A/N: Well, I'm certainly slacking...sorry everyone! It's spring break now, so I hope to update at least twice this week.

Thank you for being patient. I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's mostly the tape Vincent recorded on Cait Sith, just so you all know...

Enjoy!

Nobody's Listening

Chapter 13: Truth and Regret

Yesterday I lost my closest friend
Yesterday I wanted time to end
I wonder if my heart will ever mend
I just let you slip away

4 AM forever

Maybe I'll never see you smile again
Maybe you thought that it was all pretend;
All these words that I could never say
I just let them slip away

4 AM forever

Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)
Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, you never know
Hold a little tighter

4 AM forever

Maybe one day when I can move along
Maybe someday when you can hear this song
You won't let it slip away

4 AM forever

"4 Am Forever" by the Lost Prophets

Message from the Dead

"I knew it. Too easy," Vincent said, appearing on screen. Zel cringed at the words. Despite being a compliment, he would have preferred to hear it from his brother in person.

"But then again, simple codes like that never stopped you before, did it? Next time I'll make it harder on you, Zel."

In the background, behind Vincent, was obviously a room in the Shinra Mansion. Reeve could see a bed and a lamp, sitting on the floor. Besides that, the room was very empty. He wondered what Cait was sitting on when Vincent took this video. He guessed it was the nightstand.

"Zel, can you do me a favor? Can you apologize to the kid who owns this robot? His name's Reeve Tuesti, I think. Yes, he's a Tuesti, so watch it. But, of course, that's probably why he's a genius…I don't think there's ever been a stupid Tuesti…or a normal brained one, in fact…Can you believe he made this thing on his own?"

Vincent smiled slightly on screen. Zel looked at Reeve, who was biting his thumb. No one said anything.

"If you're watching this, Zel, then I'm probably dead," Vincent said suddenly, frowning at the screen. At once, three pairs of eyes focused on the screen, their owners all thinking the same thing: What the hell?

"I know you're probably ticked, and it's probably too late to tell you to not do anything stupid…I'm going to guess everyone made it out alright…" The red eyed gunman paused and shook his head. "I know you're wondering why I left this for you, why I know I'm going to die soon. It's because I found something, Zel. Something…Something I shouldn't have…Something I can't even write about in the Letters…It has to do with Hojo, and…if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly hiding from him. Actually, ironically enough, I'm guarding him, of all things." Vincent laughed bitterly.

"Hojo is going to kill me, Zel. Because I finally found the proof I needed to condemn him…finally found enough faults and lies to put him on our hit-list and silence him for good. But…but he's not alone in this…he has Akito wrapped around his little finger, Zel…So basically, I have all the information I need to kill this guy without the order to do it."

"Do it anyway!" River screamed. Reeve jumped slightly. The picture of Vincent shook his head, almost as if he could hear River's order.

"I know this is stupid, Zel, but since I'm gone, you're the only person I can turn to. But…if your life is already in jeopardy because of the fact that your one of Shinra's Turks off a lease, then stop this transmission right now. I don't want to have your torture on my hands, Zel. As selfish as that seems, it's the truth."

Another pause. This time, Vincent stepped back and looked at the floor, the ceiling, the bed. Anything but the screen. After about five minutes, he continued.

"You are a fool, my brother. A damned fool. But…I guess that runs in our family, doesn't it? We're a family of fools. A family of lemmings. Together we'll jump off a cliff and into the churning depths below, won't we?" Vincent sighed, shaking his head. "Fine. If you want to know, here's the first of many faults."

Vincent took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself.

"Dad was murdered, Zel."

Killing Dr. Valentine

Speechless, everyone watching the tape was speechless. Reeve, who had no idea who Vincent real and Zel's adoptive father was, looked hurriedly between River and Zel, who stared open mouthed at the screen.

"I have the proof right here Zel. What becomes another sin to Hojo is another nail in my own coffin." Vincent held up a disk, showing the screen. "I'm sorry you have to see this, but I'd much rather you watch it than me have to explain everything." Vincent disappeared off screen and fumbling could be heard. He then appeared on screen again.

"Once more, my apologies to Reeve Tuesti…" he said. The screen flickered, turned black, and then the lab of the Shinra Mansion appeared.

-Start Transmission-

"Lucrecia! All work and no breaks makes a dead scientist!" Grimore Valentine stated, walking into the room through the solid metal doors. Lucrecia looked up from where she was sitting at a very-high tech looking computer and smiled wearily at the man.

"I've almost made a break through, Dr. Valentine!" she said excitedly. Grimore smiled back at her.

"Have you now?" he asked, walking over to her. Lucrecia nodded quickly and pointed a large clear cylindrical holding container behind her. Inside, a black floating mass could be seen. It had no distinct shape, nor could it be called liquid, solid, or gas. It was, at very least, some type of plasma.

"Yes! See, I've almost brought forth some of the matter from Chaos itself!" she said. Her voice was high pitched with anticipation.

"Lucrecia, if your voice gets any higher, I won't be able to understand you," Dr. Valentine laughed, shaking his head. Lucrecia blushed and looked back at the screen. "When did you last take a break, Lucrecia?"

"Forty-eight hours ago, maybe…" Lucrecia confessed, trying to hide her face using the computer.

"Two-two days ago?! What's wrong with you?!" Grimore looked shocked. "You're more of a workaholic than my son! For Gaia's sake, woman, you need some food! And sleep! And at least a bathroom break!" He had a semi-serious, semi-joking tone when he said this.

"But I'm so close, Doctor!" Lucrecia protested. Grimore crossed his arms and glared at her. (Even if he wasn't trying to be, the glare was very menacing. It had something to do with his dull red eyes.)

"Chaos has been dormant for many millennia, Lucrecia. It can wait a few more hours!" he stated stubbornly.

"Doctor, this sounds like another one of your attempts to get me to make you lunch," Lucrecia replied slyly, smiling. Grimore burst out laughing.

"Aw, you caught me," he laughed. "But it would be better than me trying to make something and blowing up the kitchen in the process. I'm a chemist, not a cook." Lucrecia giggled, shaking her head.

"Fine, I'll make you lunch," she said, giggling.

"Make yourself food first, little lady," Grimore ordered, wagging one finger at her.

"I will, I will…right after I finish this," Lucrecia stated, turning back to the computer.

"Oh no you don't!" Grimore shouted, laughing. He grabbed the back of Lucrecia's swivel chair and proceeded to drag her out of the room, chair and all. "You're taking a break right now!"

With that, and laughing all the way, the two disappeared from the room, the large metal door sliding closed behind them.

-Pause-

Vincent appeared on screen for a moment.

"You saw that glass Dr. Crescent pointed to, right?" he asked. "Well, for your information, I've shot at glass like that, to test its breaking point. It took three shots from a shotgun at pointblank range to shatter it. Two created a small crack. Now, if you read the report about what supposedly killed Dad, like I asked you to, you'd know that it was believed that he was killed by, and I quote, 'a faulty experiment breaking free from its container and attacking Dr. Valentine.'" He paused, shaking his head. "Now, I personally find it hard to believe that an unshaped mass of goo could break the glass that two shotgun shells couldn't. Then again, it could have had help…from, let's say…This wrench!"

Vincent was now holding a pipe wrench in his hand, scowling slightly. He tapped it and shook his head.

"Look, I found the murder weapon."

-Resume, 15 minutes later-

The lab was empty. The goo was floating, bobbing up and down in its confinement. The computers beeped as they processed information. But other than that, nothing moved and nothing made a sound.

The doors slid open again, but who entered wasn't Dr. Valentine or Lucrecia.

Hojo walked into the lab and looked around. Satisfied when he saw no one was there, he smiled to himself and turned to face the goo.

"That woman is crazy," he told the goo, "to think that this mass of goo is supposed to be some type of super weapon. As if! And to think she calls herself a scientist!" Hojo shook his head, tapping on the glass with a thick metal object.

A wrench.

"But I might have a use for you yet…" he said, smiling wickedly. "A perfect way to get rid of Dr. Valentine…" He tapped the glass again. "Thank Gaia for sound proof rooms." He backed up and looked at the computer for a moment. Then he turned around and faced the tube.

And threw the wrench at the glass as hard as he could.

The metal and glass connected with a deafening crash, and the wrench clattered onto the floor. The glass was unscathed.

Hojo picked up the wrench and threw it again. Again and again, hitting the glass in about the same place every time. He kept this up for two minutes.

When he finally stopped, Hojo inspected the glass. He looked closely, finding a small crack in the glass. A small fault…small enough to be unnoticed, but it would be fatal. Hojo smiled. Yes, this would work perfectly.

With a small laugh, Hojo picked up the wrench again and walked out of the room.

-Pause-

"That bastard killed my father," Vincent said. "And he wonders why I hate him…"

-Resume, Two Hours Later-

Lucrecia typed away at the computer, excited look on her face. Grimore stood behind her, shaking his head.

"Aren't you taking this a little quickly, Lucrecia?" he asked, examining the computer.

"All those years of them calling me crazy! I can finally prove them wrong!" Lucrecia said, eyes lighting up. Grimore shook his head, sighing. He turned away from her and began to examine the tube.

"Doctor, look at this!" Lucrecia called. Grimore turned to face her.

The glass cracked. It slowly grew, spreading up the length of the tube.

"Amazing…simply amazing…" Grimore said eyes as excited at Lucrecia's. Lucrecia stood up and began to examine the tube too.

Then Grimore caught sight of the crack in the glass, slowly growing.

The glass shattered.

"Look out!" he yelled, pulling Lucrecia out of the line of fire as the mass of goo took on a life of its own.

He wasn't so lucky.

-End Transmission-

"Funny thing is, Dr. Crescent always blamed his death on herself. That's why she hates me, you know," Vincent stated, dropping the wrench on the floor. He sighed. "She would blame the end of the world on herself if she could."

"The thing is, Hojo didn't just kill Dad, Zel. I'd see people come into the building, right? People came all the time, from the town, from the neighboring town, from Shinra. Most of the time, those people never left…And Dr. Crescent never learned of this…Don't ask me how he kept it all under wraps for so long…" Vincent bit his thumb.

"I think Professor Gast figured this out too…I think that's why he went 'missing'."

That was a name Reeve recognized. And, from the looks on Zel and River's faces, they recognized him too.

"I know too much, Zel. Way too much. And I have too many connections…I'm a threat. I've always been one, but now someone's going to do something about it."

"Zel, I'm afraid to die."

A Turk's Regretful Confessions

Vincent paused on screen and turned away. He walked over to the window above the bed and tapped on the wall next to the window. It was a false wall, and it fell off to reveal a secret compartment. Vincent started to speak again.

"He doesn't just want me dead because I figured out he's a murderer, Zel. We're both murderers, you know. The whole 'honor among thieves' should hold true." Vincent laughed. "I'd commit suicide before I'd put my trust in Hojo." He pulled something out of the compartment and replaced the false wall to cover it. "You see, the real reason he wants me dead is because we're both in love with the same woman. We're both in love with Dr. Crescent."

Vincent scowled.

"Except that bastard beat me to her…Sure, I know, I shouldn't be obsessive over her and everything, but…That bastard…he married her, that disgusting pig. And…and he thinks it's funny to gloat about that fact. Just about drives me crazy…" Vincent hissed, voice filled with venom.

"What I don't understand is why she said yes. I mean…she obviously doesn't love him, Zel. Really…I mean, did he hold a gun to her head and force her to say yes? Was it something worse than that? Okay, so maybe I'm making things up here, but then again, maybe I'm not."

"You should have seen her at the wedding. She…she was crying the whole time, Zel. Not happy crying, seriously. It was real crying, thought she didn't seem to want anyone to notice. I did, but I wasn't supposed to be there anyway…" Vincent looked down at his hands, sighing.

"It's funny…I cried when she told me she chose Hojo over me. I just...broke down and cried. And to think, I didn't cry when Dad died, or when my mom died, back when I was six. Yet, the one girl I love turns me down and it immediately turns on the hysterics. Is that love? Because, if it is, it hurts like hell…"

Vincent finally held up what he had in his hand to the show the screen. It was two rings –wedding rings- on a chain.

"She told me I act like Dad, Zel," Vincent said, looking at the rings. "That I look like him…I think every time she looks at me, she sees Dad dying again. I've tried a thousand times to tell her I don't hate her, that it's not her fault. 'Why would they send his son?' she asked the first day I came. I'm still wondering the same thing myself." Vincent let the chain go; the rings clattered onto the floor.

"I was too late. But I thought she was happy, Zel. I really did…but then…then I found out what Hojo was doing to her…She allowed herself to be experimented upon, Zel! That stupid 'Jenova Project' of Hojo's! It's killing her!" Vincent's hands formed fists and his eyes seemed to glow. "And I let it happen. I let this all happen. I should have…I should have stopped her, Zel. Isn't that what you do for people you love? Protect them and keep them from doing things that put their lives in danger. Right? Why didn't I do that for her, Zel?"

Vincent shook his head again, sighing. He looked almost like he was in pain.

"I love her, Zel. I love her more than life itself. In fact, I love her more than you love River…But…that's because I can't have her, Zel. That's why I'm afraid to die…I don't want to leave her alone…alone with him." His shoulders were shaking, almost as if he was laughing.

The three watching knew better.

"Isn't that selfish? What a stupid reason to want to live…" Vincent laughed slightly. "I won't give up on her, Zel. I wonder if she's cried like I have, when she's alone…Probably not…she probably hates me…but…"

Vincent looked up at the screen and smiled, despite the tears falling from his eyes.

"I love you., Lucrecia Crescent. Despite the fact I am the sole reminder of your past failures, despite me being a stupid, uncivilized Turk. I love you more than anything in this world, and even though you'll never return that love, I want you to know that I'll never give up on you. When everything falls through, you'll still have me. Even in death, I'll protect you."

Vincent backed up from the screen, bending down to pick up the rings again. He stood up and nodded.

"One last thing, Zel…" he whispered. "Hold on to her…just don't give up because of a stupid fight or something. You really love her, Zel. And she loves you. Forget your past and move on. And for Gaia's sake, don't live on regretting my passing. I finally get to beat Dad in the chess match, remember?" Vincent laughed, but it only caused more tears to fall.

"Never surrender, my brother."

The screen went blank.

All the More Reason…

Silence filled the room again, threatening to crush its occupants. But no one had anything to say. They just stared at the blank screen and tried to form words. Finally, River said something.

"Now what? I mean, we have enough proof out of the video to put Hojo in jail for murder, right? And we could find the MIA records and link those to Vincent's explanation of Hojo killing other people for experiments…is that what we should do?" she asked.

"Maybe…I-I think I'm going to send the video about Dad's murder to Axel…" Zel murmured.

"Who's Axel?" Reeve asked quietly.

"He's a hacker I had to contact for a mission back in Turk. Every time I need something to leak out, I give it to him. He's actually employed to Lilith, but he uses a different name on the payroll. He's one of the best 'legal' hackers out there, and a good friend of mine. In fact, Lilith probably sent the security video of me yelling at Hojo in front of the Shinra building to him…" Zel explained.

"So that's how it got all over the Net," laughed River bitterly. "Thank you Axel!"

"He's an ally then?" Reeve asked.

"One of the strongest we have," Zel replied. "Which is all the more reason to contact him…Reeve, are you okay?"

Reeve continued to stare at the blank screen, eyes unmoving.

"Must more people get involved?" he asked sadly. Zel put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"This is a burden you shouldn't have to handle alone, Reeve," he said wisely. The boy nodded and moved to disconnect Cait for the time being.

Do you want me to tell her, Vincent?

Tell who? Reeve smiled slightly. It was reassuring to know Vincent was only a call away sometimes.

Tell Lucrecia you love her still.

Silence.

Vincent?

Don't, Reeve.

Why not?! She deserves to know exactly how you feel about her

She already knows this, Reeve! She's not stupid!

Then it won't be any shock. At least let me give her the ring you bought for her.

No, Reeve.

Why not?!

Because…because I have failed…

Reeve stopped what he was doing and stood ramrod straight, eyes wide. His face was full of shock. Never did he think that Vincent would admit to defeat. River had told him how Vincent hated to loose. And yet…

I have failed…and now I'm alone…

Reeve was left with those words echoing in his head.

A/N: There you have it...What did you think? Did I make Vincent too OOC? I wouldn't know...

Reviews? Questions? Comments? Ideas? Flames? All are welcome! Thank you for reading.