DISCLAIMER: I had nothing to do with the creation of Final Fantasy 7. I
don't own it and I didn't come up with it. I did make up some characters in
this story, but Vincent Valentine is not one of them.
Chapter One
It was a cold night in the mountains near Nibelheim. Vincent Valentine welcomed the cold. Maybe it would steal away his life the way the lives of Lucretia and Aeris and all the rest had been stolen. Lives lost to evil. He stood slowly, stretching his thin frame. Would he ever find peace?
Vincent had felt lost after the defeat of Sephiroth. He had felt like an outsider, not one of the core group. And because of this, he had turned down Cid's offer to travel the continents in the Highwind. He had turned down Yuffie's offer for a free vacation in Wutai. He had turned down Red's offer of a sabbatical at Cosmo Canyon. And he had turned down the offer of Cloud, Tifa, Reeve, and Barrett to go with them to Midgar, where they would attempt to help the city recover from Shinra's maltreatment.
Instead, he had returned here—to Nibelheim. He was going to return to the old Shinra mansion and attempt to recuperate from his sad past.
Slowly, silently, Vincent slipped into Nibelheim. No one saw him come. No one saw him slide cat-like from building to building. No one saw him enter the old mansion.
It was silent and cold inside the Shinra Mansion. Vincent fell a chill run up his slender back as he eyed the familiar sight. The curved staircase, the oddly tiled floors. It was all something he had seen before.
Slowly, he walked towards the staircase.
Suddenly, out of thin air, a ghostly-looking form appeared in front of him. It was a fiend. And it was coming straight for him!
Vincent quickly drew his trusty rifle from where it was strapped at his side. He was ready to do battle. As the fiend circled him, he fired, hitting it twice. It fluttered in front of his face, trying to hypnotize him into sleeping, but he slammed it aside with his gun and fired again. This time, the fiend did not retaliate.
Panting, Vincent rushed past it and up the stairs and sheathed his rifle, turning to the right. He walked down a hallway and through a dusty room that may have been a bedroom once. He immediately crossed the floor to what looked like a stone chimney, rising up through the floor. He tapped its rough surface and it opened up with a crashing sound, revealing a long, curved staircase that spiraled down into darkness. Vincent began walking down the staircase, his every move elegant and cat-like. His tall, lean form moved silently down the stairs, his long black hair trailing behind him in the dusty, stale air. Down and down he went.
Finally, Vincent reached the basement of the old Shinra Mansion. It was just as he had left it on that day when he had joined Cloud and the others—silent and cold, save for the occasional rustling of bats on the ceiling or fiends lurking in the shadows. He prayed there were none to disturb him now. If they did, he might find himself transformed into one of the beasts Hojo the mad scientist had infused into his body.
Vincent kept walking down the misty hallway of the basement until he came to a door, the door to the coffin room, the room that held his coffin, the coffin he had used for a bed as punishment for his failure—his failure to protect the one he loved.
Vincent inserted the key into the lock of the door. As he did so, his touch caused the door to swing opened. He frowned. What was going on? He had not been back in a long time. Who else could be inside?
Slowly, with the skillful grace he so often used, Vincent peeked around the door and into the dank coffin room. It appeared undisturbed. Then, he spied a staff leaning against one of the coffins. It was a staff so like one that Aeris would have used, a wizard's staff. And the lid to his coffin—it was opened.
Cautiously, Vincent crept into the room and closed the door behind him. He made no noise and he tiptoed to the side of the coffin. Taking a deep breath, he peered inside. The sight he saw was beautiful. Inside the coffin laid a sleeping girl in a blue silk dress, her reddish blond hair spread like liquid gold on the coffin's lining. Long, dark lashes fanned across her high cheekbones. Her nose was long and a bit pointed, her brows dark and thick. Freckles settled lightly on her cheeks like sprinklings of tiny rose petals. Her lips were bright pink, her ears tiny and well formed. The girl in the coffin was beautiful.
Vincent for some reason could not help but touch her. His burgundy eyes fixed on her face and his long, slender fingers reached out and brushed her cheek...
Suddenly, the girl screamed and sat up, her gray-green eyes huge. Her hands shot out and clamped onto Vincent's thin wrist. She sat there for a moment, staring at him and panting, then her eyes narrowed and she drew back a hand to slap him.
Vincent gasped in surprise, jerked his arm from her grip, and back-flipped to safety, causing the girl to lose her balance and topple from the coffin.
Quick as a flash, the girl grabbed the wizard's staff, leaped to her feet, and pointed her weapon at Vincent. "Get away from me, Shinra scum!!" she exclaimed. "If you don't, I'll freeze you, burn you, and strike you with lightning!!"
Vincent held his hands in front of him, more scared for the girl than for himself. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Shinra scum? It's been years since I worked for the Turks, girl. I was one of the ones who saved the world from Meteor, remember? If you feel like taking me on, fine, but don't say I didn't warn you. I could take you out before you reached me."
For a moment, there was silence and stillness.
Finally, the girl shrugged and lowered her staff. "You're probably right," she said quietly. "I'm sure you would beat me. I don't—I don't know how to control my magic really..."
"You mean, your materia?" Vincent relaxed and stepped towards her.
"No, my magic. I was born with it. I don't need materia." She held up her staff. "See? No materia. Just—just some kind of metal. I think it's Mithril." She looked at him shyly. "Sorry about attacking you. Since you're not Shinra, who are you?"
"The name is Vincent Valentine." He gave a theatrical bow, throwing his cape behind him. "I was one of Cloud Strife's allies when he saved the world from Sephiroth and the Comet."
"Hmm." The girl stepped away from him. "I—I am Maena Moonglow. I've been running from Shinra all my life. I was so glad when Avalanche took over Midgar, after the Comet and all. I thought Shinra was gone." She shook her head. "But no. They may be the outlaws now, but they pursue me still."
Vincent stared at her. "Just like Aeris."
Maena nodded. "Yes. So some have said. I look like her, I act like her, and Shinra is after me." Maena perched on the edge of one of the closed coffins. "I suppose this is... your room?" She looked up at him with innocent eyes.
Vincent nodded. "Yes. It was for awhile. You see, I don't know what to do now. I'm alone." He shook his head sadly. "Without—without Lucretia..." He stopped. Why was he, the taciturn lone wolf about to tell his sad story to this strange, magical girl creature?
Suddenly, the sound of voices echoed down the hall.
Maena jumped to her feet, clutching her staff with both hands. "Shinra!" she exclaimed, sounding near to tears.
"It's all right," Vincent replied, feeling oddly as if he had found his place. Well, at least it was something to do. If protecting some innocent girl from an outlaw organization was his destiny, then so be it. "We have to get out of here or they'll have us cornered." He went to Maena and took her hand in his. "Follow me, girl—and trust me." He led her from the coffin room as the sound of people coming grew louder.
Vincent and Maena stood in the hallway. Before them was the staircase—and their enemy was coming down it. Behind them were the lab and library. They were trapped.
"We'll have to fight our way out," Vincent said, starting towards the winding staircase. "Come on."
Maena just stood there, frozen, her green eyes wide.
"Come on, Maena!" Vincent jerked her to him and began dragging her along.
Shadows were now visible ahead—shadows of the Shinra hunters.
Vincent switched Maena over to his claw arm and grabbed his rifle. Maena shrank away from his golden claw, but he pulled her tightly to him. "Do you want to die, Maena?" he hissed in her ear. "If not, I suggest you do as I say." She nodded against the side of his chest, shaking with fear. And together, they advanced forward.
Suddenly, just as they were on the staircase, four Shinra materia-hunters leaped out in front of them, all carrying rifles similar to the one Vincent carried.
"Hand over the girl," the leader said in a rough voice. He was a huge, muscular man, nearly six inches taller than Vincent was, and a good hundred pounds heavier.
"I see no reason to," Vincent said coolly, staring down the larger man.
The big man laughed. "Victims aren't usually so confident when faced by Hezekiah Thorn!" he chuckled.
"Never heard of you. Now move aside before I am forced to hurt you all." Vincent pressed Maena closer to his side.
The Shinra men laughed. "Attack!" Thorn shouted.
The three men under him brandished their rifles and aimed them at Vincent. Vincent raised his own weapon. Dodging their bullets, Vincent managed to take out one of the materia hunters.
Thorn just stood there and laughed, watching as Vincent took out yet another of his men.
Just before Vincent could shoot the third, Thorn drew his own weapon—a huge, goden pistol—and took aim, There was a bang and Vincent fell, sliding to the ground at Maena's feet.
Maena felt hot rage surging through her veins like a tide of boiling water. With a cry, she aimed her staff for Thorn's remaining man. Fire shot from her staff and consumed the materia hunter, turning him into a pile of ash in a split second.
Thorn's eyes lit up. "Yes!" he cried. "The magician!" He was behind her before she could react, his arms pinning hers to her sides, his golden pistol aimed at the back of her head. "Now..." He laughed wickedly. "Now you're mine!"
Suddenly, behind him rose a fearsome being, a black, winged, dragon-like thing. It's claws latched onto his shoulder and tossed him aside like a bag of feathers. Thorn leaped to his feet, angry. Maena just stood there, shaking. She looked around for Vincent, but couldn't find him. She didn't know what to do.
The creature again rushed at Thorn. He fired twice, hitting it once. It staggered back, but kept coming. With a strangled cry, Thorn ran for the stairs. Maena ran after him, afraid the black thing would kill her. Instead, it soared past her and went straight for Thorn. Thorn managed to kick it back, then aimed his pistol at Maena. Maena froze.
"If I can't have your magic, I'll see to it that no one can!" Thorn cried. He squeezed the trigger.
And out of nowhere the creature came back. Maena screamed as it threw its dark body between her and Thorn. Overcome by fear, Thorn ran, and as he turned to do so, the bullet hit the winged creature. Maena watched with a macabre fascination as the creature gracefully spiraled down to the floor of the stairwell, then rolled into the basement hallway. For some reason, she knew it had saved her life; it had taken the bullet meant for her. She ran down the stairs and to the creature's side, bending over it. It lifted its dragon's head and smiled at her, then collapsed completely.
Maena just knelt there, in shock.
And suddenly, the thing transformed. In seconds, the huge creature had shrunk into something else completely. It was Vincent Valentine.
Chapter One
It was a cold night in the mountains near Nibelheim. Vincent Valentine welcomed the cold. Maybe it would steal away his life the way the lives of Lucretia and Aeris and all the rest had been stolen. Lives lost to evil. He stood slowly, stretching his thin frame. Would he ever find peace?
Vincent had felt lost after the defeat of Sephiroth. He had felt like an outsider, not one of the core group. And because of this, he had turned down Cid's offer to travel the continents in the Highwind. He had turned down Yuffie's offer for a free vacation in Wutai. He had turned down Red's offer of a sabbatical at Cosmo Canyon. And he had turned down the offer of Cloud, Tifa, Reeve, and Barrett to go with them to Midgar, where they would attempt to help the city recover from Shinra's maltreatment.
Instead, he had returned here—to Nibelheim. He was going to return to the old Shinra mansion and attempt to recuperate from his sad past.
Slowly, silently, Vincent slipped into Nibelheim. No one saw him come. No one saw him slide cat-like from building to building. No one saw him enter the old mansion.
It was silent and cold inside the Shinra Mansion. Vincent fell a chill run up his slender back as he eyed the familiar sight. The curved staircase, the oddly tiled floors. It was all something he had seen before.
Slowly, he walked towards the staircase.
Suddenly, out of thin air, a ghostly-looking form appeared in front of him. It was a fiend. And it was coming straight for him!
Vincent quickly drew his trusty rifle from where it was strapped at his side. He was ready to do battle. As the fiend circled him, he fired, hitting it twice. It fluttered in front of his face, trying to hypnotize him into sleeping, but he slammed it aside with his gun and fired again. This time, the fiend did not retaliate.
Panting, Vincent rushed past it and up the stairs and sheathed his rifle, turning to the right. He walked down a hallway and through a dusty room that may have been a bedroom once. He immediately crossed the floor to what looked like a stone chimney, rising up through the floor. He tapped its rough surface and it opened up with a crashing sound, revealing a long, curved staircase that spiraled down into darkness. Vincent began walking down the staircase, his every move elegant and cat-like. His tall, lean form moved silently down the stairs, his long black hair trailing behind him in the dusty, stale air. Down and down he went.
Finally, Vincent reached the basement of the old Shinra Mansion. It was just as he had left it on that day when he had joined Cloud and the others—silent and cold, save for the occasional rustling of bats on the ceiling or fiends lurking in the shadows. He prayed there were none to disturb him now. If they did, he might find himself transformed into one of the beasts Hojo the mad scientist had infused into his body.
Vincent kept walking down the misty hallway of the basement until he came to a door, the door to the coffin room, the room that held his coffin, the coffin he had used for a bed as punishment for his failure—his failure to protect the one he loved.
Vincent inserted the key into the lock of the door. As he did so, his touch caused the door to swing opened. He frowned. What was going on? He had not been back in a long time. Who else could be inside?
Slowly, with the skillful grace he so often used, Vincent peeked around the door and into the dank coffin room. It appeared undisturbed. Then, he spied a staff leaning against one of the coffins. It was a staff so like one that Aeris would have used, a wizard's staff. And the lid to his coffin—it was opened.
Cautiously, Vincent crept into the room and closed the door behind him. He made no noise and he tiptoed to the side of the coffin. Taking a deep breath, he peered inside. The sight he saw was beautiful. Inside the coffin laid a sleeping girl in a blue silk dress, her reddish blond hair spread like liquid gold on the coffin's lining. Long, dark lashes fanned across her high cheekbones. Her nose was long and a bit pointed, her brows dark and thick. Freckles settled lightly on her cheeks like sprinklings of tiny rose petals. Her lips were bright pink, her ears tiny and well formed. The girl in the coffin was beautiful.
Vincent for some reason could not help but touch her. His burgundy eyes fixed on her face and his long, slender fingers reached out and brushed her cheek...
Suddenly, the girl screamed and sat up, her gray-green eyes huge. Her hands shot out and clamped onto Vincent's thin wrist. She sat there for a moment, staring at him and panting, then her eyes narrowed and she drew back a hand to slap him.
Vincent gasped in surprise, jerked his arm from her grip, and back-flipped to safety, causing the girl to lose her balance and topple from the coffin.
Quick as a flash, the girl grabbed the wizard's staff, leaped to her feet, and pointed her weapon at Vincent. "Get away from me, Shinra scum!!" she exclaimed. "If you don't, I'll freeze you, burn you, and strike you with lightning!!"
Vincent held his hands in front of him, more scared for the girl than for himself. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Shinra scum? It's been years since I worked for the Turks, girl. I was one of the ones who saved the world from Meteor, remember? If you feel like taking me on, fine, but don't say I didn't warn you. I could take you out before you reached me."
For a moment, there was silence and stillness.
Finally, the girl shrugged and lowered her staff. "You're probably right," she said quietly. "I'm sure you would beat me. I don't—I don't know how to control my magic really..."
"You mean, your materia?" Vincent relaxed and stepped towards her.
"No, my magic. I was born with it. I don't need materia." She held up her staff. "See? No materia. Just—just some kind of metal. I think it's Mithril." She looked at him shyly. "Sorry about attacking you. Since you're not Shinra, who are you?"
"The name is Vincent Valentine." He gave a theatrical bow, throwing his cape behind him. "I was one of Cloud Strife's allies when he saved the world from Sephiroth and the Comet."
"Hmm." The girl stepped away from him. "I—I am Maena Moonglow. I've been running from Shinra all my life. I was so glad when Avalanche took over Midgar, after the Comet and all. I thought Shinra was gone." She shook her head. "But no. They may be the outlaws now, but they pursue me still."
Vincent stared at her. "Just like Aeris."
Maena nodded. "Yes. So some have said. I look like her, I act like her, and Shinra is after me." Maena perched on the edge of one of the closed coffins. "I suppose this is... your room?" She looked up at him with innocent eyes.
Vincent nodded. "Yes. It was for awhile. You see, I don't know what to do now. I'm alone." He shook his head sadly. "Without—without Lucretia..." He stopped. Why was he, the taciturn lone wolf about to tell his sad story to this strange, magical girl creature?
Suddenly, the sound of voices echoed down the hall.
Maena jumped to her feet, clutching her staff with both hands. "Shinra!" she exclaimed, sounding near to tears.
"It's all right," Vincent replied, feeling oddly as if he had found his place. Well, at least it was something to do. If protecting some innocent girl from an outlaw organization was his destiny, then so be it. "We have to get out of here or they'll have us cornered." He went to Maena and took her hand in his. "Follow me, girl—and trust me." He led her from the coffin room as the sound of people coming grew louder.
Vincent and Maena stood in the hallway. Before them was the staircase—and their enemy was coming down it. Behind them were the lab and library. They were trapped.
"We'll have to fight our way out," Vincent said, starting towards the winding staircase. "Come on."
Maena just stood there, frozen, her green eyes wide.
"Come on, Maena!" Vincent jerked her to him and began dragging her along.
Shadows were now visible ahead—shadows of the Shinra hunters.
Vincent switched Maena over to his claw arm and grabbed his rifle. Maena shrank away from his golden claw, but he pulled her tightly to him. "Do you want to die, Maena?" he hissed in her ear. "If not, I suggest you do as I say." She nodded against the side of his chest, shaking with fear. And together, they advanced forward.
Suddenly, just as they were on the staircase, four Shinra materia-hunters leaped out in front of them, all carrying rifles similar to the one Vincent carried.
"Hand over the girl," the leader said in a rough voice. He was a huge, muscular man, nearly six inches taller than Vincent was, and a good hundred pounds heavier.
"I see no reason to," Vincent said coolly, staring down the larger man.
The big man laughed. "Victims aren't usually so confident when faced by Hezekiah Thorn!" he chuckled.
"Never heard of you. Now move aside before I am forced to hurt you all." Vincent pressed Maena closer to his side.
The Shinra men laughed. "Attack!" Thorn shouted.
The three men under him brandished their rifles and aimed them at Vincent. Vincent raised his own weapon. Dodging their bullets, Vincent managed to take out one of the materia hunters.
Thorn just stood there and laughed, watching as Vincent took out yet another of his men.
Just before Vincent could shoot the third, Thorn drew his own weapon—a huge, goden pistol—and took aim, There was a bang and Vincent fell, sliding to the ground at Maena's feet.
Maena felt hot rage surging through her veins like a tide of boiling water. With a cry, she aimed her staff for Thorn's remaining man. Fire shot from her staff and consumed the materia hunter, turning him into a pile of ash in a split second.
Thorn's eyes lit up. "Yes!" he cried. "The magician!" He was behind her before she could react, his arms pinning hers to her sides, his golden pistol aimed at the back of her head. "Now..." He laughed wickedly. "Now you're mine!"
Suddenly, behind him rose a fearsome being, a black, winged, dragon-like thing. It's claws latched onto his shoulder and tossed him aside like a bag of feathers. Thorn leaped to his feet, angry. Maena just stood there, shaking. She looked around for Vincent, but couldn't find him. She didn't know what to do.
The creature again rushed at Thorn. He fired twice, hitting it once. It staggered back, but kept coming. With a strangled cry, Thorn ran for the stairs. Maena ran after him, afraid the black thing would kill her. Instead, it soared past her and went straight for Thorn. Thorn managed to kick it back, then aimed his pistol at Maena. Maena froze.
"If I can't have your magic, I'll see to it that no one can!" Thorn cried. He squeezed the trigger.
And out of nowhere the creature came back. Maena screamed as it threw its dark body between her and Thorn. Overcome by fear, Thorn ran, and as he turned to do so, the bullet hit the winged creature. Maena watched with a macabre fascination as the creature gracefully spiraled down to the floor of the stairwell, then rolled into the basement hallway. For some reason, she knew it had saved her life; it had taken the bullet meant for her. She ran down the stairs and to the creature's side, bending over it. It lifted its dragon's head and smiled at her, then collapsed completely.
Maena just knelt there, in shock.
And suddenly, the thing transformed. In seconds, the huge creature had shrunk into something else completely. It was Vincent Valentine.