A/N: Well, long time, no update! This one, oddly enough, is my most popular story so far, I think. Is it because of Vincent? I hope so. It would make him happy, which isn't easy, let me just say. For anybody interested, A Time Before Nightfall, my prequel work and baby, has copious amounts of Vincenty goodness. And Rufus, Hojo, Cid, Barrett, and even the Turks. So come on then! Read it! And for AVALANCE: The KH Remix, read When You Wish Upon A Star, especially for those who like Kairi. Even for those who don't, I've been told my Kairi is better than the sometimes-annoying one in the game, so give it a read anyway. It might change your mind. Ok, enough with the plugging, let's keep on trucking…yeah. Disney and Squaresoft own all.

…

So He's NOT A Vampire…

…

The Trinity was stunned into silence. Sora was the first to speak. "Vincent Valentine?"

The man nodded. Sora cocked his head to one side. "What the heck kinda name is that?"

The man had a slightly puzzled look on his face. "I…don't know," he said, still very slowly and sadly. "I suppose I never really though about it."

Sora sighed. "Well, then, Mr. Valentine, how did you end up in this freaky coffin-thingie?"

"Yeah," Donald sputtered. "Are you a Heartless or what?"

Vincent drew himself up, and a second emotion- anger- crossed his long face. "A Heartless? You think I'm one of those, those monsters?"

Goofy waved his hands in front of him. "Hold your horses just a minute there, sir. We don't mean no offense or nothin' like that."

Sora nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We're just curious. I mean, come on, it is a bit suspicious that you're sleeping in a coffin with the Heartless symbol on it- wait…pale, dark hair, wears blood-red clothes, coffin…you're not a vampire, are you?"

Donald's eyes opened wide in panic. The duck assumed a defensive position, wand at the ready. "Foul creature!"

The man laughed mirthlessly. "Oh no, my friends, I'm no vampire. Although I am a Count. Or, at least, I was one. I'm perfectly alive, so far as I can tell."

His stomach suddenly grumbled. "And perfectly famished, as well. It seems like years since I've eaten."

Sora grinned. Here was something he could understand. "Well, then, come on. We've got food in our ship."

Donald whispered to Goofy suddenly, "Are you sure we can trust him?"

Goofy just thumped his feathered companion on the shoulder, almost toppling the bird over. "Come on, now, ya think we should worry? Sora can take care o' him if something goes wrong."

Donald nodded uneasily. "I suppose."

The two friends followed as Sora led their newest acquaintance back towards their ship. Donald was still watching the strange man, as well as his even stranger claw. The duck could sense something not quite right about him, not quite…human.

Sora was also watching Vincent. The Wielder found it kind of weird that the man was looking at the ship like he had never been in one before. But if that's the case, how did he end up here?

Hmm…food first, questions and stories later. Sounds like a plan.

…

Half an hour later, the four were sitting on the floor of the new ship, christened The Mickey by Donald, eating sandwiches that Goofy had prepared. Vincent Valentine made a curious sight, sitting cross-legged in his grand clothing, taking enormous bites of egg salad. Sora gulped down his food and waited for the others to finish. When they had, he turned to the…un-vampire in front of him.

"So."

Vincent looked up. "So?"

"So…how did you end up in there?"

"I…don't know. I have no idea. The last thing I remember is being attacked by Heartless in Tortuga…and I told Shera to go, to save herself, and then…it all went dark. The next thing I knew, you were looking at me."

Donald piped up, "Do you have any idea what might have happened?"

Vincent shook his head, sending long strands of ebony hair swirling about his shoulders. "No, I mean, I thought I was dead…surely Ansem had no use for me, so I thought he just wanted me dead."

The Trinity jumped in their seated positions. "Ansem?"

Vincent didn't look up. "Yes, the false King of the Bastion," he snapped viciously, "Commander of the Heartless, traitor to the human race, and most appallingly," he paused, "My cousin."

Sora was shocked. The thought of Ansem having any kind of family had never occurred to him. "You sure about that?"

Vincent raised his eyebrow. "Yes…why wouldn't I be? My cousin is the reason the universe is the way it is."

Donald coughed lightly. "Well, he was the reason."

Sora nodded. "I don't know how to say this…but he's dead. Ansem was consumed by the darkness. I was there."

Vincent gripped Sora's shoulders with sudden force, peering into Sora's blue eyes with his own intense red. "What? How could you…who are you?"

Sora shrugged. "I'm kind of the Keyblade Master. I go around defeating evil and…stuff."

Vincent sucked in a breath, and released Sora from his grip. "And you defeated that imposter, that…murderer?"

Sora was a little bit scared by the sheer venom that entered the man's voice when he spoke of Ansem, but he nodded. "With my friends' help."

"How long have I been gone? Well, you wouldn't know, but how long has it been since the Bastion fell?"

Sora counted in his head. "Well, about nine and a half years."

"That makes seven years unaccounted for. Frightening. Anyway, I thank you all for defeating Ansem, but I must admit, I would have liked to take my revenge on him myself."

"Revenge?" Goofy asked, in his blunt manner. "What did he do ta you?"

Vincent stood, crossing over to the viewport. "Look at this," he said. "The stars are still going out. If that man…if he hadn't…he destroyed my world. He possibly killed my best friend, broke so many hearts, and he…he killed my wife, and my son."

Vincent's voice had broken, and he was leaning against the bulwark. Goofy placed a large hand on his shoulder. "I'm so…I'm so sorry." Sora was surprised to note that his tall companion sounded more adult than he ever had before. The boy shot Donald a confused look, and the duck just shook his head. Not now.

Vincent sighed heavily. "In any case, I'm glad he's gone. But…what happens now?"

Sora shrugged again. "No clue. We're still searching for someone."

He went on to explain their general mission, and, tentatively, began to tell his story, from the Destiny Islands onward. Vincent seemed to enjoy the tale, leaning back and closing his eyes. Sora felt good that he could help this tortured soul, even a little bit.

"- and then, I went into this shop, to look for Kairi and Riku, and that's where I met this old guy, well, maybe not old, but old enough to be my dad, and his name was Cid. He was really grumpy and all that stuff, and…"

Vincent opened his eyes. "Cid, you say? What did he look like?"

"Big, blond, he had goggles on, he liked to chew on a toothpick. He told me it was because he quit-."

"Because he quite smoking," Vincent interrupted, interested. "Where was he from, I mean, before Traverse Town?"

"He was from…hey, he was from the Hollow Bastion, just like Yuffie, and Aerith, and Leon. They were the other people in Traverse Town."

Vincent smiled for the first time since his coffin was opened. "I can't believe it. Cid's alive. And little Yuffie, and…Leon must be Squall. I don't know the Aerith girl, but that's amazing. Where are they now?"

Sora grinned. "They went back to the Hollow Bastion after I sealed it. They're probably still there. I could take you to them, if we could find our way back."

Donald opened his beak to protest, but thought better of it. Maybe going back to the Bastion would give them valuable clues to help them save the King.

Vincent seemed a bit distraught. "To go back there…so many ghosts. But, to find the living, I suppose sometimes we must put the dead to rest."

Sora wished Vincent wouldn't talk about death quite so much, but other than that, the man was awfully polite and nice. Who knows? Maybe we've found a new friend. I still want to ask about that claw, but I don't think he'd appreciate it. He reminds of Riku like that. He has his secrets.

Goofy chuckled. "Well, if we're goin' back, we'd best get ta work. It won't be easy figuring out the route by hand!"

Donald nodded. "I'll help, if you two want to get some sleep."

Sora yawned. A nap was in order. Vincent, however, shook his head. "I shall attempt to assist you all in this. I've had enough sleep for a while, thank you."

"Suit yourself," said the duck, as they all headed to the cockpit. Sora went into the back to take a nap. Donald still felt a bit uneasy about the man. Seven years he can't remember? And one thing's for sure: he's not normal.

Then what is he?

…

A/N: Wow. It thickens. Review if you want more. To figure out what's up with Vincent, first consider his FF7 condition. Then read my prequel story to see the forces plotting against our friend. And yeah, his wife and son are in that too. It's a twisted storyline that you just have to follow, please! And review.