Tempo De Ritorna
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 7 and all related characters and places are the property of Squaresoft. The author owns only the plot of this story. Reviews and constructive criticisms are always welcome, but please take it easy on the flames, we're all friends here.
Chapter One
Return
It's strange how time can fly, Vincent Valentine thought to himself. He looked at the PHS in his hand again, replaying the conversation in his mind.
"We're having an AVALANCHE reunion!" Tifa Lockheart's voice had said cheerily over the line. "Back at my bar in Nibelheim!"
"When?" had been Vincent's one-word answer.
"Two weeks," she replied. "I've been calling everyone, and they'll be coming."
"Cloud as well?" asked Vincent.
Tifa was silent for a moment. "I hope so. He didn't answer when I called him, but I left the invitation on his PHS. I guess we'll find out when the party starts."
Vincent had promised to attend, and they had hung up shortly after. He would not have cared ordinarily to go to a reunion, but obviously, Tifa and the others still had not discovered what had become of Cloud after the destruction of Meteor ten years ago. He had told them he was going to look for a way to bring Aeris back to them. The mercenary had kept in touch for a while, but had suddenly gone silent after a year. The other had searched, but to no avail. No trace of him had been found.
But Vincent knew. And knowing what he did, he felt that it was better that he go to Nibelheim to tell them in person.
The year after Meteor, Vincent had met Cloud in Junon. It had been a chance meeting, Cloud replenishing his supplies, Vincent simply making a stop during his wanderings. If Vincent had been his old self, he might had enjoyed the encounter immensely, but he had at least found the time pleasant. The two of them were preparing to part ways again when it happened.
***
Vincent was moving stealthily away from the bar when he heard the sounds of a battle. Reversing his step, he leapt silently onto a low roof and backtracked to where he had left Cloud.
The wild-haired warrior was trapped in the middle of a crowd of thugs in blue. Turks, or at least men who were trying to be. Vincent noted with something akin to contempt that most of them were amateurs and that even the professionals of the group were mediocre at best.
Cloud was making short work of them, the Ultima Weapon a shining arc in the dark night. Meaning to help, Vincent whipped out his gun. He took out several of the would-be Turks before one who was smarter than the others grabbed hold of a female bystander who had been attempting to get her child to safety. He had demanded that Cloud surrender, or he would kill both the mother and the child.
Vincent leveled his gun, but the hostages were in the way.
"All right," Cloud said.
He lowered the sword. One of the blue suits stepped forward to take it from him, but Cloud suddenly whirled and threw the Ultima Weapon to Vincent.
"Get it out of here!" he shouted.
Vincent nodded once and leapt away, carrying the huge sword with him. He could hear shouted orders behind him, to take Cloud and find the man with his sword. Running footsteps pounded the streets in search of him, but Vincent had been the finest Turk of his time, well-versed in the arts of stealth. He lost all of his pursuers within a few blocks. Finding a dark corner on a roof, Vincent stopped for a few moments to analyze what had happened. As he reloaded his gun, he noticed a small piece of paper sticking out of the wrappings on the Ultima Weapon's hilt. He plucked it loose and moved to a small patch of light on the roof, an eerie yellow circle cast by a streetlamp.
Vincent,
I hope that you won't have to read this, but if you do, I must ask you to do some things for me. I expect to be attacked tonight, and if I should be taken, you must take the Ultima Weapon and protect it. Go to my room at the Junon Inn quickly and take my pack. You will find my reserve PHS in it with a message. It has been coded, but you will know the password. Follow the instructions in the message.
Cloud
Vincent traveled over the rooftops to the inn. Cloud had mentioned that his room was the corner one on the top floor of the inn. Vincent climbed in through the window, found the backpack, then quickly left again.
He found a secluded roof some distance away and took out the PHS. He turned it on, and a puzzle flashed onto the screen. It was a replica of one that had been found at an archaeological dig at an old Cetra settlement. Vincent had studied the difficult riddle many years ago, though few save historians had, and knew the answer. He entered the code and Cloud's image appeared on the screen.
"I hope that it you are hearing this message that you are a member of the resistance group AVALANCHE. In the previous year after the destruction of Meteor, I have been on a quest to restore our friend Aeris. I have not found one. But during the course of my search, I have discovered that an old enemy we thought destroyed is still alive and dangerous.
"When we went into Midgar to stop Hojo from firing the Sister Ray at the Northern Crater, we thought we destroyed him. But as I traveled alone on my quest, I have been followed and attacked by men dressed as Turks, though not nearly as skilled. I interrogated several of my attackers and found that they are working for Hojo and were ordered to capture me and take me to him. After tracking some of the false Turks to a hideout, I found out that the Hojo we fought at the Mako cannon was a clone, a puppet controlled by the real Hojo.
"What he wants with me, I'm not certain. All I can say for now is that the other members of AVALANCHE must not look for me. They must not put themselves in a position in which they will be vulnerable to him. He thinks that I no longer care about the fates of my friends because I have been away from them for so long, and he must not be allowed to thin otherwise. It is the only way to protect them from him. Vincent especially must keep away, as it had com to my attention that Hojo wants him back too. I realize that this will be difficult, but you must trust me.
"Don't tell the others I'm gone. There is a key in my backpack. Go to the train station in the rebuilt section of Midgar and find the lock that is marked for the key. Inside you will find further instructions. Take the Ultima Weapon to the place indicated and leave it there. I'll come back if I can."
Vincent, who had long though that emotion was dead in him, burned with cold fury. So the bastard Hojo was still alive. The man responsible for Lucrecia's death, and ultimately, Sephiroth's evil. Now he had Cloud and there was nothing Vincent could do.
***
Vincent went to Midgar and found the place. It was been an underground bunker in one of the wrecked slums of the city. The furnishings had been Spartan, a bunk, kitchen apparatus, small bathroom. A small closet revealed extra clothes and armor and a small locked box. Vincent put Cloud's backpack in the closet, then moved his hand along the inside of the closet, looking for the switch Cloud had written about.
He found the button, pressed it, and a panel on the wall opposite slid open to reveal an impressive collection of weapons and materia. Zack's Buster Sword and the Ragnarok hung there along with all the other swords Cloud had used during their fight for the planet. There was an empty place for another sword. Vincent put the Ultima Weapon there and closed the panel.
Lastly, he took out Cloud's spare PHS and set it to the private frequency on his own. He set the device on the bed, and with a last look around, left the bunker.
***
That had been nine years ago. The other members of AVALANCHE had searched for Cloud, but to no avail. Per Cloud's instructions, Vincent never told them what had happened in Junon that night. Inwardly, Vincent hoped that one day, the PHS would ring from the bunker in Midgar, but it never did. He had even gone back there every so often, but only to find the place exactly as he had left it.
Was Cloud alive? Who could say? Vincent wished he knew, one way or the other. He had kept Cloud's secret, but it was difficult not to search, just as Cloud had said. His own past with Hojo made him long to find the scientist and make him pay for what he had done. And keeping the secret from the others while watching there fear for their missing friend was even harder. He knew that he would have to tell them someday, but what could he say?
Two weeks, Tifa had said. Well, there was enough time to check the bunker again.
***
Several days later, a figure in a tattered cloak made its way into the silent Midgar slums It moved furtively through the blackened wreckage, down a manhole, and underground to a sealed door. A gloved hand produced a key, which was pushed into a keyhole disguised to look like a crack in the wall.
The door opened with a hiss, and the cloaked figure stepped inside. It pressed a button on the inside wall to close the door and turned to find itself staring down the barrel of a large handgun.
"Vincent?"
The gun lowered slightly. The figure's gloved hand moved slowly to unclasp the ragged cloak. It fell away to reveal a head of wild blond hair.
"Cloud," Vincent said, lowering his weapon. Both released held breaths, looking at each other with relief.
"It's good to see you," Cloud said.
"Where have you been?" asked Vincent.
"Long story," Cloud answered tiredly. "Are the others well?"
"Yes."
"Good." Cloud glanced around the bunker. "We will be fighting again soon. Everyone will be needed."
"What's going on?" Vincent asked.
Cloud's one-word answer was all Vincent needed to hear. "Hojo."
***
Vincent sat by patiently as Cloud cleaned himself up. He had obviously been fighting, as his clothes were badly torn and filthy. But a long shower and a change of clothes later, he was again the mercenary Vincent remembered.
The years haven't touched him, Vincent thought. No more than they touch me.
"We can't stay here," Cloud said. He finished lacing up a boot and reached for a roll of athletic tape to wrap his hands. "Those fake Turks are still chasing me. I don't want them to find this place before I can get my stuff out."
"Tifa and the others are meeting for reunion in a week at her bar in Nibelheim," Vincent said. "We can talk to them then. They've been worried."
"I would have returned sooner if I could have," said Cloud. "But I wasn't able to escape until a week ago. Does Barret still live in Kalm?"
"No. He moved back to North Corel, but he is there now. They still have a summer cottage there."
"I'll call him and ask him to get my weapons out of here." Cloud finished taping his hands and moved to the closet. He took out the backpack and the locked box. "Where are the others now?"
"Yuffie, Cid and Nanaki are all at their homes."
Cloud stuffed some things into his bag. "Reeve?"
"He lives in the reconstructed section of Midgar, but Tifa told me that he's in Junon right now and will be going to Nibelheim from there."
Cloud opened the box, removing three items, a wad of gil, a framed photo of the AVALANCHE team, and a small black box. The first two went into the bag.
"How's Tifa?" Cloud asked, opening the box. Vincent saw a pair of earrings and a ring before Cloud snapped it shut again and packed it.
"Lonely," Vincent answered. "She's missed you. AVALANCHE has missed you."
Cloud smiled gently. "Not for much longer, I hope." He became serious again. "Have you found what you were looking for?"
"No," Vincent replied. He gazed at Cloud thoughtfully. "Did you?"
"No," Cloud replied. "But I-" His voice choked off as a searing pain shot through his chest, taking his breath. Vincent jumped to his feet.
"What is it?!"
Cloud was silent for several seconds, the glowing Mako eyes closed against the pain. When it faded, he looked up into Vincent's ruby glance, and the former Turk saw something there that he recognized. Vincent had borne his share of suffering during his long life, and he knew the look well. Cloud bore his pain as though he were used to it, and that disconcerted Vincent, for even during all the trials of Sephiroth and Meteor, he had never seen that expression in the mercenary.
"What did he do to you?" he asked.
"I don't know," Cloud said after a few moments. "But I will soon." He got up carefully, put on his gloves, then opened the hidden panel in the wall. He gazed at the arsenal as though it were an old friend and took the Ultima Weapon from its place. Vincent thought he heard a slight singing sound from the blade as Cloud's hand touched it. Cloud chose his armor and materia and hid them under a long hooded coat which he took from the closet. He strapped the huge sword to his back and picked up his gear.
"Time to go," he said.
They left the bunker. Cloud hid the key for Barret, and the two men made their way above ground.
"I'll be in Nibelheim in a week," Cloud promised. "Be careful, Vincent. He still wants you."
Vincent nodded, and they walked away in different directions.
***
A knock on the door made Dr. Lambert glance up from his work.
A patient? he thought. Probably nothing too worrisome, though. Mideel was a quiet town, hardly anything ever happened there. The last big uproar the town had seen had been ten years ago when the place had been demolished by the Weapon.
The doctor stood up and went to the door, expecting to find a villager with a cold. Instead, he found a wild-haired man with a huge sword. Dr. Lambert started slightly, but relaxed. He remembered this man.
"I don't know if you remember me," Cloud said. "But I was here ten years ago."
"Of course I remember you," Dr. Lambert said. "You washed up ashore with extreme Mako poisoning. I was amazed that you survived. How have you been?"
"I'm not sure," Cloud replied. "I came back because you examined me then. I've been through…many things since I was last here. I would like to have your opinion now."
"Certainly," said the doctor.
***
"How did this happen?" Lambert asked a short while later. His voice was hard.
Cloud was sitting on the edge of a hospital bed, pulling on his shirt. "Experiments."
The doctor was skimming his notes on Cloud's examination. "By whom?"
"It's better that you don't know. Let's just say that he didn't ask me first. How does it look?"
"I think you know," Lambert said.
"I'd guessed."
"Whoever did this can't be allowed to continue," Lambert went on.
"He won't be," Cloud told him. "I'll see to that." He pulled on his gloves and stood.
"You're leaving?" asked the doctor.
"Yes. Thank you for your help."
"You're welcome. Take care, young man. Good luck."