Chapter 3:

Those of the Planet

"…and you hit enter. Give it anytime between a few minutes and a day and it should come up with something. You get it?" Luben asked. He had just spent the last hour showing Vincent how to work the computer to come back to Jahan when he was ready. Vincent nodded. "Good. Now, to see what world you'll show up on, press the down key twice and enter."

"I can do that," Vincent assured him. "I apologize for having to take your computer, but seeing as how I don't have one…"

"Oh, no problem. We have several more," Anima reminded him. Kali stood next to her, gazing at the portal. She didn't see what was so special about it; all she saw was a large hole in a tree.

"I suppose that's all. Kali, are you ready?" Vincent called. Kali sighed.

"I guess so. Anima, if anyone named Devin Alden comes to the house or calls for me, let him know that I've gone away and won't be back for awhile, please," she requested.

"Of course," Anima said, pulling Vincent aside. "Devin?"

"A friend from the orphanage," he explained quietly. They flashed each other knowing smiles. He pulled away and approached Kali. "Ready?"

"Yeah," she whispered. She took his hand. "I think so."

"Then let's go," Vincent sighed. He stared at her, the memory of Sephiroth doing the same thing as the two of them prepared to go home fifteen years ago flashing through his mind. He smiled at her and looked over at Anima and Luben. "Thank you for everything. I hope to see you again soon."

"Good luck. And watch out for Cloud!" Anima cautioned. Vincent nodded and led Kali to the portal.

"Got everything?"

"Yes," she moaned. "Now, let's go!"

"Okay, then. Here we go," Vincent muttered. He and Kali stepped through at the same time. When they turned around, they saw… Anima and Luben waving.

"What? Shouldn't we be in your world?" Kali asked. Vincent was silent. "I'm getting out. This is stupid. What the hell?" she gasped. When she put her foot out, there was a thin film forming on the passage, thus blocking her from leaving. When she looked back up, Anima and Luben were fading to black. "Vincent? VINCENT! WHERE ARE YOU?" she screamed. He was gone, and everything around her was pitch-black. She screamed louder when she looked at her hands. They were disintegrating rapidly. She rubbed what was left of them against her arms and, tears of fear forming in her eyes, said in a trembling voice, "I'm dreaming. I'll wake up any minute at the orphanage. I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming! AH!" she noticed that the rest of her body was fading. "Wake up! Wake up!" she screamed over and over again until her head joined her body in the disintegrating process. The next feeling was her body being pieced together along with that of falling. "AH!" she shrieked when her head came together again. A golden hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Careful," Vincent called. "The first trip is always the worst."

"Get me up!" Kali yelled. She was hanging from the edge of a cliff, grabbing onto his gauntleted arm while he gripped her. His fingers dug into her wrist. "And hurry up! You're hurting me!"

"Sorry… ugh…" Vincent groaned. He pulled her up slowly. When she was up, he took her hands and checked her wrists. His gauntlet had dug five holes cleanly into her left arm, the blood trickling down. He stared at the liquid. "Kali, clean the blood away now."

"Huh?"

"Do it."

"What? AH!" she screamed as Vincent's eyes turned completely red and he lunged at her wrist. As she turned out of the way, she noticed that his canine teeth had grown considerably longer. He glared at her silently before he lunged again. He gripped her wrist and began to lick the blood from her arm. "GET OFF!" she screeched. He refused. When the blood was cleared of her arm, Vincent's jaw unhinged as he prepared to bite down. Out of fear, Kali did the only thing she could think to do. She kicked her foot out, hitting a most unfortunate part of his body. When she made contact, he doubled over and fell to his knees in pain, releasing her from his strengthened grasp. Kali stared at him as he moaned. She whispered, "Vincent. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"No," he gasped. He was silent for a moment, save his panting for breath. When he spoke again, he didn't look at her. "I'm sorry. You know I'm a vampire. Although I don't need to drink on days other than the full moon, when I see blood, I…"

"Vincent," she sighed. She put an arm around him. When he looked up at her, his teeth were back to their normal size. His eyes were still red, but the color came from his irises, along with the tears of pain, anger, and embarrassment that were forming. He closed his eyes slowly and leaned against her. He muttered his apologies over and over, and Kali forgave him just as often. She nudged him soon after they fell silent. "Where are we?"

"If I can get up, I'll tell you," he said, moaning as he stood. "Those are steel-toed, aren't they?"

"My boots? Yeah. Sorry," Kali grinned apologetically. Vincent smiled weakly back and looked over the mountain. The grin faded.

"My god… we're in Wutai."

"Wutai?"

"Yes," he nodded. Kali thought she saw tears in his eyes. "She lived here."

"Who?"

"Yuffie Kisaragi."

"Isn't she the ninja my dad killed?" Kali asked. Vincent shut his eyes and nodded. "You loved her, didn't you?" she whispered. Vincent closed his eyes tighter, turned his head away and nodded, refusing to let Kali see the two tears on his cheeks.

"We should leave. We have a ways to go," he sighed finally. He began to climb down. "Be careful. The wind can get vicious up here."

"Where is this exactly?" Kali inquired, carefully following her friend.

"Wutai is a small town of ninjas and thieves. The city stands on an out-of-the-way island, and it's the only area where people reside here. This mountain that we're standing on is called Da-chao. Rather, it's a statue of their five gods, not a mountain. Yuffie was supposed to be the…" he fell silent.

"The what?" Kali asked.

"I'm trying to think of what she would have been called," he sighed. "I guess you would call her the head or ruler of the city. Her father waited for challengers on the top floor of that pagoda," Vincent explained. He stopped and pointed over the trees to a tall building about a mile from the glittering lights below. The dark night made the building look terribly menacing. "Her father led this city. It used to be quite strong, but they lost a battle in one of the wars of this planet about twenty years ago or so now. After that, the city became nothing more than a tourist trap. I wonder…"

"Yeah?"

"When we left to go to your planet to find Sephiroth fifteen years ago, Yuffie was supposed to be married upon our return. I wonder if Reno decided to live here even though he never actually wed her."

"Who's Reno?" Kali asked.

"I'll explain later. It's an even longer story than what I told you at the house. We need to go into town for some things. Then we'll be on our way," he said as he stepped off the mountain. "But I can tell you that he was a Turk."

"You used that term before. What's a Turk?"

"The Turks used to do the dirty work of Shinra. Shinra was the family that used to control nearly the entire planet. The Turks would commit murder, kidnap, lie, and steal to, as they would put it, 'protect the planet' from dangerous criminals."

"Who would join a horrible group like that?" Kali asked. Vincent stopped, turned, and looked at her.

"People who don't know what they're getting into, that's who," he said rather bitterly. He turned and continued to walk towards the city. A thought hit Kali as she ran after him.

"Vincent, I'm sorry! I forgot you were one!"

"It's fine," he muttered over his shoulder. As they walked into town, the light blinded them and the noise of the people hurt their ears. "Stay close."

The two of them walked through the street quickly. Kali looked nervously over her shoulder as people whispered.

"Look at that guy in the red cape."

"Isn't that the ex-Turk?"

"No, way, he died ages ago!"

Vincent tugged her along carefully. They didn't run into any problems until one small group of gossipers caught her ear.

"Who's that girl?"

"She sho' does look like 'im."

"He never had any kids though, did he?"

"Jes' the one boy," someone muttered. Kali slowed, her heart leaping into her throat.

"Who? Oh, the kid who joined the remaining clones almost twenty years ago, right? Didn't he die, too?" said another voice. Kali listened carefully as they began to walk right behind her.

"Nah, Cloud lef' 'im mortally wounded ta die, but he pulled through."

"Where is he now?"

"Don't rightly know. Heard a rumor that he been hidin' out in Midgar, hidin' from Cloud. Course, mah cousin says he saw the guy out near the Temple awhile back, so I dunno where he is. No one does. If you hear anything, you bes' tell Cloud or go up ta the Pagoda and let Reno know. They know he's alive, but they don't wanna cause no unnecessary fightin. None o' them that young anymore, ya know?"

"So, why did Cloud let him live if he knew-"

"Kali!"

"Huh?" Kali snapped back. Vincent was standing in front of a building far ahead of her. She turned to see the people walk past her. She ran up to Vincent, trembling with the news she just heard.

"You okay?" he asked. She looked into his eyes.

"Vincent, tell me the truth. Did my dad have a son?" she asked. Their eyes searched each other, but nether person could find what they were looking for.

"Where did you get that idea?"

"I heard some people behind us talking," she explained. "I'm not going with you if you don't tell me 'yes' or 'no.'"

"I guess you should know," Vincent said finally. "Your father did have a son, long before your birth. Now, if you want to know more, I suggest you come with me and I'll tell you what you want to know as we go along. Come inside. I need to get some supplies."

The two of them walked into a large shop, bottles and vials adorning the walls. Vincent approached the counter while Kali looked around. After a few moments of curious gazing, she turned to find Vincent 'negotiating' with the salesclerk. He had his gun out and was 'asking' for a 'loan' of something he called gil, along with some potions, Phoenix Downs, and a tent. When Vincent had his 'purchases,' he turned to Kali while he holstered the gun.

"Let's go."

"What? We can't just steal from a store and get away with it!"

"Hold it!" The clerk yelled. He had a gun out, too. Vincent stared at him while Kali shot him a look that said quite plainly, I told you so.

"Do you really want to shoot?" Vincent asked as the salesman leapt over the counter and took the bag. Vincent held his hands into the air. When the clerk began to tie them, Vincent leapt into the air backwards and kicked the clerk on the chin. Kali screamed and ran to the entrance. Vincent kicked the man in the head as he came back at him. Before the man could stand, the vampire grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, therefore breaking his wrist, and turned him around. "I truly am sorry," he whispered.

Vincent then noticed the blood dripping from the cut he put on the man's chin when he kicked. Kali noticed the danger immediately and shut the door so no one else could get hurt. Vincent's eyes glowed red as he opened his mouth. The clerk was shaking, but too scared to scream. Kali watched with grotesque curiosity as Vincent's teeth elongated and he licked the blood from the cut. He hissed as the cut ran dry and threw the man to the ground. No sooner had he hit the floor then the vampire was upon him, teeth digging into his neck. Kali shook with fear as the body stopped struggling. She listened to Vincent's slurping as he drained the body. He finally stood and turned to Kali. Although he was back to his normal, half his face was covered in blood.

"Oh, Vincent, you're a mess," she said shakily. He raised his eyebrows and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Pardon me," he muttered, licking and wiping the blood from his face. "Better?"

"Hmm-mm," she nodded. Vincent knelt by the body and said a silent prayer. When he was done, he stood, felt around, and picked up a dagger from behind the counter. He grabbed the head of the clerk, lifted it, and, in one swift movement, sliced off the head. "W-w-" Kali stuttered as she watched him drop the head. "What was that for?"

"I didn't taste virginity in his blood. You know very well that people who lost theirs become ghouls when bitten by a vampire. The only way to kill a ghoul is to remove either the head or the heart. I'd just as soon do it right away than risk him getting loose and attack innocent people."

"But isn't that what you do? Kill innocent people to feed?" Kali pointed out. Vincent sighed.

"True, true. Although, over the time I spent with your mother, I have turned more towards stray and wild animals to quench my thirst. There have, of course, also been a couple of burglars who have made the mistake of thinking nobody was home on the night of a full moon," he grinned. Kali pointed to his teeth. When he ran a finger over them, it came away with blood. He sucked on his teeth and grinned again. "Any more?"

"No," Kali shook her head. With that, Vincent picked up the bag, turned out the light, and opened the door.

"Speaking of vampire bites," he began as they stepped into the street. He leaned towards her ear and whispered, "Be careful if you receive any more cuts. Your blood is sweet with virginity. I don't want you to be bitten."

"No problem," she muttered.

They locked the shop door and walked to the weapons shop, where Vincent proceeded to purchase an elegant sword, called Murasame, for Kali. She clipped the scabbard to her belt and she began to leave, but Vincent turned away.

"Where are you going?" she asked. He was going the way they came.

"I want to know if Reno is here or not. Come."

She followed him through the town, slowed by the new weight on her waist. He walked through a small forest before coming to a short stairway that led to the pagoda and a house. Vincent walked up to the house and entered. They walked through a hallway and came to another one with a koi pond behind the wall across from them.

"Sir Godo! Reno! Is anyone here?" he called. They waited a moment before an elderly, muscular man walked out.

"Yeah?" he said. Vincent bowed.

"Good evening, Godo. I-"

"Wait, I remember you," Godo snarled. "Vincent Valentine."

"Yes, sir. I was wondering if Reno took over yet. I see he has not."

"No. It seems that Yuffie did not return for the wedding after your little mission. She seemed to decide against it."

"Pardon?" Vincent asked, taken aback.

"She didn't seem to believe you were dead like Cloud said you were, and she wanted to wait for you."

"Sir, that's impossible. I watched Yuffie die fifteen years ago."

"You liar!" Godo screamed. He glared at Vincent. "For your information, she has been living in Nibelheim for the past fifteen years. She's happy where she is. She doesn't need you."

"Sir, what are you-"

"Vincent, I want you to get out of my town and don't come back."

"Godo!" Vincent yelled. "Have you forgotten what I did when Don Corneo kidnapped her when Sephiroth was alive? I was among those who rescued her!"

"Yes, and thank you for that. But you've put my entire family line in danger, not to mention this city!"

"What are you talking about?" Vincent growled. Kali, having backed into the shadows of the hall was feeling the tension between them and wanted to get out soon.

"If you and Yuffie hadn't met, she would have married a nice guy and I wouldn't have any worries about the future of our island! She's too infatuated with you now! I'm only saying this once: Leave my daughter alone."

Vincent was silent. Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked out, Kali close behind. When they were away from the house, Vincent angrily took out his pistol and emptied it into the starry sky. When his bullets had run out, he let his arm fall to his side and the gun to the ground. He fell to his knees and shook angrily. Kali knelt next to him and gave him a hug.

"He's lying. She's dead. I watched her," he whispered. He didn't bother hiding his tears this time. He took a deep breath. "But what if…"

"Vincent, if you watched her die…" Kali began. Vincent shook his head and picked up his gun as he stood. He replaced the bullets and put the gun away. He slowly began to walk towards town.

"Let's go to her old house," he said. "Then we can be on our way."

Kali and Vincent walked back down the street to a small house near the entrance to the city. A young man with long, red hair in a ponytail and no shirt was sitting outside smoking a cigarette. He coughed as the two of them approached.

"Who's there?" he called into the darkness. He choked when he saw who was there. "Vincent?"

"Hello, Reno. Long time, no see," Vincent said. Reno stared.

"You're dead," he whispered. "Cloud said he killed you."

"Sephiroth obviously didn't. Well, are you inviting us in or not?"

"Yeah, yeah, get in," Reno said quickly. He led them both in. A man with a shaved head was sitting on a cushion reading a book. "Hey, Rude! Check out who's back from the dead again."

"Vincent," he whispered. Although his sunglasses hid his eyes and he spoke with little emotion, Vincent and Reno both knew that his eyes were wide, nor was there any mistaking the hint of shock in his words.

"Good evening, Rude. What are you doing here?"

"Got nowhere else to go since he destroyed Midgar and our headquarters," Rude said in his quiet voice.

"What have you been doin' with yourself all these years, Vince?" Reno asked. Vincent stared at him.

"You know better than to call me that."

"Yeah, yeah," Reno said with a wave of his hand. "So, where you been?"

"Well," Vincent began. He glanced at Kali. "I've been a little… busy."

"Hmm?" Rude looked up at Kali, too. "Your kid?"

"No, no," Vincent said quickly. "Hojo made sure I can't have kids a long time ago. No, actually, she's a friend's girl. Her father died a long time ago and her mother died yesterday. I've been caring for her mom since her dad's death and now I'm taking care of her."

"What's your name?" Reno asked her.

"Kali," she said with a smile. They aren't half bad, considering what Vincent said about the Turks, she thought. Reno extended a hand that she took.

"Pleasure," he said. Then he looked at her eyes and backed away quickly.

"What?" Rude asked, standing quickly. Reno shook.

"I'm calling Cloud."

"Don't even think about it," Vincent snapped. Reno picked up the phone and began to dial, but stopped when he heard the click of a gun. He turned to find the barrel of Vincent's pistol against his head. "If you know what's good for you, you'll put the phone back."

"What are you doing?" Reno muttered, the phone returning to the cradle. "She's his kid, isn't she?"

"What?" Rude gasped. He stared at her eyes. He nodded. There was no mistaking those eyes.

"Sephiroth's yes," Vincent confirmed. He tore the phone from the wall and smashed it against the floor. "Don't tell Cloud, savvy?"

"Don't say that name. If anyone hears it, Cloud'll be after you in a minute!" Reno snapped.

"Huh?" Kali sighed. Vincent nodded for Reno to explain.

"Cloud has spent the past fifteen years ridding the Planet of every memory of him save Rude, myself, and those who were his friends at the time. He told everyone that if he ever heard the name again, he'd kill he who speaks it and whoever he spoke it to."

"Oh, really? What do you think he can do to me?" Vincent inquired. Reno shut his mouth. "You know I can't die."

"You should go," Rude said to Kali. She stared at him. He stared back. "If you leave now, we'll act as if you were never here. Won't we, Reno?"

"No way!"

"Reno, even if they're gone now, we owe it to the Turks to protect our own."

"Yeah, but…" Reno tried to find an excuse, but fell silent. He sighed. "Get out of here, Vincent."

"Thanks, Reno. And I'm sorry."

"For what?" he shrugged. Vincent looked at him.

"Taking Yuffie away. I know you felt strongly for her," Vincent replied quietly. Reno's jaw dropped slightly, but he closed it immediately.

"If Cloud starts to hassle you two," he began after a moment's silence, "We'll do what we can to help."

"Reno?" Kali spoke, making the three men jump. She approached him and looked him in the eyes. "I just want you to know that you shouldn't fear me. I know little of what my father has done in the past. All I know is that I'm nothing like him. I don't want to hurt anyone. We came so Vincent could see his home one more time, and then we'll be going back to mine. That's all. Honestly, I don't know what he did to cause Cloud to want to kill him, but…" she slowed down. "I'm not like he was. I don't intend on being like him."

"Yeah, well," Reno stared back at her. "Your father never wanted to hurt anyone, either. It's amazing what can change in an instant."

"What do you mean?"

"If Vincent has the time, I can explain. How about it? Or would you rather wait and tell her while you're on the road?" Reno looked up at Vincent. He hesitated.

"Perhaps another time," he said. "I… lost control, let's say, in the item shop, and…"

"I get it. We won't tell Godo that you did it," Reno said with a comforting smile. Vincent relaxed.

"Kali, let's go."

"Right. It was an honor meeting you," Kali said to Reno and Rude. She bowed slightly as she and Vincent left.

"She's pretty," Rude whispered.

"Don't even think about it. Shit, she's half your age, Rude," Reno laughed. He shut the door and jerked a thumb in Vincent's direction. "It's bad enough Yuffie's thirty-six and she loves a guy who's forty years older. I don't need to look after two groups like that."

"She looks like him," Rude pointed out. "No matter how different from him she thinks she is, she still looks like him."

"Yeah. When you looked her in the eyes, did it feel like she was searching you?"

"Hmm-mm," Rude nodded.

"I got a pretty weird feeling from her."

"Me, too," Rude agreed. "Can't tell if it's bad or good."

"Me neither. You know, maybe helping them out isn't such a bad idea," Reno suggested. He lit another cigarette while Vincent and Kali hurried to the docks on the other side of the island.

NINJAMAGEGAMAJNININJAMAGEGAMAJNININJAMAGEGAMAJNININJAMAGEGAMAJNININJAMAGEGAMAJNIN

NM: Whee! Many fast updates. Just as a heads-up, the rating of this story will most likely change to 'R' after chapter 5, so if you don't like gore, scary images, drug use, cussing (heavy cussing, like, well, let's just say bad, cuz otherwise I'll have to change the rating now), and some sexuality (well, hints of it, not actual… ahem. anyway), stop reading soon! Also, you may want to read my prequel if you haven't already, cuz otherwise you may miss the stuff in chapter 5 and on. Course, you may be confused with the whole "Vinnie's on one world and goes back to his years after he and Cloud went there in search of Sephy" thing, so… yeah. Oh, and you may want to read my songfic to understand the part about Seph having a son that I referred to in this chapter. You'll find out who it is later, but if you're impatient, read the song. Reviews:

Kizna1200: ((blushes)) Thank you for calling my stories awesome! I feel really warm and fuzzy inside!

Kadaj: Ew! I'm glad I'm not a doctor, cuz I would not want to see x-rays of that if you came into my office.

NM: Relax, it's just an expression. ((sighs)) At least you're talking to me again.

Kadaj: Well, you let Loz and Yazoo go, so I need to keep up my part of the deal.

NM: Shut up! I don't want anyone to know that I let prisoners go! Hush! But I do keep them if they come back, so there.

Kadaj: ((rolls eyes))

NM: In the words of Soul Vagabond… Yeah.

REVIEW!

NINJA MAGE

P.S. I am working on KH: Final Destiny, so it should be up within the next week or two. Don't think I'm stopping it! I'm just running out of ideas, so don't get mad. Please?