Chapter 2 Neibelheim

He was horrified at what he saw. When he came back to his senses, he saw what had become of Neibelheim. Bodys, bloody and miggled bodys, littered the streets. He looked around at his surroundings.

"What happened? Did a monster attack here?" He bent down next to the woman that tried to help him. Her back was ripped apart and there wher four long gashes in the shape of giant claws. When he reached his hand down and touched her, his eyes fell to his hands. Both of them. Both of his hands where soaked in blood, innocent human's blood.

He ran over to another person and looked at him. The same thing. His body was gashed open with claw marks and his face was etched with terror along with the woman. A sudden sicking jult hit him as he realized what happened.

"I-I did this? But how? I don't rememeber doing anything like this..." He said looking around at all the dead people. He ran into a house, the people in there where in worse shape then the ones outside. A few where ripped apart. Limbs thrown everywhere and blood stained the walls and floors. He walked back outside.

He even attacked the brown dog that's always standing next to the well. It was ripped into shreads and throw around as if it was a rag doll. The ground was stained with blood, and most likely will never become it's orginal color. Everyone had terror etched on their faces, gashes all over their bodys. He took a step backwards and ran into the other houses, praying that at least on person was still alive. No one was, everyone was dead. Without meaning to, Vincent Valentine just masacured an entire town.

Horrified at what he done he went into the Shinra Manor. He even murdered all the monsters in the house. Not one thing was still alive in the town. Everything was dead, ripped apart and slashed. Everybody was dead, killed by his hands.

He looked at the clock on the mantol. He was only out for half an hour, in that short amount of time he killed everyone and everything. Stepping back outside, he fled to the town't exit. He knew that the people in the town where Shinra employee's, they where ordered to live here and act like they lived there most of thier lives. Shinra had covered up the burning of the town. Caused by Sephiroth.

Vincent walked though the town, checking every nook and cranny, trying to find even one thing alive, while he was fleeing the town. Nothing. Nothing at all. Hearing a plane, he turned around and looked up. Seeing the Shera, named after Cid's new wife, comeing towards the town. He walked out of Neibelheim and waited as the aircraft landed on the ground. Yuffie jumped out of the docks and ran up to Vincent.

"Hiya Vince! I tell you, it took us almost forever to get here!" She whined. "Ugh, and the airsickness..."

"Yuffie. What are you doing here? Weren't you in Wutai."

"Yeah I was, until Tifa called me and said that we where gonna have a reunoin for old time sakes. Ah, here they come." Yuffie said as she turned and waved at Cloud and Tifa. She hasn't noticed the town yet, nor Vincent's bloodied hands.

"Vincent, so there you are." Cloud started. He stopped when he noticed the blood on his hands. "Vincent, what happened? Your hands." Vincent turned his back on them.

"I'm not sure. While it happened, I wasn't 'myself'." he simply said. His eyes where cold and had a distance look in them. As if he wasn't really there.

"While what happened?" Tifa asked walking up beside Cloud. "What do you mean by that?"

Yuffie looked between them and ran towards the town. Vincent just watched her go and he turned and headed towards the Shera.

"I want to know what happened Vincent." Cloud said. Vincent just looked at him with his cold gaze. Yuffie screamed for Cloud and Tifa. Tifa ran after the ninja and Cloud watched Vincent's back. After a few minutes, he turned and followed Tifa. Walking up behind them, he looked over their shoulders and it felt like a bat just hit him in the stomach. (base ball bat I mean)

Even though they where Shinra employees, and this Neibelheim was rebuilt after Sephiroth burned it to the ground, for a cover up. It still left him speechless. Tifa's and Yuffie's eyes where wide and their mouths open. Yuffie, unable to look at it any longer, turned her back on the scene and ran back towards the Shera.

"W-what happened here?" Tifa asked Cloud. She knew that he didn't know, but she wanted to ask someone. "Even the dog's dead!" She cried out.

"I'm not sure, but I think Vincent might know what happened. Come on, we need to get out of here before somebody comes by and we get blamed for this." He said takeing her by the arm. Tifa nodded and the two of them followed Yuffie back to the Shera.

"Hey Vince!" Cid called from behind the controls as he spotted Vincent walking below. Vincent paused and nodded at Cid.

"Been a while man. Shera's worried about you, you know. She won't shut up asking me how's the others and blah, blah, blah." Cid said stepping away from the controls. Someone shouted "Captian!" And Cid ran back to the controls.

"Sorry man, can't talk now. We're heading towards Cosmos Canyon next to pick up Red XII, or Nanaki. Which ever you want to call him. Go freshen up a bit, bathrooms near the back." Vincent nodded and headed towards the bathroom to clean the blood off his hands. No one's noticed it yet because he's kept his hands concealed behind his back, inside his red cape.

Walking past a few doors he reached the bathroom and pushed open the door. Walking up to the sink, he filled it full with water and started to scub his hands clean of the bright red liquid.

Cloud saw Vincent walking into the back, most likely heading towards the bathroom to clean his hands. Barret was sitting in the back of the room, along with Reeve. Reeve was makeing Cait Sith do summer salts and back flips. Marlene was laughing her butt off.

Cloud walked up next to Tifa. "Tifa?" She looked at him. "Don't worry." He finished. Tifa smiled weakly.

"Easy for you to say." She sighed. The doors opened and Vincent walked though. he walked up to the front of the ship and looked at the ocean passing below. Cloud walked up to him. Tifa stayed where he left her.

"Vincent? What happened down there?" He asked calmly. Vincent looked at him and didn't answer right away. After a few minutes,

"I don't know. What I do remember was this horriable pain before I passed out. And my back."

"Your back?" He repeated looking at Vincent. Vincent closed his eyes.

"It felt like something was ripping the flesh on my back. I don't know if that'll help clear up what happened to you, but there's one place I need to go."

"Where's that?" Vincent opened his eyes and raised his head up.

"Midgar."

"Why there?" Cloud asked.

"Hojo."

"Oh, I see now."

"I have some questions for him. I let him slip though my fingers again, I let him live far too long." Vincent stared down at his clawed metal glove. "The one who damned me to my own nightmare." He looked back up out the window. Cloud looked at his sad red eyes and sighed.

"Wait, you mean Hojo's still alive?"

"Yes, he is. But, he's no longer himself you could say. After I find out what I want from him, I will make him pay for what he did to Lucrecia. And myself"

"I've hear you talk about her a lot lately," Tifa started walking up to him. "And everything you say that concerns her is sad. Your eyes are filled with sadness. Who was she, your lover?"

"No, she was never mine. But as her friend, I foolishly allowed her fate to lie completely in the hands of the one she had chosen, the one who, in the end, did nothing to save her life."
Though Vincent's words were vague, she knew that he still cared for her. Tifa looked at Cloud and sighed.

"So, that's the reason why you slept in that coffin?" Cid asked walking up to them. One of the co-pilots took over the controls so he could come down and talk to them. "I've heard it from Tifa and I wondered why." Vincent turned and looked at the others. Even Barret and Reeve where standing off to the side.

"I didn't stop her. I should have stopped her but I was a fool then. I knew how Hojo was. That was my sin. And that was my punishment."

"What sin where you atoning for exactly?" Tifa asked.

"For not stopping her when I had the chance. Lucreica, the mother of Sephiroth."

"So, I thought I heard of her before. The woman you cared for was his mother?" Vincent turned his back on the others and gazed back out the window.

"The summonary mutation process, one of Hojo's best experiments." Reeve began. "I remember a long time ago he was telling Rufus about that. Tell me Vincent, are you the only one who went though that?" Vincent didn't answer.

"How did you meet her? Lucrecia I mean." Tifa asked.

"It was when I was a member of the Turks. I was her body guard." He gazed out at the clouds passing above them. Vincent leaned against the rail. His voice was cold, and yet sad.

"Do you know how many there are? Summon gods I mean." Cloud asked.

"I believe there's at least four of them. I'm aware of them all, Galian Beast is the one I'm fully aware of at the moment. The other three are strange." He looked over his shoulder at the others. "But, ever since that machine exploded. I felt there was one other, one I never knew of before."

"One other?" Cloud asked. Vincent shook his head yes once.

"After I got out of Shinra Manor, I felt really weak and like I was about to black out." He began. The others listened, wanting to know what happened. Cloud already guessed that this other summon god slaughtered the people and the dog. "I was headed towards the inn when a women walked out. She tried to help me but I pushed her away. A unbearable desire spread thoughout my body." He looked at all their faces, wanting to see if one of them was starting to freak out or felt faint. None of them did so he contuinued.

"The disire spread thoughout my body like fire, the disire to kill..." He stopped for a few minutes. The others where quiet and waited for him to finish. "That's when it felt as though something was ripping my back apart and my flesh felt as though it where on fire. The women had terror on her face and craweled away from me. The last thing I remember before I lost all control was an unhuman roar, almost like a demon's roar and a women's high pitched scream." he finished.

Tifa gone a little white, but quickly recovered. "So, it wasn't you who did it, it was the other summon god." She breathed a sigh of relief. "And here I thought you turned into a murderer of innocent people."

"Those people where not innocent Tifa. They worked for Shinra." Barret said. Reeve walked over and patted Vincent's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it Vince. As long as nobody tells, you won't be in any danger from the police."

Vincent smirked. "And here I was scared of going to jail." He teased. "Thanks Reeve, say, where's Cait and Marlene. Reeve, to your question, I'm not sure." Reeve nodded.

"Still in the back, Cait is entertaining her." Barret said slapping Reeve on the back. Reeve flenched.

"Hurt back then too." He said flexing his shoulders. Barret laughed. Vincent nodded and looked back out at the clouds.

"Captain, Cosmos Canyon if comeing into veiw." The co-pilet at the controls said.

"Roger." Cid said and he walked back up to the stearing wheel. Vincent and the others watched as Cosmos Canyon came into veiw below the clouds.