Chrono stood there and looked at the four.P
"I just asked you…"P
Cloud cut him off. "We heard. The problem is we don't know ourselves. Of four of them, one shouldn't exist, one's supposed to be dead…"P
"And the others…?"P
Cloud shook his head. "They were the ones trying to take over our world."P
Chrono looked at the four, looked as his men, then looked at the four again. "Well, I guess you've proven the point that there is at least one shape shifter loose. We should all return, and I shall speak to the king about getting your friends released. I owe you that much at least."P
And so, the party set off, back towards the castle. The forest was beginning to thin, an indication that they were nearing their goal, when Cloud suddenly grabbed him head, and fell to his knees screaming. Then, Vincent suddenly ran back into the depth of the woods, without even a glance at the others. The party immediately stopped.P
"What's going on?"P
Chrono asked as he approached Red and Yuffie, the only two who did not appear to be affected by the current events.P
Yuffie shook her head. "I don't know."P
But Red looked up in concern. "Jenova is doing something, which is affecting all with her curse. But I do not know what is wrong with Vincent."P
Chrono shook his head. "So what do we do?"P
Red sighed. "I do not know…It may be best to wait until it is over. It doesn't feel like it's directed at anyone in particular. In fact, it feels wrong…"P
Chrono looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean, 'wrong'P
"I too hold some of Jenova. I have felt her powers before. But this one feels different. Almost as if it went wrong… That is the best explanation I can give."P
But Chrono still looked confused. Suddenly, an inhuman cry arose from the forest. P
Red looked up. "Chaos…Damn, what now?"P
Chrono looked at them. "Isn't that the direction that your friend headed in?"P
Red nodded. "It is. But that isn't what worries me. Vincent can look after himself, better then you can imagine. Hun?"P
"What?"P
Red looked up, then looked around. "It's over… Strange"P
Chrono looked back at him. "What's over?"P
"The cause of the attack on any who have Jenova's cures. It appears to have affected me different because I'm not human…"P
Cloud stared to groan. "What…No. It was like the temple…but she wasn't…after…"P
Red looked at him. "I know. I felt it too. And it's almost like there's a fifth person over there…Was Jenova attempting to make another clone?"P
"No…It's different…More like Sephiroth. But not like them."P
"Cloud, perhaps you should rest. That attack hit you hard."P
But Cloud shook his head, and got up. "No. We have to find out what Jenova just did. Besides, I'm fine now. That attack wasn't aimed at anyone. It was more like a failed spell…"P
Red nodded. "Vincent's gone. He disappeared when it started. And then Chaos…"P
Cloud looked at Red. "Wait here. I've got to go after him. I think I understand now…"P
Chrono looked at him "Understand what? And what have you got to do?"P
But Cloud shook his head. "Noting that you would understand. Red, can I borrow your fire Materia for a minute? I may need it."P
Red nodded. "Sure…but why?"P
Cloud just looked at him…"I can't say… If he decides to explain, so be it. But it's not my right."P
With that, Cloud turned, and entered the forest.P

CENTER* * * * */CENTER
P

Ihin the forest…/IP
It did not take him long to find who he sought. Vincent was sitting in a clearing, his claw in hand. And for the first time, Cloud saw why he wore it.P
"I always suspected it. I was never sure, but I guessed it was true."P
Vincent looked up at him, then tried in vain to hide his arm.P
"My shame, made all the greater."P
Cloud shook his head. "Not so. I used to think the same thing…"P
Cloud sat across from Vincent. And he looked up into the sky…P

CENTER* * * * */CENTER
P

"My whole life, what I though, what I believed in, what I felt…a lie. Aries never met me, she met a lie. Yet, even now I remember it. Fact and fantasy fight for dominance. If it were only that…"P
Vincent watched, uncertain of what do to.P
"Yes, if it were only that, maybe I could accept it. But it's not… Nearly killing those I love, abandoning those I care for, letting my obsession to see him dead over take my judgement, and now what? We're trapped her, no way home. I've caused another innocent to get involved. Your shame? What shame do you bear? Was it your fault that all this happened? Did you lead with an obsession, rather than good judgment? Did you…" At this point, he starts to cry"…did you nearly kill Aries?"P
Vincent continues to watch, still uncertain of what to say, or do.P
"That's shame. Being used, and nearly killing the one you promised to protect. To lead your friends into danger. To hate one so much you want to kill him, yet instead you help him! That's shame. I have no right to be leader. Perhaps it is better for me to leave. To leave Tifa, before I kill her, to leave Cid to take charge. To leave you all behind before I kill you all."P
Vincent looked at him, and for the first time, in years, he was crying.P
"I could have saved her. If only I had taken her away…Sephiroth would not exist."P
But Cloud shook his head. "Perhaps we both carry burdens that no man should be asked to carry alone. The others helped me with mine. Maybe I can help you. The reason I don't leave, is because I think about what Aries would say…'Cloud, your friends need you. I don't want you to abandon them because of a thing you had no control over. I don't blame you…' You should believe that Lucrecia doesn't blame you either. Otherwise, you may loose it… Like I nearly did."P
Vincent looked up. At last, it seemed as if the two understood each other.P
"Why do you wear that claw?"P
Vincent was looking at the claw he held, one side cracked.P
"It helps me to contain the power. But that last spell…It drove me to use my full potential. What I become, is worse than Chaos. That's why I fled. I felt it breaking loose."P
Cloud nodded. "I understand. But how was it first made?"P
Vincent looked down at the claw again. "When Glast first made me… He never realized the dangers of Jenova's power. The first time it broke out…my powers that is, I killed several officers before I could be contained. Glast discovered this, and forged the claw right over the piece of Jenova I had. But when he found out I was still to unpredictable…"P
Cloud finished the story. "He locked you in the basement of the mansion, and there you stayed until we awoke you."P
"Yes… But now, I must get this fixed…or else the power will take control again. That power is something that no one, not even Jenova, can control."P
"When…when the claw was forged on your skin, did it hurt?"P
Vincent nodded. "Yes. But no where near as much as when the power took control."P
Cloud looked at him carefully, then withdrew the fire Materia. "Then, let us make it whole…"P

CENTER* * * * */CENTER
P

IA short time latter./IP

Red looked up into the woods. Some of the soldiers were pacing restlessly. "Someone comes."P
Suddenly everyone was still. Cloud, and Vincent emerged. Vincent once again had a claw over his hand.P
"What happened?"P
Vincent and Cloud just looked at each other, then Cloud shook his head. "Nothing."P
Chrono came up to them. "Now that you're back, we should get back to the castle. Before the king gets concerned."P
Cloud nodded. "Fine. Lead on."P
And they headed back to the castle.P
HR
Author's notes: Ok, what happened. The attack that Cloud, Red and Vincent felt was actually Sephiroth breaking, or trying to break Jenova's spell. More of an explanation latter. As for Vincent's past, well I felt it was about time that SOMETHING got to him. Besides, I've always wondered why he wore a claw, and how he could survive all of those years in a coffin. Sorry, but I don't believe the vampire idea. I can't even figure out how that one got started, other then the fact that Vincent was awakened from a coffin.