They stood around the unconscious man for what seemed like forever, Denzel and Marlene not speaking, not questioning what had happened, but Estu couldn't have been more confused. This was really Cloud Strife? He was the one who'd tried to take both his and Vincent's lives on days before? And how was that even possible? He was under the impression that Cloud was dead.
Denzel finally managed to pull himself together, wiping his eyes. "Shut up," he muttered, glancing at Estu.
"I didn't say anything." Estu didn't blame Denzel at all for getting worked up about seeing Cloud again.
"…Can you help me get him inside?" Denzel asked, looking over at Cloud.
Estu hesitated, already feeling a slight pull from where he stood, over two yards away. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why?"
"Maybe we shouldn't move him… he looks hurt." The excuse seemed to work. Denzel glanced back, frowning.
"I don't wanna leave him… can you get someone?"
"Yeah," Estu said. He was glad he'd be able to get away from the man. Estu quickly walked away, feeling his head grow clearer. The strange force of the Jenova cells was rather distracting, and Estu felt the affects more strongly around Cloud than he had anywhere else.
As he entered the ship, he realized he had no idea where everyone else would be. This seemed like the sort of situation that should've been brought to Cid's or Tifa's attention though. He glanced at a passing crew member. "Er… hey!"
"Yeah?"
"Um… do you know where Mr. Highwind or Ms. …" Why was it that he couldn't remember Tifa's last name? "Where Cid or Tifa are?" he corrected.
"Everyone's in Weiss's quarters, down this hall and to the left."
"…Weiss's quarters?" Estu asked.
"Used to be his ship… now can you move on, kid? I'm busy."
Estu walked away, looking for the room in question. He glanced to his left, spotting what looked like the right room and knocked. Kunsel opened the door, giving Estu an odd frown. "We're a little busy in here… can it wait?"
"Um… no. Not really. I need to talk to Cid."
Cid looked up from the far side of the room. "Somthin' wrong?"
"Well…" How was he supposed to explain what had happened? "This… guy attacked us and Denzel said he's Cloud."
For a moment, everyone in the room turned to him, silent, as Estu's words sunk in.
"He's… he's up on the deck, unconscious and-"
"Wait a minute… What?" Cid asked.
"…Well, he climbed up on the ship. Must have gotten on before we started flying and…" Estu shuffled his feet, feeling awkward. "Can someone just come look?"
Tifa started towards the door without another word, apparently over the momentary shock. She was followed, a bit more slowly by Cid, the Turks, and Kunsel. The Lieutenant turned to Estu before he left. "You're serious, huh?" Estu said nothing, but Kunsel seemed to realize he wouldn't make something like this up. "Go find Vincent and Yuffie. They'll want to see him."
"Okay," Estu said, walking out of the room. Great… where are they? He wandered around listening for them. After a few minutes he heard Yuffie complaining about motionsickness and headed into a small room nearby.
"Beanie-Boy?"
"Don't call me… nevermind. Um… Cid needs you both on the deck. Now," he said. It wasn't technically a lie, and would probably create a less insane response than the truth, at least from Yuffie. She walked out quickly, but Vincent paused.
"…What happened?"
Estu sighed. Vincent never seemed to miss a thing. "Cloud."
"…Cloud… so he's…?"
"On the deck."
Vincent's eyes widened, and for a moment he seemed at a loss for words. "How? No… it doesn't matter. Excuse me," Vincent said, running out of the ship.
The idea seemed insane. The thought that after all they'd been through, Cloud finding his way back to them… But surely enough, he was on the deck of the ship, slumped on the floor. Denzel and Marlene clung to him, as though they were afraid he'd disappear again if they left. Tifa held onto his hand, looking shocked that he was there.
No one seemed entirely sure what to do. Which wasn't surprising, it had been months after all.
"He's hurt," Cissnei pointed out, breaking the stunned silence. Vincent couldn't help but think how much of a Turk she was. More so than Reno, at the very least.
Kunsel seemed to agree with her. "We'll need to get him inside… he's in pretty rough shape." Tifa nodded, pulling an arm over her shoulder. Cid stepped into help without thinking, and the two carried Cloud inside. They stepped into the first unoccupied room, setting him down on a bed.
"Cloud… how'd you even get here?" Tifa asked.
"How's he alive?" Cid added.
"…How the hell is his hair still spiky?" Reno wondered. No one else seemed to think it was a good question at the time.
After a while, Cid looked at everyone, clearing his throat. "Quit gawkin'. We need to get him patched up. For now, get back to whatever you were doin'. We get to the Central Continent in about an hour… then we head to Crystal Cave an' meet back up with the Shera crew later … Just… give some breathin' room."
Most of the people filed out, but Vincent, Cid, Yuffie, and Tifa remained. Tifa raised a hand to Cloud's forehead. "Burning up…" Cid leaned out of the door, demanding an ice pack. Vincent noticed Tifa smile, brushing Cloud's hair back. "I'm sorry… I gave up on you for a while there. I missed you… so much…" she whispered.
"His breathin's okay, right?" Cid asked, tossing the ice pack to Tifa.
"I think…" Tifa said, watching Yuffie cast cure over him. "Cid… he's alive."
"Yeah… shoulda figured," Cid said. "Stupid Cloud… stubborn."
Vincent stepped out of the room, looking down at Marlene and Denzel, trying to listen in. "Go on in, you two… just don't get in the way."
"We… we won't," Marlene promised, stepping inside.
Vincent walked away, feeling overwhelmed with what had happened. And in only a few short hours… he'd be back at the Crystal Cave. Meeting with another… walking the line between life and death…
I've done a lot. I'm working towards redemption. He had to keep reminding himself of that fact. But I couldn't help…
"So what's going on?"
Vincent looked down at Estu, leaning on the wall of the hallway, arms crossed.
"He's… he's really Cloud? That's him?" he asked.
"Yeah," Vincent replied.
"…He had one of those Stratus helmets. Marlene and Denzel tell you that?"
"No… makes sense though," Vincent said, taking a few more steps down the hall.
"He has Jenova cells… but it's different from the others… felt more like… I don't know," Estu muttered, walking with Vincent. "It's worse around him. I can tell he's not quite the same as Kunsel. Why is that?"
"He… Hm… Well, he was going to be a Sephiroth copy."
"…A copy?"
"Not like you. Like the ones I told you about in Cosmo Canyon."
"Oh," Estu said. "I see…" They walked together in silence for a moment, Estu looking lost. "So now what?"
"We… keep going as planned. Find the last shard, take on what's left of Deepground's army."
"But… what's this stuff about a diamond mine?"
"…What?" Vincent asked. "The Crystal Cave, you mean?"
"Yeah. What's in there? Is that where the last shard is?"
Vincent sighed. "I'm going in alone. Don't worry about it." Estu looked up curiously. Vincent frowned as he met his eyes… In the shadows, they looked so much like hers. "…If you really must… give me about an hour alone when we get there. After that…" He shrugged, looking straight ahead. "Well, if you really must… I'll introduce you to someone." Estu nodded, though he looked confused.
It was a tricky, landing the large ship in the craggy mountainous land, but Cid and his crew managed. Vincent set off alone, climbing up to a peak and disappearing into a cavern within. What's in there? But then, Estu supposed he'd just have to wait to find out. Something else was bothering him, anyway.
"Kunsel?" he asked, approaching the helmeted man.
"Hey kid, something up?"
"Er… someone on here said that this was Weiss's ship. That right?"
"Yeah, why?" Kunsel asked.
"Well… Can you keep a secret?"
"Not at all," Kunsel admitted.
"…Oh… well, thank you for being upfront about it," Estu said, frowning.
"…So there's something with you and Weiss though?"
"Yes… no… never mind, forget I said anything."
"If you want to do some digging on him, no one's in his quarters now… all gathered around Cloud. You know, if you needed privacy…"
Estu smiled appreciatively. "Thanks."
"No problem," Kunsel replied. "Also… have you seen Cissnei anywhere?"
"The Turk woman? No. Sorry."
"Hm… that's a shame…" Kunsel muttered, walking away.
Estu walked towards Weiss's quarters, peaking in to make sure they were vacant, and closed and locked the door behind him. A large important looking desk stood in the center of the cabin, the bed pushed away, to the side. It was a much larger room than any Estu had seen for sleeping, and seemed to double as an office as well, with the imposing desk and drawers. Estu looked around, pulling sheets of paper with long streams of DNA code or numerical values he couldn't understand.
He paused as he looked over a memo labeled 'Project S-2.' It detailed the termination of the project, though it seemed some of the subjects were unaccounted for. Most were confirmed deceased, but under Numbers One and Two a note that the scientists overseeing the projects were unreliable was scrawled in the margin. Only Number Four was different… Missing, presumed deceased. In harsh red ink, someone had written the word 'LIES.'
Estu felt a shiver go down his spine as he put the paper away, looking for more information. A name caught his attention, though he at first didn't believe what he saw. 'Takashi Matsumoto – killed in action.' That wasn't right… that wasn't right at all. The date… it was nearly three years before Estu's dad had died. Oddly enough, the same red ink had written 'deserter' and 'Number Four' across the photograph of his dad's face that accompanied the report.
He found me in Midgar… found me… or…
He turned to the second page of the report, briefly skimming over the details of his last job, guarding some of Dr. Weiss's test subjects. Estu paused, looking at the new word scribbled repeatedly in the margins – 'Thief.'
Thief… he'd been taken, not found. And Weiss… all he could call Estu's dad was thief. As though Estu was an object he'd stolen.
Thief… the word, when Weiss said it, had carried a lot of weight. Was this why? Takashi hadn't just found him, he'd saved him from certain death. He'd risked not only his career, but his life in doing so. And he'd been labeled 'killed in action' because of it. Shinra tried to erase his very existence…
He… saved my life. Then, more than any other time, Estu wished he could go back, just once, knowing what he did… just to thank his dad.
He stood up. This was something he needed to tell Ami. Suddenly, their years of constantly moving made sense. They were running… hiding. What he did… it wasn't out of favoritism at all, taking Estu into account for everything. Takashi had known that Estu was stolen property, and if they were caught with him, he and Ami would both be in danger.
Estu paused, reflecting the sacrifice his father had performed. Just so he could have a chance at life…
What a chance he'd wasted.
What had he really done? He wasn't even capable of that level of selflessness. Everything he'd ever done had been for his benefit, in one way or another. Estu bit his lip as he continued to walk towards Ami's cabin. He took a long breath before opening the door. "Ami, I need to…" he trailed off, looking awkwardly at his sister, and the dark skinned young man she was kissing.
Ami jumped up, face flushed. "What are you doing? Don't you knock?"
"I… er… ahem…sorry?"
The young man… Justin, Estu thought, quickly shuffled out of the cabin, looking embarrassed. Ami turned and glared at Estu.
"Gee, thanks a lot for that," she muttered, twirling a strand of her hair.
"I… I didn't know you'd… I said sorry!"
Ami crossed her arms, looking annoyed. "…I was going to tell you… we've been hanging out a lot lately, me and Justin… we think we're going to give an actual relationship a go when this is over," Ami said.
"…What about that Raye guy?"
"He… er…broke up with me."
Estu nodded, deciding not to press the issue. "Here," he said, handing her the paper, "thought you should see this." Ami took the paper, raising an eyebrow. "Just read it."
"Dad… wasn't killed in action," she said, looking at the paper.
"They must have said it as a cover up. After he stole something from Weiss."
"What'd he steal?"
"Me."
Ami paused, looking up from the paper. "You… he stole you… oh. That's… that's why…" she pieced things together nearly as quickly as Estu had. "That's why we left Midgar, and he hid you and…"
"It was just to protect me, but you too. That's why he never told either of us."
"So… he was protecting both of us… wasn't he?" Amid said, sitting and taking an old photograph of her suitcase. Estu noticed a crumpled note in the suitcase as well, taking it out and examining it before sitting next to her.
"You… kept this?" he asked, frowning.
"Well… I thought it was goodbye," Ami said, looking at the note.
"Ami. I'm looking for Weiss. Don't try to stop me. Don't bother responding, I won't get it. I'm sorry you couldn't understand. Estu."
Twenty- three little words… each one felt like a stab to his heart. It had been the last thing he'd said to Ami for nearly a year. The letter he sent before beginning his search for the truth. But each word had been so empty, so insincere. "I'm sorry…" Estu said quietly.
"That's what you said," Ami replied.
"But I didn't mean it, back then…"
"I know. But you mean it now," Ami said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Estu resisted the urge to shrug it off, instead nodding slightly. "And I shouldn't have gotten mad at you… what happened… it wasn't your fault. He was still trying to protect you… protect us… and I never lived up to what he asked of me."
"I'd still say I'm the bigger failure, though, right?" Estu asked. "Maybe… I'll try harder…but I think you've done a lot for me already. I think he'd be proud if he could see you now."
"That's probably the sweetest thing you've ever said," Ami laughed. "And you aren't a failure… you just got a little lost."
"A little lost… guess so," Estu said, standing up. "But even when you're lost… you find your way back eventually, right? Everything does." He looked out the window at the entrance to the cave. "Apparently… Vincent gave me permission to go in there after an hour. I think he almost wants me to."
"Did he say he wanted you to?"
"No, but… well, that's Vincent for you," Estu said, approaching the door. "I guess I should start climbing."
"Don't fall."
"Uck… don't remind me," Estu said, exiting the room and heading out of the airship.
Inside the Crystal Cave, the soft glow of mako and the pour of the waterfall created an almost zen-like peace. Light reflected off the crystals, casting prisms along the smooth walls, giving the cave an almost alien beauty. But it was the woman at the center of the cave that Vincent was looking at.
"Lucrecia," he said softly.
There was no response from her. Lucrecia's eyes were closed, her hands clasped as though in prayer. The only sound for a long time was the splash of water and the echo of Vincent's voice.
"Lucrecia… I'm sorry… I need your help." Even though I couldn't help you.
Vincent? It was a though in his mind, not his own, but emanating from the woman in the crystal.
"I'm here," he whispered. "I need you… to tell me about the Proto-materia shard you had."
The Proto-materia… A flash of images, a crystal flashing green under Lucrecia's palm, the orb sitting at the top of stairs, Chaos's arms, grabbing at the expedition crew… Lucrecia looking into Grimoire's crimson eyes as he saved her… they all passed through Vincent's head in the blink of an eye.
"We have two of the shards… all that's left is yours… I know I'm asking a lot… but…" he paused, watching a teardrop roll down her cheek. "I'm so sorry."
No… no… Vincent… the shard… Fate's Crossing… but… Chaos… I'm sorry about Chaos.
"What Hojo did to me wasn't your fault," Vincent said.
No… it wasn't him. I gave you Chaos.
"…What?" Vincent asked. He felt his left arm shake as he took a step closer. "What do you mean?"
I'm sorry… I had to… to save you… I'm sorry.
Vincent's brows knitted together. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound escaped. She did what? Finally, he found his voice again,"But… what does that mean… I…"
Isn't it obvious? She wanted to prolong your suffering.
No… that's not true. Vincent looked up at her… beautiful Lucrecia Crescent… she wouldn't…
She left you for Hojo, didn't she?
Yes, but… Vincent shook his head, blocking Chaos out. "Please… if you know where it is…"
I'm so… I'm so sorry… The same words echoed over and over. Vincent knelt down as he listened to them. Why… why did she apologize? At least he was alive, but she… He wronged her for more than she wronged him. But what Chaos said… no, he was lying. She had a reason… she had to have…
The echo finally died down, after what seemed like days to Vincent. He looked up at her. "Lucrecia?" he asked. She remained silent. "Lucrecia…" he tried again. "Lucre-" his voice broke, as he struggled to control his emotions. "Please… Lucrecia…"
"I'm so sorry…"
It was an echo… they echoed each other, and each one felt so much pain. Three simple words couldn't describe the regret, the sadness, the grief…
"Lucrecia…" he whispered again, feeling tears rolling down his face. When was the last time he'd cried? Barret's funeral? Vincent took a breath, trying to regain his composure. "Lucrecia…"
He was silent for a while as he listened to footsteps echoing throughout the cave. Vincent pulled the collar of his jacket up, trying to hide as much of himself as he could before turning to face Estu.
"It's been an hour already?"
"And a half… I was a little busy…" Estu looked up at Lucrecia in wonder. "So… who is she?"
"…Lucrecia Crescent."
"His… mother?" he asked.
"Yes."
Sephiroth? Estu cringed at the name, looking around in confusion. Sephiroth… my son… is that? I thought you were dead…
"Is… she talking to me?"
"Yes… perhaps this was a bad idea…" Vincent said, looking from Estu to Lucrecia.
Sephiroth… can you forgive me? For what I've done? If you want to blame me I… I understand. I'm sorry.
Estu looked up at the woman, deep in thought before finally speaking. "I never blamed you… mother. Never," he said.
Thank you… I love you…
"I… love you, too?" he said uncertainly. "Don't blame yourself. I'm fine, see? Vincent's taken good care of me. You're… you're forgiven."
Thank you… The voice faded away again. She seemed… almost happier… more relaxed. Vincent motioned towards the exit of the cave, leading Estu away in silence.
"That was kind of you."
"I… didn't really know what to say. I lied, though… I'm not her son. Just his shadow," Estu replied, looking out at the starry night sky.
"You aren't just his shadow… and in a way, you are her son," Vincent said.
"Hmmph… maybe," he admitted, glancing back. "It's weird though…I've never had a mother…" Estu said quietly. "Never had one… closest thing, I guess, would be Ami. But… Lucrecia… she does look like me, doesn't she?"
"Her eyes are even the same color."
"Hm… I'm sorry if I screwed anything up. Did you find out where the shard is?"
"…Maybe. Fate's Crossing…"
"Never heard of it," Estu said.
"I'll have to look at a map. And I suppose I'll try to talk to her again tonight," Vincent said, looking back at the cave.
"So… you were in love with her?"
"Yes. I… still am."
"Vincent… was it really you who was…?" Estu trailed off, looking away. "Never mind. It doesn't really matter now, either way. Are you coming back down?"
"In a while…" Vincent said.
"Okay… I'll see you later." Vincent nodded as the boy climbed back to the airship.
"What the hell are ya doin'?" Estu jumped at the sound of Cid's voice, closing the drawers on Weiss's cabinets.
"Sorry… I'll just go," Estu said, trying to escape the room.
"Wait a minute," Cid said, blocking the doorway. "What were ya doin' diggin' around in there?"
"Just looking through old documents, trying to see if they could help us," Estu said, moving in front of one of the papers labeled S-2. Cid seemed to notice it, stepping over.
"I don't see what this S dash 2 has to do with anythin'," he muttered. Estu thanked the Lifestream for pronounced hyphens. "Leave the digging around to us," Cid continued, picking up a folder. He pulled what looked like a photograph out, examining it. "Huh… didn't figure Weiss for the sentimental type… anyway, you go on."
Estu nodded, quickly exiting the room. So much for his investigation. He hadn't managed to find much anyway, and it was getting pretty late. He decided to go to sleep for the night. He fell into an empty bed and closed his eyes.
"So this is what it's come to?" the man in black asked.
The father ignored him, pushing his graying hair away from his face and looking back into a microscope.
"Would you please answer me?" he asked, glaring at his father.
"I have nothing to answer for, son."
"You, no, WE spent so much time competing with him, and now this?"
"Project S-2 is looking more promising by the day. You have to understand, I can't replicate our success with you, but this…" The father paused, looking away from his son. "Deepground has suffered enough failure."
Deepground… no... that… that wasn't right… was it?
"Rosso turned out just fine, didn't she? And what about that little girl, Shelke? Nearly twenty SOLDIERS, all with enhanced abilities… what more do you want?"
"The mako dependency is an issue. I'm not giving up on Deepground, I just need the funding that Shinra provides, so I'm taking this on as a side project. Hm… the blood work for fetus Number Seven is… interesting…"
"What is he doing in here?" a squawking voice asked. Hojo entered the lab room, looking over the man in black with disdain.
"Hojo," he greeted.
"…What is he doing in here? He has no clearance."
"He's my son," the father said, frowning.
"He still has no clearance… I suggest he leaves."
"No, he…"
"It's fine. I was just about to go anyway," the man in black said, standing.
"Son," the father started.
"No… don't… I'll talk to you about this later."
Estu opened his eyes, frowning. Deepground… no… that would mean…
He stood, running to Weiss's quarters. The room was empy, but he honestly wouldn't care if it wasn't. He dug through the drawers, spotting the old envelope that Cid had found. Estu pulled the picture, looking at it.
The picture contained three people. A woman with ginger hair and pale brown eyes, a man in a lab coat, face slightly obscured by glasses, and a small boy with tangled black hair.
"Son."
Estu stared at the image of the boy, one he was familiar with. That was him. That was the him from his dreams. But… that would mean…
Estu turned the picture over, looking at the names on the back. Christine and Nero.
"Nero…" he said quietly.
You remind me of my brother… I hated my brother…
You have determination… a quality we share…
You know, Weiss does that too.
You don't give up or let things go… you've made that rather obvious, son.
All my life, I get compared to him… 'Nero's great', 'Nero's strong', Nero's DEAD.
Estu stood up, still holding the photograph. He closed his eyes, trying to remember it.
The mother smiled, holding her son's hand. "Look at the camera, okay sweetie?" her voice… so soft and kind… The black haired boy smiled at it. He couldn't have been more than five years old.
"Mama, where am I goin' after this?"
"Just… just a litter trip," she said. She glanced up at the father as the camera flashed. "…He'll be fine right?"
"He'll be fine," the father said.
"Weiss…"
"He'll be fine."
Estu blinked, shaking his head. No… that wasn't… that was just a dream. It had to be a dream.
No, it wasn't… 'Walker repair shop, Ace speaking.'
"So… I have your memories?" Estu ask, looking at the photograph. No… this was too confusing. He walked out of the room, trying to find someone to help.
In another room on board the ship, Cloud Strife opened an eye, blinking even in the dim light of a lamp near him. My head… He raised a hand up to it, trying to ignore the splitting pain. He looked around the room. Cid, Tifa, and Yuffie had fallen asleep in the bunks around him. A man in a red coat stood still, looking out a window.
"Vincent?" he croaked after a moment. He hadn't at first recognized him, out of his usual cloak.
Vincent turned, red eyes flashing as he stared at him. "Cloud? You're awake."
"Yeah… Where…" he coughed. His voice sounded raspy, as though he hadn't spoken in ages. "Where are we?" he finally managed.
"C- Cloud?" Tifa asked, sitting up. Another sharp pain went through Cloud's head as she embraced him. "Cloud."
"Tifa… what… where?" His head fell back onto the pillow underneath as he lost consciousness again.
"Wha happened?" Cid slurred, looking down from the bunk.
"Cloud was awake for a moment," Vincent said, looking back over at his friend, out cold again. "I think that's a good sign."
Tifa frowned guiltily. "He passed out again, though…"
"Just give Spiky some time," Cid muttered, rolling back over.
"Cid, it's your shift," Vincent said, stepping out of the room.
"What? But you… arg fine," Cid said, hopping off the bunk bed and sitting on the floor.
Vincent stepped out of the room, looking down the long, lonely hallways. He started up to the exit, wanting to try speaking to Lucrecia again. Maybe this time would work… but it didn't seem as though she'd be able to help much.
He carefully climbed the rock walls, a bit startled to see Estu, sitting against the entrance of the cave, shivering in the cold night air. "…Were you waiting on me?" Vincent asked.
"Yeah… can't go near that room he's in. Hurts my head," Estu explained. Vincent sat down, trying to read past the boy's features. "I… I think I remembered something, but… it's really weird," Estu said, looking at a photograph he clutched in his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he held it out, letting Vincent see.
"…Weiss and his family?" Vincent guessed.
"Yeah but… you remember that guy I told you about? The 'dream me?'" Estu asked. He pointed to the dark haired boy. "That's him. Nero."
"…"
"Which would make the father Weiss… and Tine… Tine would be Argento… Weiss called it a nickname once, but…"
"…"
"What should I do? I have no idea… I…"
"This could be helpful… if you can remember what Nero could…" Vincent paused, looking him over. "Can you remember anything now?"
Estu hung his head. "Not while I'm awake. Unless I have something from his past, like that picture… like the Nibelheim mansion."
"Hm… perhaps we should tell the others-"
"What? ! No! I can't do that!" Estu said, panicked. "Please… I can't tell them! I'm… I'm scared to."
"I won't force you… just consider it," Vincent said, standing back up. He looked at the cave distractedly. "I'm going in. You should get inside, it's cold…and officially November now."
"The day the dead come back," Estu said. Vincent nodded, turning. He listened to the sound of Estu climbing down as he stepped forward, into the cave.
"Lucrecia?"
I'm sorry.
Please don't be… Vincent thought, holding a hand out to the crystal prison.
A/N: Too much apologizing? If so, I'm … haha, nevermind.