Tainted Souls

Chapter IX

Darkest Secrets, Vincent's Past

Vincent awoke to find himself alone, save for a strange orb of light in the middle of the room. He got up an walked closer to the orb. He sensed that this thing was no threat. The orb started to take the form of a women, Vincent gasped and recoiled at the instant it's transformation was complete.

No, it can't be!

Vincent got up slowly and walked cautiously towards the glowing figure. A smile appeared on the gunman's face as he realized who he was looking at.

"Lucrecia, is that…you? Where have you been all this time?" he walked closer to her, his cybernetic arm reaching for her.

Lucrecia showed a look of disgust and pain as she looked at the gunman's arm. She winced and recoiled when it touched her hand.

"Lucrecia…" Vincent looked at her as though someone had just stepped on his heart, as though all of his dreams were being shattered in front of his eyes. The one person he loved was afraid of him.

"Vincent, leave here right now," She demanded, "All of you get out and never come back."

Vincent looked at her, still in pain. His heart felt shattered and as he realized what she was saying.

"Why…what did I…what happened to you?" Vincent asked shaking.

"When I left with Hojo…some things happened that I'm not proud of. Please leave now, Vincent. And don't come back…don't come back. If you see Sephiroth tell him…tell him, that I'm sorry for what happened to him." she said with tears flowing from her eyes. She walked back a few steps and vanished. Vincent looked around, Sesshomaru and Aeris were back and the cave had returned to normal.

Sunlight leaked in through the entrance of the cave rousing Sesshomaru. He rolled out from under Aeris' arm and walked over to Vincent who was sitting in a corner crying. It was the first time Sesshomaru had seen Vincent show any emotion, it was weird. Vincent immediately straightened up when he realized Sesshomaru was looking at him. Wiping his tears on his cloak, he got up and walked away from Sesshomaru.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you." Sesshomaru looked outside towards the sunlight, "I know how you must feel, loosing someone important to you. My father was killed by a mortal when I was very young, and when I came to this world, I lost a friend."

"No, you don't know how I feel!" Vincent screamed at the demon, the shouts woke Aeris who stared at the two men wondering what they were fighting about.

Vincent stormed out of the cave and sat on top of a rock near the top of the waterfall to wait for Sesshomaru and Aeris.

"Sesshomaru, what happened?" Aeris asked before taking a bite out of a piece of bread.

"He met with the spirit of one very close to him. She rejected him and recoiled at his touch."

"Wow, that must be painful." Aeris bowed her head, she knew the pain he was feeling. When she first met Sesshomaru she felt such a pain.

"We better get going, we're not welcome here." Sesshomaru grabbed his swords and their supplies and they made their way out of the cave. Strangely every time they entered or left the cave the water seemed to part long enough for them to pass through without getting wet.

Vincent leaped off the rock and landed silently on the ground. As they walked away, Vincent felt something, as if he was being told to reenter the cave by some other worldly force.

"Hey, where are you going?" Aeris called after him.

Vincent walked towards the waterfall, strangely when he went inside he saw a large, shining, gold chest near the back of the cave sitting on a glowing, silver pedestal. He walked closer to the pedestal, he looked over the chest and reached out slowly with his human arm and rubbed the top of its lid. It was warm. He reached for the sides of the lid and lifted. The joints of the chest didn't make a sound as the heavy was lifted. He looked inside but could only see a brilliant shining light. He reached in and felt something warm at the bottom. He grabbed the object and lifted. It couldn't be. It was the legendary weapon, Death Penalty. As he held the weapon he felt a strange energy come over him. One that he had never felt before. As he trained the weapon on the darkness he felt as thought Lucrecia was with him once again.

"Sesshomaru, I want you to do me a favor." Aeris said getting closer to Sesshomaru, putting her arm around him, she placed her index finger on his chest and moved it in a circle in the middle of his chest. Her voice had a seductive tone to it.

"What would that favor be?" Sesshomaru asked trying to hide his blushing face.

"Good now that I got your attention, I want you to make Vincent feel better, you know talk to him, say something…like one of your cool proverbs." she said backing away from the demon with a smile on her face. "They always cheer me up."

"I will try." He stared into the cave wondering why Vincent went back inside.

Vincent dug deeper into the chest. He felt as if their was something else in their. His mechanical hand moved along the bottom of the chest until it hit a metal object. It was a ring. It was the very ring that Lucrecia wore decades ago, when Vincent worked for the Turks. He took of his cloak and reached into his shirt and pulled out a small golden chain. He didn't know why he was left this particular chain but he had awoken with it on when he met Sesshomaru, but he never saw it before, it was obviously for something. This must have been it.

He slid the chain through the ring and clasped the necklace around his neck, tucking it into his shirt. He donned his cloak and started to walk towards the exit of the cave. A few steps toward the exit he turned around. The chest and it's glistening pedestal were gone.

"Thank you…Lucrecia, I understand everything now." Vincent turned and walked out of the cave to where Sesshomaru were waiting.

Aeris nudged Sesshomaru with her elbow and whispered something to him that Vincent couldn't quite make out. Sesshomaru looked down at her and shook his head.

"We better get moving." Vincent said as he looked towards the north, their destination lay in that direction. The Northern Passage. They had to get their soon.

"I agree." Sesshomaru hoisted Aeris onto his back and leaped out of the small enclosed area in the mountains, Vincent followed a second later. They reached the bottom of the mountains after a few more jumps.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Aeris claimed, clapping her hands over her mouth.

"I thought you'd be used to that by now." Sesshomaru half teased.

"Shut up, Sesshy." Aeris sat down for a moment to gather herself, she felt as though her stomach was still on top of the mountain. " Okay, let's go." She finally said getting up and grabbing her staff and using it like a walking stick.

The trio walked fir what seemed like an eternity in silence until they came to a very familiar town, Nibelham. This was the town where they encountered Sephiroth for the second time, where they first found out that Sesshomaru might have some connection to Sephiroth, where Sesshomaru almost killed Aeris, and where they met Vincent.

They walked into the small Inn located in the town. Everyone stared at Sesshomaru, the women stared with passion and the men were filled with envy. They walked into the Inn and the same little man who had served them earlier poked out from under the desk an immediately recognized Sesshomaru and Aeris.

"Ahh, why hello there. Back again I see. Another room I'm guessing." he said gleefully

"Yes, but with two beds this time. You failed to mention their was only the one bed last time." Aeris stared at the man and took the key from his out-stretched hand.

"Enjoy your stay." he said watching them walk up the stairs.

They opened the door to the room, room 14, they looked the room over and placed their things in the small closet near the bathroom. Aeris investigated the bedroom, sure enough their were two queen size beds. Vincent and Sesshomaru sat at a round table staring at each other. Aeris sensing the tension in the room. Decided it was best to leave them alone.

"I'm going to the store does anybody need anything?" she asked the two.

"Ten boxes of .45 caliber rounds, four fragmentation grenades, four boxes of .50 caliber sniper ammunition, ten .50 caliber revolver rounds, and gun oil." Vincent finished the list leaving Aeris confused he wrote it all on a list to make sure that she remembered everything that they needed.

" What about you Sesshy?" She asked walking towards the door.

"Nothing, I'm fine, goodbye." He watched Aeris leave the room and looked back at Vincent when the door closed. It was strange, Sesshomaru had never spoken like that to anyone before, not even Rin. He never talked casually to anyone.

"Sesshomaru, I apologize for the way I acted earlier at the caves, when I screamed at you."

"It's all right, it's a touchy subject, what happened between you and her anyway." Sesshomaru asked not trying to pry.

Vincent explained everything, The Turks, how he was betrayed by Hojo and Experimented on, how Lucrecia fell in love with Hojo, about the ring and the chain, about Death Penalty. Vincent had to admit, he felt a lot better after he let it all out.

"Sometimes if you love something you have to let it go. Sometimes it's for the best. Yet it helps to care for someone, it gives you someone to fight for, someone to protect. I always thought that was ridiculous, that you were only as strong as your determination and your body. But the reason you fight can make you stronger. It's strange how a complicated thing such as love can make you so much more powerful, or make you weak. It all depends on how you deal with it. If you love someone you have to let them know. You have to wait till the time is right. You can't keep something like love bottled up inside forever, Trust me. I tried with Aeris, but it found it's way out. It would have destroyed me. But there is a negative side to all this. Your enemies can use love against you. Whether it be a spy tricking you with false passions, of by taking a loved one hostage. It all depends. But what you have to ask yourself is whether or not you are willing to take the risk to show that person how you feel. You did the right thing Vincent." Sesshomaru got up from his chair and walked out of the room, looking back at the gunman now staring at the legendary weapon now lying on the table in front of him.

Vincent pondered over what Sesshomaru had told him. Someone to fight for. It was all clear to him now. He knew why Lucrecia was afraid of him. He knew why she gave him the ring and Death Penalty. It was her fault that he is what he is today. She was trying to protect him, but she failed him. She pretended to love Hojo to get rid of Vincent so he'd be safe. Then he touched her she didn't back away because he was a freak, but because of guilt, because it was her fault that he became the freak that he is today. He finally understood. It was all for him.

You finally understand. Don't Worry you'll soon find love.

He heard a voice that seemed to come from the ring around his neck. He pulled the ring from under his shirt and examined it. He was never alone. She was with him. Forever. The gunman put the ring back inside his shirt and for the first time in what felt like a century a small smile appeared on his face.