Don't Close Your Eyes
Chapter Three
Leah almost fell over in shock. One minute they had been staring at a pitch black coffin that looked like it hadn't been opened for centuries and the next they were staring at some kind of vampire king person guy. At least that's the way she put it. The man was dressed entirely in black (apparently his favourite colour) except for a scarlet red cape draped over his narrow shoulders. He was fairly tall but was almost disgustingly thin. His skin was almost completely white except for blackish circles under his large blue eyes. Yes there was definitely something about his eyes. They didn't seem to suit the rest of his body. They seemed out of place among all his other withered looking features. Leah was dumbstruck. She knew she was staring but she didn't really care.
The man's hair was black and short except for his fringe, which fell tidily at the corners of his two eyes. The collar of his red cape was pulled above his upper lip. Leah wondered how he wasn't suffocating. Just then, she snapped out of her daze and rubbed her sore eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming. He was speaking, his voice was soft and soothing while being stern and weary sounding at the same time.
'Red. What brings you to these parts? Has something happened?' He was down on both knees so that he was speaking on the same level as the feline. He sounded like he had been expecting Nanaki like he was expecting a long lost visitor. Leah crossed her arms and tapped her feet angrily at being ignored.
'Oh no, of course not. Well not yet anyway. I just wanted to ask you for a favour.' Nanaki was hushed by one of the man's quick hand gestures. He stood up and stared at Leah as if she was some sort of alien. He was staring right at her, into her eyes. He kept cocking his head slightly as if there was something puzzling him about her.
'So, I assume this would be Tifa's grand-daughter?' He asked Nanaki without taking his eyes off her. Nanaki nodded.
'I'm Leah,' she said extending her arm, he didn't accept. She wasn't gonna take that. 'Well? What are you staring at? Haven't you ever seen a girl before?' She gave him a look that could kill. Her trademark.
'Yes of course,' he answered slowly ' I've just never seen one that looked as remarkable as you. You're the image of your Grandmother. It looks like you've inherited her strong will too.'
'Hmmh,' Leah turned her head sideways.
'Vincent Valentine,' the man said extending his hand to her. After a few seconds they shook. His grip was firm but gentle, like his voice. Vincent nodded at her and turned to Nanaki.
'Go on,' he said knowingly. Nanaki nodded.
'Well as you already know, there is a huge reactor built at the summit of the Nibelhiem mountains. Some friends of mine who visit Cosmo Canyon have informed me of some strange activity up there. Helicopters in the middle of the night, flashing lights. That kind of stuff.' He stopped to take a breath.
'And you want me to go up there with you?' He nodded in reply.
'No.' He said quickly. 'I can't, and you know why. I don't want to get dragged in again, I will remain here until such time as I feel the need to awaken myself. You should stay away from that mountain, just let it go. I hung up my weapon a long time ago, so should you.'
'I can't, and you know why. If we don't then who will? I know it's probably nothing but that's not the point. No one else will look after this world, it's up to us again.'
Vincent started laughing.
'Look at yourself Red, we won. Get over it. You keep looking for these pointless battles to somehow justify your sense of worth. Forget it, our days of glory are well over. Let it go, you've been long enough in the limelight.'
Nanaki started talking again but Vincent quickly silenced him.
'Leave. Go now.'
Nanaki sighed and turned to leave.
'Come along young one, we'll return to the town, I'll answer all your questions there. Leave ghosts of the past in the past.'
They heard a coffin shutting as they made there way back through the cave.
'He never changed. I hope eternal penance is worth it.'
'I guess that just leaves me and you Red.' Tifa Lockhart proclaimed as the two strode away from the ruins of Bone Villiage. The sea was crahing violently against the rocky coast of the Northern Continent. The rocks were jagged and gritty and at this time of the year it wasn't pleasant. Tifa placed her numbing hands deep into the warm pockets of her fur overcoat. They walked silently from one end of the beach to the other; the air had a bitter edge.
Tifa Lockhart really hadn't changed that much. She still kept her long hair in that same old way, apart from the fact that grey hairs were slowly creeping in. Wrinkles were forming at every point on her face. Small wrinkles, the kind people find appealing. There was nothing appealing about wrinkles Tifa thought as they stumbled along the rocky beach.
'I assume he left you all his unwanted materia?' Red asked soothingly. Tifa let out a fake laugh.
'Of course, like I have any use for it now. A giant trunk full of it too, where did he think I was going to fit it? I knew Barrett would find a way to torment me from
beyond the grave.' She looked at Nanaki, he seemed preoccupied.
'What have you got to be miserable about Red? You won't be old for another 500 years or so. I mean look at me, I'm coming to the end of my life and yours is just beginning.'
'You don't understand.' Nanaki sighed staring at the ground.
'You know what I wish?' Tifa began ' I wish that someday, somewhere we'll all be together again. It'll be just like old times, the whole gang'll be there again even Aeris. It'll be all of us, reunited. Together forever. Sometimes I wonder if it's possible. It's the only thing that gets me through these times, the funerals I mean. I hate death, I hope that wherever I am, whatever I'm doing that someone will forgive me.' They both stopped walking.
'Forgive you?' Nanaki asked bewildered.
'Come on Red, do you know how many people have died by these hands? Do you know how much has spilt on these fingers? It doesn't wash off Red, it never will.'
'I forgive you Tifa.' Red said. She burst into tears. He'd been waiting for this, all those funerals and memorial days and she'd never so much as shed a tear. Age was finally catching up with her.
'When you said all the materia, did he give you that materia?
'Yes, unfortunately. I've now inherited it.'
'Remember what we discussed? Keep it locked in that box, don't even touch it. It's dangerous. Look what it did to Barrett, we never thought he would go that far. Be careful.'
'You still think it was materia that drove him over the edge?'
'I'm sure it was. You have to bear it for the rest of your life. If you touch it or see it I'm afraid what you'll do, what it'll do.'
The sun was painting an orange wash over the horizon line as they watched from the beach. Tifa was on the verge of tears.
'Will you promise me something?' Nanaki asked. Tifa nodded.
'Don't ever leave that thing to me. Please.'
'I could never do that to you Red, that would condemn you to have a millennia of torment and pain. I know how dangerous that materia is, I wouldn't. Besides I've already decided who will inherit it when I'm gone. My granddaughter, Leah, she can handle it. She has the strong will of her mother, something I never had. She's strong, stronger than I ever was.'
'I hope you're right.' Red said gazing over the horizon.
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Authors Notes:
I love writing sad fics! At least I tried to make it sad, I listened to Aeris' Theme while writing it. It was a bitch to write 'cause I wanted to get it up as soon as possible. Please review? I need some feedback or I'll lose interest in the story.
Anyway this chapter is a little rough, I'll edit and add to it when I get time. Sorry for the 'grammatical errors' (thank you J) but everything else should be fine. I hope you like it, I want to write some action in the next scene.
Thank Yous:
Perri: I read your review and I worked extra hard to get it up faster, thanks for the excellent review! What more can I say? I checked out your profile to see if I could read any of your fics but there was none there!!?!?!?! And then I saw my story on your list of favourites!! It inspired me to start writing the new chapter! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Ann: Thanks a million for your positive reviews and as a way to say thank you, you got your Tifa flashback. Any ideas for the next chapter? Please review again!! Thanks again for the reviews (especially since you reviewed both chapters)
J: Thanks for takin' the time to review, I really appreciate it. I promise from now on to keep the 'grammatical errors' to a strict minimum. Its that damn MS Word spellchecker...I hope you're reading this one and if you are please review again! I love it when you get regular reviewers.