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 Complete, Case of Denzel, and Last Order. Please take that into consideration if you see that some details may be incorrect. Also, occasionally the story will go into POV (point of view) with Vincent.

Chapter 35: Quelling Fears

The glass prisons still would not break, no matter how much AVALANCHE would kick, punch, and Vincent even tried shooting his way out, but the shell disintegrated. The gunman gritted his teeth. "Fabula! Release us at once!"

"I cannot do that Vincent."

"Why are you doing this?" Riley demanded, visibly shaking.

The woman turned her perfectly good eyes on the girl. "To truly inherit the Omni-Materia, you must defeat the previous keeper of the stone. If you cannot defeat me, you are not worthy to carry on as its protector. If you lose, and I will not go easy on you, you will lose your right to summon the Eighth Knight. Your friends will not be permitted to help you. This is a battle you must win with your own strength."

"Dammit!" Vincent cursed as he pounded a fist on the glass.

Riley swallowed hard. She had rarely fought battles on her own. Seeing the magic Fabula possessed instilled doubt in her mind. "How will I know if I've lost?"

"When you're dead."

"That's bullshit!" Shamus shouted. "And completely unfair! That chick is already dead!"

Mona agreed, still pounding her fist on the glass. "How is she supposed to defeat a dead person?"

Nanaki seemed relatively calm. "She can do it. Riley! If I could defeat the spectre of the Gi's chief, you can certainly beat this woman!"

Riley raised her head. He was right. How could she have forgotten that battle? However, this wasn't a video game, this was reality. She had to focus. Much to everyone's surprise, she planted her feet, crouching only slightly as she raised her sword above her head in a stance. The doubt on her visage gone, leaving only determination in her ice blue eyes. The enemy would never go easy on her, why should Fabula? If she had to earn her right as a Keeper of the Omni-Materia, then she would do it without question.

"Alright, let's do this." She could almost hear the boss battle theme in her head.

Fabula began walking around the battle platform, as if circling her. Riley just shifted her feet as she watched the woman. Kicking off the ground, she didn't wait for Fabula to make the first move. She ran at her, using her legs to propel her to an amazing speed. Fabula spun out of the way as Riley swung Nemesis at her, slamming the blade to the ground. Fabula used her staff to block the upwards horizontal swing, causing her to go flying, flipping in the air and skidding back as she landed on her feet.

Riley refused to give the woman any time to recover as she kept running, blade hanging behind her. She swung her blade again and Fabula ducked, twisted her body, swinging her leg knocking Riley off her own feet. Grunting as she hit the ground, she rolled out of the way as the staff went to slam right into her torso. She just kept rolling as the spectre went to stun her. Using the sword to block the onslaught, she used the hook part of her blade to catch the pole and used the firm grip Fabula had on her weapon to her advantage, using the momentum to help herself up, though Fabula succeeded in flipping out of the way of her next swing, kicking the sword out of her hand in the air.

Thrusting the staff at Riley's torso multiple times, the constant attack stunned the girl into immobilization. Spinning around, she practically batted Riley away. The girl skidded across the floor with a groan just as the sword clattered to the ground far from her reach. Now she was unarmed. Or was she? Fabula practically glided across the floor, jumping into the air and ready to slam the weapon onto Riley.

Riley rolled onto her back, raising the bottom of her feet up to block the attack before grabbing the offending object. Placing her feet down, she pulled on the staff before thrusting it right back into Fabula's stomach, chest, then sternum. Fabula let go, stunned by the assault, trying to recover. Jumping to her feet, Riley spun around, twirling the staff as well before slamming the object across Fabula's face, then again into her back. Fabula fell forward then slowly rose to her feet. Riley was shocked by how she was able to use the staff like she had used it before.

Fabula took advantage of her shock, yanking the weapon out of her grip, though pulling on her allowed the woman to elbow Riley in the face. Slowly, she backed away, the staff glowing. The others watched the intense battle as Riley held her face in pain. After recovering, she glared at the spectre before her. She considered moving to grab her sword, but she felt she didn't need it quite yet. She wasn't entirely unarmed.

Vincent gritted her teeth, silently praying she'd get out of this alive. The Shamus and Mona shouted and cheered for Riley, encouraging to kick the hell out of Fabula. What a fantastic idea, Riley decided. Charging at the woman and jumping into the air, she began to deliver a series of kicks. Each attack was blocked and Fabula tossed Riley high into the air. Riley twisted her body, noticing that a piece of materia had fallen from her pocket. Eyes narrowing, she caught the sphere, pressing the magic ball into her right bicep before it disappeared into her arm.

As she flew towards the ground, her arm charged up with electricity as she prepared to send a deadly punch. Fabula jumped away as Riley landed, punching the ground, sending a shock wave, sending the woman skidding back. Straightening her stance, ticking could be heard as a green arcane circle with a minute hand and an hour hand spun around glowed beneath her bare feet, spinning around, eyes flashing green. Shit, Riley mentally cursed.

Eyes unable to keep up with the woman, Riley was surprised by a series of attacks from the side, the front and behind. She couldn't block any of the attacks much to her annoyance. Why didn't Riley have time materia? Suddenly, she was tripped, but lifted into the air, spun around the staff, then tossed into the floor. The force caused her to cough up blood. Vincent pounded on the glass again.

"Get up! I—no—WE taught you better than that!"

She panted, spitting out the blood that had pooled in her mouth, struggling to move to her feet. Fabula stepped onto her back, forcing her back to the floor. Riley screamed in agony, the pain in her chest surfacing. Nemesis would be helpful right about now. She shakily reached for her blade, but it was too far away. The weapon wasn't going to come to her like in the Star Wars movies. She had to think of another way.

"I'm sorry Riley," Fabula said solemnly as she went to strike the final blow.

Her fingers curled into fists before screaming and pushing at the added weight. "Fuck your apologies!"

Riley soon pushed her off, barely standing on her feet. She had no time to sway. Right now, retrieving her sword was a priority. Fabula was already on her though, but Riley turned around just in time, leaning back, and kicking her off into the air. Speed meant nothing in the air. Jumping up after her, spinning her body forward with one leg out, she slammed a kick into Fabula's back, bringing her into the ground. Riley landed, nearly falling over as she gripped her chest. Realizing the sword was right at her feet, she bent over to pick it up. As she gripped the handle, Fabula tripped her again. Riley rolled forward and back onto her feet again, but nearly fell off the edge. Catching her balance again, she rolled to the side to dodge the next swing of the staff.

Fabula backed away like she did before. Riley glanced at her sword, going into her pockets for her materia. Filling the four unoccupied slots, she went into another stance. Fabula swung huge fireballs from the end of her staff, each attack causing small explosions upon impact. Riley ran around the arena. She swung her sword, a wall of ice appearing on the edge and she ran up the wall, still circling around Fabula as the fireballs were still impacting by the heels of her boots. She created a spiral wall of ice, still running until she was high above the spectre.

As fireballs flew up at her, she used her sword to bat them away, aiming them directly at her frozen staircase, causing it to collapsed in large pieces towards the woman. Riley jumped onto a falling piece of ice, nearly slipping off, jumping from one chunk to the next to keep from falling to her death. Landing on the glass arena again Fabula screamed as she was buried under large chunks of ice.

Riley looked at the pile, raising her arm to shield her face as ice went flying from a small explosion of fire. Fabula raised her staff, face emotionless. "You'll have to try harder than that."

Believe me, that's not all I have up my sleeve. But damn, if this goes on, my chest pain is going to overwhelm me. Riley rubbed her chest with obvious discomfort. The others could see it as well. Vincent gritted his teeth. If only he could find a way to help her. Despite the dire predicament, he noticed that she wasn't giving up, staring down her opponent with that same determination.

Without her fifth slot in her sword, she couldn't use the Terra Wave, and she should never use Blue Phoenix unless she was certain it would win her the battle. She couldn't keep swinging her sword. Suddenly, she had an idea. She looked to the others in their prisons. Vincent's brows burrowed in confusion, trying to understand what she was asking of him. Riley's thumb tapped on the Valour materia on her sword and it clicked.

He nodded, looking at Shamus. "Shamus, you and I are the only ones capable of helping Riley at this point."

"How is that? We can't even get out of these stupid ice cubes!"

"You and I are the only other ones equipped with magic."

Shamus blinked, eventually getting the drift. "Alright. Riley needs our help, we'll give it."

Both of them pulled out red materia as Mona and Nanaki observed curiously. Equipping their weapons, they struck the glass walls, Shamus grinning when summon pentagrams appeared outside their prisons. Bahamut soon flew in as Leviathan slithered out of the melted ice, roaring at Fabula as they stood between her and Riley. Riley took a step back, taking this moment to catch her breath as she attempted to come up with a sound plan, looking among her materia.

"What is she doing?" asked Mona. "I thought she had a plan with you guys."

"She's tired Mona. In case you haven't noticed, in Riley's current condition, she won't be able to win this fight on her own. We're not much help being stuck in here, but the least we can do is provide her with some time to recover."

"Besides, she didn't say we couldn't summon, did she?" Shamus retorted.

"I guess."

Nanaki just watched below. "Riley won't last much longer at this rate. I know she took her medicine, but this battle is taking a toll on her. That and she just recovered from the compression we were suffering from."

Fabula didn't seem all that worried. Her staff glowed and what looked like two small black holes appeared under the summons, slowly swallowing them. "I told you four that you were not permitted to interfere."

"Fuck!"

Vincent growled. "Dammit! I had no idea she had such power."

"Dammit all to hell, does she honestly believe this is fair? Riley's really going to die at this rate!"

"Shut up, Shamus. She's not going to die. Look."

Everyone looked at Riley, the materia changed on her sword. What combination did she plan on using this time? Fabula almost seemed to glide towards her at high speed. Riley stepped out of the way, grabbing the woman's hair, turning around as she slammed the end of the hilt into her face. Still turning, she threw the spectre, sending her skidding across the ground. Fabula groaned, slowly getting up.

"It seems you truly have become strong, child. I was beginning to doubt you halfway through this battle."

"You may push me down, but I won't be out."

Fabula smiled. "Good girl. Now come at me."

They both went into a stance before charging at each other. Weapons collided, waves of flames and electricity flying, charring their clothes. They pushed on each other, trying to overpower the other, their feet firm on the ground. Riley smirked suddenly, pulling on the trigger of her weapon as the thunder materia was suddenly amplified to a higher power, surging from one weapon to another, and making Fabula scream from the high voltage.

Steam rose off the spectre as she panted, swinging her staff. Riley blocked it, and they were parrying constantly, sparks flying off both weapons till both had become hot from the constant friction. They both stopped, weapons lowered, hunched over with exhaust. Riley decided now was the time. She screamed as she raised her sword high, slamming the blade downwards and an expanding black ball of gravity flew straight at Fabula, hitting her directly, too exhausted to dodge in time. She screamed in pain and panted before looking at Riley with what looked like a glare.

Much to her surprise, Riley was already in the air high above her. Screaming out, she landed on the spectre, driving the sword right through her, the staff clattering away from reach. Riley panted as there was a dead silence. Fabula lied there in shock. However, she did not seem to be in discomfort. Instead of bleeding, she smiled.

"Victory is yours, Miss Tombs."

Riley blinked, realizing what she had done. "Oh god...I..."

"Do not fret. I'm already dead." Her smile only grew. "You only served to release me. Now I can finally rest and find my way to the lifestream."

Riley got off her, releasing her sword. The strange dimension seemed to disappear and everyone was back in the underwater temple. The glass prisons disappeared and everyone fell to the ground, with Shamus being the only one unsuccessful with landing on his feet. He groaned as the others looked at the fallen keeper.

"Riley, there is something you should know. Once you go to have the final showdown with Genesis, you will need the power of the Omni-Materia to defeat him. He has found a way to achieve unimaginable power, and it won't just be this world that will suffer from him, but your world as well."

Riley's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean by that?"

"You coming here has created a doorway. Unless that door is shut and locked, he'll find a way to your world once he learns of your origins. You must use the materia to seal that door."

Riley was suddenly shaking. Her own world was in danger...because of her? Suddenly the pressure had increased, and the pain of her recent battle made her collapse from exhaust and shock. Vincent caught her, also shaken up by Fabula's words. So, it wasn't just one world that was in danger, it was two.

"You must find your way, young Riley. Just remember you're not alone in this." She smiled once more. "It's been so long since I've felt at peace. This is goodbye."

"W-wait!" Riley suddenly knelt beside her. "Don't go. What if I have questions that need answers? What if I can't figure out what to do next?"

Fabula raised her hand to stroke Riley's cheek, surprising her. "Have faith." Lowering her hand, her body began to dissipate into the green glitter. And for a moment, Riley thought she was the old woman again. Fabula soon whispered one last encouragement. "Don't be afraid." And then she was completely gone.

Decompression took longer than expected, taking them two days to reach the ocean surface again. Riley had not spoken at all and would only see Mona in her room. The males in the group seemed worried, especially Vincent. Perhaps the shock was too much and she needed to confide in a fellow female as opposed to the men. Vincent sat in silence on the bridge while Shamus flew them to Cosmo Canyon.

When they walked through the entrance, Riley went straight up to the observatory and to bed. Mona had followed after her in silence. Nanaki was greeted enthusiastically and he informed them of his travels so far, leaving out more personal details. Once they learned that Rosso had been defeated, the villagers decided to celebrate their victory. Shamus had decided to go to the pub, feeling he needed to loosen up after all the tension. Once they discovered Vincent himself was alive, they stared in awe at him. He walked away to avoid all the attention.

Vincent decided he would leave the village for awhile, and come back later in the night to check on Riley. He wandered the canyon as night approached, heading straight for the Ancient Forest. He found the hut Fable used to stay in...and constantly offer them soup. He wondered if this place still had it. Searching the housing, he eventually found a loose floor board. Moving it aside, he reached into the hidden stash of what looked like junk. Pulling out a bundle that clinked as he picked it up, he moved aside the wrappings, revealing the old gauntlet. Perhaps this would come in handy again. He pondered its usefulness. Perhaps the object itself would serve as a way to cheer up Riley.

Heading back to the village was a short trip at his highest speed, and everything was silent upon his return. Seems the party didn't last long. He climbed his way to the observatory, entering the house in silence. Nanaki was sleeping on the floor while Shamus took the couch. Vincent climbed up to the second level swiftly, half hanging off of the ladder to find Mona on the spare couch in the room, but the bed was empty, sheets tossed aside carelessly. Where was Riley?

She couldn't have gone far, he decided, climbing up further. Quietly, he opened the steel door to the balcony outside, the highest viewpoint of Cosmo Canyon. There she was, standing close to the railing, hair let down, wind gently picking it up. He pondered whether he should leave her be. No, he told himself. He'd confront her on the issue. She had to talk to him eventually.

"Riley," he began, accidentally startling her. "Sorry."

She shook her head, after finding out it was him. "It's okay."

He noticed her shiver and he moved closer, standing behind her, placing his poncho over her head. "It's cold out."

She blinked in surprise and he could almost sense her smile. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Offering your cloak."

"My way of being a gentleman, I suppose," he replied with a shrug. "Why are you out here?"

"I was trying to sort out my thoughts."

"Do you wish to talk about it?" She said nothing, implying that she didn't. "Riley, I know I was a terrible friend, but you can tell me what's bothering you. I'll do what I can to make it better."

She swallowed, lowering her head, gripping the poncho as she attempted to form the words. "I don't think you can do anything to make it better. I just...think it's so...hard." He could hear her voice beginning to crack. "So much stress keeps piling on and on, and I can't keep up." She felt his hands on her shoulders, gently squeezing them. "Going to that hidden temple suddenly made reality slap me straight in the face. I can't help but begin to worry. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and getting ahead of myself."

He frowned. "Riley...whatever happens, I'll always protect you."

She suddenly let out a sob, confusing him. "That's what I'm afraid of. Once this whole thing is over, if you and Chaos are one and the same, and the fragments disappear along with the materia, what if you disappear too?" Vincent never thought of that. No wonder she was upset. In an attempt to ease her fears, he turned her around and wrapped his arms around her, placing one hand on the back of her head as she gripped the front of his shirt, hiding her face in his chest. "And not only that, you almost died protecting me before. I can't take that! And on top of that, I got two worlds instead of one to think about! Everyone is counting on me, and it's too much!"

What was she saying? Vincent couldn't handle her tears. He preferred her smile and smug attitude over this. Here she was, clinging to him for answers, and he didn't know what to give her. All he could do was let her cry on him. No. He could give her one thing, and didn't even bother to think about the consequences that would follow. All he wanted at the moment was to stop Riley's tears one way or another.

"Riley..."

He waited a beat, but she didn't answer, only emitting sobs that she was attempting to suppress with no success. Before she could react, he had her pressed against the wall, swallowing her gasp of surprise when he closed the distance, lifting her chin by cupping her cheek. His lips brushed hers at first before he made full contact, full of his desire to take away her worries and fears. She remained rigid, reddened eyes wide with shock. Was this man truly doing what she thought he was doing?

The sobs had stopped, he mentally observed with pleasant optimism. He couldn't help but notice how soft her lips felt. He was almost tempted to nibble on them to satisfy some spontaneous urge. However, he knew if he did that, he would begin to want more than her lips, and Vincent was certain that Riley wasn't ready for that. After a full minute of simply enjoying the taste of her lips, he finally pulled away, chancing a look at her face. She looked utterly shocked and had wondered if he had done a terrible thing. It was too soon, he realized. He allowed his emotions to slip, and he had gone too far.

He swallowed hard, backing away from her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Goodnight." With that, he left her completely confused, not even noticing that she slid down the wall to her knees.

What the hell is wrong with me...?

A/N: I wanted to write a part where Vincent would ravage her on the wall, making her world alright again. However...this seems more...appropriate, and I shouldn't give into the sexy urges too much. But...HAHA! Vincent has just stolen Riley's first kiss, and so it will lead to major awkwardness and more fluff! That whole scene just basically unlocked what could either be a long list of comical moments in the next chapter, or simple angst amongst the future couple. I think I will go with the former. The tension is getting high and Riley needs a break from depression XD. Anyway, onto a couple of questions I didn't get answered last chapter. And damn, I updated fast.

Me: Alrighty then. The first is for Riley. "Would you rather go back to earth and have your time on Gaia as a distant memory or stay and get closer to Vincent and the gang?"
Riley: That's easy! I'd rather stay! But I miss my cat. I hope Marcus is feeding him T_T.
Me: I miss Whiskey too :(. Anyway, Nanaki, "How did you feel when all the original members of AVALANCHE died?"
Nanaki: **sighs** I miss them greatly. I was truly devastated. I still am, especially learning that Genesis killed them on purpose to force the Omni-Materia into existence.
Me: Yeah, that's a real bummer. It would have been cool to have at least Cid around. That would have been interesting to see how Cid and Shamus interact with one another. Anyway, onto other questions I have just received...NOW. XD Nanaki, "What are you planning to do once all of this is over?"
Nanaki: Well, I know I will be looking for my future mate, Deneh.
Me: D: THERE'S A GIRL IN WAITING? Wait, I thought it was spelled Dine.
Nanaki: It's Deneh. It's on the FFVII Wikia.
Me: Nanaki has a GIRLFRIEND! :D
Nanaki: **blushes**
Me: Next! Shamus, "Do you have a crush on Mona?"
Mona: **chokes**
Shamus: ...Well, she's got surprisingly nice legs. Does that still count?
Mona: **punches him square in the face** Idiot.
Shamus: x_x
Me: Riiigh...t. Mona, "What was your first weapon/present?"
Mona: My first present? I don't recall that far back. My first weapon? Well, does a spork count?
Me: **grins** Absolutely! It's the ultimate weapon for beating. Not much damage, but it can be quite the irritant. :D
Mona: :D
Me: Final question. Vincent and Riley, "Are you guys gonna get married and have kids at the end of the story?"
Riley: **still hasn't recovered from the shock of the kiss**
Vincent: ...No comment. Shouldn't the author answer that one?
Me: Sigh...fine. No. XD It's inevitable that they'll be in love with each other, however, marriage and kids are a bit soon, even if it's the ending of the story. The end is **semi-spoiler** going to focus mainly around a dilemma. And that is all I shall tell you. Depending on how I end the story, I may create a small sequel revolving around "life-afterwards". That is, if I feel like it. Chances are I might anyway.
Vincent: Can I ask you a question? Can I take a vacation from this ridiculous story?
Me: ...NO. :D
Vincent: =_= **not impressed**

And that's the end of this chapter's interviews. Don't forget to keep writing more questions in your reviews. They won't admit it, but the characters love the attention. XD Not sure how soon I'll update after this chapter. Do you KNOW how many times I've listened to "Still More Fighting (remastered)"? LOTS. It was great inspiration to the battle between Riley and Fabula. I needed classic FFVII inspiration. Until next chapter, read and review!