Disclaimer: Me no own FFVII. Rights go to who ever the hell made it

A/N: HOLY SHIT almost 1000 hits and 6 reviews! Something doesn't add up here...hmmm...Anyhow, to the people that reviewed, thank you all! Here's the next chapter for you guys, hope it's not too slow, it sort of leads up to the next part of the plot. Heehee, leave some reviews and let me know what you think people!

Desertman: I'm glad you like how I built up the relationship. I know Cloudlov3r can be harsh, but everyone's say is important unless they only use fanfics to intentionally talk shit (and, believe it or not, Cloudlov3r gave me a semi-decent review at the beginning :)

To: Tasukete, random-riter and Silver Valentines (apologizes for any mispellings) thank you for adding me to your story alert lists!
and To: BabyGurl278, Aerith Flower Girl and Roland Knight (again, my apologizes) for adding me to your faves!
Sorry for thanking you all too late, I'm stupid and just found out I had a thing called 'Stats' in my member's page lol

Chapter 8

Cloud and the others had rushed as quickly as they could toward the explosion, but stopped in horror as they saw Vincent's tattered body fly into the air. When he fell out of sight, they turned a few more corners and found Vincent on the ground, Ruby slowly fading from sight as Reno whispered something.

It was then Cloud noticed Tifa on the ground, unmoving.

"Tifa!" he cried, and he charged forth with his sword in his hands. Red cried out warning but Yuffie eagerly joined Cloud, anxious to fight and hopefully gain a new, powerful materia.

Reno looked up at Cloud's cry, and he drew his Ruby Summon materia. He raised it in front of him and Cloud, Yuffie and Red (who had followed them grumbling) stopped dead. However, nothing happened.

"Damnit!" Reno cried. "One attack takes all your magic? Why didn't he tell us that?" Reno cried out in shock as Cloud came down upon him, barely able to parry the giant sword with his nightstick. He slid away only to feel Yuffie's sharp shuriken, the Conformer, cut a part of his leg, causing him to drop his weapon.

Grasping his leg painfully, he looked up at a furious Cloud. Panting, he asked, "What happened to those two…Rude and Blondie?"

"Did you really expect them to take on the entire Avalanche group and make it away?" Cloud retorted, snarling. Reno simply bowed his head and shook it.

"I was kinda counting on it. Damn, there goes the Turks." He felt Cloud grab his shirt and throw him up against the wall. He turned away from him and saw Yuffie tending to Vincent and Red blocking off the other way out. "Guess you guys have me covered either way." He turned back to Cloud, who still held him up by his shirt. "Now why am I still conscious?"

"Because we need you to tell us what is happening. How did you all get Weapon Summons and Holy, and who sent you after us?" He raised Reno a little higher. "And what did you do to Tifa and Vincent?"

"Don't worry about Vampy's girlfriend (Cloud's grip around his collar tightened), she's only asleep. As for everything else, no idea."

Cloud stood there for a moment, then dropped Reno. He slid down the wall, his legs propped out in front of him. "What do you mean 'you have no idea'?"

Reno looked up at him, defiance in his vermilion eyes that complimented his auburn hair. "Exactly what the fuck I just said! The guy sent us a check to last us the rest of our lives, said that that was ten percent of our cut if we took out Avalanche and agreed to sustain the falling Turks. Said something about ranking us in honor in a 'New Kingdom' or something of the sorts. Never knew the guy, never seen him, just know he's full of cash and willing to spend it." A stupid grin formed on Reno's face. "Also promised me lots of women, too, if I personally took out Vampy. Never told Blondie that, though…" Reno trailed off, looking away as if in thought.

"We don't have time for this," growled Cloud as Yuffie walked toward him, supporting a weak Vincent. "Tell us where we can find this guy who's out to get us."

"Ever heard of Gaea Cliff?" asked Reno, cocking his head to the side.

"The place…that insufferable mountain," croaked Vincent, before coughing up blood. Yuffie hastily set him down and wiped the blood from his mouth with a handkerchief and petted his head soothingly.

Reno turned from Cloud to Vincent, then back again. "Vamp's right. Gaea Cliff is that place where snow always is falling, right before that hell of a crater. Said to meet our 'associate' there when we finished this little game. Besides that…" Reno shrugged, attempting to stand up. Cloud pointed his sword warningly at him and he slowly slid back down. "So are you assholes actually goin' up there? That place is said to freeze almost anyone in a matter of minutes."

"We've been there before," Cloud said heatedly over Vincent's coughing fit. "We can brave it again. Now, the question is what to do with you…?"

"If I can perhaps interject," spoke Red gruffly, walking toward Cloud. He nodded his head and Red turned to Reno. "We could keep him under Reeve's eyes. Though Shinra is no longer as powerful company as it was, he has an unbound amount of Cait Sith's at his command as well as the guards of his company. Not to mention, he is there boss." Red's mouth seemed to jerk up ever so slightly, hinting at a smile.

"Sure whatever," commented Reno, standing up as Cloud backed away. He brushed off his suit and then looked from Red, who was pondering the ground, to Cloud, who stared furiously at him, to Yuffie, who was carefully healing Vincent's wounds. "Now, you all seem busy, so I'll just…" Suddenly he leapt onto the wall and pushed off, flying above Cloud and Red and taking off down the alley.

A gunshot rung out and Reno fell to the ground, swearing loudly as he clutched his already wounded leg. He turned to see Vincent, shakily holding out his gun, before it dropped from his grasp. Cloud and Red ran after Reno and Vincent collapsed from fatigue, and Yuffie rested him in her lap as she smoothed his dark hair.

"Damnit, Turk," cried Cloud, coming up to Reno and smacking him upside the head with the smooth side of his sword. "Next time you try something like that, we'll make sure you don't swear afterwards."

"Yeah, yeah," Reno said, dismissing Cloud's words with a wave of his hand. "That spunky chick seemed busy too busy fussing over her crush than anything, and he seemed to weak to even hold a gun, so I thought, 'Hey, what the hell!'"

Red shook his head. "I don't doubt for an instant that that was exactly what ran through his mind."

Cloud turn to Yuffie and Red, his face serious as he used his 'leader' voice. "Come on, let's head back. Yuffie, you take Vincent. I'll take Tifa and Red can drag this guy back."

"What do you…?" Reno couldn't finish his sentence before Cloud turned about and pointed the green materia Reno had used on Tifa, and he crumpled onto the ground, snoring loudly.

"That's what I mean," finished Cloud, pocketing the materia and turning to Red. "Let's go."

xxxxXxxxx

Vincent stood alone, only darkness around him. His cloak and bandanna were missing, and he realized when he saw his left, human hand that this was not reality. "What do you want, all of you?" he called out into the seemingly endless shadows. A haunting laughter seemed to answer him, and from the depths strolled on Galian, his fierce, intelligent eyes on Vincent.

"You feel for this woman as much as her, do you?" it said, coming in a low, growling voice. "Why should this woman be any different? You heard him, you only had yourself killed because you cared for the human. Nothing comes from these senseless human relationships…" Galian retreated to the shadows, only the piercing eyes remaining as they watched Vincent's reaction. However, he kept his face blank and his thoughts and voice quiet.

"Therre is sssomething differrrent about herrr," called a dreary voice, slurry the r's and s's. Death Gigas stepped out this time, standing besides Galian's gaze. "But we musss know: What do you seek…of thisss rrrrelationsship? of herrr prrresssence? What do you gain? You almost werrre rrrewarrded withsss death before, but lived only to face an eternal hell with ussss herre."

"I have already died," said Vincent blankly. "When Lucrecia left me, I became an empty vessel you demons roamed in, slowly growing into me. All, except you, Chaos. The only demon I willingly placed into my body from Hojo, the one he left within Lucrecia's spirit…"

"So you still love her?" Hellmasker stepped from the darkness as Death Gigas retreated to Galian, and as the other, only his eyes remained. Vincent had become accustomed to his conferences with his demons before, but hardly ever had they talked about Vincent's humane feelings. He got the feeling it made them feel less superior, tainted, talking about humans and love.

"You would not even know what that means, Hellmasker. You, a deranged killer who turned to evil to escape reality, would never understand the answer I would give you. Why ask such things?" Hellmasker remained silent, and the beating of wings sounded: The final conference.

Hellmasker silently drew back as Chaos hovered down from above. His eyes, entirely blood-red, remained on Vincent. He folded his arms in front of him as he landed, folding his purple and red wings behind him. "But do you even know the answer? Your heart is torn between loyalties, Vincent, you must choose. There is no denying me from your heart and thoughts, you willingly accepted me, and I am now you; your greatest enemy and being. I am you."

Vincent knew Chaos was his demon self, sculpted in a human like form with the features of a demon. His eyes the same color, his body movements, even his intellect. Of all the confrontations, he was least certain and pleased by this one.

Chaos smiled, revealing his fangs as he listened to Vincent's feelings. "You realize the truth. Now, choose: The loyalty to your past, of to the love and uncertainty of your future. Remember Vincent: To live in the past brings you nothing but regret for what might have been, but to live in the present brings you the uncertainty that you might lose what has become. You lost Lucrecia, you may lose her…Tifa…"

The last word seemed to hang hauntingly in the air as Vincent stood still, his eyes burning fiercely as he stared at Chaos, knowing he was right. He smiled wider and darkness engulfed him, too. "Now choose…"

Vincent bowed his head, his bangs covering part of his face. "I choose…" The others seemed to wait with baited breath, but Chaos chuckled, knowing the answer. "…neither. I choose only the path to love again. I love the memory of one, and love the presence of another. It is as you demons and me are; we are one, and cannot be parted though we wish. I cannot set free my bond to Lucrecia, nor of my guilt to her death. I will not, however, remained fixed as I was. Tifa…" Vincent looked upwards, and the darkness seemed to part, light shining from above. The demons snarled in anger and fear, recoiling from the light as Vincent basked in the warming rays.

"Tifa…I…I love you…"

And above him, he heard a gasp, only to open his eyes and see Tifa gazing down to him, her eyes turning from concern and worry to shock.

"W-what, Vincent?"

From the back of his mind, Vincent heard the snickering of his demons. Oh, burn in hell, all of you, he snapped. I fucking hate you all. His thought was greeted only with laughter by the fiends.

A/N: Heehee, I love the voices in Vincent's head. I'm so evil, leave some reviews! I'll work on this as soon as I can!