DL Noleek

Child of the Serpent

Chapter 4: Partners?

Disclaimer: Don't own anything FF7

Thank you to the following for reviewing: Emri, Chels, and Cattibrie393. I am glad you like it.

Vincent was always the silent one; we rarely knew
what he was thinking. It was like this black cloud
always hung over him and it separated him from
the rest of the group. Vincent had to have been
a kind, gentle man once, but now he seems
like an empty shell. But still, he was useful in battle
and his skills saved us all from death more than once.
I have never met a better marksman, and probably
never will. I hope that one day, he finds something
important enough to live for again.

Tifa Lockheart
An excerpt from 'Memoirs'

She could hardly believe the words that came out of her mouth herself, couldn't believe that she had promised this--demon--Lucrecia's life. It wasn't like Lir could go back on her word, however, she was in a precarious position as it was. Leviathan was not always the kindest god in such matters. Lir prayed that he would answer her prayers when the time came--if it came. Vincent had not yet responded to her request.

It was true, the red-cloaked man appeared utterly frozen in place, poised before Lir like a giant cat stalking his prey. The resemblance was enhanced by the metallic claw that had, only moments before, been wrapped around her throat. Vincent was now flexing the inorganic hand, like he was just itching to use it. Lir swallowed thickly; he could very easily rent her body with a few quick swipes. Her life was in his hands--and it wasn't a good feeling.

Vincent's red gaze bore into her, the fire tearing apart every outer barrier she had ever erected, prodding her with silent questions. Lir saw the distrust that lay there, and the disbelief. His face was unerringly close to hers; he hadn't moved far when he had gotten off of her. There was fire and heat all around her, although whether it was from his body or from the fire behind him, Lir couldn't be sure. The only thing that her frantic mind could fathom was the fact that Vincent was still easily within arm's reach. If Lir were to stretch out her hand, she would have encountered the hem of his red garment. Although the circumstances were dire, her thoughts wandered. She suddenly found herself wondering what the red fabric shielding his face and body would feel like. They looked like wool, which would mean they would be rough, but she couldn't be sure…

"What must I do to pay for Lucrecia's life?" Lir jumped at the sound of Vincent's voice and forcefully put her thoughts back on track. Vincent's voice was calmer now, but his resonating tenor was still as frozen as winter's eve. It was sending shivers up Lir's spine and although she didn't draw it, she unconsciously gripped the fan on her right.

"As I said before, demons have appeared on the Planet," Lir began somewhat haltingly in an effort to force a note of calm into her voice that she didn't feel. "They are terrorizing the population. Many of the places that you were familiar with in your time are already gone: Rocket Town, Gongaga, Gold Saucer, Fort Condor, Kalm. Others are falling by the day."

Vincent raised his good hand for silence and Lir immediately stalled her explanation. His eyes still hadn't left her. "And what exactly do these demons have to do with a little girl?"

/Little girl!/ The comment succeeded in raising some of Lir's anger and forced away the fear. "I am the daughter of Lord Niragai of Wutai and this problem has everything to do with me! Last night, a demon calling himself Tibora managed to breach Wutai's defenses and made it into the palace. My father was killed and my brother was left gravely wounded!"

Vincent shrugged. "So I take it that it is this Tibora you are after. Is it your wish that I kill him?"

"No!" Lir said forcefully. And to think, only moments ago she had been quaking in terror. Now, here she was screaming at a half-demonic man who was just about ready to separate several limbs from her body. There was a little voice in the back of her mind that was urging her to remain calm. It was telling her that provoking Vincent was a bad idea, but she never did listen to that voice's good reason when it decided to speak. "I think I can handle Tibora on my own…"

Vincent waved off the comment, effectively cutting her off again. Lir couldn't read the expression in his eyes, but couldn't place his reaction to her declaration. His voice was no help either; it remained a monotone. "Fine, I have no problem leaving the demon to you, but what exactly do you want me to do?"

Lir stood up, needing to get away from his body. Perhaps if she were further away, she wouldn't feel as uneasy. "I need a guide. Because of the raids, I have rarely left Wutai and I don't know anything about the lands beyond the walls except for what I was told by my father, brother, and some history books." Lir caught Vincent's eyes as they narrowed, the red orbs flickering over her slim form and eventually falling to the fans at her sides. It wasn't the first time she had received that look. She could read that one very easily; it was the same look many Wutaian warriors had before she none too politely slashed them to pieces. "Don't worry, I /can/ fight; I don't need your protection. I just need you to get me to Tibora."

"Of course." Vincent got up then and Lir once again found herself in a diminutive position. He was a tall man; she would be lucky if her head reached his shoulder. It didn't take much for the cloaked man to make her feel inferior, and Lir knew that he wasn't even trying.

"So, where exactly is this Tibora?" Vincent continued. "I assume you know of his whereabouts seeing as you look like you were ready to go after him yourself."

Heat rose in Lir's cheeks. That was one of her problems--she didn't know where to find the demon lord. Well, it wouldn't do to lie to him. "I am sorry to say that I have no idea where Tibora can be found," she managed, forcing the words through her clenched teeth. "If he were any other kind of demon, I'd say that he could be found anywhere on the continent of Wutai, but he isn't--he's a Daracon." Vincent shot her a confused glare and Lir immediately elaborated. "Daracons are winged demons who are capable of flying long distances. Therefor, Tibora could be pretty much anywhere on the Planet."

Vincent didn't seem to like the comment, but he didn't say anything accusatory about it. "And do you have any idea of how to go about finding this demon?" His voice was soft and level. In Lir's experience, when someone said something in that manner, it meant that they were angry, but it didn't seem that way with Vincent; the man was calm.

"I'm not sure, but I think we might find the answer in Junon." Lir replied, attempting to keep her voice just as level; to her amazement, she actually succeeded. She had not initially thought of where she was going to go once she left Wutai, but now that the subject had been brought up, Junon made perfect sense.

"Junon?"

"Yes. The harbor-city is one of the most heavily defended fortifications on the Planet and many of the larger military operations against the demon race take place there. If anyone has information regarding Tibora's whereabouts, I'd think it would be them."

"And they'd give you this information?"

Yet another problem, but not a baffling one. "Junon is huge," Lir began. "It's a lot bigger than it was when you were last there. Even if we can't get a hold of military information, there's still a lot we can learn on the streets. It would take awhile, but we could get it."

For a moment, Vincent didn't say anything. He stood with his back to the fire, his clawed left hand digging into his hip; he appeared to be considering her plan, sketchy as it was. Finally, "It's a descent plan, at least to start out with, but you should have thought this through more first before leaving."

Lir felt herself blush again; how had he known about her lack of planning? And why was he reprimanding her?--it wasn't like he cared about her well being.

She must have looked shocked. "It's written all over your face and has been ingrained in your mannerisms. Also, it fits with your story. If the demon attack happened last night, there is no way you could have had time to fashion a complete plan; I'm surprised you have an outline."

What was he, a mind reader too now? She wanted to come up with a swift retort, but couldn't think of one; damn the man for being right. "Do you have any better ideas?" /If so, I won't object to hearing them./

"Is Cosmo Canyon still standing?" Vincent asked.

/Cosmo Canyon--why?/ "As far as I know it is."

"Then I think that that should be our next destination. If memory serves me correctly, they tend to have all kinds of information down there and it's a lot closer than Junon. If we can't find anything there, we can always head to the harbor-city later."

Lir smirked. The way he was talking--"So, I suppose you've decided to accompany me."

"You can't do this on your own." Vincent moved away from the fire and began making his way toward the cave's exit, but he stopped before taking the final step out into the pouring rain outside; the clouds which had provided covering for her before had blown into an all out storm since Lir had entered. "I have one final question," Vincent asked, as if suddenly thinking of something. "Why did you choose me?"

A good question, too bad it didn't have an answer--not a clear one at any rate. "I didn't choose you per say," Lir said, choosing her words carefully as she made her way over to him. "Originally, I had planned on doing this on my own, but I ran into an old priestess just before making it outside the gates. I though for sure that my quest was finished before it even commenced, but the old woman didn't say a thing about me leaving; she only suggested that I come to the shrine and pray for help. I don't know why you were summoned, Vincent." Lir paused. "I spent over an hour looking through the sutras kept here in this temple and I was about to give up when I spotted the one that eventually summoned you."

Lir stopped again, but this time, she raised her head to meet her new companion's eyes, bringing jade to clash with flame. "I don't know what made me call you. All I know is that I opened the scroll and started reading the words, but I don't regret it. I do need your help Vincent Valentine." She tried to put all of her earnest sincerity into the connection, urging her new partner to understand.

Their eyes remained locked for a few moments more than she had planned, however, and Lir became increasingly aware of the heat radiating off his body. Once again, he was very close, too close for her to be comfortable. Lir knew that she was shaking and if she hadn't been burning up, she would have thought the storm beyond the cave walls had seeped into her bones--was she afraid of him?

Apparently, Vincent wasn't so comfortable with the close proximity himself because he turned away quickly enough to cause Lir to draw in a quick snatch of breath before moving out into the rainy night. "Come, on," he called from outside. "We have one more trip to Wutai to make before we set out."

Lir blanched--she didn't particularly want to go back into the city for longer than she had to. Someone could easily catch sight of her. "Why?"

"Because at the moment, I have no weapon and although my claw can rend demon flesh just as well as any knife, I still prefer a gun," he replied simply. "I assume your weapons shop still carries such weapons; they were pretty standard in my time."

"Of course. Lead the way." And with that, Lir followed the cloaked man through the rain and down the path that led to the city.

The rain had let up a little since they had left the city limits, but Vincent had yet to get over the shock. Rain--how long had it been since he had last felt the cold grasp of such moisture? When was the last time he had felt anything at all? According to what he had gotten from his knew companion, it had been about two hundred years; a long time to be dead to the world. It explained why the breath rushing through his lungs felt so foreign though. He couldn't believe how much it hurt simply to breath; a body that had been dead for so long was not used to drawing in life-giving air. Even his skin was overly sensitive; he could feel every caress of wind, every movement in the air, every rock that passed beneath his foot--

The cool silver of the shortbarrel at his waist.

The gun was one of the few comforts he had left. It was something familiar in a world that had gone on without him. It wasn't the Death Penalty he craved for--for that gun was gone--but he knew the tiny firearm could pack quite a punch. Even though it was only a small handgun, Vincent remembered exactly what it could do to a beast at a hundred paces--it could demolish it. Many things had changed about Wutai since he had 'died,' but the quality of their weapons wasn't one of them.

And then there was the other thing that bothered him: the Planet had moved on and much had changed. Many of the cities that he had traveled through both as a Turk and as a member of Avalanche were either no longer standing or did not resemble in the least the cities that had been. Wutai, for instance--the western city had been a powerful nation before, but now it was more than just a few small bridges and roads dotted with houses; it was a regular metropolis. The city now stretched from the middle of the peninsula all the way back to the mountains, some of the houses even gracing those steep slopes. Businesses that had not been there before had sprung up like weeds: pubs, inns, teahouses, restaurants, and an open aired commons that looked like it was used as a market place. There was even a wall surrounding it all, encompassing even the few houses that stretched into the mountains. The palace, apparently, had also grown, although he had not had a chance to see it for himself. He had taken Lir's word on that.

And thus, there was problem number three: the current princess of Wutai. As far as Vincent concerned, she was a sheltered child who would likely only succeed in getting herself killed the moment she entered Tibora's lair; if not before. Yet, for some reason or another, she had the favor of her god. Vincent himself had never been one to believe in the old gods, in fact, most people he had known in his old life hadn't. In a world submerged in grief and heartache, how could a merciful god truly exist?--or perhaps the gods just weren't merciful, in which case he wouldn't want to worship them anyway.

It seemed like the Wutainese were the only people left who still leaned heavily on their god--the great Leviathan. Lir didn't much resemble her ancestor, one Yuffie Kisaragi, whom he had traveled with and, eventually, befriended. Lir appeared soft and controlled whereas Yuffie had been tough and wild, but if there was one point where their characters merged, it was in their faith in their serpent god.

As strongly as their belief was in their god however, Vincent had his doubts about its usefulness. It wasn't a god that had saved the Wutainese from complete destruction, but the people themselves and their resilient leaders. That was another thing Yuffie had been--a strong, capable leader. Who would have thought that such a carefree teenager could have such passion for her country and her home, no matter how much she professed her hate for it.

Vincent winced despite himself; these were all old memories. They were not necessarily painful, just lost as everything else was; they too belonged to another time.

Avalanche had split up after the Meteor incident, everyone going their separate ways, but seeing each other every so once in a while.

Cloud, the 'clone' of Sephiroth, had settled down with Tifa in Costa Del Sol. Although the two never married or had any children, they lived together comfortably for the rest of their lives, opening up a bar to replace Tifa's old Seventh Heaven. Some people had speculated that their lack of a permanent attachment was a result of a link Cloud still had to Aeris, but Vincent doubted that; it was clear that the two cared for each other, perhaps even loved each other. A more likely case would have been that the pair could not get passed that line between friendship to the something more than lovers. Another theory, one that belonged to Vincent alone (because it was also a problem for him), stemmed from Cloud's Jenova cells. Those cells, though Cloud did not have as many in his body as Vincent did, prolonged his life--by a good eighty years. Unlike Vincent, Cloud had aged, but a great deal slower than his lover.

Red XIII, also known as Nanaki, returned to Cosmo Canyon. If there had been anyone in Avalanche that had been truly close to Vincent, it would have been Red XIII. The lion-like animal had befriended the silent man with his intelligence and overwhelming ability to listen with an unpartial ear. Being the curious creature that he was, Red XIII had gone about setting up a library at Cosmo Canyon, collecting the history of the Planet. It was an endeavor Vincent himself had contributed to, though minutely. It was also why he had suggested that Lir try looking for information about Tibora there.

Reeve, the creator of Cait Sithe, did as many Shinra employees did after Meteor struck--he moved on to Junon. Vincent hadn't seen much of the Shinra executive after they parted ways, though he did know that Reeve had accepted a position of President of Junon. The city had flourished under his leadership; it was a pity Shinra hadn't put him to better use.

Reeve wasn't the only member of Avalanche to take a city under his wing after the incident; Barrett and his daughter Marlene moved back to Correl. With mako no longer being mined for energy, the Planet once again had need of coal, and thus for Correl. Barrett couldn't have been happier.

Yuffie Kisaragi returned to Wutai, with most of Avalanche's materia. Her father Lord Godo, died within five years after Meteor's fall. Yuffie, much to everyone's surprise, had taken immediate control; she had led well, for Wutai had expanded under her care and once again became a strong, independent nation.

The final member of the group besides himself was Cid. Cid's story, unlike many of the other Avalanche members, ended quite easily. His dream of going into space had already come true and it didn't seem like anyone, much less the broken Shinra, would ever have enough money to get the space program up and running again, so he settled down in Rocket Town. Cid and Shera married and had two kids. Vincent had actually gotten around to seeing them once or twice.

As for Vincent himself, he wandered the globe. Even though he had been a member of Avalanche, except for the people of Cosmo Canyon (who were extremely open-minded about…unique people), he was not readily accepted anywhere on the Planet. His mangled body and blood red eyes often pushed people away. No one was ever outright rude to him, but all kept their distance. Thus, except for an extended stay with Red XIII, he never stayed in one place for too long. Vincent had spent his years watching as everyone he had ever cared about slipped away. By the time Cloud had died, the silent wanderer had circled the globe many a time; with his friend's death, he had decided that it was time to end his own life. Not able to die by natural means because of the excess of Jenova cells and mako in his body, Vincent had flung himself off one of Mount Nibel's tall peaks, effectively ending his existence. He had told everything to Red XIII before leaving. The lion hadn't said anything, he had only nodded, as if he had seen it coming. Perhaps he had--he was remarkably perceptive.

A growing discomfort that had been awakening in the back of his head since he left the cave suddenly flared, tossing Vincent from his thoughts. Apparently, death had not separated the demon from the man--Chaos was just beginning to awaken.

Great, just what he needed.

If Vincent was lucky, the demon would remain quiet for a few days until he had time to orient himself. Maybe that was why Lir had summoned him--a demon to fight a demon. The thought made him cringe.

Speaking of Lir. "How exactly did you plan to get off of this island?" Vincent asked. "I'd assume we'd go by Chocobo."

Lir's small form slowed until she was walking beside him. Despite the fact that they had left the city limits over an hour ago, she still spoke in a soft whisper. "No, the only chocobo ranch in Wutai is on the other side of the peninsula. If we go that way, we would be caught for sure. We're taking a skiff."

Vincent stared up at the darkened sky as another bolt of lightning streaked across the blackened night. "Are you sure that is wise? Water and thunderstorms generally don't mix."

Vincent's keen eyesight caught Lir's wince, despite the dim light. Yet another gift from Hojo and those mutated cells. "We don't have any other choice."

/Sure we do. I could transform into Chaos and carry you over. I'm sure he'll be awake in another half an hour or so./ But he would never voice that option. If Chaos didn't scare her, the flight would. Vincent knew enough by now that Chaos could be controlled--he was actually very rational for a demon--but he doubted Lir would trust the creature.

"So be it," he said finally, and followed her into the night.

Author's Comments: Hmm, short chapter, not a whole lot of action, but necessary none the less. The goal here was to cover some background information. The next chapter will have more action. As Vincent said, thunderstorms and water don't mix. Our two heroes will be getting a little wet next chapter…and it won't be from rain.

Also, I am currently looking for a beta reader. I always reread what I write, but there are times (like now), when I am so tired, that I don't always catch everything. If anyone is interested, please contact me. Thanks. And as always, read and review (it makes me happy).