Notes: I just wasn't really satisfied
with the ending I got from the game so I wrote up this little one-shot
fic (it was originally part of a multi-chapter fic, but that didn't exactly
work out). I'm not really planning on making a sequel, or more chapters
or anything like that right now, but I will eventually. You know, unimportant
things like school happen to get in the way. ^^
Author: Laine
New Beginnings
It had been two years already since
Hojo's death, and many more since he had been experimented on. The time
passed quickly, seeming to leave no indelible mark on him; neither physically,
nor emotionally. It seemed that he was standing still and watching as everything
passed him by. Like clouds in the sky overhead. But he was alone. It's
not that he minded, for being anti-social came easy to him. After all,
instincts and old habits died hard.
He gazed up into the night sky,
his long red cape billowing in the wind. His hair, which flowed down past
his shoulders, was as black as the night itself. A lock of his hair fell
into his eyes, and he brushed it away with a fierce looking claw which
glowed unnaturally in the moonlight.
Vincent Valentine sighed, his crimson
eyes downcast as he stood upon the flat rocks atop of the waterfall which
hid Lucrecia's cave. He could hear the wind whistling through the small
cracks in the precipice, surrounding him. It almost seemed as if it was
calling his name.
"Vincent..." The wind whispered,
all around him. Vincent lowered his head.
"Lucrecia," he spoke softly, "I am
so sorry. I failed you... your son..." As he stared at the water falling
down the rocks before him, memories of his one, true love came flooding
back to him. Her long silky hair, her bright shining eyes, her soft lips...
In the silence of his solitude, Vincent
had come to terms with many things that he had not been given the chance
to before. After all, what had really been thirty years, had only seemed
like days to his tortured mind. It had been foolish to blame himself for
Lucrecia's choice to stay with Hojo. She was a grown woman, capable of
making her own decisions. Yet those same decisions had torn her from his
arms and led her to the crazed scientist.
At the time, he had told himself
that his actions, or lack thereof, were justified. He had offered her himself,
his world, and she had refused him, and turned him aside without an explanation.
Any man, even a reasonable one, would not have been able to look past the
blow to his pride. Especially not a Turk, not a man who had vowed to never
open himself up in that way to another. But he had, and look where it had
gotten him. He had hated himself the entire nine months before the birth
of Lucrecia's child, hated himself with a dark passion. Lucrecia
had played him for the fool, and he had no one to blame but himself for
letting her.
He knew he had never stopped caring
though. Deep down, in a place he was surprised to find held emotion, he
had still loved her. He always would. The very thought manifested itself
in many ways that were irritating, and very hurtful until it was all he
could think about. He would often find himself looking over his shoulder,
expecting her to be there. Or times when he discovered something and found
himself start forward with the intention of telling her of it. A distant
laugh would remind him of just how much he had enjoyed hearing Lucrecia
express her joy, even if it wasn't meant for him. The way a stranger might
hold her head, move her hands, or walk would cause him to envision her.
It was maddening. She was his in his memories, in his dreams and nightmares,
yet she had always been Hojo's in the flesh. She did not belong to him
anymore, she never would. And he knew why.
Vincent fell to his knees, the painful
memories of his past suddenly becoming too much for him to bear. He struck
his metal claw against the rocks beneath him in frustration. Tiny cracks
began to form where his claw had connected with the ground, but he paid
them no heed as he knelt there. He watched the trees of the dense forest
beneath the waterfall sway gently in the evening breeze. He scowled at
the scene before him, taking no pleasure in the starry skies or the beautiful
waters below.
"I have failed the only woman that
I ever loved. I could have saved her, and the entire planet from all it's
pain..." Vincent looked down at the cracked rocks under his feet. "It is
only right that I must suffer the rest of my life like... this..." With
that said, Vincent glanced down at his left arm, which was hanging limply
by his side. There the menacing, golden claw shone, reflecting the light
of the moon into his red eyes. It was a memory of what Hojo had done to
him so long ago. 'But he didn't leave it at that...' he thought bitterly,
shaking his head. He knew that although no one could see it, there were
strange things flowing inside of him. The blood of monsters coursed through
his veins, giving him enhanced vision and eyesight, the ability to transform
into the ultimate demon of destruction, Chaos. 'And this blessing in disguise,
known to others as immortality.' Vincent snorted with disdain. He was forced
to live the rest of his days, as long as they may be, knowing that he could
have prevented the death of his only true love, and he would have to do
it, alone.
It was on learning of what he had
become, no, what Hojo had made him, over thirty years ago, that had caused
him to pull himself away from society, away from people, away from everything
that had once mattered to him. He didn't want to see anyone or anything,
or let anyone see him as the monster he was. Vincent frowned, remembering
that day when he awoke in the laboratory in the basement of the Nibelheim
mansion.
*********
He remembered the intense rage that
came over him once he had brought his eyes upon the menacing claw that
was attached below his left elbow. He had torn the room to shreds, and
like a madman he overturned tables, breaking lab equipment, pulling books
off their shelves. Once he had broken everything in the lab, his anger
subsided and he stumbled from the bright room into the dark cavernous hallways
of the mansion's basement. There was an open door, and fell to his knees
in front of it, weak with a sudden exhaustion. He crawled slowly into the
room, and saw that it was full of coffins. All were a deep plum colour
with the red Shinra logo etched onto the lids. All were sealed shut, except
for one, at the very back of the room. Vincent made his way over to it,
looking down inside. It was empty.
His tired eyes began to close, and
he found himself crawling closer to the coffin, as if he was somehow drawn
to its soft, smooth interior. 'It looks so warm...' Vincent thought absent-mindedly.
Without even realizing it, his head collided with the side of the coffin.
Vincent shook his head groggily, and looked up at the dark wood, his eyes
focusing on a small plaque on the side. Engraved on the plaque were the
words: Vincent Valentine. Experiment #6725.
Vincent's heart sank. it was bad
enough to have Hojo perform his barbaric experiments on him, but the fact
that he didn't even expect him to live through it, for him to think he
was so weak...
"I would be better off dead anyway,
as a monster like this." he muttered to himself as he climbed into the
empty coffin. The dark interior strangely comforted Vincent as he lay inside
and pulled the lid over his head. He sighed. "This body is... my punishment...
I was unable... to stop Hojo... I was unable to stop them... Lucrecia..."
He cradled his claw in his good hand, staring into the darkness that now
surrounded him.
His last thoughts were of his beloved
before he closed his eyes and drifted into a slumber that would last him
over thirty years...
*********
A cold, biting wind blew around Vincent.
His long black hair flew into his face, almost startling him out of his
reverie and bringing him back to the present. The rushing water below him
was loud in his ears. Vincent sighed, as the memories of Nibelheim faded
into the night. Still, as hard as he tried to forget, the laughing
face of Hojo could not leave his mind.
"I would be better off dead. Isn't
that right Hojo? Isn't that what you planned? Yes, then perhaps I can rest
in peace, without the nightmares to plague me..." He rose to his feet,
a determined glare in his red eyes. "I have no reason to live now that
Hojo is gone, as is Sephiroth... as is my only love." He now stood at the
edge of the rocks, looking down at the waterfall and into the dark forest
below.
"Lucrecia, forgive me for what I
am about to do... perhaps I shall see you soon." Vincent whispered closing
his eyes as he took a step forward. All of a sudden, a huge gust of wind
blew into him, knocking him off his feet, and away from the edge of the
rocks.
"Vincent..." He glared up
at the open sky, sitting up.
'Even the weather mocks me. The Planet
itself will not let me die, Hojo, and rid the world of this monster that
you created! I will never be able to put an end to the torture I have had
to endure for so long...' Vincent shook his fist at the night sky. "You
may have taken my body, my life as your prisoner! But I will not let you
take my soul!" He shouted aloud. The sound of his pain filled voice echoed
across the fields and forest below. 'No... I must deserve this Lucrecia.
Forgive me...'
*********
Vincent stayed on the rocks for over
an hour, simply looking up at the stars in the night sky. The soothing
sounds of the rushing water and the rustling of the leaves on the trees
in the forest below put his weary mind at rest. He lay down on his back
on the cold rocks beneath him, placing his hands behind his head. He closed
his eyes to all that was around him. 'I think I shall just lie here, forever,'
he mused, 'I am better off alone, away from all people, away from all things
living. No one would care if I left, I do not care... I have nothing left
to care for...'
For a brief moment, Vincent's thoughts
turned to his friends, the group called Avalanche that had defeated the
Shinra, and Sephiroth. He remembered how in their final battle, he could
only stand there and watch, much to their obvious astonishment. He knew
that he could not bring himself to harm the son of his beloved Lucrecia,
but they went ahead and killed him, without his help.
'No, they would not miss me, they
are far too absorbed in their own happy lives,' He thought bitterly, 'They
wouldn't care.' Vincent stood again, reaching into his pocket to pull out
his PHS. He gazed at it wistfully, recalling the time when he had actually
used it, when it seemed like they cared...
"I won't be needing this-" At that,
Vincent took his PHS and threw it as far as he could. He watched it fall
some distance away, then into the depths of the water below. 'Perhaps I
should return to my sleep...' Vincent thought of his coffin in the mansion
in Nibelheim, though only for a moment as he stretched his arms above his
head. Then he started the long descent down the side of the cliff, sometimes
wondering what should happen if he were to fall... With a frown, he shook
those thoughts from his head, as he reached the bottom, and he gazed up
at the beautiful waterfall that loomed before him.
"This place..." A smile played upon
Vincent's lips, but faded as quickly as it came as he started towards
the falls. He saw the familiar outcropping of rocks, jutting out of the
water. With a quick leap, he landed effortlessly on the rock, his red cape
flying behind him. Vincent made his way behind the falling water, with
the swiftness and agility of one who had traveled the path many times before.
In fact he came here every month after Sephiroth's death, hoping to see
her again as he did with Cloud... but she never came.
He crept into the cave behind the
waterfall, his blood red eyes scanning his surroundings. He let his right
hand trail along the jagged walls, listening to the slow, dripping of water
from the ceilings in the dim cave. Vincent made barely a sound as he walked
through the deep caverns behind the waterfall, towards the place he and
his love found as a refuge from the harsh reality around them so long ago.
Vincent finally came upon an altar,
rather a slab of stone that served as a bench. On one side there were two
names inside a heart etched into the stone; he didn't need to see the carving
to know what it said. "Lucrecia, my love... "Vincent mumbled, closing his
eyes as he let his fingertips trace the names carved into the altar. There
was a sudden gust of wind from behind the tall figure, rustling his cape
and his long black hair as he stood there, his his eyes shut tight as he
could only think of his lost love. 'Yes, this is where I shall stay-'
"Vincent..." This time it was not
the wind, he knew. Vincent's eyes fluttered open at the sound of his name.
He spun around, quickly drawing his gun from the holster at his hip. His
mouth fell open, his crimson eyes widened to twice their size. The gun
in his hand dropped to the floor with a clatter. Standing before him, in
a halo of white light was the woman he loved more than life itself, Lucrecia.
"Lu... Lu-" Vincent stammered, staring
at the beautiful woman dressed all in white. She smiled at him and reached
for him with her right hand. Vincent hesitated for only a moment before
placing his good hand in hers. He was mildly surprised to find that it
was solid, and not a transparent mist, which is what he expected the spirits
of the dead to be like. As he held her hand, Lucrecia grew more life-like,
and Vincent felt her grip his hand even tighter. "It's really you..." He
said in awe.
Lucrecia only shook her head, smiling
all the while. "It is me, and yet..." She trailed off as she looked around
her at the cavern that seemed to have brightened after her appearance.
She turned back to Vincent, "I have finally found you Vincent." She gazed
into Vincent's face, bringing her free hand up to brush a stray lock of
hair away from his forehead.
Vincent's face betrayed none of the
emotions that he was feeling. He was overjoyed at Lucrecia's return, and
yet, he was ashamed that he could not have prevented her death, and was
equally frustrated in knowing that he could not be with her, ever... thanks
to Hojo. He did not want to hurt her. He removed his hand from hers. "You
may have found me, but... you are lost to me forever."
Lucrecia's smile faded. "Vincent,
that's not true." She whispered, reaching for his hand again. Instead he
raised his golden claw and gazed at it.
"There is no afterlife for monsters
like myself. Hojo has seen to that." Vincent felt horrible for saying this,
but he knew that though he loved her with all his heart, he would never
be able to stay with her, or she with him because of what Hojo had made
him. He frowned and turned his head, averting his eyes from the woman beside
him.
"Vincent, you are by far, the most
wonderful, most beautiful person I know," Lucrecia said softly, reaching
up to stroke Vincent's cold, pale cheek. She held his chin in her hands
and turned his head to face her own. "Don't talk as though you were a monster."
At Vincent's silence, she continued. "Vincent, you don't have to do this,
don't keep yourself distant and withdrawn from the others, you're only
hurting yourself."
"Perhaps," Vincent struggled to
keep his tone devoid of all life and feeling, "Perhaps it is better this
way, that I should suffer the rest of my life without you... I'm forced
to live out my monster's life and wait for... whatever shall overcome me,
if anything at all. Lucrecia, my life's quest was to bring justice to those
who wronged you, but all I ever wanted was... was to be with you." Vincent
looked longingly into Lucrecia's shining green eyes before turning his
back to her. "I suppose even that is too much... thus the monster must
live his life alone..."
Lucrecia sighed, "I... I cannot
force you to change." She let out a small laugh, "You were always very
stubborn Vincent. But there is another reason why I returned..." She put
a small hand on Vincent's shoulder. "And you are not alone, you know. You
still have your friends-"
"They do not care what happens to
me." Vincent muttered, as he stared at the dirty cavern floor.
Lucrecia shook her head, "You know
that's not true Vincent." He made no reply. "Vincent, I want you to help
those that are in need, it is the only way for you to realize that others
care for you... that I still care for you..."
Vincent turned and stared at Lucrecia,
his face dark. "I can't help anyone until I have atoned for my sins..."
"But Vincent, you have atoned. You
brought the wrongdoers to justice, you saved the planet! You shouldn't
hide yourself away thinking that you are the only one who is suffering.
There are many people out there that can help you, and are in need of your
help." Lucrecia turned and began walking towards the entrance of the cave.
Vincent followed her. She stood directly in front of the falling water
and pointed. There is a whole world of people out there for you to help,
waiting for you. Do you see the people Vincent? Do you her them
crying?"
Vincent's brow furrowed, he had
no idea what Lucrecia was saying. "Who?" He asked, looking hard at the
falling water, as if he could actually see behind it. Even with his enhanced
vision, he was unable to see anything but the water. He squinted his eyes,
trying to focus on the falls.
Lucrecia gently touched Vincent's
arm. "Many people are in need of your help."
"How can I help them? I don't even-"
"You can help them Vincent, and
they will come to help you in return." Vincent gave Lucrecia a questioning
glance.
"Lucrecia, I don't understand. I
don't know anyone out there. I don't want to. How are they to help
me? They can't possibly know anything about me, or my... situation." He
told the angelic woman, searching her face for some semblance of an answer.
