Final Fantasy: Fated 

By:  Samantha Rodgers

*Author's Note*: This is my first time with fullscale writing other
than the odd essay or two.  The setting is the Final Fantasy 7 game
by Squaresoft.  I would be the first to admit that it may not be the
most original of ideas for fanfiction, but at least I tried.  A warning
to all , there's not a lot of action in this fairly short chapter. 


Chapter 1: The Situation at Hand
Midgar- 10:27 p.m.

The Midgar Center of Peacekeeping (or MCP) was a bleak
building located within the walls of Sector 5, just 50 feet from Wall
Market.  The director of Urban Development had made plans for
constructing it as an assurance to tourists that they were safe to
roam the streets of the potentially dangerous neighborhoods in the
lower sectors of Midgar City.  A shining white building among the
rush of glittering neon lights in Wall Market, MCP's forces had
consisted of the most promising of the eager young applicants who
had tried their hands at a position in Shinra's elite army "Soldier." 
MCP stood as a symbol of the hesistant peace that was newly
made at the time between Shinra and the western continent. 
Officers so new that their uniforms' buttons hadn't lost their shine
had been instructed to find and incarcerate any and all miscreants
who might attempt to take advantage of the naivette of tourists
visiting from the country, and for two years, MCP had attempted
to do just that.  The newly appointed Peacekeepers had innocently
assumed that they could change a system of decadence and crime
that was far older than the Shinra company itself.  
It had taken two years before the realization that they were
expected to do what not even Shinra's elite could do had come
upon them.  It was another year before the Peacekeepers of MCP
had come to know that Shinra was often the main perpetrator
behind the organized crime.  
Now, five years after MCP's creation, the building was just
like any other in the Wall Market, dirt covered and grimy.  It had
long ago lost that shiny newness that was its main distinction from
its surroundings.  The only item that differentiated it from the other
buildings was the carved letters on its front that had once been
white but were now grey from years exposed to air pollution. 
Now, the Peacekeepers' main occupation was to stay out of the
way of Shinra's organization of crime and take note of any
operations outside of Shinra's influence.  Complaints of crimes
committed only resulted in a filed report that was quickly lost in
the shuffle of paperwork through the offices.  Only the truly
unusual or mysterious could spark the interests of the jaded MCP
officers:
*************************
A young woman sits in the MCP's interrogation room, a
grim and unforgiving area built like a cement block.  Her hair
hangs down to her waist, a cascade of red-gold.  Her eyes, if stared
at for too long, would give people the uncomfortable impression
that the flecks of color in them, ranging from deep amber to
blueish violet, are slowly swirling and changing.  Her face is almost
pixielike, with somewhat high and prominent cheekbones.  And her
body, while very small boned and slight, still gave the impression
of being very fit.  
Even a casual glance would tell the observer that the
woman was suffering from deep shock.  Deep circles were under
her eyes, and her pale complexion was dead white and ghostly. 
She clutched a heavy brown blanket to her bare shoulders.  Her
black tank top and blue jeans, while new and almost unworn, were
now torn and sullied in places.  Her staring eyes gave no
impression that she was aware of her grim surroundings in the
brick and cement room.  She sat upon a stool, one of two in the
room next to a lone table, the only decoration in the starkness.
An older man came through the plain, grey door leading
into the interrogation room.  He wore glasses and though he had
on casual clothing he still gave the impression of being entirely
professional.  His semi-concerned expression did nothing to mask
the world weary look in his eyes nor soften the harsh planes of his
face.  He walked slowly and confidently into the room and sat on
other stool in the room.  He turned and addressed the shaken
young woman.
"Inno? . . . Inno Kinsley?" he said softly, to get her
attention.
The young lady slowly shook herself out of her reverie and
looked at him tiredly.  She answered him in a hesistant voice,". .
.Y-. . .Yes?"
Fake concern laid thinly over his harsh voice, the older man
said to her, "Mrs Kinsley, I know what you've been through.  I
know that your tired and you want to go back to your mother. 
But we still need you to tell your story one more time.  Just for the
record." 
"Okay. . .," Inno said.  She paused and swallowed slightly,
"I'm sorry, sir.  Could I just have some water first?"
The older man nodded and made a gesture to the window
of clear plexiglass in the grey door.  After a couple of minutes, a
younger officer walked in carrying a clear plastic cup of water.  He
handed it to the woman, careful not to spill, and walked out.  The
older man made note that the water in the glass rippled as the
young lady's hand shook slightly.
The older officer cleared his throat slightly and took out a
tape recorder from the pocket of his pants.  He said, "Now, Ms.
Kinsley, before you begin, I want you to hear the recording from
the call you made from the pay-EPS (*note to readers: kinda like a
pay phone).  Maybe it will clear your memory somewhat on the
incident tonight."  Without adieu, he hit the play button.
There was a certain amount of static from the recording,
and then Inno's voice was heard, "Hello!?. . .Hello!?" a slight
pause as the emergency EPS-call attendant answered, "Oh thand
god!. . . Please. . .Please, you've gotta help me.  Me and my friend
Les, some guys just tried to mug us," another, longer pause as the
attendant asked for their location.  "It was in the second alley north
on Chance Avenue, near the pawn shop.  They cornered us,"
another pause.  "I'm alright, But my friend Les. . ." a hesitation as
a note of realizatin entered Inno's voice, "Oh my god. . .Les!  
She's still back there!  I gotta go, please hurry!"  A clatter of
metal, a click, a dial tone, and the recording ended.
The older man calmly said, "Mrs. Kinsley, can you tell me
again what happened up until and after that phone call?  Please tell
me as many details as you can."
Inno, whose hand had begun shaking more and whose eyes
had slowly teared as she had listen, looked at him and shook her
head to clear it.  She looked back on her memories of the night 
"Me. . .Me and my friend Les, we were walking around Wall
Street.  It was our first time to Midgar, and we were really excited. 
We didn't know our way around, and we got lost as it was getting
late."
She cleared her throat slightly, "We were walking down
Chance Avenue, trying to find our way around.  I had noticed two
men had been following us for a really long time.  At first it didn't
seem to important to me and Les.  I mean, it was only two guys. 
We figured that at worst they would maybe make some rude
remarks in our direction. Nothing we couldn't handle.  Next thing I
know I see two other guys coming towards us on the same side of
the street.  All four were wearing the same colors, like a gang, and
we finally saw that all of them had weapons."
Her eyes held a certain amount of self-derision, "Stupid. . .I
was so stupid. . .We panicked and rushed into a alley, hoping to
get away.  Instead, we found a dead end."
"The four men walked up to us, holding knives. A couple
also had clubs.  They were talking like they were going to take our
money and then . . .," Inno swallowed.
"Les tried to get away.  One of them hit her really hard. . .I
think she was knocked unconscious.   Another one hit me with a
club when I tried to help her," unknowingly, Inno's free hand had
crept up to her forehead, where there was a newly made bruise on
the corner of her temple.  "I saw red. . .then black.  Next thing I
know I'm dialing the Emergency number on the pay-EPS,"  she
looked embarrassed and slightly panicked.  "I don't remember
anything between then."
The older man leaned toward her, a mock soothing
expression on his face.  "That's all right Ms. Kinsley.  Just tell me
what happened after you hung up."
Inno relaxed slightly and told him what happened, "I ran
back to the alley to see Les.  When I got back. . . ," Inno sobbed
slightly and covered her mouth with her free hand, " The four men
who had attacked us were lying in the alley...They were dead!"
The older man patted her hand absently and removed the
cup of water from her hand, which had begun shaking so violently
that liquid was spilling over the sides and splashing loudly to the
floor.  Inno ran a hand through her tangled mess of hair, "Les was
leaning against the wall ,and for a second I thought she was dead
too!  So I checked to make sure she was alright.  She was, and I
carried her onto the sidewalk, out of the alley, and waited for the
police."  She suddenly looked directly into the officer's eyes, "Les
is OK?" she pleaded with him.
He assured her, "She's fine.  She only had a small
concussion.  She's with your mother right now."  As Inno relaxed
he said, "That's all that we needed Ms. Kinsley, thank you."
With that said, he walked out of the room, leaving Inno
Kinsley to wait until she could go home.  Outside the interrogation
room, he walked into an adjoining room where a one-way mirror
offered a sight of the young lady still hunched in her blanket.  Two
men wearing the MPC's uniform, a darker blue variation of the
Shinra guard uniform, awaited him.  
The older, and obviously higher ranked, of the two greeted
him,  "Doctor," he gestured to Inno Kinsley, "What do make of
this?  Is she telling the truth?"
"Most certainly," he smirked, "Either that or she is one of
the best actors I have ever seen."
"What about the four attackers?"
This time the youngest officer answered him with a small
amount of hesitation in his voice, "As she said, all four are dead. 
According to the coroner, one suffered severe trauma to the head,"
a pause, "He had a fist shaped dent in his skull. . .  Another's neck
was broken cleanly.  The third was strangled to death.  The
fingerprints and markings made from hands on the bodies all match
Ms. Kinsley's," there was another, longer hesitation and a note of
doubt and puzzlement entered his voice, "However, the most
disturbing is the fourth body.  He was burned to death.  The
coroner says that the pattern of the burns matches no Fire spell
that he has ever heard of.  The materia experts that we had on
hand confirmed his analysis, and the two young women had no
materia on them whatsoever."
The higher ranked officer looked thoughtful, "The tenants
of the buildings surrounding the alley heard absolutely nothing, you
say?"  The younger officer nodded an affirmative, and he barely
audibly said to himself, "They were killed quickly and efficently, I
would even go so far as to say. . . proffessionally. . ."  he looked
thoughtful for a couple of seconds, then addressed the younger
officer.  "Thank you, Jim.  I must say you did a fine job on this
report considering the short notice and lack of time that you had to
deal with."
The younger officer nodded slightly, and stature seemed to
grow with a small amount of pride.  Obeying an unsaid dismissal,
he turned and walked with military precision out of the room.
The older officer's face softened briefly and he smirked,
"Rookies. . ." Then, his face grew harsh again, and he turned to the
still smirking doctor.  "So, Jim, anything else to tell me?  A little
background information, perhaps?"
The doctor's face lost its smirk, and he began, "Well, I
think I've found everything I can about her. . .  Apparently,  at the
age of about twelve she was found wandering on the outskirts of a
small village called Evan, located on the Western Continent
between Gongaga and Cosmo Village.  She had no memory at the
time of any part of her past, not even her age, or her name.  A
recently widowed woman by the name of  Emma Kinsley took her
in and raised her as her own.  From what I could find out from the
mother and Les Calsh, she's had no combat training whatsoever; 
neither has she ever been in a combat situation.  Her current age is
anywhere from 19-22."
The doctor looked troubled, "What we have here is an
enigma.  How did this young lady suddenly aquire the ability to
slay four armed men?"
The older officer's face grew cold, and he looked towards
the window as if his gaze could pierce through the layers of
mystery surrounding the young woman next door.  "The main
question, Jim, he said bluntly, "Is exactly what do we have here?"        
"I wondered about that myself, sir," said the doctor
smoothly, "Which is why I took the liberty of contacting the Shinra
company, or more specifically, the science department."
The other officer turned to him increduously.  "You did
what?!" he demanded harshly.
"It was only logical.  They would find great interest in Inno
Kinsley.  Who knows?  Maybe she was even at some point
involved with them.  You know that Dr. Hojo has recently sent out
an alert for all suspicious activity in the slums."  
The men turned suddenly as the door opened.  A
well-dressed young man, obviously employed by Shinra, entered. 
The older officer's face became even more grim, and he curtly
demanded from him, "What do you want?"
The Shinra employee, equally curt, nodded, "I've come in
reply to the message involving Ms. Kinsley's case.  Ordinarily, the
science department would be happy to help find answers to some
of the more disturbing points of the case, but at the moment we
find ourselves unable to."
Confused looks and questions of "Why?" prompted a
clearer answer.  "I'm not sure if you know, but the science
department has found itself completely occupied with a project of
great priority.  I'm afraid that for now you may only rely upon
your own resources."  He glanced at the expensive watch on his
wrist. "If you'll excuse me gentlemen.  I have an appointment to
make," and with that, he exited.
The doctor turned to the other man "Well. . . What do we
do now?"
The officer scowled at him, "We can't keep her here any
longer.  Both the young ladies' stories correspond with each other,
and neither of them has any kind of a record.  At the very least her
greatest wrong was to have used an excessive amount of self-
defense.  Send her home.  Offer her an escort too."

***************************

In the dim half-light before dawn,  Inno Kinsley stumbled
slowly down the street in the vague direction of where she believed
the hotel her mother and Les were staying at was located.  In the
early hours of the morning, the streets' night denizens were still
slinking back to their corners while those to whom the daylight
hours belonged had yet to awaken.  There were no other people on
the street.  
This suited Inno just fine.  At this time all she wanted was
to be alone and recover.  She grimaced slightly as the sidewalk's
edges blurred to her tired vision.  At least the Peacekeepers had
been kind enough to give her clothes to replace the ones that had
virtually been turned to rags.  True, the pants were so big on her
that she had to cinch them tightly with a belt and the shirt hung on
her small frame, but it was the thought that counted.  Or was it
what counted was thought. . ?
  Inno gasped as she stumbled slightly, but fortunately
caught herself with an outstretched hand on the wall that she had
been using to help guide her.   She stopped and tiredly rubbed her
eyes for a moment.  She knew that she should have accepted their
offer for an escort.  At the very least, she could have stayed the
night at MCP.  True, it wouldn't have been as comfortable as her
hotel room, but it wouldn't have killed her, and it would have been
better than stumbling through the streets of the slums with her
mind wandering.  Inno sighed and started walking in what she
hoped was the right direction.
She had to admit to herself that she was scared.  Too
scared to sleep and too scared to be in the company of others. . .
And too scared of herself.  Whenever she tried to close her eyes
she saw them.  Their dead bodies as she came upon them in the
alley.  She saw the whiteness of their skin, the surprised and
horrific expressions on their faces, and that one, horrible moment
when she had seen the one body that had been burned to the point
that it hardly resembled anything even vaguely human.  But no
matter the amount of blood and gore, the most horrible had been
the moment when she realized that she, Inno Kinsley, with hands
that even now still shook slightly, had been the one to kill those
men.  She had no idea how.  She had no memory of any kind
between when one of them had hit her and when she had found
herself frantically calling the emergency number.  She just knew.
Inno tripped as a slightly crumbling stairway suddenly came
into view.  This time, there was no wall on which to catch herself,
and she bit back a small yelp as she fell to her knees.  After a small
time in which she tried to get her bearings, Inno heaved herself
onto the stairway and examined her scraped knee through her now
torn pants.  Tears began forming in the corner of her eyes and she
angrily dashed them away. God she was tired! If only. . .
Through the haze of exhaustion, Inno slowly became aware
of her surroundings.  With a start she realized that she had
wandered into an area of Midgar that was completely foreign to
her.  "Then again," she thought tiredly, "Its not like that's a big
surprise considering I arrived in this city only a day ago."
In the ever brightening light of dawn she saw that she sat
on the steps of an enormous, if somewhat decrepit, old church. 
Her eyes widen in amazement.  No one had ever told her about this
place!
Even though it was in a state of disrepair, the place was
still magnificent.  A single spire stabbed its way defiantly in the
sky.  What windows that weren't broken housed beautiful stained
glass set in intricate designs.  To Inno it was more beautiful than
any amount of glitter and neon lights that Wall Market had to
offer.  Inno slowly stood up.  Perhaps in there she could find
someone that could give her directions. . .  She hesitantly opened
the doors and walked in.
The inside of  the church was just as beautiful as the
outside.  Light shining from the stained glass windows made
patterns on the wooden floor.  Mahogany pews were set in rows
perpendicular to the aisle.  Inno saw that even though the outside
of the chuch looked somewhat broken down, someone had
carefully swept the inside floor clear of dust.
"Hello?" She said hesitantly.  No one answered her.  She
walked down the aisle, using the edges of the pews for support. 
The aisle ended, and the wooden floor gave way to soft loam. 
Though she was trying to be quiet in what seemed to her a sacred
place, Inno could not suppress the gasp of amazement at what lay
before her.  Where a shrine would have been located, someone had
lovingly cultivated a garden of beautiful flowers.  Every color of
the spectrum could be found in the greenery, and where once the
smell of pollution was commonplace, now she smelled fresh air.
Every trace of tiredness was forgotten in light of this new
discovery.  Inno walked forward, trying to see how many of the
flowers she could identify.  With amazement, she saw flowers that
would only bloom during the summer months and spring months
blooming even at the peak of winter.  She stopped in the middle of
the garden to observe a truly splendid bush with purple blossoms. 
She buried her arms up to the elbows among the leaves and
blossoms, smiling as the fuzzy edges tickled her bare arms. 
Lowering her head she breathed in the smell.  There was a bright
flash and. . .
*******************************
In a country of cliffs and canyons a battle is taking place. 
On one side stands the natives, screaming in defiance of their
enemy even as they are cut down without mercy.  Their village
burns with no regard for the lives of mothers, fathers, or children. 
They all die.  On the other side,  men with emotionless faces and
glowing eyes wearing the Shinra uniform for Soldiers perform the
horrible slaughter.
And through it all strides a man with silver hair and cold
blue eyes.  Even among the multitudes he stands out, weilding a
sword of incredible length with unequaled skill.  
There is a flash and. . .
*****************************
Inno came to with a start as the vision ended.  She found
she was still standing in the garden, still elbow deep in greenery. 
She jerked away from the bush and fell backwards.  She got up on
her knees, and as the heady scent of flowers rose up around her. . .
[Flash]
******************************
The village again, repaired and restored, but now it is a
plastic fantasy land of fabled ninjas, meant to capture the interests
of tourists, instead of displaying the centuries of tradition built into
the land.  At the peak of the tallest mountain a youth rages,
looking down at what her village has become.  And so she sets out
on a jorney. . .
[Flash]
A young man with wings engraved into his very soul sets
out to find employment at Shinra, hoping they can make his
dreams come true.  And for a while he does, climbing higher and
higher, nearer to the one dream that can truly make him happy, the
stars.  And then. . . it all comes crashing down.  As his dreams and
youth crumble into dust the young man now become older makes
one last desperate gamble. . .
[Flash]
The mother dies, horribly and in pain, as the silver-haired
son is born.  The lover dies and is brought back to a gruesome
mockery of life by the machinations of the insane father.  Now, he
sleeps deep in a crypt.  Forced to dwell again and again on the sins
he committed in life, he dreams. . .
[Flash]
**********************************
Unseen to Inno, lost in the increasing flashes of visions, 
her skin became suffused with a glowing light.  The air around her
became static and her hair floated in a halo around her head as if
with an electric shock.  Deep within her, in an area under her heart
she began to feel the pressure of power building. . .
[Flash]
********************************
The young man in the expensive suit looks out the window
in his high rise office to the city of Midgar.  With sorrow he
watches on, unable to affect the world he lives in, as the citizens of
the city around him are slowly reduced to a demeaning stature by
the very company he works for.  He watches and he plans. . .
[Flash]
A village of tradition is lured by promises of the Shira
company to make the ultimate technological leap.  A single flash of
destruction, and suddenly the villagers find themselves hunted like
animals because of one single mishap.  A man, large and gruff as a
bear but with a shining heart, loses both his friend and his hand in
the chaos.  And after the destruction he takes in an orphan girl to
raise as his own, and he plans vengeance. . .
[Flash]
The young girl of wild beauty gives farewell to the
lonesome and isolated boy.  As she goes through life she holds the
memory of that boy near to her heart, a hopeless love.  Then,
Shinra takes away her life in the flash of fire and the wave of a
sword by the silver-haired soldier.  Hurting, she goes to Midgar for
vengeance.  And as she wanders the streets, she unexpectedly
meets that selfsame lonesome little boy now grown into a man. . 
[Flash]
*************************************
The power grew within Inno as did the pressure.  Veins of
light coalesced on her skin, making a glittering, flowing network of
trails.  Her eyes opened wide and unseeing and the colors within
them swirled. . .
[Flash]
**************************************
The lonesome boy gives an all important promise to the girl
and sets out to Shinra to make his fortune.  He grows in stature
and strength and once again the silver-haired man influences his
life.  Then it all comes crashing down as he watches his village
burn and his mother die.  A maniacal man saves him, then tortures
him, forcing him to bond with an alien being of ultimate evil intent. 
Now, the young man must question his memories, his life, even his
very identity. . .
[Flash]
***********************************
The power within Inno built up to the point where she
could no longer contain it, as did the rage.   Anger at the hurt, the
injustistice that she saw came to a burning crescendo.  With a
scream of  pure rage she released the power in her into the very
earth beneath her feet.  Unseen by her, the petaled face of every
flower around her turned from the meager light flowing from a
newly made hole it the ceiling to Inno's glowing form.  As she fell
back among the flowers one last vision was given to her.

She saw a young lady wearing a pink dress kneeling within
a city of glass.  Her eyes glowed a soft green, and she held a
materia orb of an extraordinary white color that was also glowing
with power.  On her face was an expression of kindness and
serenity.  Above her was the silver-haired soldier in mid-jump.  His
sword, a killer of countless hundreds, was poised to strike.  The
isolated young man with the crest of blond hair looked on in
horror, unable to act to save her.  And behind them all stood the
shadow of that alien presence that caused Inno to shudder with a
small tinge of fear.  Inno sensed that what she was looking at had
yet to happen.  It was the one event that she might have the ability
to stop. . .

As Inno fell into the waiting arms of unconsciousness, she
felt more than heard a voice echo throughout the church.  It
seemed to rise out from the very earth beneath her.  It was a voice
of extreme power and age, a collection of voices that seemed to
consist of every man, woman, and child on the face of the planet.

I charge you, Inno Kinsley, with this task.  Help this young
lady.  Save her. . . For Fate has conspired against her and only
you, who are outside the bounds of Fate, can affect what is to
come.    
 
*****************************
*Author's note*
About the time in which this story occurrs:  I left some
small clues about at what point that Inno sets out, but for those
that didn't spot them. 
1. Shinra had already begun the New Midgar Project (remember
the "big project" the Shinra empoyee refered to?)
2.  Cloud has already joined up with Avalanche
3.  Aeris has already met up with Cloud (otherwise there wouldn't
have been a hole in the ceiling of the church)
4.  Before Aeris' death (otherwise Inno wouldn't have a chance to
save her, now would she?)
5.  Other than that it's all up to you. . .
So what did you think?  I'm afraid it might be a bit childish.
Anyway,  I kinda got my inspiration from that big rumor
that went around  when Final Fantasy 7 came out.  You know. . .
the one about how Aeris can be resurrected.
A lot of people gave out reasons for why this rumor can't be true. 
One of the most often that I heard, and the one I had the most
trouble understanding, was that Aeris was fated to die.  So I
decided to introduce into the story a factor that was outside of fate
since I've never been a big believer about it.  I guess it's now up to
whoever might want to continue this how this will all end.
Please tell me if you like, hate, feel neutral about this. 
Really, I want some advice.
P.S.  Believe it or not.  I'm not really an avid Aeris fan.  It just
seemed like a good idea at the time. . .