Chapter One: The Meeting
Cloud and Barret slowly opened the creaking wooden door "damn this mansion is huge, Spiky" Barret said when they got the door opened and looked at the spiraling steps leading down. Cloud slowly looked at the spiraling staircase that lead down to the basement and his thoughts wandered back to the past. "Yo! Dreamer boy snap the hell out of it!" Barret shouted and gave Cloud a shove forward "come on! Lets figure out what the hell is down here" Barret insisted.
Cloud rolled his eyes and proceeded down the staircase with caution as a chill ran down his spine Sephiroth, where are you I know your here somewhere he slowly stop and drew his buster sword "hmmmm appears we got company" he said and leap forward as Barret followed behind him.
Cloud leap up and slashed down hitting one of the zombies arms and delimbing him. "Spiky! Move Your Damn Ass!" Barret shout at him as he took aim at the creature. Seeing he was preparing to shoot, Cloud leaped to his left giving him the space needed to take a shot. Barret slowly narrowed his eyes and fired at the creature hitting it in the chest and arm a couple times. A muffled groan escaped the creature's mouth as a green glow flashes and the zombie's wounds are gone. "Ummmm you know what I'll just leave it to you," Barret says and lowers his arm. Cloud slowly smirked and went into a defensive stand allowing the zombie to gets some blows in.
After taking a couple shots he leapt back and felt an adrenalin rush and lifted his sword "Cross-Slash!". He rushed in and cut down then up and back down forming an X then spun around unleashing a small energy wave. The zombie let out and whimper as it fell to the ground and slowly fades away. Cloud slowly spun his sword around above his head then put it back on his back. "Well that wasn't so hard," Cloud said turning to Barret "yea well I could have beat the shi't out of him but you where here," Barred yelled back. Cloud rolled his eyes and turned and walked forward getting a better view of the mansion's basement "straight ahead is the library, that's probably where Sephiroth is", he said to Barret then walked forward.
Barret slowly looked around the creep basement spotting a few skeletons and rats but stop as an eerie feeling creped through his body. He slowly turned "hey cloud there's another door over her," he said and tried to open the door but found it was locked. "Hey cloud didn't we get a key when we opened up that safe and fought that stupid ass monster?" he asked. Cloud slowly turns and looked in his pocket pulling out a summon materia, cosmos memory, and a key "yea there's a key right here but lets open the door later." Barret slowly looked at the door again then sprinted forward catching up with Cloud as they headed into the library.
Cloud and Barret both stopped when Sephiroth slowly appeared in front of them "The Reunion is soon..haha..I'll be at Mt.Nibel waiting..haha" he said then with that flew past Barret and Cloud. Just as Sephiroth vanished Red, Tifa, and Aeris all came running into the library "are you guys alright? We heard Sephiroth laughing," Tifa said. "Yea we're alright and now we know where Sephiroth is heading," Cloud replies. "Where we going cloud?" Aeris asked looking at Cloud then out the door into the basement sensing a presence of coldness. "Well lets get going," Cloud says and turns walking out the door into the basement hallway and starts heading to the staircase.
"Wait Spiky you said we'd open this locked door," Barret yells at cloud stopping in his track "I'm kinda curious what the hell is in their." Cloud reached into his pocket and tossed they key to Barret "knock yourself out," he replied and stopped sitting on the staircase. Barret slowly put the key into the and smirked as it fit perfectly and turned the key hearing a click signaling that it's unlocked. He slowly pushes open the door and the smell of foul air hits his nose and he stumbles back a bit "man smells like old air in they like no one every opened the damn door," he said then looked inside. "Dammit! Nothing but Rusted Ass Coffins In here," he cursed and turned to everyone else.
"Told you there wasn't anything in there," Cloud said and rolled his eyes then stood "can we leave now or is their more treasure hunts left?" he mocked. "WHAT YOU SAY?" Barret shouted getting agravated and marched towards Cloud but stop as Aeris spoke. "Wait everyone there's someone in their I can sense it," she said turning to the others. Red slowly sniffed the air and turned "she's right I smell a person and I can feel a coldness in the air," he says looking into the room. They all slowly went into the room and opens the first two coffins with ease but only found old skeletons and when they got to the one in the center they couldn't get the top to budge.
"Christ! What the hell is in here!" Barret cursed trying to move the lid. "I don't know but whatever it's someone doesn't want us to know about it," Cloud added. Aeris slowly walked forward and looked at the coffin feeling the coldness again then slowly knocked on the coffin. At first there was silence then the top of the coffin began to shake making everyone back away a bit. Then suddenly the top of the coffin flew off and up into the air landing next to the coffin and slowly as the dust began to settle and figure began to set up in the coffin.
As the dust settled to the ground Aeris looked up and say the figure in the dust. He sat up his long black mane down, as a red cloak covered most of his body and his blood red eyes scanned around the room "who has disturbed my slumber?" he asked his tone cold. Cloud slowly stood up dusting himself off "I did my names Cloud Strife," he replied looking up at the man. "Well then my name is Vincent Valentine and who are you people?" Vincent asked looking at the others though his eyes paused on Aeris a sec then turned back to Cloud. "We're from AVALANCHE and we're on a mission to save the earth from Sephiroth and Shinra," Cloud replied. Vincent slowly narrowed his eyes at the word "Shinra" and slowly began to lay back down "well I wish you luck but I must return to my nightmares," he said laying back in his coffin and closing the lid again.
Cloud slowly walks forward and knocks on the coffin "hey!" he shouts and knocks a bit harder. He slowly stops his knocking and turns to the others "well looks like he's not going to help us so we better get going," he says turning. Everyone began to leave but Aeris stop a moment and walks to the coffin "please Mr. Vincent we need your help and the planet needs your help..please.."she pleads. Her pleads are slowly meet with silence as not a word or sound comes from the coffin and she slowly sighs and walks out with the others. I wish he would help us. Cause we're going to need it Aeris thinks to herself and follows the others up the staircase.
Everyone made it up the staircase then turned heading to the door of Shinra mansion when they heard a creak and turned. "Well I guess I could come with you," Vincent said standing there wearing his red cloak and black pants with his gun holstered at his side. "That is if you don't mind if a monster comes along with you," he says coldly. "Well we do need the help," Cloud says turning to the rest of the group "well what do you all say?" They slowly nodded to each other "well then Vincent welcome to the group," Cloud said. Vincent slowly looked at the others "thank you," he said in his normal cold tone.
Now that they had Vincent joinning the party , Cloud and the gang walked towards Mt.Nibel to catch Sephiroth. As they walked Vincent noticed that Aeris would stare at him time to time and smile. I wonder why she keeps looking at me. Probably cause of my organic arm. he thought to himself but shoke it off. And slowly they all reached the beginning of Mt.Nibel