AN: 12/5/04. Revised. I didn't like how I ended this chapter particularly. And T. Pirate was kind enough to point it out too. So, I changed it up a bit. Makes things longer. I'll have a new chapter sometime soon hopefully, once I get my homework done. (looks up and whistles)

avalon-chan: Looks like someone has read Obsession carefully. I do realize that I have explained the idea before, but the redundancy was intended. I really wanted the idea of an Emotive to be clear. Even still, you can interpret things however you want, as I left certain details purposefully vague. I'm glad to see that someone read the prequel well, though. Thank you.

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Chapter 13 – Alla Zoppa

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All was sound and smell in her mind. Her eyes betrayed her, as did her hands, but her ears and nose and mouth... they never did. In battle, she relied on them; she knew the sound of metal slicing air, slicing armor, and slicing flesh. The scent of metal also changed in different elements, taking on the properties of the medium.

"What do your senses tell you?" Godo told her, placing the blindfold over her eyes.

She had screamed, smelling the preemptive blood and gun metal. Her hands and eyes were numb. Her heart was beating so fast, and she didn't know why. She didn't know why she ran here either. She couldn't see, with her eyes shut so tight. So she heard it all first, after the rawness of her throat gave way.

A gunshot. Tifa's strained voice. Metal hitting the floor. A body hitting the floor. Another scream.

What do they tell you now Yuffie?

Her nostrils filled with gun smoke, causing her to choke it back silently. Once her lungs had cleared, she smelled metal. Metal tinged with blood. And more blood, the air was filled with the scent of blood...

Cloth ripping and a pained moan assailed her ears.

She opened her eyes.

Vincent and Tifa were crouched over Cloud, wrapping his arm with a red cloth. Tifa's fingers trembled as she muttered something, while Vincent's face watched her with little expression.

"What the HELL is going on?!" Yuffie screeched, regaining her voice. Vincent looked up, calmly turning his head to her.

"I shot him," he replied, like she had just asked him whether or not it was raining outside. She blinked.

Is he... no, he can't be...

"W-what happened to me?" Cloud breathed out, clear blue eyes scanning the blood around him, "Where did all this blood come from?" Tifa sobbed a little, but her eyes held no warmth for him. Vincent turned back to what he had been doing; applying pressure with another torn piece of his cloak to a small gash on Tifa's back.

There's so much blood, and they're acting so calm, so strange, but Cloud's eyes... they don't look so cold... and what the hell happened...?

"He's not dead?" Yuffie whispered, eliciting an odd hoarse laugh from Cloud.

"He'll live," Vincent muttered, with the best indications that it was purposeful. Yuffie relaxed. Tifa finished with the bandage and slumped back, leaning against Vincent.

"What happened? Why did you shoot Cloud? Why are you cut?" Yuffie stammered out, shakily walking closer to the odd scene, shuriken still gripped in her hand.

He shot Cloud. He shot Cloud. What the fuck? He shot him. He shot him...

"He was so cold," Tifa whimpered, pressing closer to Vincent's crouched form, "Just like..." He whispered something into her ear and she stopped, giving Yuffie a shaky smile.

"Vincent!" Yuffie said sharply, brows furrowed in anger, "You shot him!" Vincent sighed.

"How often do I miss?" he let out, trying to move Tifa to stand. Yuffie opened her mouth, but then promptly closed it.

So he wasn't trying to kill him... what was he doing?

"Can I sleep?" Cloud asked humorlessly, "I feel... tired..." Yuffie knelt down, and clasped his hand.

"Sure, just don't bitch at me about it," she muttered, giving him a wry grin. He smiled and closed his eyes.

Later...

The gash only stung when she turned a certain way. It wasn't deep; she had experienced worse cuts in battle. It only hurt when she let it, she realized, but it was slowly pulling her mind out of the numbness that had taken over.

What happened? Why was he so... cold?

Tifa shivered. He was sleeping now, in her room. She couldn't let him sleep in the children's dormitory room, and didn't want small prying eyes to bother him on the couch. She was glad that Shera had kept them all within the classroom when the shot rang out; that woman's motherly instincts were enough to lock the door and tell the children to huddle under their desks.

The older children looked the most frightened when she came to get them. Their hollow eyes reminded her of the state in which she found most of them. She and Vincent made sure to clean up the blood and get Cloud out of sight before cautiously knocking on the door and giving Shera the all clear. She especially didn't want Kale to see him; for it was Cloud who caught the boy picking his pockets and brought him to Tifa.

Enough Tifa! Memory won't do any good. Memory only brings sadness... and guilt....

"Godammit Vince!" Yuffie's clear and high voice screeched, "Cut the damn cryptic shit. Tell me what's wrong with Cloud!"

Hours had passed from Tifa's unsteady gaze. The uneasy sleep of the children allowed for the remaining adults to speak with each other, but for the past hour, no one spoke. Yuffie's quiet form unsettled Tifa the most; she was used to Vincent's silence. Hearing the young woman's demands put a tired smile on Tifa's face.

Yuffie seems the farthest removed from this mess... but that can't be true. Anyone who cares for Cloud ends up with his problems. Even Aeris, for that short while, hidden underneath that good natured laugh and beyond her fate there was that tinge of helplessness. That's what it is. He makes you feel helpless.

She shook her head. Memory again. She wanted to shake it all off. Luckily, Yuffie was persistent in her demands, and her voice gave Tifa something to focus on.

"He's not right, Vincent! And you shot him!" Yuffie continued, with her controlled hysterics, "What the hell happened!" Vincent stared down at her, the inner struggle for truth evident by his tightened neck muscles. Then he averted his eyes from her.

"How far are you willing to go?" he asked, his voice low, "Are you a mercenary or a friend? You cannot be both." Yuffie glared at him angrily, despising the calmness of his voice.

"She's already in far enough, Vincent," Tifa said weakly causing the other two to turn and look at her. It was almost as if they had forgotten she was there. She cleared her throat.

"And besides, it's my fault anyway. You shouldn't be concerned with her loyalty," she continued, her voice warming up, "I think we all deserve an explanation." She gritted her teeth on the last part. Vincent looked away as her tone changed, and she regretted it instantly.

There was something else, something important just happened... something Vincent said...

"My notes are on the table," he said coolly, indicating with a flick of his hand. Yuffie trotted over, giving Tifa a flash of a smile. Tifa felt too tired to smile back. They all settled in their seats. Vincent shuffled through the papers, and raised on eyebrow to Tifa.

"Maybe I should start?" she said, catching his subtle hint. Yuffie let out an impatient breath.

She explained what she knew about Surrender to Yuffie. How he had posed as Cloud for those years, and how she later discovered that Cloud's spirit was bound to it somehow. How after he had come back from limbo, they thought it was gone. How Cloud had seemed fine, so they didn't feel the need to watch him carefully. He checked in enough with the former teammates to allow Tifa to get too comfortable.

"We didn't tell anyone about Surrender," Tifa said with the quiver returning to her voice, "Because we wanted to give him a chance to be normal again. For him to find out what he wanted. I suggested that he travel for a year or so and come and tell me about it when he was done. I thought..." Vincent cleared his throat.

"That's enough for now," he said gently. Tifa nodded.

Vincent, help me... I can't save him. He always makes me feel so helpless. But you said something to me, what did you say? Why can't I remember?

"Shit, he's more fucked up than I thought," Yuffie commented, balancing her chair on two of its legs, "So he's possessed then, right?" Vincent shook his head.

"Maybe before, when he and Surrender were separate entities," he said slowly, eyes downcast, "but that is not the case anymore." Yuffie blinked.

"Come again?" she said, leaning forward and letting the airborne chair legs land with a thunk on the wood floor.

"I'm saying that if things progress as they have thus far," he spoke with a low tone, eyes transfixed in front of him, "There will be no way to tell the difference."

Then Surrender will consume him. Oh no...

"Why would that happen? What is Surrender, really?" Tifa asked, hands clasped in front of her. Vincent took a deep breath.

"Have you ever been angry enough to want to kill someone?" he murmured, his tones low and silky, "Or envious? Or consumed by desire?" She nodded, and glanced over at Yuffie, who had lean back again in her chair.

"Well, Tiveph discovered that something unusual happens with the human spirit," he continued, his voice more tangible, "If triggered with the proper catalyst, it can spawn another pseudo consciousness. It will remain dormant in the person unless it is properly awakened." Tifa stared at him wide eyed, while Yuffie leaned forward with another satisfying thunk.

What did the Legend say? Something familiar. Oh, "Of these weaknesses of man, take caution to moderate the seven most deadly: sloth, lust, envy, greed, gluttony, anger, and pride. Take heed lest you awaken the destroyer of souls; the schism of the mind."

"Vince..." she whispered, reaching over to grab his hand, "Is that what happened to... Sephiroth?" He shook his head. She turned her eyes downward.

"How can I help?" Yuffie asked, her tone usually quiet, which elicited a wane smile from Tifa.

"We must wake him up," he said, looking up and meeting Tifa's eyes. She stared for a moment, silence among the three calming her now. She stared long and hard at him, unable to look away. There was something there, something strange. His face was neither kind nor hard, but not distant. It was pained and lined, but somewhere in his slightly glowing eyes, lingered something else.

Is that hope, Vincent Valentine? Do I see hope in your eyes?

"If you would like to help him through this," he continued, unmoving, "I will not stop you." His hand twitched underneath hers, startling her, for she had forgotten it was still placed there.

You're not... jealous, are you?

"I don't know," she said, removing her hand, "Maybe I shouldn't speak with him yet. He seems so angry..." Vincent looked back down at the table. Tifa glanced over at Yuffie, who was pretending that she wasn't watching their every move.

Maybe there's someone else, someone with more sense...

The shinobi noticed her attention, and flashed Tifa a quick grin. She returned it, and then glanced back over at Vincent. He had been looking up, and averted his eyes as soon as she looked at him.

You're hiding something from me! How could you? Of all people...

"I need to get some air," she said, swallowing a lump in her throat, "I just need to get out..." Vincent raised his head as if to stop her, but then looked down at the table again. She frowned, standing up from her seat, noisily scraping the chair as she moved it. He did not move.

"So cold," she whispered, closing her eyes. Then she calmly started walking towards the door.

This is what you get, Tifa. For your locked heart. If only I had said something sooner...

Her eyes blurred, and she started running, breaking free of the warmth of the house. Her feet knew where to go, that was never the problem. Her body didn't need a heart, it didn't need a mind. It could kill and it could defend; it was trained and honed. She only wished that internally she could be so secure.

With the slam of the door he finally looked up, eyes transfixed on the path of her flight. He was frozen in the moment, his face confused and hurt, an odd show of humanity on his part.

"Go after her, you idiot," Yuffie demanded, pulling some of the papers in front of her, "I'll educate myself. Go!"

He smirked at her, before getting up from his seat.

"There are bigger problems than men and women, you know," he said, his feet tugging at him to leave. Yuffie grinned.

"Not from where I'm sitting," she said, as he disappeared from sight.

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AN: Stupid horizontal rule won't work...

Theme songs: Staff Roll ATLUS (Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne Soundtrack) and Just Get through This Night Styx