Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Children of Shin-ra ❯ The Shin-ra Riots ( Chapter 1 )

The Children of Shin-ra

Disclaimer : Just a quickie! Any cahracters from Final Fantasy 7 belong to Square and any OTHERS are MINE so DONT touch THEM. Cheers ^^.

Chapter 1 - The Shin-ra Riots

Rouge opened her sea blue eyes, as the dawn chorus of birds started up. Grabbing her face in her long, slender hands, she rolled over onto her side. She hated the morning. The birds and bright sunlight annoyed her. The way that she had no make-up on angered her. It was like this, on this particular morning, which had no real relevence at this moment.

The clatter of a tray fully woke her up. Her sister Blossom walked in, taking her usual light steps towards Rouge's bed. The only thing Rouge did like about mornings was the breakfast in bed. Blossom set down the tray on a table.

"Rise and shine." she said in her high, cheerful voice. Rouge yawned, sitting up in bed.

"Oh, hi Bloss." she replied, reaching over for the tray. Blossom moved towards the door.

"Bloss -" Rouge said quickly. Blossom turned, revealing her true emotion. Unlike the rest of her half siblings, she had bright emerald green eyes. Now, they showed deep sadness and pain, but not tears, although her face was red and sore like she had been crying. Rouge put out a comforting hand, and motioned for Blossom to sit on her bed. Blossom accepted, taking out a tissue from her pocket.

"What's the matter?" Rouge asked. Blossom took a deep breath.

"The doctors phoned earlier this morning. The boys were all involved in a riot. It was against - the Shin-ra. They were attacked by an angry mob - oh it sounded awful - they had knives, swords, even guns." She lowered her head.

"Where are they now? Did they escape?" Rouge asked in horror.

"They're all in hospital. Eddie has a broken arm, and they've plastered him up. Thomas escaped with only a few cuts and scratches - it seems that he had a gun with him for protection." Blossom explained. Rouge put her arm around her.

"What about - you know - James?"

Tears started falling freely down Blossom's face, and into her lap.

"He didn't - he wasn't so lucky. When they found him, the paramedics - he was having trouble breathing. They got him straight to the hospital, but - his - his - heart stopped. They did everything they could to revive him, materia and everything - but nothing worked. He - he was too far gone. It seemed hopeless, but then, a blinding white light filled the whole room. The doctors can't explain exactly what happened, but - when they checked him again, he had a pulse." she said, trying not to start sobbing. Rouge gave her a squeeze.

"But that's good isn't it? I mean - he's alive."

Blossom dabbed her eyes with the now sopping wet tissue.

"He's in a terrible condition. He has so many sword and knife wounds, and he was shot twice." she forced out the words.

"Where was he shot?" Rouge asked, sounding concerned.

"Just below his collar bone, left side. And - the other only just pierced his right lung."

Rouge nodded, not smiling.

"That would explain why he had trouble breathing." she said. Blossom blew her nose on a fresh tissue.

"I'm going to the hospital - I have to pick up Eddie and Thomas, they're being discharged. And -" she started. Rouge got out of bed, standing in front of her older sister.

"You're going to see James." she said softly. Blossom looked up, her eyes wide.

"I - I don't know whether I can." she whispered.

"What, the doctors won't let you?"

"No, I mean, it would be so hard to see him like that. They said - they said that he was on a life-support machine and everything, and he has so many stitches -" she broke off, bursting into tears. Rouge hugged her, stroking her silky blonde hair gently. She glared at the birds singing so merrily outside the window, despising them for being so joyful. She helped Blossom up, leading out of the room and down the stairs.

"Hey, it'll be alright. I'll come with you." she offered. Blossom nodded slowly.

"Thank you ...."

A young female nurse, pushing a food cart down the hospital hallway, stopped to look at the mysterious figure leaning against the wall. He was a young man, supposedly with blood from the west, with sharp black eyes and short black hair with bangs that hung either side of his narrow face. His emotionless gaze turned to the nurse, who smiled at him.

"Are you alright sir? Are you waiting for someone?" she inquired. The man's set expression didn't change.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I was involved in a fight last night and my sisters are collecting me here." he said. He had a deep voice, but he talked quickly with the accent of someone that came from the desert ; a witch, as they were commonly known, although they didn't do magick like ordinary witches. They were simply demons in a human form that had tanned skin and dark looks.

The nurse picked up on this.

"Errr, yes sir, that's fine." she said hurridly, jogging away with the cart. Most mortals were uneasy around witches. The man watched her until she had disappeared around a corner.

"Hmm, so she didn't recognise the infamous Thomas Shin-ra." he said under his breath.

"Thomas! Hey, THOMAS!!" Eddie came bounding up to him, a huge grin gracing his face as usual. Thomas nodded at his brother.

"It looks like you survived." he said. Eddie held up his plastered arm.

"Yup, lookee at my cast." he said proudly. Thomas smiled slightly.

"So, do you know how James is?"

"No, I don't. Holy cow, it was the most fright'nin' night of my life, last night. First, those angry guys were jus' shoutin' and tryin' to attack us three, and then we all got split up. Well, I'm jus' glad that you're ok Thomas." Eddie sat down heavily on a bench opposite Thomas.

"So, are the girls a' comin'?" he asked hopefully. Thomas nodded again.

"Yeah. I wonder if they know where James is .... or how he is." he said, staring at the door leading outside the hospital. Eddie's face fell.

"What if - y' know, he's - err, y' know." he realised suddenly. The two young men exchanged worried glances.

"Ya don't think ..." Eddie whispered. Thomas lowered his face.

"It is possible, I guess." he said. Eddie's mouth gaped open.

"No ... not James, not our regular ol' James ... not James ..." he started repeating to himself. The door swung open abruptly, revealing their two blonde sisters. Rouge clapped her hands together.

"Oh thank goodness! I'm so glad to see you two ok!" she exclaimed. Blossom forced a smile. Thomas noticed her bloodshot eyes. He swiftly pulled her aside, holding her firmly by her shoulders.

"Blossom, what is wrong?" he asked sternly. She looked up, into his handsome dark eyes.

"James - I - do you know?" she asked, her voice cracking at every word. Thomas shook his head. Blossom sniffed.

"Last night, when they found him - he was - dying. They got him here, but they couldn't save him. Then, when they knew that he was truely gone, this - this light shone, a blinding white light. After that, he - he was alive." she told him. Thomas gripped her slightly tighter.

"Have you told Rouge?"

She nodded. He quickly glanced at her, who seemed to be explaining to Eddie, but examining his cast at the same time.

"Is that all?" he asked her. She sighed.

"No - I didn't tell her - about the details."

Thomas led her to a nearby bench before letting her tell him.

"I just couldn't - but I can tell you because I - trust you." Blossom tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear, avoiding his eyes.

"Ok, I'll tell you outright. Because he had two gunshot wounds, they had to take out the bullets. He's allergic to anaesthetic, so - they couldn't give him that while they did it." She closed her eyes.

"He was awake through it. And to make it worse - because of his serious injuries being left open for a while - he may have an - infection. That would mean his staying in here - for a long time."

Thomas's eyes wandered over to the door that said 'Intensive Care' on it.

"But he'll be alright in the end, won't he? Think about it; he has a clear view of his future, unlike the rest of us. He'll become the president of Shin-ra when pa dies, and that will be that, even though he'd rather be a scientist. Pa is sure to get him the best treatment available, so he'll recover quickly." he said, trying to reassure his sister. She stood up suddenly.

"I'm going to see him now." she said, determination in her tone. Thomas followed her through the heavy swing doors to 'Intensive Care', where they saw many rooms for patients. They checked each one for his name, and even peered into some of them to make sure they had the right name. It was Blossom who finally found his room. She beckoned Thomas over, and they slowly opened the door.

James was lying in a white hospital bed, machines and monitors all around him. He had wires attached to his chest, and drips to his arms. His eyes were closed, and a new pair of glasses were sitting on a small table next to a glass of water (his old ones, it seemed, had been destroyed in the attack). Blossom gasped - she hadn't expected so much stuff to be in there. She moved towards his bed, kneeling down at his side when she had found a space to squeeze into. Thomas stood at the foot of the bed. Blossom reached over for one of James's hands. It was extremely hot. She could see the sweat beads lined up on his forehead.

"Great gods ..." Thomas murmured, observing the buzzing machines from a distance.

Suddenly, the door flew open, revealing an angry looking male nurse.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" he asked, his small eyes darting from one to the other. Thomas turned around slowly, his mouth in a slight pout.

"Excuse us, but we're relatives. His brother and sister, Thomas and Blossom Shin-ra." he said, his voice low and his accent stronger than ever. It always got very prominent whenever he was angry or annoyed. Blossom nodded.

"Yes, I heard the news this morning, and I was told that I could come and visit. Thomas here was in the hospital last night."

Thomas held up his left arm, showing two small stitches as he pulled down his jacket sleeve. The nurse folded his arms.

"Well, you should have told somebody that you was in here. But, I'll let you stay for now. You've got ten minutes." he told them, walking out. Thomas turned to Blossom.

"How odd ... only ten minutes? The visiting time in this place sucks." he commented. A stir of life from his brother's bed got his attention. Blossom gripped James's hand, as he awakened. He opened his eyes, showing them that deep, indigo colour that he had inherited after his mother. Blossom smiled, joyful tears forming in her eyes.

"James ..." she whispered softly. Thomas swiftly trotted over to the table, picking up the large, round glasses. He handed them to him.

"Here you are, bro."

James grogily sat up, slipping them on after he had rubbed his eyes.

"Huh ...?" was all he could say. Blossom gently stroked his hand.

"It's alright James, we're here with you." she said.

"Yeah, don't worry." said Thomas. James smiled weakly.

"I'm glad to see you both." he said, his voice hoarse. Blossom placed a delicate finger over his mouth.

"Shh, don't speak too much. We're - just so happy to see you ..." she trailed off. James coughed, putting his hand over his mouth, then lightly stroked Blossom's fingers.

"No, I'm alright. Well - ish. It still hurts in places, but I guess I'm just tired." he yawned quietly. Blossom stared at their touching hands.

"Oh ..." she breathed. Ruining the moment, Thomas almost accidently knocked over a flashing monitor.

"Crap!!" he shouted as he caught it, before it crashed to the floor. It made a strange beeping sound, then resumed it's normal mode.

"What is this?" Thomas asked, replacing it to its original position.

"My heart monitor." James said. All three looked at it for a while, in silent contemplation. Blossom stiffened at every gap in his heartbeat, fearing that it had stopped. It never did.

Thomas turned to his brother, his expression serious.

"So bro - what exactly happened last night?"

James straightened up, his back resting on his pillow.

"Which part?" he asked, groaning at the pain when he moved.

"Err, the part in the operating theatre - when, y'know, the light came ..."

James laughed.

"Oh that. No idea." he said light-heartedly, "But I sure am grateful for it. It saved my life."

Blossom chewed her lip.

"It sounds so strange ... but I remember once, when you were a kid, you fell out of that really tall tree, and I saw this flash of light ... and when the doctors examined you, you were fine." she said, more to herself than James. Thomas nodded.

"I remember - it must have been a twenty foot drop, but you had no broken bones or anything - just one stratch." he pointed to James neck. James rubbed the back of it, feeling for his scar.

"Yeah, all I got was this." he agreed. Blossom opened her mouth to speak, but the rude male nurse re-entered.

"Hey, time is up. Let him get some rest." he ordered, motioning to the door. Thomas patted James as gently as he could.

"Hey, see ya bro. May the gods look after you." he said, and walked to the door. He looked back at Blossom, then at the nurse.

"Get a move on, ma'am." the nurse growled. Thomas grabbed him by the collar.

"Hey, let them have just a minute alone. Alright?" Thomas growled directly into his face. The nurse gulped, and hurried out, Thomas following close behind him. James sighed.

"Blossom - I'm sorry." he said. She frowned.

"For what?"

"For all this trouble. I must look ridiculous here, bed ridden -"

Blossom shook her head violently.

"No no, you don't, don't ever say that. None of us think that, we were all worried sick about you." she gasped for breath. James reached out and caressed her cheek with one hand.

"When I was lying there, bleeding, breathless, with no hope left in the world, there was only one thought in my mind. It was -"

"No, don't say it." Blossom cut-in.

"- you." James finished. Blossom's large eyes over-shadowed.

"James, it's wrong. We're - half brother and sister. Just hold it in, there's gotta be someone else for -" she was cut off by his other hand touching her face. He cupped it in both hands, bringing it up close to his.

"Don't you see? You - the very thought of you - gives me the life I need to pull through. Like those times - when I fell out of the tree, last night - it was all you." His eyes turned softer as he spoke, showing extremely strong emotion. Blossom blushed, and looked down at his bare chest, that had a few wires attached to it here and there.

"As long as - it's like sibling stuff, not - oh, gotta go!" she realised the time. "That nurse is gonna be soooo mad."

James sighed again.

"If you must."

Blossom bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll be back tomorrow, and I'll bring some stuff for you." she said, waving good-bye to him. As she disappeared out of the door, James grabbed his forehead.

"Man, get it together." he told himself, "I must forget about it. Like she said, it's wrong."

"Yum, this sure is great food here, Blossy. Better than that ol' hospital food, right Thomas?" Eddie shoveled more food into his open mouth.

"It's such a shame that James isn't here." Rouge said sympathetically to Blossom. Blossom clenched her fist.

"What is this, the 'we think that James and Blossom can't live without each other' club?" she shouted angrily. Rouge lowered her face.

"Sorry, it's just that you and him have always been close -"

"WE ARE NOT CLOSE!!" screamed Blossom. She stormed away from the table, slamming the door to the stairs.

"What did you say?" Eddie said, sounding hurt. Rouge stared at the door.

"I dunno ... she's been acting weird ever since this morning." she commented. Thomas sniggered.

"Fools ... of course she's been acting weird. She's upset about us and James, about the riot and us winding up in hospital."

Rouge started playing mindlessy with her food.

"But it's true ... they are close." she murmured sadly.

"Yeah, but what really upset her, is what I wanna know." Eddie said, sounding as thoughtful as he could. Thomas pushed his chair back.

"Honestly you two, you're gonna drive me insane sooner or later. I'm not surprised Blossom went off like that, and I'm sure James is glad to be in that hospital and not here listening to your stupid drivel." He rose, stretching his arms.

"I think I'll join the sane ones and leave." he announced, heading for the front door. Eddie extended his arm out.

"Where are ya goin'?" he asked, gesturing with his hand. Thomas pulled on his leather jacket.

"To get some fresh air. Don't you worry your empty heads, I've got old Sita with me." He produced a shining silver gun barrel from his pocket. Rouge and Eddie stared at it.

"Where'd you get that?" Rouge breathed. Thomas put it carefully back.

"My mom's father. It was his - a family heirloom, but it still does the job well." he smiled as he thought back to the previous night. On that note, he left, closing the door behind him and disappearing into the misty night.

Blossom buried her face into her feather soft pillow.

"Why?" she asked it, in a mumble. She gripped the edges with her small, pale hands.

'But that's just it,' she thought, 'Rouge was right. Me and James are two birds of a feather, always sticking together. The scary thing is, that he - he takes things too far between us. He can't really have those kind of feelings - can he?' She released the pillow, and turned onto her back. She stared up at her ceiling.

'I wouldn't have suspected it. Never. It's all so ... unconcievable, yet possible. He had a bad childhood, and he's always been affected by it. Not really knowing his mother must have been tough on him - it's not like Dad ever understood him. I guess all he ever had was ... me ...' Her thoughts trailed off, as she realised. He did have strong feelings for her - respect, admiration - it could result in love. Blossom bolted upright. She had to find out.

Blossom watched the city of Midgar rush past her. The trains were all up and running again, even to the Shin-ra building. The various blooms that she had resting on her lap rustled in the breeze that flew in from the opened window. The pink flowers reminded her of her mother, Aeris Gainsborough. She never quite understood why her mother had disappeared all those years ago. Her father didn't care, because he had loved Aeris's sister, Morgana, more. Old memories flooded her mind, and almost made her miss her stop, the general hospital. As she made for the doors of the train, two men entered the cabin. The first one brushed past her, and mumbled a quick apology. His voice sounded familiar ... not exactly the same, but similar to someone close to her ... Blossom turned her head to look at the guy. He had very tanned skin and short, curly, dark brown hair. She didn't really catch his face, as the second guy blocked him out of view. His face she did see; although he was fairly young, he had a stern, thin face, and wore small spectacles. His face was framed with jet-black hair, and his skin was tanned too.

The men briskly walked to the far end of the cabin and sat down, huddled on the seats in their thick overcoats that concealed most of their features. Blossom was pushed out of the doors just before they closed, and turned away from the train. Ignoring suspisions about the men, she carried on towards the hospital.