Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Mako Eyes ❯ A New Start ( Chapter 4 )

Screams of dying children... blistering heat... desperate attempts to escape, always failing... blood smearing the walls from scrapped fingers that tried to crawl up the walls, to escape...

 

She was flying across the land, her large body close to the ground, powerful wings beating against the wind. Before her, she could smell the scent of the terrified animal she was chasing. The scent exhilarated her, causing her to fly faster. The animal was below her and she swooped down upon it, feeling her claws sink into the soft flesh of her prey. She landed on the ground, the animal held down under her front claws. She sank her fangs into the neck of the animal, feeling its blood burst into her mouth, the taste rich and delicious...

 

Aneilla's eyes flew open and she sat up quickly. She found herself in a real bedroom for what was probably the first time in her life and she remembered the events that occurred the day before. She was in the tavern owned by Tifa, Seventh Heaven, safe from Shinra finding or hearing of her. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, wearing nothing but a tank top and shorts. Her bare feet touched the cold floor and she shivered slightly. She went to the bathroom and turned the water of the shower on. As the water heated up, she striped out of her clothing and then stepped into the shower, closing the curtain behind her.

 

Stepping under the warm torrent of water, she closed her eyes and lifted her face to the water, allowing it to wash over her body. Although she had showered the night before, she still felt like she was dirty from living on the streets and Aneilla wondered if she would ever feel completely clean. As she cleaned her body, she thought about the dream she had had.

 

The first part was the same nightmare that she always had; fighting to escape the fire. But the second part of the dream had been new. She remembered feeling like she was the creature, whatever it had been, that chased down the animal. She had smelt the scents and tasted the blood. It had been like she was the creature. Aneilla shuddered and finished up and turned off the water. It had only been a dream, nothing more. She forced herself to forget about it as she stepped out of the shower.

 

Wrapping her body with a towel, she stood in front of the mirror and wiped away the moister the steam left on the glassy surface. She looked at her reflection and noticed how thin her face was. I really need to fill up more, she thought. And get my body into shape. She tugged on her long hair, frowning slightly. Dead ends ran almost half way up each strand of hair. It all looked dead. Also, with her blue eyes and the long silver hair, she couldn't help but think that she looked a bit like Sephiroth. Shuddering again, Aneilla looked around until she found a pair of scissors and then returned to the mirror. Holding up a portion of her hair, she cut it until it was chin length. She continued to cut her hair, giving it messy, uneven layers until she was satisfied. She then took another towel and dried her hair. She returned to her room and dressed in the clothing Tifa let her borrow until she was able to buy new clothing. After cleaning up the bathroom, she headed downstairs.

 

She found Tifa with Marlene and Denzel at the bar. The two children were eating and Tifa was cleaning dishes. As Aneilla came downstairs, Tifa looked up at her and smiled, and didn't seem shocked about her change in appearance. “Good morning,” the young woman said. Marlene and Denzel looked up and the two of them blinked slightly at the sight of Aneilla, but neither of them said anything. Aneilla sat down on one of the stools at the bar and Tifa asked, “Would you like anything to eat?”

 

Aneilla looked up at Tifa and nodded. “Whatever you have will be great,” she said.

 

Tifa nodded and she went to the kitchen, soon returning with a plate that had scrambled egg, sausage links and toast. “I was going to save this for Cloud,” Tifa said, setting the plate in front of Aneilla, “but it looks like he'll be running late today. I'll just make more when he comes back.”

 

“Thanks,” Aneilla said, and then she began to eat. The food was delicious and she ended up having two helpings. She hadn't eaten like this for a long, long time. Once she was done, she pushed the plate aside and started to sip at the cup of coffee Tifa had set out for her. As she sat drinking her coffee, the sound of heavy boot steps sounded behind her and she turned her head slightly to see Barret walk in. The big man shook water off of him and stamped his boots on the door mat before entering the bar.

 

“Damn rain,” Barret grumbled. “Second day in a row now.”

 

“Good morning to you too, Barret,” Tifa said with a smile.

 

Barret chuckled and said, “Sorry, didn't mean to start grumbling first thing in the morning.” He then noticed Aneilla and gave her a nod in greeting. “Good morning to you, little lady. I see that you've changed your appearance.”

 

Aneilla just shrugged, running a hand through her hair. “Needed to get rid of the dead stuff,” she said.

 

Barret nodded and strode over to the bar, taking a seat and accepting the cup of black coffee Tifa offered him. Aneilla returned to her own cup and listened to Tifa and Barret talking about the weather when Cloud walked in from the back. The blonde was soaked, his hair dripping, and his eyes flashing with frustration.

 

“That's it!” he growled angrily. “I'm done for today! I'm not going to listen to people complaining that their packages are wet. Until this weather breaks, I'm taking a break.” With that, Cloud dropped into a seat with a squelching noise, and sat there with a sulking look on his face. Aneilla couldn't help but giggle, along with Denzel and Marlene. Tifa only smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she gave Cloud his coffee before going into the kitchen to make breakfast for the two men.

 

Aneilla finished her cup and stood up. She started walking around the bar, coming up the wall that was covered in pictures. They were of Cloud, Tifa and the others, all looking happy. They're like a family, she thought to herself, feeling envious. As she thought that, laughter behind her made her turn around to see Marlene playing with Cloud's wet hair, making it even spikier than normal. I'm just an outsider to this family, just like how I am to the world. Aneilla sighed softly and she took a seat at one of the booths near the large windows. She stared out at the rain, thoughts whirling around her head. She found herself wondering about her own mother, or if she even had one for that matter. I have to… I was born… And where were her mother, and her father? Were they around here in Midgar or far away from here? Were they even alive at all? So many questions and Aneilla didn't know if she would find the answers to them.

 

“You seem lost, little one.”

 

Aneilla turned to see Red standing next to her booth, long tail swaying. “I am lost, Nanaki,” she told him. “I don't who, or what, I am. I don't know where I belong… hell, I don't feel like I belong anywhere. I'm so different from other people, and the worst part, the creation of that monster Sephiroth led up to my creation, making me somewhat linked to him. And here I am, staying with the people who have a history with him. I've got so much going through my head right now, it hurts.”

 

Red didn't say anything while Aneilla ranted and when she finished, he looked at her and smiled. “Don't worry,” he told her. “We'll find out everything soon. And as for the Sephiroth part, don't worry… you aren't him and are nothing like him. These people will not judge you for what you are.”

 

“I just… I feel so alone.”

 

“Don't, because you have people who care about you… you will never be alone.”

 

*~*~*

 

During the next week, Aneilla began to settle in the new life that had been placed before her. She found herself relaxing around Tifa and the others and the usual activity around the bar. The first night she spent at the open bar, she was in a panic, afraid that someone would recognize her for what she was and drag her back to the Shinra Company. Once she realized that she was indeed safe, she started helping out during the bar's opening hours, serving drinks from behind the counter and taking orders. Eventually her helping became her job, which she didn't realize until Tifa offered her paycheck.

 

“Tifa, no, I can't take that,” Aneilla told Tifa. “You offering me a place to stay is well enough.”

 

“Which is why I took some for your bill,” Tifa said with a smile. “Now take the money and use it for yourself.”

 

“Tifa…”

 

“Take it, Aneilla, before I make you…”

 

Aneilla, not wanting to see how Tifa would make her, took the money with reluctance.

 

Aneilla couldn't help but enjoy her time living at Seventh Heaven. During the day, she would help clean up from the night before and, when Cloud wasn't doing deliveries or Vincent was around, she was training.

 

The first thing she learned was how to control her Black Magic. For this, Cloud had given her four small, marble sized glowing orbs. “These are called Materia,” Cloud told her. “You can use them to help control your magic. There are much larger sizes of Materia, but I figured that these would suffice for you.” Then he showed her how to channel her power through the orbs and use them to focus on her intended target. It took Aneilla awhile, but she was soon able to have control over her magic like she hadn't before. Yuffie had taken the Materia and made a bracelet; the four small orbs all connected by a silver chain between each of them. It clasped around Aneilla's wrist tight enough so she wouldn't have to worry about it falling off during combat.

 

Vincent taught her how to use a hand gun. “It's quite simple, really,” Vincent said. “Point and shoot.” He allowed Aneilla to practice shooting targets with his own weapon, Cerberus, and she discovered she had a knack with using the weapon. He also taught her other melee skills, like punches and kicks that would come in handy for close combat. Tifa had a hand in helping Aneilla at this as well. But when it came to whatever was inside of Aneilla and how to control it, no one could help her. Even Vincent was unable to help her, even though he knew what it was like to have some sort of monster inside of him. “Although I can control him,” he told Aneilla during one of their lessons, “I can feel Chaos inside of me, wanting to take over.”

 

Before Aneilla knew it, close to a month had already gone by. She was learning fast and starting to lose the thin look to her. Her body began to tone up with muscle and her hair, once dull, was now starting to get a soft sheen to it. The only thing that didn't change about her appearance was her eyes; they were still a bright blue with the soft glow of Mako to them. When looking at herself in a mirror one morning, Aneilla almost didn't recognize herself. I've changed so much since I first came here, she thought with slight amazement. And she knew that she had Cloud, Red and the others to thank for that.

 

*~*~*

 

“Aneilla?”

 

“Hmm…” Aneilla mumbled, looking up from the book she was reading. She had picked up a few books one time while she had gone out with Tifa. It allowed her to past the time more quickly and dive into another world where she didn't have to think about how different she was from other people, or have to worry about anyone discovering her.

 

She blinked with slight surprise to see Vincent walk into her room, carrying a dark wooden box with his human arm. “Vincent,” she said, marking her place in the book and setting it on her bedside table. She sat up, folding her legs to one side. “What is it?”

 

“I was hoping you were awake,” Vincent said, walking over to her bed, his long red cloak swaying slightly as he moved. He sat on the edge of her bed, turning towards her. “Wanted to give you this…” He set the box down in front of her.

 

Aneilla touched the top of the box lightly with her fingertips. She looked up at Vincent and asked, “What is it?”

 

“Open it up and find out.”

 

Aneilla turned the box around to flip up the latch and lift open the lid. She let out a soft gasp to what was inside.

 

It was a handgun, similar to Cerberus, only smaller and built more for a woman's use. It was holstered in deep red leather embroidered with silver. She carefully lifted it up and found it lighter than Vincent's gun, making it easier for her to wield. “Omigosh, Vincent…”

 

“Cloud and the others chipped in to get it for you,” Vincent said. “But they suggested that I bring it to you.”

 

Aneilla looked up at Vincent, raising her eyebrows. “Why…”

 

Vincent only shrugged and said, “Probably because I was the one that taught you.”

 

“Well, thank you, and I'll tell the others that as well.” Aneilla looked back at the weapon and sighed softly. “You've all been so good to me, and I'm grateful to it, but I don't really understand why…”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I know that every time Cloud looks at me, he can see Sephiroth. I don't mean to look like him, but I know that I do. I'm almost like a remnant to him, like Kadaj and his gang. I'm linked to the man that had caused all of you so much pain, and I feel guilty for that.”

 

“Don't,” Vincent said quietly. “You never asked to be born the way you did. And you are nothing like Sephiroth. You didn't allow your creation take over your actions. Sephiroth killed because he hated the world for what he was. Are you like that?”

 

Aneilla shook her head. “No, but I hate Shinra.” Her grip tightened on the gun. “I hate them so much, for what they did to me. If it hadn't been for them, I could have had a normal life; grown up happy, gone to school… live a normal life.”

 

“I know how you feel…” Vincent said. “I think of that sometimes, about how I would have lived if Hojo didn't do what he did to me…” Vincent shook his head and stood up. “But this was caused by my sins, and this is my punishment. It was me who made the choices that I did that led up to this point.”

 

“You didn't ask Hojo to put Chaos in you, just like how I didn't ask for him to put Jenova cells and Mako inside of me.” Aneilla rested her gun on the bed and stood up beside Vincent. She gingerly rested her hand on his human arm. “Our lives were both screwed up by a madman… If you say that it isn't my fault for the way I am, then it isn't your fault for the way you are.”

 

Vincent looked at her, crimson eyes looking into blue. “Aneilla…” Whatever Vincent was going to say was cut off by a crash downstairs followed by Marlene screaming. Aneilla grabbed her gun, pulling it out of its holster as Vincent drew out his. Leaving her gun's holster on the bed, Aneilla followed Vincent out of her room and down the hall.

 

Once they reached downstairs, they found themselves facing a woman with black hair pulled back with chopsticks holding it in place dressed in a kimono dress that ended at her knees. In each hand she held a katana, the sheaths stuck behind a red sash she wore around her waist. What startled Aneilla the most about this woman was her face. She seemed ageless, emotionless and had burnished silver eyes. As Vincent and Aneilla faced her, another person walked in; a large black man, seeming almost seven feet tall, carrying a rifle. Aneilla looked around and saw Tifa, holding Marlene close to her, both of them against the wall next to the bar.

 

“Who are you people?” Vincent asked coldly, aiming his gun at the woman.

 

“We're looking for Cloud Strife,” the woman said, her voice monotone. “Tell us where he is?”

 

“We don't know,” Tifa said, glaring at the two intruders.

 

“What do you want with Cloud?” Aneilla asked, standing alongside Vincent, holding her gun at ready.

 

“Tell us where he is,” the woman said again, this time pointing her sword at Tifa and Marlene.

 

“Leave them alone,” Cloud said, coming in from the back room, sword drawn out and held in front of him. Red XIII followed close behind, standing beside Aneilla, growling softly.

 

“Cloud!” Marlene cried out.

 

“Get out,” Cloud snarled, getting between the two girls and the woman.

 

“Now, now… no need to get angry…” a cool voice said from behind the man and woman. “I just need a few questions answered.” Aneilla watched as a young man, maybe a year older than herself, walk in from behind the two. He had porcelain skin, golden eyes and untidy, bronze-colored hair. But his eyes startled Aneilla, made her freeze up in her place. His eyes glowed softly with Mako light.

 

“My name is James,” the man introduced himself. “I am…”

 

“A Mako Eyed…” Aneilla finished for him in a soft voice.

 

AN: Epp! Sorry it took so long to post this next chapter ^^' I had a bit of writer's block… again… I know where I'm going with the story, it's just the fact of getting there… anyway, the next chapter won't take as long, so I should be able to update quicker than this time.

 

Thanks to all of you who've reviewed/commented thus far and have been so patient, this chapter was for you.