Yuffie's teeth chatter audibly, the bitter cold air that brushes the cave nipping at her bare skin. I hardly feel the cold, ignoring everyone's complaints. Cloud meets my eyes as I speak.

"He said through the snowfields?"

"Yeah," he nods, looking around. "I wish it wasn't so dark."

"I can see a ladder." I point ahead of us and he sighs.

"I know. I just... It doesn't feel to be moving so fast." It's odd for the two of us to speak more than a few words to each other, but it's not like there's anyone else to talk to. Vincent hasn't said a word since he uttered something about me honoring Aeris like I should be honoring my sister.

"It's fine." I offer a small smile. "I'm sure she'd understand. We can't let Sephiroth get away with the Black Materia." He nods.

"Be prepared for an attack," he calls over his shoulder before continuing. Yuffie shivers, huddling closer to Tifa. Barret casts a hesitant look my way before following the girls with Cid and Cait Sith hot on heels. I look at Nanaki and nod for him to follow me, leaving Vincent to himself. He'd rather brood over Lucrecia and compare her to a perfectly wonderful young woman by himself.

"This place is c-cold," Tifa says.

"I kn-know," Yuffie hisses, her lips blue.

"Hurry up," Cid urges. "The sooner we get into the sunlight the better, hm?"

"D-does that k-keep you warm?" Yuffie asks, gesturing to his cigarette.

"Yer not borrowin' it."

"Sh-shoot. Worth a sh-shot."

We reach the ladder, craning our necks back to look all the way up the rusty rungs that disappear into the darkness of the cold cave. I feel goosebumps raise across my body, a shudder rippling down my spine. Maybe it really is cold in here.

"I d-don't think this will supp-pp-pport much weight," Tifa stutters, turning her kind eyes on Cloud.

"Yuffie?" Cloud looks at the ninja expectantly, his silent message clear. The lightest member of our ranks should check it out first.

"N-no way!" Yuffie cries, a particularly heavy shiver rattling her bones. "Send Violet!"

"Have you seen Violet?" Barret demands, stomping his boots on the ground to kick off chunks of dirt. "She's skinny but she's twelve feet taller than you."

"It's fine," I cut in, meeting Cloud's grateful gaze. My voice is incredibly gentle, shocking even me. Vincent's eyes meet mine over Tifa's head, empty, cold. I tear my eyes away from the stare and reach for the ladder.

"Be careful, ya hear?" Cid warns me. The implications of his words are dark enough to stop everyone cold in their tracks. We can't take losing another member. Not today. My blood runs cold. Not even me? Taking a deep breath, I reach up toward the freezing rungs and pull myself up, up, up. My boots grip the metal below as I go, my legs pushing me up as my numb fingers hold me steady. I can't even see Avalanche anymore when Tifa's voice reaches me.

"Violet? How is it?"

"It's strong enough," I call down, looking around at the bland, iced walls of the cave that surround me. "But Barret should go last, just to be safe. I'm not sure how much higher it goes." My legs burn as I hurry up higher. In my haste, my toes miss the next rung, a sharp squeak echoing through the cavern as both my legs fly out from under me. A yelp of surprise escapes my lips, my heart pounding as I dangle, gathering my bearings.

"Violet?!"

I ignore Tifa's voice and try to pull my legs up to where they were rather than just starting where they are. The squeak rings out again and my burning hands grip the ladder for dear life. My efforts elicit a grunt as I get a better grip.

"Violet!"

"What do you want?!" I snap over my shoulder, eyes narrowed on the darkness above me. The ladder twists sideways for a while before going up again after about ten feet. Barret's deep chuckle echoes all the way up to where I gather my strength.

"I think you pissed her off, Teef."

"What was that?" the martial artist demands, ignoring her friend.

"Just a slippery patch," I report, starting up again. "But this is gonna get tricky for some of you. The ladder goes sideways." I take a deep breath and grab the rungs over my head tightly, swinging my dangling legs to motivate my movements across.

"Sideways? Like monkey bars?" Yuffie asks. I can almost see her confused frown.

"Exactly," I nod, even though they can't see me. "About ten feet of them. Not too bad unless you're an animal or you're missing a hand."

"Well... Be careful!" Tifa warns, concern obvious in her voice. I frown; since when does she care? I'm almost positive I could survive a drop from this height. I'm not human.

"That doesn't help me if I fall while I'm hanging a hundred feet over your heads," I sing under my breath. Finally, I make it to the normal ladder, my palms aching. The second set is supported by a boulder, meaning the next person can start up. "I'm on the next ladder," I shout down into the cavern, irritated by the echo of my own unfamiliar voice. "Someone else can start coming."

"Yuffie?"

"No!"

"Please? You have to go up at some point."

"Why can't you?"

"Why don't we send the vampire up, just to be careful," Barret reasons, obviously not happy with the news I reported back to them. "He can, I dunno, jump if it breaks."

I can almost hear Vincent's sigh as someone shifts in the darkness far below me. The clink of metal against the first rungs is enough to get me moving again, my legs burning all the way up. At least this'll warm those cold girls right up. Another sideways ladder catches me by surprise and I cut off my own surprised cry when I almost fall, my fingertips digging hard into the metal. I pull up until my palms brush the rungs as I swing my way across, my heart pounding in my chest. The third ladder is signified by another slab of stone.

"Someone else!" I shout into the cave.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I catch a crimson glow far behind me. I glance back to see Vincent just starting to ascend the second ladder, tearing his gaze away from mine. I sigh, shaking my head, and start up the third ladder. He was waiting. I took too long. There's a definite blue glow ahead that I just keep heading toward. I hear Vincent's soft call for the next person as he waits at the base of mine, watching me disappear into the light. I pull myself up onto the ledge beside the exit of the cave and nod down at Vincent.

It doesn't take long for him to ascend the straight shot, straightening upon reaching the rocky ground and giving me a once over. Neither of us so much as broke a sweat. Yeah, my legs are grateful for the break and I'm not still spooked by the unexpected ladder twists, but other than that, it was a cake walk. I meet his gaze stubbornly, noticing the light from my own eyes casting a glow on my nose. Yuffie pops her head up and I tear my eyes away from Vincent's swirling crimson irises. Speckles of gold litter the ocean of blood swimming in his eyes; that's a new development, likely due to Chaos's constant presence. I shudder, hugging my cloak tighter to my body even though I know I'm not cold.

Tifa joins us next, blue-lipped and shivering relentlessly. She and Yuffie huddle together beside the cave wall, watching Cloud's spiky hair poke up over the edge of the cave floor. Sighing, I unfasten the front of my cloak, revealing the tall, slight figure beneath the only thing making me far from small. I toss it toward Tifa and Yuffie, muttering a few warnings against tearing the item of clothing.

"You're not cold?" Tifa asks after uttering her thanks, tying it around her and Yuffie with a contented sigh. I contemplate my answer before simply shaking my head, opting to admit my own inhuman strength for once.

"I don't feel it," I admit, turning away from her and standing on the edge to watch Cid clear the ladder. Cait Sith follows slowly by surely, his mog's movements odd as it tries to effectively squeeze its huge feet onto the slender ladder.

"Oh."

Finally, Barret appears with his gun arm looped around Nanaki, the poor creature looking absolutely humiliated. How they crossed the horizontal portions I have no idea. Cid gives me a once over one he sees the cloak's gone, eyebrows raised. I guess he wasn't expecting that. I roll my eyes and follow Cloud out of the cave. The air is crisp and cold, clean and fresh. The heavy weight of the Capital fades from my body and I take a deep breath. Cid tugs his denim jacket tighter to his body, adjusting his scarf and grumbling about having no more cigarettes.

"Where to, Cloud?" he asks, his drawl as thick as ever.

"You're the pilot," Cloud points out. "How's your sense of direction?"

"Pretty damn good," Cid replies proudly, lifting his scruffy chin. "There's a village out here, but it's gotta be a good twenty miles away, at least.

"No!" Yuffie wails. "We're gonna die!"

"I suggest we hurry, then," Vincent speaks up, his voice commanding all ears without any effort. "We can get halfway before nightfall."

"What is that?!" Yuffie cries, pointing at a trio of giant rabbits hopping toward us wielding swords carved from giant carrots. I sigh, drawing an arrow.

"This trip keeps getting more and more bizarre," I huff, shooting through the first rabbit's eye leaving it collapsed and bleeding in the snow, dead.

"Couldn't agree more, kid," Cid chuckles, grabbing for his lance and rushing toward the remaining two. I follow, slinging my bow over my body and summoning Shadow's black rapier to my left hand and slicing up the front of a rabbit's white-furred stomach.

"I think," Tifa starts, ducking under a carrot-stick swing and struggling to move whilst tied to Yuffie. "Someone was messing growth hormones out here."

"That, or someone went overboard on the miracle grow," Cid retort, earning a halfhearted giggle from our resident ninja. Cloud slices the last rabbit's head clean off, scanning over us with empty eyes before putting his weapon on his back and trudging through the thick drifts of snow. I sigh. Right. Aeris.

"Just tryin' to lift the mood," Cid grumbles, scratching at the back of his head. I shake my head, following Cloud.

"Let's keep moving."

Cloud glances at me over his shoulder before continuing his trudge. He's going to slow us down. I rush forward, grabbing his arm. He tenses, surprised. Wordlessly, I shake my head and lead the way. There's not much to go off of in terms of direction other than following the distant edge of the mountains. Cid'll probably yell at me if we're going the wrong way. I walk ahead of our leader, clearing an easier path without exhausting the young man. He's certainly mako-enhanced, but that doesn't make him invincible. Avalanche follows in silence and I find myself in the same place as always, alone and left to think in peace.

He's taking her death a lot harder than the rest of us.

Did you see how close they were? Perhaps you should have let me out sooner to end their suffering earlier.

That wouldn't solve anything.

It would save you the trouble. You know Shinra will catch wind of Sephiroth's location and pursue.

I'm not killing them off. We can do this on our own.

Try me.

I'd rather not.

Coward.

You're a parasite.

I relish the comparison.

Rolling my eyes, I stare down at my boots and shuffle my feet, kicking up snow around my legs. The soft white power crumbles and rolls over my shoes easily, my fair eyes following their every tumble. It's a long time before a see the pointed tips of golden shoes slicing through the snow close to me. Vincent's eyes are almost bored as he scans the landscape. Icy blue mountains trace the horizon, but aside from that, there's nothing but flat snow as far as the eye can see. Compared to the ground, we're quite colorful. I look up at Vincent and sigh.

"Why would she go if she knew she would die?"

"She said... It was her purpose, did she not?" Vincent's gaze falls to the ground, his brow furrowed. "Giving your life for those you love is perhaps the most you can do."

"I tried that once," I mutter, glaring out at the blinding snow. I can feel him watching me with cool collection, waiting. "And she was the one who toyed with me."

"... How do you know it was her?"

"I was awake, Vincent," I repeat, shaking my head and meeting his gaze. "Hojo refused to continue experimentations while I was unconscious, and Lucrecia was always there to offer insight. And then one day, she just... stopped showing up." I shrug, indifferent. "Hojo never said anything else about her." I shake my head, kicking a pile of snow a few feet ahead of me and watching it all tumble back to the ground. "What a bitch."

"You misunderstand. She used you as a means of distraction from Sephiroth."

"Did she, Vincent?" I snap, glaring. "You think I give a damn? She would've gotten out when I turned myself in, then, wouldn't she? Where were you? Why didn't you get her out?" Vincent falls silent and something like a flash of guilt flickers in his eyes before his mask raises again.

"She wouldn't leave her research behind."

"Because science was more important than her son," I scoff. Vincent's eyes flash with clear irritation.

"... What happened to Joshua, Violet?"

"Fuck off," I glower, resisting the urge to lunge at his throat and sending him flying through the snow until he slams into the mountains and crumples.

Vincent doesn't react in any way, his stride overtaking mine as he takes the front of the line. I let my pace fall until I'm so far behind the others that Barret looks like an ant. The sun sinks behind the mountains, and by the time I reach Avalanche, all that's left is the night sky and the campfires the group managed to set up. From my knees down, my clothing is soaked with melted snow, but I suppose it's better than having bare legs like Tifa and Yuffie. The latter now hogs my cape, eyes narrowed on me as I walk past. Tifa huddles by the open flame, wrapped in Cid's jacket and trembling. The pilot hugs his arms to his body, scowling into the fire. Hardly minutes after the sun disappears under the horizon, a bolt of red flashes past my face, barely missing me and landing in Cid's lap. We all turn to see Vincent walking away into a small outcropping of evergreens.

"This thing freaks me out," the pilot mutters, enveloping his broad shoulders in the crimson cloth. Barret eyes Vincent's back before addressing me.

"Yo, Violet. Can you feel his doohickey?"

"Excuse me?" I arch an eyebrow as Yuffie and Cid burst out into laughter. Cloud stares into a separate fire, his gaze empty as he leans toward the flames that cast eerie shadows on his face.

"You know what I meant," Barret snaps, swatting at Yuffie.

"Shadow can," I mumble, crouching beside the fire. "Drives us crazy."

"Uh huh," Cid nods, raising an eyebrow. I roll my eyes, tracing my numb finger through the snow to create a nonsensical pattern. Tifa cocks her head to the side.

"Hey, your lips look pretty blue," she points out. I shrug, rubbing my doodle away and eyeing the jacket she holds out to me. I'm suddenly blinded by a mass of cloth, knocked into the snow. I huff, pulling Vincent's cape off my head with a scowl directed at Cid as the rest of my leggings soak in the snow.

"Take it. You've been without anythin' warm all day," Cid insists, snatching the jacket from Tifa's hand as she scoots closer to Yuffie. I struggle to entangle myself.

"I'm drowning in this thing," I grumble, tugging in frustration.

"Here." Someone pulls the cape to the right behind me, setting me free before handing it back. I follow the arm back up to meet Cloud's calm stare.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Cloud nods in the direction Vincent took off in. "Where'd he go?"

"Maybe Vamps decided he don't need us anymore," Barret suggests. I hug the cape's heavy material around my body. I must admit, it's quite warm for something with so many holes.

"He wouldn't leave this behind," I point out, motioning with my caped arm. Nanaki sighs.

"He does seem rather attached to it. What is he doing?"

"Maybe he went to the mountains," Yuffie offers. Cait Sith's mog sifts through the snow to join us by the fire. No one acknowledges his presence.

"Why would he do that?" Cid frowns.

"He's Vincent," Tifa shakes her head. "He must have needed to get away from all the noise." Her friendly brown eyes settle on me, widening in shock. "Violet..." she says, her voice hushed. "Your hair..." I frown, looking down to see pitch black instead of blonde.

Shadow?!

It's time.

No! For the gods' sake, what are you doing?

I must teach you a lesson on whose body this is, host.

I lurch to my feet, throwing the cape aside and sprinting away as fast as I can toward the outcropping of trees. Shadow completes her transformation, cackling with glee and she transforms into a wolf-like beast and runs on all fours toward the woods. Once sheltered from prying eyes, she transforms into herself, conjuring her blade, Nightmare, and stalks through the snow, her black armor never once making a sound as she creeps along. Suddenly, she whips around and settles her eyes on the thin frame of a man dressed in black leather and a red bandana, a sneer crossing her black lips.

Don't.

I feel it's time to feed.

Don't eat him!

Have you already forgotten of my hunger for fear?

... What are you doing?

Your time with humans truly has clouded your vision.

Putting her weapon away, she morphs into the worst creature yet: a beaten, bloodied, bruised Lucrecia. Straightening her rumpled, bloodstained lab coat, Shadow stumbles out of the trees noisily, tears streaming down her masked face.

"Vincent!" she cries, tripping over the snow and clumsily rushing toward the gunman. Vincent's eyes flash over toward the woman, hesitation to believe clear in his face. Sobbing, "Lucrecia" falls onto her hands and knees and Vincent's there in an instant, kneeling beside her.

"Lucrecia..." he breathes, captured for a moment. It makes me sick. And then something changes in his expression and his touch jerks away.

"Vincent, we don't have much time," Lucrecia rushes, trembling and reaching out for his arms. "It's Hojo, he's... he's after me!" Her voice pitches up into half a scream at the end, her delicate fingers clutching the bleeding wound in her stomach. "Help, I—" She pitches forward and Vincent catches her, frowning as she falls still. He sees that something's off but he doesn't want to believe it. Her brown eyes flutter open and she reaches up one bloody hand, touching the side of his face. And then her face crawls into a sneer, Vincent growing tense. "Kiss me," Shadow hisses, mocking.

"What?"

He certainly has a way with ladies, now doesn't he?

Shadow!

She flickers back into the illusion of Lucrecia, tucking a strand of black hair behind his ear. "Please, you have to help me..." Suddenly, she disappears from his arms and collapses in the snow several yards away. Blood stains the ground around her as she cries out. Struggling within himself, Vincent hurries toward her. The instant his gloved fingers meet her skin, she vanishes. Shadow sneers from behind the trees.

Stop this nonsense.

It's been far too long since I've allowed a bit of fun.

Vincent must be convinced he's having another nightmare at this rate, looking around with wild crimson eyes and straightening abruptly. A scream echoes through the woods, another illusion crafted from Shadow's powers.

"Vincent!" Lucrecia screams. "No! Stop, I can't—Hojo!"

"Lucrecia!" Vincent shouts, his will caving in. Never have I ever seen the man so close to sheer terror.

Another piercing scream, and then silence. Shadow casually leans against a tree to his left, arms crossed as she waits. Vincent stands dead still, a heavy tension coming over us. Shadow's face dawn's with realization all too late; his clawed hand snaps around her throat, throwing the demon into the snow and pressing hard into her esophagus. She hisses, her ink black hair sprawled out across the pure white snow and her talons gripping Vincent's wrist.

"Let go!" she hisses, planting her feet in his stomach and kicking him back. She rolls to her feet, only to be struck across the back of the head with the butt of a gun. Snarling, she draws her sword, glowering down the barrel of Vincent's weapon.

"Where is she?" he demands, eyes narrowed. Shadow merely growls before lunging, blade extended. Vincent's just fast enough to dodge the attack, his elbow slamming into her back. By the time she reaches the ground, she's me again. I roll onto my back, barely dodging a bullet as I gasp for air on the ground. Wheezing, I force myself to sit up, rubbing my neck. Vincent holsters his weapon, kneeling by my side.

"Violet?"

"What?" I choke out, refusing to look at him as my short hair falls over my shoulder and conceals my face. Vincent shakes his head, standing.

"Are you alright?"

"I think so." I eye the hand that's lowered before my face, a silent offering. "I'm sorry. I couldn't get her under control." Vincent doesn't reply, his hand still, stubborn. I sigh, taking it and letting him pull me to my feet. My eyes meet his and fall almost immediately, shame bubbling up in my chest. The fear... it's etched into my mind and it won't be fading any time soon. "Lucrecia's dead."

"... I know that."

"You asked Shadow where she was," I frown, looking up. He shakes his head, eyes never leaving mine.

"I... wasn't asking about her."

How sweet.

I tug my wrist out of his lingering grasp and start back toward the camp, hugging my arms close to my body. Vincent trails behind slowly, exhausted eyes falling on the snow. I don't look back, praying that Avalanche doesn't pry. Why's he so friendly all of a sudden? My gut twists and I glare at the fires looming in the distance. Lucrecia...

The small village Cid mentioned is definitely small, but it's still bigger than I thought it would be. Ski lodges and hotels litter the edges of the town, with smaller houses organized in the center of town and convenience stores and restaurants plotted around every corner. Snow is piled on the roof of every building in sight. A few children squeal as the last remaining daylight fades, throwing a few more handfuls of snow before turning in.

"We'll stay at a hotel for tonight, and then tomorrow we head out again," Cloud instructs us dryly. Tifa sighs, stepping up to the blond with my cloak still hugging her.

"Cloud?" Her eyes are earnest, pleading. "Can we take an extra day to rest? These past few days have just been..." Tifa's voice trails off and she shakes her head. "Please?"

"... Only one," Cloud gives in, though I can tell he doesn't like the idea. "But only one. You can get everything we need for the cold tomorrow, but remember that this isn't a vacation. We're going after Sephiroth." With that, the ex-SOLDIER heads toward the desk in the front lobby to arrange rooms.

"Violet, you should room with us!" Yuffie grabs my arm, tugging. I raise an eyebrow, wondering why on earth I'm suddenly everyone's best friend. Though, I suppose that's an exaggeration. Everyone's staring at me now, and I'd hate to be the victim of the ninja's "sticky fingers."

"I guess."

Cloud hands out room keys and I drag myself into a room with Tifa and Yuffie. Cid gives me a lopsided grin as he walks past our open door, followed by Nanaki and Vincent. Lucky idiot. Shaking my head, I shut the door and turn to my roommates. There's no doubt in my mind that I'm going to regret this.

"So," Yuffie drags out, plopping onto the edge of her bed. "Last night..." Here we go.

"What Barret said," Tifa finishes, and the two giggle. A small smile breaks through and I shake my head.

"He wasn't thinking about certain connotations."

Yuffie laughs harder, falling back onto the mattress and clutching her stomach. Tifa smiles, starting toward the bathroom. She pauses when she passes me, turning around.

"Oh! Here, you can have this back, Violet." She pulls my cloak off and hands it back, offering an amicable smile. I nod my thanks and hang it on the coat hook on the back of our door.

"Goodnight!" Yuffie chirps, tugging her covers over her head and rolling over.

"Goodnight," Tifa replies, heading into the bathroom.

I sigh, flicking the lights off and removing my boots before falling onto the bed opposite the two young women. Stay awake.