Heartstrings
Vincent Unleashed
by TacomaSquall
Epilogue
Vincent stood, looking
down the side of Mount Nibel towards the town of Nibelheim. So many paid such a great cost, just to
buy your freedom from the demons that have haunted you for so long... He grimaced, and took a sip from the mug of
coffee he held in his human hand.
Behind him stood the
graves of the high priest of the Frogmen, Grennek, who had died to give the
Mako-twisted a chance to strike down Lord Chaos, and President Reeve, who had
died inside the Highwind when Cait Sith's robotic body was disintegrated
by Chaos' deathstrike. Friends and
allies, along with old enemies. Earlier that morning, he heard that Rude had succumbed to the wounds he
had sustained during the collapse of Lucresia's cave.
Vincent heard the sound
of gravel crunching beneath hard shoes, and he turned. Reno stood there, holding his
shock-staff. In the Turk's left hand,
he held a steaming flask. Reno nodded
to the gunslinger. "Mornin',
Vinnie." Reno held the flask to
his lips and took a swallow. "Nothing like a shot of brandy in your coffee to chase away the
early Nibelheim morning chill."
"You've come to
call me out, haven't you, Reno?"
Reno shrugged. "It would be a waste. Too many others have died. Rude believed that you needed our help, and
that it was our responsibility to give assistance." Reno sighed and took another slug of spiked
coffee. "I disagreed, but it
turned out that he was right."
"And?" Vincent
prompted. His hand drifted slowly
towards the butt of the Twilight Scope.
"I realized that it
didn't matter whether I liked you or the other guys in AVALANCHE. You guys have twice stepped up and met the
world's need." Reno set his
shock-staff down and rubbed a hand through his rumpled red hair. He took another long swallow from his
flask. "What I mean, is that I
have no beef with you, Vinnie."
"Good. In a lot of ways, Reno, you remind me of
some of the Turks I used to work with, before Program Avatar. Most of us were pretty good guys, although
we did what we had to, in order to make sure ShinRa was secure."
Reno's look of shock
amused the gunslinger. He
continued. "I spent the last
twenty-four hours exploring the shards of my memory, looking for memories that
I could be sure had not been tampered by Lucresia. In that time, I came to realize that there was a time when being
a Turk was something a little more than what it has since become. The Turks were originally the cream of
ShinRa's Security Division. It wasn't
until the company gained Imperial pretensions that the Turks became ShinRa's
black ops division."
"I don't know how I
would handle the memory of what you have been ordered to do as a Turk,
Reno. I no longer hate you,
however. You have done your duty to
your employers." Vincent relaxed
slightly and looked the younger man in the eyes. "I cannot exonerate you for your deeds, but if anyone
presses charges against you, I will speak in your defense."
Reno nodded. "No one will ever be able to exonerate
me."
Vincent smiled softly at
the Turk. "Perhaps. Do not forget that there is always a chance
for redemption, however. The Turks are
needed in the new ShinRa, to support the direction that President Reeve had
started to take the company. I wouldn't
be surprised to hear that they ask Barret to be Reeve's successor. He will need your help."
* * * * *
Yuffie watched Reno walk
away after his conversation with Vincent. The red-haired Turk held a flask to his lips and drained it in one long
swallow. Then he started down the
mountainside.
The Wutai-born ninja
started towards the man she loved. Vincent did not turn as he heard her approach. "Yuffie, we need to talk." She was brought up short by the note of sorrow in his voice.
The gunslinger turned
towards her. He softly continued,
"It won't work, you know that..."
Yuffie shook her head in
negation. "How can you say
that? You are free from the shadows of
your past -"
Vincent cut her
off. "I will never be entirely
free from the false memories that were implanted in me. I will never be free of the memory of how I
felt with those four monsters buried within me. I will never be free of the guilt caused by their actions, once
Tenarrus freed them."
Yuffie interjected,
"It wasn't your fault! You cannot
be held responsible for what they did!"
"But I do hold
myself responsible. I walked willingly
into Tenarrus' trap - willingly! I
leapt at the chance to finally be free that I never considered the
repercussions of that freedom." Vincent coughed into his hand. "I never thought for a moment that Tenarrus was just using
me."
"I don't care! I love you!" Tears started flowing from Yuffie's eyes.
Vincent thought, You
are a fool, Yuffie. I am many years
older that you, and will always bear the scars of my past, both real and
programmed. You deserve someone who is
a better match than an old, burned-out gunslinger. But he didn't say a single word, as his
resolve weakened at the sight of her tears. He considered the fondness he regarded her with. He knew it was not the all-consuming passion
that he believed he had felt for Lucresia. In time, however, who knew?
He smiled at her. "Yuffie, I cannot promise forever. I do not know if I love you. What I can be is an earnest companion. You are a dear friend to me, and could grow
to be more, even though I feel misgivings about you being with me."
"However, I am
willing to give things a try, if you are willing to put up with me."
Yuffie whooped in
joy. She ran to Vincent and threw her
arms around the former Turk. Their lips
met as the sun broke over the crest of Mount Nibel.
For the first time since
Vincent had been imprisoned in the coffin by Lucresia, he looked at the future
with something more than dread. He had
been unleashed from the demons within, as well as those which came from a set
of memories he now knew were not his.
Vincent pulled back from
Yuffie. "With the Barrier down,
there is a new world out there to explore. Would you join me in a voyage of exploration - both within and without?" Vincent was surprised at the intensity in
his voice.
Wordlessly, tears of joy
streaming down her face, Yuffie nodded.
Fin