Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy material is copyright to Square-Enix. I do not own any of the official characters. They were merely BORROWED for the purpose of fan-fiction. All non-FF characters belong to me.

A/N: I will note that I have only played FFVII, Dirge of Cerberus, and watched Advent Children, Case of Denzel, and Last Order. Please take that into consideration if you see that some details may not be correct. Also, occasionally the story will go into POV (point of view) with Vincent.

Chapter 20: The Storyteller

"Here ya go Mr. Black. Don't be gettin' any more limbs cut off now." Mary handed the hermit his old pants, which she had fixed up. The bottom half of his leggings were now made of leather. Black quietly thanked Mary before she turned to Riley. "And you, miss crazy lady! You should be ashamed! That thing I made you was all dirty and such. I had to clean it and everything!"

Riley only looked down. "I'm sorry."

Mary blinked. "What's wrong? You've been quiet ever since you came back. I wasn't being serious or anything. I'm glad you're putting your outfit to constant use. Do you wanna talk about it?"

The others had already gone on the ship and Nanaki was the only one waiting for her at the entrance, tailing swaying. Riley only shook her head. "I...We don't have the time right now. Maybe I'll tell you next visit."

Mary nodded, bringing her into a hug. "Well, be careful."

Riley boarded the ship, closing the cargo hatch afterwards. Nanaki was about to say something but Riley only shook her head, silently telling him to not worry her. They went up to the bridge and Riley didn't bother to look at Black as she took her seat, flipping some switches, turning on all lights and the systems. Black didn't look at her either and Shamus only sighed, bringing the ship into cruise mode as they made their way to Rocket Town.

"Hey idiot, where are you taking us this time??"

Shamus leaned back, resting his feet on the controls once he locked them. "We're going to Rocket Town."

"Why the fuck are we going there?"

Shamus snapped at her in annoyance, "To visit my grandmother, okay?! Is that alright with you?!"

Mona grumbled, "Sheesh, I was only asking. I'm hungry." She stood up and left the bridge, going into the elevator.

Black soon followed after a few moments, seeing as there was nothing to do on the bridge. Nanaki took up his seat and glanced at the girl beside him. She didn't move, speak, nor look at him. The feline looked up to Shamus and he seemed to have already begun a nap where he was. Riley was too quiet for his own liking.

"What Black said—"

"Nanaki, don't try to defend him. He's plenty capable of doing that himself." Before he could say anything else, she interrupted him again, "And stop worrying about me. I'm fine. Besides, he was right. I need to grow up. I'm not a little girl anymore."

He could hear a small choke in those last words. "You're still a human being. What he said was insensitive. Though, I am curious as to why you're so eager to meet Vincent."

She swallowed back any tears that may have wanted release before answering him, "No offense to you or the rest of AVALANCHE, but he was my favourite."

He tilted his head. "Favourite? Ah yes, our journey was a video game wasn't it? Well, am I at least in your top three?"

She smiled, "You and Cid."

He chuckled, "But any particular reason with Vincent?"

Leaning back in her seat, she sighed, "I don't know why him specifically. To be honest, I'm no good with people, and I have the worst trouble with boys. Some would be interested in me, but I would always brush them off because I was never interested. But...of all the people in both worlds, Vincent is the only person in existence that has ever stirred that sort of emotion from me. But because I never even met him face to face and gotten to know him, I just brush it off as a fan-girl's crush. That's why I want to meet him, so I can finally figure out if I love him or not."

Nanaki's eye was wide as he listened to her explanation. Vincent had made a huge mistake. He knew it was not his place to give advice in these matters, but how could he deny this girl? He faced frontwards as he spoke, "You know, there's a saying. Visionaries are always afflicted by nay-sayers." The girl only blinked before he explained, "Basically it means that if somebody says you can't do something, don't listen. You can do anything as long as you try. It's like telling someone they can't fly or swim. Or in your case, can't find Vincent."

She considered this, looking at him before a smile gradually formed. "You're right. I shouldn't let that old fart get to me with his nay-saying words."

Nanaki chuckled in response, "Good. Besides, a smile suits you better."

Riley's heart clenched at those words. Black had used them before and thinking about it now, she still felt awkward about that moment. She excused herself, saying she would be taking a nap. She walked to her cabin that she shared with Mona, lying in bed for the next few hours, staring at the bottom of the top bunk. It took a day this time on cruising speed to reach Rocket Town, and Shamus woke up, speeding up for the last five minutes just to surprise the town and make an entrance with flare. He landed the ship close to Sierra's backyard where Sable warked irritably in surprise.

Sierra walked out, nearly having a heart-attack at the sight of the Highwind Ceto. Shamus opened the low hatch and grinned at his grandmother before running over. "Hey grams, how's it going???"

She laughed as he picked her up into a hug and spun her around once. "Shamus, how long were you working on this masterpiece??"

"It only took a month with a lot of help and certain materials, but I just had to come show and tell this baby."

The other walked out of the ship as the townsfolk stared in awe at the ship, even noting the bikini goddess. Sierra soon brought them inside the house and Sable trotted over, greeting Black with a head-butt to the face. Black was surprised by the greeting, yelping in pain when his face was suddenly bonked. Sable did not seem too pleased in being left behind. The chocobo trotted over to Riley, and instead of giving her the same greeting, he cooed, nuzzling her face, making her smile as she stroked his beak.

Sierra fixed everyone some tea and coffee for Shamus. Mona was actually quiet, never even insulting Shamus once in the presence of the kind woman. After some idle chatter, Shamus soon gave his grandmother a grand tour of the aircraft, and soon after that, some villagers were given tours. Sierra only chuckled in amusement at his discretion, seeing that he was surrounded by excited kids. Mona and Riley helped the woman with dinner, though Mona burned some of the ground beef, much to her own disappointment.

The next day rolled around and the group said their goodbyes and left, flying off to Cosmo Canyon. It didn't take them long to reach the canyon, but it was night time by the time they reached the village. Shamus landed the ship just before the village and the others walked into the village as Nanaki was greeted by everyone. Black glanced at Riley briefly then blinked at the fact she was actually smiling. The gang was given a huge feast, and both Black and Nanaki sat in amused silence while the others enjoyed themselves with the entertainment. Shamus even convinced Riley to come up and join a group dance. She couldn't help but laugh, a little embarrassed to be in front of people. Black only sat where he was and watched her.

"Black," Nanaki began softly. Black turned his head, allowing him to continue, "You won't be able to sway her resolve."

"And why's that?"

"I won't let you. Not with Riley, not when I know why she searches for you."

The old man blinked before curiosity struck. "I already know why she searches."

"Do you? I don't think that you do. I really don't think you do. She's always telling you that she admires him, but in reality, that isn't the only reason."

That was rather vague, Black mused. "What's the other reason?"

Nanaki looked at him for a long time with consideration before he turned his head away. "I'm not telling. It's her secret, and I have no right to blab away about it."

The hermit's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, Nanaki."

"No."

"Now."

"No."

Black scowled, "Fine." Stubborn cat, he thought bitterly. Now he was going to claw at his own mind, trying to figure it out himself. "I'll ask her myself."

"You don't have the right to talk to her unless she forgives you," Nanaki stated just as bitterly as Black's thoughts. "You said a terrible thing, and I have to wonder who more of the adult is. If you say something like that again just for the sake of protecting yourself, I will not hesitate to not only bite your head off, but reveal who you really are. Is that understood?"

"Since when is it any of your business, Nanaki? Perhaps I wish to live out the rest of my life hiding away from this...reality."

Nanaki only stared at him for the longest time before he spoke softly, "You've turned into a coward, old man. You keep this up, and you'll only rot away in despair."

With that, the feline left his side, being approached by Riley. Black watched as Red nodded and left with the girl. Black stared at the alcohol in front of him then reached out quickly. However, his hand stopped before his fingers could even touch the bottle, thinking twice about what he was about to do. What was the point? He had a high tolerance to alcohol and he was more likely to get alcohol poisoning before getting drunk. Sighing, he backed away from the table, standing up. He would spend the night on the ship instead of Nanaki's household.

Instead of waking up to the smell of pancakes like last time, Riley woke up to the sound of Mona and Shamus bickering like they were an old married couple. The thought amused her, causing her to smirk sleepily as she roused herself from bed. She sat up, looking out the window, annoyed with the sun beaming through. Groaning, she lied back down, covering her head with the blanket until she heard someone climb up the ladder.

"Yo, Riley! Time to eat! You awake, girl?" It was Shamus' voice and all Riley could do was groan at him exhaustedly. He chuckled, climbing onto the floor prior to walking to the bed. He gently pulled the blankets down and looked at her fatigued expression. "Bacon and pancakes like last time?"

"Please and thank you."

He waited a beat before asking, "Are you okay from what Black said?"

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't listen to that jerk!" Riley sat up, energy suddenly bursting through her as she replaced her vest and boots. "Black is just jealous 'cause he knows Vincent's better than him in every way. Besides, Vincent can handle Cerberus better than that old fart," she declared while clipping up her hair.

"I guess. I wouldn't know. I have to wonder how you would though."

She paused, "I would tell you how I would know, but you probably wouldn't believe me."

It was a few moments before both of them climbed down to the main floor. Shamus was a little too quiet for Mona's tastes as she munched on her eggs and bacon, "Hey idiot! What's wrong with you?!"

"Nothing, I just found out where exactly Riley came from."

"Eh?"

Riley smacked his head. "Not everyone is going to believe where I came from, idiot."

"Ow! Sorry."

"Alright, settle down. Let's just enjoy our breakfast before we get down to business about the remaining fragments," Nanaki said decisively before chewing on the bacon.

"Where's Black?" asked Riley as she took her seat.

Nanaki glanced at her. "He's sulking because he's jealous."

Riley looked surprised but realized that Nanaki was a beast and had good hearing, so she only sniggered, "I see."

They had finished breakfast before Black walked in, eyes slightly bugged from lack of sleep. No one said anything to him, and he could feel slight hostility in the room. Sighing, he sat on the couch, saying nothing. Riley took the time to shower while after Shamus filled the sink to wash the dishes, doing his usual bickering with Mona while Nanaki only shook his head at them. When Riley came down, they gathered around in the living room.

Nanaki sat between the four of them. "Alright, we had obtained three fragments before Weiss stole them. That means there are four left."

"What if the Tsviets already have them?" Shamus blurted out.

"Let's hope that they don't, because that would mean imminent doom. Frankly, I would like to think that the glass is half full right now, so let's not give up here. What we have to worry about right now is how to find the remaining fragments. We have yet to obtain Loyalty, Wisdom, and whatever the other two are."

"How do we find those?" Mona asked.

"Something's been bothering me for awhile now," Black declared suddenly, grabbing their attention. "Rosso mentioned that Genesis had found a way around the fact that he needed enough power to use the Omni-Materia. What if it wasn't the fragments she was talking about? From what I could tell, Rosso never bothered to ask us about the fragments. What I want to know is why."

They all looked amongst one another, considering this. Riley looked to Nanaki, though she was speaking to everyone in general. "You don't think it could be possible for them to find another way, do you?"

He looked down. "Nothing is impossible, and with the Tsviets, I doubt it's anything humane. It's like the Deepground War when they killed off half the world's population just to revive Omega. I can't even begin to imagine what they're up to."

"What should we do then?" Shamus asked.

The feline inhaled deeply as he considered. "Perhaps we should simply look around and hope for the best."

"Hope for the best?!"

"The Ancient Forest," Black suggested suddenly. Everyone glanced at him, blinking before he continued, "It's the closest place that I consider suspicious." And that woman was there. She's probably dead by now.

Nanaki watched him, recalling Vincent's explanation about an old woman. Perhaps there would be something in the forest. "Alright, after lunch, we'll head out to the forest. It won't take long to walk there, so perhaps it won't be such a bad idea to take a look."

Black looked took a glance at everyone, standing up afterwards. "Then it's decided. Prepare to leave. Riley, I need to talk to you."

The girl looked at him then snorted defiantly, "No."

"No?"

"You don't get to talk to me, nay-sayer."

His eye twitched as he spoke slowly, "And when do I get to talk to you?"

"Whenever I decide to forgive you."

Now his patience was growing thin. "And when will that be?"

"Never."

The other three sniggered in amusement, though Black was less tha amused. In fact, he was on the verge of losing his self control all because Riley felt like being childish. "Riley—"

She suddenly turned on him, eyes lighting up with her own rage. "Let me tell you something about myself, Mr. Black. I may be twenty, but you said it yourself that I'm still young. If you don't like the fact that I'm chasing after a man that may or may not help us because he's better than you, then you can go screw yourself or drown yourself in a toilet, because I refuse to let you put me down any more! Shamus and Nanaki have been more supportive than you ever have! If you don't like this whole thing then go back to your shack you hobo. Otherwise, stay out of my way."

The others stared at Riley then watched the change of expression on Black's face as she scolded him. Shock had engulfed his entire being, freezing him in place. He wasn't supportive? He realized then that she was right. The hermit had been a lousy friend. No, worse than that. What Nanaki had told him before came to mind. Rather than apologize though, he said nothing. Riley had managed to shut him up, putting him in his place. One could say he was officially put on time out. Riley watched him before walking past him, leaving the house in a cold silence.

After lunch, everyone was already prepared to leave for the Ancient Forest. Nanaki decided to lead the way, since he knew the easiest route in these parts. Shamus typically thought it would be easier to simply fly there, saving time, but Mona declared he was being lazy. Unable to talk back, he said nothing more about his ship. It took a couple of hours before they reached the border of the forest.

Riley observed the thick forestry. It looked more like a rainforest, though it wasn't as humid as one would normally be, in fact, it was rather cool. They weaved through the intricate vines and roots, being pestered by flies while Mona grimaced at the vast amount of frogs. Shamus was the most annoyed, seeing as flies kept landing on him. He slapped his own face, shuddering slightly.

"Why the fuck are they following me?! Piss off you damn--!"

"Perhaps they're attracted by how much you smell, idiot."

"Wanna say that again?!"

Both Nanaki and Riley rolled their eyes as they already began to bicker once more. Black had said nothing the entire time. Nanaki stopped in his tracks, smelling something foreign. This paused the bickering behind him as he took a whiff of the air. He looked to the others before running off. The others chased after him, curious as to what he had found, then he stopped. They all stopped behind him, looking beyond a small swamp to see what appeared to be a cabin. It was like some voodoo priestess lived there. Nanaki looked to Black questioningly as he recieved a nod.

The feline sniffed the air again before a voice interrupted him, "Y'know, that's a bit rude."

Everyone turned around and both Riley and Black recognized the blind old woman, Fable. Riley stood in shock as she breathed out, "You?!"

The old woman chuckled, "It's good to see you again, child." Fable chortled at her own joke, "Get it? I'm blind, and I said—never mind. Kids don't have any sense of humour nowadays."

Black was a little surprised that Riley knew the woman. Black was even more surprised that Fable was still alive. "You're here? But how?!" she asked.

"Come, come. All will be revealed in good time. Please, come inside. I have soup made." They all followed after her hesitantly and inside was hung colourful decorations, and it smelt oddly of sweet smoke. It was just as Black remembered it. The old woman sat upon a large homemade pillow as she regarded the others. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. Come over here, child. Let me take a look at you." Riley walked over, kneeling beside the woman as her worn fingers gently searched her face. Fable seemed to look proud, placing a smile on her lips. "You've grown so much since we first met."

Riley didn't seem so sure. "You think so?"

"Why, yes! Look at you! You've been through so much already and took on each challenge like a young woman should. I can already tell the hardships you've endured and what you will eventually face. But enough of the corny babbling from me. I know why you are all here."

Nanaki raised his head, sitting as politely as he could, not being human and all. "So, it's true that you can see the future?"

The lady chuckled, "Of course. But it's not the future you wish to know, as you all will discover that yourselves."

Mona crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. "What a load of crap. We came here for one of those fragments and we find this hag."

"Believe what you want to believe, Mona, but show proper respect for the elderly," Black demanded softly, without so much as looking at her. He kept his eyes on Fable as he regarded her. "Do you know anything about the Omni-Materia and the seven fragments?"

"Oh, yes. I know their story very well."

Shamus sat down beside Riley, whispering in her ear, "How do you know this woman?"

Riley barely noticed him, answering him distractedly, "I met her in my world a couple days before the Omni-Materia brought me to this one. I saved her from a couple of abusive kids."

Nanaki's ears flicked slightly. "What can you tell us? If you don't mind me asking."

The old woman chortled slightly as she answered him, "All in due time. Soup?" After they finally ate some soup, just to satisfy the woman, they sat there, staring at her. She lit up an incense as she finally brought up the subject. "The Omni-Materia was never created by human hands, nor Cetra hands. The Planet, or Gaia, had created this materia herself, and as such, allowed its user the power of a god."

Riley thought for a moment. "But why would the planet create something as dangerous as this. I mean, if you wanted something to disappear, then poof, it's gone."

"That's why the wielder of the Omni-Materia is to gather all seven fragments that give the user enough power to use such a tool."

Black raised his head. "Tool?"

"The purpose of this stone is that it was meant to protect the planet. With it, you could wipe away all threats, including humans and create a new Eden. However, its power has no limitations. That's why this materia has the power to create, and destroy. But that's where the seven fragments come in handy. To prevent just anyone using this materia, the first wielder made certain that all living beings would be like what we are today. Mortals. The seven fragments are keys to the door of power. If the following wielders ever obtained all of them, they would be given not only the power to use the Omni-Materia, but given the right to."

Black looked down. "We already had three, but Weiss stole them."

"You do not need to worry, young man." The way she addressed him startled him, causing him to look at her in shock. Surprisingly, the others never caught it. She gave him a knowing smile. "They only have the three. Without the other four, they are useless to them." He only watched her as she continued with her explanation. "The seven fragments are as follows; Valour, Wisdom, Mercy, Will, and Loyalty."

"You missed two," Shamus pointed out.

"The other two are a special pair, which is why I left them out of the list."

Mona tilted her head, blinking some. "What are they then?"

Fable only smiled, pouring herself some tea. "They are most simply described as opposites. Good and evil, shadow and light, female and male, ice to fire, and so on."

"Order and Chaos," Nanaki added.

"Exactly. Finding these two will be the most difficult, as they are not really considered as characteristics. But they both serve one purpose."

"Balance," Nanaki said again.

Fable nodded. "Yes. But together, they create something to uphold that balance, thus the Eighth Knight is born."

"The Eighth Knight?" the others breathed in question.

"The Eighth Knight has no name to be called by, except to what it is referred to as. You've heard the prophecy from the tablet. Her Knights shall fall one by one, enslaved by the dawn of war. The weaving stone shall erase or create, held by the judge who shall shape the world when the seven wonders are found."

"We know this already," Shamus exclaimed. "We're supposed to find these things, and then we'll be able to use the Omni-Materia."

"And when the scales are of equilibrium, the storyteller will draw forth the Eighth Knight to illustrate their every whim."

"I don't get it," he admitted.

Riley thought for a moment but Black beat her to it. "I'm assuming the storyteller is what is referred to as the wielder. This Eighth Knight though, is it another WEAPON created by the planet?"

"Perhaps it is," Fable answered, sipping her tea. "Who knows?"

Mona scowled, "Man! I've had enough of the riddles! Come out straight, lady!"

Fable only ignored the girl's impatience. "Knowledge is power."

"Eh?! What now?!"

Fable only smiled. "Knowledge is power. In order to find these fragments, one must know only what needs to be known at that moment in time. Other secrets will be revealed when the time is right. And so, for you, I shall present to you a gift."

She searched her clothes, pulling out a small green marble. Shamus gaped. "You had that thing the whole time and you didn't tell us?!"

"I wanted you to listen first," she said warmly. "I know how easily you youngsters get distracted. Besides, this is the Wisdom Fragment. I thought it fitting to tell you what you need to know before handing it over."

Mona scowled once more. "That or she didn't trust us!"

"Oh, I trust you. I especially trust Riley, here. She did help me once before after all." She placed the orb in Riley's hand, enclosing the girl's fingers over it. "Do not fret, child. You are doing just fine, and you will see him when he's ready."

Riley blinked, considering her vague words as she nodded. "Why do they refer to the wielder as a storyteller?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Shamus.

The old woman smiled. "Like a god, a storyteller, or author, has the ability to create life then take it away in their stories. Understand?"

Riley looked down, nodding. "Yeah."

With that, she and the others left but Fable turned her head to sense that Black still stood where he was. "Something the matter?"

He glanced at her. "You realize I'm actually an old man."

She chuckled. "I know it's you from twenty years ago. Also, I know you're only trying to look half your age."

"How do you know these things?"

"It's a gift I have." She smiled. He said nothing as he was about to leave. "Hold on a moment," she added quickly, stopping him. "To hide away and shun your emotions is going to be the most foolish thing you have ever done. More foolish than your lone confrontation with Genesis."

He turned to look at her. "I'm just...I'm afraid of what will happen." I don't want another tragedy like with Lucrecia to haunt me again.

As if reading his mind, she spoke again. "History may inevitably repeat itself, so you should make the best of things and figure out what you do want rather than what you don't want. I cannot provide all the answers to you, Vincent Valentine."

He watched her for a time, then left, following quickly after the others.

A/N: Man, this chapter took a long time to write X.X. I'm SO sorry it did! Having MORE of a lack of internet killed my writing motivation. Though, I'm forcing myself to get back into gear! I have about till Chapter 24 planned out, though at the rate the story is going, I might have to write up to fifty chapters! O.O. Next chapter is...in WUTAI!! BUWAHAHAHA! I'm going to have fun with that chapter. It'll be kind of random, I think. Anyway! Still doing character interviews.

Me: Hiii!
Characters: *most say HI! Back, but the rest, like Vincent, say "..."*
Me: Okay, I've got one question from the same person as before, since she happens to be this story's likely Number One Fan. Who knows, I could be wrong XD. Anyway! GENESIS!
Genesis: ...?
Me: "Dear Genesis, do you feel horribly inadequate compared to your buddies Angeal and Sephiroth? Sure you mentioned being a monster but considering Sephiroth is viewed as a god by some, how does that make you feel?"
Genesis: ...O.o...*undoes his pants and looks down them* I'm bigger.
Me: *jaw drops* ...

AWKWARDNESS!!! XD Anyway, please R&R!