Disclaimer: This is a FICTIONAL story. As will all disclaimers none of the original characters from the FF franchise are owned by me. Characters I myself own: Salem Valentine, Kain, And Dr. Xemo Turzak. Stella Bleu'Rosen is a character of one of my friends that I have grown to like. I have the 'OK' by her to use her character in this story...

Edit: I am the original author of this story. This is simply a new account that I wish to continue and finish the tale of the brother Valentine.

Lullaby of Orthrus: FFVII

Chapter I: Missing

"Damn it..." The red clouds overhead glided over swiftly as the wind blew hard through the old corridors of the architecture. The ruined labs held memories better left forgotten, but the pale man stood silently, as to ambrace them. The enstranged emotion of hate filled the air, his red eyes fixed in the oblivion of his own mind as the howl of wind whistled through the room. Glass littered the floor and the brown of old blood stained it. The colored splattered marks along walls and chairs that laid toppled over papers and surgical equipment gave a grim feeling to the old chamber. Where in the hell is Turzak? That bastard! That bastard... His teeth gritted as his jaw flexed in unison. Dr. Turzak was always one for the knack of escape. He was probably dead by now. But who knew at this point. Years of searching for a ghost just to always end of empty handed? Maybe the old man ended his life after his failure. Sad end to a sad mans pathetic excuse for a life.

Salem slowly paced himself, maneuvering around obstacles as his boots crushed glass under his feet. Moving over turned chairs, and small critters scurrying away he pased long strides across the floor. He made his way out of the lab and into the main hall of the old run down Shinra testing facility, walking with an angry step. His red eyes gave almost a glow in the dark halls of the building as his boots clapped the floor one after another without a sign of compromise. Steady and unfailing.

His search had been going on for nearly thirty-four years...

Yes, thirty-four years. Of course the thought is acknowleged; who searches for someone for thirty-four years? Well, the writer finds it safe to say that if the reader had lived the sad circumstances of Salem Valentines life, you would find that revenge was the only compensation. Though his appearance was still that of a young man, he was still well seasoned in his mind. Aging didn't take hold of this Valentine, either. The luck of them, eh? The chain around his gun clanked on the buckle that kept its holster attached tight to his leg. A double headed dog, Orthrus. Yes, This was the brother of the legendary Vincent...

This was Salem Valentine...

Salem stepped out into the sun and squinted with the light that hit his eyes. Anger still flowed through him, fists clenching. His red eyes flickered with the rays of sun breaking through the holes of the ruined ceilings as he walked steadily from the massive building. All these years he had to deal with the damned thing. The cause of his blackouts. The reason why he was wanted for murder and countless other crimes. The damned... Thing. A being so terrible that all men were afraid of it, old men waited patiently for it and war... Well, war was allies with it. Vincent Valentine wasn't the only one with demons held secret. Altleast the old Turk was locked in a coffin a majority of his "life", if thats what you want to call it. Salem on the other hand was left to roam the lands as a hazard to all of man kind.

The pale man often wondered why he had this entity from the earth. Why he was plagued by dreams of the afterlife and why he would be given such a heavy burden. But after years of wondering he had elaborated his own answers. Perhaps it was because his body could harness such a beast. Maybe it was his brothers fault, leaving him and dropping a trail of bread crumbs back to him. Power hungary men will attempt powerful and even dangerous things and in the end success is the overall goal to what ever it may be. And if a tyrant believes something is possible, he will not rest until he has the upperhand. This sparks ideas in others to achieve something greater than the one before, and it goes on and on until there is nothing left... No one.

Just shadows...

His raven black hair fell to chin, covering his face, very uneven and quite chopped off. His nine-teen year old appearance kept a somewhat good cover for his true identity, keeping well hidden by most on lookers, IF he ever ran into any... It waved violently as he stepped, jumped, and walked around the remains of homes and buildings that was once a great city. The ruins of this place gave him peace. They reminded him of himself in a way. Old and unused, they managed to still stand tall and sturdy. The silence was what kept him coming back with the exceptance of vengence. Unlike Vincent, Salem was tested in the Shinra Corporations main facility. A little less "homey" than a mansion in his eyes. But Salem was one of bad thoughts and small pity. The Jenova experiment grew popular between scientists who were working for Shinra. No room for originality he supposed. After all we were all caught up in the eye of one big storm. In the end, who would think differently than another? It didn't matter now. These times called for 'every man for himself" And he intended to live by it.

Often, he remembered the little things. Such as conversations between colleagues; Hojo and his manatical laugh- given in ANY situation. The cold sting of a needle on the skin. The bright light that beamed before the black of unconsiousness. The thumping of his heartbeat. The rest were things that would set him off in the most horrific of ways, and then again, they would fuel his hate for the eager end.

"Salem!" A low voice called out from the steps of a nearby ruined church.

"Not now, Strife!" Salem returned with aggrivation, an annoyance clear in his tone towards the man who he recognized without even a glance in his direction.

"Where's Vincent?!" Cloud said rolling his feet down the steps, to the corner of the street. His expression of angst and worry would be noted by the pale man.

"Check in those damned Caverns!" Salem replied as he continued toward an awning that nestled below a stoop that ran to the large SinRa building.

Cloud was an odd fellow- wanting for the best though expecting the worst? All kinds of depressing. There wasn't a thing about him that said 'socialable' but with Salem, it was the fire in his eyes. Loss always seems to drive a man to desperation... Desperation or death and it seemed that only one was relevant to Cloud Strife, "We did... And Kalm... Edge... Even the Mansion..." Cloud caught the man in mid-stride catching his arm. "We've look everywhere, Salem"

Salem gave a somewhat aggrivated scowl at the blondes arrogance before snatching his limb away from Clouds grasp. Vincent was a unpredictable person. He was a loner, much like himself. There was no logical reason to be worried about his brother, well for the most part anyway. Besides, the Lucresia lady got to his head in the long run. In the end, a woman whom he barely knew would be the cause of his brothers downfall. Strange in a way- something as meaningless as love being the degredation of someones natural life- even through almost endless pain. Pain... Not an emotion but an event... When someone or something feels the effects of its polar, 'peace', if there were such a thing. The young brother couldn't relate. Both of them were just words that could be identified in a conscious state. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Then look some more, blondey." Salem said pushing himself passed Cloud with a shove.. "I have matters to attend."

"We found Cerberus!" Cloud shot back, letting his words slow into a saddened tone, "Just outside of the Mako Caverns."

Salem came to a slow stop, setting his foot onto a large bolder. Now that was a little bit to unpredictable, even for Vincent. Salem knew he would have NEVER left Cerberus anywhere, nor took it off, and if he did, it was in close proximity. Salem slowly turned to the young man, his eye brows sinking over his eyes as he thought for a moment... Vincent vanished all the time, after all, he took sanctuary in solitude and banishment- despite his need for acceptance... Who is to say he didn't abandon his friends? There was a moment that Salem stopped in his tracks. His mind flushed with possibilties.

"Are you sure he is uh," He reached into his jacket pocket, "missing?"

"Yes," Cloud snorted in aggrivation, "I'm sure."

He took a moment to reflect the words of the end of the mans sentence and pulled a pack of Pheonix brand cigarettes from his pocket, packing them in, "Missing as in-?"

"Cerberus... We found his gun," The words from the SOLDIERS mouth grew grim, "We cannot find him..."

An irritation made a churn in Salems stomach which slowly developed into a slight worry. Yes, Salem and Vincent had their share of dislikes about themselves but what siblings didn't? Vincent didn't like Salems' knack for revenge and his senseless acts of hatred. Salem hated Vincents need for acceptance among all of his pears. Where would the cycle end? But one thing that couldn't be changed; they were brothers and they always had been. No matter what would happen in their lives, they would manage and they would conquer... Together.

Salem gave a loud sigh before lighting a metalic lighter bearing the symbol of Orthrus, the two headed brother of Cerberus and placing the flame to the end of a cigarette placed at the corner of his lip, "I'll meet you at 7th Heaven at dusk..."

Cloud gave a scowl at the man as his eyes scanned over him with long pause, "Forget it, Salem. We'll look for him ourselves." Cloud broke away with heavy strides as he pased toward the edge of the city.

"I said I'll be there strife!" Salem shot back in his direction, "Be sure to put away the china!"

Salems eyes broke away from the lone rider and after a long drag of nicotine, he made his way for the ruined city streets. His red shirt bore the crest of the Valentine Family and blew violently under his black leather jacket, well fitted. He took another long drag from his cigarette before finding his mind drifting into a place he would never see again. Memories of better times plagued the man he had become, even more than bad ones.

"Damn it, Vincent!" Salem let out as he pulled a wax bullet from his neck, aggravation clear in his tone. "I thought we weren't to shoot above the collar bone!"

Vincent gave a chuckle as he lowered his weapon. "Stop your whining, Salem... Your almost sixteen! Besides, you will never get better if you don't feel the pain of what could happen in real life... Your lucky we aren't using real rounds."

Salem narrowed his eyes as he pulled Orthrus to his sights before letting off a wax bullet at Vincent. Vincent countered shooting Cerberus, his bullet meeting Salems in mid air, colliding. Salem's anger grew. "Your cheating! Dad gave you the better gun!"

Vincent's brows lowered as he looked at his younger brother. "Oh shut up, Salem! Your just sore that I'm a better shot! Besides! These guns are practically ancient!"

"That's alright, Vince." He said shaking his head. "One day, I'll be ten times as good as you!"

Vincent shook his head with a chuckle. "Keep dreaming, little brother..."

The cigarette puffed out after a few moments and Salem threw it to his feet, stomping it out with a twist of his ankle. All was calm with the exception of the hard winds slithering through the streets. The lone man took a brief second to collect his thoughts in hopes to prepare himself for social interaction, not a strong suit in his case. But with an exasperated sigh he treaded on to the outer rim of the city without fear nor tranquility. Just a brother doing his duty for the other.

"You better not be dead, Vince," His raspy voice whispered aloud to himself, "I don't have time to write a damned Turkish eulogy."