Threads of Time

Part 4

Reunited

Hikari: Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated in… *checks fanfiction* Holy cow, five months? And you LET ME do that? What the crap!

Vincent: It's your own fault. You got distracted with that stupid boy-

Hikari: Say his name and I swear to God I'll kill you

Vincent: Have fun with that. Hojo still hasn't managed to. And he shot me in the stomach

Hikari: …you're a Final Fantasy character. You can't die… unless you don't exsist in the first place, but Tidus is just weird…

Vincent: Where have you been all this time, anyways?

Hikari: Working on Snowy Spirits, my Yu-Gi-Oh fanfiction.

Vincent: …

Hikari: …no, I don't play the game, I just like the plot line… when they have it.

Vincent: Do I get to show up or not?

Hikari: …huh? Oh! Yeah! Sorry about the long intro. This was typed a long time ago, and I don't know why I never posted it…

This takes place seven years after the end of chapter 3

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{Third person, cause I'm sick of first}

"Sir, there's someone here to see you," Rude stated, bowing to the man in the wheel chair.

"If it isn't Cloud, I don't care."

"I doubt that," Reno's voice came from behind the men.

When they turned, they found a limping girl, leaning heavily on his shoulder. When she looked up, pain was written all over her exhausted face, "Hello, sir. Sorry, I kind of got," she winced, "hurt."

Rufus Shinra nodded, "What happened?"

Alexandria "Wanderer" Spinster pushed off her helper. A cut traced her left cheek, dried blood down most of her face. She pulled on a random coat, most likely stolen. Blood and bruises covered her abdomen. A particularly nasty slash cut across most of her stomach, we blood still adorning it. Even her tights were ripped. Reno kept a grip on her right arm, which seemed to be good, as she stumbled from blood loss, "Kadaj…" she started, flinching as the coat tightened on her left arm.

That's when they saw it. A green-brown "rash" adorned her neck on the left side, "You also suffer from the Geostigma," Rufus stated.

Spins started to say something, but stopped. She sighed, and let the left side of the coat drop.

The Stigma reached down to her left wrist, where a black cuff covered her hand. Her long black shirt had been replaced with a brown, navel bearing shirt with criss-crossed straps and little back, so it revealed the long scar on her back. She still wore her black skirt with the segments and her knee high, brown lace-up boots. Her red, segmented hair had stayed in its ponytail, her make green eyes shining through. A new black choker adorner her neck, since the lightning bolt was in the Lifestream.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I lost the trail. Then they ambushed me," she said, removing the coat completely, revealing a bullet wound on her right shoulder, covered in dried blood, "But it's nice to know you're okay, sir, sicne I haven't seen you since before Meterorfall."

"It's nice to see you as well, Wanderer," Rufus replied, no warmth in his voice. She could tell he was laying it on thick.

"I heard you say something about Cloud. Is he coming here?" she asked, "I want to see him."

Reno sat her down in a nearby chair, "He's supposed to be coming here soon, but I refuse to let him see you like this. When was the last time you saw him?"

She paused, gingerly dabbing at the wound on her stomach with a cloth, "The day Zack died."

"You think he wants to see you looking like swiss cheese?"

"No…"

"Exactly. Stay here. You need to rest, Spins," Reno took the cloth from her, already covered in blood, and handed her another, "Especially the one on your stomach. Oui, they got you good."

At that time, footsteps sounded on the stairs outside. Reno gave her a look before returning to the room. As she wiped her other injuries, she heard a small scuffle, a door slam, and Reno's muffled voice, "Alright, you're good."

The lock was turned and Rude followed suit, Rufus not far. Wanderer's eyes watched the door shut. When she heard Cloud's voice, tears brimmed her eyes. He had been so young when they had parted; if she remembered right, he was the same age Zack had been when he perished. She didn't care what Reno said, she was still going to see him. Picking her hurt self up, she staggered to the door and leaned against it, realizing, to late, that it creaked.

"What was that?" Cloud's voice asked, "Rufus, what are you hiding?"

Her eyes widened, instantly regretting moving before she thought, but before she could move, the door was flung open, and she fell into Cloud, "Huh?" he nearly dropped her out of pure shock, but restrained when he saw who it was, "Spins! Oh, my God, it's you!" his voice sounded happy, but his face betrayed no emotions what so ever, "What happened?"

She tried to stand, but fell into him again, "The group that… attacked you. I was ambushed by them. I'm…sorry you had to see me like this."

When she looked up, she saw a kinder face than she expected. He also looked as old as she though he would, sadness in his mako green eyes, probably from all the death and other trials he had to weather over the past years. She stood on what little strength she had, and gave him a proper hug, "I'm glad to see you alive, Cloud. How've you been?"

"Not well, after what Rufus told me."

She grimaced, pulling away from him, "Sorry. I'd love to help, but, well, I wouldn't be of much use," She laughed quietly, cringing, "Shit. I think I cracked or broke a rib or four."

Cloud sighed, his face returning to his apathetic look, "I have to go. Take care of yourself," for only a moment, the look she had seen him with the day Zack died returned, but vanished just as quickly, "Alexandria."

"Call me Spins," she smiled.

After Cloud left, Reno turned and glared at her, "I told you to stay in there!"

She opened her mouth to reply, but her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head, and she slid down the wall, unconscious.

"Ah, come on," Reno groaned, kneeling beside the girl, "not again!"

"Again?" Rude asked, "You mean this has happened before?"

Reno checked her pulse before picking her up and moving her to the chair she had vacated moments before, "She's anemic, I'm pretty sure. She faints randomly, especially after an emotionally trying event."

"I think that's called Narcolepsy," Rude replied.

"Nu, is not," Spins muttered, her eyes fluttering open, slightly glazed over.

Suddenly, Rufus' voice came from the next room, "Reno! Rude! Get in here! And shut the door!"

Reno sighed, but picked a blanket up and threw it over the only half-conscious girl, "Let's see what the boss is screaming about."

The two Turks were met with quite a nasty surprise in the form of a teen with short, silver hair in a black coat. A sinister grin lit his face as he saw the two men approach.

They were down before they could even pull out their weapons.

In the next room over, Spins was wide awake, her heart thumping a mile a minute That's the voice of Kadaj! What is he doing here?

She pulled the blanket Reno had put on her up to her neck, trying not to drag it through any blood. However, she looked over on thing: her left, Geostigma inflicted arm.

So when Kadaj flung the door open, the first thing he did was laugh manically, "Thought you could hide her, hm?"

Spins' eyes widened, realizing, to late, her mistake. She finally regained her composure and stood up. She was still woozy from blood loss, but her fainting spell had helped her regain some of her strength, "They weren't hiding me, Kadaj. They wanted to make sure I wasn't dead."

The boy's lips turned up in a cruel smile, "Apologies for the injuries, Spins."

"Never call me that again," she spat, "It's Wanderer to you. Rufus, where did Reno put my sword?"

"Other side of the chair," Rufus called. He hadn't even bothered to move.

She picked up Black Magic, reattaching it to her back, and turned to leave, but Kadaj stopped her, "Hold on," he pulled her back in front of him, grinning, "We're gathering all our brothers and sisters, and you're invited. Let's go."

"Leave her alone!" Reno yelled form the ground, clutching his stomach.

Spins gave one last look at the room, before allowing Kadaj to guide her out the door.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"The Forgotten City," he replied, no longer looking at her, "How did you get here?"

Finally realizing she was being used, she jerked her arm away, "Reno brought me by helicopter. My bike is on a cliff, where," she glared up at Kadaj, "you three nearly KILLED me, remember?"

He ignored the last statement, "Good, that was yours. Yazoo and Loz are bringing it with them. You can have it back then. In the meantime, you'll ride with me," he sat himself on the bike and motioned for her to get on.

She did just that, but when she wrapped her arms around his girlishly thing waist and they took off, she felt no heart, almost as if he wasn't real.

Like Sephiroth.

She remembered the first time she ever worked with the maniac. It was shortly after her promotion to first class. Upon climbing down the cliff they had been on (don't ask), she had grabbed a loose rock and ended up sliding down the hill and landing on the superior member.

And she'd felt no heartbeat.

Of course, it could have just been an accident, but the next week, when she was sparring with Genesis, she'd felt HIS heartbeat, and all she'd down was brush against his chest in a failed slash.

What was with silver hair not having heartbeats?

By the time Spins looked up, they were flying through the Forgotten City. When they arrived at their destination, Spins flinched. Two more men stood not far away, a small girl held at the elder one's side.

"Kadaj, who is this?" the one with the longer hair asked. That was the one that had damaged Spins so much with his gun.

"Alexandria Spinster," the youngest man (Or boy?, she thought, I'm older than all of them!) returned, "A sister that Rufus Shinra was hiding from us."

"I'm the one you attacked on the cliff," she spat, massaging her clearly broken ribs.

"Alexandria?" the little girl asked, "You're Cloud's friend, aren't you?"

The elder girl's eyes widened, "Yes. Who are you?"

"Enough," the eldest boy commanded, "The children are here, Kadaj. Go speak with them."

The five people turned around to face the large group of children, everyone inflicted with the stigma. Spins leaned against the bike, her head pounding. She might have had the stigma, but that didn't mean she would associate with the people who may very well bring back Sephiroth. She looked through the children as Kadaj began his speech about taking over the planet. Some of them looked interested, but the vast majority looked scare of their minds. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she wasn't in the Forgotten City. Well, her body was, but she wasn't. She was in a white room, standing among flowers. When she looked up, she saw Cloud disappearing, a girl dressed in pink behind him.

"Wanderer," a voice behind her said.

When she turned, she let out a scream of joy. There stood her long deceased friend, smiling at her, and besides the fact that he wasn't covered in bullet holes, Zack looked exactly the same as the day he had died, "What is this? I thought you were in the Lifestream!"
Zack nodded, "Sort of. Listen, I have to give you a warning."

The girl behind Spins finally spoke, "Zack, careful. You might have gotten permission, but that doesn't make it a good idea."

"Hush, Aerith," Zack countered.

"She needs to return," Aerith sighed, "Cloud needs her."

Zack turned back to the still-living girl, "Spins, an organization called Deep Ground is going to come after you, most like the Tsviets. You have two things they want. Don't let them have it, no matter what."

Spins took a step forward, but found herself leaning against Kadaj's motorcycle in the Forgotten City. She closed her hand into a fist, and brought it to her chest. She noticed the people previously near her were with the children…

…and Cloud.

Kadaj was circling the blonde boy with all the malice of a hungry panther about read to jump on an unsuspecting antelope. Spins pushed herself forward, and ran.

"I'm glad you could make it!" Kadaj laughed, drawing his sword.

"I only came for the kids," Cloud stated, his voice not betraying an ounce of fear.

When Spins reached the scene, Yazoo grabbed her left arm, pulling her back. Spins flinched, "Stay away from them," Yazoo said, "This is between them."

Spins didn't move, merely glared at her captor.

Kadaj addressed the children then, "See this man? He's our big brother. But, alas, in our happy flock," Kadaj swung his sword to right in front of Cloud's neck, grinning, "He's what you'd call a black sheep."

Cloud picked up his sword at this point, and spun to attack Kadaj. However, Yazoo got in the way. Kadaj backed up, and stood next to Spins, "Enjoying the show?" he taunted in his girlish voice.

Spins sniffed, "You're a bastard."

Kadaj laughed, "No better insults, hm? Well, we'll see. We'll meet again, Alexandria."

"Don't call me that," Spins spat, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Then what shall I call you?"

"Wanderer, if you will."

Kadaj tilted his head to the side, thinking, "You're last name is Spinster, right?"

Spins stiffened. Where was he going with this? "Correct."

"Than I believe Black Widow is a better name," he gave Spins a sideways look, "You were with the SOLDIER, first class that Cloud was friends with when the former perished, correct?"

Spins stared at the ground, tears pricking at her eyes, "Yes."

Kadaj grinned. He had the red-head right where he wanted her, "Than you are Black Widow, the creature that kills those around her."

The girl glared up at the boy next to her, a fire in her eyes, "I swear to you that I will die before I see anymore friends join the Lifestream. You have my word."

At this point, a red cloud descended upon the battle, covering Cloud. Spins leapt up, but the cloud was coming at her.

"We will meet again, Black Widow," Kadaj laughed.

Spins turned around, feeling the mysterious presence getting closer to her, "I doubt that, Kadaj."

The cloak slammed into her back, absorbing the full of her weak frame. Inside the mass, she came nose to nose with a face that wasn't nearly human enough. He was focusing on his work, which gave her the chance to study him.

"Am I that interesting?" the man asked.

Spins jumped, blushing, and turned away.

When the three landed, Cloud staggered to a rock and sat down, while Spins hit the deck, her legs finally giving out. Her rescuer offered her a hand, which she took, but only after giving him a strange look. "Who are you?"

The man smirked, "I could ask you the same thing."

"Alexandria Spinster. Call me Spins," Spins smiled kindly.

"I'm Vincent Valentine."

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Hikari: See? Isn't Vincent epic? :3

Vincent: …then why am I not your favorite

Hikari: Because your games plot line sucks.

Vincent: You're a pain in the ass, you know that?

Hikari: I also hold your life in my hands.

Vincent: You do n- *sees keyboard in Hikari's hand* Oh, you wouldn't

Hikari: It's a fanfiction. ANTHING can happen 3

Vincent: …

Hikari: See you next time, while I deal with this homicidal vampire!

Afterthoughts: Kadaj has a fascination with Spins? Dun remember that…