All But One
Man with the Third Eye
It never rained under the plate. The rays of the sun never struck the roofs, and snow was merely a myth to the people of the Slums. Despite the lack of precipitation, however, their vicinity was used as the sewage system for the Acropolis above, and deaths and disappearances were not a rare sight. People died from diseases, lack of sanitary water, and simply depression. It never rained under the plate, but everyday felt like a raging storm within the darkness of the Slums.
During the stillness of the night, there was a single cry of a young child, his pleas and shouts echoing through the streets of Sector Seven.
"Don't leave!" he cried, grasping the wrist of his older brother. "What about mom? She's sick! You can't just leave her!"
Tseng maintained his silence, his back facing the young child. He couldn't tell his brother why had to leave. Que'd was too young, too innocent to learn of such evil matters. Nevertheless, Tseng's heart was torn as the dark-haired child continued to weep behind him, pleading for him to stay home.
"You promised you'd take me to the Acropolis! You promised you'd take me to Mideel! You're a liar, Tseng!"
Que'd released his hold, swiping away angrily at the tears that poured down his cheeks.
"You're nothing but a liar."
Tseng turned, gentle eyes casting down on the drenched visage of his younger sibling, his only brother.
"I promised you I'd take you to Mideel," he said, his voice calm. "That's one promise I won't break."
Que'd gazed up, eyes still wavering. The two just stood there for a while, and stared, a pair of young, dark green eyes meeting the more aged, sharper ones. It wasn't long until Que'd began to cry again, trembling his hands and sniffling.
"Please don't leave, Tseng…"
The young teenaged boy turned away, trying hard to hold back his own tears. As he began to run from the shouts of his brother, as he began to flee from the place he once called home, Tseng let the tears roll out.
"Goodbye, brother," he whispered. "Take care of mother for me."
That was the last time Que'd ever saw him.
-xXx-
The young boy who was once too innocent to learn of such evil matters had grown up to become a man of vengeance, thriving off the need to fulfill his desires, corroding the hearts of his followers with his own lust for blood. As the heavy cloud of dust hovered away with the light breeze, the two brothers exchanged gazes, just like they did all those years ago, dark green eyes meeting the sharp ones.
Tifa let out a soft grunt. The pain from her burns had finally registered in her mind, and it was unbearable. She poked at the wrinkled, oozing skin at her side, hissing at the agonizing burns it caused. But then, something happened. The skin began to knit back together, smoothening out like creased fabric under a heated iron, vanquishing the pain and sizzling back to normality.
Tseng lowered his arm, which was casting a faint green glow—Restore materia he had salvaged from the men in the underground facility.
Tifa nodded in gratitude, but Tseng merely turned his gaze back to the distant man.
Venge was the first to speak.
"I must say…I didn't expect to ever see you again."
Tseng remained silent.
"I see you're nothing but a dog of ShinRa, now. Tell me, brother. Is this the reason why you left us all those years ago? To join the bastards who ruined our lives? To lend an extra hand in destroying the world?"
Tifa jerked her head back and forth, glancing at the two men in confusion. These two are brothers?!
"Mother and father were killed by that damn plate, ya know. At first, I thought it was those damned fools from AVALANCHE…" Venge paused, eyes still glaring furiously. "But I later learned that it was none other than the bastards at ShinRa."
Tseng shook his head.
"I called you that night—"
"Shut up!"
Venge clenched his fists, trembling in anger.
"You left us, you son of a bitch! You abandoned mother! It's your fault!"
He launched forward, thrusting his fist towards the Turk and slamming it straight into his chest. Tseng stepped back, but regained his posture, still staring.
"You promised me you'd come back! You lied! I'll kill you!"
Venge swung another fist at him, colliding it with his jaw and jerking him to the side.
"I was going to marry someone, you know?! I had a life! You and your ShinRa bastards took it all away!"
This time, Tseng caught the punch, glaring at the enraged man with piercing eyes.
"I was only trying to help."
Venge snatched away his arm, still glaring.
He said nothing.
Tseng said nothing.
They just stared.
-xXx-
The Acropolis of Midgar was indeed an impressive sight. Large fountains of jetting water splashed down into crystal clear pools, birds chirping merrily on the stone statues that towered in the center. The buildings were massive, their heads scraping against the clouds above, and black columns of smoke rising high into the heavens. Newly modeled cars and vehicles honked madly in the trafficked streets, and the sidewalks were overloaded with men and women, each carrying a large suitcase in their hand. But for Tseng, it was the vast blue sky that left him in awe. The light was so bright; he was unable to gaze directly into the blinding illumination of the sun.
"Are you the new recruit?" a voice asked coldly.
Tseng turned to see a large man in a black suit, his hair neatly slicked back and his eyes brimmed with small wrinkles.
"I'm looking for a man named Verdot," Tseng said, gaze focused on the black tie.
"That's me."
Tseng was a little shocked. He was expecting someone younger.
"I hear you're an excellent fighter," Verdot said.
"The man said he'd leave my family alone if I joined."
Verdot nodded. "I'll make sure your folks never see someone from ShinRa again."
"Will I ever be able to return home?"
The large man turned, waving his finger and signaling for him to follow.
"Not likely."
-xXx-
Tifa remained still, unsure of how to react to the current situation.
"Father owed ShinRa some money," Tseng continued, facing his brother. "Why do you think we were forced to move to Midgar, Que'd? Why do you think that we lived in poverty despite father's reputation as a doctor? ShinRa made a deal with him many years ago, but father was unable to pay off the debt. He began to work in the Slums, paying off the money slowly, but surely. But ShinRa was getting tired of waiting. A Turk came to our house one day, while you were sleeping. He said if father didn't pay up the full amount in a month, he'd kill him. Our parents kept it secret from us, but I had overheard. I made a deal with ShinRa. In exchange for my father's life, they said I'd have to join them. They said I had to become a Turk. For the sake of saving my family, I became a murderer. I became the very man I was trying to save father from."
Venge was speechless. He merely continued to glare at the calm face of his older brother.
"If there was one thing I learned during my time with ShinRa, it was loyalty. I remained loyal to my superiors, but at the same time, I never betrayed my family, Que'd. I called you that night. I told you to take mother out."
"You were too late!" Venge cried, his voice ripping out harshly from his throat. "Our parents are dead! Don't try to justify your actions by giving me some lame excuse! It's your fault!"
Tseng closed his eyes, sighing.
-xXx-
"Tseng, your objective is to retrieve the Ancient."
"Sir, is it really wise to destroy an entire—"
"You have your mission, Field Leader. Now go."
Tseng bowed low and turned away from his boss, Heidegger. They were actually going to pull it off. They were actually planning to destroy Sector Seven.
Upon exiting the room, Tseng immediately began to dash down the hall, flipping his phone open and pressing the speed dial. After three rings, Reno picked up.
"Sup, chief?"
"Reno! Get me a chopper!"
"Whoa, what's the hurry—"
"Get me a chopper, Reno! I need to get to Aeris's house!"
Tseng returned the phone to his pocket and turned at the corner, smashing his finger rapidly at the down arrow of the elevator pad. Tseng knew that Aeris was a friend of Que'd. She sold flowers to him regularly, and she may be the only one who knew his phone number.
There wasn't much time left.
-xXx-
"Why are you doing this, Que'd? What good would it do to kill others, just for the sake of—"
"Shut up! Don't lecture me about justice!"
Venge thrust his fist forward, but missed. He swung another kick and it was deflected by Tseng's forearm.
"Fighting me won't bring mother back!"
"Don't talk about her, you bastard!"
Tseng ducked low, dodging another swing, and immediately rolled to the left to miss the added kick. He quickly reached out, grabbing Venge by the shoulder and pinned him in a tight headlock.
"Stop this, Que'd! What good will it do?!"
Venge slammed his elbow back, causing Tseng to release the hold.
"I said shut up!"
He spun quickly and unleashed a roundhouse kick to Tseng's jaw.
"I was going to let Cloud kill you all! But it looks like I'll have to do all the dirty work!"
Tifa let out a hiss and dashed forward, ramming her shoulder into his back and slamming her boot into his chest.
"Tifa! Stay back!" Tseng yelled, wiping a hand across his lips. "This is my fight!"
Venge immediately threw himself onto the Turk, throwing punches and jabs at his face, but Tseng quickly retaliated with a strong tug, flipping him over and launching him across the heaps of rubble.
Venge rose to his feet, dusting off his chest.
"I hope you suffer for what you've done…"
Tseng glared back, his fists clenched.
-xXx-
Pain was something he had acquainted himself with frequently within the past years. His encounter with Sephiroth in the Temple of the Ancients had nearly ended his life, but that was nothing compared to the torment he was currently receiving.
"Where's Mother?!"
Tseng felt the burning electricity surge through his body, jolting every tendon, muscle and limb, ripping at every inch of his skin, and shredding his nerves in an excruciating pain. Nevertheless, he kept his gaze on the two silver-haired men, and spat to the side.
"Your Mother's already waiting for you in hell," he muttered with a grin.
The larger man with shorter hair was apparently irritated. He triggered the gadget on his arm, causing it to release twin spikes at the tip of his knuckles, and thrust it forward, impaling Tseng through his abdomen. The Turk let out a loud hiss, but he wasn't going to give in to the pain; he'd be damned to hell before telling these bastards anything.
"Just tell us where Mother is, and all the pain will end," the long-haired man said, smirking.
Tseng groaned slightly as the spikes were snatched out from his body, releasing a stream of blood.
"Go to hell," he rasped.
After what seemed like an eternity of hellish torture, the two men threatened shrugged off, turning their attention to the blonde Turk, Elena. Tseng let out a weak moan, but his body gave out.
He heard the muffled scream of his partner, before passing out into a void of darkness.
When Tseng woke, he registered that he was laying down on a soft surface, and much of his wounds were gone.
"They messed you up pretty bad."
Tseng turned his head.
It was Vincent Valentine.
"Where's Elena?" he asked, grimacing at the sores in his abdomen.
"She's in the other room."
Vincent paced across the room, his gaze directed towards the window.
"You can thank me later."
Tseng smirked and turned to the white ceiling above him.
"Where are we?"
"Healin."
"How'd you know—"
"Elena's screaming could wake the dead," Vincent cut. "I've got to admit though, she's strong."
Tseng winced at the thought of Elena's torture, and sighed.
"This isn't the first time you were near death," Vincent said, heading towards the door. "Do you ever wonder why we suffer so much?"
Tseng closed his eyes.
"Perhaps I am merely being punished for my sins."
Vincent stared.
He was about to say something, but decided against it, and exited the room.
-xXx-
Tseng stared at his brother, his long hair ruffling gently against the wind.
Venge was the first to break the silence.
"Tell me, brother. Have you been keeping up with your training?" he asked, cracking his knuckles.
Tseng closed his eyes. "This is no time to—"
"Come! Come at me, brother! Show me what all the fuss was about! Let's see if the Third Eye can live up to its legend!"
Venge ripped the heavy cloak from his shoulders, revealing the torn linen cloth underneath.
"Is that why ShinRa wanted you? Because of some damn myth?!"
Tseng shook his head.
The Third Eye, or the Mind's Eye, was a symbol of enlightenment in the old traditions of Wutai. Though the practice was ceased after Godo's defeat in the war, some of the elders of the village continued to meditate on the training, sometimes even sharing their wisdom with people of other origins, and teaching them the way of enlightenment. It is said that the Third Eye is only passed on to people of strong wisdom and inner power, and that through years of meditation, the Third Eye can be used to execute incredible feats in a physical confrontation. Tseng never revealed whether or not his was merely a birthmark or if it was given to him by an elder of Wutai, but his abilities with the Third Eye were renowned throughout the lands.
"Show me, brother! Show me, and I will reveal to you what I have learned from Zangan!"
Tifa gasped. During her fight with Venge, she had noticed his familiar technique, but she never expected to duel with another student of Zangan.
"Come on, Tseng! Our fight is inevitable!"
Tifa stepped back, her eyes widening as an eerie glow began to radiate around the Turk's forehead.
Tseng kept his eyes closed. He no longer required their vision.
His Third Eye had opened.