Midgar
Sector 8 - Maintenance Tunnels
"Think you might've overdone it?" Barret's voice breaks the silence as the trio weathers another tremor that rattles the tunnel beneath the surface of the Reactor. Shaking the walls to the point that the trio thought it was going to collapse atop of them. Kuro's legs bend and he spreads his feet further apart, to ensure that he doesn't stumble from the short quake and land atop of Jessie.
"I followed the instructions to the letter. Maybe it triggered a reaction with the mako?" Jessie uttered, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she glanced up at Kuro. He shrugs in return, adjusting his hold of her and fixing his stance. He adjusts his arm under her knees, and the other across her shoulders. Her face is pressed against his chest, and his right hand trails against the outside of her thigh as he grabs hold of her canvas bottoms to steady his grip. "Hey, there, Sunset! No stealing second base when you haven't walked up to bat yet."
"What do you mean?" Kuro asked with an innocent laugh, shaking his head when he heard Barret mutter a curse under his breath. Kuro then turns to look over at Barret. Who is struggling to get the large flashlight he had in his hands to turn up. Clapping his hand against the bulb to knock the batteries into place. "What bases - Barret!- What bases are you talking about?"
"Oh never mind…" Jessie rolled her eyes playfully, before adjusting herself in his hands and leaning in close to his face. The edges of her lips tickled against his ear. "By the way, you can put me down now. Unless you just like holding me?"
"Oh, sorry about that, Jessie." Kuro murmured, as he gently eased her down onto her feet. Kuro kept his hands out along her sides, in case she were to lose her footing. She was solid on her feet, gave Kuro a thumbs up, and flashed him a smile.
Kuro glanced around the tunnel, noticing now for the first time that the once encroaching darkness that surrounded them began to yield the longer he stood in the dark.
Turning what was once just a single stroke of pure darkness soon faded into various shades of gray hues. What were once shadowed corners untouched by whatever dim dying overhead lights were now fully realized and clear passages.
Kuro is able to not only see the backs of the dark halls but be able to read the writing against the walls and be able to differentiate and read the hanging signs. Kuro could focus and begin to count the individual hair fractures that ran down the walls. Of which were at least a dozen from his quick glance.
Kuro's lips curled to a smile. Perhaps the jump in power was not just physically significant but also applied to his senses. From being able to sense people's heartbeats to now being capable of seeing through the dark. Maybe another benefit to the consumption of hearts he's had recently. Make him a better Heartless.
"I can't see shit." Barret whines, knocking his hand against the flashlight once again. His grumbling echoing in the chamber. "Piece of shit light."
"I'll lead the way. I can see just fine." Kuro offered, taking a step forward and feeling a hand intertwine with his own. He darts his eyes over to Jessie, whose eyelashes flutter in the dark as she steps in line with him. "What-"
"Don't slow down for me. You're the one who can see in the dark, I can't." Jessie whispered, giving him a quick squeeze before letting him begin to guide the way. Jessie's other hand grabs hold of Barret, who takes it without hesitation.
"Well, let's hope this city's still in one piece." Barret murmured, as the two of them are being led through the pitch black tunnels by Kuro. "Enough for us to get back home."
"But the reactor being destroyed is what matters, right?" Kuro asked with a shrug, ducking under a wide piece of debris and crawling through to the other side. A large concrete column had broken from the quake of the explosion and its following tremors. Kuro tapped on the pillar, seeing through to the other side. "Two steps and you need to duck and crawl."
"Thanks for the heads up." Jessie breaks the hold and ducks underneath. Barret had to lean down onto his stomach and crawl forward. Kuro crawls over busted up pieces of rebar and chunks of cement.
"There are some loose pieces here and there. Be careful everyone."
There is another tremor that vibrates the floor, Kuro immediately rolling over onto his back and preparing to hold up the cement pillar and attempt if he needs to keep the structure from falling down onto them. He lets the rumbling ease out, before letting his hands fall to his sides and continuing to crawl.
"We need to get out of this place. Lead the way, Kuro! Don't you stop!" Barret's good hand feels ahead of him, clipping Jessie's foot every so often. Kuro finally gets a break in the crouched crawl, able to stand up straight and see the flickering of lights above him illuminate the space. Kuro lets out a sigh of relief, reaching down to take hold of Jessie's hand. He helped her into her feet and then helped Barret all the same. Barret walked along past Jessie, as she moved slowly along.
"Was it the mako density? The primary explosive? The blasting agent?" Jessie whispered to herself, rubbing her chin. "What did I do? How could I mess this up that bad?"
"Don't be hard on yourself, Jessie." Kuro noted as he reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. Giving her a squeeze of assurance before letting go. "You couldn't have guessed what could have happened. I didn't expect to fight two giant robots!"
Jessie smiled, shrugging and reaching up to rest her hand top of his own. Tapping her thumb tenderly against his darkened knuckles as her eyes meet his.
"Thanks, Kuro. How much farther do we got, Barret?" Jessie asked, the hand resting on Kuro's one hand beginning to clutch and hold his hand tightly with a rush of anxious energy. "Getting a little tired of being here in the dark."
Barret turned the corner and came to a nearly collapsed walkway that led to a pair of doors. Shrugging his shoulders.
"This is about as good a place as any." Barret grumbled as he tapped a hand against one of the debris blocked doors, nodding his chin towards the lady in the trio. "Jessie? If you may."
"Stand back then. I'll set the bomb." Jessie stated, removing her hand from Kuro's and walking over to the door. She pulled out a small device from her bag. She fiddles with the mini-explosive, before setting it along the double wide metal doors and priming it.
"Can't wait to see you, Marlene." Barret muttered as he tapped his good hand against the barrels of his minigun, lips curled to a rare smile from the large man. Kuro's expression reflected the warmth that he held in his grin, nodding his head towards the leader.
"Who's Marlene?" Kuro asked, crossing his arms together as he kept Jessie in his peripherals. Watching her work her magic. "Friend of yours?"
"She's my girl. My little one." Barret said with a smile on his face. Nodding his head and glancing over at Jessie. "She's waiting for me back at the base, and I can't wait to see her again."
"She's good to go." Jessie activated the device, rounding the corner and grabbing Kuro by the wrist and pulling him aside. Jessie, her hand still on his wrist, pulls his hands up to cover her ears as she raises her own hands to his. Amber surprise resting on hazel shaded excitement. Barret follows the two of them, a hand covering over the ear toward the door. "Press down tight! Fire in the hole!"
The explosive isn't as destructive and dangerous as the one that took out the Mako Reactor. This was a controlled, measured explosion. No larger than a grenade, and it destroys the doors and the debris that blocked them. The cement walls rattled from the reverberation of the bomb.
"Let that be a lesson to anything that gets in my way!" Jessie said with a grin, letting her hands fall from Kuro's face and walking around the corner. As Kuro goes to move after her, only to be grabbed by Barret's hand. The leader tugs Kuro back, looming over the Heartless and staring down at him.
"Listen, young man." Barret began to speak as the two had a moment alone together, that hand of his shifting down the chest of the Heartless before curling into a fist and knocking the Heartless in the pectoral. Tapping just above the thumping heart beneath the muscle. "That shit you pulled on that Sentinel? Going all dark and angry? Hell was that about?"
"Oh, I guess I just…" Kuro shrugged, eyes focused on Barret and his stare softening. "I wanted to make sure you got out of there so I… handled it."
Barret huffed, pulling his hand away and glancing the younger man up and down. Inspecting him. His eyes linger on the orange eyes and the silver hair. A look of confusion in his own eyes.
"You get angry and turn all yellow eyed and scary, and you got a lil old Shadow playing dress up back on home." Barret murmured gently as he took a step back and gave Kuro a once over again. What were once weird connections were beginning to line up a little too well for Barret. "Interesting…"
Kuro's jaw clenched, nodding thoughtfully, slightly intimidated before rushing off to join Jessie. Barret watched curiously, eyes squinted in thought before following them through the doorway and up the stairs to the surface level.
Midgar
Sector 8 - Business Sector
"Attention all citizens. Attention all citizens. This is an alert from the Shinra Emergency Operations Center."
"No… No way." Jessie's voice breaks, her body squirming in its spot as she looks around at the devastation in the streets as they reach the surface. The Reactor's explosion had sent massive pieces of debris into the surrounding sector. Buildings below the reactor, homes and city streets ended up catching the large chunks of blown apart concrete and javelin sized pieces of rebar.
City buildings that had been built around pipelines of Mako had found a reverberation of Jessie's detonation and ended up bursting in the load bearing walls of certain buildings.
Causing multiple structures to collapse into themselves and sinking into the blast sites like a tumbling tower of cards.
Multiple underground pipes that allowed Mako to flow freely through the sector had the same issues that affected the ones through the system. Multiple city streets were closed off and being evacuated due to several pipes exploding. Leaving massive craters all down the sector's streets.
"Unidentified intruders have detonated a bomb inside Mako Reactor 1. Multiple explosions have been confirmed, as well as ongoing fires."
Kuro first noticed the smell of fire. It was a smell he was well acquainted with. Images of Notre Dame square aflame came immediately to mind. Kuro's eyes shot to the skies, and sure enough, began noticing multiple infernos in the distance. The sound of sirens in the distance and the noise of fear echoing. Kuro's voice was caught in his throat, his jaw clenching. "Did we do this?"
"We did what had to be done. It ain't pretty, but we can't stop now. War is war. This was just the first reactor. And the planet won't be safe till we get the rest." Barret stated as he began to walk through the streets. Walking past the damage without being deterred or distracted by the disturbances around him. The cries of the citizens affected were ignored, his eyes refused to pay attention to the destroyed buildings, and his shoulders unburdened by the displaced people in the streets.
"In response, a disaster warning has been issued in Sectors 1 and 8."
Kuro's feet dragged as he followed behind Jessie. Walking over the splitting rifts in the turf and blacktop with a quick jump over the breaks too wide for a step. The cracks in the streets were caused by the constant tremors that echoed from the reactor. Breaking up concrete and blacktop.
"Structures in the area are at high risk of collapse, rendering the entire sector hazardous."
"We did this?" Kuro asked aloud once again, his voice cracking and his eyes scanning over the area and seeing the damage that had been laid across the streets. His hands moved to rest along his neck as he let out an anxious sigh. His heart beginning to accelerate. "All this… because of us?"
"Y'all gotta look at the bigger picture here. Nothing worth fighting for was ever won without sacrifice. Though you may not be crying out, I know you're in pain-just like the planet." Barret spoke sincerely, turning around and walking backwards. He began glancing between Jessie and Kuro, his two companions. His eyes aglow with pride for his two soldiers. "But it's okay, 'cause I'm here for you! To help take the load off your shoulders! Your fears… Your worries… Your concerns… Whatever your problem, I got you."
"Thanks Barret. So, off back to base?" Kuro asked with a low and tired voice, Barret giving a grunt of acknowledgement.
"Hell yeah. We need to get our asses home!" Barret turns to Kuro, nodding his head "We're going to shoot for the last train home. Let's get the hell out of here."
"Hey, Sunset." Jessie smiles before turning her attention from the destruction that is around them to the Heartless beside her. Her eyes are trying desperately to stay focused on him. Trying her hardest to ignore the damage that she had been partially responsible for. "I just want to say thanks. You know. For saving my life."
"Oh yeah. Of course." Kuro said with a nod, glancing over at her with a soft grin. He lets his hands retract to his pockets, shrugging his shoulders without an ounce of burden across his shoulders or weighing down his heart. "I'd… I couldn't let something bad happen to you. Not if I could do something about it."
"'Do something about it'? I'd say. You took a bullet or thirty for me." Jessie takes his shoulder and makes him turn his back to her. The crimson jacket was more tattered than actual clothing, with the once nefarious grinned demonic face design now threads and loose scraps of leather. "That's gonna fall apart soon."
"This sucks. I really like this jacket." Kuro bemoaned, letting his fingers move to trace along the bottom rocker. Feeling the loose strands between his fingers. It was his first gift. It was his first gift. Given without the need to reciprocate. Just a kind gesture from a stranger. Kuro thought of the man who ran the Accessory Shop and how quick he was to offer help. Kuro silently hoped he was home safe among the stars. "Goddamn it."
"No whining, now! I'll help you find a replacement…" Jessie's fingers traced the edges of one of the bullet holes. She felt her breath get caught in her throat. The feeling of his arms around her when he placed himself directly in harm's way to protect her. "I owe you. You know that, right? I'm lucky you were there. You saved my life. Twice."
"Hey, why don't we just save the thanks for when we get back to your place tonight, eh?" Kuro smirks, reaching behind his head and pulling his hood up. His amber eyes glowing in the shade of a collapsing building. "You can thank me and celebrate properly when we are in your room later tonight. Sounds like a good plan to you?"
"Well then, Kuro." Jessie's tone is playful, her cheeks flush a deep pink and she feels her heart race in her chest. She glances over him and flashes a devious smirk. Her eyelashes flutter before she clears her throat and feels her chest tighten. "I guess we better get a move on then! I'll take you to the train!"
The walk to the train station had them pass by destruction caused by the various tremors that echoes out from the reactor. The buildings that were on the verge of falling apart had now begun crumbling in the distance and the rogue screams of people trying to navigate the devastation grew louder and heavier.
Kuro sees Jessie's eyes linger on the sight of a mother and her daughter holding on to another besides their home. Kuro takes hold of Jessie's wrist, leading her along past them. His orange eyes grow more void as he walks along the street to the station. The flickering lights of lamp posts and the rising smoke resembling the shimmering glow of fires and the destruction of the City of Bells.
His ears heard the sound of sirens in the distance and blasted slams of car horns and they turned to the horrific screaming of innocence lost and the fear of death.
The howling of the dying light of the world made Kuro's feet creep to a stop as his hands grew numb and his heartbeat began to thump hard in his ears. Images of the Heartless swarm scouring the streets and devouring every heart they came across flashing before his eyes. The tearing of flesh from bone ripped through the air and the staining of blood across the stones wafting across the air and made his nose cringe. The encroaching dark of the world closing in on him. He heard the muffle talks from behind him sound a little like Jessie, though she sounded a world away despite the fact he was holding her hand. The world went dark, his heart racing fast and making his skin crawl.
It's your fault, you know? You destroyed that world because deep down you think they deserved it. They wronged Quasimodo. They fell in line with that piece of work, Frollo. You wanted to destroy it.
And you will do it again, you will destroy this one in
time.
You killed Quasimodo, you killed Esmerelda. You killed all those poor people who you tried desperately to save. It's not going to be different. You shouldn't hide what you are.
"Kuro?"
You'll keep on being a destroyer. Because that's what you are. No matter what you do.
"Kuro? Kuro? Hey!"
All you can ever hope to be. A destroyer. A ruiner. A monster.
"Kuro?" Jessie's voice cuts through the fog. Kuro rises to his feet in a jolt, his chest bumping into the shoulder of a man standing in the center of the train cart, Kuro's eyes darting around rapidly and finding himself in a tightly packed metal tube. Driving down tracks at high speed.
Kuro must've lost track of himself, as he was once standing on a city street and found himself now on a train cart that was chugged along down the track. He shakes his head, turning to Jessie and letting out a short sigh. "You ok?"
"Yeah." Kuro muttered, rubbing his eyes and letting out a short sigh of anxiety. His sights rests along the people who crowded around him and packed the train car so densely. He sees Barret nudge his head towards the back of the train, tapping Kuro along his shoulder. "Are we close to the base?"
"Go on, head on to the back. We are right behind you." Barret said, encouraging the Heartless to begin to maneuver through the crowd. Which he did, threading in the gaps between people and making his way through.
"So, Barret? Guess Kuro will be joining us after all?" Jessie asked, crossing her arms as she leaned against the freezing glass window of the traincar. Watching Kuro walk along. Barret nodded in response, shifting his eyes over to Kuro. "Did he pass the initiation?"
Barret ponders for a moment, before smirking at the idea of him joining their ranks.
"I'm sure he'll fit right in. You saw him in action, didn't you? Guy loses his temper, starts looking like his Shadow Friend. He turns into a goddamn monster on the field." Barret recalled the way Kuro's eyes shifted from orange to a bright and vibrant gold, how his skin darkened past its brown into a deep ebony, as though he were trying to blend into a starless night sky. "Tore that Scorpion apart with his bare hands."
"Mmm, you think he's a keeper?" Jessie inquired, seeing Barret shrug his shoulders. His eyes glancing over the Heartless as he weaved his way further down the train car, mumbling soft apologies as he brushed against people.
"Definitely worth keeping an eye on." Barret noted, seeing Kuro's head turn back around and see Barret and Jessie on the other side of the car. A look of confusion on his face and his shoulders shrug questioningly. Barret knocks Jessie with his closed fist against her arm, nodding his head forward. Doing his best to weave and shift through the dense crowd that is packed onto the cart. "C'mon, let's move up. Goddamn. Lotta people here…"
"Feels like half of Midgar is packed in the freight car." Jessie complained, trailing behind Barret as they made their way to the front. "Cause of the evacuation order, maybe?"
"That's lucky for us. We've got a crowd to hide in. Follow Kuro and hold near the doors." Barret said, before he reached the end of the cart, pulling alongside Kuro and occupying a corner of the train car. Kuro feels a hand trail along his arm, turning to see Jessie moving up to him.
"Hey, Kuro." Jessie whispers, sliding alongside him as they stand besides the interconnecting hall between train cars. Kuro's hand rests along the wall for balance, the other gripping the edge of the doorframe. His orange eyes glance over to Jessie, nodding his chin in acknowledgement. "You're holding on ok? Even after what we saw at the station and all over Sector 8?"
"Holding on? I'm…" Kuro's eyes briefly twitch as he recalls Quasimodo's world, and that same smell of burning buildings and screams of terror. He clears his throat, shoving such ugly thoughts out of his mind. "I'm hanging in there. It is getting easier. It's us or them, right? Even if the… city got in the middle of it."
"You're right… I can't stop thinking about it. The bomb I made shouldn't have produced an explosion that big. It's all my fault." Jessie whispers, her eyes shifting to the floor as she clutches her hand to keep her anxious thoughts measured and within her control. "It doesn't make any sense… shouldn't a reactor have fail-safes to prevent that kinda thing?"
"Hey now. I don't know anything about that kind of stuff." Kuro admitted truthfully, before he sees her tighten the fist she held and her eyes harden as she continues to try and make sense of it in her brain. Kuro reaches out and takes hold of her hand, hoping to give her the comfort she gave him when she held his own hand. "The explosion interacted with the mako. You said so yourself. You're the smartest person I know. And if you say that's what happened, then I'd believe you."
"Hmm… I'm just looking for excuses for something that was clearly my own fault." Jessie shrugs, her voice falling to a whisper as before she raises her head and meets his gaze. Those gentle eyes of his comforting her. "Gotta own up to it if I'm gonna learn from this and move on. Thanks, Kuro."
"What kind of maniacs would go so far as to bomb a reactor?" The voice belonged to a Shinra employee, who sat alongside two more employees of the SHINRA company. He was a middle aged man, with short black hair and wearing a business suit.
"They've yet to announce it publicly, but I heard it was Avalanche's doing." The business woman said, settling into her spot with her hands held against her lap. The other two employees turn to her, their voices dropping to a low whisper.
"Really? Aren't they the terrorists who tried to kill the president? Is there nothing they won't do?" The older business man mumbled, his hand reaching up to comb down his graying hair.
"Hey! Quit talking out your ass. Everyone knows Avalanche only cares about saving the planet." Barret spoke firmly and directly, his voice elevating and his irritation growing the longer he listened to these Shinra employees.
"J-just who do you think you are?" The younger employee asked, his eyes meeting Barret's as he finds his voice lacking its previous infliction due to now having to address a bigger, broader, and brawnier man.
"A law-abiding concerned citizen." Barret spoke with a snide tone, before punctuating his remark with a short chuckle.
"'Law-abiding'? Really?" The older man looked Barret once over, seeing the gun that was attached to his arm, his wide muscled frame and meeting that stoic and intimidating glare he held.
"Don't antagonize him!" The woman said, her eyes focused on the floor and trying to avoid Barret's gaze.
"In my humble opinion, that explosion was a message." Barret grumbled with a proud grin gracing his face. "A message to the bastards bleeding our planet dry. Think y'all's masters got it loud and clear?"
"We will not submit to intimidation or violence!" But work together for peace and prosperity! That is how civilized people change the world!" The younger employee stated, a hand held firmly to his chest as he stared definitely up at Barret. Not an ounce of fear in his eyes.
"That's right! That is the Shinra creed!" The older employee says, with a taut fist and a wide grin.
"Them's fighting words, bootlicker." Barret took a step forward and towered over the man, crooking his head to the side to wait to see what else the man had to say.
"It's what we believe. We all have to follow our conscience, don't we?" The older man states, crossing his arms, and glancing over at Kuro and Barret with his eyes squinted.
Kuro's own eyes squinted upon the word, 'conscience.' The idea that he would have one sparked a curiosity that once again he would need to see DiZ to address. Was he bound to have a conscience? Did he have one? Could he get one?
"We should go." The woman said, as she gathered her carry on and straightened her jacket.
"Right…" The older man helped the woman
"You hear that suit over there? Shinra creed my ass." Barret grumbled and grimaced to himself. The leader of Avalanche's irritation with the random Shinra employee. "We're the good guys, dammit…"
"They wouldn't be too happy if they knew we were the ones responsible for it." Kuro noted, seeing Barret reach up and grip one of the leather straps hanging from the ceiling. He leans forward and rests his forehead against the cool steel beam, letting the cold relax him as he tries to let the wave of frustration seep out of him. Kuro turned towards Jessie, tapping her hand with his own. His voice dropped to a whisper. "You guys tried to kill the president?"
"'Tried' being the imperative word there. It wasn't us Avalanche, it was a different branch that tried to take out the big Shinra boss. Let's just get this out of the way… since you've never been to this world before. Think of this as an initiation rite, since you're pretty much an official member now because of the Reactor." Jessie whispered. "So, here we've got a wireframe model of the great city of Midgar. Complete with massive steel plates suspended three hundred meters above ground level… Atop which stands a shining beacon of civilization. The whole system is sustained by the mako reactors, which feed the insatiable appetites of the public."
"The train will be passing through an ID checkpoint shortly." The automated voice echoed, Kuro's sights glancing around to find the source of the noise, before quickly returning to Jessie.
"What checkpoint?" Kuro asked, Jessie taking him by the wrist and leading him to a small map of the Midgar trainline.
"This is the train's route. As you can see, it'll take us around this main pillar. Look, we're about halfway through it now. They've set up a checkpoint here to scan the IDs of all passengers heading in and out." Jessie noted with a smile. Listing off the data the checkpoint inspects with an extended finger. "Date of birth, residential status, criminal history… All that and more is automatically cross-referenced in their databases. Public Security wouldn't have it any other way. Don't worry. Our IDs are impeccable. I had to fashion up yours on the spot but… I took care of it. Won't be long till we reach the slums. Time to relax."
Kuro nods, posting up against the door and resting his arms over his chest. He shuts his eyes momentarily, taking a few deep chested sighs as he begins to try to relax.
"You got any siblings?" Jessie asked as she took the same position on the other side of the door frame. Arms crossed and head resting against the metal panel. Kuro thought for a moment, a weak smiling forming.
"I got a brother… somewhere out there." Kuro noted, before nudging his chin towards Jessie. Kuro would have to circle back with DiZ to investigate exactly who the Nobody to his Heartless was. "You?"
"Nope. An only child." Jessie shook her head, flashing a grin before turning her attention back to him and giving him a once over. Inspecting his wide frame and strong jaw. His thick arms folded over in another. "Favorite food?"
"Favorite food?" Kuro muttered and squinted his eyes. He had eaten a few things over the last month, with dog food being the absolute worst. But the best thing he ate? "There is this fruit I ate a while back. Star shaped and very sweet. Yours?"
"My mother's homemade pizza. Perfect every time!" She gave Kuro a thumbs up and a giggle. The sight made him laugh as well. "Your turn?"
"My turn?" Kuro sucked on his teeth and turned his attention out the window. His sight rested on the blur of buildings as they passed. "Alright. How many worlds have you been to?"
"Two. Midgar and Traverse Town." Jessie flashes the number with her fingers, before glancing her eyes towards the floor. Her cheeks glowing a rosy red. Preparing to ask her next question. "Who was your first kiss?"
Kuro shrugged, offering a weak smile in return.
"I don't think-I've never kissed anyone." Kuro admitted, not willing to thumb through his original self's memories at the moment to try and see who his first kiss was. It was easier to just say he hadn't kissed anyone. Jessie cocked her head to the side, before nodding thoughtfully. She would have to fix that, she thought to herself. "Who was yours?"
"I was about twelve." Jessie grinned in remembrance. Shaking her head in the sweet memory. Her knuckles rapped against the metal panel beside her. "I was auditioning for a play and I needed to kiss the boy I was acting across. He was nice and patient with me."
Before the two could continue their back and forth, Barret grunted as the train began to pull into the new sector.
"Take a good look, everyone. It's because of that great big pizza in the sky that people down there gotta struggle to survive." Barret's stare is focused on the window, what was once concrete walls and the occasional tunnel light soon changed into chain link fences, buildings built from discarded materials and held together with poor welding and rusted nails. The smell and sight of trash can fire smoke rising in the distance. Kuro thought it smelt rancid. Barret and Jessie knew it smelt like home. "Shinra sucks up Mako and enjoys the way the soil we toil turns to dust, the air we breathe is filled with smog, and the flowers we plant die. But enough about that. We're almost at our last stop."
Midgar
Sector 7 Slums
"Now entering Sector 7." The announcer's voice echoes as the train pulls into the station. Kuro is knocked into as the passengers bolt out of the cart and onto the platform. Kuro and Jessie walk into the depot, Barret follows shortly behind.
"Hot damn, we are good! Now get some R&R. You've earned it. Just be ready for the next mission when we call it, alright?" Barret turned to Kuro, knocking a friendly fist into the Heartless' shoulder, chuckling gently as he walked on ahead. "Keep up, Kuro. We don't want you getting lost out here on the way to Seventh Heaven. Not long now, honey! Daddy's almost home!"
Kuro's feet carry him down the steps of the platform, stomping down on metal grates until he hits uneven and crumbling dirt.
The initial step down kicking up a cloud of dirt and staining his pant leg. Kuro steps in line behind Barret and alongside Jessie.
Together they walk down the path into an open square, with various vendors and customers lining up for their concessions. Kuro's nose leads him to the smell of cooking meat and spices, his stomach grumbling and his mouth watering at the thought of food. He rests a hand along his stomach, Jessie's eyes darting to him upon hearing the noise.
"You hungry, Kuro?" She asked, her hands folding behind her back. Kuro nods, an embarrassed smile gracing his face.
"It's been a minute since I've eaten anything. I've been kind of…" Kuro shrugged as he recalled the events of the last few days. From bouncing between worlds and fighting off monsters and men alike, he didn't really have a chance to sit down and eat. The last thing he ate was with Arhtur. "Been on the go for a while now."
"Well! I can't have you sitting here on an empty stomach!" She giggled, walking over to one of the street vendors and reaching into her pocket. She pulls up multi-colored orbs and begins to mentally count them up. "Let's see, I have about… fifty munny. That should cover the meal."
"Oh, that stuff. I have a lot of that from when I was in Traverse Town." Kuro reached into his messenger bag, taking out handfuls of the technicolor spheres and handing them to her. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. "I think I have a lot of munny?"
"You have over three thousand munny!" Her voice lowers in pure surprise, and she sees him raise an eyebrow in response. "Just sitting in your bag?"
"Well, they looked pretty but pretty useless." Kuro holds up an orb and inspects it. The glittering ball of green and blue in his hand. The inscription of '500' written on the baseball sized item. "And I couldn't eat it or burn it so I just figured it was worthless pretty thing."
They reach the front and order two wererat stew bowls, totaling twenty munny that Kuro paid for without hesitation. As he lets the balls roll along the tabletop, his eyes shoot to the pairs of eyes watching him as he pays.
Their hungry eyes resting on the man as he waits patiently for his order.
The several children watching him are wearing tattered rags and partially stitched together clothes, years of blood and mud stained deep in the fabric and have turned what were once bright whites and yellows into smeared browns and faded greens.
Kuro glances down at his bowl, then to the children.
Whose gaunt cheeks and thin bodies watch in jealousy as he waits. His eyes flicker and he recalls the nights he went hungry, his stomach growling and the pain of the lack of food keeping him from a good night's rest.
"Do they not feed the children?" Kuro asked aloud, the vendor's huff of annoyance breaking the air and catching Kuro's attention. "What's that for?"
"They don't pay, they don't eat. Simple as that." The man pushes the two bowls forward, and takes up the money. "Thank you, come again-"
"I'll pay for them." Kuro said without hesitation, reaching into his bag and placing the munny on the counter top. Jessie's eyes shoot to the Heartless, surprised that he would do something so willingly and altruistic at a moment's notice. Without hesitation. The totaling twelve hundred munny balls he places on the counter making the vendor's mouth go slack and his eyes glisten in delight. "This will cover the children?"
"Them and the next hundred people! My family is going to eat well for months! Thank you sir!" The man quickly scoops the balls up, begins pouring bowl after bowl and taking them to the children. Whose gratefulness is outweighed by their hunger as they quickly devour their soups. "I'll start another pot and get the food out right away."
"When the children are fed, hand it off to whoever is next. Just keep going until I've run out of munny." Kuro rumbles, his heart warmed by the sight of the children eating. The man tosses in a few vegetables and chunks of meat and begins to pour in the broth. Kuro takes up his bowl and begins to walk away, with Jessie alongside him.
"Kuro," Jessie mumbles as she sips her soup. Her eyes watching the Heartless as he gets a spoonful of meat and carrot and shovels it down. "You really would pay for all those kids? And all those people? People you don't know?"
"I've been hungry. I've been cold. I've been forced to… go to bed without a meal. Or a good one, at least." Kuro shrugs, the days he spent in Traverse town alone coming to mind. He lifts the bowl and slurps a portion of the broth. A sigh of satisfaction as the warm food settles in his stomach. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially those kids."
Jessie stops her walk, bewildered and in awe of Kuro's generosity and kindness. She watches as he walks without burden and regret, head held high. He notices she stopped, turning heel and meeting her gaze.
"Everything ok?" He asked, only to see her nod and her face flush slightly as she saw those orange hued eyes of his light up the night with their shine. That effortless smile breaking across his face. "Jessie?"
She felt her chest tighten at the sight of his smile, her heart fluttering from the glow of his eyes.
"Let's get you to Seventh Heaven, Sunset." She whispered, nudging his shoulder with hers as the two continued their walk together. Eating together in a moment of shared and thoughtful silence. Enjoying the presence of one another as they catch up to Barret as he patiently waits for them. The three of them continue to walk until they arrive at the bar.
The Seventh Heaven Bar appears to be the only building in the sector to be built with wood whilst the others were made of slabs of metal and steel, the huge sign posted above the establishment's awning. It was a huge two story building, with the restaurant and bar occupying the first floor and the second floor being used to house the employees and owner of the bar. The mellow melody that hummed out of the jukebox could be faintly heard from the street.
As they approach the bar, they see that a dark haired woman and a little girl are sitting on the porch. Both of them patiently waited for them to arrive.
The woman was dressed in a short white top, a compression sleeveless black shirt underneath that ran suspenders down to her black leather skirt. Her body was toned, from years of combat and rigid. regimented exercises. Her arms were tight and layered in muscle, her abdomen was taut and showed slight definition of muscles along her stomach. Her thick, powerful thighs were clothed in thigh high socks that fit snug against her skin. Her socks led down to a pair of heavy combat boots that were worn and scuffed from battle.
The little girl had brown hair, and wore a pink dress with a yellow bow tied around collar.
The taller woman sees the trio approaching, reaching down to tap the little girl with her fingertips.
"Marlene!" Her voice is soft as to not startle the girl, who immediately turns her attention to the streets and whose eyes light up and whose smile breaks upon seeing the gun armed man approach.
"Daddy! You're home!" Marlene shouts, rushing down the steps to meet Barret on the street.
"That's right, angel, I am!" Barret roars in joy, scooping the girl up into his arm and holding her close. Her arms wrap around his head as he continues his walk to the bar.
"Welcome back, everyone!" Tifa said, her eyes shifting from Barret to Jessie, before resting on Kuro. Her eyes glanced over the young man before returning to her bartending inside.
"Have you been a good girl?" Barret asked as he moved up the steps.
"Yeah, I've been helping Tifa." Marlene stated as she relaxed in Barret's arm. Leaning down to rest her cheek on top of his head.
"Oh, you did, did you? Well, well…" Barret nods, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Using his hips to open the saloon doors to the Seventh Heaven. "I guess we might need to give you some more responsibility around here then."
"Daddy, the mako place blew up. Everyone on TV's talking about it." Marlene reported to her father.
Barret's head shakes as he lowers her to the floor and he takes a seat along the counter. Resting his gun-arm atop the bar top. He glances up at the TV bolted up in the corner of the room, seeing the report of the ongoing fire still going. With a raise of the eyebrows, Tifa leans up and shuts the TV off without a word.
"Don't you worry about all that silliness. Daddy's here now, and he's not going anywhere else tonight." Barret spoke so gently and so sweet to her, his typical baritone voice easing to a soft tempo and cadence. One that Kuro never imagined Barret could achieve even if he tried. Kuro walked past the table tops, getting one last spoonful of broth and onion before placing his empty bowl on the table. His stomach is full and his body warm. "Now that we turned that thing off, talk to me. I've missed you so much."
Kuro glances over at the jukebox, his eyes lighting up as they glow with surprise as he approaches the machine with a grin breaking across his face. The device radiated a warm gold glow, with the record that played within was mesmerizing with its trumpets and piano keys. This reminded him of the record player back in Traverse Town. He wondered if this record player had the Rainbow song on it. Kuro shot a quick glance at Barret, who was beckoning him over with a wave of the hand. Kuro made a note to investigate this device tomorrow.
Marlene looks at Kuro as he joins Barret's side and takes the seat beside him, the young girl ducking behind her father and draping his vest over her eyes. Trying to hide herself from him.
"Hey now, sweetie. This is Daddy's friend, Kuro. He's going to be helping us out from now on." Barret said, nodding toward Kuro and nudging his chin towards Marlene. "Say hi, sweetheart."
When she didn't take the initiative, Kuro gently lowered himself to the floor and dropped his voice to a tender sound.
"Hey there." Kuro crouched down to her level, getting onto a knee and meeting her eyes when she peeked past her father. She glances away the moment their eyes meet, burying her face into Barret's top. Kuro's eyes shoot to Barret, who glances between the two. Kuro nods, before turning his attention back to her. "It's nice to meet you."
"Daddy says never talk to strangers." Marlene stated, her voice muffled by the leather.
"That's right, honey, I do say that. What a good girl you are, remembering Daddy's lessons." Barret said proudly, nodding his head with a beaming smile.
"Well, your dad and I are friends. That means we can be friends too, if you want." Kuro said, with a nod before he shifts in his spot and she hides again. Kuro rubs his fingers together, before an idea sparks in the back of his mind. Something of a memory pops up in his head, the phrase, 'funny face' echoing in his mind. He dips his head down, Marlene's eyes squint and she shifts further away from Barret. As she leans in a bit close to Kuro, he springs his head back.
Kuro's eyes roll up to stare into the ceiling, his lips pulled wide to show off all of his teeth, his voice straining as he holds an extended, 'Eeee'.
He blinks rapidly, before he lets his face relax and looks to Marlene for a reaction. She breaks her fearful expression with a sunshine rivaling smile, her giggles echoing in the bar.
"That's-one funny-face!" Marlene said with her voice breaking out into a huge belly laugh. Kuro laughs with her, his rumbling roll of laughter joining hers. Barret grins at the sound of Marlene's joy, squinting over at Tifa as she raises her eyebrows at the sight. Barret knocks the table, nudging his chin towards the Heartless and nodding his head.
Tifa grabs a chilled bottle of beer from under the counter and pops the top off. With a practiced technique, she slides the beer along the counter top and expertly lets it slow to a stop right in front of Kuro.
Kuro glances from the drink to Barret, who nods his head and shifts his eyes to the drink.
"It's earned." Was all the Leader had said, before Kuro took the drink and slugged back a sip. Appreciating the gesture. "Thanks for the help."
It was bitter and cold, making his nose scrunch in response. Kuro coughs, before laughing it off.
"That is foul." Kuro chuckled, Barret's lips pulled back into a grin and his own laugh threatened to bark out of his mouth. Marlene walks alongside Barret, interlinking his hand with hers. "I appreciate it though."
"Kuro, did you hear about the Reactor? How it blowed up?" Marlene's eyes bounce from Kuro to Barret, as Kuro uncomfortably glances around and meets Tifa's stare. She leans over the bar, head bent to meet his gaze. She shakes her head towards the Heartless, and averts her gaze as she continues to clean her glasses. Barret taps on Marlene's shoulder to gather her attention.
"You know what time it is, darling? Bed time. Let's go to bed. C'mon." Barret said, only for Marlene to whine in response.
"But I'm not tired!" Marlene complained, stomping her little feet and pouting. "I wanna talk some more, Daddy…"
"Mmm… Alright but just this once!" Barret reaches down and lifts Marlene up into his lap. He nods his chin to Kuro, having captured Marlene's attention from him. Which relaxed the Heartless greatly. "What do you wanna talk about, sweetie?"
"Um, Daddy…did the people who died? In that reactor explosion?" Marlene shifted in her spot, her hands reaching out to rest along his shoulders. Kuro's hand squeezes the bottle, his eyes staring in ahead to push the thoughts of the men he killed out of his head before he clears his throat and goes for another swig. The harsh taste took his mind off their lives for a moment. "They all returned to the planet?"
"Of course. Their light joined back with the planet's light. Just like I told you." Barret whispered gently, his eyes unburdened and his voice undeterred in its tenderness. He smirks and pats her on the shoulder with his good hand. "Let that be a lesson to you. We all return to the soil eventually. And that's why we need to take care of our planet. We can't be buried in rotten earth."
Kuro's eyes focus on the two of them together, his eyes squinting as he focuses upon the father and daughter. The music fades into a near whisper, the lights dim down into darkness. He sees Barret's and Marlene's hearts thumping in their chests. The once red familiar glow now an echoing and shimmering bright gold. The kind of gold that resembled the reflected sunlight off of water surfaces. Kuro's eyes squinted in thought. If red was a normal heartbeat, then golden glow must be some kind of familiar love. And if that is good, what was Jessie feeling for her to take a shade of pink? What kind of feeling was-
"So, Kuro?" Jessie asked and interrupted Kuro's thoughts, her hands moving to hold behind her back as she leaned over the counter and met his gaze. His eyes blinked and the color returned to the room. The sound of music returned. Kuro's lips pull together as he swallows another sip of his beer and nods his chin towards her. Grimacing as he tastes the nastiness of his drink. "I bet you're exhausted from today. Want me to show you to your room?"
"Oh, sure." Kuro said with a grin, pushing the drink aside and turning to Barret, offering a hand. Barret, shifting his gaze from Marlene to the Heartless, raised his hand to join them together. The hands clapped and gave one another an appreciative squeeze. "Night, Barret. See you tomorrow?"
"You did good today, kid. Thanks for the help. Get some rest." Barret nodded, his lips curled to a smirk as he gave the younger man one more squeeze before letting go.
Kuro turns to Marlene, who ducks behind Barret while trying to stifle her giggle. Kuro smiles, glancing around the seated leader of Avalanche and finding her gaze. Her fingers fiddling with the edges of Barret's vest. Her eyes shifted from the alcohol stained floorboards to Kuro's squinted gaze.
"Good night, Marlene." Kuro said softly, flashing her a cross-eyed open mouth gape before she laughed at the sight and nodded her head. "See you tomorrow too, ok?"
"G'night." She whispers back, giggling as Kuro takes his leave and walks alongside Jessie. The two of them exit the Seventh Heaven and walk up the path to the motel.
Kuro's shoulders were relaxed and his hands swinging at his sides, taking in all the sights and sounds that they passed. The children playing with hoops and sticks and kicking around deflated sports balls, the cats weaving in and out of metal debris and dilapidated cardboard forts, and the people standing idly by smoking cigarettes and engaging in superficial conversations.
Jessie's hands were folded behind her back. Her fingers anxiously pick at the cuticles of the other hand. Her cheeks were a blistering red, and her heart fluttering in her chest as she began to truly realize that she was bringing a man up to her room for the night. Taking subtle glances at Kuro and not noticing a single nervous twitch or glance at all. He seemed so utterly cool and collected, unphased by what was about to transpire.
"So, your mom lives in the upper section?" Kuro asked, finally turning his attention back to Jessie as he lines up his gait to keep in line with her strut.
"Yeah. On the upper side. It's-it's a nice spot. Clean streets and good food. It was a nice place to grow up!" She said, with a hard laugh that made her cringe. She mentally chastised herself for feeling nervous, eyes turning back forward as she clears her throat. "So, where are you from? Like originally?"
"Someplace with sand? Someplace warm." Kuro noted with uncertainty, reaching up and scratching his head with a twitch to his cheek. "I don't really remember where I'm from. Just sort of… came."
"Have a lot of memory issues?" Jessie snickered, shaking her head. Kuro nodded. Her eyes flicker with remembrance as Kuro's silver locks briefly flash blonde, and his soft grin is replaced with a scowl and his tattered jacket comes with a massive sword attached. She giggled to herself. "I seem to have a type."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing." Jessie rolls her eyes as she reaches the motel stairs and rushes up to the second level. Kuro followed her shortly after. She walks up to door number 203, turning around and resting her back up against the wood. Eyes fixed on Kuro. "Well, this is my spot."
"And this is your spot." Kuro grinned, his eyes meeting hers. Those dark brown eyes of hers capturing the loose flames and street lamp lights from the street around them. Glistening in the night's shade. His own shined in the dark, a faint glow held in his stare. "Ready to head on in? Get to celebrating?"
"Kuro-" Jessie began to say, her cheeks flushing and her fingers tapping nervously on the door behind her. Gathering her courage. "I just want to make sure this is what you want too?"
"Jessie," Kuro shrugged, with his voice dropping to a low rumble, his hands resting on his waist and his lips pulled to a wide smile. Innocence laid in his words as he glanced her over with a gleam in his eye. "I want to celebrate with you. Because you seemed very excited about celebrating with me earlier. So, let's get in there and celebrate together."
Jessie's bottom lip gets caught between her teeth, her huffs of excitement filling the air as she quickly unlocks her door and commits to celebrating their victory.
Once the door is open, she grabs Kuro by the collar and drags him inside the room. His laughter of surprise meets hers when he's shuffled into the apartment.
His back is pressed up against the wooden door of her bedroom. Her giggles echo in the quiet bedroom for a short moment. Her eyes burned with desire.
"Let's fix something really quick." She whispers to Kuro just before she slips her tongue into his mouth and locks the door behind them. She pulled away and her devious grin breaks across her pale face. Her finger trailing down his chest. Feeling his heartbeat accelerate under her touch. "Now… let's see what else we can do together…"