THREADS OF FATE: CARONA HIGH

A Threads of Fate/DewPrism Fan Fiction
by Adelaine

Before the Beginning: Two Tales Are Set to the Loom

June 2021.

Claire was in the kitchen of their small, three-room apartment, cutting up the vegetables for the beef stew she was going to make that night. It had been raining almost non-stop for the past three days, which was rather unusual for that time of the year. She hummed softly as she worked, the kettle whistling pleasantly at the stove beside her.

Rue was in their living room that doubled as a workshop for his freelance mechatronic repair work. That time, he was working on an old-fashioned oven toaster that had blown up in his face twice the past week, after his having replaced its spark circuits eleven times already.

He could smell the beef stew that Claire was cooking, and he couldn't help but smile. Claire knew well that her beef stew was his favorite.

"Rue," she called softly from the kitchen.

"Yes, Claire?" He carefully laid down his multi-tool and walked to the kitchen door.

"Rue, could you go over to the grocery store for me? We just ran out of pepper." She went to get some change from the tin can on top of the refrigerator. "Besides, you could use the exercise. You've been working on that thing forever," she said, meaning the toaster.

"Well," Rue scratched his head absently. "The man did say that if I could repair it, I could keep it." And he wanted to keep it. He knew Claire would love having a working oven toaster around the house. Luxuries like those were rarities to them, as there were times that they could barely manage to put food on the table.

"Working is fine, but I keep telling you that you should get out of the house more." She handed him a couple of bronze coins. "Now, I need you to get the finely ground, black pepper, okay?"

"Got it." He smiled reassuringly at her before turning to leave. He hadn't gone too far when he heard her call to him again.

"Don't forget to take your umbrella!" Claire said as she walked over to hand his umbrella to him. She kissed him lightly on the cheek before he went out.

It was only a fifteen minute walk to the grocery store. Two minutes more to find the aisle for the condiments, and three minutes to find the particular brand of finely-ground pepper that Claire always used. Twenty minutes in all.

"That'll be one gil," said the blonde-and-blue-eyed check-out counter girl.

Rue promptly paid her. "Thank you."

She smiled sweetly up at him and winked. "Come again, cutie."

Twenty minutes. He had time yet to browse a while—there was a mechavehicle equipment shop nearby—but he was already anxious to get home. He could overhear a couple of men talking as he exited the grocery store inside the mall.

"…did he come here too? Asking about the Clarence girl?"

Clarence? That's Claire's last name… he strained his ears to hear more.

"Yeah, he told me that he's a family friend of hers. Funny, if I remember right, she never had any known relatives…"

"I don't know. He seemed like a strange guy, stranger even than the freak that the girl lives with… maybe he's the freak's relative, hah!"

"By the way, you heard the commotion outside? That was an hour ago, now. Seems that Mr. Mystery Man can't be that bad… They say he saved the brunette check-out girl from being run over by a truck. Speak of the devil…"

"Excuse me, sir! Sir!" Rue turned to see a raven-haired woman run up to him, pausing but once to catch her breath. Her face fell when she realized who he was. "Oh, you're not him…"

"Not who?" he asked quizzically.

The woman arranged her skirts self-consciously before answering. "There was a man who was just here, with hair just like yours… Is he your brother?" But Rue shook his head. The woman continued, "He saved my life earlier. I was too stunned to thank him at once, and when I realized it…" she blushed deeply. "They said he might have gone into this building."

"If I see him, I'll tell him you were looking for him."

"T-thank you." She smiled nervously before turning to leave.

They said he was looking for Claire… Rue wanted to know more about it, but when he turned to ask the men, they had already gone.

Forty minutes. He had only been gone for forty minutes. Claire would be wanting for the pepper soon. The rain was still pouring in torrents, and it didn't look like it would be alleviating anytime yet. He was glad that Claire had reminded him of his umbrella.

He walked up the one-lane street that led to their apartment. Most of the houses on their street were old, practically ancient, made of roughly-hewn stone and wood. The windows of the houses were closed, although most were already lighted from the inside. It was almost seven o'clock in the evening.

Maybe the white-haired man hasn't been here yet, he thought nonchalantly. Already he could see their apartment from where he was. Strange, the lights in the kitchen were off…

Sudden, irrational fear gripped his insides. He broke into a run, the umbrella dropping forgotten onto the street. Damn it, no—!

"Claire!"

The house was dark and quiet. The beef stew in the kitchen had boiled over, and Claire was nowhere to be found.

"Claire!" He ran out into the street. "CLAIRE!"

The only answer he got was the endless pitter-patter of rain on the cobblestones.

-oOo-

July 2022.

"No, Mint. It's not yet time for dinner." Grandpa East Heaven sternly told the red-headed princess who had her hair done up in twin ponytails.

"Aw, gramps!" she pouted at him with her infamous puppy-dog expression. "It's almost dinnertime, and in five minutes I'm going to be eating anyway! What's the big deal?"

"Five minutes is five minutes," he told her firmly, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Who cares? When I'm queen, I can do whatever I want! And I'm gonna be queen, no doubt about it… She was happily stuffing pieces of food into her mouth. Pork chops, cheese omelet…ewww, yuck! Pumpkins! Choosing the most comfortable chair, she sat down at the head of the table.

"That's your father's seat!" Gramps was practically shouting.

"Seat, shmeat—it's gonna be mine soon, anyway."

"That's exactly the sort of attitude that will get this kingdom in trouble." A new voice called from the doorway of the dining room. With purposeful steps did Princess Maya and a masked, white-haired man approach the table.

Mint stood up abruptly. "M-Maya?! The heck are you to talk to East Heaven's crown princess like that!"

"Princess Maya has been voted unanimously by the council to replace you as crown princess."

"And who gave you the right to talk?" she turned to the man known as Doll Master. The man never took off his mask and public. Mint had never seen his face, but she wasn't intimidated. "You're just assistant to the head honcho of some two-bit corporation. How you managed to wiggle your way into the council, I'll never know…"

Maya shook her head in annoyance. "It doesn't matter. The council's vote is final. You are hereby stripped of your title." She took a step towards her older sister and sneered. "I can't say I blame them."

"That's it! You are sooo dead, Maya!"

In answer, Maya pulled out a really nice, really big, and really intimidating handgun. Blue-black steel with silver and gilt filigree.

"T-the heck?! That's the Cosmo-Penalty—!"

"Yes, dear sister. (The council anticipated that you wouldn't cooperate.)" Maya smirked. "The Cosmo-Penalty, or the Weapon of Cosmos if you prefer the more formal name." They both knew, there was a reason that their family heirloom was called such—only someone gifted with enough power of the inborn magick could wield the bullet-less gun that could wound yet did not kill. "You realize of course that, as I too am a scion of East Heaven, I can use this gun just as well as you can. Give it up, sis! Your self-taught magic is no match against the power of the Weapon!"

"We'll see about that…!"

But she didn't get to do anything. Maya pulled the trigger, and the next thing she knew was that she was being chased out of the dining hall by illusory killer jack-o-lanterns three months before Halloween.

Mint ran into her room and locked the door. If they think they've got me cornered—they're dead wrong!

She had made up her mind. Tonight, it had to be tonight. She was running away from home.

She ransacked her room, looking for the things that she will take along. Always travel light, was what she had been taught, and there were only two items that she needed. She pulled up her bed covers, then the mattress underneath to find—

There. Her stash of gold coins. She tied the small bag to her belt, along with the metal rings that hung behind her door, which were her favorite weapons.

She blinked her tears back angrily. She had promised, when her mother had died, that she would never cry again. She looked out the window and cursed under her breath.

Just my luck. The clear skies they had that morning had turned cloudy in the afternoon, and it was raining now. As if the skies themselves, knowing of her deluded vow, wept for her instead.

But she never believed in those fairy tales. Gritting her teeth, she climbed down the trellis outside her window, being careful not to slip on the wet vines. It only took her a couple of minutes before she was already making her way through a secret gate past the castle walls.

Not a single soul from the ancient kingdom of East Heaven saw their fiery princess with her red hair tied up in twin ponytails disappear into the night.

-oOo-

August 2023.

He had been on the road for over two years, with nothing but a small canvas bag that contained his things, and a black violin case that he carried everywhere. Two long years, in his search for a friend who had disappeared. He had lost his umbrella in those two years, and he had already lost count how many towns and cities he had gone to.

Rue continued to walk, feeling the slight pangs of hunger. He stepped into a small restaurant that was located between a small mechavehicle repair shop and a grocery store. Tonight's menu featured chicken a la king and pumpkin soup. There was a 'help wanted' sign below the menu, but he wasn't interested.

"Excuse me, sir?" He took out a photo that had already faded somewhat from weathering, and showed it to the waiter behind the counter. "I was just wondering if you had seen this girl."

After carefully looking at the photo, the man shook his head. "Nope, sorry."

Rue's face fell. This was his third day in town, and still he had no leads. But he wasn't ready to give up yet. He ordered the pumpkin soup for dinner—it was the cheapest item on the menu—and went over to one of the side tables so he could eat his meal in peace. He heard a man approach the waiter and they started talking, but Rue couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Every now and then, the man would glance at his direction, but he pretended that he didn't notice it.

He felt someone tap him on the shoulder. It was the same man who had been talking to the waiter before. "Say, mister, could I see that picture? I may be able to help you."

Rue frowned thoughtfully at him, and then proceeded to show him Claire's photo.

The man said, "You know, I think I saw a girl who looked like that in the big city. I remember, because she was with a guy who had really unusual hair. Same color as yours, actually," he indicated Rue's silver locks. "But that was… what, two or three months ago."

Rue took a deep breath. "Thank you, sir. Thank you very much."

Finally, it was the break he was looking for. Grabbing his things—and promptly forgetting to finish his soup—he quickly made his way to the MetroTram station and checked the train schedules. The next train wouldn't leave until tomorrow, so he would have to find an inn where he could spend the night. If he estimated correctly, he should get to the next town in two days.

And maybe in the next town he'd find her then.

-oOo-

August 2024.

Another day, another dollar. It was just a quote, since the currency in that area was in zenny, not dollars. But whether zenny, gil, gold coins or dollars, so long as she had enough to pay for tomorrow's food and lodging she was content.

No, not really. She smirked. She would never be content with anything less than the world. Her part-time job at this restaurant would be just one step towards a future of world domination.

"Oy, Vanguard! You missed a spot!" the cook called loudly from the kitchen.

"Hold your horses (you [expletive])! I'm coming!"

Mint Vanguard dragged her mop and stomped off to the back area of the room. On her way, she passed by tonight's menu. She stuck her tongue out. Pumpkin soup? Yuuuck! They've been serving this dish since forever. When I finally rule the world, I'm gonna issue a world-wide ban on pumpkins!

As she started mopping, she could overhear some adults talking about the latest news from the next town.

"…and they say that they've found a way to increase the LLCUs limitation of two meters! You know, the Liquid Light Crystal™ units that they use to make the hoverboards levitate… I think they've managed to increase the charge capacity of the power drives…"

"Yeah, but they say the inventor's a rather high-minded fellow and won't open his work to the public. Kinda stupid, if you ask me…"

"Huh! When the competition gets fierce, what with Aeon Industries trying to monopolize everything, trust me—he's gonna give. I've half a mind of going there myself to talk to sense into him… maybe even convince him to take me on as partner… just think of the money we can make with that kind of innovation!"

New tech in the next town, huh? She muttered under her breath. "Hah, as if he could… that guy looks like he couldn't convince a starving elephant to drink water."

"Tsk, tsk, eavesdropping. And you'd better watch your tongue, young lady. It will get you in big trouble someday." The white-blonde woman at the counter reprimanded her. She hadn't spoken a word before then.

Mint narrowed her eyes at her. "Look who's talking. And who the heck are you, anyway?"

"Belle Brie, and don't you forget it," Belle smiled sarcastically at her. "I'm a regular, paying customer here, so be polite. Or I just might complain to management about you."

"Oh, you're the old maid who owns the repair shop next door. Belle Brie, huh? What kind of a name is that?" Mint looked the older woman up and down. "On second thought, I think it actually goes well with that tasteless outfit you're wearing."

Belle's face flushed. "T—the hell are you to talk to me like that?! Are you looking for a fight?"

"I'll say what I think, and I think you're just an old bag full of hot air."

Belle stood up then, shaking her knuckled gloves at the girl furiously. "You want a fight, you've got it! You can't do anything against me!"

"Says you! What are you gonna do… terrify me with your wrinkles that no amount of make-up can ever disguise?"

"EAT PUMPKIN!" Without another word, Belle grabbed the nearest object—which happened to be sample of tonight's dinner—and threw it unceremoniously at the red-haired girl.

Ker-splawt! It hit Mint smack-dab in the face. She raised her mop angrily in challenge as the green-and-orange mulsh dripped down her cheeks. "That's it! You are SOOO DEAD!"

Suffice to say, that by the end of that day she was fired.

"It's their loss," she whispered as she stepped out of the half-charred, half-gooey remains of the restaurant. She smiled mysteriously, narrowing her eyes. "Hah! I'm going to find the next town and that tech-whatsis-whatever, and I'm gonna make a name for myself someday. When I do, they're going to be sooo sorry they were mean to me!"

She slung her duffel over one shoulder, and then started walking towards the end of the street to where the sun sets.

Author's Notes

Standard Disclaimer applies (for this chapter and for the rest of the series). I do not own Threads of Fate, Final Fantasy 7, any of the Final Fantasies, or any of their places, characters, events, plotlines, loopholes and expressions. In other words, nothing in this fanfic is mine (except maybe for but not limited to Bloop™, LLCUs, mechavehicles, hoverpods, aero-scooters and Fancy Taxis, life capsules, psyche amplifiers, psyche dampers and similar technology, plus chroma children and their related concepts).

First posted 14 October 2002. Reposted 26 October 2002. For reasons yet to be revealed, I had to turn the Book of Cosmos into a gun and rename it "Cosmo-Penalty" (after Vincent Valentine's Ultimate Weapon _). If anybody has better ideas for the name, please tell me!

Oh, and Shinji-kun, I hope this answers thy question. ^_~.

SOME TERMINOLOGIES OF CARONA HIGH

Hoverboards: invented in fictional 2010, these are skateboards that float. They can float over land and water, but they cannot float higher than two meters above floor level because of the small anti-gravity capacity of the LLCUs. [Addendum: Someone informed me recently that hoverboards exist in real life. The hoverboards in my fics are not connected with real-life hoverboards in any way.]

LED: Light-Emitting Diode. Available really cheap in your local electronics shop.

LLCUs: Liquid Light Crystal™ units. These are the things that make the hoverboards float. Not used for anything bigger than hoverboards and the newer Aero-scooters (motorbike type). Mechavehicles use an entirely different technology—fusion-propulsion jet engines. Not available in your local electronics shop.

Magick is different from magic. Magick refers to inborn power, similar to the concept of a 'life force', while magic can refer to either sleight of hand (fake magic or street magic) or the use of magick to do… well… magical things (such as fireballs, psychic shields, spontaneous rain showers, etc.)

Mechatronics: mechanical with electrical/electronic work. Real-world robotics fall under mechatronics. It's a real word (I think, because in my high school we have a mechatronics lab—it's actually an entire building—where we worked with basic and advanced electronics, simple robotics, hydraulics, pneumatics, metalworking and plastics).

Mechavehicle: mecha + vehicle. Think of the mecha in animé crossed with real-world cars and airplanes. There are many types of mechavehicles and they come in all shapes and sizes (upwards of five meters cubic in volume/capacity). But unlike the mecha in animé, mechavehicles are never humanoid. Magiteck armor of Final Fantasy VI (FF3 in North America) is too small and do not use the proper technology, and therefore cannot be classified as a mechavehicle.

Multi-tool: Swiss knife with more implements, and bigger tools. They exist today (but I'm not sure if they're called such). Think of the Leatherman 14-in-1 tools (the one with the big pliers) or those that they advertise for fishing tackles (or some such sort, I'm not sure).

At the end of this fanfic, I will be uploading a more in-depth explanation of the events and technologies. I estimate it will span three full-length, separate chapters. That's how far I will go to make a story believable, and that's how much of a sci-fi/fantasy/techno geek I am—isn't it obvious? ^_^ When I finish Carona High, I hope to do a fic of Rockman Zero.