"Come on, Vince! I'm sure it's gotta be down here somewhere," Yuffie called as she skipped down the dim tunnel. Yuffie and Vincent were sent by Reeve to Nibelheim with the task of eliminating a monster that was terrorizing the town. They were currently searching a cave system that the monster was believed to be hiding in.
Vincent, who was steadily growing more annoyed by his companion's eagerness, silently followed the hyperactive ninja through the tunnel. He had no trouble seeing in the dim cave due to the enhancements Hojo had given him.
Hojo. He hated that man. Hojo had ruined his life, stolen away the woman he deeply cared about, and created the menace who tried to destroy the world. Hojo had experimented on him destroying any hopes of a normal life and left him with nightmares and four demons to host inside his body, one of whom, Chaos, had returned to the planet.
Vincent began to reminisce of the days before the nightmares and Hojo. Back to the good old days when life was much more pleasant. He was interrupted from his reverie when Yuffie abruptly stopped in front of him and dropped her PHS which she was about to use.
Something had captured her attention. He followed her gaze and saw a shiny orb of materia glowing in the shadowy passage. The materia gave him a very grim feeling. Unable to resist the orb, Yuffie proceeded to grab it.
"Yuffie!" He grabbed her shoulder to stop her, but he was too late.
As soon as she touched it, they instantly became surrounded by a blinding white light.
"Vincent Valentine, reporting for duty, sir," stated a young Turk to his superior.
"Ah, Vincent. I have an assignment for you and Veld," the supervisor began. "I want the two of you to exterminate some Hedgehog Pies spotted in Sector 5."
"Yes, sir," the Turk saluted. "We'll take care of it right away sir."
"Good. I'm counting on you two."
After the light dissipated, Yuffie and Vincent found themselves in a city. Yuffie was clearly shocked at the sudden change in scenery. "Is this…"
"Midgar," Vincent answered her.
"Huh? Midgar? But it looks nothing like it."
"Not as you know it now." He paused then pointed to a building. "That is Aerith's church is it not?"
Yuffie looked at the cathedral he was pointing to. "No way! It looks like it was just built." The church was in pristine condition, completely unlike the crumbling structure she knew. It's roof had no gaping holes, the stain-glass windows were immaculate, and the exterior walls were pure white. For Yuffie, the building was almost unrecognizable save for the spires and the front which remain intact even in her time.
"Yuffie, I believe we have traveled in time."
"What?"
"This is Midgar as I knew it over thirty years ago."
"You mean we traveled back over thirty years ago? Which means that I haven't been born yet or Spike or Teef. And you were a Turk." She gasped, "What if we encounter you as a Turk?"
"Calm down. We…"
"I mean what if the younger you finds us and he discovers who we are or what if we're captured and experimented on or what if we do something to mess up history or…"
"Yuffie," he said firmly, "Right now we need to focus on how we are going to get back before anything happens."
As if the Planet loved coincidence, Vincent heard an eerily familiar voice calling out to the both of them. He quickly turned to see his younger self steadily approaching them.
"Crap!" he muttered. "Run!" He and Yuffie raced away.
"Hey! Wait!" the Turk shouted and then began to pursue them.
Yuffie and Vincent fled through the town to get away from their pursuer. Vincent avoided running at full speed lest he lose Yuffie. They soon came to a warehouse, ran inside, and split up in the hope that they could lose the Turk.
Vincent hid himself behind some boxes. He heard his younger self enter the room.
"I just want to ask you a few questions. I don't mean any harm," he heard him say. The next thing he heard was a thwack followed by a thud. He rushed over to the source of the commotion to find the Turk sprawled on the ground unconscious and Yuffie next to him with her conformer in hand.
"Did you just knock me out?"
"Well we couldn't let him see you. I may not be an expert, but I'm pretty sure that can be pretty bad. You know with the whole wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey thing. Plus, how would you explain what happens to him in the future."
Vincent looked at his metallic limb, courtesy of Hojo. "I suppose you're right."
"Oh! No, that's not what I meant! I'm sorr-"
"It's ok. You don't have to," he said. Yuffie opened her mouth to protest, but no words would come out. "We should get out of here."
"Are we just going to leave him here? I mean what if there are monsters in here?"
He could sense that there was some other being lurking nearby, so he picked up the unconscious man and carried him over his shoulder.
"Let's leave him by the church. I'm sure Veld will find him soon enough."
When they arrived at the church, Vincent set the Turk down against the wall. He rose and looked at him. Memories of his past started pouring into his head. He envied his younger counterpart for he had a good life, yet pitied him for the future that awaited.
"Is he going to be ok?" Yuffie asked.
"I may not be standing here if he wasn't," came his reply. "Funny thing is I don't remember this event."
"Well, you were unconscious."
"I should have at least remembered something about this."
"What are you implying?"
"I'm not sure, but I think from now on, we must tread carefully." He paused to scan the area. "We need to get out of here. Veld should be arriving any moment."
Yuffie nodded and together they disappeared from the vicinity.
"Sleeping on the job, Valentine?" The Turk Vincent woke up to find his partner, Veld, standing in front of him.
"Huh?" Vincent stood up, but then staggered and nearly fell.
Veld caught and steadied him. "Woah, you ok there, Valentine?"
"I'm fine," he replied while straightening himself and rubbing his head. "I chased a couple of people into a warehouse, and the next thing I know, I wake up here. I think one of them hit me in the head."
"In the head? Do you feel all right?"
"I'm fine. Let's get on with the assignment."
"Right. Hedgehog Pies was it?"
"Precisely."
Yuffie and Vincent sat in a corner booth in a cafe in sector 7.
"We need to find a way to get back to our time and fast," Yuffie stated as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Agreed," he replied. "We need to figure out how we got here in the first place."
Hmm.
"I bet this has something to do with that materia we saw in that cave."
He pondered on her statement. The materia. It could be. "Do you remember what it looked like?"
"It was a dark green color."
"It must have been a very potent magic one then. One powerful enough to send humans through time and space."
"Yeah, but why did it send us here? Why to this point in time?"
"I don't know."
"Maybe we should research this dark green materia or maybe we can ask that chic of yours, Lucrecia."
"I do not wish to encounter anyone else from my past. A library should suffice our needs."
"Do you want to see her again though?"
He mulled over her question. It was true that he wanted to see her again. "We have not met in this time yet. Even if we had, she wouldn't recognize me." Before Yuffie could give a response, Vincent got out of the booth and proceeded to exit the cafe.
Indignant, she chased after him then rambled on about miscellaneous things. He didn't heard a word of what she was saying as he was too lost in his own thoughts of Lucrecia.
What if I could change the past? Vincent contemplated as he walked to the library. She wouldn't have to suffer and there would be one less sin for me to atone for.
The pair scoured the local library for information on their mysterious materia. Yuffie skimmed through the books while Vincent sifted through the computer database. He searched through the information the library had to offer. When nothing came up, he used what access he was granted as a Turk to look into Shinra archives. He eventually came across what they were looking for.
"Yuffie, come look at this."
"Did you find it?" The ninja skipped over to the computer and studied the screen.
"The report here says that the materia is believed to have the ability to teleport beings through space and time. Not much else is stated except that Professor Hojo and his team are studying it," he pointed out with some disgust in his voice.
"That must be it then!" she exclaimed. "Let's go get it."
"And how do you suppose we are going to get into the Shinra labs?"
"With this." She brought out a card and gave it to Vincent. He inspected it and realized it was his Shinra identification card.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
"From the younger you when we were moving him to the church," she said proudly.
"You realize he is going to be in a lot of trouble because of this," he replied with a slightly amused tone.
"Well I'm sure it won't be that bad," she retorted which earned her a glare.
The duo were at a back door of the Shinra building; Yuffie worked on picking the lock of the door while Vincent stood watch.
"Got it," she announced once the lock was broken.
"We need to be extra cautious," he advised. "The last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves."
"Or get captured?"
"Precisely."
They silently entered the building with Cerberus and Conformer drawn, ready to face any threats. Using Vincent's past knowledge of the building, they crept down the halls dodging security and other personnelle.
They eventually came to a door labeled as "Lab A." Vincent slid his younger self's card into the lock which then flashed green and granted them entry. When they entered the lab, they encountered the last person they wanted to see. Hojo.
The scientist was currently preoccupied with studying something under a microscope and thus did not notice the duo's presence. Vincent hastily trained Cerberus on Hojo and released its safety.
Upon hearing the weapon click, Hojo casually turned around to face the maker of the sound. Wearing a sadistic smirk, he did not appear to be the least bit alarmed by the threatening intruders.
"What are you doing here?" Hojo asked.
"Tell us about the materia you're studying," Yuffie demanded.
"And why should I tell you anything?" Hojo said.
"Because right now that is the only thing that is keeping you alive," Vincent stated, his tone betraying his rising anger.
"Ha! You think that threatening me will get you what you want?" The mad man then burst into a fit of maniacal laughter, but was cut short when Vincent quickly strode towards him. With his claw, he grabbed him by his shirt collar, slammed him onto the table, and pointed Cerberus directly at his temple.
Vincent's anger towards the scientist had boiled to the point to where he was practically blinded by rage. All of the wrongs Hojo had committed poured into his memory, fueling his urge to kill him.
I could take him out right now; then my life would be much more pleasant. I wouldn't have to live as a cursed being. Lucrecia would be happy and free. His erupting fury had excited the remaining demons inside him. He could even feel one of them beginning to emerge, but he held them all back for this was his battle alone.
Yuffie, with her eyes widened in fear of what her comrade may do, called out to him. "Vincent! You can't! Think about where we are. When we are."
Vincent considered her words. We are in the past. If I kill him now, there would be fewer sins to atone for, but he has yet to do harm to me. Would it be right to deal out justice when one has yet to do wrong?
"When?" Hojo inquired glancing at the girl. "Why yes of course!" He shifted his gaze back to the man. "The materia brought you here, didn't it? And most likely from the future gauging by your friend's apparel."
"Shut up!" ordered Vincent who tightened his grip on both his gun and Hojo.
"Say, you look familiar somehow and those eyes, very unique. Grimoire? No, but you are related to him, his son perhaps."
"I said shut up!" Vincent yelled. I could end this here. I could protect myself, no the world from this monster.
"Vincent, please," Yuffie pleaded. "This isn't like you."
With everything this man, he scoffed within his thoughts, If I can even call him that. With everything he has done or will do, the world may be better off without him. But who can know what will happen if Hojo dies now.
"Vincent? Valentine, I'm assuming," Hojo said. "Your father was quite a calm man. A trait he must have passed on to you, yet you seem very worked up. So I must have done something to you in the future to cause you to act this way. That must be why you are here in this time. To get your revenge."
"What do you mean by 'that's why I'm here'?" he asked.
"Why, the materia only responds to the desires of its wielder," the professor informed.
Vincent huffed through his nose and readjusted his grip on Cerberus. His finger ready to pull the trigger. The world would a better place without monsters like him in it, yet if I ended him now, what would that make me? What would the consequences be for such a deed? I can't even begin to imagine what may unfold if I gave into this temptation. No. Despite everything that he will do, I cannot change what has happened. What will happen.
Wordlessly, Vincent lifted the scientist off the table, smacked his head with his gun, and allowed his unconscious body to crumple onto the floor.
Yuffie looked at Vincent with an expression of shock. "Why did you knock him out? There was still more he could of told us about getting back to our time."
"He already told us everything we needed to know about the materia."
"He did?"
"He said that the materia only responds to the desires of its wielder. So in order to go back to our present time, we need only to desire to go there."
"Sounds simple enough." She then hopped over to the table to search for the materia.
Vincent looked with disdain at the unconscious scientist on the ground. A small part of him still wanted to end him now, but he refused for he knew it must be this way. Despite everything his younger self will endure, he will survive. He must, for he'll have work to do.
Yuffie glanced over and noticed her companion blankly staring at Hojo. "You ok there, Vinny?"
He snapped out of his thoughts and then gave her a nod. "Come, we should leave before someone finds us." She nodded in agreement. "But first we are returning my counterpart's card."
"Aw, you're no fun."
The two located the sought after materia and took hold of it. Together they teleported back to Sector 5 just after they left the Turk and left the card in the still inert Vincent's pocket, and then teleported to the Nibelheim cave still 30 years before their present time and set the orb on the ground.
"So was it true what Hojo said about you wanting to get revenge?" Yuffie asked Vincent.
"To get revenge, no."
"Then what was it that sent us to that time?"
"Before you found the materia, I was remembering the good old days as it were. I guess some part of me still longed for those times."
"That is pretty relatable, but no matter what happens, we have to continue on with our lives."
"Indeed. Ready to go back to our time?"
"If you are."
In silent confirmation they picked up the materia and held it in such a way so that it will be left behind as they traveled. They both imagined the same cave, but in their own present time. They became engulfed in a white light. Once the light cleared, they spotted Yuffie's abandoned PHS and knew they were home.
Overcome with joy, she hugged him. He smiled a little and felt as if a burden had been lifted from him. She released him and said, "Well, we should get going. We've got a monster to take care of."