Tainted Souls
Chapter VI
There Once Was A Man With A Golden Arm, The Tortured Gunman
"We have to stop him." Aeris yelled, pulling on Sesshomaru's robes.
The two of them stopped as the trap door behind them opened once more. A mechanical whirring sound could be heard as a golden claw pushed the door open. A man with long, black hair and a red cloak steped out from the hole in the floor. The man drew a three barreled handgun and pointed it at the two.
"Where is Sephiroth?" he asked infuriated, his red eyes seemed to look right into their souls. Aeris ducked behind Sesshomaru, who seemed unmoved by this man's appearance.
"Who are you?" Sesshomaru asked the gunman.
The man stepped closer towards the two, his gun pointed at Aeris now. His red eyes looked her over. She looked familiar to him, she reminded him of someone he knew in the past. He lowered his gun and walked closer towards the girl.
"Who are you?" the gunman asked the girl, his voice sounded very sad, almost as if he had recently experienced a great lose..
"My name is Aeris, who are you?" she asked staring at the mechanical claw where his left hand should be.
"Why are you here?" he asked the couple.
"We were searching for Sephiroth." the tall man with the sword stated.
At he very mention of the name Sephiroth. The gunman was filled with rage. He raised his claw high into the air and brought it down swiftly, sending it through a table.
"Sephiroth," the man looked at the two in disgust, "What do you know about him?" the man asked falling to his knees in anger, he continued to pound at the floor
"Nothing, except that he must be stopped." Sesshomaru said placing a hand on the Tokijin.
"Hey, are you looking for Sephiroth too? Maybe you could give us a hand." Aeris said smiling offering her hand to help him up.
He slapped her hand away, Aeris recoiled and hid behind Sesshomaru once again. The man got up and seemed to hover above the ground. He rose several feet in the air and disappeared.
"I don't need any help, Sephiroth will lead me to Hojo, then..." His voice trailed off into the darkness of the mansion.
"We'd better leave, we've got work to do, climb on," Aeris climbed on to Sesshomaru's back and wrapped her arms around his neck, blushing, "Which way to the temple?"
"Southeast." she said pointing in that direction.
They traveled for several days and finally they reached their destination.
"What in hell." Sesshomaru walked up to what appeared to be a large hole in the ground.
"It seems we're too late," Aeris said climbing down from Sesshomaru, "Sephiroth got here first."
"Do you smell something?" Sesshomaru said sniffing the air.
"Sesshomaru, now isn't the time to be following food." She said shaking her head side to side.
"No, blood," he said leaping down the hole, empty bullet cartridges and spent clips littered the floor of the hole.
"It's the man from before, the one with the golden arm." he called up from the hole, inspecting the man's wounded body Sesshomaru grabbed the man and leaped out of the hole.
The man was covered in blood, his body had many sword wounds, including one that looked like it just missed the heart by an inch. Several smaller wounds that looked like they were caused by teeth and stingers littered the man's body
"These wounds need to be treated." Aeris said raising her hands in the air, a strange green light emanated from them. The light shone brightly and covered the bleeding gunman. After a few moments the light vanished and the gunman shot up from the ground and starred at the girl.
"What was that?" Sesshomaru and the gunman asked in unison.
"I healed your wounds, the same way I did yours Sesshomaru," She said smiling, "So are you going to tell me your name or do I have to guess."
"Vincent." He said inspecting his weapon, which lay on the ground next to him. The long tri-barreled weapon seemed to be out of ammunition. He ejected the clip and starred at it carefully trying to find out how many bullets were left in the magazine.
"Well, Vincent, what were you doing here?" Aeris asked.
The gunman looked around and drew a red box from his inside his shirt. He sat down on a stump and began reloading his clips and gun. He seemed to have changed since the last time they ran into each other. He still didn't show much emotion just like when they left him before, but he didn't seem so sad and was more motivated now.
"I came here to stop Sephiroth from taking the Black Materia. When I arrived here I saw a group of men dressed in black. Three of them went in, I followed trying to stop them from getting the Black Materia. They were killed by a dragon guarding the Materia, I grabbed the what I thought was the Materia and the temple began to shrink. The temple was the Black Materia. I teleported outside and grabbed the Black Materia. Then…then Sephiroth came. He jumped down the hole I followed and we fought him. It was over before it even started, grabbed the Materia and ran off. That's when you showed up." Vincent looked at the two, he then got up and walked towards Sesshomaru.
"What are you?" Sesshomaru asked Vincent.
"I don't even know any more. But who and what are you?" he looked at the two swords at the demons side.
"I am Sesshomaru, a demon from the past, I cam here following Sephiroth."
"Well, now that we all know each other, and sense were all going after the same thing why don't you join the party Vincent?" Aeris asked him finally coming out from behind Sesshomaru.
"If I follow you will I be able to meet Hojo and the Turks?" he asked holstering his weapon.
"Yeah, I guess." she said remembering the many unsuccessful kidnappings they attempted.
"Then I'll follow you." Vincent said.
"Good, now we just have to get to the lost Capital of the Ancients." Aeris smiled at her new companion.