Woot, thanks for the review...yes, only one so far. But, really, thank you! Onto the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor anything related to Square.
She cried on his arm, something she hadn't done since as far back as she could remember. The big man did his best to comfort the brunette, but all seemed to be hopeless. When the person who had tried to put a smile on everyone's face in the grimmest of moments fell apart, it was like a part of everyone died that day. Their attempts to assure Tifa were to no avail and their soothing words fell on deaf ears. And it was his fault. Damn that ex-Turk vampire, Vincent Valentine. He was going to hell, and everyone knew it.
…Almost everyone.
Vincent sat quietly on his padded floor, bored of admiring the pillow walls. He tried his best recall the moments that had passed before Cloud's death, before Vincent had pulled the trigger. By God, the rush of energy that had surged through him was so invigorating, and yet so intoxicating that it must have been a sin just to hold the gun up!
How many sins is that now? Vincent counted, sighed, and gave up. Ah, to hell with it. Who cares anyway, I'm already here.
"You should care, Vincent. Your sins will be used against you at the time of judgment, but I don't think I should have to remind you of that."
Vincent whirled around, or at least tried to. His straight-jacket made him do more of a sort of half-turn before stopping and falling onto his stomach. "Ugh. Who's there?" Vincent asked, struggling to get into a standing position.
"Forgotten my voice already? Well, I guess I can't blame you…it has been some time," the voice giggled. "You look like a turtle on its back!" The voice giggled some more. Vincent rolled his eyes.
"More like a worm," he whispered, noting that he had to squirm a lot to get back into a sitting position. "Now, answer my question or I'll have to harm you!"
"Harm me, Vincent Valentine? How can you harm something you can't see or even remember, for that matter?" The voice said in its soft, soothing breath. It nearly relaxed Vincent…nearly.
"That's a question asked for so long, and I'll be glad to answer it!" The voice only giggled in return. "Cloud was harmed by something he could only hear, but could not see nor remember. Not clearly remember, anyway. I think that is a good example."
There was silence for a moment, before the voice spoke again. "Cloud was healed, was he not?" Vincent shook his head.
"For a time, I believe he was. But…his memories came back to haunt him. His love for someone is what made him fall into darkness, much like myself. He wanted to be forgiven…he wanted to lift the weight from his shoulders."
The voice giggled again. "You sure know a lot about Cloud, don't you Vincent?" Vincent nodded. "And were you a close friend of Cloud's?" Vincent hesitated, before shaking his head.
"I was a comrade of his, nothing more. It was just business, just work…like always." Vincent sighed, his shoulders slumping. There was a cold sensation he felt, like a hand pressing down to comfort him.
"Do you think, perhaps, that's what it was for her as well: just work and nothing more?" The voice inquired in a whisper. Vincent twitched a little.
"…I guess, maybe. Maybe I was wrong about her and Hojo." He sighed, "But I still didn't stop it…" The hand on Vincent's shoulder tightened its grip.
"You were the exact same way though, weren't you? You went in and did your job, and no one could stop you. You slaughtered innocent people and villages! And yet, no one stopped you." The voice drew a breath, waiting for Vincent's reply.
"…I guess that I…didn't realize how common everything was. How everyone might actually feel the same pain I do." The hand lifted itself from Vincent, and the voice spoke up once more.
"I think you did know, but you didn't realize it until now." Vincent shrugged, not knowing exactly what the voice meant. "Vincent, why did you kill Cloud?"
Vincent said nothing, the memories running through his head. I saw him sitting on the couch, face in his hands. He was muttering the name Aeris, and weeping softly. He said something about wanting to be forgiven and how he wanted to lift the weight off his shoulders. He asked me if sins could be forgiven…and I said I had never cared to try. "…call you with the results," he said, flicking his hair he always did in his cool way. He stood up from the couch and walked right out the door. He was trying to repent his sins and look for forgiveness. He was doing something that…I had never tried. I simply let it all pass by me…and I hated him for that. I hated him for the fact that when I stared at him, I could see myself staring back. I hated the fact that he could always perform things so much better than me…people, speaking, and even forgiveness of sins. I was stuck with my sins and my demons…what about him? How come he wasn't…I hated him. I killed him because…
"…I was jealous."
Tifa passed through the hall with a determined look upon her face. Her eyes were set straight and her jaw was firm. She was here to ask Valentine a few questions...and maybe kick him. Or kill him. Whichever worked best at the moment.
"Vincent!" the enraged brunette yelled into the padded room. She couldn't see inside - it was far too dark. But the small, sharp noise of breathing alerted Tifa that Vincent was indeed in the room.
"Vincent Valentine, we need to talk!" she shouted again, not caring that some employees were staring at her strangely. A pair of red eyes at the door's window was her greeting. "Vincent, why? Why did you kill Cloud! I have to know before I kill you myself!"
The crimson eyes closed for a moment, and there was silence. Then, Vincent answered in a low voice, "I killed Cloud because I wanted to kill the thing I wanted to be, the constant reminder of what I had failed to become. That is why I killed Strife, Tifa."
Tifa blinked in surprise, before tears began welling up. "Why Vincent! You could've just asked for help! We would've helped you as much as humanly possible! We all knew about your problems, but you wouldn't let us help! And this is what it drove you to do!"
"No need to remind me of my failing, Tifa. I think I'll remember it for everyday of my life." The red eyes floated to the back of the room. "Any further questions, or may I return to my insanity?"
Tifa yelled, tears now flooding down her face. Employees came and tried to pull her away, but she knocked them off. "I'm going to kill you Vincent! I'm going to kill you, and enjoy watching the blood trickle down your spine and onto the floor, where I'll begin mopping it up with your hair! You devil bastard, I'll kill you with my bare hands!"
More silence, before the ex-Turk answered. "Kill me, Tifa, and you'll become no better than me. And then, my dear, we both willhave failed. Spare me the pain of watching you descend into darkness. Please." And with one final sigh, the red eyes closed and did not reappear. Tifa began weeping loudly, finally allowing the employees to take her away.
Vincent sat against the wall of pads, thinking. "Thank you, Aeris, for letting me realize my sins. I think someone else needs your help now, though." No one answered. "Already gone," Vincent chuckled. "She's quick as a wit, that one." Vincent then stood, letting the straight-jacket fall to the floor.
And when he escaped his padded room, when he escaped the Mental Hospital, when he fled Kalm, he was grateful for the darkness that allowed him to leave.
Yay! Done! Short story, I know! Read, enjoy, and review!