"You're right as rain, but you're all to blame
Agreed my crime's the same
My sins I'll claim, give you back shed pain
Go find a place for own shame
So you can deal with this thing unreal
No one made you feel any hurt"
"Shame in You" _Alice In Chains_
***********************************************************************
"His...his queen?!" Cloud whispered incredulously.
"Yes." Vincent said darkly, "I fear she will break.. The woman she once was will be as distant as our freedom.."
"Wait a minute Vincent.." Cloud mumbled, ignoring his friend's morbid ramblings.
Vincent lifted his crimson eyes to center in on his former leader. "Yes?" was the simple statement.
"If I had forgotten that I had gone back and used that... machine.. How... how did you know? How did you remember?" The statement was filled with confusion that the former leader of AVALANCHE could not put an answer to. The uncertainty combined with such a mass of guilt further tormented the man.
The dark gunslinger sighed dejectedly, letting his head sag upon his narrow shoulders, ebony strands of glorious hair falling into his troubled eyes. "Chaos.." he whispered softly despite his deep voice, "he is aware of much more than I can comprehend... he has also been quite agitated lately."
An awkward silence, that always seemed to follow Vincent where ever he went, filled the empty space of their prison. Even the constant dripping that neither could entirely pinpoint silenced itself. It was several minutes until Cloud spoke up again.
"...I can't believe this... How could one little action in the past, cause so much grief?" The blonde was talking to himself, amazed at this new situation that he had brought on. The planet's savior had become the planet's destroyer in an instant.. And it was all of his fault. All because he couldn't bear to live without his sweet angel... All because it wasn't fair to him. Because of his own wants and needs, he had forfeited all life and happiness of the entire planet... And what good had it done? He wasn't even with Aeris. For all he knew, she could be dead again by Sephiroth's ruthless hands. His friends and teammates were slain without the sheer power of Ancient Holy. He had caused more deaths than Sephiroth had! What had he done?
"Do you remember what Nanaki had told us that night back in Midgar?" Vincent's deep voice responded, breaking Cloud out of his reverie.
Cloud's shining azure eyes looked down towards the filthy stone floor, thin eyebrows furring together as he sought a long ago memory. "I... I don't remember." He looked up into the dark stoic face of former Turk with questioning eyes. Those orbs of Mako-infused power shone with uncertainty and utter depression, so much so, that Vincent found his heart ache slightly with recognition.
However, none of Vincent's emotions were displayed on his ashen face. He spoke evenly, unfeeling as always. "Even the most insignificant action changed in the past, could change the future dramatically. Look around, Cloud," his garnet eyes flashed around the loathsome cell as he splayed a lazy arm in each direction, "Surely you can see the destruction you have carried out." Cloud rested his eyes upon Vincent in astonishment. Never had the raven haired man accused an individual, especially an acquaintance, of such vile acts. If anything, the man had only talked of his own sins... his own acts of hatred and selfishness. But looking in those terrifying crimson eyes, Cloud could only discern one withstanding accusation. It was disgust. A man who had thought himself a monster and loathed his very being, looked down at Cloud with such disapproval that it made his skin crawl. Cloud had done something so horrible, surpassing his companion's sins so greatly, that even Vincent's face displayed disappointment.
The emotion suddenly flowed like rivers from those detached eyes. The power that once radiated through them, that comforted his teammates when he lead them had disappeared in an instant. Pure anguish poured from every inch of his being. Cloud could not contain his pain for any longer, and he wept until his palms were stained with bitter tears. His body shook with misery, and his moans of sorrow filled the prison with wretchedness.
However, Vincent felt no pity for his former leader. Each shallow anguished sob flew through him as if it didn't exist. The naked weakness burned his eyes, and he felt himself becoming angry, as apposed to feeling sympathy.
"Get a hold of yourself Cloud." Vincent stated in such a harsh tone that it surprised even himself, "How will your tears help this pathetic planet that you have reduced to ashes?"
Cloud's head lifted weakly to glance at his cell mate with an even greater mask of amazement. There had only been a few times in which he had witnessed Vincent show anger, and those times he ended up in an explosion of rage. It seemed as if he had built a dam around him, holding in the emotions through a thick wall of concrete. When a crack formed in that wall, the whole dam broke, and every emotion came pouring out.
"Vincent... I.." Cloud began shakily in a hoarse voice.
"What is it? What can you possibly say to rectify your actions?" The piercing words hissed out at Cloud like venom, puncturing his skin, and filling his veins with poison. "Everyone told you not to use it, and yet you still did. You heard the warnings, and you paid no heed. Now this miserable planet has paid the price of your selfishness."
If it was even possible, most of Cloud's latter thoughts of guilt and sorrow escaped his mind. Most people were afraid of Vincent's mere appearance.. But compared to his anger, they had seen nothing. He could feel himself shake slightly with fear; there was no way he could tear his terrified eyes away from him. Cloud realized that what was most frightening about a person when they were consumed with rage was their tone of voice. Vincent's voice was cold, callous, and icy. It did not raise in pitch, but stayed at the same steady level, chilling your body to the bone.
Cloud's mouth moved several times before any sound came out. "I.. It was.. A mistake.. I should have known better... I am sorry Vincent.."
Vincent narrowed his crimson eyes at him, the very fires of hell burning rampantly inside those windows. His piercing glare bore into his beaten soul, shredding his insides with fury. "Sorry?" He scoffed at the very idea, "You don't have to tell me, Cloud. Try apologizing to all the corpses floating face down in the ocean. Say sorry to the children who witnessed their parents perish, only to have their miserable lives end when their bodies cannot survive the world-wide famine. Say sorry to your companions who trusted and looked up to you with every inch of their being. You failed us all Cloud. Everyone that managed to somehow survive this apocalypse, their future is dark. Death would have been a welcomed gift."
He stared down at his wringing hands, ever aware of the mental abuse that he would have never expected to come from Vincent. But what could he say to that? It was all true.. Every word. He was a failure... again. There was no way to fix this mistake.. No one to help him through his grief. Everyone he cared about was either dead or imprisoned. And he had did it to them.
A sudden movement across the room made Cloud's mako enhanced eyes dart in the direction. It was what he most feared. The one thing that gave him the most nightmares. He was transforming.
***********************************************************************
A/N: hope this one was a little longer! I know, there was no action like i said there would be.. but you'll have to hold out until the next one! conversation is so fun to write! sorry :). well, until next time, read and review. Reviews help me write faster, and let me know people are actaully reading it. BTW, I have figued out a coupling involving vincent that will happen soon... so, stay tuned to find out who it is!
Agreed my crime's the same
My sins I'll claim, give you back shed pain
Go find a place for own shame
So you can deal with this thing unreal
No one made you feel any hurt"
"Shame in You" _Alice In Chains_
***********************************************************************
"His...his queen?!" Cloud whispered incredulously.
"Yes." Vincent said darkly, "I fear she will break.. The woman she once was will be as distant as our freedom.."
"Wait a minute Vincent.." Cloud mumbled, ignoring his friend's morbid ramblings.
Vincent lifted his crimson eyes to center in on his former leader. "Yes?" was the simple statement.
"If I had forgotten that I had gone back and used that... machine.. How... how did you know? How did you remember?" The statement was filled with confusion that the former leader of AVALANCHE could not put an answer to. The uncertainty combined with such a mass of guilt further tormented the man.
The dark gunslinger sighed dejectedly, letting his head sag upon his narrow shoulders, ebony strands of glorious hair falling into his troubled eyes. "Chaos.." he whispered softly despite his deep voice, "he is aware of much more than I can comprehend... he has also been quite agitated lately."
An awkward silence, that always seemed to follow Vincent where ever he went, filled the empty space of their prison. Even the constant dripping that neither could entirely pinpoint silenced itself. It was several minutes until Cloud spoke up again.
"...I can't believe this... How could one little action in the past, cause so much grief?" The blonde was talking to himself, amazed at this new situation that he had brought on. The planet's savior had become the planet's destroyer in an instant.. And it was all of his fault. All because he couldn't bear to live without his sweet angel... All because it wasn't fair to him. Because of his own wants and needs, he had forfeited all life and happiness of the entire planet... And what good had it done? He wasn't even with Aeris. For all he knew, she could be dead again by Sephiroth's ruthless hands. His friends and teammates were slain without the sheer power of Ancient Holy. He had caused more deaths than Sephiroth had! What had he done?
"Do you remember what Nanaki had told us that night back in Midgar?" Vincent's deep voice responded, breaking Cloud out of his reverie.
Cloud's shining azure eyes looked down towards the filthy stone floor, thin eyebrows furring together as he sought a long ago memory. "I... I don't remember." He looked up into the dark stoic face of former Turk with questioning eyes. Those orbs of Mako-infused power shone with uncertainty and utter depression, so much so, that Vincent found his heart ache slightly with recognition.
However, none of Vincent's emotions were displayed on his ashen face. He spoke evenly, unfeeling as always. "Even the most insignificant action changed in the past, could change the future dramatically. Look around, Cloud," his garnet eyes flashed around the loathsome cell as he splayed a lazy arm in each direction, "Surely you can see the destruction you have carried out." Cloud rested his eyes upon Vincent in astonishment. Never had the raven haired man accused an individual, especially an acquaintance, of such vile acts. If anything, the man had only talked of his own sins... his own acts of hatred and selfishness. But looking in those terrifying crimson eyes, Cloud could only discern one withstanding accusation. It was disgust. A man who had thought himself a monster and loathed his very being, looked down at Cloud with such disapproval that it made his skin crawl. Cloud had done something so horrible, surpassing his companion's sins so greatly, that even Vincent's face displayed disappointment.
The emotion suddenly flowed like rivers from those detached eyes. The power that once radiated through them, that comforted his teammates when he lead them had disappeared in an instant. Pure anguish poured from every inch of his being. Cloud could not contain his pain for any longer, and he wept until his palms were stained with bitter tears. His body shook with misery, and his moans of sorrow filled the prison with wretchedness.
However, Vincent felt no pity for his former leader. Each shallow anguished sob flew through him as if it didn't exist. The naked weakness burned his eyes, and he felt himself becoming angry, as apposed to feeling sympathy.
"Get a hold of yourself Cloud." Vincent stated in such a harsh tone that it surprised even himself, "How will your tears help this pathetic planet that you have reduced to ashes?"
Cloud's head lifted weakly to glance at his cell mate with an even greater mask of amazement. There had only been a few times in which he had witnessed Vincent show anger, and those times he ended up in an explosion of rage. It seemed as if he had built a dam around him, holding in the emotions through a thick wall of concrete. When a crack formed in that wall, the whole dam broke, and every emotion came pouring out.
"Vincent... I.." Cloud began shakily in a hoarse voice.
"What is it? What can you possibly say to rectify your actions?" The piercing words hissed out at Cloud like venom, puncturing his skin, and filling his veins with poison. "Everyone told you not to use it, and yet you still did. You heard the warnings, and you paid no heed. Now this miserable planet has paid the price of your selfishness."
If it was even possible, most of Cloud's latter thoughts of guilt and sorrow escaped his mind. Most people were afraid of Vincent's mere appearance.. But compared to his anger, they had seen nothing. He could feel himself shake slightly with fear; there was no way he could tear his terrified eyes away from him. Cloud realized that what was most frightening about a person when they were consumed with rage was their tone of voice. Vincent's voice was cold, callous, and icy. It did not raise in pitch, but stayed at the same steady level, chilling your body to the bone.
Cloud's mouth moved several times before any sound came out. "I.. It was.. A mistake.. I should have known better... I am sorry Vincent.."
Vincent narrowed his crimson eyes at him, the very fires of hell burning rampantly inside those windows. His piercing glare bore into his beaten soul, shredding his insides with fury. "Sorry?" He scoffed at the very idea, "You don't have to tell me, Cloud. Try apologizing to all the corpses floating face down in the ocean. Say sorry to the children who witnessed their parents perish, only to have their miserable lives end when their bodies cannot survive the world-wide famine. Say sorry to your companions who trusted and looked up to you with every inch of their being. You failed us all Cloud. Everyone that managed to somehow survive this apocalypse, their future is dark. Death would have been a welcomed gift."
He stared down at his wringing hands, ever aware of the mental abuse that he would have never expected to come from Vincent. But what could he say to that? It was all true.. Every word. He was a failure... again. There was no way to fix this mistake.. No one to help him through his grief. Everyone he cared about was either dead or imprisoned. And he had did it to them.
A sudden movement across the room made Cloud's mako enhanced eyes dart in the direction. It was what he most feared. The one thing that gave him the most nightmares. He was transforming.
***********************************************************************
A/N: hope this one was a little longer! I know, there was no action like i said there would be.. but you'll have to hold out until the next one! conversation is so fun to write! sorry :). well, until next time, read and review. Reviews help me write faster, and let me know people are actaully reading it. BTW, I have figued out a coupling involving vincent that will happen soon... so, stay tuned to find out who it is!