Electric Power Company has already begun to evacuate the area in case of another threat, and our investigative reports say that the act was executed by none other than the atrocious group known as AVALANCHE! SIN news will continue to—"
Que'd turned off the television, shaking his head in disbelief. Who could do such a thing? Even though he was aware of the environmental harms caused by the Mako Reactors, he shunned such acts of terror.
"Do you think we'll be okay?" Lillia asked, still clutching Que'd's hand.
Que'd nodded.
"We'll be absolutely fine, Lilly." He smiled. "I promise."
-xXx-
His phone rang. Que'd glanced at the digital display on his PHS, but it read "Unknown Caller," so he just turned it on.
"Hello?"
"Que'd! Get mother out of Sector Seven!"
The voice sounded eerily familiar.
"Who is this?"
"I need you to listen! There's not much time! Get to mother quickly, and take her out of the Sector!"
"Hey! Who are you?"
"Listen to me, brother. In about five minutes—"
The phone went dead.
Que'd stared at it for a while, eyes emitting confusion. Did he just call me 'brother?' No…it couldn't be. Que'd's brother hadn't been in contact for—
The lights went out.
A sudden tremor.
Que'd swallowed. Was it an earthquake?
He could hear murmurs from the lobby area. Que'd reached out to the wall, leading himself back towards the door, and turned the knob. There was a lot of talking going on in the main lobby of the inn, but Que'd merely ignored them, heading straight towards the exit.
As he walked out of the hotel, Que'd didn't know what to expect.
But he sure as hell didn't see this coming.
The ground shook violently, causing him to collapse onto his hands. The entire Wall Market was now screaming in horror as the earth beneath them vibrated madly, forcing the frightened shoppers to run, unsure of how to react.
Then he saw it.
The massive steel structure above that separated the Acropolis from the Slums began to jolt violently, the pillar below it exploding into rubble, causing the entire plate to shift slightly. An enormous cloud of smoke and dust shot out from under the plate as the steel hinges broke off from the bulk, forcing the structure to let out an excruciating groan.
Que'd watched in horror.
The plate broke off, collapsing in upon itself, and falling down onto the vicinity below.
Falling down onto Sector Seven.
-xXx-
Tifa and the Turks circled around the bed, waiting patiently for the drowsy Barret to break the silence. But he just stared up at the ceiling, avoiding all eye contact and keeping his gaze away from the Turks. Though he was awake and calm, Barret was still very confused in his mind. He slowly turned his eyes to Tifa, and opened his mouth to speak.
"The hell's goin' on?" he rasped, staring at the concerned woman. "I thought you were dead, Tifa. No…I knew you had died. I saw the pictures! I saw it! I saw everything!"
Tifa touched his arm, her eyes gentle and calming. "I'm here, Barret. It's okay, I'm here."
"What about Marlene?! What about Denzel?! Cloud's supposed to be missin'! Cid and Yuffie told me! I heard them say it! I heard them!"
Barret's hands were trembling, his lips quivering. Tifa saw the fear in his eyes.
"I don't know what they did to you, Barret. I don't know what they showed you, or what they told you. I don't know how they made you believe I was dead. But I'm not. Marlene and Denzel are with Elmyra. They're safe."
Tifa paused, biting her lip, and clenching her free hand into a fist.
"But Cloud is missing."
-xXx-
A week had passed since the demise of Sector Seven.
A week had passed since the death of his parents.
A week had passed since his fiancée was killed.
Que'd stared at the rubble, his mind void of thoughts. He hadn't eaten anything since it happened, and he didn't plan to eat anything now. In fact, he didn't plan to do anything. Just sit here, in the playground in front of his destroyed home.
Que'd had already wasted all his tears when he first arrived here. Now his mouth was completely dry, his parched throat aching in thirst, and his angry stomach demanding a cease to the starvation. But Que'd ignored the cries of his body, and merely gazed at the place where his home once stood.
His father…his mother…
The stray cat he used to always feed…
The materia shop…
Lillia…
They were all gone now.
Que'd only waited for his own death.
-xXx-
Tseng stepped forward. "Barret—"
"Get the hell away from me! Tifa! Tell him to get the hell away!"
Barret growled violently at the Turk, causing him to step back and raise his palms slightly as if he were trying to calm down an untamed animal.
"Barret," Tifa said, squeezing his arm. "It's okay, the Turks are with us."
Barret was breathing heavily, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. He grasped Tifa's small hand, squeezing it tightly as if it was the only thing he had left.
"God damn it, Tifa! What the hell did they do to me?! What the hell happened?!"
Tifa stared at the man through concerned eyes. Something was terribly wrong with Barret. She felt a shiver go up her spine as Barret began to weep.
It was the first time she'd seen him cry.
-xXx-
When Que'd had learned about AVALANCHE's involvement with the destruction of Sector Seven, he found a new purpose in life. A new reason to live.
He vowed revenge against those responsible for taking away everything he held dear.
Currently, he was in the Kalm Public Library. He was searching through the newspapers and magazines, highlighting each and every article that mentioned the terrorist group known as AVALANCHE. Right now, Que'd knew very little about his enemies. He didn't know the members, he didn't know their current location, and he surely didn't know what he was up against. He wasn't worried about the actual "killing them" part, considering Que'd was fairly confident in any form of combat. Instead, his main concern was how he would find them.
Que'd stayed in the library for days.
The only useful information he could retrieve, was that AVALANCHE tended to use explosives in their missions, that their base was assumed to be located somewhere near Sector Five, Six, or Seven, and that the group consisted of less than ten members.
Three days later, a man walked in.
He sported spiky, blonde hair, a well-built physique, and an extremely large sword.
Que'd found him interesting.
The man asked the librarian where he could find the weapons store. She gave him the directions, and he left.
After stalking the man all over town, and finally to the Kalm Inn, Que'd was forced to wait outside as his target ascended into his private room.
Two hours later, he came back down, this time, accompanied by three other individuals and a strange four-legged creature of sorts. But when Que'd caught a glimpse of the two women, he felt his heart stop.
One of them was Tifa Lockhart, the barmaid of Seventh Heaven, and the girl he had helped save four years ago. She was alive?! How did she survive?!
The other was at first, only familiar in appearance, as Que'd could not identify her with a name. But after seeing the bright smile she shared with her friends, he remembered. It was the flower girl from the slums. Aeris.
Que'd found himself quite taken aback by the familiar faces, but he remained silent and hidden, careful not to lose his cautiousness. He leaned forward from behind the large crate, and strained his ears.
"Still can't believe you don't remember what happened! I mean how the hell do you forget somethin' like that?!" the large, dark-skinned man said.
"I told you, it's all unclear," the blonde man.
"Barret, just lay off, will ya? It's been five years since that happened!" Aeris.
"Yes, though I, too, am curious how Cloud survived a fight with Sephiroth," the red creature.
Wait. Did that animal just speak?!
"Well, damn! Excuuuse me!" the large man.
"Where're we going now?" Tifa.
"I'm not sure…first, let's go and…"
They were too far away now. Que'd couldn't make out any more of the conversation. He sighed. There hadn't been any mention of AVALANCHE.
Que'd scolded himself mentally for even thinking about such accusations.
How could someone like Tifa or Aeris ever be in AVALANCHE?
-xXx-
Tifa was now seated on the bed, her arms wrapped around Barret's massive shoulders. She whispered into his ear, telling him it was okay, that everything was alright.
When Barret finally forced himself to stop weeping, he let out a deep sigh, eyeing each of the Turks one by one.
"So you're all workin' together now?" he asked.
Tifa nodded. "If it wasn't for their help, we probably would still be up there looking for you."
Tseng stepped forward, cautiously. "Please, excuse me, Barret, but I need to ask you a few questions in order to learn more about our enemy."
Barret stared back, nodding slowly. "What is it?"
"You said that you saw pictures of Tifa and the children…"
"Yeah, I did."
"What else did…they show you?"
Barret closed his eyes, trying hard not to relive that horrid moment. "They let me call Cid and Yuffie. I refused to believe the bullshit they were tellin' me, so I demanded to ask my friends. When I called Cid, he sounded pretty damn depressed. 'They're dead,' he told me, 'Tifa, Marlene, Denzel…they're all dead.' That was it. Yuffie was cryin' all over the damn phone, screaming 'I'm sorry, Barret! I'm sorry we couldn't do anything about it!' That's when it got to me. I knew it was true."
Tseng closed his eyes, his mind deep in thought. He nodded, and said, "I see. We will have to question Yuffie about that later. What else did they do? Do you remember what happened after that?"
"I told them to get the hell away from me, but the guy…I think his name was Venge or somethin'…he told me he was with the WRO. I didn't believe the bastard. What kind of sick freak would call himself Venge? He told me it was a code name…a title for security purposes since he was with the Criminal Investigation Department."
Tseng interrupted. "The WRO doesn't have a Criminal Investigation Department."
"Well how the hell am I supposed to know that?!"
Tseng nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry…please continue."
"Anyways, he told me I should come with him. When we went in the car, he handed me a picture. I swear to God it was the realest thing I ever saw. Tifa…Denzel…Marlene…they were all…"
Tifa rubbed his back. "It's alright, Barret. It was all fake."
"But it sure as hell didn't look fake! After that, the guy told me he'd help me avenge the bastards who killed them."
Barret looked at Tseng, eyes wavering.
"He said it was the Turks."
-xXx-
Upon his return to the desolate ruins of Sector Seven, Que'd found a group of teenagers smoking near the playground. He asked them what they were doing here, and one of them replied, "Just shittin' around."
Que'd couldn't help but ask for a cigarette.
As they conversed, Que'd learned that these boys had also been survivors of the Sector Seven incident. They had apparently been horsing around in Sector Six, when the plate fell, killing all of their parents. Que'd asked them if they knew of more survivors.
They nodded.
A few months later, it appeared in the sky.
It looked like a large star or perhaps maybe even a small moon during the day, but at night, its red color revealed its distinguishing features from the other stars in the sky.
They called it Meteor.
They said it was the end of the world, and that Meteor would undoubtedly kill everything on the planet. Some said it was a matter of days, while others argued that they still had months.
Some people even committed suicide, unable to deal with the fear of witnessing the world's end. Others prayed, asking whatever gods they worshipped for deliverance from the apocalypse.
Que'd, personally, could care less.
Over the past few weeks, he and the teenagers had gathered two or three more survivors from Sector Seven. Together, they vowed to avenge the destruction of their homes, and persisted on in their investigation on AVALANCHE. Que'd soon found out about an anti-ShinRa conspiracy, that the corporation had had a part in the destruction of Sector Seven. At first, he couldn't believe it, but as he pondered the possibilities, he soon became aware of the company's evil side, and marked them as another target.
Que'd naturally became the leader of the survivors, and took on the name of 'Venge,' swearing to his followers that he would bring down everyone responsible for the death of their loved ones.
He thrived off of the need for vengeance.