It is not the most unusual to encounter lifestream within one's life. Lifestream will surely have an impact on ones view on life itself. Some thought it was a seldom security, to know that once you are done on this planet, there will be a place for you to go and rest. Others see it as a frightening experience, to know that you will sieze to exist. Vincent Valentine was not afraid of neither rest or existence. He had out of all possible options laid himself to rest for thirty years. He needed not to eat, besides that of pleasure. He needed no water, because a beast like Chaos needs it not either. Vincent Valentine was of all people, besides those who had left the earths crust, the most familiar with lifestream. He knew how lifestream felt against one's skin as it passed through you. He knew that when you walked into the northern crater – the Lifestream talked, laughed, screamed, cried, giggled, coughed and whispered to you.
He had studied in his 30 years alone the concept of lifestream, so he knew what it was. It was memories, memories of others. Lifestream was never several beings, it was one being and to him it was not possible for one to manifest a being in the lifestream.
So he thought.
In the battle against Omega, he had gone through a marvellous transformation and struggle. He had been forced to face his memories of times in the unhappy Shinra Mansion, and had to rekindle the unwelcome flame of passion and love he had felt for the woman who had abandoned him for another man, and had carried the world's most dangerous man. When Vincent Valentine had been standing in front of the Ancient's altar, seeing the last of their kind loose everything to the sword of Hojo's bastard child, he had taken upon another sin. He could have stopped all of this. Thirty years ago he could have stood tall and told them this was not a good idea. But how do you tell one you love more than life itself that she cannot go her own way.
When Vincent remembered back through the hallways of Deepground, he had thought of his father, Griomere Valentine and their past that was linked together. He thought of how his father had pulled too many threads so that his son could become one of this once glorious and new Shinra Company, and his son became fabolus too, but that would not benefit any or the world.
Chaos's wings flapped hard against the heavy and thick air, as they hovered above the rising Omega. Its body was beginning to dissolve into the fragments of peoples' memories. As it rose higher and higher, Vincent Valentine knew that he would not be able to get out of the range of Omega. As a 6o year old man, he was by far stupid, and knew well enough that the lifestream that was coming towards him was pure mako, and would surely cause a severe poisoning – if that was all it could do. The lifestream had so much energy, that if he was caught between it, his body could unwillingly be dissolved into lifestream and join the rest of the planet. He was quite scared.
The wind blew hard against his face as it came closer and closer. Time did not stand still, but he wished it would. He'd have liked to hear his own breath a few times more, before he was a goner. Lucrecia he thought to himself. She had come for his rescue when Chaos was at it worst. She must have done it out of debt to his father, after she had left Vincent orphaned. He closed his crimson eyes as the light from the stream became too violent.
Yes. No one would be able to obtain any form in lifestream.
Cloud had disagreed with him after having many times told him, how he had seen forms shape within the lifestream. Vincent had told him it was defragmentation of his brain and memories, that caused him to believe he saw things that were not there. They had to respect the knowledge of an elder man, even though he looked younger than much of the remaining crowd. He had lived long and hard, it would not be too painful to depart this world at the current moment.
He took a deep plunch towards the fast approaching monster, if he was not one at least.
Lifestream punched the air out of his lungs as he was swallowed up by the slowly dissolving Omega. He cried out loud and felt himself being invaved by thoughts and memories, but just as fast as they came they went again. His fingers twitched, and he found it most painful and cold to feel the streams punch against his body in a constant flow. He elbow snapped and he went further and further within the green streams, that smashed against his body. He was glad for a second that he was within Chaos' being, or else he would've been torn apart the second he entered. His face hurt at the speed of the green orbs, and he gasped for breath, but there was no air, only passing thoughts of the diseased.
His body stopped hurting and a bright light made him open his eyes.
Vincent was not a liar, and so was Cloud not. When Cloud had passed through the highly concentrated energy of Bahamut one year ago, he had said he saw something in the lifestream, but would not tell what. Vincent had thought the poor fellow had gone mad, and merely brushed it away.
Time stood still as the brownhaired ancient lifted her hand to his. This was it. He was dead. He insecurely lent her his hand. The crimson cloaked man had never meant to be unkind to the woman who had sacrificed her life so that holy could stop meteor. He had sworn and pledged like the others, as they had watched her body descend to the sandy ground of the lake, that they would not forget who she was. Vincent felt sinful as he realised he had forgotten her, he had not forgotten what she stood for, but he had forgotten everything else.
Her curly brown hair that swirled around her face, the little mouth that could say so many kind and unpleasant words, her green eyes that…was the closets resemblance one could come to the colour of lifestream.
She was light as air as she encircled her hand in his and she smiled heavenly. "Vincent Valentine"
Had he not been devoted to Lucrecia, had he not been old enough to be her father, had he not lived a lifetime of sins – Vincent knew that this woman would entangle him in a net he could not free himself of. He could have loved her – like Cloud and Tseng had done.
Yes, this was not a defragmentation, and his hand had not dissolved to green orbs and streams. He was fully alive and he was holding to a warm beating hand. He took a deep breath and she led him up. "come. You need some rest"
The nightsky opened underneath him as he softly flew with the wind and the streams of light. Aerith had dissolved into the many orbs and he saw the starry sky before him.
And the fragments of memories fell to the earth, and once more joined their unity underneath the planet's crust. Where one was all, and all was one but still could remain oneself, as long as you desired to do so.
He closed his eyes and hoped that he and Lucrecia would one day be free of the Jenova gene's firm crip, and find the other's memories in the eternal flow of lifestream.