I wake up soaked in my own sweat, but thankfully I didn't do anything to wake up Yuffie or Tifa. I glance at the digital clock to my right. Seven. I might as well get up. I grab my cloak and my shoes, hurriedly putting them on and leaving the hotel. The woman at the front desk smiles; I nod back and continue out into the snow. With a heavy sigh and no direction, I head down the road aimlessly. Two children are already out building snowmen; one throws a snowball and before long they're both pelting each other. A clump of snow strikes my arm and a little girl calls out an apology. I flash a small smile to reassure her and carry on my way. I have no destination in mind as the sun rises in the distance, and somehow I wind up in a weapons shop. Blades and bullets alike line the walls. Personally, I prefer my bow or Shadow's blade, Nightmare. The rapier gains more strength the longer I endure suffering.

"Well, look who's awake," comes a familiar drawl. I turn to see Cid grinning at me, a fresh pack of cigarettes in his hand.

"Hey, Cid. What're you doing up this early?"

"I'm an early riser," he shrugs. I hum, my eyes falling to the floor. I guess I couldn't see him awake at camp when I was always far away from the group by sunrise. That, or I was out of the inn room at the first sign of light. "You couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah."

"If it makes ya feel any better, Vin slept pretty good last night." Vin? I fight a smile despite myself.

"Is he still asleep?"

"Think so. Why?" His eyes drift just above my head. "Maybe not."

I turn to see Vincent entering the shop, giving us a curt nod before heading toward the counter to buy some more ammunition. Now that I think about it, I'm low on arrows and Shadow's aren't the best for the monsters we've been encountering lately. I wait for Cid and Vincent to leave before purchasing as many arrows as I can fit in my quiver. I leave after checking the clock. It's only been forty minutes since I got up.

"Violet." I resist the urge to roundhouse kick Cloud in the face for startling me and nod toward him.

"Cloud," I acknowledge. "Looks like everyone's up earlier than usual today."

"Not Barret. Are Tifa and Yuffie still sleeping?"

"They were when I left," I shrug. He nods and turns his eyes to the snow banks that surround the buildings. I finally notice that he's wearing a winter coat over his uniform with the collar of his turtleneck pulled up high. As if reading my mind, he looks over my getup.

"Are you going to be warm enough. I've heard the glacier is the coldest place on the Planet. People freeze out there all the time."

"I'll be alright," I nod. "Besides, I'm not a big fan of shopping." He allows a small amused smile.

"Why don't you go with Tifa?"

"No offense to either of you, but I'm not too fond of her," I admit.

"I get it," he sighs. "She can be suffocating. She's really not all that bad once you get to know her, but I guess that's how a lot of people are."

"I'll try," I lie.

"I'm gonna head out," he mutters, shoving his hands in his pockets and trekking through the snow.

Shadow cackles at the young man's inferior height and I roll my eyes, heading back toward the hotel room. The shower's on and Yuffie's still in bed. I sit down on my bed and stare out the window as the town comes to life. Tifa leaves a painful hour and a half later and Yuffie's still dozing. The martial artist eyes the ninja, sighing and ruffling her damp hair.

"How are we going to wake her up? She's so stubborn!"

"Take her blankets. With any luck, her distinct lack of clothing will wake her up," I remark. Yuffie shoots upright, glaring at me.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Get up or I'll put you in the snow," Tifa replies, tying up the end of her long hair.

"Okay, okay," Yuffie mutters, rolling her eyes. "Where's the materia?"

"Cloud has it," Tifa frowns. "Leave it alone, Yuffie."

"Hey, where're you going?" Yuffie demands, following me to the door with her eyes. I shrug. To find Vincent. I frown. Why is it always Vincent?

I shut the door behind me and leave the hotel. It's not hard to spot his crimson cape in a sea of white. I join his side beneath the awning of an item shop and watch as Cid and Nanaki are pelted with snowballs by the local child population. Vincent has a refreshing humored glint in his eye. Cid curses and bellows as snow pours into his clothing and Nanaki laughs, bounding out of the way of an attack. Is this how they cope with her death? If only I'd been able to feel enough to smile, to feel. If only I hadn't died with him.

"What are you thinking about?" Vincent asks, his voice soft and dull. I look up, meeting his stare. I don't say anything for a long time, debating on what I should say. Ultimately, I choose honestly.

"David." He nods, tearing his eyes away. "You?"

"Your—" Vincent cuts himself off, correcting his words hesitantly. "Lucrecia." I sigh, my heart growing heavy with empathy.

The day Lucy announced her pregnancy to Vincent was gorgeous. A blanket of snow coated the mountains and the streets of Nibelheim. She threw on a coat and drew him out to the hill overseeing the mansion. Prancing about and joking, laughing. I remember seeing the happiness he tried so hard to mask leaking through. He laughed, and more than once. Lucrecia started a snowball fight that Vincent ended with a quick surrender, more for his dignity than anything else.

And then she'd kissed him on his rosy, wind-chilled cheek and hugged him tight. I was sitting in the garden alone, watching numbly, wishing selfishly that it was me and David. I know the exact moment she'd told him because his entire demeanor took a one-eighty. The news killed him, threw him down from the heights of his temporal high of joy. For Lucy, the winter weather was beautiful. For Vincent, the snow ran red.

"What about specifically?"

"No specifics," he shakes his head. I frown, my lips parting to continue the conversation when a shrill voice makes my head duck down.

"There you are!" I cringe, turning to see Tifa approaching. "I asked Cloud where to find you and he said you'd probably be by Vincent! He was right." She giggles, giving a wave of her hand. Her words make me feel as though I'm suddenly suffocating, my face growing warm. Why would he assume that? Why is she laughing? "Anyway, Yuffie doesn't want to leave the room, so I was hoping you could come with me to get some stuff for the trip through the glacier?" I purse my lips, glancing at Cid and Nanaki. Her smile falters and she looks between Vincent's blank stare and my uncomfortable stature. "Oh! I hope didn't interrupt something."

"No, you didn't," I shake my head, shifting my weight onto my left hip. "I just… No thanks." She nods, looking a bit dejected that her outreach effort was shot down, shuffling off with a friendly wave to Cid. I sigh; why do they bother?"

"I apologize if my question was intrusive," Vincent mutters after a long silence. I frown, looking up at him. My heart sinks upon seeing him retract back into his shell.

Disappointed?

"What?" I shake my head. "If I had a problem with the question, I wouldn't have answered it, Vince. You know that." He raises an eyebrow.

"Vince?" he repeats. His irritation leaves me fighting a snicker.

"Sorry, it just slipped out. Cid's getting to me." I lean against the wall beside him, my eyes falling to the stirred snow. "I'm sorry for asking about her. Should've just left it at that." He doesn't say anything, though I can feel his eyes on me when I heave a sigh. "He was sent here for his first Third Class job." He doesn't make an effort to speak, listening as I ramble. Inwardly, I roll my eyes. He's probably searching for some mention of Lucrecia. "He called me twice a day until Veld had to cut the line because the bill's total was getting too high." I hear a huff and glance up at Vincent, a gentle amusement lightening his eyes. It's very subtle, but it's there. I can't help the smile that breaks through.

"I recall it well."

"I…" I take a deep breath, watching Cid ruffle snow out of Nanaki's fur. "I don't know if I should be glad he's gone or not." Vincent's brow furrows and he frowns, staring out at nothing in particular. "I wouldn't have gone to Hojo. I wouldn't be here. I never would've known what happened to you." I shake my head, shrugging one shoulder as the words tumble into the open air. Words I've clung to for far too long.

"I… used to think about it every day, y'know? I used to sit and think about what could've possibly happened to make Vincent Valentine disappear. I half hoped that Lucy opened her eyes after saving you and… I dunno, maybe that you two ran off and had a happily ever after without Shinra. It's stupid, I know." I kick at the snow, feeling his frown deepen. "Hojo came and told me that you died and I didn't know what to think when he said that Lucy raised you with Chaos. That's where he got the idea for Shadow, but it's also when Lucrecia stopped showing up for his experiments. And then one day he just… let me go."

"Perhaps to monitor from a distance," Vincent says after a moment of thought.

"Maybe. But as far as I know, he packed up and returned to Midgar with Sephiroth." I sigh, turning my eyes up to his. "He used to mention David a lot… I wonder if—" My stomach twists into a knot, but before I can continue my dreaded idea, a voice starts me out of my thoughts.

"David? David who?" I jump, turning to see Cid standing behind me, arms crossed as he waits for an answer.

"No one," I reply curtly. The pilot presses his luck, raising a blond eyebrow.

"Uh huh. Then why'd ya mention him? You don't strike me as a woman who gossips 'bout trivial things." He grins. "C'mon, tell me. Some guy hit on you at the store or somethin'?"

"Cid…" Vincent warns, surprising me.

"What?" Cid snaps. I close my eyes, wrestling with my anger as I chew on the inside of my cheek. "Need me to go beat 'im up?"

"He's… my fiancé," I force out, my voice reduced to nothing but a defensive snarl. "Happy?"

"Geeze, I didn't know you were gettin' married. Congrats," Cid replies, holding up his hands.

"Cid…" I sigh, shaking my head. My eyes won't lift off the ground. "That wedding was supposed to take place thirty-two years ago."

"Oh…" Cid scratches at his head, looking at Vincent for help he won't ever receive. "What happened, if ya don't mind me askin'? Nasty fight?"

"I can't marry a dead man, can I, Cid?" I ask.

I intended a snap, but my voice came out soft, pained. Unable to withstand the tension, I turn on my heels and head back toward the hotel. Despite how much of a loudmouth Cid is, I trust him enough to know that he doesn't stomp around shouting people's business out to the world. I'd even say I'm close to considering the man a friend. I scoff to myself, pulling the front door to the inn open. I shouldn't dwell on the past any longer; any form of love is a weakness, and I already have far too many of those.

In the morning, everyone dreads getting out of bed and pulling their coats on, though they silence their complaints when Cloud comes by, wielding a map that a nearby elderly woman named Mrs. Holzoff gave him. Because of the steep slopes, we are required to snowboard down to the bottom. I wish I could beg Cloud to let us walk around to the bottom, but that would waste our precious time and we're already a day behind.

"Fifty gil a board," a bored girl in the rental booth relays flatly, filing her nails and popping a bubble of bright pink bubble gum. Cloud sighs and we each chip in to cover the costs. I take up my board with a suppressed groan, eyeing Cait Sith and Nanaki. We'll just have to see who survives this once we're at the bottom.

"How did you do that?!" Yuffie demands, propping her snowboard up and narrowing her eyes on me. I shrug, stepping off my board and scanning the landscape. The slopes were easier to take on than I'd originally expected, and despite having never snowboarded before, I did quite well. In spite of my efforts, my mind hasn't wandered away from David since he was first brought up. "I bet you have done that before!"

"The truth is the truth whether you face it or not," I mutter, earning a confused stare as I turn to face Cloud. "Do you know where we are?"

"I think so," he murmurs, pulling out his map, which turns out to be merely a scrap of yellowed paper with drawings of landmarks scattered across its surface. I crinkle my nose, wishing I could've been at its making to at least make the pictures better. "We're here," he continues, pointing to the dead tree on the paper and nodding to the tree fifty feet to our left. "So that means if we head northeast, we'll find a cave… Maybe there's someone there who could help us out?"

"We're gonna freeze if we stay out too long," Cid reminds him. Tifa and Yuffie are already shivering. "I suggest just goin' straight north to get outta this fuckin' cold."

"Right," Cloud nods, giving in easily. "Let's go."

I underestimated the cold of the glacier. The wind pierces all clothing and stings my eyes until it looks like I'm crying. Tifa and Yuffie shiver helplessly, huddled close together. A blizzard kicks up, cloaking us in darkness and endless flurries of snow. I'm quick to sacrifice my cloak once Yuffie looks on the verge of tears, sincerely pained by her numbing body. Vincent gives me a clear look of disapproval, but I keep my eyes forward, trained on a destination I cannot see. Don't worry about me.

Nanaki shudders, his tail's bright flame flickering in and out, but never fully extinguishing. Cid fails to keep a cigarette lit and curses, hunching his shoulders and pulling his arms close to his body. Cait Sith whirrs loudly as he and his mog's oil thickens in their mechanics, slowing their movements.

"How much further?" Barret demands, his black coat doing little to keep out the chill. I give in and hug my arms closer to my body, shuddering. Even my normally bright eyes fade to a dull blue in this storm.

"We're halfway," Cloud informs him. He eyes Cid, clearly wishing they'd found that cave instead of hoping to make a straight shot across the glacier.

Glassy ice replaces the snow for a few feet and I nearly slip, my reflexes slow and stiff. Though, once I catch myself, I also catch a glimpse of my appearance in the ice. My lips are a pale shade of blue and my cheeks, nose, and ears are bright red. And yet, even as I shiver and fight the wind, I can't feel how cold it is. Vincent slips up to my side, his eyes searching the thick snowfall for any signs of life.

"You're cold."

"No really," I deny, shaking my head.

"You cannot feel it, but it's there," Vincent sighs. "You should have kept your cloak."

"I can handle it," I snap. "I don't want them hurt because I was selfish." When he doesn't leave my side, I roll my eyes. "Go away."

"You're getting yourself hurt," he counters with more aggression than I'm used to from him.

"I'm fine," I glower at him. He sighs, watching as I stomp ahead of him, stubbornly hugging warmth to my body. It's been a while since we argued, I realize, shaking my head a moment after. I guess I got used to agreeing to disagree.

This cold is harsh… you'd be lucky to survive if you were them.

Do you think they'll be alright? I ask, looking back at the two young women wrapped in my heavy black cloak.

It depends on how much longer you travel.

Why is Vincent so concerned?

Is that not normal? I always sense an air of protection around him.

"We've still got a long way to go," Tifa murmurs, trying to coax a trembling Yuffie off the ground.

"I c-can't," Yuffie shakes her head, her brown eyes sliding shut. A second later, she collapses. Tifa catches her and looks up to see me watching.

"Hey, Cloud!" Cid calls. "The brat gave out."

"What?" Cloud turns, catching sight of the still ninja. "Shit… I don't know how much further we have to go."

"What are we supposed to do?" Tifa asks. By now, everyone's stopped, waiting for our next course of action. Our leader thinks for a moment, shaking his head.

"We have to keep moving. If we don't, we'll definitely freeze," he decides. "There's no going back now, especially since I wouldn't be able to tell where we are." He turns to Barret. "Can you carry her?"

"Yeah."

Barret scoops Yuffie up, wrapping her in my cloak and leaving Tifa exposed. Vincent's eyes meet mine and he makes a move that surprises everyone. Whipping off his cloak, he sets it on her shoulders, earning a grateful smile. She hugs the cape around her tightly with a shudder.

"Let's move," Cloud urges.

As we continue, Cait Sith's whirring gets louder and Cloud's steps finally begin to slow. The sky is constantly getting darker and the bitter cold gets colder. At this point, I'm starting to feel a bit of its biting edge, my teeth chattering without relent. Suddenly, Barret stops in his tracks.

"Yo! Where did Tifa and Cid go?" Dread fills my stomach and I narrow my eyes, searching the thick blizzard for any sign of them.

"Perhaps they collapsed as well," Nanaki suggests, clearly worried.

"We gotta go back!" Barret insists. Cloud eyes the fallen ninja in the gunman's arms and shakes his head.

"I… We have to keep going or we'll freeze," he insists.

"They're gonna die, Cloud!" Barret thunders. "You care about Tifa or what?! C'mon!"

"I'll take Yuffie," Nanaki offers. "Put her on my back and you go back to look?"

"No," Cloud shakes his head firmly. "We're wasting time. If you're going, go in pairs. I'll take Yuffie and Red will go with Barret. We'll have to keep moving but you can catch up if you find them not too far from here." He pauses. "Where's Cait?"

"Don't worry about him," I shake my head. "He's a robot, and if his controller really needs to keep an eye on us, he'll send another. Just worry about the real people." Vincent sends me a sidelong glance and I sigh. This is a disaster.

"We'll see you later," Nanaki nods, hurrying off into the snow with Barret lumbering beside him.

His flaming tail disappears within a matter of seconds. We continue on, hard pressed to find our way and get some help anywhere. Hell, I'd take it from a malboro at this rate. My gut twists and I stop in my tracks.

"I'm going back for them," I call over the wind. Vincent and Cloud turn back to glower at me.

"No, we keep moving," Cloud insists. I shake my head, turning on my heels and making an effort to run. I don't get very far before Vincent catches my arm, jerking me back.

"You're no help if you fall, too."

"But—"

"No," Cloud cuts me off.

Wretching my arm from Vincent's grasp, I hurry forward with more energy than before, determined. But it doesn't last for long. My legs soon refuse to listen and Cloud's steps slow as well. Poor Vincent has to dive forward to catch our leader as he pitches forward, steadying the blond as his blue eyes blink back open. Suddenly, I feel my head spinning and my eyes flutter. I lurch forward with a startled cry of Vincent's name. I try to catch myself, but it's useless. Vincent's gloved hands catch my shoulders as my legs give way. He kneels, Cloud falling to the ground and Yuffie rolling across the snow a few feet away.

"Someone's coming," Vincent reassures me, but I can hardly hear his voice over the wind. I'm fading, my grip on his arms loosening as I give in, falling against the frozen leather of his shirt. A shout from an unfamiliar voice catches my ears before everything truly fades to black.