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The cave was stark and cold as the wind blew in from the outside. The echoes of the waterfall echoed off the damp, stonewalls. He remained sitting on the small set of steps just where he had found her last and where had also found a large gun placed ceremoniously on a white cloth. The darkness of the metal almost seemed to clash with the lightness of the linen. Vincent frowned briefly.
'At least I got to see her one last time.' The breeze fluttered the delicate yellow petals of flowers he clutched in his hand. 'She use to love these for whatever reason. They don't even have a scent and yet she loved them all the same.'
Closing his eyes, the gunman listened to the haunting whistle of the wind and the crashing sound of water. For a moment, he thought he heard music. Lucrecia was nowhere in sight, but yet he could feel her.
'Sometimes when I am on the verge of sleep, I hear it. At first it is soft and distant and then it grows until it seems the music is just beyond the door or the wall. It is a melody I know all too well. I loved it when she played it, but whether it was because I liked the tune or how it seemed to make her feel when she played, I am unsure.
Perhaps it is her way to letting me know that she is there waiting. To think that between the edge of dreams and death, she is there with that silly, confident smile she always wore. There are days that I still yearn to hear her laughter that often accompanied that smile. Nevertheless, thinking this brings me a sense of comfort, dare I say even some concept of peace? Maybe it is her way of telling me that it is all right. There is no reason to hurt anymore.
Though I cannot help but to consider that this might be a disillusion by my own creation or even by my own desires for something that once was. It has been so long since then and despite seeing her that one time here.
If this is truly a disillusion or a dream, then let me not wake up from the vividness these precious, beautiful things! For thirty years I lay in the midst of nightmares and everything that is wretched; so now let me have a moment where I have joy instead of regret. I would think she would want that.'
Soon the cave was empty again, as it had been for the longest time. On the steps sat a gold colored gauntlet and a bundle of yellow wildflowers.
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Author's Note: I hope you have enjoyed this story. There is so much I could have done with it, but all things considering, I had to make my priorities. Plus, this is a fan fiction, not a novel. :) It thought I would include this section out of spite. I wanted to show a side of Vincent that people tend to push away. Heaven forbid he comes to terms with his past and move on with his life.
I thought I would use the gauntlet as a symbol for him dusting his hands of the duties of killing Sephiroth and moving on. In many ways, I personally saw the offering of Death Penalty and Chaos as a way to tell him 'Please finish what I couldn't. With this you can find us both redemption.'
I forgot to mention that I want to thank Ren for helping with some of the editing. It is good to have someone else to bat ideas off of.