A/N: Yeah, I know. I shouldn't be starting on a new multi-chapter fic while I've got one ongoing. I'm sorry, both for starting this new fic, and for making everyone wait for another chapter of Prisoners. It's in the works, but I just can't get it to the point where I'm happy with it. As soon as it is, it'll be posted – I promise.
This fic is a big 'What If…?' AU fic. The basic premise is what would happen if Vincent had escaped from the coffin/crypt years before Cloud & co found him. I'll be looking at how Vincent's reappearance could have seriously changed the course of events compared to what we're familiar with. Of course, Vincent has a bone to pick with the Jenova Project, so don't be surprised when Hojo, Sephiroth, the Turks and the rest of Shin-Ra bump into him! The other members WILL feature – something that I'm big on is synchronicity – basically, the idea that the universe orders itself. Hence, it would be impossible for Vincent, Cloud, Tifa, Nanaki, Barret, Yuffie, Cid, Aeris/Aerith, and Cait Sith (or Reeve) to not meet. OK – on with the fic…

Disclaimer: All the characters, places etc. from Final Fantasy VII are the property of Square-Enix. I do not own a bit of it. Sergeant Naylor and Corporal Epke are my own creations (named after two of my friends, who are both very pleasant, unlike their characters...).

Blood Feud.

Nibelheim – Seven years ago.

The moon shone down, bathing the small town in a silver glow. By the village well, a young blond-haired boy is sitting, waiting for someone. He sighs, his breath misting in the cool air.
If he had been told it was so, he would have found it hard to believe that less than a mile away from this tranquil scene, hell is breaking lose.

"Arghhh!" One of the guards screamed as he fell, clutching at the point where the bullet had entered his forearm. A figure looking like a nightmare in red and black loomed over him, smoking pistol in one hand, his red eyes blazing like an enraged sun. He reached down with his left hand that was enclosed by a bronze gauntlet shaped like a claw, and wrapped it around the guard's arm. The guard screeched in pain. He pulled him up to eye level.

"How long?" He asked.

"Duh-don't know…" The guard stuttered through clenched teeth. "I a-arrived here thuh-three years ago…" He went silent as the pistol smacked into his temple. Vincent Valentine released his grip, letting the guard fall to the ground.

Only one guard… It didn't seem right. The sound of at least five machine guns being primed echoed through the tunnel. A ghost of a smirk crossed Vincent's face. 'Ahhh… Right on cue.'

"Cloud…?"

"Tifa, uh, hey."

"Hi. Sorry I'm late. You said you wanted to talk about something?"

"Come this spring... I'm leaving this town for Midgar."

"...All boys are leaving our town."

"But I'm different from all of them. I'm not just going to find a job. I want to join SOLDIER. I'm going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth!"

"Sephiroth..."

Vincent gritted his teeth as he took cover behind an outcropping in the cave wall. He hadn't been hit, but he'd run out of ammo. He loaded a fresh magazine into the pistol and primed it. He needed to make every shot count. He'd taken down three guards so far – all non-lethal shots, of course, no point in making these idiots suffer too much for others' sins – and two more seemed to arrive for each.

'The study…' Vincent suddenly remembered that some materia was kept there. He sprinted down the tunnel, firing a few shots at the guards to throw them off. He saw a bullet cutting through the air towards him. Instinctively, he deflected it with his gauntlet.

'How the hell…?' He wondered, and then decided he'd be better off working it out once he was safe – if he could ever be safe again… He dodged some bullets with preternatural speed, again without any conscious effort.

"How the hell does he do that!" One guard screamed. Vincent then heard the sound of someone running up the stairs. Obviously, one of the guards had had enough. He couldn't help but wonder what Hojo had done to him, too, for him to be able to do all of this. He'd think more on it later. He dived through the open doors to the study, and slammed them shut. He then placed a chair by the door – hopefully it would slow them down if just by a little… He started to search the room, turning furniture over and throwing books around frenetically like a red and black whirlwind. Then…

'Got them!' He thought, and slammed the materia into place when…

BANG! The door burst open, followed by a smoke grenade. As Vincent froze for a second, deciding what to do, bullets tore through the smoke, gouging smoking holes in him. The sudden adrenaline shock was too much, and Vincent fell to the floor. The guards strode through the smoke, guns pointed at him. A maelstrom started to burn in the depths of Vincent's soul…

"There've been some advances in military tech since you were last awake Valentine." One of the guards said, the colour of his uniform giving his status as the leader away. "Infra-red imaging goggles being one of 'em."

'No… not this again…' Vincent thought, fighting to keep the energies threatening to engulf him back by sheer willpower alone.

"Say goodnight, freak." The commander said, levelling a tranquilliser gun at Vincent.

"No." Vincent said, in a voice much deeper and wilder than his own. "YOU say goodnight."

The study was rocked by an invisible shockwave, and became lit by a hot orange glow. Balefires started to stream towards Vincent's body, creating a half-sphere of pure energy around the former Turk. The sphere erupted in a wall of embers, revealing a creature that looked to have been unleashed from Hell itself.
The Galian Beast roared.

"Umm, if you get really famous and I'm ever in a bind... You came save me, all right?" Tifa smiled sheepishly.

Cloud stared at her. "What?"

"Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to at least experience that once." Tifa sighed.

Cloud's forehead creased into a slight frown. "What?"

Tifa pouted at him. "Come on--! Promise me----!"

Cloud shrugged, sighed and shook his head. "All right... I –" He didn't get any further, as the Shin-Ra Mansion that lurked in the shadow of the mountains that rose above the town exploded, as flames shot from the windows. Cloud stared at the fire. He could hear gunfire coming from the mansion, he could hear roaring, he could hear…

…Tifa sobbing.

"C'mon, Teef, we gotta get outta here!" He shouted above the noise, crouching down next to her.

The roar of the flames was deafening to Vincent's ears as he pelted up the spiralling staircase. What had happened when he transformed, he wasn't sure, but some of the guards had been killed. He cursed softly under his breath at himself. He hadn't meant for anyone to be killed here…
He reached the exit from the basement, and bolted through the door. Flames had engulfed this part of the mansion too… But the resulting change in air pressure had blown the windows. Vincent launched himself at the gap in the wall…

Tifa was frozen, there was no way he was gonna be able to get her to move… Cloud said some words that he knew his mother would disapprove of.
People were starting to come outta their houses now, to see what the noise was. Tifa's father looked over, saw his daughter crouched down, and went to help her when –

"Oh my God, something's just leapt out!" Someone cried. Everyone stopped and looked, until it was obvious that the figure was going to tear through the town. Whatever it was, it landed with a light thump! as it hit the well. Cloud couldn't help but stare. It looked like a man, with black hair, red eyes, and red and black clothing with some sort of metallic claw.
Slowly the figure's eyes swivelled in their sockets until they met Cloud's eyes. The figure raised an eyebrow at the boy, before leaping off again, disappearing into the night in a storm of crimson and jet.
The fire at the mansion was now forgotten.

The guards poured out of the mansion, those who were alight dropping to the floor and rolling to extinguish the flames. One of the guards looked around.

"Oh, shit!" He moaned. There was no sign of the sergeant, which meant he was now in charge, which meant it came down to him to… He pulled the PHS device out of his pocket, and pressed a number. There was the sound of the dialling tone, followed by a ringing, followed by…

A sigh. "This had better be important."

The guard gulped. "Professor, this is Corporal Epke… Sir, Valentine's escaped and Sergeant Naylor's down."

Professor Hojo swore over the PHS. "Well? Anything else?"

Epke gulped again. "Sir… He transformed and burnt down the mansion. All of the data stored in there… And the mansion itself…" The PHS buzzed the disconnect tone in his ear. "Sir? …Professor?"

Midgar.

Hojo glared into the distance, pure fury written onto the scientist's usually calm face. Now Valentine was free he might try to interfere with his projects…

A floor below the Professor's laboratory, a young Wutain man in a dark navy suit put down a phone, and pressed his lips for a moment. Then he tapped the keyboard at his desk, bringing up a list of Shin-Ra personnel. Tseng narrowed his eyes. He'd heard the name Valentine before. Time to see what Hojo'd been up to…

A/N: And so the first prologue finishes… Please R&R.