Chapter VII: New awakenings.
Barret hazarded to open his. Nope, not worth it. He closed them again. He moaned. For some reason he had a pain in his chest.
"Get off your ass if you want breakfast, no ones gonna bring it to ya." Cloud said from the bar.
Barret heard a pair of feet walk towards him.
""I'll give you some coffee but that's it."
He tried once again to open his eyes.
"Heartless bastard." He muttered while sitting up. "I'll get you one day. Rest assured. I will."
The room span around his head in a vicious blur. His heard cracked in pain. Altogether he was pretty hungover. Cloud offered him a cup. Barret grabbed it, spilling coffee over his hand.
"Shit." He swore.
He looked around him in a futile attempt to take in his surroundings, but it hurt his eyes to focus them further than the coffee cup. Seeming how he couldn't really do anything else, he quaffed the drink and staggered to his feet. He squinted hard and tried again to look around. Tifa was sitting down on a bar stool and Cloud was beside her. Red lay on the floor near the door. Cid was still blissfully sleeping. Barret grinned maliciously. He walked slowly towards the couch that Cid was sleeping on. He grabbed it by the bottom and lifted. Cid slid off the couch and fell on to the floor, spilling beer all over it..
Thud!
"ยค%&*Ing shit!" He swore. "Come on, own up, who did it!"
He looked up at the grinning Barret and scowled at him.
"If you weren't twice my size I'd kick ya where it hurts."
"I suppose you would." Cloud said as he brought another cup of coffee for Cid.
"Ah. Cloud, there's a fine example of a KIND person." Cid remarked while glowering at Barret.
"Yes. I'm glad I never turned out to be a screwed up Sephy clone that killed the man he was based on, stole the sword of a dead friend AND can't control his own wife, but still conveniently kind." Barret countered neatly. Tifa shot him a glance that made him cower slightly.
Cid grinned.
"Okay, maybe he's not so kind, but at least he doesn't toss his friends out of bed, er, couch."
Barret knew at this point he had lost the argument. And Tifa and Cloud were looking at him funny. They kept clenching their fists. It was beginning to make him feel nervous.
"Barret, shut up before you inadvertently start a war you cannot win." Red said from his spot near the door. "Three against one do not make good odds. Even you are the size of a refrigerator."
Barret look at the flame red canine lying on the floor his eye closed.
"And don't stare at me."
Barret looked at Tifa and Cloud.
"Sorry." He said meekly.
Tifa continued to look at him funny, but Cloud smiled at him briefly, before attacking an omelette. Barret looked longingly at the hot food.
"Tifa," He began.
"No." She said sternly.
"Please?" He pleaded.
"No."
"Cruel. All of you. Eeeevil. Naaaasty. Meeean."
"Oh my good god, we're cruel mean and nasty. Please forgive us o' great Barret." Cid said sarcastically.
"Betcha anythang that Sephiroth started out that way. Killed a couple o' people an' said those exact same words to the people aroun' 'im." Barret muttered while rummaging through Tifa's kitchen to eat. A pastry presented itself as a likely target. He swiped it and sat down munching happily.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Vincent lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. Yuffie had put her arm over him again in her sleep. Probably thought he was a teddy bear or something, he thought. He turned his head and looked at her face. Her hair slid sown over her face and shone in the morning light as it snuck in through the window. Her eyelids flickered slightly in sleep as dreamt some sweet dream. He would never be able to have what others called dreams. Only nightmares. Over and over had the figure with the green eyes killed him in that wretched mansion. Except once. Before he woke up he remembered cornering the figure and grabbing him by the throat. He felt himself change into the being that he had changed into earlier that day. Then he killed the figure. Killed him in every way he could think of in his blind rage. And it had made him feel strangely complete. Giddy with a happiness that he had never felt before. Then he woke up to the nightmare of his eternal curse.
He pushed her arm off him and climbed out of bed. He felt strangely cold. Vincent looked down and saw that he nearly completely nude. He blushed at what Red XIII might have thought earlier. He looked around the room franticly for his clothes.
He found them tossed on the dresser. His crimson eyes blinked as he looked at the tattered cape that he wore. He picked it up and looked at it. How had it gotten that way? He dubiously regarded the rest of his attire. They were all tattered or cut in some way or other. Perhaps he had clawed at them in his other form? As he pondered this the clothes mysteriously found a way onto him. When he gave up speculating the mystery he found that he had absent-mindedly put his shirt, coat and cape on and was now pulling the steel boots over his feet.
Yuffie moaned lightly in sleep and stretched luxuriously. Vincent turned and walked to the bed and watched as Yuffie slowly began to wake up. He stood and watched as Yuffie opened her eyes.
"Good morning." He said.
"I always wondered what you did late at night. I'm disappointed." Yuffie said while grinning.
Vincent was slightly puzzled for while then he got it. A rare smile crept over his face.
"You're foul."
"I don't plead with women not to leave."
Vincent stood silently at this. When did this happen? The smile faded from his face. Now that he thought about it he didn't even know why she was here in the first place.
"Did I really?" He asked dubiously.
"Watery eyes 'n' everythin'. Struck a maternal nerve in me. Had to stay. All because of some freaky dream of yours." She said solemnly.
More silence. He was beginning to remember it all. His eyes narrowed in anger at the memory of him sobbing in the night because he had a bad dream.
"Would you please leave now?" He asked.
Yuffie looked at him with concern.
"You alright Vinnie?"
He turned his amber eyes at her.
"Leave."
Yuffie nodded and got off the bed. She pushed open what was left of the door and walked out.
Vincent stood adamantly still and stared at the tattered remains off his cloak. It was still long and easily reached the ground, but it made him look mean and cruel in his present state of mind. He looked down at his clawed hand. Then he looked at his normal one. Someone was tampering with his head, that was for sure. Someone strong enough to make Chaos nervous. He thought of the green-eyed figure that plagued his sleep. He felt swift fury shoot through his limbs. He felt red hot with anger. He felt the claws grow out of his fingertips and his face contort into a snout with fangs. The wings flew out from his spine and his body turned black and thin. He felt an immense and fearful energy flow through him, all the while he felt another person trying to wrest control from him. He knew that this was not one of the normal demons that lurked within him. It was more something fearsome and vicious than even Chaos. He waged a mental battle with something that descended beyond even himself. This was worse than the monsters that Hojo had made. It was pure hate, a being that incapable of anything other than rage. But since there were already four demons in his head he wondered how a fifth could get in there. He discarded this idea as it made him nervous. He continued his mental battle with this unknown being. The sheer willpower that he had acquired in his experiences with Chaos and the others paid off against the other. He felt the being be beaten down by his mental prowess and his body return to normal.
Vincent fell to his knees and panted. He sucked in air franticly, as he always did after a battle with one of the demons.
He rose to his feet and dusted himself off. As he did so he found out what he would do about all of this mental havoc.
Today he would leave his friends to search for the green-eyed man.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Deep down below Midgar a computer flicked on. It started its pre-determined program that had been made so many years ago. It began the laborious task of waking its underlings. Soon the entire room was alight with glowing computer screens. Finally, the master computer flicked on. Its screen stayed white for moment then its programs began kicking in. Then three words appeared on the screen in large black writing. Project Rebirth complete.
A large glass tube nearby lighted up and a huge metal figure that stood in a mass of water was illuminated. The water slowly began to drain into holes around the edges of the glass. The figure stood still. Long metal strands grew out of the figures head. Two long bangs grew out and covered his face partially. A long metal trench coat grew out of his back and covered the rest of his steel body. Finally, two shoulder shields popped out his shoulders.
The screen blanked out again and it was covered in white again. Then more words formed on it. Awakening commencing.
A small probe snuck down from the top of the tube and touched the figure's head.
The figure's eyes snapped open.
It looked down at itself and then at the room around him. It clenched a fist and smashed the glass.
Awakening complete.
The figure stepped out of what remained of the tube. The figure reflected the light that was emitted from the computer screens. It opened its steel mouth to speak.
"Computer, present the Nazac to me."
Command invalid.
"WHAT?" It roared.
It glanced over at another tube that was next to his. It too had been smashed, but there was no evidence that it had been done recently. The glass looked dry. The figure looked down and saw two broken shards of metal. The metal figure looked back up at the computer.
"Give me the massamune."
Command invalid.
Anger passed through the figures face.
"Begin recreation program."
Command invalid.
"Begin weapon design program."
Command invalid.
Hot fury shot through the metal face.
It roared in absolute anger.
"MECH-HEAD!"
It smashed the computer with its metal fist and turned his fury to the entire room. Metal flew and computers exploded. The room was completely levelled in moments.
When the dust settled the figure stood in a massive heap of demolished metal.
"I will find you, and I will return you from whence you came!"
Barret hazarded to open his. Nope, not worth it. He closed them again. He moaned. For some reason he had a pain in his chest.
"Get off your ass if you want breakfast, no ones gonna bring it to ya." Cloud said from the bar.
Barret heard a pair of feet walk towards him.
""I'll give you some coffee but that's it."
He tried once again to open his eyes.
"Heartless bastard." He muttered while sitting up. "I'll get you one day. Rest assured. I will."
The room span around his head in a vicious blur. His heard cracked in pain. Altogether he was pretty hungover. Cloud offered him a cup. Barret grabbed it, spilling coffee over his hand.
"Shit." He swore.
He looked around him in a futile attempt to take in his surroundings, but it hurt his eyes to focus them further than the coffee cup. Seeming how he couldn't really do anything else, he quaffed the drink and staggered to his feet. He squinted hard and tried again to look around. Tifa was sitting down on a bar stool and Cloud was beside her. Red lay on the floor near the door. Cid was still blissfully sleeping. Barret grinned maliciously. He walked slowly towards the couch that Cid was sleeping on. He grabbed it by the bottom and lifted. Cid slid off the couch and fell on to the floor, spilling beer all over it..
Thud!
"ยค%&*Ing shit!" He swore. "Come on, own up, who did it!"
He looked up at the grinning Barret and scowled at him.
"If you weren't twice my size I'd kick ya where it hurts."
"I suppose you would." Cloud said as he brought another cup of coffee for Cid.
"Ah. Cloud, there's a fine example of a KIND person." Cid remarked while glowering at Barret.
"Yes. I'm glad I never turned out to be a screwed up Sephy clone that killed the man he was based on, stole the sword of a dead friend AND can't control his own wife, but still conveniently kind." Barret countered neatly. Tifa shot him a glance that made him cower slightly.
Cid grinned.
"Okay, maybe he's not so kind, but at least he doesn't toss his friends out of bed, er, couch."
Barret knew at this point he had lost the argument. And Tifa and Cloud were looking at him funny. They kept clenching their fists. It was beginning to make him feel nervous.
"Barret, shut up before you inadvertently start a war you cannot win." Red said from his spot near the door. "Three against one do not make good odds. Even you are the size of a refrigerator."
Barret look at the flame red canine lying on the floor his eye closed.
"And don't stare at me."
Barret looked at Tifa and Cloud.
"Sorry." He said meekly.
Tifa continued to look at him funny, but Cloud smiled at him briefly, before attacking an omelette. Barret looked longingly at the hot food.
"Tifa," He began.
"No." She said sternly.
"Please?" He pleaded.
"No."
"Cruel. All of you. Eeeevil. Naaaasty. Meeean."
"Oh my good god, we're cruel mean and nasty. Please forgive us o' great Barret." Cid said sarcastically.
"Betcha anythang that Sephiroth started out that way. Killed a couple o' people an' said those exact same words to the people aroun' 'im." Barret muttered while rummaging through Tifa's kitchen to eat. A pastry presented itself as a likely target. He swiped it and sat down munching happily.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Vincent lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. Yuffie had put her arm over him again in her sleep. Probably thought he was a teddy bear or something, he thought. He turned his head and looked at her face. Her hair slid sown over her face and shone in the morning light as it snuck in through the window. Her eyelids flickered slightly in sleep as dreamt some sweet dream. He would never be able to have what others called dreams. Only nightmares. Over and over had the figure with the green eyes killed him in that wretched mansion. Except once. Before he woke up he remembered cornering the figure and grabbing him by the throat. He felt himself change into the being that he had changed into earlier that day. Then he killed the figure. Killed him in every way he could think of in his blind rage. And it had made him feel strangely complete. Giddy with a happiness that he had never felt before. Then he woke up to the nightmare of his eternal curse.
He pushed her arm off him and climbed out of bed. He felt strangely cold. Vincent looked down and saw that he nearly completely nude. He blushed at what Red XIII might have thought earlier. He looked around the room franticly for his clothes.
He found them tossed on the dresser. His crimson eyes blinked as he looked at the tattered cape that he wore. He picked it up and looked at it. How had it gotten that way? He dubiously regarded the rest of his attire. They were all tattered or cut in some way or other. Perhaps he had clawed at them in his other form? As he pondered this the clothes mysteriously found a way onto him. When he gave up speculating the mystery he found that he had absent-mindedly put his shirt, coat and cape on and was now pulling the steel boots over his feet.
Yuffie moaned lightly in sleep and stretched luxuriously. Vincent turned and walked to the bed and watched as Yuffie slowly began to wake up. He stood and watched as Yuffie opened her eyes.
"Good morning." He said.
"I always wondered what you did late at night. I'm disappointed." Yuffie said while grinning.
Vincent was slightly puzzled for while then he got it. A rare smile crept over his face.
"You're foul."
"I don't plead with women not to leave."
Vincent stood silently at this. When did this happen? The smile faded from his face. Now that he thought about it he didn't even know why she was here in the first place.
"Did I really?" He asked dubiously.
"Watery eyes 'n' everythin'. Struck a maternal nerve in me. Had to stay. All because of some freaky dream of yours." She said solemnly.
More silence. He was beginning to remember it all. His eyes narrowed in anger at the memory of him sobbing in the night because he had a bad dream.
"Would you please leave now?" He asked.
Yuffie looked at him with concern.
"You alright Vinnie?"
He turned his amber eyes at her.
"Leave."
Yuffie nodded and got off the bed. She pushed open what was left of the door and walked out.
Vincent stood adamantly still and stared at the tattered remains off his cloak. It was still long and easily reached the ground, but it made him look mean and cruel in his present state of mind. He looked down at his clawed hand. Then he looked at his normal one. Someone was tampering with his head, that was for sure. Someone strong enough to make Chaos nervous. He thought of the green-eyed figure that plagued his sleep. He felt swift fury shoot through his limbs. He felt red hot with anger. He felt the claws grow out of his fingertips and his face contort into a snout with fangs. The wings flew out from his spine and his body turned black and thin. He felt an immense and fearful energy flow through him, all the while he felt another person trying to wrest control from him. He knew that this was not one of the normal demons that lurked within him. It was more something fearsome and vicious than even Chaos. He waged a mental battle with something that descended beyond even himself. This was worse than the monsters that Hojo had made. It was pure hate, a being that incapable of anything other than rage. But since there were already four demons in his head he wondered how a fifth could get in there. He discarded this idea as it made him nervous. He continued his mental battle with this unknown being. The sheer willpower that he had acquired in his experiences with Chaos and the others paid off against the other. He felt the being be beaten down by his mental prowess and his body return to normal.
Vincent fell to his knees and panted. He sucked in air franticly, as he always did after a battle with one of the demons.
He rose to his feet and dusted himself off. As he did so he found out what he would do about all of this mental havoc.
Today he would leave his friends to search for the green-eyed man.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Deep down below Midgar a computer flicked on. It started its pre-determined program that had been made so many years ago. It began the laborious task of waking its underlings. Soon the entire room was alight with glowing computer screens. Finally, the master computer flicked on. Its screen stayed white for moment then its programs began kicking in. Then three words appeared on the screen in large black writing. Project Rebirth complete.
A large glass tube nearby lighted up and a huge metal figure that stood in a mass of water was illuminated. The water slowly began to drain into holes around the edges of the glass. The figure stood still. Long metal strands grew out of the figures head. Two long bangs grew out and covered his face partially. A long metal trench coat grew out of his back and covered the rest of his steel body. Finally, two shoulder shields popped out his shoulders.
The screen blanked out again and it was covered in white again. Then more words formed on it. Awakening commencing.
A small probe snuck down from the top of the tube and touched the figure's head.
The figure's eyes snapped open.
It looked down at itself and then at the room around him. It clenched a fist and smashed the glass.
Awakening complete.
The figure stepped out of what remained of the tube. The figure reflected the light that was emitted from the computer screens. It opened its steel mouth to speak.
"Computer, present the Nazac to me."
Command invalid.
"WHAT?" It roared.
It glanced over at another tube that was next to his. It too had been smashed, but there was no evidence that it had been done recently. The glass looked dry. The figure looked down and saw two broken shards of metal. The metal figure looked back up at the computer.
"Give me the massamune."
Command invalid.
Anger passed through the figures face.
"Begin recreation program."
Command invalid.
"Begin weapon design program."
Command invalid.
Hot fury shot through the metal face.
It roared in absolute anger.
"MECH-HEAD!"
It smashed the computer with its metal fist and turned his fury to the entire room. Metal flew and computers exploded. The room was completely levelled in moments.
When the dust settled the figure stood in a massive heap of demolished metal.
"I will find you, and I will return you from whence you came!"