A/N: Boop ba doop. Almost at the point where my writing became less spastic. Creative license taken with Vincent's childhood. Even broody people were once happy children… probably.
Heavy Edits Completed: May 17, 2017
Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance
Chapter 8 – A Reason to Live
"Alex… you… you finally came home…"
The pale woman stumbled forward, a desperate look in her eyes. Vincent frowned, wondering why the name sounded familiar. Joseph Holzoff hadn't mentioned the name of Snow's lover, merely telling a vague story of two lovers in Icicle Inn. But now that the woman of the story was clearly before him, he began wondering about the other aspects of the tale: a man who grew up in Icicle Inn and was drafted away to a war only to never return to his lover. It was a common scenario, but the name and hometown struck a chord within.
"Alex… my dear Alex…" the woman took a few more steps, her hand outstretched.
Then her eyes focused on Tifa, who was standing just behind Vincent, cautiously regarding the scene before her.
"Who are you?" She spat suddenly as a burst of cold air swirled in the cavern.
The air grew thick with magical power as Snow readied a spell, her hand pointed at the female fighter. Vincent decided to intervene with a question.
"You said I looked like an Alex?" He asked. "Was he your lover?"
The woman's eyes snapped back to Vincent. As she scanned his face again, her outstretched hand turned on him.
"You're not Alex," she hissed. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"
The cloaked man held up his hands trying appear harmless.
"My name is Vincent Valentine and this is my teammate Tifa Lockhart," he introduced.
The hand lowered a few inches.
"Valentine…" she looked a bit confused. "I don't remember Alex having a brother."
Now he was sure he had heard the name Alex Valentine before. As he thought about it, a faint memory tumbled out from the recesses of his mind.
…
A young boy lay on a soft carpet reading a book. Space in the apartment was limited and Sector Six was still too dangerous for a young child to run about, even if it was the least violence-prone Sector. Nearby, an old woman sat contentedly resting in an armchair, listening to soft music play on a nearby radio. The boy was waiting for his mother to come home from work, having finished school for the day. After diligently finishing his homework, he had been free to do whatever he chose. With his father always away doing research at Shinra, the boy had grown accustomed to having only his mother and grandmother in his life.
"Grandma, what happened to Grandpa?" The boy asked looking up from his book.
He had been reading a tale of an old couple who adopted a child that eventually grew up to be a hero. It was a bizarre tale as the boy couldn't quite imagine what having a father figure in his life was like. The old woman smiled down at the boy, noting his choice of literature.
"Why, Vincent, are you sick of your poor grandmother already?" She teased.
The boy flushed with embarrassment.
"N-No! I was just wondering…" he trailed off.
The old woman let out a sigh.
"War is a terrible, chaotic thing, Vincent," she began.
"So he died in a war?" The boy asked with his eyes wide and book forgotten.
His grandmother shook her head slowly.
"He was a brave and honorable man," she continued. "When I met him I was just an ordinary nurse, trying to help those who were injured, regardless of what side they were on. He was optimistic, full of determination, and oh so convinced he was fighting for what was right. And because of his beliefs, he was so very confused why I chose to help the enemy."
She chuckled lightly.
"But there is no wrong or right in war. Someone once said that war was a game for rich old men where young men die. After his first engagement went badly, he learned that the hard way. He lost almost all of his squad and wound up in my care. I helped heal his body, but his heart and convictions were not as easily treated. So I simply stayed and talked with him when I could. Once he was physically ready to be deployed again, he was called back out onto the frontlines. I thought that was the last time I would see him, but soon the war ended and I found myself being honored with a service medal at a celebration for winning the war. I met him again at that party, he thanked me again for my services and we ended up talking about life and death."
Vincent saw his grandmother's face turn a bit sad.
"I knew he had someone else in his heart, but the celebrations carried on and eventually everyone ended up very drunk. I admit I was a bit jealous of that mysterious woman he would sometimes mention and the alcohol only loosened my control over my emotions. I wound up pregnant with your father that night and told your grandfather when I found out a few days later."
She had a wistful smile on her face at this point.
"He could've left, you know. Many men might've were they in his position. But he shouldered his responsibility and stayed to help raise your father until your father was old enough to help me out around the house. Once Grimoire was twelve, he sat us both down and told us he had kept her waiting long enough and that he needed to return to Icicle Inn. I understood, but Grimoire seemed to take it hard. The boy closed himself off and threw himself into his studies."
His grandmother sighed.
"I don't know what became of your grandfather. He never wrote me any letters after he left. I assumed he didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore afterwards."
Vincent took in the story diligently. It was the first time anyone had ever spoken about his grandfather and he was determined to remember it all.
"But… why didn't he just write to her and tell her he couldn't come home yet?" Vincent asked after a while.
The old woman chuckled.
"I asked him that same question," she replied. "He told me a part of him was scared how she would react. He knew she was a sensitive woman who was slow to trust. He also called himself a coward because he couldn't bring himself to hurt her, even if it was the right thing to do. He never did end up contacting her. I imagine he thought he would simply beg for her forgiveness and accept any punishment after he met up with her again."
"That seems a little… cruel…" Vincent said sadly.
"Love can be cruel, Vincent," came the soft reply.
The young boy fiddled with his book for a while before looking back at his grandmother.
"So you don't know if he even made it back to his first girlfriend?" He asked.
His grandmother frowned and closed her eyes wearily.
"I want to believe he did, Vincent," she responded after a moment. "But I lost all contact with him after he left Midgar."
"Oh…" the boy said sadly. "I was hoping I might send him a letter or something…"
The old lady smiled.
"I'm sorry, Vincent. Aside from knowing he was from Icicle Inn, I don't have any other way of contacting him."
Vincent nodded glumly before returning to his book. His grandmother closed her eyes and rested, thinking back on days long gone.
…
Vincent turned his eyes back to the pale woman who was staring at him with a mixture of hope and caution. Even at a distance he could tell that there was an almost supernatural quality to her beauty, a sort of pristine perfection that would never change over time. He sighed, preparing himself for what needed to be said.
"You're right," he started. "Alex had no brothers, but I believe I'm related."
Tifa gave Vincent a curious glance, wondering what he was talking about. His words seemed to only cause the woman before them to tense up further.
"Then who are you?" She demanded. "Why are you here?"
Vincent took a breath and steadied himself.
"I believe I'm his grandson."
…
Cloud groaned as he faded back into consciousness. The last thing he remembered was the sheer terror of falling off a snowy cliff into a sea of white. Which was why he was immediately confused that he felt somewhat warm. While his clothes were a bit damp, there was a distinct warmth to his front and back. Bleary eyes opened to find a small fire still burning away in front of him. Further past the fire, a fierce snowstorm raged on, making the world grayish-white just outside the cave opening.
"Hmmwha…?" He mumbled as he tried to get up.
He found he couldn't as two arms that were wrapped around his torso tightened momentarily. Blinking in confusion, he turned to find Yuffie fast asleep with her arms tightly around his body as if he were some kind of giant teddy bear. It was a rather intimate position for him as his head was nestled just under her chin and her legs were loosely entangled with his.
"Yuffie, what…" Cloud began before he froze.
The young girl's sleeping face was twisted in pain, causing her grip to tighten every so often. Her mouth moved soundlessly, forming words he couldn't understand. Concerned, Cloud tried to move but the unconscious ninja's grip was surprisingly strong. He turned his head as best as he could.
"Yuffie!" He called out quietly. "Yuffie, wake up!"
The girl's movements slowed and her grip loosened. Teary eyes opened as she stared at his face, positioned only inches away from his face. Her face rapidly flushed at their proximity. Cloud started to sit up.
"NO!" Yuffie suddenly cried.
Cloud choked slightly as her arms tightened again and his face collided painfully with her collarbone.
"Yuffie, what…" he groaned painfully.
"You almost died out there, you idiot!" She shouted. "Can you feel your limbs? How about your fingers and toes?"
Cloud frowned as he experimentally wiggled his digits.
"I think I'm fine," he replied.
"Oh…" the girl said sheepishly as she let the man sit up.
The blonde stood and stretched painfully. Yuffie scrubbed harshly at her eyes, wiping away small tears when she thought he wasn't looking.
"What happened?" He asked as he glanced around the cave. "I remember falling off a cliff."
He found his slightly damp waterproof coat and moved it closer to the fire.
"I found you out there," Yuffie explained. "You were unconscious… I thought you might have gotten hypothermia or died…"
The girl looked back at him in concern. Cloud tested his mobility again.
"I think I'm alright," he said.
"That doesn't make sense," Yuffie shook her head. "You must've been unconscious for hours."
Cloud shrugged in that manner everyone on the team was familiar with.
"I guess being a SOLDIER kept me alive," he reasoned. "I only feel a bit stiff. What about the others?"
He noticed Yuffie's eyes still looked a bit swollen but decided not to comment on it.
"I found Cid and Barret earlier," the girl replied. "Tifa called and said the others had made it to the cabin just before the storm started getting really bad."
"And you still came out to look for me?" Cloud asked with an eyebrow raised. "That was really reckless of you. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you found me, but you could've just as easily gotten lost and died yourself."
"You're the leader," she mumbled without looking at him.
Yuffie fed the flames as Cloud sat down again. The girl huddled near the fire pit with her head on her knees. Cloud glanced over to find her staring vacantly into the dancing flames.
"Are you alright?" He asked after a while.
The girl gave him a questioning look.
"What do you mean?" She deflected unconvincingly.
"You were crying," Cloud explained as gently as he could.
Yuffie didn't respond.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked carefully.
The girl shook her head. Cloud frowned but didn't push the matter. After all, everyone on the team had topics they wanted to avoid. That was especially true for the members that joined after the team left Midgar. Vincent never spoke about his time with Shinra and Hojo. For all the complaining Cid did about Shinra's Space Program, he always clammed up whenever someone tried to hear more about the aborted launch. And Yuffie, she was probably the most secretive about her past. Despite their trip to Wutai, he hadn't really learned a lot about who Yuffie really was. She seemed to want to help Wutai become something more than a tourist trap, but her reasoning was shaky at best. When they first met, she was probably already planning on stealing their Materia and only changed her plans when they proved to be too much to handle in direct combat. But in spite of all that, Cloud couldn't bring himself to be mistrustful of the energetic girl. It was all the more confusing that she was rather subdued.
"I'm sorry…" she muttered after the two of them had sat in silence for about ten minutes.
"What do you mean?" Cloud asked with a questioning look.
"It was my fault you guys got lost. If I hadn't gone off, I would've been able to help you guys stay on the slopes," she replied glumly.
"Yuffie, you had no control over that," the blonde chided. "We were overconfident in our abilities to get down to Gaea's Cliff."
"But… we're going up against Sephiroth… I shouldn't have run off like a kid…" she winced at her own description of herself.
Cloud frowned at her chastisement but she continued on.
"If… If you had left me in Wutai… would this have happened?" She wondered aloud.
"Yuffie…" Cloud said with a disapproving note in his voice.
"Maybe… maybe I should've staying in Wutai after all…"
"That's enough," Cloud interrupted coolly.
Yuffie jumped at his tone.
"What do you think would've happened if you weren't here?" He countered. "I most certainly would've died. Cid and Barret might've died as well based on what you told me. The more people we lose, the less likely we'll beat Sephiroth."
The girl lowered her head.
"But…"
"I'm not going back on my decision, Yuffie," he continued in a kinder tone. "We're all in this together and we need all the help we can get if we want to stop Sephiroth."
He coughed nervously before continuing.
"Aerith… Losing Aerith already made this mission that much harder…" he swallowed hard, trying to rid himself of the lump in his throat.
The young girl stared at him with sad eyes.
"You really loved her, didn't you?" She asked after a moment.
Cloud sighed as he closed his eyes wearily.
"Yeah…" he muttered. "Yeah, I did…"
Yuffie's lips turned down in an almost imperceptible frown at his statement.
"We should hold a proper funeral for her," Yuffie suggested. "After we beat Sephiroth."
Cloud nodded idly. Outside the storm raged on, leaving the pair in a relaxed silence.
"It's a bit strange that there was another storm just after the previous one passed," Cloud said as he stared out into the blizzard.
"With how strong the last one was, you'd think this one wouldn't be as bad," Yuffie replied.
The two continued to sit, with Cloud now hugging his almost dry clothes and Yuffie occasionally feeding wood to the fire.
"I hope it passes soon," Cloud sighed. "We really need to catch up to Sephiroth."
All they could really do was sit and hope the storm passed before the silver-haired General could summon Meteor to destroy the Planet.
…
"You're what?"
That single question echoed throughout the large cavern. Tifa tensed as the air around them dropped a few degrees. She could see icicles slowly elongating on the ceiling. An odd crackling sound caused her to turn. Her heart rate increased as she found the entrance to the cavern had just been sealed shut.
"Vincent…" she began, but the man appeared to be focusing on the woman who was slowly making her way forward.
"I said I believe I'm his grandson," Vincent repeated firmly. "Alex Valentine was the name of my grandfather. He met my grandmother during the war between Midgar and Junon. Shortly after the war, my father was born and…"
"VINCENT!" Tifa shouted in warning as magic surged around the woman.
Two icicles materialized in the air in front of Snow and shot towards the caped man at an inhuman speed. Vincent quickly spun to the side, allowing the projectiles to pass harmlessly by him. They shattered noisily against the far wall, leaving deep scars in the stone. Tifa swallowed hard, her muscles tense and her eyes focused on the threat before them. However, Vincent continued on as if he hadn't just been attacked.
"Miss, Alex has been dead for many years now," he said coldly. "Whatever you're doing to the weather isn't going to bring him back."
But the woman wouldn't hear it.
"LIES!" She screamed as icy winds raged around her in a miniature hurricane. "He promised to return! You think you can come in here and trick me?!"
Another wave of cold winds shot towards Vincent and Tifa forcing them to dodge out of the way. They found themselves taking shelter behind a large boulder.
"Maybe you should've eased into it a bit, Vincent," Tifa gasped as the air around them dropped a few more degrees, making it almost painful to breathe.
"I bet you're HUNTERS like those others!" Snow screamed as she battered away at their cover with more icicles. "I'll kill you all!"
She descended into incoherent screaming as magical ice continued to flood into the chamber.
"We have to do something!" Tifa shouted over the din. "We can't last much longer!"
'I don't care what you do,' Chaos groaned from the confines of Vincent's mind. 'Just SHUT HER UP!'
Vincent growled in frustration.
"Split her attention and look for an opening," Vincent instructed.
Tifa nodded. The two burst out from behind the rock and charged at the woman from two directions. With a screech of fury, the woman flung ice at Vincent. He managed to duck under the volley and returned with a Fire spell. She hissed in disgust as a shield of icy winds sprung up near her, causing the fireball to fizzle out. On the other side, Tifa was doing the same with her own spells, except she threw more Fire spells in rapid succession, forcing the icy woman to divert her attention from her initial target. Vincent took this chance to charge in.
"NO!" The woman screamed as she saw him approaching.
A massive wave of ice exploded out from her, sending both Vincent and Tifa tumbling backwards. Vincent skidded to a halt and threw another volley of Fire spells. Tifa mirrored his actions on the other side of the woman.
"STAY AWAY!" Snow wailed in desperation as her strength faltered under the onslaught.
Her icy barrier flickered momentarily before fading, both AVALANCHE members rushed forward. Their opponent panicked, her head swiveling between the two oncoming threats but her body locking up in fear. Vincent reached her first, knocking her to the ground and leveling the pointed claws of his gauntlet with her throat.
"Stop, or I will kill you," he said emotionlessly.
The woman froze. Vincent could see tears in her eyes. Her pupils were contracted in fear as her eyes darted about wildly.
"P-Please… don't… I just wanted my Alex back…" she cried piteously.
"Your storm is putting our friends in danger," the man hissed. "Stop the storm. Now."
"Okay… okay…" she choked out.
The unbearable chill faded and they could hear the storm outside dying down. However, the gunslinger did not relinquish his hold on the woman. He was worried about the recent turn of events. He had gotten so accustomed to seeing events play out in a specific way that he was having trouble adapting to these changes. He had no idea if the woman would try attacking again the moment he let her go. Vincent briefly considered the idea of killing her to prevent such a scenario.
"Please…" Snow begged quietly. "Please…"
"Vincent," Tifa started.
The man didn't appear to hear her. Her eyes widened as she saw his arm tense momentarily.
"VINCENT!" She shouted as she grabbed his claw.
He jumped, his eyes wide in surprise. The man looked down to see Tifa's hand preventing his claw from moving any further. He stared at it in confusion.
"That's enough, Vincent," Tifa said gently. "Let her go."
Shaking his head, he quickly got up and took a step back. The woman's hands flew to her neck, relieved that she was still breathing.
"What the heck was that all about, Vincent?" Tifa demanded as the woman watched them warily. "She already surrendered."
"And what if she attacked us again and restarted the storm?" He asked quietly.
"I won't!" The woman burst out.
Tifa frowned disapprovingly at him. Vincent heaved a sigh before turning away.
"Let's… let's just go," he said shakily. "We still need to find Yuffie and Cloud."
He began walking towards the entrance to the cavern.
"Wait!"
He turned to find Snow staring at him. He also noticed Tifa had yet to move and was staring at the woman with a pensive look on her face.
"You… you're not hunters then?" She asked meekly.
"No," Tifa replied. "You're being attacked?"
Snow shuddered and folded her arms across her stomach.
"They used to… I they hadn't for a while, but… I thought they started again…"
She turned back to Vincent.
"You said you were Alex's grandson…" she said dully, not quite meeting his eyes.
"Yes," the man replied simply.
"Was… was he a good father? Grandfather?"
"I don't know," Vincent said with a frown.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Snow sounded annoyed. "Surely your father mentioned him or something?"
The man sighed and turned fully to face Snow.
"My father wasn't around much and Alex apparently left my grandmother when my father was old enough to help out around the house."
Snow pursed her lips at this.
"Alex wouldn't do that," she protested. "Why would he leave family?"
Vincent sighed.
"In retrospect, it might have been to find you," he said cautiously.
The woman froze.
"But…" she faltered momentarily. "But he never… I never heard anything in Icicle Inn about his return…"
"My grandmother never heard from him again after he left," Vincent replied. "Maybe he never made it. Whatever happened, I doubt he would've wanted you to endanger people like you've been doing."
Snow looked down as she wrung her hands.
"But… the hunters…"
"Do you know who they are?" Tifa asked.
The woman looked even more ashamed as she told the story about killing a man at the bar in Icicle Inn. Many times they sent law enforcement and bounty hunters after her, but time after time she fended them off.
"And then I learned that my powers could affect the weather, so I began forcing storms on a regular basis to keep people away," she concluded. "I know I shouldn't have, but…"
She trailed off. Tifa glanced at Vincent, who was now watching the woman with a contemplative look.
"It's been many years," he finally said. "Your crimes have long been forgotten and your story is something of a local myth now. Perhaps this is a good time to leave and start anew."
"But… what am I supposed to do?" She whispered. "No one will hire a… freak… like me…"
The two AVALANCHE members were quiet for a while.
"I assume you prefer the cold?" Vincent finally asked.
The woman only nodded.
"What about working in Icicle Inn?" He suggested. "I doubt the place has changed much since your time, it's still a vacation and tourist spot."
"I don't know if I could…" Snow whispered. "There's just… too many memories there."
"Maybe Mr. Holzoff needs a helper? The man looks pretty old," Tifa suggested.
"Holzoff?" The woman asked.
"He runs a cabin at the base of Gaea's Cliff. He helps organize climbs for those who are looking for a challenge."
Snow looked pensive for a while.
"If he would take me…" she finally said quietly.
Tifa smiled slightly at this.
"We need to go," the fighter continued. "Some of our friends are still missing. Can you find the place by yourself?"
"I know where the cabin is," Snow replied.
With a nod, the brunette left the room. Vincent turned to follow when a cold hand caught his arm. He turned sharply, perhaps a bit too suddenly. The woman flinched as he did.
"I'm sorry…" she apologized. "But please, take this…"
She pressed something into his palm.
"I… I don't think I should keep holding onto that anymore," she continued.
Her eyes still lingered on his hand though. It was no doubt precious to her. Vincent opened his hand and found a small red orb.
"It was set in the ring Alex gave me… all those years ago," she finally said as she tore her eyes away from it.
"I'll take care of it."
The woman nodded and disappeared into the depths of the cavern. With a sigh, Vincent joined Tifa outside. The skies were clear now, stars shining brightly above them. It was much less windy than earlier and the two adventurers found that, with their winter gear, it was hardly cold despite it being nighttime.
"What did she want?" Tifa asked.
Vincent showed her what Snow had given him.
"Is that… Summon Materia?" She gasped. "Didn't Shinra only recently popularize their manufacturing?"
"It was probably extremely valuable given the time period," Vincent nodded as he turned the orb over in his hand, revealing carefully engraved letters.
"Alexander…" Tifa read. "Wasn't that your Granfather's name?"
"And of the summon as well, it seems," Vincent replied.
They continued down the mountain path they had traversed earlier in the night. After a few minutes, Tifa spoke up again.
"Vincent, just how old was that person? If she really knew your grandfather… and you're technically, what, sixty?"
"Fifty-seven," Vincent replied.
"How… how was she still alive?"
The man shook his head.
"She was clearly not human, and some creatures can live for long periods of time. She definitely resembles some of the snow-women we've fought out on the plains. She must've developed a more human-like mindset."
Tifa thought about the creatures he was describing. Those creatures resembled ethereal women who enticed travelers to stay with them or used their powers to entrance other local wildlife. But once they began fighting, their bodies would transform, morphing into hag-like beings with long nails and dead eyes. In contrast, Snow had appeared almost human the entire time they fought. Tifa shook her head, realizing she would likely never know why Snow was how she was.
"You should visit her after all this," Tifa said as they continued on their way.
The man looked at her curiously.
"Why?"
"Well, she was supposedly engaged to your grandfather at one point," Tifa shrugged. "Wouldn't it be nice to know more about your family?"
Vincent sighed.
"Perhaps I will, but right now we need to find Cloud and Yuffie, and then figure out a way to stop Sephiroth," he said firmly.
"Yeah, I know…" Tifa sighed. "I'll try giving them a call again"
She dialed Yuffie's number again and waited. After a few rings, it was answered.
"Yuffie!" Tifa called out. "Are you alright? Did you find Cloud?"
A familiar male voice crackled through the speaker, somewhat unclear due to the dissipating storm and their location.
"We're both here, Teef. We're both fine."
"Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed. "Where are you two? Vincent and I just stopped the storm, we'll come find you!"
"I think Yuffie has a better idea, I was unconscious most of the afternoon," Cloud replied, causing Tifa to frown in concern.
Yuffie directed them to a cliff northwest of their position.
"Hang tight," Tifa instructed. "We'll be there shortly."
She hung up and put the PHS away.
"Let's go," Vincent said firmly as he began walking at a faster pace.
Tifa pursed her lips as she noted an odd fervor in his voice.
"Vincent, are you alright?" She asked tentatively. "You nearly killed Snow earlier. I've never seen you lose your temper like that before."
The man was silent as they descended the mountain path.
"Changing the future is hard enough without unknown factors," he finally said. "I… I don't like not knowing. This storm could've easily killed Cloud and Yuffie if we let it go for too long. All these unexpected events… it makes me wonder if trying to change the future is even possible."
Tifa grabbed his arm suddenly, causing the taller man to stop and turn with a questioning look on his face.
"We will succeed," she said confidently. "People go through life not knowing the curveballs. We have a huge advantage even knowing the general outline of events to come. Just because things aren't going exactly the way you remember them, doesn't mean it's impossible to change things."
Vincent stared at her for a long time before gently removing his arm from her grip. He turned and began walking again.
"I hope your right," he said quietly.
…
"The winds stopped…" Cloud suddenly said.
Yuffie's head snapped up towards the entrance to their little shelter. As the AVALANCHE leader had said, the snow was no longer racing past the scenery, instead it was now drifting gently. All trace of the violent blizzard that had been raging only minutes ago seemed to have vanished.
"No way…" Yuffie gasped as she stood up and wandered over to the cave entrance.
With the winds gone the night was now eerily quiet, with the faint rustling of trees echoing throughout the small basin Cloud had fallen into.
"It's so peaceful, you'd never guess the Planet was in danger," Cloud murmured as he joined Yuffie.
"Yeah…" the girl sighed as she wrapped her arms around her frame, shivering slightly now that she was away from the fire.
Cloud unconsciously wrapped an arm around the girl, bringing her close.
"We'll stop him," Cloud said almost to himself than anything. "We have to."
"We should head back to the cabin while we can," Yuffie mumbled sleepily. "Who knows if it'll start storming again?"
"Yeah…" Cloud muttered, lost in his own thoughts as he stared out into the darkness.
A sudden happy jangle caused both of them to jump in surprise. Feeling slightly disappointed, Yuffie pulled out her PHS and glared at it for disturbing her comfortable moment.
"It's Tifa," she said as she answered the call and put it on speaker.
"Yuffie!" Came Tifa's slightly distorted voice. "Are you alright? Did you find Cloud?"
"We're both here, Teef," Cloud answered. "We're both fine."
"Cloud!" The woman sounded surprised. "Where are you two? Vincent and I just stopped the storm, we'll come find you!"
Yuffie gave Cloud a strange look as she mouthed "stopped the storm". The man shrugged and turned back to the phone.
"I think Yuffie has a better idea, I was unconscious most of the afternoon," he replied.
"We're just southwest of the cabin I think," Yuffie continued. "Cloud fell down a cliff and I managed to get him to a small cave nearby."
"Hang tight," Tifa instructed. "We'll be there shortly."
Tifa hung up and Yuffie put the PHS away. Cloud looked over to the fire where his clothes were still drying.
"We should get ready to leave," he said as he hoisted his buster sword.
Yuffie stood by the slowly dying fire as Cloud put his mostly-dry coat back on.
"Maybe we'll get a few hours of sleep in a warm bed," the girl grumbled as a bit of wind leaked into the small cave.
"We'll need all our energy in the morning," Cloud agreed. "That climb isn't going to be easy."
They watched as their fire faded to smoldering embers. They soon heard Tifa calling out their names. Yuffie ran out of the cave and hollered back at the trees above them.
"Over here!"
After a moment, Tifa's head poked over the cliff.
"Hey!" She called out waving. "We've got a rope here but it's not long enough. You'll need to climb a bit to reach it and then we can pull you up. Can you manage it?"
Yuffie looked at Cloud, silently asking if he was fit to move.
"I think I'll be fine," he replied. "You go first, you look like you're about to fall asleep."
The girl nodded as she exhaled sharply and began scaling the icy cliff. She reached the dangling rope without incident and was pulled quickly to safety. The rope descended again shortly and Cloud also made his way up. His progress was hindered by the weight of his sword and bag, but once he reached the rope, the added mobility allowed him to reach the top before he became too tired. He found Vincent packing away the rope as Tifa fussed over Yuffie several paces away.
"How are you feeling?" Vincent asked.
"Alright," Cloud responded as he adjusted his pack. "Yuffie got me warmed up, otherwise I might've gotten hypothermia or something."
The man nodded and turned to the two women.
"We should go," he said.
"So what was that thing you were saying about stopping the storm?" Cloud asked as they made their way back to the lodge.
"There was a… person, I guess… with powers capable of manipulating the weather," Tifa answered. "We were able to convince her to stop."
Cloud nodded in understanding and the conversation ended as they focused on walking. After a short trek, they reentered the lodge. To their surprise, the others had stayed up waiting for them. After reassuring everyone he was fine, Cloud turned in for the night, grateful that he had such a reliable crew watching his back.
…
Joseph Holzoff watched as the eight travelers made their way up the cliff. From what he had gathered the night before, they weren't here for the challenge of scaling Gaea's Cliff. Whatever it was, he got the distinct feeling he was better off not knowing the challenges they faced ahead. He took comfort in the fact that, if they followed the markers he and his friend had put up so many years ago, they would make it to the top. Nevertheless, he did worry about the two non-human members that were also scaling the Cliff. The feline appeared agile enough and was managing the climb using his claws and teeth. The tiny robot on the other hand seemed to struggle more. His robot was a bit too bulky and not quite situated to grabbing the rope. Even as he watched, the mog's massive hand lost grip on the rope and began to fall. With a curse, Mr. Holzoff ran forward wondering if catching the robot would kill him. As the bulky machine neared the ground, a burst of wind slowed its descent before propelling it back up towards the climbers, who grabbed it and hauled it into a recess in order to secure it with ropes.
"That was close," a voice sighed.
The older man turned to find an ethereal woman standing several paces away. She waved up at the group, who waved back in thanks before continuing their climb.
"And you are?" Joseph asked cautiously.
He wasn't sure if the woman had used Materia to stop the mog's fall, but whoever she was, he wasn't expecting another group for several days.
"My name is Snow," the woman introduced. "I was hoping to work here if you have openings."
The man stilled, recalling the story he told the night before.
"Well I'll be damned," he muttered. "So the story was true then…"
Then he addressed Snow.
"What was that you used there?" He asked, waving up at the Cliff. "Materia?"
Snow shook her head.
"I can manipulate the weather to some extent," she replied a bit nervously.
Mr. Holzoff looked back up at the climbers who were starting to pass through low hanging fog and vanish from view.
"Well," he said with a wry grin. "If you can keep people from dying on this climb in the future, I think I could use an assistant."
The woman could only smile brightly in response.
…
A/N: Again, things diverged a bit from the original version where it was Tifa who found Cloud and Vincent encountering Snow alone. Knowing a bit more on how I wanted to write Chapter 12 helped integrate Yuffie more into the story than I did previously.
…
Omake 8:
"Alex?" Snow asked with wide eyes.
Vincent frowned, wondering why the name sounded familiar. But before he got very far in that line of thought, the woman rushed forward.
"Alex!" She cried in happiness before making a great effort at cleaning his tonsils.
After a good forty seconds, Vincent broke the kiss and sucked in precious air.
"W-Wait!" He protested when the woman seemed to want to take things further. "I'm not Alex! I'm his grandson!"
The woman stared hard at him for a few seconds.
"Oh well," she shrugged. "Good enough for me."
She began tugging at his pants.
"Hey!" Tifa protested looking scandalized.
Snow looked over, as if she just noticed the other girl.
"Oh," she said with a giggle. "Silly me, you can join too."
"What?!" Tifa sputtered flushing red.
Vincent seemed to have crashed.
"Or watch, either or," the woman shrugged. "I've got about a hundred years of frustration to work off, so this might take a while."
Tifa mercifully passed out at this point, leaving Chaos the unwilling witness to the debauchery that followed. The demon was so traumatized he refused to speak to Vincent for a whole week.