CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO APRECIATE EISLEY EVEN THOUGH NO ONE KNOWS WHO THEY ARE? KAY, THANKS.
"Alright Vi, we're here," Cid announces.
"Land the ship," I say in a distant voice, still wondering why in Odin's name Vincent's mother would direct us here. Cid mutters something and the ship goes down slowly, dropping into the grass. Yuffie leaps across the untouched ground gratefully, brushing her fingers along the surface of the crystal lake.
"It's beautiful here."
"Sure is," Tifa agrees. "Hey, there's the waterfall." I take a deep breath and start walking toward the pounding waters. Cid follows close behind, Vincent at my side. I nearly slip on the rocks, but Cid catches my arm, yanking me roughly back onto my feet.
"We have to hurry," Cloud reminds us. "Hojo's controlling the cannon." A spell seems to fall over us as we look around the green crystal walls, light glittering off the solid mako.
She's here.
Who?
That's when we spot her, a slim woman with long brunette hair and a white lab coat as pure white as fresh snow.
"Lucrecia!" Vincent gasps, half of Avalanche jumping as he rushes toward her turned back.
"Vincent..." She sniffs. As she turns, I can see the fresh, wet trail of tears down her cheeks. Bitterness swallows my heart whole and I glare at her hatefully. Her eyes widen, innocent, like a deer's, but I know better.
"Lucy," I spit her name out like poison, Tifa and Nanaki studying me curiously.
"Violet... It's been so long," she forces a smile, but I shake my head.
"Don't act like nothing happened. You were there."
"I regret it all deeply," she hangs her head, but I continue to glare at her.
Shoot her, stab her, do something to avenge your humanity, your normalcy.
"Lucrecia..." Vincent whispers, heading forward again. Why does it hurt to see him still so hopelessly in love with her?
"Stay back!" She yells, startling even me as the room flashes white.
An illusion surrounds us as we look around in wonder. Then we see them. Vincent talking to Lucrecia on his first day, her stuttering confusing him. And then there's me taking the stairs two at a time in the background, hurrying toward them. Lucrecia hurries off and the world flashes again. Next is a scene of Vincent walking through the town next to her, small smiles on both of their faces. She laughs shyly and bumps into him, his bony shoulder bumping her back. Fading white leads to the snowy day she left him in the cold, a clear look of hurt in his eyes as she shakes her head and runs.
I steal a sideways glance at Vincent, who glares at his sabatons in silence. Avalanche watches his life play before them in wonder, still trying to take in the fact that my sister gave birth to their worst enemy. Then theres ugly old Hojo comforting Lucrecia, Vincent in the background with a passive look on his face, again those ruby irises revealing the pain inside. His young voice echoes through the cave, not the worn, underused one he has now.
"If she is happy, then I don't mind."
The next is a scene that I remember well. Lucrecia and I in the library when she suddenly collapses, my mouth moving as I crouch by her side, but my calls for Vincent mute for some reason. Again, his youthful, strained voice as we shift to the lab.
"I'm against it! Why experiments on humans!?" His thoughts echo into the walls as well. "Why her?"
"We are both scientists. We know what we are doing!" Hojo cackles.
The next scene is one that hurts badly, because of Vincent's idiocy. Rushing into he lab unarmed, not thinking of what I gave up, ignoring Hojo's weapon. Yelling, struggling to control his temper. And then the gunshot, Hojo laughing again as he falls, blood oozing everywhere, enough to make me feel sick. He restrains Vincent, cutting, zapping, stitching, grotesque scenes playing in quick flickers. Vincent waking up after the experiments, falling to his knees and clutching his head while he screams, the terror of demons inside taking over his system.
"Stop this!" Vincent finally yells, the cave returning to normal. Lucrecia turns and looks at me ruefully.
"And sister... Everything you went through.."
"No!" I shout, but it's too late. Of course the first thing she has to show is me running through the mansion in just a towel, pounding on Vincent's door. Cid even chuckles as the word 'spider' is screamed.
The next vision is me meeting David for the first time. He grins at me and takes my hand sweetly, leading me away from the loud music of Lucrecia's graduation party as we sit along the edge of the mountains, talking and laughing. White. The day he proposed to me, knelt on the ground in his SOLDIER uniform, still dirty from his trip to Corel where he nearly died. Me fist pumping and throwing my arms around him when he stands, both of us laughing as we fall onto our butts. The day David came home another mission and Josh ran over to him, the younger brunette getting spun around in the air as he giggled, me smiling softly in the background.
I bite my lip hard as the image of me offering myself to Hojo arises, the man smirking a roughly yanking me into his lab and restraining me quickly. A demonstration of my hydrophobia comes next. Hojo locks the water tank with me still asleep, hitting a button that splashes cold water into the glass. It quickly fills, me waking up fast when I inhale water. I yell for help, slamming my hands on the glass ceiling of the box, bubbles leaving my mouth as it reaches its capacity limit. Hojo draining my lungs and restarting my heart just to torture me with water again. Lucrecia issuing commands quietly with a wave of her hand.
Second to last comes me waking to Shadow. The door to the lab is locked, yet when I stand, I can hear her voice shrieking in my skull. My hair turns black, the armor of my demon breaking loose, her claws growing. I scramble for the nearby desk, still half unchanged, and grab Hojo's hand gun, firing straight into my temple and falling to the floor. A flags of brilliant light brings the last image I allow (actually, I didn't allow any of these). Reno, drunk in our Canyon apartment, yanking my hair, drugging me, me running, him breaking down the door. I dial a number, he stomps on the phone. Screaming, yelling, he stabs me, I nearly die. He saves me, kisses me, I in turn brush him off in a whisper.
"Lucrecia.." I whimper, my knees giving out as I sit on the floor, my hands falling onto my lap. My life fades and she looks down at me sadly.
"Even now I hurt my little sister nonstop."
"Why did you show him?" I whisper, my heart split in two between two men to love, hands moving to clutch together over my chest. "Why did you have to bring David back like that?"
"Things you have yet see happen are coming," she sighs, eyes shut. "You must have strength."
"And so you weaken me?!" I stand, enraged. "You make me feel things I haven't felt in years because I need to be strong?!"
"Violet, do not be foolish," Nanaki murmurs. I clench my jaw tightly, but don't remove my hateful glare.
"You're alive then..." Vincent finally speaks up.
"Tell me Vincent," she whispers, hands over her heart to match what mine once did. "Sephiroth... Is he still alive? I have visions of his horrible deeds... Is my son living?" Vincent looks down and shakes his head.
"Sephiroth is dead." Another tear trickles down her cheek as she nods, another bright flash in the room. When the light clears, Lucrecia is locked in a green mako crystal, head bowed.
"I'm sorry," her voice whispers through the room. Below her lies a small pile of things that I ignore, Avalanche filing out of the cave silently as I drop to the floor again. Why?
"But... Why?" Vincnet whispers to himself as he observes the random objects before the woman he loves. "Why make me less human?"
"Because," I mumble back. "She still only cares for her experiments." He frowns and lifts a syringe full of black liquid labeled clearly in red. Chaos.
That thing you were kissing so long ago..
That is his true and final form.
I swallow hard as he clenches it tightly, yet not enough to break the glass. Then I stand and crouch beside him, just not too close. I notice another needle with my name on it. 'Your strength, your new power, a gift concocted to bring you what you need when you're in trouble.'
"There's a letter for you," he says lowly, nodding toward the folded paper lying on the dirt. I frown and pick it up, refusing to open it.
"Vincent," I say after standing and catching sight of something. He looks up solemnly, face gorgeous in the glow of the crystal. A flash of David's happy face, happy to have me in love with him. Happy to have the family he always wanted. Guilt settles deep inside the pits of my soul and I fight back pained tears, pointing to the weapons I saw in back without looking at him. I'm so sorry.
Vincent picks up a large gun too big for his holster and observes it with a saddened look on his face. Then he also studies a three barreled hand gun, the name Cerberus inscribed on the side. I lift a sleek, black bow and touch the word carved in gently, slipping it over my head along with a quiver of poisoned arrows. Then I turn to face her again, a small amount of forgiveness covering my features. Not because of what she gave, but because she regrets it all. As long as she is willing to regret it, I am willing to forgive her. My hand runs along the smooth surface of the crystal and I look up into her face, that tear frozen in time forever. Should he have lied to her? I would've, sparing her more pain than she's already endured for her actions.
"I'm sorry," I repeat her words in a quiet voice, ignoring the look Vincent gives me as I leave.
"Violet," he calls, briskly catching up. I sigh. Despite how much I loved David, I need to let go, just like I've been telling Vincent to let go of Lucy. They're gone. I'm a hypocrite. I need Vincent now, but I don't know if he'll want anything to do with me after being reminded of how much he cares for her, after seeing what's happened to me, a monster. But he simply tosses me the syringe I forgot by Lucrecia. "You don't want to lose that."
"Thanks," I murmur, leading the way out. I just need an hour or two alone...
"We're heading to Midgar now," Cloud says once we climb the already suspended airship's ladder. I nod and silently head toward my cabin, ignoring the people watching me go.
I close my door quietly, not bothering to lock it, and set my new weapon against the wall. Then I set the folded letter on my bedside table, laying back on my mattress and playing with the syringe. My strength? What does she mean by new power? What did she put in here?
"Scientists are all the same," I mutter to myself. "They only want to create and prove theories. Once one is done they go to the next." Lucrecia is no different. She's testing her theory to see if I truly crave to strength and power, more so than I already have. What I already have isn't enough. I can't protect them still... Aeris died. I could've done something, but I didn't. Cloud now blames himself for something I should've taken care of when I had that head start of a chance.
The dark blue liquid sloshes as I slowly flip it between my fingers, thinking deeply about random crap. Should I just do it already? Get it over with? I nod to myself and push up my sleeve, my mind suddenly wondering if I should wipe my arm off or something. I roll my eyes.
"Screw hygiene," I mutter as I push the tip into my inner elbow, pressing down on the plunger. The liquid burns so badly that I scrunch my eyes shut for a moment but then it fades and I open then again to see some weird mark forming where the needle was, a greenish bruise that makes me sigh and lay back again. There comes a knock to my door that I ignore, standing and grabbing a towel from my interest closet.
"Hey Vi! Ya in there?"
"Showering, Cid," I call. He huffs impatiently.
"Ya weren't plannin' on it 'til just now, now get yer &#- out here." I sigh and drop the cloth on my bed, opening the door for the nosy pilot.
"What?"
"I was just wonderin' about what happened in that cave," he crosses his arms and leans against the door frame. "Ya ain't gonna leave Vin hangin' are ya?"
"I have... Things to think about," I brush him off and head back into my room, untying my cloak. Cid follows me stubbornly, glare prominent on his face.
"Like what?" He doesn't wait for me to answer. "Kid, we all know ya got problems. But ya can't let bein' a hypocrite be one of em."
"Cid, I'm getting undressed," I scowl at him, determined to get into the shower so I don't smell.
"I don't care!" He lifts his chin. "Vin's been tryin' to push down what he's been feelin' for you this whole trip, and now yer just dump him in the trash."
"Why do you care?" I demand. Screw it, I'm not waiting for him to leave. I turn my back to him and yank off my shirt, praying he has half the decency to not look down. I'm positive he'd follow me to the bathroom, and the door doesn't lock, so I'm kinda stuck. Cid, thankfully, isn't as perverted as people think and turns to look out the window.
"Cuz he's my friend, and you are too, so I'm tryin' not to be a third wheel or anything, but come on." He knocks his head against the glass. "If only ya knew what's runnin' through that poor &$(-#^'s head half the time."
"Hmph," I scoff, tying my cloak back on to shield myself as I continue to peel off my dirty clothing. "Is that all?"
"#-%+^ Violet!" He growls. "I'll drag ya to his room, naked #&- and all, just to apologize!"
"Pervert," I roll my eyes, testing the water to see if it's warm yet. "Seriously, get out." Then I shut the bathroom door, too tired to care if that man continues to rant. He's one of the few people here I consider a friend, but in a situation like his, he's bound to defend a person of his own gender. Not to mention that they spend more time together than he and I do. If I'm gonna have someone on my side, I need to change that.
...vVv...
"We're almost to Midgar, Captain Highwind," the man flying calls. Cid nods and fiddles with the spear resting in his shoulder, glancing at me as I enter the room. My stomach still aches from a few days ago and I think whatever was it that syringe gave me the throbbing in my head, but gladly no one notices.
"Good. We've been waitin' for a real #&%+^ long time." Then he looks up behind me.
"Finally put of yer room, Vin!" I jump when I the pilot says that, shuddering when my still wet hair brushes my neck coldly.
"I heard that we have nearly arrived," the deep, calm voice comes from a few feet away.
"That we have," Nanaki replies, scratching behind his ear.
Perhaps I can get a break once we have arrived?
Why can't you leave me alone? I'm sure Vincent's demons don't bug him as much as you do me.
Vincent's demons don't bother to ask.
Whatever.
I'll break...
"No," I grit, balling my hands up unconsciously. Three pairs of eyes turn to look at my curiously, ice blue, deep crimson, and predatory amber. Instead of paying any mind, I walk away toward the front to the airship.
"I think she's crazy, Vin," Cid mutters.
"Only troubled," Nanaki fills in for the empty silence that follows.
"So am I," the blonde laughs. "But I'm not schizophrenic."
"Neither is she," Vincent murmurs, taking long strides to my side.
"Ugh," I complaint to myself, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Do you know any magical headache removal techniques?"
"Not unless they involve bullets," he raises an eyebrow.
"Hey, I'll take it," I sigh, leaning against the glass pane. Get ready Hojo. Here we come.
DID ANYONE ELSE HATE THE RETURN TO MIDGAR PART? IDK WHY, I JUST HATED IT :/ ANYWAY, I'M GONNA DO ANOTHER RANDOM "MEMORY" THING AFTER THE NEXT CHAPTER, SO BE PREPARED, MY LITTLE SHADOWS ;)