Chapter 6

Reunion Part 2

"I'll do it," Cid promised immediately. Yuffie nodded her agreement.

"Thank you both," Vincent muttered. "The only people you can tell are Reno and Rude. They already said that they'd help us if we needed it."

"No problem," Cid smiled. He finished his beer and sighed. They stood for a few minutes, staring up at the stars. The moon was still just beyond their sight on the other side of the house. Vincent finally turned to his friends.

"Cid, would you leave, please? I have some things to discuss with Yuffie," he whispered. Cid nodded and picked up the empty bottles.

"See you two in the morning," he said. "Oh, and if you fuck each other, keep it down, will you? Some of us actually like to sleep at night."

"Good night, Cid," Vincent said through his gritted teeth. Cid laughed and left, Vincent turning red as he listened to Yuffie giggling. "Oh, shut up, will you?"

"I'm sorry. He just makes me laugh sometimes."

"Or is the thought of you doing it with me?"

"Maybe a little of both," Yuffie muttered. She turned away from him and gazed at the moon as it showed itself to them. "I don't want you to die."

"Yuffie, I wish I could change it."

"Then tell me who's going to do it," she insisted. Vincent wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered an apology into her ear. "But why not?"

"Sephiroth says that… there are strong forces at work here. Something is going to happen to the planet soon, and it seems that I am not meant to see the outcome. Yuffie?"

"What?" she sighed as they sat. He held her tighter as he answered.

"No matter what happens, I love you. You don't know how odd it is for me to say that or how special you should feel. After her death, I didn't think I could love anyone but Lucrecia. Since you and I met, I've realized how wrong I was. I love you, Yuffie," Vincent whispered again. She leaned against him, their hands intertwined, and looked at the moon.

"Full moon tonight. Don't you have to feed?" she turned around to look at him. He stared from the moon to Yuffie. The look on his face told her to leave, but she stayed put.

"Yuffie…" he trailed off. Yuffie turned back around, took her seat between his legs again and tilted her head to her left shoulder.

"Bite me," she whispered, brushing the small hairs from her neck. She felt his warm breath on her skin and, for a moment, she thought she felt his heart racing against her back. As Yuffie barely felt the light touch of his canines, he pulled away and buried his face in her hair.

"Being bitten is painful. I don't want to put you through it."

"If you don't bite me, I'm not sleeping with you," Yuffie threatened jokingly. Vincent laughed.

"Do you really think I care about that?" he asked. "You'll die if I bite you."

"Are you sure?"

Yuffie winced a little as she pricked her finger on a piece of broken glass nearby. Before he could stop it, Vincent found the finger being laid on his lips. He licked the blood away and sharply took a breath.

"You're still a virgin."

"I promised myself a long time ago that I would lose it to you," she whispered as she leaned her head back against his shoulder. "You know you want more of it."

"I'm going to wrap my coat around you. Stuff it in your mouth to stifle the scream."

"Okay."

"Ready?" he whispered. Yuffie tensed as he brought the coat around her like a tent and his canines brushed her skin. A moment later, she was screaming bloody murder into his coat, heard by only one person besides the two of them.

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While Vincent and Yuffie sat outside, Kali lie in bed, fast asleep. She didn't stir as the lock on her door was picked and a shadow crept in.

Devin walks into Kali's bedroom…

The shadow stole across the floor of her room and sat next to her on the bed.

Devin kneels by Kali as she sleeps…

The figure laid a hand on her face and stared at her. Had she opened her eyes then, Kali would have seen only two familiar eyes, the rest of the face hidden in shadow.

He brushes a hand against her face, making her wake…

"Kali," the thing muttered, staring at her full lips. Had Kali's ears been working, she would have recognized the voice.

"Kali, wake up," Devin whispers…

The person leaned in slowly to kiss her.

Devin touches his lips to hers as she slowly wakes up…

"Ah!" came Yuffie's muffled cry from outside.

"Uh," the shadow hissed, its lips mere millimeters from Kali's. It went to the window and watched the next scene unfold.

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Vincent slowly pulled away and wiped the blood from his face. When he was cleaned up, he stared at Yuffie's limp form hunched in front of him. He turned her around and held her.

"Yuffie? Please, wake up," he whispered. He stared into her face; her skin was tight and pale with no blood in the veins. When she didn't stir, he laid a hand on her wrist to find a pulse. After finding none, he put his hand to her breast. No heartbeat. He shook angrily. "I didn't kill her. She's a virgin. Virgins don't die of vampire bites. I couldn't have," he muttered. Minutes passed. He finally looked back at her to find the color coming back to Yuffie's cheeks as she opened her eyes. He could feel her slow heartbeat returning.

"I'm a vampire now, right?" she whispered. Vincent nodded and smiled at her. Yuffie stood up, leaned against the railing, and stared at the moon. "But am I a half-breed or a full vampire?"

"Only time will tell," Vincent said as he, too, stood.

Yuffie approached him and laid a hand on his face. He held her hands and stared into her now red eyes for a moment before finally leaning in and kissing her slowly.

"Vincent…" Yuffie whispered. She laid a hand on his head and began to run it through his hair. As she did, Yuffie tried to pull back his bandana. His hand gripped her wrist immediately and he stared at her.

"No. Leave it be," he muttered. She shook her head and brought her other hand up. In one swift movement, she tore the bandana from his head. In the middle of his forehead was a rather ugly scar that seemed to have formed over a decent-sized hole. Vincent rubbed it nervously while Yuffie stared.

"That's where he shot you," Yuffie said in a knowing tone. He nodded weakly before she stood on her tiptoes and kissed the scar. He pushed her back down and pressed his lips to hers again.

A few minutes later, Yuffie went inside to sleep. Vincent stayed outside and watched the stars. As a sudden, long-forgotten urge took hold of him, he ran after the new vampire that he had created, dropped his coat in the hallway, and met her as she prepared to undress for bed. As he walked in, Vincent smiled at Yuffie and pulled off his shirt before walking up to her and assisting in the process of removing her bra.

While the two of them made love, Kali slept on a few doors down, the shadow watching her slow breathing. She had no way of knowing that this thing wanted to do with her what Vincent and Yuffie were doing now. When it was sure that the two lovers down the hall were occupied and no one would bother its work, the figure crept out of her room and went about its silent business. Nanaki awoke, thus frightening it once, but fell right back to sleep and so he didn't give chase. After searching each room of the manor thoroughly, it found what it wanted. With a wicked grin, it gripped the item it had stolen from Kali and slowly woke the target.

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Vincent woke with a start. He sat up a little and looked around the room frantically, almost as if he had been having a nightmare that took place in the room he now lie in. With a relieved sigh, he laid back, pulled on the curtains next to the bed and glanced out the window to his left. The sky was a hazy, dark grey color. Dawn was coming slowly. He let go of the curtain and glanced at the beauty next to him. Yuffie was still fast asleep against his side, her arm lying just under his chest. He kissed the top of her head, but she still didn't stir. He smiled and stared up at the ceiling, slowly rubbing the scar on his head. As Yuffie rolled over in her sleep, he found some spots of blood on the blankets. With an aching feeling inside, he glanced at her back. There were a dozen scratches on it. He turned on his side and ran his gauntlet over them; they matched perfectly. But even as he watched, the scars faded.

"You're a half-breed," he whispered. "Just as I am."

"Vincent? Are you awake?" Yuffie moaned. She rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes slowly. Vincent stared at her breasts before pulling the blanket up to cover her cold body.

"It's still very early. Go back to sleep," he whispered. He kissed her softly. She smiled and closed her eyes again.

"How do you know? That I'm a half-breed, I mean."

"Your scratches heal slower than a true vampire's would. Now go to sleep."

As she fell back to unconsciousness, he wrapped an arm around her and lie in bed for several more minutes. Just as he was about to fall back into slumber himself, he heard a door open and close outside. He stayed still and waited. All he heard was the unsheathing of a sword and a quiet gasp. Vincent sat up immediately. His heart racing, he pulled on his pants and ran into the hall. He heard the noises coming from Cloud's quarters.

Giving the scars covering his torso a nervous rub, he went back into Yuffie's room and picked up his gun. Yuffie never moved. He put on his shirt and headband as he walked up to Cloud's door. As quietly as he could, Vincent cracked open the door and walked in, gun at the ready. Tifa was sound asleep on the far side of the bed. On the side closest to the door, Vincent could see Cloud's feet at one end and his head resting on the pillow. He had a mixed look of fear, pain, and shock on his face. As Vincent walked farther into the room, the black mass that had blocked his view of the rest of Cloud turned to face him. They stared at each other for a moment before it spoke.

"Vincent…" it muttered. Before Vincent could move, the shadow pulled out two daggers and ran past him. "She's mine! Leave her alone!" it hissed. Vincent moaned loudly in pain. As the figure left the room, it had roughly stuck one dagger into his side and the other into his leg.

Vincent watched the creature enter Kali's room as his eyes filled with tears. He took a couple more steps towards the bed before becoming wide-eyed with fear. He stared at what the thing had done to Cloud. As Tifa began to stir, Vincent limped out of the room as quickly as he could. He went to his charge's room and pushed open the door. It snapped shut as Tifa screamed shrilly. He looked at Kali's sleeping form. As he did, the shadow rose up from the far side of the bed and kissed her neck. As she moaned in her sleep, Vincent pulled out his silenced gun and shot it. The figure let out a painful yell, grabbed its arm, and ran to the open window. Before it jumped, it stared at Vincent. He saw two blue eyes and a flash of brown. Then the mysterious shadow was gone.

"Ah," Vincent gasped. The pain of his leg and side hit him full force once more. He fell to his knees as Kali awoke.

"Vincent?" she muttered sleepily. "I had the most wonderful dream about Devin."

"Kali, gather your things," he ordered shakily. He grabbed the dagger in his side and winced.

"Are you okay?" she inquired. She saw the weapons as he stood and she began to cry a little. "You're hurt."

"Do what I told you. Go! Now! We need to leave immediately!" he snapped, leaning painfully against the wall and locking the door. Vincent could hear the others waking and scrambling around. He closed his eyes and grabbed the dagger in his side again. He pulled it out quickly. "Ah!" he screamed. Kali winced at the sound, but finished getting dressed and packing.

"I can't find my sword," she called as he removed the one in his leg.

"Ah!" he screeched again. The dagger came out easily, blood pouring onto the floor. Vincent stood shakily and waited for the wounds to heal. "You won't. I know where it is."

"Would you get it for me?"
"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because," he whispered. He looked at her as the blood on his leg finished drying, the muscles repaired themselves, and the flesh covered the injury again. "Cloud was just murdered with it."

"Oh, shit, no," Kali muttered, slapping a hand to her mouth.

"They'll accuse you. We need to go. Come on," Vincent commanded.

He grabbed her wrist and led her downstairs. Just as they reached the bottom of the main stairway, they were met by angry and sad faces. Cloud's body was laying on a table, a blanket covering him and his sword grasped in his hands. Next to him was the sword Vincent had bought Kali. She shook when she saw that it was covered in blood. Tifa stared.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" she said angrily. Tears were streaming down her face and her hands were curled into tight fists.

"We're leaving," Vincent replied as he stood between them and Kali.

"Cloud was just stabbed in his sleep and you're leaving?"

"You," Marlene pointed at Kali, "you killed him. How could you do that?"

"Even if I did kill him, would you blame me for wanting to? Cloud killed my father first, after all."

"So you admit it?" Nanaki growled.

"No! I didn't murder him! I swear!"

"Kali, be silent," Vincent told her. He turned to the others. "Kali didn't do it. I woke up, heard a noise coming from his room, and went to make sure it wasn't her. When I went in, there was a cloaked figure standing over Cloud. When it moved, I saw that sword standing straight up through his chest and blood seeping from his stomach. The person stabbed me with two daggers and ran into Kali's room."

"So it could have been her!" Barret yelled. Vincent lost it.

"She didn't touch him! I went into her room, the shadow kissed her on the neck, I shot it, and it jumped out the window!"

"It what?" Kali whispered to him. Cid and Yuffie stared at them.

"Vincent, run," Yuffie begged. A gun clicked next to her. She turned to see Tifa aiming a pistol.

"Yuffie, don't make me do it. You're either with Sephiroth or us in this. You know that. We all know which side Vincent has chosen."

"Stop, Yuffie. This doesn't involve you," Vincent implored. She ignored him and stretched her arms.

"Go ahead," she whispered and closed her eyes. "I love him whether you trust him or not."

The next thirty seconds were fast and confusing to Kali. Tifa pressed the trigger and Kali watched as the bullet tore through Yuffie's chest. She screamed and fell backwards, drops of blood falling to the floor with her. Vincent yelled to her and took his pistol to Tifa. Before he could shoot, Barret changed his metal hand into a machine gun and shot nearly three-dozen rounds into Vincent. Kali leapt behind a pile of firewood nearby as Vincent's body convulsed with each bullet that hit. When Barret stopped, Vincent was lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Nobody moved except Kali; she shook violently. Cid barely took two steps towards his friend when Kali screamed Vincent's name and tore across the floor and knelt by him. Vincent's eyes were closed while blood poured from dozens of wounds. She looked up at Barret, holding her friend's head in her hands and everything he told her in her mother's house leaving her mind.

"You fucking bastard," she yelled through her tears. "You son of a bitch, you killed him!"

"Vincent?" Yuffie spoke. She sat up and stared at her injured lover. Tifa dropped her gun and glared. Yuffie smiled and pulled her shirt collar down while Barret approached Vincent and Kali.

"Well, guess what?" he growled. He aimed his gun-arm at her. "You'll be together again soon."

"Papa, wait!" Marlene yelled. Before he did anything, Vincent was opening his eyes.

"Do you really want to know what it's like to be shot to death?" Vincent hissed. He stood up, grabbed Barret by the collar, and stuck his pistol into his side. "Goodbye, Barret." He pulled the trigger. Kali watched as blood dripped from Barret's side.

"How…?" he gasped. He grabbed Vincent's torn shirt as he fell to the ground and died. As the shirt was torn away, everyone watched as the bullets popped out of his skin and fell with light pinging noises to the ground next to the body. The holes filled themselves in as Vincent watched his old friend. He looked up at Kali.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. Kali shook her head.

"Good. Let's go," he ordered. Tifa picked up the gun and aimed at them again.

"Stop. You're not leaving."

"Kali, run. You know where to go," he said. Kali looked at the people who stared at her and turned to Vincent. "I'll be with you soon. Don't be afraid."

"Goodbye," she muttered. He nodded and she ran as fast as she could.

As Kali ran towards the streets of Nibelheim, she listened as Tifa shot at her and Vincent at Tifa. When she reached the entrance of the city, she ran into the two people she would have least expected.

"Whoa, it's Kali!"

"Hello, young lady."

"Oh, Reno and Rude!" she gasped, wrapping her arms around the red-haired man. "Thank god! Vincent's still at the house. Cloud was killed last night and everyone thinks I did it, but I didn't. Vincent killed Barret just now because Barret tried to kill him first."

"Okay, okay, calm down. Where are you running to?" Reno asked, patting her on the back.

"Midgar," Kali answered. The two men looked at each other.

"Let's go," Rude shrugged. Reno nodded and grabbed the girl's shoulder.

"We could use the trip. Let's head out," he agreed. He led Kali to their bikes outside. "Can you ride a cycle?"

"No," Kali shook her head. Reno sighed.

"We'll have to take it slow, then. Wouldn't want you falling off now, would we?" he smiled.

"Could we hurry up, please?" she requested, taking a look at the town nervously.

"You can ride with me," Rude offered as he sat on his bike. "Mine has more room."

"I'll put your bags on mine," Reno added.

When they were ready, Kali sat in front of Rude. Reno got on his and tossed a rope to them.

"Just in case," he explained. Rude tied the rope securely around her and under the seat.

"I won't let you fall," Rude assured her. He wrapped an arm around her middle as he kicked the engine to life. At that moment, Vincent came tearing across the parking lot.

"Kali!" he yelled. Reno scooted as far up on his bike as he could while Vincent jumped on behind him. Tifa came around the corner and began shooting at all four of them. "Go!"

Reno and Rude tore across the countryside as fast as they could. Tifa stared after them. An old man approached her.

"I heard them say where they're going," he cackled. "I'll tell you if you'd be so kind as to give a tired old man some action."

"Oh, you'll tell me," she snapped, pointing the gun at him, "or I'll blow your head off."

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"Kali, are you sure you're not hurt?" Vincent asked. She shook her head.

"Mostly shaken and scared."

"How long do you think it'll be before they catch us?" Reno asked as he leaned against the cliff. They stopped just on the other side of Cosmo Canyon.

"If they bury Cloud and Barret before coming after us and then need to get supplies, I'd say…" Vincent thought a moment, "we have about one day's head start. Maybe less if they move through the night."

"Shit," Rude sighed. He stood straight, as was his habit. Kali stared at his discipline and couldn't help wondering if maybe he still believed the Turks were around; after all, neither Vincent nor Reno seemed to act this way anymore. The thought made her feel bad for him. She snapped out of her thoughts when Vincent began speaking again.

"Kali, I want you to keep with Rude. I'll stick with Reno. Rude, get Kali to Midgar as soon as you can. I mean it. Even if we fall behind, keep moving."

"Of course."

"What's out in Midgar, anyway?" Reno asked. "Its just ruins." Kali stepped away from the group and closed her eyes.

"My father's grave is out there. He wants me to go there and get his sword."

"Masamune," Rude muttered. Kali nodded.

"Yes. He wants me to get that and then find my brother."

"Your brother? Oh, Kadaj, right," Reno shook his head and smiled at Vincent. "How could I forget?"

"Reno, don't…" Vincent muttered. Kali stared at him.

"What?"

"He saved Kadaj's life," Rude explained. Vincent stared at him.

"It wasn't anything. Just my first step in moving away from Cloud's group."

"What happened?" Kali asked. Vincent shut his eyes and began to explain.

"I told you of how he tried to bring back your father seventeen years ago, right?"

"Because of Reunion, yeah," Kali confirmed.

"Kadaj was only seventeen then. My god, he must be in his thirties now."

"So what? Get on with what you were saying, please?" Kali insisted. Vincent chuckled and sighed.

"Sorry. Anyway, Cloud killed Loz and Yazoo, the two clones, first and then went after your brother. They were in the Sleeping Forest when they met. Cloud nearly killed him. When Kadaj was laying on the ground, a mere inch from death, and Cloud was about to dig Kadaj's own sword into his chest one last time, I showed up and confronted Cloud. I told him, "Although Kadaj is trying to bring Sephiroth back, he's still just a child. Can you truly justify killing someone so young?" Cloud stood and debated for a moment. I reminded him that Sephiroth was still Kadaj's father and that even I would do anything to bring my own back. Cloud threw Kadaj's sword to the ground and said that he would leave Kadaj to die, but if he lived and they met again, Cloud would waste no time in killing him. When Cloud was gone, I wrapped my cloak around Kadaj, picked him up and took him to the City of the Ancients nearby. I bound his wounds and gave him all the potions I had. I stayed with Kadaj until he was well enough to travel alone. While I bandaged him, he asked me why I was doing this. I only looked at him and said, "You're still young. You still have many good years ahead of you. I have already watched others only a little older than you die in combat that wasn't necessary. I can't bear to watch another perish." I never told him, but I wanted to keep him alive as long as I could. At the time, he was, after all, the only living relative of Lucrecia. I couldn't watch her grandson die the way I had her son."

"If you saved his life, why would he have killed you when we saw him last night?" Kali inquired. Reno and Rude stared at them.

"You saw him?" Reno repeated. Nobody answered.

"It is possible that he has forgotten. He was unconscious most of the time I cared for him. It is also possible that he would have thought I was going to go back on what I did for him and tell Cloud where he was so he would die. Kali, take care of your brother and make sure he takes care of you. I don't think I will be here much longer to care for you myself."

"What?" she gasped. "You can't die until that gauntlet is removed. You said so."

"The day that happens is not far off."

"No!" she yelled. "You can't die."

"Quiet!" he snapped suddenly. They listened as a motorcycle came towards them. "Get ready."

"Vincent!" came a voice. Yuffie and Cid were coming over a hill on a large motorcycle. As the two of them got off, Reno and Yuffie stared at each other. "Hello, Reno," she said quietly. He nodded his greeting.

"You didn't think we were going to let you go out by yourself, did you?" Cid grinned. Vincent sighed and punched Cid in the stomach. "Ouch!"

"You scared the piss out of us!" he yelled. Cid laughed weakly.

"Guess I deserved that, huh? So are we going to Midgar or what?"

"Let's hurry there," Vincent ordered. Yuffie stared at him sadly.

"Vincent, I don't want you to-"

"I said let's hurry. We don't have much time before Tifa comes after us. Yuffie and Cid ride together. I'll go with Reno. Rude, you take Kali. You two can head out now. We'll be along in a minute."

"Vincent, I'm not leaving you," Kali said through gritted teeth.

"Kali, I'll see you in Midgar. I promise. You can't get the sword until I am there, anyway."

"What do you mean?" she asked. As she fell silent, they heard engines a short way off.

"Tifa," Rude muttered. They all hurried to their bikes and scooted off as Tifa and Marlene came over the hill, Nanaki running alongside. They took off after their prey.

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NM: Yea! Cloud's dead! Celebrate!

Crickets: A-chirpin.

NM: Um… yeah. Anyway, no disclaimers. Except that I don't own anything from FF7 except Kali and Devin because, well, they're OC. And I hope you see now why this is R. Oh, and if you were confused, in the part with italics every other line, the italics are Kali's dream and the regular is what's actually happening in the story. Reviews:

Merielle: Yeah, I liked it. As for the shadow thing, you may get a hint from the dream section. I'll tell what it is later, but it will be a little while.

Kizna1200: …maybe Tifa kills him, maybe not. Well, you read my other story, so of course you'll know! ((sigh)) As for the Lucrecia being Seph's mom, I don't even know the whole story. Once I reach that part of the game (yeah, I shouldn't even know about that), I'll have a part where Kadaj or someone like that explains to Kali. What I do know: Lucrecia and Hojo were working together on the Jenova Project. They needed a baby for the experiment, so Hojo impregnated Lucrecia. Actually, Lucrecia is only Seph's birth mother. His biological mother is Jenova, because Hojo (I guess this is how he did it) replaced Lucrecia's genes with Jenova's, so Sephy-chan won't be very much like Lucrecia. That's all I know. Sorry if I spoiled the game for you.

Mediciner: I agree with the biting part. I like your story idea; Go for it! (BTW, you stink. I didn't get CoM for Xmas…)

I hope everyone had a happy holiday! This update is my gift to all of you!

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