Day Seven

11:45 a.m. Junon.

Vincent walked down the street, which was surprisingly empty; they were usually bustling at this time of day. Actually, he found it rather refreshing not to have to fight the crowds, but all the same, he paid no more attention to it than that.

He continued walking and rounded a corner; as he did, he ran into two young men. One was wearing gleaming white armor, and had silver and magenta hair. The other looked disturbingly similar to Rufus, except he wore black dragon armor and had longer hair. "Pardon us," apologized the first. "How clumsy of us."

"It's quite all right," Vincent assured them, silently wondering if the two were escapees from an insane asylum. "It was completely my fault."

"Allow me to introduce us. I'm Cecil" - he took a deep bow, a gesture of a bygone age - "and this is my friend, Kain" - he gestured to the other man, who simply nodded his head once.

Vincent introduced himself bluntly, but without being rude.

"Perhaps you could help us. We were looking for a man in long dark robes. He looked like me, except he has gold and magenta hair. He was carrying five crystals. Have you seen him?" Cecil waited expectantly.

Vincent shook his head.

"Then perhaps you've seen our other companions?" Kain added. He even sounded like Rufus. Weird. Very weird. "A woman in white robes with dishwater blond hair?"

Vincent shook his head.

"A young woman with green hair and eyes?" asked Cecil.

Vincent shook his head.

"A man in his thirties wearing a martial arts uniform and bald, except for a single black ponytail?"

Vincent shook his head.

"A middle-aged bearded man wearing goggles and a tool belt?"

Vincent shook his head.

"An flamboyantly dressed blond minstrel?"

Vincent shook his head.

"Young twins, one boy and one girl?"

Vincent shook his head.

" A smart mouthed ninja?"

At this Vincent paused.

"You've seen him?" asked Kain.

"*Him*? Well in that case, no. I haven't. I'm sorry, but you're the only ones I've seen on this street."

"Oh. That is unfortunate."

"If I may ask, where are you from? I can't seem to place your accent. or your wardrobe."

"Certainly. We're from the kingdom of Baron," Cecil answered.

Vincent gave him a puzzled look. "Baron," he repeated.

Cecil nodded.

"I think you're in the wrong game," the Turk voiced.

"What? This isn't Final Fantasy IV?" Kain questioned.

"Right series, wrong game. This is Final Fantasy VII."

"Oh my," Cecil breathed. He reached into his pack and pulled out a walk- through to Final Fantasy IV. "I wondered why things looked so unfamiliar. I was beginning to think I had the wrong guide." After flipping through some pages, he put it away. "Well, we thank you for your help, Vincent. If you'll excuse us, we must be off to find our own game."

Vincent watched them run off and disappear around a corner. Before he could be on his own way, there were footsteps behind him. "Excuse us," a man's voice said.

The vampire turned to face the owner. He saw a man with long white hair wearing an extravagant trench coat. Next to him was another man, dressed entirely in black so that nothing but his eyes showed; following him was a very large, very mean looking dog.

"Yes? How can I help you?" Vincent offered.

"My name is Setzer, and this is my companion, Shadow. We're looking for someone."

"A man in long black robes with gold and magenta hair?"

Setzer smiled pleasantly. "Um, no. Actually, we are looking for a woman. She was glowing bright pink and probably flying. She's a friend of ours," he added.

Vincent shook his head, inwardly complaining about how his neck was beginning to hurt. "No, I haven't seen anyone like that. Sorry."

"It's all right," Setzer replied, cheerily. "But we thank you for your time."

Before they left, Vincent mentioned, "I think you may be in the wrong game. The last people I met were, too."

"Really? What game is this?"

"Final Fantasy VII."

Setzer laughed. "Well, that would explain why we can't find anything. We're supposed to be in Final Fantasy VI. We're a game off." He shrugged. "I suppose we should find our way back to our own game. Thank you for your assistance."

The Turk nodded, and the two men ran off out of sight; the dog lingered, but a voice - which Vincent assumed belonged to the other man, Shadow - shouted, "Interceptor! Come!" The canine immediately ran toward the source of the call, leaving Vincent in the street alone.

From a side alley, a man with gold and magenta hair, and dressed in dark robes walked into the street. He looked toward Vincent, who wasted no time in reacting. "Wrong game. This is Final Fantasy VII. You want Final Fantasy IV." He jerked a thumb toward where he'd last seen Cecil and Kain. "Two others from your game went that way."

"Was it a man in paladin's armor and another in dragon armor?" he questioned.

"Yes."

"Then I'll go this way," he said, and ran opposite of the indicated direction.

Vincent didn't move; he simply crossed his arms and waited. Sure enough, someone else sauntered by. This time it was three young people. One was dressed in black, and carried a weapon that looked like a cross between a gun and a sword. Next to him was a woman with a whip. After her was a man in a tan leather trench coat, tan chaps, and a dark brown dungaree.

The first man turned to the second. "Irvine, you said this was the way."

The one called Irvine pulled a walkthrough out of his coat pocket and shrugged as he opened it up. He spoke with a southern drawl. "It is. Well, it was supposed to be. Just ask Quistis."

The woman nodded, and motioned over to Vincent - who stood like a statue watching the small exchange. "We could ask him for directions, Squall."

They approached the Turk, but before they could say anything Vincent held up a hand. "Which Final Fantasy?" he asked.

They looked puzzled, but after a moment Squall replied, "Final Fantasy VIII. Why do you ask?"

"This is Final Fantasy VII, so I haven't seen who you're looking for."

"We're in the wrong game?" Irvine rubbed his neck. "How'd that happen?"

"I don't know, but we need to find our way back. We don't have time for this," Squall said before he took off. Quistis followed close behind, but Irvine tipped his hat before he left.

Vincent waited a little longer. Pretty soon a woman glowing bright pink came flying down the street. Vincent pointed to where Setzer and Shadow had gone. "Wrong game. Your friends went that way."

The woman said nothing, but flew off in the indicated direction.

After she had gone, Vincent looked up at the sky and said, "Are you done yet?"

*Hmm. I had planned on using characters from IX, but I suppose I can end it here.*

"That would be appreciated," he told the author.

*All right. Section done.*

6:11 p.m. Elmyra's house in Kalm.

Sephiroth ducked; the vase passed over his head and hit the wall, sending water and flowers and porcelain to splatter across the painted surface. Elmyra threw a clothes iron at him next, which he barely dodged and also left a nice hole in the wall. She reached for the butcher knife lying on the kitchen counter. Sephiroth hid behind the door, a soft yelp escaping lips as the tip of the blade came through the door, mere centimeters from his neck.

"Mom, stop it!" Aeris cried.

"Don't worry, dear," the older woman said sweetly. "I won't let him hurt you again."

"I'm worried about *you* hurting *him*. Mom, put the skillet down!" Aeris grabbed her mother's hands, trying to get the heavy iron pan away from the enraged woman. Had it been anyone else, Aeris wouldn't have worried; Sephiroth was more than capable of fending off and angry mob, nevertheless one angry mother. But Elmyra was her mother, and for that reason alone, Sephiroth wouldn't raise a finger against her - placing him in a rather compromising situation. "Mom, don't hurt him," she pleaded. "Let me explain."

"Dear?"

"Sephiroth isn't going to hurt me. He's my boyfriend. Mom? Mom!"

Elmyra had feinted.

8:00 p.m. Highwind.

Cloud still sat in the same chair, and still looked like a disheveled mass. Red XIII sat on the floor beside him. He was the one to address Tifa, Barret, and Yuffie. "All right. While the three of you are in the ShinRa building, I'll stay here with Cloud. We'll" - he paused and looked at the spiky-haired youth before correcting himself - "I'll make sure the Highwind is prepared for take-off."

"Where will we go?" asked Tifa.

"Wutai. It's the only place not under ShinRa's dominion. We'll be safe there." He focused on Yuffie. "We'll wait for you so you can deliver the disk to the Reckoning, but you must hurry."

The ninja nodded.

"Very well. Is everyone ready?"

There was a resounding, "Yeah!"

"Then let us waste no more time, and set to our plans."

8:58 p.m. Junon.

Yuffie followed Barret and Tifa through the streets. The sun had set, leaving the streetlights to provide punctuated circles of safety from the dark. They came to the ShinRa headquarters, took a side alley, and went around to the rear entrance of the building. No light penetrated the black of the alley, forcing the trio to find their way by feel alone. A scuffling followed by a crash and a curse broke the tense silence. Barret had tripped over a trashcan. The sudden noise startled Yuffie, who jumped back and fell over yet another trashcan.

"Shhhhh," Tifa hissed. "Be quiet or we'll get caught."

As though on cue, the alarms in the building went off. The Avalanche members froze in place, waiting for the soldiers they were sure to come. There was the feint, brief sound of hurried feet on the other side of the door, but it never opened.

It was Yuffie who realized what was happening. "This is it!" she said. "This is the distraction!"

"Then let's hurry up and get this over with!" Barret cried, over- enthusiastically. He felt around and found the door again, and then kicked it in. Red and white flashing lights shot out into the alley. He ran inside, Tifa and Yuffie close behind. They were in a concrete stairwell, with another door across from them - most likely leading into the main floor of the building. "What floor did that JT character say that disk was on, again?"

"Fourth floor," the ninja responded. "Ah, Rufus's office, most likely."

"Then that's where we'll start looking," he said and began to run up the stairs.

They met with no resistance. It seemed the distraction was working. or no one was bothering to check the stairs. They preferred to think it was the former.

They reached the top, and paused before opening the door. On the other side was a long hall, five doors along its length and one at its far end. They opened the first door; in the room beyond they saw Palmer's massive rear protruding from under his desk. They exchanged nervous glances, and closed the door. Behind the next door was another office, this one empty. Tifa stayed behind to search it while Barret and Yuffie continued on. The next office was empty as well. Barret stayed behind and Yuffie continued on by herself.

She approached the next door, but a noise beyond made her pause. Pressing her ear to the door, she listened for a moment. Hearing voices on the other side, she carefully opened the door a crack and peeked around it. Inside, she saw Scarlet - who looked a bit beat up - sitting on her desk and Vincent standing beside her. She strained to understand what they were saying.

"I wonder what this is all about?" Scarlet was questioning.

"Some vigilante attack apparently," Vincent responded.

"Avalanche?"

He shook his head. "Don't know. Soldiers have been sent to track them down and find out exactly whom they are."

"You're not going with them?"

"Reno and Rude are leading two separate teams. They don't need me with them. And since the president isn't here, my priorities are mine to choose."

"Hmm, really?" Scarlet grabbed Vincent's tie; she used it to pull him close so that she could kiss him. Entangling her fingers in his hair, she pulled him even closer - almost on top of her.

Yuffie nearly gagged. She shut the door as quickly and quietly as she could, and did her best not to lose her lunch. *Vincent and Scarlet?! She's why he's back with the ShinRa? That's so gross! What the heck is he thinking?!*

She crept away from Scarlet's office - and the disturbing scene she had just witnessed - and down to the second to last door. However, she decided to skip over it when she heard Heideger's voice from the other side, screaming about how he's not appreciated and the crappy company security isn't his fault and how dare that Scarlet get all haughty with him.

She stopped and listened outside the final door - what she assumed was Rufus's office - and, after verifying that there was no one inside, entered. She began her search with the desktop, but only found forms and schematics, which she didn't understand. She then went through each of the drawers; she found some disks in the third drawer, but all were labeled with company departments. She assumed none of them were what she was looking for. She finished searching the drawers, frustrated that she hadn't found anything. She then ran her hands along the underside of the desk, feeling for any irregularities. Her eyes widened, a grin breaking out across her face as her fingers discovered a small, flat, square package. She pulled it off, the tape giving way, and stuffed it in her pocket. *Time to go*, she thought.

Yuffie ran out of the office and collided with Barret and Tifa. "I've got it. Let's get out of her." Together, they raced down the hall and back down the stairs, which they took three at a time.

At the bottom, Tifa and Barret took a step toward the street, but turned back and said, "Give it to them and get back to the Highwind as fast as you can. We don't want to take any chances of getting caught by the ShinRa."

"All right. See you soon." Yuffie ran down the alley. She continued until she came to the manhole JT had shown her. It was more difficult for her smaller frame, but she removed the cover and replaced it when she was in. She made her way through the sewers, but she never made it to the Reckoning's hideout. She ran into JT - and the rest of the Reckoning - around the second bend.

"Not that way," he told her, partly joking but mostly serious.

"What's going on?" Yuffie asked, more than a little concerned.

"ShinRa's found out where we're staying. We have to evacuate."

"Where we gonna go, JT?" someone questioned.

"Not sure, but we need to get out of Junon."

"Well, you can come with me and Avalanche to Wutai. We'll be safe from ShinRa. You can hide there," Yuffie suggested.

"Lead on." Underneath his mask, Rufus smiled. Way too easy. He waved for the others to follow.

It was difficult trying to lead a group of twelve renegades through a military town without getting caught - especially with as many soldiers out and about as there were. Somehow, with JT's help, Yuffie managed to pull it off. It took much longer than she had expected, and worried that the others might have left, but the Highwind was still there when they left the city. Waiting on its deck was Red XIII, who didn't seemed at all surprised that she came with guests in tow.

9:45 p.m. Scarlet's apartment.

Vincent sat on the edge of the bed and watched Scarlet while she slept. The attack on the building had raised all hell, and with the amount of pandemonium, he'd been apprehensive about letting her go home by herself. So, he had insisted on escorting her home - not that she had argued with him. He told her he would stay until she fell asleep; now that she was, he figured he should probably go home and go to bed himself.

Carefully, quietly, he rose from his seat and made his way through the apartment to the front door, which he opened and closed with the utmost care. The Turk proceeded down the street with a purposeful stride. He ignored the numerous soldiers roaming the streets, and they likewise ignored him. Besides, his mind was elsewhere.

Cloud and the others would get blamed for the incidence, he was sure of it. He hoped that they would have enough sense to leave the area and head someplace safer. Wutai would be the obvious and best choice.

After two blocks, Vincent began to wonder exactly with whom his loyalties would lay if push came to shove. Cid would undoubtedly side with Avalanche, but he wasn't so sure about himself. There was a fine line between the man he was and the man he was expected to be. In the end, he would have to decide which he was going to be: Turk or Avalanche member, father of planet avenger, lover or friend. Should he keep the job that had made him into the man he was? Should he continue to try and make up for lost time with Sephiroth? Should he strengthen his relationship with Scarlet? Or did he abandon it all and help the people he had fought and suffered with, people who had called him friend? He hoped he would never face that dilemma, but something in the back of his mind, a part of him that was fearful and alone, whispered that the time for him to choose was fast approaching.

*Damn it!* the vampire thought. *Can't they see that the battle is over? Why must they be so stubborn about all of this?* He immediately scolded himself for thinking such things. After all, they were only fighting for what they perceived as a just cause, even though they made more problems than they solved. Even though it meant they would be rebuked by the entire world. Even though it meant they would most certainly be hunted down and eventually killed. He winced at the thought that he might be the one sent to do the dirty work; it was a very probable possibility. He didn't know if he could do it.

Vincent was so lost in thought, he nearly missed his apartment building. The depressing thoughts that had monopolized his mind on his journey home weighed down on him, stripping him of vitality. He ascended the stairs, each step taking more effort than the last. Finally reaching his apartment, he fumbled with the keys, managed to open the door, closed it behind him, and collapsed on his bed - not bothering to undress, and fast asleep before his head had hit the pillow.