Cid's bellowing voice is what wakes me. Not the most pleasant sound in the world, but I suppose it's better than sleeping for thirty years only to awaken to three strangers looming over your coffin. There's no debating that.
"I need Vincent Valentine and Violet Crescent to get their asses down to the bridge!"
I groan and Vincent shifts, eyes opening slowly.
"C'mon, Vince," I mutter, standing and stretching. "We've gotta get our asses to the bridge."
Vincent takes a long, tired breath and stands, following me down to the cockpit. David stands by himself at the edge of a circle of our allies. Cid stands with his hands on his hips, his feet wide apart and his denim jacket tied around his waist. Once we've joined the others, he starts talking.
"Alright. Our old buddies and the remaining WRO squads will lead the ground assault—"
"While we launch our attack from the air," Yuffie finishes, holding a bag of water on her head as she leans back, fighting her usual airsickness.
"Right," Cid nods, turning to Reeve. "So, ya ready?"
"Yes," the commissioner nods.
"Commencing the synaptic net dive," Shelke says, though I don't see her. She must be speaking over an intercom. "In three... two... one."
The room turns black for a split second before bursting into color. The globe in the center of the cockpit casts the illusion of space, of a million stars and nebulas that we seem to soar right past. Cid, always the space junkie, looks around in pure awe.
"What the...? Are we in...?" he mutters.
"Yeah, I think so," I reply under my breath.
"What? What?!" Yuffie cries, utterly confused by the scene.
Vincent's eyes scan over the room, absorbing the sights with clear interest. David reaches out and touches a glowing star, jerking away when it flashes in response. The spinning colors of the projection start to make my head spin. Lucrecia's voice suddenly booms throughout the ship.
"Just as we return to the Planet when our lifelight has faded..." Nebulas and stars rush past us as we're thrust to an image of the Planet. I glance over at Cid and smile at his excited awe. "So does the Planet return to the cosmos when her time has come."
"Wow," Yuffie gushes, running her hand through a cloud of blue gas.
"Anything that has a definite shape will one day cease to exist. The same is true for this world. Before tales of her final breath... The pure Lifestream that flows freely beneath her crust will be brought together as one." Green tendrils of light flow over the surface of the Planet, gathering together in a single ball of energy.
"By Omega, the ultimate life form," Lucy's voice continues. "His purpose? To gather all life, sentient and non, and lead it into the sea of stars where it will embark on a fabulous journey along a road untraveled. However, when Omega has lifted the life from this planet, all that will remain will be an empty shell destined to die silently in the limitless void of space." The ball of energy fires away from Planet, leaving its surface nothing more than a brown ball of dirt. It crumbles apart, dead. The illusion fades and Shelke's replaces my sister's.
"Omega is the same type of life form as the weapons we encountered three years ago." Vincent sighs and leans back against the wall, crossing his arms and leaning one leg over the other. "The Planet gave birth to these creatures to protect itself, just as it will give birth to the ultimate weapon, Omega, when the world is imminent. In essence, Omega is an elaborate safety mechanism designed solely to maintain and protect the flow of life. Normally, Omega poses no threat to us. It only manifests when the Planet detects something that may cause it danger."
"However," Reeve cuts in. "Deepground is attempting to awaken the beast early. Thus. The kidnappings." The commissioner begins to pace, hands clasped behind his back. "By slaughtering thousands of innocent souls, they are creating a pure Lifestream in order to trick the Planet into thinking the 'end' is near." Cid's fists ball up by his side and he stomps a boot on the smooth floor.
"Why those conniving...! I don't know what this Weiss character is tryin', but he's crazy if he thinks we're gonna let 'im get away with it."
"That's the spirit, Papa Cid," I tease, leaning an elbow on the fuming pilot's shoulder. Huffing, he shoots me a look, crossing his arms.
"Right," Reeve nods. David crosses his arms over his chest tightly, leaning his head to the right.
"It'll be hard to stop him. He's thought this through with a web of backup plans; it's near impossible to trip him up. It doesn't help that your troops have dropping exponentially in number recently."
"And who helped kill them off?" Yuffie demands, her eyes narrowed on him. "I don't care if you know Violet, you're still Deepground."
"So what if I am?" David challenges, lifting his bearded chin. "I'm helping you, aren't I? Violet's fighting for the WRO because she believes their right—where she goes I go. I trust her. Shelke, too. I trust them both." He rests his hand on the hilt the sword sheathed at his hip. "I was a Tsviet—I can help you out more than you give me credit for."
"So? I don't trust you," Yuffie counters, sticking her tongue out. I sigh, resting a hand on my hip and pinching the bridge of my nose; Vincent gives an irritated huff; Cid eyes David suspiciously.
"And how do we know ya ain't leadin' us to the slaughter? Why shouldn't I kill you right now?"
"Tough one," David raises an eyebrow, his words laced with sarcasm. "I may be a murderer, but I'm no traitor. And why shouldn't you kill me? Pardon me, but I doubt you'd be the one walking away from that fight."
"That's a lie!" Yuffie cries. "You told us stuff about Deepground. That's betrayal!"
"I explained the strengths of the Tsviets," David shrugs. "Knowledge you would come across on your own should you be unfortunate enough to stick around long enough. Of course, it wouldn't be so useful after that exchange."
"So... that means you won't be sharing any deep, dark secrets with us?" I ask, frowning. David sighs, nodding.
"I swore I wouldn't, and you of all people should know I'll never break my word, no matter who I made the promise to."
"Great," Cid scoffs. "So ya ain't any use to us, then."
"Oh no, you're all wrong about that," David chuckles, shaking his head. "I can be a guide, and I make a damn good ally in a fight. Better than using those children you force into fighting your battles." I take a deep breath, reminding myself how long it's been. He really has changed; he views the world in a whole new light. Everyone does after suffering at Hojo's hands.
"Stop the bickering," Reeve snaps, shutting everyone up. "You won't be leaving us anytime soon?"
"No."
"Good. Our objective is to destroy mako reactors one through eight to slow the reanimation process."
"Alright, we've still got time before the big show. Ya need anything done, go do it," Cid nods, fists on his hips. "Vin, Vi, and Dave: we'll take care of the reactors. I don't like lettin' ya have all the fun but you know I can't leave my baby all alone."
"Yeah, more than anyone," I laugh, shaking my head.
"Cloud and the others'll be shuttin' down the power, and there's no way we're lettin' Yuffie go down there by herself. Sorry buddy, looks like from here on out, it's the Three Musketeers versus the Tsviets." I glance at David, but there's no readable expression on his face. He doesn't care that we're going to kill his old allies? His teammates? The people who suffered alongside him all those years?
"Violet." I look up sharply upon feeling a hand on my shoulder. David raises an eyebrow. "Can we talk? Without him?" I glance over at Vincent and he stares right back, eyeing us a moment before he turns and walks away to speak with Cid. I sigh.
"Yeah."
He nods and wraps an arm around my shoulders, guiding me down the hallway. I chew on my cheek, knowing what I have to say before it's too late. I just don't want to. An automatic door slides open, leading us into an empty corridor, stopping and releasing me once he's sure no one else is down here. He stands on the opposite side of the hall from me, leaning back against the wall and running a hand through his hair.
"I don't know if I can stay," he says finally, avoiding my eyes. "I love you, Violet, I do, and I also know that the WRO really is the good guy here. But Deepground is all I've had for the past three decades... I know almost every person, whether they're a Tsviet or a cadet." He sighs, eyes finally meeting mine. "I don't really know if I can dump all that for some revolution that doesn't have much chance of lasting."
"No one will blame you if you go back," I shake my head, crossing my arms. "But... you'll be the enemy after that, you know?" He nods, studying me.
"... You've changed a lot."
"As have you. Thirty years is a long time," I shrug.
"And you're okay with that? All the change? And the pain?"
"Pain doesn't hurt when it's all you've ever felt," I scoff, giving him a pointed look. You selfish bastard... You're lucky I...
"Violet," he huffs, stepping forward and resting a hand on my cheek. "I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't mean to hurt you when I... I didn't want you to get hurt. I didn't want Josh to suffer. It was horrible and selfish, and I wish I'd never done it. I felt trapped and I thought it was my only option. It's my fault that I was naïve enough to sign up for it to begin with." His eyes fall away from mine once again. "I'm sorry."
"It's over now," I shake my head, taking hold of his shoulders and shaking him gently. "It's done—you can't change it. It's fine."
"No, it's not." He frowns, frustrated. "It never will be. I love you, I'm not... I'm not supposed to pull that shit on anyone, much less you and Josh." My heart skips a beat and I resist the urge to cringe. David, I... You know I can't...
I look up to see him watching me, gauging my reaction. Swallowing hard, he takes a deep breath and—For a moment time freezes. And then it reels back in time. Suddenly, the kiss doesn't feel so wrong, so out of place. The chill of the ship is replaced with the heat of the mansion in the summer. The dim overhead lights become the spill of sunlight spilling in through the bedroom window. My hands slide up to the nape of his neck and pull him closer. His rest on the base of my back.
And then my heart shocks me back into reality with a jolt and I press my hands to David's chest, pushing him away hard. I fall into the wall from the force of the shove, looking up in time to see the slightest flutter of crimson turning the corner.
"Are you okay?"
"I can't," I stammer, forcing myself to my feet and trying to catch my breath. David's frown falls and his eyes flickering to the subject of my wide-eyed stare. He's too late; the red's long gone.
"... He's why, isn't he?"
"David—"
"You left me for him," he accuses, fists clenched at his sides. "You've moved on. I should've known—"
"I left you?" I nearly scream the words in disbelief. "You left me alone with our son thinking you were going to become some fucking war hero! You disappeared for thirty-three years and then reappeared expecting me to still be hung up on my dead fiancé. I'm sorry, David, but Vincent was there for me when you ran from your problems! He stayed strong when you gave up and he most certainly didn't let his bullshit cause me to self-destruct! He never hurt me like you did, he never blamed me for my problems, and he was the only thing I had because you were too busy thinking of yourself!"
Finally sticking up for yourself, I see.
Now's not the time.
Isn't it?
David looks like I've slapped him across the face, and in a way, I have. With reality, anyway. His blue eyes flicker between my mine, and his composure melts away.
"You love him, don't you? And he doesn't know... I didn't know..." He frowns.
"No," I reply softly, shaking my head. "Wait, yes. Well... I don't know. It's not as simple as love anymore. I thought I'd moved on, but seeing you, it... I don't want to admit that everything's different now, but it is. My head's screaming that your dead and my heart..." I take a deep breath. "My heart says I should try love one more time. I have Vince for—"
A sharp pain shoots through my chest and I collapse, clutching my shirt over my heart. Scorching heart ripples over my skin and Shadow breaks free with a shriek. David calls my name, startled, but she dives forward, claws clutching his throat and slamming him up against the wall. Her violet eyes flare up with determination and I tear at the edge of our balance.
Shadow, stop!
I try to fight back but to no avail. Fear floods through my entire being. The Pure Soul... The sound of a gunshot rings through the air, a bullet dinging the wall inches away from Shadow's head. Snarling, she turns swiftly, throwing David to the floor. Suddenly, she's restrained, pinned to the wall with her arms pressed to her back. David gasps for oxygen, slumped against the opposite wall with a hand touching his neck gingerly. Shadow shrieks and struggles against the hands that hold her down, thrashing like a wild animal. A voice murmurs my name beside her ear. Startled, Shadow's guard slips and I burst forth, finding myself squished up against the wall.
"Get off her!" David shouts, shoving Vincent away from me and holding me out at an arms-length to make sure I'm alright. I jerk away from his touch and turn to Vincent. Blood drips from a cut on his cheek where Shadow hit him particularly hard with her head, his crimson eyes flaring with an array of unreadable things. One I can see is agony. He saw. Before I can speak, he turns sharply on his heels and heads in the opposite direction with a swish of his cape.
"Hey, are you alright?" David asks, stepping toward me.
I hardly hear him, hurrying after Vincent with my heart hammering against my ribs. I turn the corner and catch his arm, trying to stop his quick steps. He merely pulls away and continues walking as is he didn't feel anything.
"Vincent?" No response. "Vincent, where are you going?"
Without a word, he keeps going until we reach the window that we stopped by earlier, eyeing the shadows that the sun casts across the world below. H0w long did we sleep? There's a long moment of silence where I stand, waiting helplessly for any sign that he knows I'm here. Vincent's always been good at giving the cold shoulder; I just never thought I'd be at the receiving end. Finally, he speaks.
"I suppose I was too late."
"What? No," I shake my head. "You weren't. I—"
"Then what was that?"
"Shadow? I don't know, she just—"
"You are well aware that's not what I mean," he says, cutting me off sharply.
"He's the one who—"
"Was he?" Vincent's jaw clenches. "I couldn't tell. You seemed to enjoy it." At my silence, he adds, "Didn't you?" I huff, glaring at the golden clouds.
"Let me ask you something." I take an agitated breath. "If Lucrecia was to show up here, alive and well after all this time... If she made you stand there and listen to how much she loved and missed you... If she kissed you, wouldn't you enjoy it, even unintentionally?"
"This isn't about me," Vincent replies, very clearly angry.
"Just answer me," I snap. He ignores me with a sigh, continuing his staring. I speak when it becomes obvious that he won't. "Fine, be that way. I know you would. I wasn't thinking when it happened, Vince. I couldn't; nothing felt real."
"Which proves you still love him." Vincent glances back at me for half of a second. "Hypocritical."
"Vincent I-don't-know-your-middle-name Valentine, quit being an ass and listen to what I'm trying to say!" Instead of responding, he closes his eyes. No one speaks for a long time.
"Grimoire."
"What?" I snap, glowering at the back of his head.
"My middle name," he mutters. "It doesn't matter."
"Your father's name," I huff with false amusement. He frowns, looking over at me sharply.
"How did you know?"
"I—" For fuck's sake, Violet! "I met him once because, y'know, he knew Lucy."
"..." He turns back to the window. Tell my son I'm sorry. I sigh, wishing that the past could simply dissolve.
"Okay dogs, it's time!" Cid cries over the intercom. "All hands to battle stations!" I can almost see him throwing a fist into the air. Vincent sighs, glancing at me once more before heading down the corridor that leads to our exit point. I take a deep breath, following and listening to Papa Cid. "Listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once! If anymore of you are killed by those punks, I'll drag you back from Hell and kill ya again! You really wanna piss off those sons of bitches, then why not try stayin' alive!" Motivation at its finest. "That's what this war's about. If you live, everybody behind you lives. If you die, they die." Got that, Vince? Don't die. "You got that? Now go kick some Deepground ass!"
Echoes of cheering soldiers ripple through the ship. I roll my eyes. Nice one, Cid. Get the rookies pumped up and ready to be heroes. Except, they shouldn't be the heroes. They'll all get killed.
"Hey guys," David greets, joining us from a separate hallway. Vincent glares at everything ahead of him and I don't reply, pretending I can't see him. Several airships join the Shera. From a window, I can see Deepground readying for the ground assault with their soldiers, missiles, and machines. I stumble when the Shera rocks; David catches my arm and pulls me to my feet. We hurry to the belly of the ship, where Yuffie's just taking off with her squadron of soldiers.
"Wait, we're not... Are we?" I freeze when I see multitudes of hoverboards being loaded with soldiers and released through the hatch rapidly. Shelke issues commands for guns to set off nearby. Vincent steps onto a board, giving me a cold look.
"Why? You won't be sick, will you?" Shit... What have I done? I huff, biting down on my cheek.
"Um... How do you drive this, exactly?"
"Here, I'll go with—" David starts, stepping toward me.
"No," Vincent snaps. "You could cause the board to flip from an imbalance of weight. It would be far more difficult to evade Deepground's attacks." His eyes turn to mine. "I have yet to ride on either. I suppose we're in for a pleasant evening." I almost laugh, but a sudden burst of flames has us setting off far before I'm ready. All of Vincent's flipping around is making me nauseous, though I don't say so. Mainly because I don't want to prove him right, but also because no one would hear me anyway.
A missile speeds our way and the three of us scatter. Yet again, Shadow surprises me by relinquishing Sacrifice. My arrows easily pick off the flying soldiers, knocking them off balance and throwing them to the ground below. Something the bumps the corner of Vincent's board, but using his magical-ass flipping powers, he manages to straighten himself out, sliding along the edge of building sending a wave of sparks through the air. David swoops low to the ground, passing over the soldiers that run past on foot. I see an explosion of blue and a grin spreads across my face when I hit Azul from hundreds of feet away. Cloud. A truck whirs across the dusty ground. Tifa and Barret. Vincent vanishes, and I take a deep breath, following him behind the ridge of the buildings.
My board swings out of control and I swerve rather gracefully (thank you very much) to the platform Vincent stopped on. Rolling to the ground to lessen the impact of my fall from the board, I stumble behind a nearby crate and fall to my hands and knees, puking up whatever my stomach had left. David lands with ease as Vincent reloads his gun; they exchange their signature expressions. Here, I'll help you picture it: David's all happy-clappy, smiling and trying to make some sort of peace with his hair sticking up every which way; Vincent looks ready to end the Tsviet for good. Before he can slit David's throat, I stand and push past the two, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and grabbing Sacrifice from the thin air. I jump off the train car we've landed on and watch the shadows grow as the day dies down.
"How did you...?"
"Magic," I snap, ignoring David's awed look. I'm not in the mood for the BS right now.
"Seems so," David huffs, irritated with my attitude.
"Look, we get out of here alive and we can thoroughly discuss my tricks on the Shera," I reply flatly, shooting down a Deepground soldier.
"Deal," David mutters, hesitating to fight the troops that rush toward us. To remedy this, I do what any logical person would, stepping out into the open and waving my arms over my head.
"Hey!" I shout, a single bullet grazing my arm before Vincent pushes me back. David draws his sword and blocks a blow from another soldier before ending him easily.
"This is no time for games," Vincent scolds, quickly reloading Cerberus behind a rundown train. I shoot down a few soldiers before stepping back into our cover.
"I know," I snap. "But how else did you expect me to motivate him to fight? He knows these people."
"He will fight if he chooses. There's no need to put yourself in further danger."
"My life doesn't matter to you anyway," I retort, stepping back out into the open before he can reply. A bit of a stretch? Hell yeah. Does it get his attention? Hell yeah. I dive behind a rusted barrel, straightening to shoot soldiers from over the jagged edge. The train graveyard... I heard Tifa mention this place once... But wasn't it supposed to be crushed under the Sector Seven plate when Shinra took it down? Maybe it was out of range...
You have such a way with men.
Oh, put a sock in it, Alicia.
Very mature, Violet.
Shut it.