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"Final Fantasy VII Lateral Biography: TURKS - The Kids Are Alright"

Ivette

Donator
Did I just readed "Perhaps the most dangerous is the woman who beat Fabio."? Omg.... Seriously guys, NEVER make Elena goes mad....
I know we already talked about this... but it´s really strange to me thinking about her like a really hitwoman! (:P) I guess Cloud must feel lucky getting out alive when she believed that he was the one who killed Tseng....
 

Pixel

The Pixie King
11. Failure


The last year of my teens. My first tackle ever was dodged with ease. The sheer force of it caused me to topple forward. I fell to the ground. I couldn't get my bearings. I finally stop. I search for Rude. He was looking down at me. He scratched his cheek with his black gloved hand. He approached slowly. Kyrie was scoping out the scene from the door behind me. I urged her to escape with my eyes. As she shook her head, she rushed out of the office, a three-legged chair in hand. She ran up to Rude with the chair above her head. The chair smashed across the back of Rude's head. There was a dull thud. She did it. But nothing happened. The skinhead was completely unfazed.

"Evan! Use that!"

Huh? Oh yeah. As I shoved my hand into the pocket of my jacket, there was the materia. I clasped the materia, and the power sprang forth. That's how it felt.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m not givin' you Kyrie."

"I don't want her."

Rude approached me. Just then, Kyrie moved. Jumping on his back, she put her right arm around Rude's neck. She wrapped both legs around his abdomen. Rude furrowed his brow. Way to go! It's working. Wow, Kyrie. Leave the rest to me. I quickly got up, grasped the materia, and thrust it at the enemy.

"Watch this, Turks!"

“Huh.”

Rude reacted to my voice. Did I surprise him?.

"Ugh."

Rude groaned. Kyrie's arm tightened around his throat. This was my chance. Still holding the materia, I pulled my arm back, and aimed a punch straight at my opponent’s nose. Rude stepped back. He dodged it. My fist had missed its mark. The force unbalanced me. I did a half spin. What a blunder. I was showing my back to the enemy.

"Ouch!"

Kyrie cried out. As I quickly turned around, Kyrie had fallen to the ground. She was writhing around, holding her ass. Kyrie was stabbed!?

"Kyrie!"

I slipped past Rude, and rushed to Kyrie, but he grabbed my wrist with his right hand. Intense pain. The materia fell to the ground.

"Let go!"

My wrist creaked as I thrashed around, trying to get loose.

"I'll break it if you move."

As Rude immobilized me with his left hand, he picked up the materia with his right, and shoved it in his pants pocket. Then, he went over to Kyrie. Prepared to lose my wrist, I shifted my weight backwards.

"Kyrie, go for it! Run!"

"Argh—"

Kyrie put pressure where she was stabbed, and stood up.

"What a drama queen."

Kyrie scowled at Rude.

"Kyrie, it’s okay! Just go!"

But Kyrie didn't move. She put her right hand behind her. Does she have some secret plan? I pulled back even more, trying to help her.

“Hi-yah!”

As Kyrie let out a strange sound, she thrust her right hand forward. The yellow materia hidden in her hand glowed.

"Don't make me laugh."

Rude muttered as he grabbed Kyrie's wrist and easily lifted her high off the ground. The materia fell to the ground, making a undramatic, dull sound as it landed. Kyrie's face twisted, and I felt my hand get jerked, hard.

"Pick it up."

"No—"

He twisted my wrist even more.

"I'll do the same to the girl, too."

I felt frustrated giving in to overwhelming violence. But, I can’t deny the fact that I felt a little relieved from being threatened. It’s pathetic, but I don’t deny it. I’ll remember this. Pitifully, I bent down and picked up the materia.

"Hold on to it."

Does this mean I’m harmless, even if I’m holding it. Materia don’t defeat enemies on their own. I’ll remember this too.

“Let's go.”

Rude started walking, while holding on to us. I noticed figures standing in a few windows. Seems like we had a big audience. My pitiful self was going to remain in the memories of the inhabitants of this area.

"Fucking stop."

Rude said. When I looked, Kyrie was digging her nails into Rude’s hand. That’s some fighting spirit. Then I recalled what needed to be done first.

"Rude, we need to treat Kyrie's wounds."

"You’re injured?"

"It hurts everywhere."

Kyrie protested.

"What about your ass? Weren’t you stabbed?"

"Who stabbed you?"

Rude said in a dumbfounded voice.

"It was you!"

"No, I—"

“This guy touched my ass. A grabber. That’s low!"

I was relieved. So she wasn't stabbed.

"I was protecting myself."

Rude was completely unfazed.

"You grabbed my ass! It wasn't by accident. You aimed, and grabbed. Disgusting! HEY, EEEVERYONE!"

"Be quiet."

"Let go, unless you want the whole world to know."

Kyrie spoke as if she was taking the opportunity to pressure him, but it didn't seem all that effective an attack, judging from Rude's reaction.

"I don’t care who knows what…" Rude said with disgust. "The price is your wrist bone. His? Or maybe yours.”

"Go ahead, if you can."

Kyrie. Wouldn’t this guy really do it? I gave Kyrie a warning glance, as she still seemed to want to say something.

"Rude, Kyrie won’t cause you anymore trouble, I'll behaving myself too. So please, let go."

Surprisingly, Rude loosened his grip.

"I have a gun. I have no intention of killing you, but I will shoot you in the leg if I have to."

Got it… I answered, and then looked at Kyrie. She seemed unsatisfied. Hey, seriously, let's drop it. We know the terror of the Turks. Kyrie even said she wasn’t able to decline, out of fear. So why…

"Did you take Aerith like this too?"

Aerith? I've never heard that name.

"Someone you know?"

"I guess—”

For a moment, silence followed. Finally, the sound of a horn punctured it, as it echoed through the slums.

"Come on."

Rude began to walk in the direction of Edge, and Kyrie followed. I followed after the two of them, a little ways behind. If she was to run away, now would be the chance. But that fighting spirit was gone from Kyrie. The sense of euphoria that controlled us just a few minutes ago in the office had gone away as well. That hug and kiss were just a momentary dream. It's gone now.
 

Pixel

The Pixie King
12. Unknown World


A dark blue pickup truck was waiting. It looked pretty old, but it seemed to be well maintained, and the paintwork hadn't faded either. In the driver's seat sat Reno, with the red hair. Kyrie sat in the middle holding her backpack, and Rude sat in the passenger seat. I was pushed into a narrow space behind the 3-person bench seat. The passenger side window worked as a backrest, and I stretched my legs to the driver's side. The back of Rude's head was right in front of me. He had a bump where Kyrie hit him with the chair. I thought it was funny, and it made me feel a little better.

"Well aren’t you late."

Reno started the engine. The bodywork creaked.

"I had a little trouble."

Rude responded.

"We won’t do anything. It’s just a drive. That’s all."

Reno sounded a little sad.

"Then tell us where we’re going"

The noise of the truck echoed in the night as we drove along the main avenue.

"Oh yeah, we didn't tell you, did we? We're goin’ to a place called Healin. Ya know, where your friend, Fabio went to steal."

Kyrie looked at Reno.

"Don't make that expression. You'll ruin that pretty face."

"Plannin' to do somethin' else, are we? Haven’t you done enough?”

"I won't. Fabio and Throp got their asses kicked, so we’re done."

“Scumbag.”

Kyrie blurted it out.

"Oh, hey bro"

Reno looked at me in the rear view mirror.

“Sorry 'bout before. I was sure you were Fabio.”

That's enough. I don't want to remember back then.

“But, I like that whole ‘I refuse to tell you my friend’s name’ thing. Even though you’re just a scaredy cat.”

The last part was a bit much.

“So, it was also the Turks who did that to Fabio?”

"Yeah. It was just a little misunderstanding. Elena, she's—"

Reno stopped talking. Before long, the truck started bouncing a lot. When I looked outside, wondering what was happening, the scenery had changed. The dwindling amount of light from the houses had altogether disappeared. We were out in the wastelands. A world of darkness without the headlights. There must be monsters, too. I straightened my posture.

“There are people in the Turks who just don’t change”

"How many people are in the Turks?"

"That's Shin-Ra Company's biggest secret. Can't say."

"So, there’s 3 people."

"Can't say."

"Bull's-eye."

"I'll leave it at that," Then, Reno turned around and looked at me. "So, Evan, what's your mother's name?"

The truck seemed to veer off. I wanted him to face the front, so I answered honestly.

"Annette Townshend."

That moment, Kyrie tried to look at me, but stopped. It was the first time I had mentioned my mother's name in front of her. I had told the guys that my parents had died. It wasn’t just that. I had spoken ill of my mother, that she was a horrible woman who abandoned her son. I thought that kind of a story would fit a guy who lived in the slums.

"Hey, can you look to the front? We’re swervin' quite a lot.”

"Oh." Reno turned back to the front. "Well, it’s not exactly a road, yo. Even if I go off a little, there’s no problem.” He said that, and righted the steering wheel.

"Hey, Rude, wake up.”

Rude got up, startled.

“I’m awake”

"Annette Townshend. Sounds legit, but double check."

Seems they're not letting the subject of my mother rest.

"Got it."

Rude took out his cellphone and started calling someone. It seemed whoever was on the other end answered straight away.

"It's me. About what we were talking about—" Rude started talking in a formal tone, and soon said my mother's name, then finished the call.

"What's goin' on?"

After asking, I realised. The Turks may have news about my mother. My expectation mixed with anxiety, and I lost my composure.

"It's nothin' bad, yo. It’s gonna take another 2 hours, so go ahead and sleep if you’re tired. Except Rude."

There’s nobody who could sleep in this kind of a situation. Other than Rude.

"Is that the purpose of this trip, to take Evan to Healin?"

It was Kyrie who broke the long silence.

"Guess so."

Reno answered.

"Is this about his mother?"

"That’s not entirely unrelated."

Kyrie shifted restlessly, turning all the way around in her seat to look at me. Her face was really close.

"Evan, I'm sorry. I thought I'd be taken to Shin-Ra on my own."

“I’m the one who got you involved.”

I didn’t know it. But, eventually, it comes to that.

"Well, not really."

Reno butted in.

"Face the front, girlie. I’ve got somethin' to tell you."

"Wait."

Kyrie held out her right hand to me.

"Evan, hold my hand. With both hands."

"Hey! Do that when you're alone! Want me to stop the car?"

I wrapped my hands around Kyrie's right hand, like she said. Kyrie's hand opened, and dropped something into my hands.

"Thank you. I'm calm now."

Kyrie gave a quick little nod, and faced the front. I took a peek at what Kyrie had passed to me, while the Turks had yet to notice. It was a children's pocket knife that fit in my palm. Perhaps she had given her concealed weapon to me because she knew it wasn’t her they were after.

"So, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

Kyrie demanded.

"Quit that lifestream readin' bullshit."

Reno warned.

"Back off."

"I can't do that." Reno looked at me in the mirror. "I can’t do that, now that I know you're Evan’s friend" —he said, emphasizing the word "friend.". For Reno and the Turks, Kyrie was treated as my "friend". She was someone to be protected. I was relieved. But at the same time, I felt lost. I had a feeling I was being alienated. It was only my situation that wasn't clear. I lowered my hat again, and hid my face. I was a small person who couldn’t just be happy about Kyrie’s safety. It had to have shown on my face.

"When you talk about readin' the lifestream, people who know about it think of the Ancients, right? Actually, there was a woman a while ago who was reported to have called herself an Ancient. We investigated her. Well, it was bogus anyway, so we left her alone.

The Ancients… What's that?

"Shin-Ra had a Science Department. There were research freaks and ambitious spirits in their ranks. To those people, the Ancients was a real juicy subject."

"I'm not an Ancient. So I’ve got nothing to do with this."

"Anyway, there were ones who we couldn’t find. No matter how much you say you’re different, or that you're a fake, those guys will still examine you. By the time they find out that you're a fake, missy, you’ll be full of holes.”

"—like Aerith?"

"—"

"What happened to Aerith?"

"—she died."

Reno answered, and everyone fell silent. The sound of the engine, and the tires hitting the ground filled the car. The Ancients. Aerith’s death. Aerith was Kyrie's friend or something, and an Ancient. The Ancients really were able to read the lifestream.

"What?"

I blurted out unintentionally. Reno and Kyrie looked at me.

"Memories of the dead, their knowledge, they merge with the lifestream. Is that true?"

"We have no way of checkin'. It’s the same either way—"

Reno said in monotone voice.

"The lifestream is the source of life that revolves around the planet. The life of the planet itself.”

Kyrie muttered. I've heard that before somewhere. Right. The mako reactor explosion. The Sector 7 collapse. It was the claim of the terrorists who plunged Midgar into fear. Mako is the planet’s life force. The planet will die if we keep using it. Wonder if it's true?

"Whether it has knowledge or intelligence, I don't know. But it has a will. That day, didn't you feel it?”

That terrible day, 2 years ago, when the mako, no, the lifestream surged. I shuddered, not knowing anything.

"That’s what I thought. The lifestream saved the planet from crisis. The will of the people who died obliterated Meteor."

I lifted the hat from my eyes, and looked out. The wasteland surrounded us, and the air inside the truck felt denser.

"Was Aerith a friend?"

Reno asked.

"Well…” Kyrie replied. "There's a crumbling church in the slums, where we played together. We did things like pretending to hold wedding ceremonies. Aerith was always in the church, taking care of the flowers on her own. Sometimes we talked about it. One day, Aerith told me to go home quickly. I thought she was being mean, because I stepped on her flowers."

"Oh, the flowers. She was pretty fussy about those flowers."

"When I got home in a bad mood, my parent's bodies were being carried to the house."

"That’s—"

"I heard it from my grandmother. About the lifestream and the Ancients. I thought it was just a fairytale at the time, but after that— I figured Aerith was an ancient."

"When was this?"

"When I was 10. I think Aerith was a little older. Hey, what do you think I said when I met Aerith after that?"

"I dunno."

"I said 'you creep me out.'"

Kyrie pulled her legs up onto the seat, held her knees, and buried her face.

“Oh”

"I stopped going to the church. Then, after a few years had passed… a bit after the Sector 7 collapse. I decided to get flowers for those who had died. It was then that I heard that Aerith had been taken by the Turks."

"Hey, girlie. Let's talk about somethin’ else, okay?"

"Evan, are you listening?"

"Yeah."

“A year ago. When we had no customers at all. Leslie said that we should just give up, but because I was against that, I brought up the thing about the lifestream. Then we ended up succeeding…”

"That's right."

"When I’m alone at night, I remember what Aerith said to me. Even now.”

"Yeah."

"Hey, Evan. Maybe it’s time to call it quits."

"Yeah, sure. I don't think Leslie and the others would disagree."

"Breakin' up, huh?"

"How many people were there? Let’s all go to the square together. Let’s build a monument, a memorial monument."

"But, Evan. Let’s just finish doing our job for Mr. Arde, okay?"

"I thought you were gonna ignore it."

"Oh, yeah."

Seeming like she remembered something, Kyrie began rummaging through her backpack. Then…

"Look at this photo. Front row, on the right."

“Huh? Gettin’ down to work already?”

Reno stared at the photo in front of him. His gaze had completely deviated from the direction we were headed in.

"Gould Arde. A member of Soldier, he said."

"Even if he was in Soldier, that’s a second class uniform, right? I didn’t know the seconds—Huh? Hey, Rude, take a look at this photo?"

Kyrie shoved the photo in front of Rude, sitting in the passenger seat. There was no reaction. It seemed like he was asleep. As Kyrie tapped him on the shoulder, he stirred, and after a short silence, he spoke.

"That’s— Nibelheim."

"Nibelheim—"

Kyrie repeated it, and showed me the picture over her shoulder. I took it and looked it over again.

"Nibelheim?"

I tried saying it myself, too.

"Yeah!" Reno agreed. "When was the photo taken?"

"Sometime between the Sector 7 collapse, and the night Meteor was destroyed."

Without much determination or resolution, I murmured.

"Really? Did Mr. Arde say that?

"—Yeah."

Arde hadn’t said anything
 

Ivette

Donator
One more time, I wish I could help you! Q_Q Maybe Hito would lend you a hand, I bet you two would work very well together! :)

By the way, I love this chapter, it´s wonderful read more about Reno and Rude... and the best is yet to come!

To be honest, at some points is a little complicated to me know who is the one who is talking, there are parts in this chapter where I think that is a "Kyrie- Reno conversation" (Rude barely speaks... and the same goes for Evan hahaha) but it´s a little complicated... would you mind put in parenthesis who say what in this kind of conversations?

For example:

「ライフストリームを読むなんて言ったら、知ってる奴は古代種だと考える。だろ? 実際、ちょっと前に、古代種を名乗る女がいるって報告があってよ。姉ちゃんのこと調べたんだ。ま、どうせインチキだし、どうにでもなれと思ったからほっといた けどな」
"When you say you read the lifestream, you think it's the Ancients, right? Actually, there was a woman a while ago, who was reported to be an Ancient. We were investigating her. Well, it was bogus anyway, so we left her alone (Reno)

古代種――何の話だ?
The Ancients - What's the story? (Kyrie)

「神羅には科学部門ってのがあった。メンバーの中には研究バカや野心の塊みたいなのもいてよ、古代種ってのは、奴らにしてみれば生唾もんの研究対象だ」
"It was in Shin-ra's Science Department. Research during the...... as for the Ancients, (Reno)

「わたしは古代種じゃないもの。関係ない」
"I'm not an Ancient. Doesn't matter." (Kyrie)

「でな、居場所がわかんねえ奴もいるのよ。いくらあんたが、わたしは違うの、偽者なのって言ったって、奴らは調べるだろうよ。どんなことされるかわかったもんじゃねぇ。偽 者だってわかる頃には姉ちゃん、ぼろぼろにされるぞ」
"So, ........., even if you say you're a fake, the guys will examine you. If it turns out that you're a fake, it will fall apart. (Reno)

「――エアリスみたいに?」
"...like Aerith?" (Kyrie)

「――」
"..." (Rude)

「エアリスはどうなったの?」
"What happened to Aerith?" (Kyrie)

「――死んだ」
"... she died." (Reno)

At least, I understand it in this way! In this concrete part I think is "easy" know who is speaking, but there are times when I get confuse, sorry! ^^UU

Thank you so, sooo much Pixel!!
 

Pixel

The Pixie King
13. Annette Townshend


Annette Townshend. It was the first time Rufus Shinra had heard that name. Reno was bringing her son with him. Moreover, it seemed they would be arriving soon.

"According to our records, about 20 years ago, she was working in a secretarial position. It is only known that she retired for personal reasons."

Tseng reported with a serious expression.

"Another secretary?"

"Yes. The retirement fund paid to her was approximately 10 times the standard.”

"Was that normal practice?"

"No, sir, others would receive double at most."

"Seems she was special, this woman."

Rufus thought about his late father. The man only showed affection with money or objects. In other words, it was believed that Annette Townsend had received more affection than other women. What did Annette give to his father in return. It was a no brainer. It was in exchange for me.

"Yes, but she refused to accept the money."

Listening to the report from Tseng, Rufus smiled wryly. She hated his father too.

"Her son is 19 years old."

"Evan Townshend. According to Reno, he runs a detective agency with his friends, based in the slums. It’s not just any detective work, it’s with a girl who claims that she can read the lifestream— which is, of course, a lie— but they seem to be doing pretty well."

Tseng's eyebrow rose slightly.

"Something seems strange."

"They have business acumen."

"Isn’t this fraud."

"Certainly, it is risky."

"Hmm. It’s funny that both brothers would be relying on the Ancients."

"They'll be arriving soon."

Tseng changed the subject. The chain of events surrounding the Ancients doesn't elicit fond memories for those involved.

"What happens after I meet them?"

"Well— Reno will be satisfied, at least."

"…Then, let’s meet them, shall we?"
 

Ivette

Donator
I'm so excited about what is about to come (+Say "about" again -About! hahaha ^^U)
When I knew that Lazard was a half-brother of Rufus, I though to myself "Well, that´s kinda cool: Rufus has a big brother!" it was funny see how both of them hate their father and help the enemies of Shinra (Hollander and AVALANCHE of Before Crisis) to eliminate him.
But when I readed the GREAT summary of Hito and find out that Evan was the little brother of Rufus I though "Two is company and three is a crowd" (actually, that was one of the biggest "facepalm" of my life! hahaha)... but now I´m really glad they introduce him to us, is the complete opposite of Rufus and Lazard!
He didn't had and easy life, neither a high position... Is like the other side of the coin (even know that Lazard started like him.... that´s why I think he will have a great future :P)
Waiting for more! THANK YOU PIXEL!
 

Rydeen

In-KWEH-dible
Not knowing who is talking is driving me nuts. Japanese literature doesn't use many speech tags, I take it? Because speech patterns are more individualistic (and gendered) in Japanese than in English.

I'm definitely appreciating your efforts. This is never going to get translated into English unless someone in the English speaking fan community does it.
 

Pixel

The Pixie King
Well in the case of Rufus and Tseng, Im going to add some "sir's" where needed. I guess Im concentrating on it alot more than most since Im going through it over and over, so I work out who's speaking.

I'll sort out a whole load of this over the next few weeks, since I'll have a whole load of time free.
 

Ivette

Donator
You know what would be awesome? That Square Enix releases these novel as "Audio book" (just as you do with the OTWTS guys! ;) )
I would love to hear Keiji Fujiwara, Taiten Kusunoki, Junichi Suwabe, Tōru Ōkawa, Megumi Toyoguchi.... I think you get the point! :P With that, know who is talking would be so much easier! ^_^
Also, hearing the voice of Evan, Kyrie, Fabio etc would be magic... as a CD Drama! hahaha
I personally think that Tomokazu Sugita would be a GREAT-SUPER-SPECIAL-AWESOME Evan´s voice! I don´t know, it could be a "rude" voice, but "navy" at the same time... and he has a lot of experience playing the role of teenagers that narrate their lives (as Kyon in Haruhi Suzumiya, Hideki Motosuwa in Chobits, etc!).... just as Evan!
Finally, I think his voice is in the line of Junpei Morita (Lazard´s voice) and Tōru Ōkawa (Rufu´s voice) :D
 

Ivette

Donator
For the love of Gaia! I didn´t see this before! Omg, is amazing! Once again, I wish I could help you with the cast, but even if I would like to be a voice actress here in Spain (I´m on my way! :P) I don´t know if my accent would be good... hahaha ^^U

By the way, I like all the voices that I heard in the chapter! Great job Pixel!!
Since I started to read this english translations I allways heard in my head the voice of Chad Michael Murray as Evan (watch this vídeo and you will understand everything http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6heaoBQN97E *_*)
 

Pixel

The Pixie King
14. My World Is Changing Again


Reno stopped the truck. As I looked outside, I could see the shadow cast by what appeared to be rocky mountains ahead of us.

"We're here, yo. We’ll get out here. It’s already midnight. A lot of the patients are sleeping, so shhhh.”

It seemed he meant for us to walk from here, so we could preserve the silence of the night. I got out of the truck and had a good old stretch. My whole body was stiff.

"It's kinda cold, huh?"

Kyrie said, as she stretched the same way. She must be so cold with those bare arms. I took off my jacket, and held it out to Kyrie.

"Thanks, but I'm good."

"Don’t worry about it."

"That jacket's your protection, isn’t it? Keep it on."

Kyrie saw right through me. I nodded, and put the jacket back on.

"Let's go."

Reno started walking, and Kyrie and I followed. Rude casually moved so that he was bringing up the rear. A belch came out after less than ten steps. Then, after that, once every three steps. I tried to suppress it in my mouth, so that they wouldn’t notice. Kyrie came around to my left side and clung to my arm.

"This is scary."

*Burp*. Kyrie laughed slightly. We were walking along what looked like the front yard of a resort. The ground was covered with grass. It had a fresh feeling.

"We’re going that way, yo."

Where Reno had pointed to was a conspicuously high ledge with a lodge atop it. A wooden stairway lead up to it from below.

"Put your hands up."

Reno stopped and said.

"Why?"

"Security check."

Before I even raised my arms, Reno started searching me by patting me down. Then he found the folding knife in my jeans pocket. It was the one I got from Kyrie back in the truck. Reno compared me with the knife…

"This proves that I trust you."

Saying that, he put the knife back in my pocket.

"How are things over there?"

Rude was standing with his arms folded in front of Kyrie, who had raised her arms.

"Go ahead."

Kyrie took one step forward.

"No, it's ok."

"But, I might be hiding some awesome weapon…?"

Kyrie was back to normal. No. Perhaps, she was acting cheerful because she knew I was nervous.

"You’re right. You might try somethin', girlie. Wait here."

Reno said. I felt hurt, inside. They should be careful of Kyrie, and not me.

“Well then, wanna get goin'?”

Reno started climbing the stairs.

"Ouch!"

When I looked back, Kyrie thrashed around as Rude held her by the arm. She must have been trying to follow me.

"Kyrie, it's okay. Both Reno and Rude are our friends."

"I'm glad, yo."

If that were actually true, it would probably be a good thing.

"Hey, Evan," Reno said, as he was about to reach the top of the stairs. "About your mother— did they find her body?"

"No."

"Then don’t say that she's dead. Hell, you should believe that she’s still alive."

"It's been 2 years. If she were alive, she’d say somethin'."

"I’m not tryin' to be logical, Evan."

I remembered what I thought on the drive here. I had a feeling that maybe the Turks had secretly found my mother, and were going to reunite us. But it looked like I was wrong. I felt disappointed, but relieved. And anxious. What was Reno trying to accomplish? What was in that lodge? Who was there?

"You should take off the hat for now. Well, not that he’s someone who would care, though."


* *


"It's me. I've brought him, yo."

Reno's voice could be heard.

"That was quick."

Tseng said as he opened the door.

"Well. This is their dramatic first encounter."

Rufus had a wry smile. It wasn't his first time meeting a half-brother. There was no excitement, nor joy. Hostility, fear, hope. One of those would be visible in the eyes of his opponent.

"Hey, President, doin’ good, eh?"

"Indeed, but it's almost time for bed. Nights are short here."

"Yeah, yeah. So, you've heard the basics about Evan, right? Or, if that's none of my business, then we’ll leave it at that."

"Yes, let’s leave it at that."

"Mr. President!"

As Tseng called out, a young man entered the room. He thought it annoying, but being faced with this person, Rufus couldn't help but look him over. He was clasping his hat tightly with both hands. He seemed nervous. His hair colour was the same. His eyes— he inherited his Father's eyes. Even his eyebrows. While he himself looked more like his mother, Evan had his father's features. Overall, they were pretty similar. Different mothers, same father, if there was consistency in his taste in women, Rufus was convinced it was inevitable.

"Mr. President, this is Evan Townshend." After Reno announced this proudly, he frowned dramatically and said,. "This is the President, Evan" and introduced Rufus. Evan’s eyes grew wide. It seemed he had been informed of nothing. Rufus decided he would go along with his subordinates’ secret plans this time.

"The President, as in— Rufus Shinra?"

Evan asked Reno.

"Indeed. You can call me the 'Idiot President'."

Responding to the question, Rufus answered.

"You're alive—"

He directed it at Reno, again.

“The one who died was my substitute. You’re one of the candidates too, and— from the looks of it, I’d say you pass.”

As Rufus answered, Evan partially opened his mouth and looked at Reno, Rufus and Tseng, one by one. Tseng had his head down, trying to suppress his laughter.


* *


A candidate to stand in for Rufus Shinra?

"You’re kiddin’, right?"

Reno said, as he burst out in laughter. But I didn't understand what the joke was.

"Eyes and eyebrows. Height. I was shocked when I first saw you."

"—I was brought here because we look similar?"

"Well, it would be interesting even if it was just that, but I just thought that perhaps—"

"Evan. You are the President's younger brother. Well, half-brother.”

The long-haired man who ushered me in said. This guy was probably a Turk too. No, he definitely is, I'd say. Reno doesn't try to hide it, and Rude sometimes doesn't even seem human. Of course, he didn’t seem like the type to make jokes, either. If so, had that guy been telling the truth just now? That I was Rufus Shinra’s younger brother, and thus the son of the founder of the Shin-Ra Company. But—

"But, my father—"


* *


Rufus thought, while waiting for him to continue. So, what will our dear Evan do? Would he demand the amount he is entitled to? Or would he, perhaps, start telling some sob story?

"But, my father died in the war."

"You can keep believing that. A few years ago might have been different, but the Shinra name isn’t of much use now. Though, it seems there is no doubt that we are related. How is your mother?"

"She seems to be missing—"

Reno responded instead of Evan. Evan was fighting back a belch. This probably felt like his entire world had come crashing down. That’s no surprise, thought Rufus. Now, Evan. Calm down and think. What is it you want?

"President! Evan! Be a little more happy. This is a reunion for two separated brothers!”

Evan glared at Reno, and then turned back to Rufus.

"What do you want?"

Evan mustered up the courage and said this. I see, we really are related by blood, thought Rufus. He suppressed it at first, but immediately laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?"

"Blood bonds really are something, Evan."

He managed to say that much, and then started laughing again. It had been a long time since he last laughed out loud. He realized Reno and Tseng were staring at him with wonder. The awkward expressions of his subordinates, caused even more laughter to erupt from his stomach. It was the echoing sound of an explosion coming from the woods behind them that put a stop to Rufus' laughter.
 

Pixel

The Pixie King
15. Bad Timing


When Elene entered the meeting room, she approached Throp, still tied up to the chair. He seemed to have tried to escape. The chair had moved close to the entrance.

"Are you seriously trying to escape in that chair? Why don’t you do a little more thinking?"

"I-I need the toilet."

"Deal with it. You'll be released soon. When Reno gets here, he'll take you back in the truck. But it might be full, so you’ll have to ride in the back. I really don't like it."

As Elena announced this in annoyance, Throp looked visibly relieved.

"I'm sorry."

"The next project looks fun, so it’s all good. You’re nothing but a small fry."

"What's next? I’ll help."

Looking at Throp getting carried away, Elena felt like being mischievous.

"That was a lie. Actually—"

Elena's words were drowned out by an explosion. The logs in the wall blew apart, and large pieces of debris were sent flying. One of them hit Throp in the head, knocking him over, along with the chairs. Elena was thrown across the room by the blast, banging her head hard against the wall. As she drifted in and out of consciousness, Elena watched the men entering through the hole left in the wall. She recognised one of them, a man with an limp. Short and stocky, glasses, green shirt and pants.


* *


Responding to the sound of the explosion, Tseng went outside. Reno wanted to follow, but eyed Rufus and I.

"Go."

Rufus gave the order. I was going to follow Reno too. I wanted to leave as soon as possible. But it was as if my feet were stuck to the floor, and I couldn't move.

"The sound of an explosion— It's been a while since I last heard that."

Rufus was irritatingly calm. As for myself, my foot, which wouldn't move, had begun to shake.

"Evan!"

I heard Kyrie's voice in the distance.

"Evan!"

Her voice got closer.

"A woman? Don’t let her see you being so pitiful.”

Rufus approached in his wheelchair, and kicked me with his right leg. It was a pretty weak kick, but it was enough to release me from my miserable state of shock.

"Kyrie!"

I ran to the door, and went outside.

"Evan, are you alright?"

Kyrie ran up the stairs and wrapped her arms around me. I winced at the amount of information conveyed through that full-on hug.

"Yeah"

I just stood there and accepted it.

"The Idiot President!? Seriously?"

Kyrie noticed Rufus in the lodge, and let go of me. As I looked outside, Tseng gave orders to Reno and Rude, and started running toward the edge of the resort. Rude concerned himself with the entrance of the resort. Others came out of their lodges and looked around as well.

"EVERYONE, GET IN YOUR HOUSES!" Reno shouted instructions in a loud voice, then looked back at me. "I'll leave the President to you!" he shouted.

"Is that Geostigma?"

I heard Kyrie's voice behind me. When I looked back, she was kneeling in front of Rufus, looking up at the opponent with an anxious expression. Her right hand was placed on Rufus' knee. I don't like this. What are you doing, Kyrie?

"Does it hurt?"

"Sometimes."

Rufus looked back at Kyrie and answered.

"That's your punishment for everything up until now."

I said from the side.

"Evan, would you say that to Vits, too?"

Kyrie scowled. I saw Rufus laughing scornfully. Pathetic. I heard the sound of an engine from outside. When I looked out, thinking we had been saved, I saw a sedan type car drive recklessly into the yard. The rear wheel scraped out the grass as the car swung around, and eventually stopped. The engine was still running. The car looked familiar. It was the one parked in the courtyard in Doyle village. I saw Reno and Rude split up, and circle their way toward the car.

"Kyrie, this is serious."

The rear window of the car opened, and there were two flashes. Just then, sharp, loud bangs rang out. It was the sound of gunfire. Reno hid himself in behind a tree. Rude did the same.

"I've gonna get Throp!"

I recognised that voice.

"Kyrie, it's Fabio."

"No way!"

Kyrie said, right next to me. Soon, the rear door opened, and Fabio got out. His body seemed to still hurt, because he was limping. He fired three shots in succession toward the tree Reno was hiding behind.

"It was wrong to steal the medicine. But I paid the price for it. We'll take Throp and leave. We're even. Okay?"

His voice was slightly husky. Rude started quietly approaching Fabio from behind.

"Fabio, behind you!"

Another voice. It was the voice of the Mayor. Fabio looked back, and shot one bullet, but Rude continued walking calmly.

"I'll shoot!"

Fabio aimed the gun.

"Sure."

As Rude responded, Reno started walking out from the cover of the tree. Fabio hesitantly aimed at Rude, and pulled the trigger. A faint metallic click could be heard. He was out of bullets. Fabio's panic was clear to see.

"FABIO, RUN!"

Kyrie screamed in my ear. Fabio looked up at us, and his face twisted with surprised.

"Get back in the car, Fabio!"

The Mayor shouted. Fabio was still looking at us.

"We're alright here!"

Kyrie continued. Fabio took a step toward us, but noticed that Reno had gotten quite close, and got back in the car. As he slammed the door closed, the engine revved up and spluttered to a halt. Reno and Rude approached the car from the front and rear. They had rod-like weapons in their hands. Their vain attempts to start the engine echoed throughout the resort.

"Evan, we have to do something."

"Yeah."

But what can we do? Reno reached the car, and hit the windshield with with an expert swing of his weapon. There was a muffled sound as the glass broke and shattered.

"Come out with your hands up."

Following the command, familiar faces appeared from the car, one after the other. Fabio, the Mayor, Keough, and then finally an unfamiliar face… I guess that was Throp.

"On your knees. Keep your hands up."

Rude said. All of them did as he said, but Fabio bent his knees, and just fell to the ground. Looks like he overdid it.

"What should we do, Evan?"

I took a look outside, then looked back inside the lodge, searching for something I could do. Rufus looked down, laughing slightly. He didn't seem fazed at all. It makes me wonder what kind of life this guy has had.

"Rufus, please, do something. This would all be over if you just give an order, right?"

Kyrie pleaded with Rufus, with her hands on his arm.

"Rufus, sir!"

Kyrie didn't even look toward me anymore.

"Evan will do something." Rufus looked at me and said. "There aren't many options left, but it’s your turn to shine." He turned his wheelchair, and moved slowly toward the door at the back. How could he leave himself so defenseless. If I attack now—

"There's only one choice."

I muttered as I went after Rufus, and pulled the wheelchair back. I turned him around, and pushed him out the door.

"RENO, RUDE, OVER HERE!"

I shouted out, but as I felt everyone's eyes on me, I faltered. However, it was too late to back out now. “IF YOU VALUE THE PRESIDENT’S LIFE,” Did they value it? “MOVE AWAY FROM THE CAR!”

"Give me a break."

Reno shook his head, and started making his way up the stairs.

"RUDE, GET AWAY FROM FABIO!"

Reno all the while got closer and closer.

"STOP!"

Reno followed my order obediently. I imagined his eyes burning with anger, but the Turk's eyes just looked sad. To my surprise, my heart ached, but this was the only way. I put my hand in my pocket, took out the knife Kyrie gave me, and pulled out the blade. It was a pretty puny blade, but it could cut through a human’s neck.

"Don't act like an idiot—"

I ignored him, and calmly brought the knife close to Rufus Shinra's neck. A chill ran through my whole body, and a belch came out. I took a deep breath, and shouted outside.

"MAYOR! THERE’S A TRUCK PARKED JUST OUTSIDE THE RESORT! IT’S A SHIN-RA TRUCK! BRING IT HERE!"

"OKAY!"

The Mayor seemed to understand that the tables had been turned, as he shouted back in a firm voice, then ran off.

"Reno. Go check the state of the lab with Rude. Tell Tseng not to intervene."

Rufus suddenly gave orders.

"Seriously!?"

"I value my life."

Reno reluctantly went down the stairs, looking back many times.

"Your name was Kyrie, right?"

Rufus asked, keeping an eye on the yard.

"Kyrie Canaan."

Kyrie answered, looking confused.

"There's a gun in the pocket of my gown. Take it."

She looked at Rufus in surprise. He placed both hands on his stomach, and gently crossed his fingers. If he stretched out his hand, it would reach the pocket. That meant I could have been killed. As if also realizing that, Kyrie quickly took out the gun.

"There are a few boxes of ammo in the back room. Take those too."

Kyrie nodded to me, and went into the back room.

"Why?"

I asked inadvertently.

"You’re going back, right? There are quite a few of monsters in the wasteland. That knife won't be much help."

"That’s not what I meant."

"I’ll let you take credit for this, but that’s all. I won’t hold back if there’s a next time. Even if we are related by blood…"

"Found them!"

Just as Kyrie came back, the sound of an engine rang loudly through the yard.

"Now, get going."

"—Get well soon."

Said Kyrie, who seemed to be searching for the right words. Then, she whispered to me saying, “Evan, let’s go,” and quickly exited the lodge. I had to say something too. The right words. I had to say something about our relationship, as well as something along the lines of a farewell.

"I don't envy you."

As I thought about how childish it was of me to say that, I waited for Rufus' reaction.

"I figured."

Rufus said without batting an eyelid.

"EVAN, EVERYONE’S WAITING!"

Kyrie called from the middle of the stairs. I returned the wheelchair to the middle of the room, and folded the blade of the knife, placing it on Rufus' lap.

"That's for the gun."


* *


Rufus played with the knife as Evan left the Lodge. It was a small utility knife, which a child would use. The first knife Rufus held in his hand was a sample, left over from when he chose the supplies for the army. The blade was about 20 centimetres long. He tried to imagine living a life like Evan and Kyrie, but as expected, he wasn't able to.
 

Pixel

The Pixie King
16. A Miserable Feeling


The truck continued toward Edge without encountering a single monster. Inside the car was the Mayor, who volunteered to drive; Fabio, whose whole body ached; Throp, who moaned that he had been deafened by the explosion; and Keough, the bomb maker. Kyrie and I snuggled up like winter doves on the windswept bed at the back. The wasteland, illuminated by the moonlight, drifted by to the left and right of us, as we sat there. Since the truck would bounce along the uneven ground, I exercised due vigilance so as not to be thrown off.

"Do you know how to use this?"

Kyrie showed me the gun, which she had apparently been holding the whole time.

"I don't know about this type."

Needless to say, I didn't know how to use any type of gun. And the stupid lies keep piling up.

"Hey, what did you talk about with the President?"

I didn't even know how to explain it. According to what Reno had expected, it was supposed to be the touching reunion of two half-brothers. There was nothing emotional about it. All there had been was confusion. And a sense of inferiority. Compared to Rufus Shinra, I was pretty mediocre. And even as I knew I was no match for him, I still put on the bravado. It was the kind of incident that would cause me to scratch my head in embarrassment for the rest of my life, whenever I would think back to it.

"It seemed he wanted me to be his stand-in, because we look alike. Of course, I refused."

Let's just keep it at that. It shouldn't be a problem.

"Well you do look pretty similar— but I think they were messing with you."

"Jeez"

"Think they’ll come after us? There was what you did to their President, as well as the fact that Fabio and the others blew up one of their buildings, right?"

"They won’t come."

I was reassured, remembering Rufus' parting words.

"But he may change his mind."

"Well, I guess nothin's for certain in this world."

"Quit trying to be cool."

“I didn’t mean it like that— Frankly, we’re nothing to Shinra. To them, we’re nothin' but small fries.”

"Well that’s kind of irritating, too."

"We live in a different world."

When I thought of it that way, it felt as if the sense of inferiority I experienced standing in front of Rufus became somewhat irrelevant.

"But, Rufus Shinra sure was impressive. I can't call him Idiot President anymore."

"Yeah, I can't win against him"

"Yeah, he seems really sharp, and quite bold for how calm and collected he is. He’s got good looks and, above all, a big heart. He’s kind of like the ideal man."

While it had been me who said that I couldn’t win against him, the way Kyrie cemented it was rather irritating. Unfortunately, my heart isn't that big.

"Then, why don’t you go back?"

I was aware that the damage was already done. So I couldn't bring myself to look Kyrie in the face.

"I give up. Why'd it turn into this?"

Kyrie stood up slowly. She supported herself against the cabin, and aimed the gun toward the rear.

"Kyrie?”

“Evan, you idiot”

A flash appeared out of Kyrie's hands, followed by a sharp bang. Then, the truck bounced heavily. Kyrie let out a short yelp as she lost her balance, almost falling off the truck bed. I stretched out my right hand quicker than even I expected, catching Kyrie's arm and pulling her back. Kyrie fell hard into me as I sat there. I thought that was the end of it. But then, the truck bounced once more. Kyrie's feet left the truck bed, and she completely fell on top of me, like a pile of bricks. Unable to fully support Kyrie, I toppled backward. A shock spread across the back of my head. I guess you really do see sparks flying. For some reason, the smell of gunpowder drifted into the back of my nose. And everything went dark.


* *


"This kid said there’s something wrong with his head, too. Mom said he collapsed after she heard that."

I could hear the voice of a young woman at the back of my ear. There was a smell of disinfectant.

"Shh. Don't talk like that in front of the patient."

Another woman warned. I pretended to be asleep with my back to them. My head throbbed with pain.


* *


"Oh, are you awake now? Let's see." Circular, thick-lensed glasses peered into my face. A penlight was being shone into my eyes. "Follow the light."

I followed the light with my eyes, as I was told.

"Okay, that looks alright. Does it hurt?"

"Yes."

"You have a bit of a bump. It's probably that." Dr. Drake squinted his eyes behind his glasses. "Just rub some dirt on it or something. Come to my office when you're ready to go home."

With that, Dr. Drake left. As the huge, bear-like figure left, I caught sight of Kyrie's figure behind him.

"Yo."

"Does it hurt?"

"It’s no big deal."

"I'm sorry. Why'd I go and do something like that?"

Kyrie looked down. I was surprised at her behavior. But it was my fault. I made her angry. No, I disappointed her. So much that she fired the gun.

"Kyrie?"

"Yeah?"

"The bump is a little painful, I'm gonna shut my eyes for a while."

I did just say it was no big deal, but it was as good a reason as any. I wanted to buy some time.

"I understand. I'll be in the waiting room."

Suddenly, I remembered talking about trying to escape from Rude in the office. The twinkle in Kyrie's eyes. Her bouncy tone. She deserves a man who she can have fun with, someone who can easily handle that kind of a situation. For example, that man in Healin.

"You know, you really don't need to wait."

"But—"

I stopped her right there.

"There's no need for you to feel responsible, Kyrie. It comes down to the fact that I’m useless. Worthless. A failure. ‘Night."

Yeah, that’s right. I closed my eyes. Ten seconds later, I heard footsteps running out of the ward. I thought it was over.

-

After about ten minutes, I got up. There were four beds in the ward, but there was nobody except me. I put on the boots that were on the floor, and put on the jacket on the coat stand by the wall. My shoulder bag and hat were placed on the bed next to mine. I put them on, and checked that I hadn't left anything behind. Finally, I quickly made the bed, then left the ward. There was a bathroom at the end of the hallway on the right. I went to the left. The short corridor came to an abrupt end. I turned to the right, into the waiting room. I took a deep breath, then entered the waiting room. Nobody was there. Yup, that's about right. I still expected it. Even though I figured she’d go home, I was still hoping the see Kyrie waiting there. If there was a contest of selfishness, I'd definitely be at the top of the leader board.

"Ah, Evan. This way."

Dr. Drake came out of his office and called to me.

"Evan. This is important, so listen up." Dr. Drake's pushed back his head of grey hair, which looked too full for a guy his age. "You hit your head. Normally, the appropriate tests would have needed to be done. But I don't have the right equipment here."

"It’ll be alright, I'm sure."

"I'd like to think so too. But head injuries are difficult. Symptoms sometimes show up years later. In that case, it's usually irreversible."

"Please, don't try to scare me."

"No, this is a warning. Alright? From now on, come to me if there's anything that worries you, even a little. Got it?"

The doctor looked serious. I felt a lump growing in the pit of my stomach. I nodded, wanting to finish the conversation quickly. It wasn’t as if anything could be done here, anyway.

"By the way, Evan. The first time you came here was about a year ago, right?"

"Yeah."

“I had a look earlier, but… the scar you have on your chest is from surgery isn’t it?”

"Uh huh."

My chest has a scar on it from an operation I had when I was 5 years old. Perhaps the doctor who sewed me up hadn’t been very good. It looks pretty gaudy.

"It was me who sewed you up."

"Oh?"

"Must be about 15 years now, right? Back then, I was still a fledgling army surgeon. For Shin-Ra, of course. I mainly treating gunshot wounds, or general cuts. I used a needle and thread on the human body every day. But these soldier guys like to have showy scars, kinda like medals. I thought it was ridiculous, but I followed orders, so I became a doctor who couldn't do delicate suturing. Your scar is the result of that. I'm sorry. This is just an excuse, but that was my first time suturing a child. Also, it had been large incision to begin with."

"It's alright. I'm alive."

"Yes. I was hoping for that answer." The doctor smiled a toothy smile. "So, how’s your heart been?"

"I haven't really thought about it."

"I bet. The operation went perfectly." The doctor nodded, and searched my face. "Hey, how did you get that kind of a connection? You got Shin-Ra's top surgeon. Normally, he would never have operated on member of the general public."

I see. I, well, my Mom, had a stronger connection within the Shin-Ra Company than anyone else. To think this would become proof of that.

"Beats me. I haven't heard anything."

I wanted to avoid this topic, if possible. I should head back soon.

"I see. Well it was an unusual operation for a child. Wonder if it was done as part of a study for free. Or maybe your mother knew someone who was a Shin-Ra doctor. It must have been something like that."

I nodded and stood up. Oh yeah—

"Doc, about the treatment costs—"

"Oh, it's been paid already. By that scrawny girl."

Scrawny girl? Who's that?

“Sorry. It was rude of me to call her scrawny Hmm—" The doctor looked at the paperwork on his desk.

"Kyrie Canaan. Your girlfriend, maybe?"

"No"

"Did you have a fight? She looked pretty angry when she left."

"Nothin' like that—"

"None of my business, huh? Well, anyway, give this back to her."

Dr. Drake opened the bottom drawer of his desk, took out a gun, and held it out to me.

“She left this and a materia as payment for the treatment. I took it for the time being, but I’ll return this gun. I already have a few.”

It was the gun we got from Rufus. I made a weak sound of acknowledgement, and took it from him, putting it in my bag

"Well, I'll pay you for the treatment soon."

"No, the materia will do. Guess it's an apology for the scar, let's just leave it at that."

I was grateful, but I'm not sure I got a good deal. The scar on my chest is permanent, but this injury was something that could be fixed by rubbing dirt on it.

"Anyway, Evan. If you feel anything is off, come see me right away. Eyesight, hearing, numbness in your hands or feet. Symptoms can vary."

"Sure. Oh and, Doctor—" I felt like I had to say something. "Kyrie isn't scrawny."

The Doctor looked at me with a puzzled expression. Then smiled.

"Shouldn't you go after her?"

-

In front of the clinic, I thought about what I should have done for a good 3 minutes. Then, I started to walk toward the slums. I went over what I should say to Kyrie when I saw her. Should I apologise? I definitely need to. And then what? I just have to go with the flow. Though, I always seem to make the wrong choices when I go with the flow. What would Rufus Shinra do? No. Rufus wouldn’t ever have let a little jealousy disappoint a girl he liked in the first place. In other words, I was always in the wrong. It was already too late. Hopelessly so.

I changed direction, and began to walk toward Doyle Village.
 
"Must be about 15 years now, right? Back then, I was still a fledgling army surgeon. For Shin-Ra, of course. Basically treating gunshot wounds, or general cuts. I used a needle and thread on the human body every day. But these soldier guys like to have showy scars, kinda like medals. I thought it was ridiculous, but I followed orders, so I become a doctor who couldn't do delicate suturing. Your scar is the result. I'm sorry. That was my first time suturing a child. Moreover, it was a much larger incision."
While soldiers wearing scars as medals is not surprising, I just love these additions to the lore. More detail than we usually get from the franchise.
 

Pixel

The Pixie King
While soldiers wearing scars as medals is not surprising, I just love these additions to the lore. More detail than we usually get from the franchise.

I was trying to think of the right phrase we use for that in English. Like battle scars that you're proud of.
 

Pixel

The Pixie King
17. Picking up the Pieces


Just outside Doyle Village, to my surprise, was the Mayor’s car, which we had left in Healin. The windscreen was completely gone. How did this car get here? I decided to go to the Mayor's house to find out. Vits' voice answered when I knocked on the red door. When I looked inside, the Mayor, Fabio, Throp, Keough, and Vits were there. Other than Vits, they were all asleep on the sofa and the floor, like lifeless puppets.

"Evan, I heard you were injured?"

Vits whispered as he lay next to Fabio, trying not to make too much noise.

"Nawww, it’s just a scratch."

I had always wanted to try saying that just once.

"Show me the scar!"

"That's not very nice, Vits. So, what about you? How are you feelin'?"

"I'm alright now. But my brother and the others," Vits looked bored as he looked at Fabio. "They won't play with me."

"Let them off. They've been through a lot. They're exhausted."

"You're right. It was all for me, anyway."

He gave a rather grown-up response. It seemed he already knew what was going on. Murmuring that it was all for him again, Vits lay back down and turned again, so he was up against Fabio.

"Oh, hey, Evan." The Mayor woke up. "How's the injury?"

"It hurts, but it's no big deal."

I told another useless lie. The Mayor nodded slowly while frowning. He showed earnest compassion. I felt guilty. Let's change the subject.

"Mayor, why's the car outside?"

"Oh, that. Those Turks drove it here. They left it and took the truck back."

"Wow. Good service."

"But we’ve got a bit of trouble. When we used the bomb to rescue Throp, we damaged some medical equipment that was in the building. Although we didn't know about that, it was still our fault. 'Cuz they don’t make things like that anymore. It’s a huge loss to the world.

"What does Shin-Ra want you to do?"

"Work in the central square, they said. Constructing the monument."

The Mayor scowled dramatically. Most people would be glad they got off as lightly as that. But the Mayor, like myself, hated the guys in the square. The Mayor labeled them as dependent people, who lived under the safety of Shin-Ra.

"That’s a tough one."

"I guess. But we have no choice. We just have to comply. Not to make amends with Shin-Ra, but to the people who need the equipment we broke."

The Mayor seemed to be trying his best to convince himself.

"Anyway, more importantly, there's a message from the redhead for you, Evan."

A message from Reno? That caught me by surprise. My heart was in my mouth.

“I’ll tell you exactly what he said. 'You betrayed us. Don’t forget’— That’s all.”

“Oh…”

Don’t forget, huh. It’s like he's a street thug.

"Hey, Evan. What the hell were you guys doing there?"

"Uh, well—" The Mayor looked straight in my eyes. "I look like Rufus Shinra, right?"

"Is that so? Well, now that you mention it— I guess you do.”

"In Healin, did you see?"

"That guy in the wheelchair? So that was the Idiot President, huh?"

"He's alive!?"

Vits jumped up looking surprised.

"Shh! You'll wake everyone up."

Vits shrank back as the Mayor scolded him.

"He's receiving treatment for Geostigma. It seemed they wanted to use me as a stand-in for Rufus, until he's recovered. Or something along those lines."

"—What for?"

"I wonder. I have no idea."

"Were you going to do it?"

"Are you kiddin'!? The negotiations broke down. That was out of the question. It was enough to make me fear for my life. So I was lucky… that you came when you did"

I got that sinking feeling as I spoke. This was the Mayor who took care of me, who I respected and trusted. Right now I'm telling him a bunch of stupid lies. He stared at me dubiously.

"Mayor, I’m—"

"Someday, I’ll kill that President. To avenge my parents."

Vits suddenly said in a grown-up tone. I was going to tell them the truth, but I didn't know what Vits and Fabio would think if they knew I was the President's half-brother. Of course, I couldn't tell them.

“But, Evan, Mayor, keep this a secret from my brother.”

"I’m listening, Vits."

Fabio abruptly started to get up

"When you do it, I'm going too. I'm not letting you go alone."

Who knew the brothers had this strong a grudge against Shin-Ra. I figured it was just like when I would say ‘I’ll do this someday’ or ‘I’ll make them pay’. Of course, I would never do it. But the Brown brothers probably felt differently. Fabio's ability to take action is genuine. He’s lazy and frivolous, but when push comes to shove, he gets the job done.

"Hey, Evan. Did he tell you the message from the Turks?"

"Yeah, I told him."

The Mayor said. Fabio nodded, and turned to me with an anxious expression.

"I think you should disappear for a little while. It looks like they’ll let us off, but I don’t think they’ll forgive you, Evan."

"—Yeah."

"What were you doing in there?"

"I had some trouble— with Shin-Ra."

In the end, I couldn't tell him the truth.

"Then, that’s all the more reason to disappear."

Said Fabio, getting more and more anxious.

"Well—"

I was sure Shin-Ra wouldn't do anything, but I couldn't tell them why. Even if Reno was angry, it wouldn't become a serious enough problem for Fabio to have to worry. But it might be best if I disappear myself. Not just from Reno, but from everyone. I— needed to start over.

"Hmm, I’ll think about it."

I felt that I had run out of options. As I left the Mayor's house, Chico came into the courtyard from the street. Around his right cheek was purple and swollen. It was where my fist landed when we hit each other. When he noticed me, he laughed ostentatiously and went into his own house. I felt contempt from the bottom of my heart. I couldn’t do anything about how he treated me. I just couldn’t stay here. As I looked toward the street, I could see the car with the broken windshield parked there. I retraced my steps, and went back into the Mayor's house.

"Mayor. The car outside, can I borrow it?"

I tried to say it in a light tone.

"Oh, are you running away? It's ok, of course, but there's no windshield. And even if you can deal with that, it's also pretty low on fuel."

"I understand. Where can I get my hands on some fuel?"

"I stole some from a WRO truck, along with the battery. I wouldn't try that again. Well, cars and motorcycles do come and go, so I’m sure you can get your hands on some somewhere. I bet you can get some on the black market, at least. But it'll cost you."

"No doubt."

"By the way, I have no money."

"Me neither."

Fabio said with a bitter expression.

"For money— I've got some ideas. It’ll work out somehow"

"Have you thought about where you’ll settle down?"

The Mayor asked.

"I’m sure I’ll figure that out, too."

I wonder how many lies I’ve told today.

"I'm sorry, I can't protect you."

The Mayor looked down. I had to go.

"Don’t worry about it— Oh yeah, Mayor, the key."

"Oh, that's right. Here."

The Mayor threw the key. I caught it—

"Thank you. Well, I gotta get goin’."

I left the Mayor’s house, avoiding eye contact with everyone. With the closed door behind me, I sighed, and hung my head. I want to start over. If only I could start my life over. If I could start my life over, where would I do it from? From when I entered the Mayor's house? No, not there. I traced my memory. Then, I saw that moment clearly.

At the end of my 16th year. Just before I smashed the cake on the table.

-

Of course, that was impossible. But there was something else I could do instead, no, something that I had to do.
 

Pixel

The Pixie King
18. Preparing for Departure


What have I been doing these past 2 years, I thought, berating myself. It shouldn’t have been surprising that what I should do was find my mother. Had I just found a clear reason to escape from all of this? Maybe. Even so, that was fine. If I miss this opportunity, it'll get put off even more. I’m going to put an end to this issue I’ve been pushing far away, and turning a blind eye to. That way, I can start over. I can do it all over again. Hurry. If I don’t do it right away, I change my mind.

"I'm definitely going."

I tried saying it out loud, but I could hear no voice that sought to stop me. I had no internal conflicts. I started making preparations right away. But as this moment arrived, I had no idea what to take. For the time being, I packed my shoulder bag with clothes and a variety of daily supplies. With those alone, the bag became full. I turned it upside down, and emptied it out on the bed. I had Rufus' gun on me, so I took that and put that in first. Then— I looked up at the ceiling. It seemed the time to spend that money had come. I got a three-legged stool and put it in the middle of the room. I stood on it, reached up, pushing on the ceiling board. The ceiling board came out, leaving a gaping hole. As I reached inside with my right hand, and felt around, my fingertips landed on the paper bag. A year's worth of dust fell as I pulled out the paper bag. I got off the chair, having a coughing fit, and put the paper bag in the kitchen sink. I was going to take out a wad of bills, but I dusted the bag off and just threw it into my shoulder bag. It's the money that was in my mother's room, back in the house in Midgar. It wasn't my money, but my mother will forgive me. So— what's next? Oh yeah, I need that. I put my hand under my mattress, and pulled out a thin bundle of photos. It wasn’t so I could look at them, to indulge in sentimentality. They were for me to show to people, and get information. Then, I took whatever clothes I could fit in the bag. I could buy more if I needed to. I had the money. I laughed to myself as I thought that. I must be the type of person who could trade things for money. I put the pieces of clothing scattered on the bed back in their rightful places, returned the ceiling board, and finally, put the chair back. I felt satisfied seeing the room back in order.

"I'm going."

As I left the room and closed the door, I wondered if I would ever come back here. I had no idea. I felt that if I thought too deeply, I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. I closed the door and locked it.

-

I opened the door of the car parked on the street, and climbed into the driver's seat. I inserted the key I got from the Mayor. The body shook for a moment when I turned it, and the engine began to rumble. Maybe it was just playing up in Healin. When I looked at the fuel gauge, it was almost completely empty, but it looked like it could run for a little while. I had never driven a car, but I'd manage somehow. I had seen it being done from the side before, and it looked like an automatic. It would run when I stepped on the accelerator, stop when I stepped on the brakes, and turn when I turned the steering wheel. The engine got louder as I eased on the accelerator, and with that, my anxiety also increased. But the car didn't start running. Why? I looked over the levers near the steering wheel, but none of them seemed to be related at all. As it occurred to me and I looked down, I noticed a lever labeled B. When I pulled out the B lever and turned it, the car began rolling, slowly. Perfect.

"Evan!"

It was Fabio's voice. I quickly stepped on the brake pedal. But the car lurched forward. I checked below and moved my foot to the brake. This time, I stepped too hard on it, and slammed my chest against the steering wheel. The horn sounded at an exhilarating volume.

"Looks like you’re not having a good start."

Fabio came over, laughing. Then he stuck his hand through the window. There was a cloth bag in it.

"Hey, this is from all of us. It's not much, but it's money."

Fabio said, looking at the rear. Looking back, I saw the Mayor and Vits; Keough and Throp were standing a short distance away, as well. Vits was waving his hand. So I did too.

"Thank you. I'll take it. Give my thanks to everyone."

I didn't want to make a fuss.

"Sure. Give our regards to Kyrie, too."

"Huh?"

"I mean, to Shin-Ra, Kyrie’s your accomplice, right?"

"Oh, right." Sorry. Really, the problem with Shin-Ra is no more. But I can't tell you that, Fabio. "Well, I should go."

I eased on the accelerator, and sped up. As I looked in the rear view mirror, Fabio and Vits stood, waving their hands. They just kept waving.

-

I drove the car at a snail's pace toward the central square. There was a problem. If I went faster, the wind, which the windshield would usually prevent, hit me in the face, so I could hardly open my eyes. The Turks drove from Healin to Doyle Village in this car. How the hell did they do it? I really had to do something about this problem.

I wasn't able to enjoy the drive at all. It took more energy than expected to avoid hitting the people as they came and went. When I drove into the central square, there were people walking all over the place, shooting annoyed glances at me. As someone who spent most of their life as a pedestrian, I understood how they felt. I do that too when a car goes by. It was all the have-nots could do in resistance. But I couldn't lose. I returned the same stare to my disapproving opponents. Though, I stopped, because I noticed myself unconsciously changing my expression depending on the appearance of the person, and didn’t like that. It's best to just wear a mask of indifference. I went halfway around the square, and took the northbound road. There should be a bulletin board around here. I soon found it and parked the car. I found the flyer I was looking for as soon as I got out. It was a flyer that could be seen everywhere, advertising the Strife Delivery Service. I had my hopes set on their long-distance OK clause. As I tore it off and went to shove it in my jacket pocket, I noticed that a balled up piece of paper had been put in there. When I took it out and opened it, it was the same flyer. I searched my memory. It was the flyer I pocketed when I went to the bulletin board at the station, after talking to Tyran Arde. As I looked at the 2 flyers, I thought, what a coincidence. I felt the anxiety I had for the departure diminish slightly, and started driving again. I continued driving further down the street, and parked in front of the alley I passed just this morning. I got out of the car, and headed to Dr. Drake's clinic.

-

The doctor was alone in the clinic. He was reading a book on the sofa in the waiting room.

"Oh, Evan. What's wrong? Is it your head?"

"It's not that."

"Better safe than sorry, you know."

"Yeah. Anyway, doctor. Do you mind if I use your phone?"

"Oh, of course. Please, feel free. But keep it short ‘cause there might be an emergency call."

After gesturing to the telephone with his chin, the doctor looked away again.

"Okay, I’m borrowing it, then."

I lifted the mobile handset, which was connected to the wall with an anti-theft chain, and dialed a number, while looking at the flyer. After it rang for quite a while, the person on the other end picked up.

"Strife Delivery Service. You name it, we deliver it."

The voice that answered with the words printed on the flyer, was clearly that of a child. A boy of around 10 years old. Probably around the same age as Vits?

"Oh, uh—" This confused me for a moment. "How do you deliver stuff?"

"By motorbike."

The boy answered concisely.

"Cool, that'll work. There's something I need delivered, can you pick it up?"

"What is it you need delivered? Also, from where, to where?"

"From one side Edge to the other. The package— is a letter."

Why did it turn out this way. If I had said what I wanted right off the bat, whether it was okay or not, I would have been able to get to the end right away. Even though I thoughtlessly put things off, when it comes to choices I should avoid, I go for them brashly, without thinking.

"That should be fine. Where can it be picked up?"

"Do you know Dr. Drake's clinic?" I continued, giving him rough directions. I thought I should apologise and tell the truth, but in the end, I couldn't.

"I think I know it. But I won’t know when we can be there unless I call the person in charge. Can you call again in about 10 minutes?"

"Got it. Talk to you again in 10. Oh yeah. My name's Evan Townshend. You are?"

"I'm Denzel."

Dr. Drake looked at me with a puzzled expression as I hung up the phone.

"Please, I'll need to borrow it again ten minutes I’ll be right back."

"Sure."

I heard the doctor's reply as I went outside. As I stood on the sloping porch of the clinic, I saw the car parked at the entrance of the alley leading up to the clinic. As a young man passed by the car, he stopped and kicked the bodywork. When I was with Fabio and Leslie, I used to do the same thing. By doing that, I felt like I could be the same as people who were brought up in the slums. But as I searched my memories, I couldn’t remember ever seeing those two doing that. It was a bit too late now, but I couldn't believe how stupid I was. I was going to keep watch until the time came, and make sure the car wasn't stolen, but I couldn’t bear to stay, so I went back inside the clinic.

"Well, that's impossible for me to— I might be able to do something about the wound— But, what you told me before— No, wait a minute— He hung up. Wonder if he's coming here."

The doctor said the last part to me, then held out the phone to me.

"Don’t you practice internal medicine, too?"

"I do, but I don't know anything about dogs."

"Dogs?"

"Yeah, there was a guy who brought in a snake the other day. They’re just about the same as monsters, right?"

"I suppose."

"But I guess this means there's room in the world for stuff like that, now. If people are keeping pets and bringing them to doctors when they get sick, I guess the days of worrying about whether there's anything to eat or not are over.."

"Perhaps."

"Maybe I should at least study up on dogs and cats."

"Hah."

I started dialing buttons on the phone, while responding appropriately.

"No more snakes, though."

"Hah."

Without being offended by my rude reception, The doctor went back to the sofa, opened a book, and began to read. Well, I say book, but it was more like some documents that had been filed. I casually looked while listening to the call tone, and saw a photograph, which took up a whole page. It was a picture of some sort of grotesque thing. When I looked closer, it was an arm, which had been cut off above the elbow. It was slim, maybe a woman's arm. It seemed to be dried up, but also fresh in certain places. I couldn’t imagine what kind of process it would take to keep a human body in such a state.

"Are you looking at this?" The Doctor seemed to notice that I was looking over his shoulder "I guess this is what they call a mummy."

"A mummy?"

"If the correct environmental variables are present after death, the body doesn’t decay or become a skeleton, but instead stays like this.”

I couldn't take my eyes off the photograph. Before long, I felt sick.

"Strife Delivery Service. Sorry, could you call again later?"

This time it was the voice of a young girl. I was stuck for words, because it wasn't the voice I was expecting.

"Uh— where’s Denzel?"

I finally said.

"Denzel's condition's got worse."

"Same here.”

"Take care."

I heard a violent clank, and the phone went dead. I thought it was a voice I had heard somewhere before, but I couldn't concentrate on figuring it out. I couldn't take my mind off the photograph.
 

Ivette

Donator
Omg, this last chapter reach me to the heart, it always bother me that all the information about the turks like age, blood type, birth´s date, etc. (in the FFVII Reunion FIles for example) is "unknown", why? I want to know it!
I readed in the "Timeline of a Final Fantasy Wiki" that Reno was born the same year as Rufus (1982) and Rude was born in 1972, 10 years before (That would make Reno and Rufus 25 years old, and 35 years for Rude in Final Fantasy VII)
But I don´t even have a clue of how old is Tseng... well, he met Aeris being very young, I guess, but HOW OLD EXACTLY?
The same goes for Elena... she is the youngest of the turks... so she may have the same age of Tifa´s or Aeris? ^_^U Do you know something guys? xD


By the way, is this right?


「さあな」
"Come on." (Rude)

仲間がいればいい、とルードは思っていた。
Rude thought he would be with a friend.

「あんた、肉親の情ってもんがわかってないな」
"I don't know what it's like to have family." (Reno)

「どうせおれは冷酷で薄情なタークスだ」
"We're Turks, we're supposed to be cold-hearted and ruthless." (Rude)

言い捨てると、ルードはレノに背を向け、トラックへと歩き出した。
Rude turned his back to Reno, and started walking to the truck.

「ルードお、怒ったのか?」
"Yo, Rude, are you angry?" (Reno)

レノの情けない声が呼ぶ。
Reno shouted in a pathetic voice.

「おれにはあんたしかいないんだよ。主任とイリーナには連絡つかねえし、社長は慰霊碑を完成させろとしか言わねえ。三人で何か面白いことを始めたにちがいない。おれたち除 け者じゃねえか。あんたとおれ、おれとあんた、仲良くしないでどうするよ」
"You're all I have. I can't talk to the Chief or Elena, and I only ever talk to the President about completing the memorial monument. It used to be fun when there were 3 of us. We're outcasts. It's just you and me, partner, we need to get along." (Reno)

「主任と連絡がつかない?」
"You can't talk to the Chief?" (Rude)

ルードは振り返り、訊いた。
Rude looked back and asked.

Also, when they say "Chief" they are talking about the "Director" (Tseng) right? (I think that in the english dub of FFVII ACC Reno said "Now we just have to find Elena and the director" :P

THANK YOU SO MUCH PIXEL!!
 
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Pixel

The Pixie King
Yeah, those are the right people saying the lines.

In case of ShinRa, Ive got it as Chief. I figured id keep that, since its a bit more informal
 
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