Chapter 2

Parents Lost

Vincent was stretched out on the roof of Michiko's cabin, a cigarette between his lips, awaiting the arrival of Kali. The sun hadn't come out yet. The clouds were dark and thick, hinting at another snowstorm. He sighed, a puff of smoke escaping his mouth as he did so. Eyes closed, he began thinking of his deceased friend. Vincent cringed slightly as he thought about the day Sephiroth died on that far away world full of contests of strength. Presently, he sighed again and promptly began choking on the ashes from his cigarette that had dropped into his mouth. He spit over the gutter and flung the stick into the snow below. He looked towards the driveway.

"Where are you?" he uttered under his breath. Vincent stretched and closed his eyes again and began to doze. While he slept, he dreamed the sweetest yet most heart-wrenching dreams he'd had in a long time. Sephiroth was in one dream, playing with his young daughter and older son in Nibelheim, oblivious to what was in the basement of the mansion. In another, Lucrecia sat with Vincent on the beach at Costa del Sol while Hojo studied some sea creatures several yards away. Then there was the dream with Yuffie. Over the past twenty years, he had been dreaming of her the way he used to dream of Lucrecia almost fifty years ago now. He woke with a start, though, when he dreamt that he and Yuffie were making out when a Shuriken came ripping through her stomach. Upon waking, he shuddered at the memory of watching her die fifteen years ago, shortly before he and Sephiroth began their friendship and Vincent was forced to confront his negative feelings for Cloud Strife and the AVALANCHE group. He closed his eyes, forcing the painful memories out of his mind. A cry from the house brought him out of his unwanted reminiscing.

"Vincent!" came the harsh voice. Michiko began to have a coughing fit afterwards.

"About time," he muttered. He leaned over the roof to see a figure with silver and black hair and a black trench coat standing by the front door. He jumped off the roof and walked around front.

"You're supposed to be out here, Vincent," Kali muttered to herself.

"Kali Yori, I presume?" Vincent asked as he came around the corner. "My name is Vincent."

"Oh!" she exclaimed when she turned around. "Yes, I am. I'm honored to meet you."

"Don't waste your honor on one such as myself."

"Huh?" she gasped. She looked him over. He was nothing like she had expected; his black hair was cut very short. He wore a blood-red bandana around his forehead and a matching cape that had a collar so high, it partially hid his mouth. His t-shirt and pants were black, his boots were dark brown with pieces of overlapping gold covering the tops, and his irises were blood red. She also turned her attention to the gun holster strapped to his leg and the pistol contained in it. None of these things really stood out, though, compared to his left arm. His right hand was normal with a black glove not unlike those she wore, but the left was a gold gauntlet from the elbow down. Vincent noticed her staring and quickly hid it in the folds of his cloak.

"A most unfortunate accident almost fifty years ago. Now, it's getting colder. Come inside," he offered, opening the door and ushering her in. Kali entered gladly. Vincent helped carry her bags to her room. He put his cloak and her coat into the closet by the door. Kali realized that he was quite scrawny for a man when he was without the cape. When she was settled, he began to make her some hot chocolate.

"I like your tattoos, by the way. I didn't think someone your age would get them," Vincent commented. Kali reached behind her back and rubbed the two wings printed between her shoulder blades. The right one was black and resembled the feathery wing of a bird while the left was white and the leathery wing of a dragon.

"I got them a few months ago. The headmistress of the orphanage was furious, but she got used to it. Now, I don't mean to sound rude, but how old are you?" Kali asked, sitting at the table and watching the man. "Anima said you were twice her age, but you don't look a day over twenty-five."

"Hmm," Vincent chuckled. "You met Anima already, huh? She's something, isn't she?"

"The carriages weren't operating and she heard me arguing with the manager, so she gave me a ride here. And you didn't answer my question. Thanks," she added, accepting a mug of steaming chocolate. Vincent sat with her.

"In reality, I am seventy-six years old. But you see me as I was at twenty-seven. You see, when I was at the age you see me now, a man who used to be my friend, Doctor Hojo, decided to… experiment, shall I say, with life and death. He chose me as his subject. He shot me in the head, and I died instantly," he said calmly, taking a long drink from his mug.

"Ack!" Kali nearly choked on her drink. "You're… you're un…"

"Undead, yes. He brought me back with this," he said, holding up his gauntlet. "He grafted this gauntlet onto my arm shortly after my passing. The magic it possesses is so strong, it brought me back from the dead. In life, it makes the wearer immortal. It can not easily be removed."

"But why would anyone do that to you?" Kali asked shakily.

"I really should wait. It's all very confusing, even to me."

"I can deal with it," Kali assured him. He looked her in the eyes. There was no hint of lying in them.

"Okay, then. His experiments would have killed a normal human. He needed someone who would not die easily. Because of this thing, I cannot die until it is removed. If it's removed surgically, I will most likely live. That, however, is impossible for any doctor except for him, and he died years ago. And so…" he looked down at his mug. "If I lose it in a fight, which is the most likely to happen, and am not given medical attention immediately, I'll most likely die soon after from blood loss alone."

"You look like a normal human to me. Well, except for your arm. What exactly did he do to you?" she inquired. Vincent looked towards her.

"Things. I saw some books among your belongings by an author named Anne Rice. She wrote of vampires, correct?"

"Yes," Kali whispered, glad to hear that someone else had an interest in such things.

"Then you know that you should avoid me on the full moon."

"Huh?"

"One thing Hojo did was turn me into a werewolf. A sort of mutant, to be more accurate. I can change my form to four others at will, but there is one special one that I take only on the full moon."

"A vampire?" Kali guessed.

"But not one that you would think. Like I said, Hojo originally made me a werewolf. After he… altered me, he laid me to rest in a coffin for safekeeping in the basement of a mansion in a city called Nibelheim. You will hear that name again when you speak with your mother this afternoon," he added.

"I see," Kali nodded slowly, becoming more used to the idea of conversing with the undead every minute. "So how did you become a vampire if he made you a werewolf?"

"There tend to be bats in old basements," he continued casually. He pulled on the collar of his shirt to reveal two perfectly round scars exactly two inches apart on his neck. "One tends to get bitten by a true vampire when he's around that many bloodsuckers."

"Oh, my…" Kali gasped. She was shaking slightly now. She reached out a hand. "Oh. I shouldn't."

"Go ahead. I don't mind. It hasn't hurt since the day I was bitten," he whispered. Kali brushed her fingers over the holes on the pale neck as Vincent kept explaining. "I was unable to become a full vampire because of several events earlier in my life. One event was my becoming a werewolf. The two cancelled each other out in a sense, so I can go out in the daytime without fear of heat stroke, and I only need to drink blood on the night of the full moon. I can change my physical appearance whenever I want, such as in a battle, instead of only on the full moon. Also," he turned a little red as he continued. "I was not… technically speaking… a virgin, when I was bitten. Only virgins, male or female, can become true vampires."

"You would have become a ghoul, then," Kali added. "So why are you part vampire?"

"Before Hojo put me down, I had…" he paused to think of a way to continue without embarrassing the girl. "Intimate relations, let's say, with a certain woman who I cared for very much. When I was resurrected, I guess you could say I had a second life in which I was a virgin. The two merged in a sense, so I was both a virgin and not one, if that's even possible. Since just before I died, I never slept with another woman. You can put your mind at ease if that's a worry you had about your mother and I," he added with a slight smile. Kali couldn't help smiling, too. He had a nice grin, one that made everyone else around him smirk whether they wanted to or not. "Because I was a virgin in my new life, the life in which I was bitten, I was able to retain two parts of the vampire's traits: I must have blood once a month, and my eyes are now red instead of the brown they used to be. Like I said though, thanks to the wolf gene, I cannot retain any others. I can't turn into a bat, my shadow makes even the darkest halls just a bit darker, and you will always find my reflection when you gaze into a mirror with me. Garlic is a favorite food of mine, as well," he added with a chuckle.

"Wow. I never thought that vampires actually existed. How did this man (Hojo, was it?) gain such knowledge of magic to make that gauntlet?" Kali asked in awe. Vincent threw his head back and drained his mug before he answered.

"Easy. He, your father and I are from another planet in which magic and monsters are both abundant."

"WHAT?" Kali yelled. She stood and backed into a wall. In doing so, she knocked her mug to the floor, spilling hot liquid. "So you're an alien. And my father was an alien," she whispered. Realization dawned. "Oh, shit! That makes me one!"

"Kali, take it easy," he insisted calmly. He began to clean up the spill. "We aren't aliens. We're human, just like your mother, Anima, her husband, and anyone else you've known and will know here. I should not say we are from another world. Another dimension would be more accurate. Our dimension is an alternate version of this in the sense that we have monsters and are more technologically advanced. You're mother can explain better as she and Anima were the ones to discover this."

"You keep saying my mother can explain. When the hell am I going to get to talk to her?" Kali snapped. She was just under the point of hysterics.

"Right after lunch. She is very ill right now. She'll feel better this afternoon," Vincent explained in another attempt to calm her. "It's ten o'clock now. Wait two more hours and all will be revealed to you. Now, why don't you lie down? You look like you've had a rough ride getting here."

"It was fine until I spoke to you," she said quietly. Vincent looked down at the floor.

"I suppose I should have waited to tell you all of that. I apologize. Let me go speak with your mother. Perhaps I can convince her to talk to you earlier," Vincent said. He disappeared into a room at the far end of the single-story cabin. When he came out ten minutes later, he was smirking. "You mother said that she'll talk to you when Anima and Luben get here. I'll call and tell them to come now."

"Do they have to be here? I want to talk right away," Kali whined.

"Yes, they do," he said, picking up the phone and dialing the number. "Anima? Oh, Luben, hey. It's Vincent," he paused. "Yeah, she is." He paused again, shooting a glance at Kali. "She does look like him. Got a little of his temper, too."

"Hey!" Kali snapped. Vincent ignored her.

"Listen, she's really anxious to talk to Michiko. Would the two of you come by a bit earlier?" he waited. "Eleven? Yeah, that's fine. See you in about forty-five minutes. Bye."

"I can't wait another hour," Kali moaned as he hung up. Vincent looked at her.

"You truly are your father's daughter. I recall that he was quite impatient, too," he whispered. He turned and went into the living room. "Have a seat anywhere."

"Thanks," Kali muttered. She sat on the old couch and sighed. "I want to talk to her now."

"You will shortly," Vincent said reassuringly as he took a seat next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Go to sleep. When you wake up, you can talk to her. I promise."

"I don't think I can," she complained, bringing her knees to her chest and leaning against his shoulder.

"Try. I'll go to sleep, too. Will that help?"

"Not really," she uttered.

"Well, then, I know it sounds childish, but would you like if I read to you? Kali?" Vincent looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes were shut tight. He smiled and chuckled softly, laid his head against hers, and closed his eyes. Just before he fell asleep, he muttered, "You are definitely Sephiroth's daughter."

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"You took long enough opening the door."

"My apologies. I fell asleep and didn't wake up until you were about to break the window with your knocking. I'm glad you did; it was freezing in here. Thanks for getting me up so I could put the heater in her room."

"Anytime," a male voice said loudly.

"Luben," a female voice whispered. He lowered his voice so he wouldn't wake the sleeping teenager.

"So, how long has she been out?"

"Since just after I talked to you. She's been through quite a bit talking to me alone. I don't want to think what she'll do when she talks to Michiko."

"Hmm…" Kali moaned. She didn't want to open her eyes. The couch was more comfortable than she thought upon sitting there at first, especially with her coat over her. She listened to Vincent talking with two other people. She recognized Anima's voice almost right away, but she wasn't sure who the man was. Probably her husband, she thought.

"She looks so much like him. What about her eyes?" the male voice asked.

"She has his except for the color. They're grey instead of green. I was surprised when I saw her," Anima confessed. "It's been so long since I've seen those eyes."

"Hey, sleeping beauty's awake," Vincent said suddenly. Kali was sitting up slowly, her coat falling to the floor. "You might want to put your coat on. The heat's busted."

"Thanks," Kali yawned, goosebumps covering her exposed skin immediately. She put the coat on and approached the others in the kitchen. Vincent was leaning against the counter and Anima was standing by the window. Seated at the table was a man who looked to be around Anima's age, perhaps a bit older. He had short, blue hair, and his bangs were gelled to the front so that there was only one. "Luben, I take it?"

"The one and only," he grinned. He stood and reached out a hand that Kali took shakily. "I don't bite. You don't have to be nervous."

"Sorry," she said quietly. She looked at Vincent. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"Thought you could use the rest. Are you ready to meet your mom?"

"I've been ready for the past fifteen years," she said simply. "Is that a good enough answer?"

"Works for me," Vincent nodded. Anima and Luben left and went into the room Vincent had gone into earlier. "Let's go."

"Yeah," Kali said breathlessly. She followed Vincent into the room. When they went in, it was like walking into an oven. There was a heater next to the bed that was running at full power, making the room boiling hot to the four healthy people

"How do you feel, Michiko?" Anima was asking as they entered.

"Like shit," the woman in the bed smiled. It faded slowly. "I'm sure I'll feel better shortly."

"Does it really need to be this hot?" Luben asked, taking off his jacket and fanning himself with his hand.

"Sorry, I've been really cold lately and Vincent said the main heat just broke."

"Michiko," Vincent interrupted. "Someone really wants to talk to you."

"Of course! Come here, Kali. Let me look at you," the woman said happily. Kali walked past Vincent and stared at the woman in the bed. It was deathly quiet as they looked at each other. The woman sitting in the bed had long black hair with bits of grey in it. She had stone-grey eyes and pale skin. She gazed at Kali with tears in her eyes.

"Mom…" Kali finally whispered. Michiko smiled.

"Yes. Have a seat so I may begin," she said quietly, pointing to a chair next to the bed. Kali laid her coat over the back and sat. Michiko only stared. "You look so much like your father."

"That's what they said," Kali answered in a hushed voice. She nudged her head in the direction of the other adults. "What did he look like? What was his name?"

"I suppose you should know that before I explain. Let's see… He had long, silver hair that reached his knees, and he had bright green eyes. His pupils were more of a cat's than a human's. He was around six feet tall and all muscle. He dressed a lot like you. All black, except he didn't wear a shirt under his coat. Instead, he had armor covering his stomach. You see, long before he and I met, your father was a General in the army of his world. Yes, he was from another planet."

"Vincent told me a little already."

"Did he, now? Well, then, what else can I tell you about him," Michiko muttered. She paused to think. "Ah, yes. His sword. He wielded a katana called Masamune. He was the only person capable of lifting it, as it was eleven and a half feet long."

"Impossible," Kali said immediately, suddenly doubting the sanity of the woman who claimed to be her mother. "The physics simply wouldn't allow a katana that large."

"But did Vincent tell you? On their world, magic is abundant. A lot of magic went into the forging of Masamune. Its power was magnificent."

"How did you meet?" Kali asked, deciding to drop the subject of the sword.

"I'm glad you asked. That's why I wanted you here. My name is Michiko…" she began.

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(A/N: For the whole story of Michiko and Sephiroth, read the prequel, For the Love of an Angel. Because of the length of that story, I won't be posting any of it (with the exception of the very end) in this one, so get reading!)

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Michiko didn't stop speaking until almost five o'clock. She told the tale of her adventure to help Sephiroth and Vincent find their way home in great detail, some parts even greater than Kali wished to know. When she was finished, she gave Kali everything she owned that involved Sephiroth plus her wedding ring. Kali regretted coming, though, for she also learned that Michiko was dying. She was very ill, and Sephiroth had told her in a dream that she would die at exactly five o'clock on Kali's fifteenth birthday. Vincent would care for her from now on. Kali hugged her mother when Vincent tried to take her out of the room.

"I want to stay," she whispered.

"If you think you can handle it," Michiko replied, returning the hug. Kali nodded and pulled away. They held hands tightly as Michiko looked at her friends. "I'll miss you all deeply. I love you all."

They watched as Michiko closed her eyes and breathed shallowly. Kali never let go. After about thirty seconds, her hand fell limp in Kali's and her chest stopped rising and falling. Without knowing why, Kali began to cry and laid her head against her mother's shoulder.

"Goodbye, mom," she sobbed. Kali didn't move when Vincent laid his hands on her shoulders.

"Kali, come on. I need to get her ready for burial. Let go," he whispered soothingly. Kali sat up, turned around and buried her head in his chest. Vincent, after a moment's hesitation, wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. "It's alright. Go ahead and cry. I understand perfectly."

"We'll be in the kitchen," Anima whispered. She and Luben approached the bed. "Goodbye, Michiko."

"We'll miss you," Luben muttered. They were gone a moment later.

"Kali," Vincent whispered a few minutes later. "Why don't you go out to the living room, okay? I'll be out in a minute or two."

"Yeah, fine," she sobbed. Kali picked up her coat, took one last look at her mother, and walked sadly out of the room.

"Poor thing," Vincent sighed when she was gone. "Kali, I know how you feel. I really do."

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"Hey," Vincent muttered ten minutes later. Kali was standing on the front deck of Michiko's house. When she turned to look at him, he held up two mugs and handed one to her. "I brought you some more hot chocolate. Damn, it's cold."

"Yeah," she sighed. Her eyes were red, but she was no longer in tears. They stood and sipped their drinks slowly. "I feel horrid right now."

"I understand. I've lost many people throughout my life. It never gets any easier. You know, you and I are very much alike. My mother died giving me my life, so I never knew her, just as you never got to know your father. My own father, a member of the Turks of ShinRa as I once was, was killed in the line of duty when I was just about your age, and you just witnessed the death of your mother. Believe me, I know what it's like. At least you could say goodbye to her. When my father died, I never got to see him. All I got was his superior coming to take me to a foster home. Now, I think we should go bury your mother before she decomposes and stinks up the place," he said. Kali smiled a little before bursting into tears again.

"My god, I just met her and I've already lost her," she sobbed. Vincent took her mug, put both on the floor, and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm still here," he whispered. "I'm still here."

"Thank you," she muttered. When she was calmer, Vincent and Luben carried Michiko's body out back and found where Vincent had marked a burial site. Kali struggled to hold back tears as she watched her mother be laid to rest in a coffin and then lowered into the ground. Luben and Anima took Kali away as Vincent began to fill the hole with dirt; she was unable to contain the tears any longer.

"It's done," he said gravely a few minutes later. He washed his hand and turned to Kali. "I'm sorry. She was a wonderful woman. I regret my suggesting that she take you to an orphanage. I wish you could have known her more."

"Yeah," she sighed, wiping a few stray tears from her face.

"Vincent, we really should go," Anima muttered. She and Luben said their goodbyes. At the door, Luben paused.

"If we find one, we'll let you know immediately," he said. They were gone a moment later.

"'Find one?'" Kali repeated. Vincent shook his head.

"Never mind. Are you hungry?" he asked. Kali nodded.

"Starving. Oh, and Vincent, if you're going to be looking after me, you should know that no one ever keeps secrets from me for long," she advised as the phone rang. Vincent answered.

"Hello?" He was silent. "Yes, she's here. Who's this?" he said cautiously. "Alright, I'll ask. Kali," he said, turning to her. "Do you know a Devin Alden?"

"Give me the phone!" she snapped. She snatched it away and took off down the hall to her room, leaving Vincent in a state of shock.

"How are things going?" Devin asked when he realized that Kali was on.

"Oh, Devin, it's horrible. My father's an alien, he tried to destroy his planet, my mother died an hour ago, and now I've been left in the care of a vampire!" she said quickly. Devin was silent. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah. Now, repeat everything between 'oh, Devin, it's horrible' and 'are you still there.' Only slower," he asked. Kali giggled a little. She apologized and repeated herself slowly, but stopped halfway through from the tears.

"I'm sorry, Devin. I don't mean to cry, it's just…"

"I know, I know. Go ahead. How about I call later?"

"Oh, I've wanted to talk to you more than anything since I left, I really have, but if you don't mind calling in another day or two…"

"Sure thing, hon. I really hope you're okay. I'm really sorry about your mom. I'll talk to you in a few days, alright? Take care of yourself."

"Bye," she gasped. No sooner had she hung up than Vincent came walking up the hall. He took the phone and smiled knowingly.

"A friend from the orphanage?"

"Yeah. But that's all he is. Although lately, I wish he was…"

"A bit more?" Vincent finished. Kali blushed and nodded. Her new friend smiled and took her hand. "Let's go eat."

"Okay," she agreed.

An hour later, Kali was sitting on the windowsill in the living room, her stomach aching from dinner. Vincent had made a roast with potatoes, corn, and biscuits, and afterwards he pulled out a yellow cake with chocolate icing and 'Happy Birthday Kali' scrawled sloppily across it. Kali felt she was about to burst; it was amazing how well a man with little cooking experience could manage. She ate more than she ever had before and was now regretting it. Vincent was stretched out on the couch behind her, beginning to sleep off the meal. Kali stared at her mother's tombstone through the window.

"Vincent?"

"Hmm?" he moaned.

"Why didn't you tell me right away?"

"I didn't want you to panic. Not that you didn't anyway, but I thought it would be better coming from Michiko," he muttered sleepily. He sat up and stared at her. "Do you really want to know what Anima and Luben are looking for?"

"Yes," Kali said automatically. She joined him on the sofa.

"You remember how, when your father was here, Anima and Luben ran scans to find the portal in Kauko? Well, I would like to see my home one last time. They are going to find one to my world, block it off, and show me how to run the computer so I can get back. Kali, I'm not asking you to come with me," he said when he saw the look of excitement in her eyes. "In fact, I would rather you didn't. I suspect that Cloud is still alive. If not him, at least some of my other comrades are. If they knew who you are, they'd try to kill you."

"Please, take me with you! I want to know where my father came from. Besides, mother said that you're a great gunman. I know you'll never let them hurt me. Please, Vinnie?" she begged. He sighed heavily.

"On one condition: you never call me 'Vinnie' or even 'Vince' again. Now go on to bed. There's a chance they'll find one tomorrow, and we'll need a lot of energy if we go. I'll wake you if I hear anything," he ordered.

"Okay," she said. Kali stood and began walking to her room.

"And Kali?" Vincent called. She turned around to find him handing a pistol to her. "If you ever need it. Trust me, you will where we'll be going."

"Oh…okay…" she gasped, taking the gun nervously. She hurried to her room and hid it in her bag.

"Good night, Kali," Vincent called as he passed her room to go to his.

"See you in the morning."

Kali didn't even undress; she took off only her gloves, choker, bracers, coat and boots. She pulled back the covers, laid down, wrapped up, and fell promptly to sleep. She was woken up around five-thirty by Vincent.

"What's wrong?" she grumbled. When she opened her eyes, his skin was pale, but his eyes were wide and excited.

"They found one by their house. It closes in six hours. We have to leave as soon as possible."

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NM: Okay, chapter 2 up and running. Just so ya'll know, I don't know how accurate the info that Vincent gives Kali about his past is, so please don't flame me! I haven't gotten very far in the game (still trying to struggle through the Temple of the Ancients), so I don't know much about him. BUT he's a kick-ass character, so I'll just make up what I don't know. Or trick SV into giving away stuff like I've done before. On accident, of course ;; Anyway, I also encourage any new readers to read the story that this is a sequel to just for some background info. Without it, you may get confused about events in chapters 4/5/6 (don't know which yet), and one quite a bit later on. What else…? There was something else…? Oh, yeah. I know Vincent was portrayed as being a bit cuddly and kind, which I also know is nothing like how he acts in the game. During his stay with Michiko, he began a little less cold-hearted. I'll also show a little bit of who helped him break through the coldness in chapters 4/5/6. Again, haven't decided which.

SOUL VAGABOND: Thank you very much. Yeah, I thought the hummer would make you happy. Although, I have a feeling it doesn't make up for you being married. At least you don't have kids… Also, chapter 3 will probably be the last one featuring you. Sorry! Maybe I'll show you in the last chapter or something. Ah, well, still got awhile to decide. Thanks for editing this chapter for me, too. I'll put the Mako in when they meet up with you-know-who. Since you edited, I won't be insulted if you don't review. Not that I ever am, mind you.

REVIEW!

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