Chapter 3

Vincent had been arguing with himself all night. Half of him said go find her, make sure she's okay; the other half said if she's dead, good riddance. No one had won yet. She was Chaos. It's bad enough that you exist, there doesn't need to be two of you… But can you live with her death on your hands? Vincent took a swig out of his wine glass, tried to tune them out, to think of something else, but it was no use. His thoughts always turned to an image of Lakara, lying dead in the forest, his bullet in her chest. What if she isn't dead, what if she's just injured?

Vincent slammed the glass down on the table. "ALRIGHT! I'll go find the bitch, damn it, just SHUT UP!" He stormed out of the house and through the streets, everyone in his path running to get out of the way. When he reached the outskirts of town, he hesitantly transformed into Chaos and flew towards the Forgotten City. When he was close to the shrine, he dropped to the ground, changed back, and ran into the clearing. He found Lakara, in human form, lying in front of Lucrecia. He knelt and checked her pulse, it was normal, but her breathing was ragged. He had to get her some help, but he was afraid that carrying her as Chaos would wake up her monster again. He felt inside his cloak for his cell phone. Damn! Must have left it at home. I'll never get used to those things. He'd just have to go get help himself. He ran off, promising to hurry back. Wonder what Cloud's been up to…

Vincent touched down in front of the Seventh Heaven and resumed his normal form. Hmph, nothing's changed here. He pushed open the door and walked in. Tifa looked up from behind the bar and jumped a little. "Hey! Vincent! Where ya been?"

"No time to talk, where's Cloud?"

"Oh, he just went to deliver something, he'll be back soon."

"Where was he headed?"

"What's wrong? What's the rush?"

Vincent sighed; she always was one to try to start a conversation. "I've met someone, and she's hurt. I just need someone to help me get her to town."

"Can't you just fly her in?"

"No, and I don't want to talk about it. Just tell me where Cloud is and-"

The sound of the door opening made Vincent turn, his hand on his gun. It was Cloud. "Hey, Vincent! What's up?"

Vincent ran towards him, grabbed his arm, and began pulling him towards the door. "No time, you have to come with me."

"Wha-!" Cloud started to protest, and the door slammed behind them, Tifa blinking, trying to figure out what just happened.

Outside, Cloud was mounting his bike. "Where we goin,' Vincent?"

Vincent transformed and said, "No time to explain, just follow me." Then he took off without another word.

When they reached the glade, Vincent ran to Lakara and carried her to the bike. Her pulse had started to weaken and she was barely breathing. "Cloud, I need you to get her to my place in Kalm. Ride as fast as you can, there's not much time left. I'll meet you there." Cloud nodded his understanding, turned towards Kalm, and tore out of the clearing. Vincent turned to Lucrecia and said, "I wasn't able to save you, but I won't let it happen again." Then he transformed and flew for Kalm.

By the time Vincent got home, Cloud had laid Lakara on the bed and given her a few Potions. He looked up when he heard Vincent enter the room, "She should be alright now. Care to explain any of this?"

Vincent walked over to the bed, glanced at Lakara, and chuckled. "Not really, but I guess I'll have to." He then went on to relate the events of the last few weeks. When he had finished, Cloud said, "Wow, Chaos has a double. Never would have expected to find it in a woman. Any idea where she came from?"

Vincent shook his head. "No. I was visiting the shrine, like normal, and she was there. She may have gone to see Lucrecia, but she acted like she was looking for me."

Cloud shrugged. "I dunno, maybe she was… You need me to stay, or you think you can handle it from here?"

Vincent looked back down at the sleeping girl and smiled. "Thanks, Cloud, but I think I got it. You better get back to Tifa."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Heh, she'll go nuts when she finds out you've started getting attached to her."

"Attached?"

Cloud laughed. "You know what I mean! See ya later, Vincent."

Vincent gave Cloud's back a quizzical look on his way out. Attached? He looked back at Lakara. Heh, maybe he was right. Somehow she was even more beautiful asleep than she had been in the forest. The bed being the only piece of furniture in the room besides a small table, he lay down next to her and began to doze off.

He had had this dream a thousand times. He was in the lab at Nibelheim. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked up. This was where he usually saw a gun leveled at his chest and dropped dead, but this time he looked up to, not Hojo's maniacal grin, but that of Lakara-Chaos. He looked down and saw his own claws reaching for her. Vincent woke with a start, clutching his chest and gasping for air. He looked back down at the bed, but Lakara was gone. He bolted from the bed and ran downstairs. As he past the kitchen, he heard a cabinet door bang shut. Confused, he took a step back and stuck his head in the door. He saw Lakara, bent over, in nothing but her black camisole and slip, rummaging through a drawer.

Vincent cleared his throat and she looked up. "Oh! You're awake! Have you noticed the lack of food in this house?"

He blinked in disbelief. "I…don't eat…much. Why are you-?"

She rolled her eyes, "Obviously. And you were surprised to see me alive. So what if you were in a 30 year coma, you've still got to eat!"

Vincent opened his mouth to say something, but Lakara just ran past him up to his room, leaving him staring after her, still blinking in disbelief. He was still standing there when she came back down, fully dressed, and grabbed his arm to drag him outside. "Come on, we're going shopping."

He jerked his arm back. "Whoa, wait a minute. I shot you, remember? Shouldn't you still be in bed?"

"Oh, that! Umm, yeah, I want to thank you for doing that."

"Thank me!"

"Yep. If you hadn't done that, there's no telling how long it would have taken me to regain control. In fact, I may never have."

"So if I just hurt Chaos, why were you on death's door last night?"

"She wanted me to stay weak so that I wouldn't be able to keep her from healing herself, which is why I need to stay active, and we need to get some food. I'm starving!" With that, she opened the door and ran outside, Vincent following, chuckling under his breath. She reminds me so much of you, Lucrecia. Forgetting the past, and looking for a bright future. I pray she can stay like that, that she doesn't end up like me.