Chapter 15: Abandoned

Aubri Naluri:

Cid, the airship owner turned out to be a great man. His wife Shera was equally wonderful. They gave me clothing and food during our ride to Midgar in the airship. Shera very willingly helped with Mila while I finally got an opportunity to rest. Their airship was stocked with all the supplies for her as well. I gently taped closed the fresh diaper around my newborn daughter and kissed her belly softly. She squirmed and let out a soft coo. Her arms flung out to her sides awkwardly, not used to the freedom. Those piercing eyes her father gave her landed on mine and my heart melted. No matter what Vincent decided to do… I had made my decision. And it was not to cry and let my baby feel my sadness. I pulled the tiny, plain white onesie over her head and guided her little arms through the sleeves. I snapped the buttons slowly and moved her over to the bed where I wrapped her tightly in a pink blanket.

There was a soft knock at the door to the small quarters. "Yes?" I called.

Shera walked in smiling warmly. Her stained white apron and the aroma that suddenly filled the room gave away her purpose for coming. "I've prepared dinner… and we should be arriving in Midgar within the hour. Make sure you eat well before you go… Midgar is a tough city." Her eyes filled with concern. Cid and Shera had offered to hide me safely in the basement of their home in Rocket Town, but a small part of me believed that Vincent would come looking for me in Midgar. I'd be no safer anywhere but at his side…

"We'll be fine. Vincent will come for us as he promised and we'll be safe. Thank you so much, though, for your kind offer." I bowed to her and she returned the gesture.

"I'll pray for your safety." She said touching my arm. I smiled and looked back at Mila. She was fast asleep. I placed an array of pillows around her and walked to the kitchen quarters with Shera. She prepared quite the departing dinner and prepared boxes of leftovers to take with me. I placed them inside the backpack along with a few outfits they had given me. The hour passed by quickly and soon I found myself walking down the streets of Midgar holding my baby tightly to my chest as if I expected someone to take her. The slums of Midgar was a place of pure chaos. The streets were crowded with homeless people begging any by passer for a bit of coin.

I didn't see a single navy blue suit or any type of law enforcer anywhere. It was as if this place had no laws! Night had already fallen and the sky was turning from dark blue to black. I gasped as I was suddenly pushed forward. I heard a hoarse laugh and got a whiff of beer and a musty smell.

"What you got in that bag, eh?" It was a man no taller than me, but three times as round. His long filthy brown and gray hair hung in clumps around his shoulders. He showed a nasty smile of only two grotesque looking teeth.

"Leave me alone." I spat before taking off in the other direction. I barely got four steps away when I felt a pull backwards. The bag slipped off my shoulder and the man took off running. I held Mila close and took off after him.

"Thief!" I screamed. "Someone help me!" But not one person in the crowded street seemed to care. Eventually I lost sight of him as well as my breath and collapsed to my knees holding Mila tight against me so she wouldn't feel the impact. Stay strong…. Stay strong… I repeated to myself as I felt the tears on their way. I won't be defeated like this. Why would Vincent want to meet me in a place like this!? Then it occurred to me why… There was no law enforcement here. No Turks here. No thief would ever be as dangerous as Hojo. Nevertheless, I found my way out of the slums into a quieter Sector. Sector 5. I wound up in an abandoned church. I sat down in the dusty pew and fed Mila before curling up on the wooden floor with her in my arms.

Finally the morning came. The sun began to shine through the room and illuminate the place. I noticed a bed of flowers growing in the place where the light shone the brightest. For some reason, staring at those thriving, beautiful flowers gave me hope.

I hid out at the abandoned church for two days until the hunger became so overbearing I ventured out into once more. Poor Mila needed a washing and a new blanket. I'd been using her blanket as a diaper, rinsing it in a stream that flowed behind the church. I ventured out to a new Sector, Sector 7. I saw a sign with the name 'Heaven' on it and thought I was hallucinating. Right now I was in hell… I walked inside the place to find that it was only a bar…

"Well hey there, sweetie this isn't a place for a baby." The barmaid said with a smile. She was a gorgeous woman with long brown hair, big brown eyes, and a chest built to knock men dead.

"P…please… do you have any food to spare."

Her smile faded and she rushed out from behind the bar. "Oh my… what's happened?"

A single tear fell followed by another. The barmaid lightly lifted Mila out of my arms and for some reason I trusted her, not that I had a choice. I collapsed right away as if Mila had been my last bit of strength holding me on my feet.

Vincent Valentine:

I woke up and tried to gasp for air, but my lungs filled with liquid instead. I opened my eyes and could only see the color green. I'm in a tank…. I felt around at the glass that I was contained in and punched hard. The glass shattered, slicing my hand in the process. The tank quickly emptied and I spit up the green liquid until I could take a deep breath.

"Tie him down." I heard that voice. The voice I despised. I growled and threw a punch at the guard that approached me. He flew back 10 feet and flew into an empty tank shattering the glass. Blood and green fluid rushed under my feet. I looked down at my fist. That was not my strength….

"What have you done!?"

Hojo simply laughed and pulled a gun from his lab pocket.

"No!" I heard Lucrecia yell as she rushed into the lab.

"Don't worry, my darling. I'm not going to throw away all my hard work. These are merely sedation bullets." And with that said he pulled the trigger sending me into a sleep so deep all of my worst nightmares felt real.

Aubre Naluri:

I woke up in a strange bed. It was so comfortable, I didn't want to move. Mila lay in a bassinette close by fast asleep. On the end table next to me was a cup of tea with the smoke still rising from the top. There was a small blue T-shirt and pair of jeans lying at the bottom of the bed. The door was open and I could see across the hall there was a bathroom. I grabbed the clothes and took advantage of the bathtub. I returned to the room and checked Mila. She had been bathed, changed, and apparently fed as well. I smiled down at her sleeping form.

I walked down the hall and down a flight of steps. It was morning already and instead of drinks, the barmaid was serving a hot place of pancakes to her one set of customers.

"Oh you're awake! Would you like some breakfast?"

"Oh I've already caused you enough trouble, I'm sure." I looked down knowing this was the only place I had to go right now.

"Look, here's the deal. I could use a dishwasher and a housekeeper. The rooms upstairs are hotel room, you see. You work for me and I'll let you stay in room 102 free until you can get on your feet."

I gasped and hugged the woman. She laughed and returned the hug. "My name's Tifa."

"Aubre."

"What brings you here….um…in this predicament." She smiled genuinely as we walked to the staircase. I wanted to be where I could hear Mila if she cried.

This Tifa… I knew I could trust her. "I escaped from Shinra Manor."

She gasped. "What were you doing in a place like that?!" she whispered loudly glancing over at her customers to make sure we hadn't drawn their attention.

"I was captured by a Turk to participate in a science testing there. He was forced to impregnate me and then we were to give our baby up to the head scientist there for experimental purposes. I didn't want to give birth to a Turk's baby or anyone's child at this age…. But once I felt Mila moving around inside me, I grew attached and I just couldn't let her be an experiment."

Tifa's jaw had dropped half way through the story. And when I finished she covered her mouth and hugged me again. "You poor thing… Yes, those Turks are bad news." I purposely left out the details that I had fallen in love with that Turk and was hoping for him to come back for me….