Vincent quickly swiped the card, for the sixty-sixth floor, and held the handle down, so it wouldn't re-lock. He pressed an ear against the door, listening for any noise. When he didn't hear anything, Vincent slowly opened the door, and slipped inside. His eyes scanned the room for any signs of cameras. If someone was monitoring them, it wouldn't be a good idea to take them out, or they would notice... if only he'd thought about that sooner. With any luck, the person monitoring the screens wasn't too bright, and chocked it up to system failure.

Vincent slipped under the sight of the cameras, thankful there were no guards on this floor. It typically wasn't well guarded, but there usually seemed to be someone up here. Maybe that was always him. It did feel a little strange to be sneaking around in a place he had sworn to protect. Really, he had no ill-feelings against ShinRa... just some of their employees.

Finally, Vincent found what he was looking for - the Turk commissioner's office. He crept closer, checking the handle of the door. It was locked, but fortunately he had his janitorial key. With a quick swipe, the door unlocked. Just as he had started to enter, however, something else caught his attention. One of the hall doors, behind him, was rattling oddly. Vincent slipped into the room, peering through a small crack in the door. His fingers curled around the gun, in his waistband, drawing it in front of him.

The other door rattled a bit more before it swung open, and a small child fell through, onto the thin carpet. Vincent's heart leapt into his chest, and he stepped out into the hallway. "Sephiroth?"

At first, he seemed afraid. Sephiroth's head snapped up to look at him, but instantly settled into relief (even though his eyes were still wide). "Vincent!" He exclaimed, running over.

Vincent dropped onto one knee, catching the small child tightly in his arms. He was so relieved to see he was alright that he could barely find the breath to tell him to keep his voice down.

"I was so worried about you." Sephiroth stated, in a lower tone.

Vincent laughed lightly, holding him back at arms length. "I think that's my line."

Sephiroth smiled. "Well, I'm borrowing it."

Vincent traced a hand over Sephiroth's face. "How did you find me?"

"I followed this." Sephiroth boasted pulling out the small map he had been using.

Vincent's face instantly drained of all color.

"You mentioned that you were heading to the Turk commissioner's office, so I took this from one of the guards, and -"

Vincent had snatched the map from his hand, and rose very quickly. Sephiroth instantly felt his face heat up. "What's wrong?"

Vincent sighed deep, closing his eyes. "You shouldn't have brought this here."

"What? But it helped me find you."

"I know, but they have a tracking device in them." Vincent nearly snapped, but managed to reel it back in. He felt like he shouldn't be mad, but he had told him. "They can find you with this."

Sephiroth's face burned hotter. He remembered him mentioning that before... how could he forget?

Vincent thought about smashing it, but reconsidered. If he destroyed it the signal would give out, and they'd know for sure that was where he was. Instead, he placed a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder. "Come with me."

Sephiroth followed, eyes scanning the floor. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Vincent sighed. "There's nothing we can do about it now." He exited back the way Sephiroth had come from, soon finding the open elevator. His eyes flicked from it, down the long dark shaft. "Did you come this way?"

Sephiroth uncertainly diverted his eyes up towards Vincent, twiddling his fingers. "Uh huh."

Vincent smirked, holding the small map over the edge. "Impressive." He let it drop.

Sephiroth leaned over, watching the small blinking light sink into the dark depths. "Why didn't you just break it?"

Vincent started back, keeping a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder. "If someone's tracking it, they'll know where the last signal came from. This way, if it's broken, it'll be away from us."

"Oh." Sephiroth hung his head again, pulling at his fingers. He still felt really uneasy about this. Why wasn't Vincent mad at him? Every other grown up got mad, when he messed up. This could have gotten them caught. Vincent would be killed, if they were caught. He could have killed him.

"Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth hadn't realized he'd slowed down, until Vincent stopped. He knelt down in front of him, brushing his reddened cheeks with his thumb.

"Seph, what's wrong?"

His lower jaw started to quiver, with attention being brought to him; his eyes starting to burn. "I'm sorry." He said, in a shuddering voice. "I know you told me about it before, but I forgot." Tears started to form in his eyes, and Vincent's jaw fell open. "I just wanted to find you."

Vincent's expression softened. "Hey, now." He pulled the shuddering child into his arms again, brushing a hand against the back of his hair. "I told you, it's alright." He sighed. This all had to be very overwhelming, for him. "I know how easy it is to forget things, in these situations." Sephiroth sniffed, drawing closer. "It's ok. I'm not mad at you, I promise."

Vincent pushed Sephiroth back to arms length, resting their foreheads together. It was something his own father used to do, when he was upset. He was never a touchy-feely person but, in a strange way, this kind of intimacy always made him feel more secure. Vincent smiled, brushing the small child's tears. "It's gone now, and I doubt anyone's been looking at it too closely. I have a friend, on the inside, who's been diverting their search towards the lower levels. We should be out of here before they even realize it, but we have to go quickly, ok?"

Sephiroth sniffed, brushed his nose, and nodded. "Ok."

Vincent squeezed a hand on the back of his neck. It was so strange to be on this side of it, but it somehow felt natural. "Good boy. Come on." Vincent got to his feet again, letting Sephiroth proceed him into the office.

There was no telling who was in charge of the Turks now. It had been so long since Vincent stood, in this office, but it still felt the same. The strong sense of urgency and command still held its presence, even with the occupant gone. However, memories started to flood back to him of the last time he was in this office. His final mission to guard Lucrecia and Hojo. Vincent glanced back at Sephiroth where he was starting to flip through the drawers, of the large mahogany desk. Too bad he wasn't much better at his job.

"What are we looking for?" Sephiroth asked, breaking his train of thought.

Vincent sighed, looking around the room until he found the filing cabinets. "I'm looking for information on the whereabouts of some men I used to work with. Once we get out of ShinRa, I'm going to need some help."

Sephiroth sunk into the seat, behind the desk, looking grim. "More Turks. Will they really help us?"

Vincent glanced over, from where he was flipping through the files. "You don't have to worry. They'll help us." He turned back to his search, a small smile crossing his lips. "I'd trust these men with my life."

Sephiroth still wasn't quite sure about this, but if Vincent trusted them, then who was he to argue?

Vincent paused briefly, in his search, his fingers skimming over the file of a 'Ruma, Strike'. He gently opened the top, glancing in at the file. Over the picture of a wild-eyed red head was stamped a big black. "K.I.A." A sad ping struck his chest, at the memory of his fallen friend.

Next to this file was the one he was looking for. 'Ruma, Shane', Strike's younger brother, and his old partner. If anyone would help him out, it'd be him. Vincent had removed the file and placed it on the desk, when something struck his memory. Eryn's voice suddenly popped into his head, "You'd be better to just try and find Ren." was what she told him, when he asked where Shane could be.

A sudden pain of terror struck him. What did happen to his partner? He dreaded the answer, but curiosity overtook him as he flipped the file open. Sephiroth leaned over the table, for a better look.

Shane looked very much like his brother, except for being about three years younger. Except the big black words stamped over his picture didn't say he was killed in action. No, there was only one word that made Vincent's heart sink straight into his stomach... EXECUTED.

Vincent couldn't believe what he was reading. What on Gaia could Shane have possibly been executed for? He flipped through the file, trying to find some kind of answer. Shane was with ShinRa for as long as Vincent was, so he had a pretty good, long track record. It wasn't until he got to the end of the file that he finally found his answer. "For crimes against ShinRa corporation, and attempted assassination of the president, Shane Ruma was sentenced to execution by way of firing squad." It was the very end of his file. There was no epilogue, to this news. No reasoning. Just... dead.

Vincent brought a hand to his mouth, feeling his face heat up. There was both a mixture of shock and anger. Why would Shane possibly try to kill the president? He had sworn to protect this man, and on multiple occasions risked his own life for him. What could possibly push him into doing something like this?

"Vincent?"

Vincent looked up with the small touch against his arm. Sephiroth was gripping his sleeve, looking very worried. "I'm sorry, about your friend. Please, don't cry."

Vincent sighed, rubbing his eyes. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." He slammed the file closed, and placed it back into its allotted space. Quickly, he switched to a new section of the files. He only had one other option now.

Sephiroth just sat on the desk, watching him sadly. He'd never had friends, so he didn't really understand what could upset Vincent like this. However, he hated seeing his newly appointed father figure this way. Vincent didn't look as pretty when he was upset.

Just as quickly, if not more so, Vincent found the file marked 'Jonas, Renuichi'. He slammed the file onto the table, and flipped it open. There was a deep sigh of relief, at the sight of his old friend's face. He had a kind smile, hiding a very strict undertone, and long black hair tied up high onto his head. There was even some strange black markers around his right eye, that had something to do with a right of passage, in his family. It was a huge relief to see no big black letters stamped across his old mentor's face. Ren was still alive, and this file should tell him where to find him. He and Strike had both trained him, in his rookie days, so they had formed a rather protective-big-brother trait for their former charge, even though Vincent could typically take care of himself. Ren had even fought with the commissioner to take on Vincent's final assignment himself. Something about Vincent still grieving his father, and Hojo being a sick fuck. It didn't fully make sense at the time. (Everything's clearer with hindsight.) This would be their chance for survival – if he could find him.

Ren's file was a lot larger than any of the others, since he'd been there even longer than even Strike, and who knows how long he stayed on, after Vincent had disappeared. Finally, he came across an attachment with Ren's information on it. There was a space where there should have been an address, but it had been blacked out with a large marker. The same with his phone number, and anything else he could use to find him. What the hell was going on? Quickly, Vincent rifled through the folder, scanning the pages after the date he'd left fro his own mission. Nothing seemed to jump out at him. Just normal things about various missions he had undertaken. Nothing that could explain why his information was blacked out.

That is, until a few pages from the end. "For failure to follow orders, and direct violation to ShinRa, Renuichi Jonas is scheduled to be executed, by way of firing squad."

Vincent could feel all of the color drain from his face. "What?" His voice came out in an dull whisp. "No." Marking the page, with his hand, Vincent flipped back to the front. There was no indication of his death, so what was going on? He flipped back to where he was and continued reading:

"Jonas was heading an assignment to Wutai; to see to a possible uprising against ShinRa.-

Blah blah blah. Yadda yadda. There.

"Ignored a direct order, from his superior, in turn siding with the rebellion himself. Jonas went as far as to shelter the Wutai civilians and fought against ShinRa."

No... that can't be right.

Vincent skimmed over the following pages. "Before his execution could be carried out, Ren Jonas defected from ShinRa. His current whereabouts are unknown."

Vincent could feel his legs shaking, wanting to give out. This couldn't be happening. That was the only shot he had to get Sephiroth away from ShinRa. He risked all of this for nothing? What the hell happened, since he went to ShinRa manner? How could both of them be gone?

In the meantime, Sephiroth had been rifling through the files himself and found one of interest. "Look, Vincent. I found you." He beamed, waving the file in the air.

Vincent didn't respond. His eyes were scanning the words over and over. There had to be something he was missing. Something here had to be a clue to where Ren was. If he was on the lamb, that meant he was still alive. Ren had to be alive. He couldn't do this, on his own.

"Vincent?" His silence made Sephiroth concerned. He stepped up next to Vincent, staring up at the shocked expression.

Vincent felt so lost. How was he going to do this? "We-" He almost said, "We're not gonna make it." but squashed the thought before it could escape his lips. He couldn't say that to Sephiroth. No. Vincent's fists clenched against the table. He had never given up before, and he wasn't gonna do it now. "We're gonna be alright." He said, with a gasp.

"What?"

"We can make it." He just needed to think of a new plan.

"Did you find your friend?" Sephiroth asked, glancing down at the file.

Vincent slammed it closed. "We will." Not quite sure if he meant finding Ren, or getting out. Either way, he would do it. "Come on." Vincent made his way over, and placed the file back in its location. "We need to go, now."

"Ok." Sephiroth stated, a bit unsure, holding Vincent's file to his chest. He still wanted to read it, and started to slip it into the top of his robe.

It was then that Vincent heard an odd beeping sound. The beeping grew more rapid, and Vincent's stomach dropped. "Shit." He flew back towards Sephiroth, throwing himself over the thin frame, just as the door blew itself open.

The shock-wave, from the blast, sent everything flying into the walls of the office. Papers and other various knickknacks were scattered, the windows blown out. Everything, within range was burnt and charred, including Vincent. The back of his lab coat had been singed straight through, and large black burns covered his back and arms. Some of it had got through to Sephiroth, but at least he'd taken most of the assault.

Vincent was breathing hard, from the pain, the breaths almost coming out in an odd growl. "V-Vin-cent?"

"Thank you so much for protecting my child, Vincent." Hojo stated, entering through the blown out door. "I was almost afraid I would damage him, in the explosion, then I remembered you were with him." He chuckled low, in his throat. "I was counting on you being just as foolish as your father."

"Are you ok, Sephiroth?" Vincent rasped, trying to clear the growl from his throat.

Sephiroth touched the burn, on his own shoulder. It stung but it was nothing compared to what happened to Vincent. "I'm fine."

"Good." In a flash, Vincent was standing, and nailed the deranged scientist directly in the chest. Hojo hit the wall behind him, slipping to the ground. Sephiroth stared up at the fully exposed charred back, catching a glimpse of the smoking gun, in his hand. "You know nothing of my father."

Much to Vincent's surprise, Hojo soon started to get up. His eyes were dripping venom, holding a hand to his chest. The shot from Sephiroth still stung, but Vincent had hit a lung. Droplets of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. "Oh, I know a lot more than you think."

Vincent's eyes widened in shock. How was he able to get up, like that?

Hojo chuckled darkly. "Oh don't give me that look. Do you honestly think I wouldn't save the best of my experiments for myself."

Vincent's eyes narrowed dangerously. He scanned the area, trying to think of how to get out of here. There was a large array of men lined up around Hojo. They seemed less surprised at his recovery, than he was. A good chunk of them did however, look appalled at what Hojo had done to their Commissioner's office, (This didn't shock Vincent though.) but enough had their guns trained on Vincent. Even Eryn was there, aiming her rifle right at him. There was a pained glint in her eyes. She didn't want to have to shoot him, but Vincent understood why she would have to.

He would have to choose his next move very carefully.

Sephiroth stood up behind him, gripping onto the tattered leg of his pants. He still had the file clutched tightly in his arm, but it was doubtful that he realized this. Vincent dropped a hand to him, keeping the small child close, but still behind him.

"Now, Vincent." Hojo started again, taking a step closer. "Hand Sephiroth over to me peacefully, and I promise to kill you. However, if I have to take him by force-" His glare bore deeply into him. "You will return to my labs."

That threat certainly struck home. Vincent really didn't want to be under Hojo's knife again, but there was no way he'd hand Sephiroth back to him. "Go to hell, Hojo." He hadn't realized he'd been backing away until Sephiroth whimpered. Vincent didn't even have to turn around to know why. The cool night breeze coming through the window, at this high elevation, had gotten far stronger as he drew closer to it. What did he think backing up would do?

Hojo laughed again, shaking his head. "You're surrounded, Vincent. What are you intending to do, jump?"

"Yes." A harsh whisper rang through his head, sounding slightly different than before. Vincent turned back, looking down the length of the building. The extreme height made him dizzy, yet somehow confident. Sure... he could do that.

Much to everyone's surprise, Vincent scooped Sephiroth into his arms, and jumped out the large open window.

Hojo stood, momentarily frozen by this illogical action. Finally he spun around to his slack-jawed subordinates. "Don't just stand there, after him!"

Oh dear God, in the Lifestream, why did he do that? Vincent felt like his body might explode from the adrenaline, the harsh wind cutting his exposed skin. He clung tightly to the screaming child, in his arms, trying to keep his eyes open enough to see what was going on around them. What the hell was he thinking? He'd just killed them both. Vincent's feet often skidded against the building, to where he was almost running down along the side. A part of the building jutted out enough to partially cushion their descent, although not by much. Vincent threw out an arm to try and find something to grab onto. His fingers scraped against the hard concrete, leaving a stippled trail of blood, in their wake. Finally, Vincent managed to catch on a seam, protruding from the side of the building. It managed to stop them, but there was also a sharp pain shooting from his elbow straight down his entire left side. There was a very good chance of something being torn. He growled against the pain, but was far too resolved to not let go. It was a miracle they'd even stopped.

"Vincent," Sephiroth whimpered. He had scraped his head against the side of the building, and a trail of blood slid out of his hair. "What do we do now?"

Vincent couldn't see straight through the pain increasing in his arm. He tried to pull up, hoping bending the muscle would help, but there was only enough strength to hold on. "I don't know." He gasped. Why the hell did he jump out that damn window?

"Hold on." That same voice rang in his head again. What was that? Almost as soon as the echo faded Vincent felt a very strange sensation come over him. It was almost like a pair of hands grabbed him, pulling him out of his own mind. "Hold tight, kid." Vincent's arm tightened around Sephiroth, the other somehow finding the ability to pull himself higher. His feet planted against the side of the building. With far more strength than he ever thought he'd be capable of, Vincent pushed off of the building, his back arching with the force. He managed to get far enough away from the building, and flipped his feet under him. A sharp pain ran up his back, ripping the skin open, and showering everything behind him with blood.

Sephiroth managed to catch a scream in his throat, eyes widening at the large leathery wings standing out from Vincent's shoulders. They flapped, but didn't seem to have much strength to them; only enough to cushion their fall. Even with the cushion, from the wings, Vincent still landed rather hard, on the laid brick design in front of the ShinRa building. He had cracked the ground, but somehow seemed to be ok... very briefly. Vincent released Sephiroth, and he took a step back. "Vincent?"

Very soon, all strength was sapped from Vincent's body and he collapsed onto the ground, a small trail of blood pooling from his back.

"VINCENT!" Sephiroth cried, falling to his knees, next to him. "Vincent, get up!"

The long wings dissolved into the crisp night air, leaving two long jagged scars trailing down either side of Vincent's back. He was still bleeding, but somehow the wounds looked to be closing. Even the blackened burns covering his back and arms were mending, leaving patches of his skin raw and pink.

Sephiroth felt he couldn't breath. He was trembling all over, trying to shake Vincent awake. "Vincent, you have to get up. Don't leave me, now. They're gonna catch us, please get up!" He sobbed, shaking Vincent harder, blood covering his hands and wrists. It was even scarier because Vincent's eyes weren't closed. They were staring off blindly, but he was breathing very hard. Typically, this wouldn't be a good sign, but at least that meant he was alive. "Vincent, get up." Sephiroth cried in near hysterics, shaking Vincent harder.

It was strange enough to have something yank him out of his own mind, but there was an odd tension that kept wanting to pull him back. Whoever it was that took Vincent over seemed to be struggling to keep control. He supposed this was a good thing, since he didn't want to lose control of his body. Unfortunately, whenever he was pulled back in, it was almost like he wasn't fully integrated. All he knew was the sharp pain shooting through his body, when he had his mind back. He could hear Sephiroth crying, and saw the evidence of approaching troops. This wasn't fair. Why was he stuck like this, unable to move? He shouldn't just be laying here, like this, and why wasn't Sephiroth running? There was no way he'd be able to get them out of here, if he couldn't move. What the hell was happening to him?

"What are you doing, you worthless piece of shit?" A near psychotic screech pierced Vincent's ears. The voice then faded back to the odd echo from before. "I agree. Get up, Vincent. I can't do everything for you."

Sephiroth dropped his head onto Vincent's shoulder, sobbing harder. "Vincent, wake up. I can't do this without you." He could hear the distant thundering of approaching ShinRa soldiers. "No. nonono." He gasped, gripping tighter to the shreds of the lab coat Vincent was wearing. What was he going to do? "Vincent?"

"GET UP!"

Vincent drew in a deep gasp and started coughing. Now that he was breathing on his own, it felt like he had inhaled ash. Sephiroth's head whipped back to him. "Vincent!?" He had started to push himself up, his arms shaking under his weight. Eventually, Vincent managed to settle back on his feet and reached a hand over, gripping Sephiroth's shoulder. Sephiroth grabbed his hand. "Vincent, are you ok?"

Vincent was able to catch his breath, eyes skating across Sephiroth's face. His attention snapped to the lobby behind the young child, which was filling with ShinRa guards, heading towards them. Vincent's eyes narrowed, seeing Terry leading the charge. "(Damn it.)" His head kept screaming for him to get up until his body finally obeyed. Vincent forced himself to his feet, grabbed Sephiroth's hand and ran. His leg hurt like it had just mended a broken bone in his shin, forcing a harsh limp. It was strange that he could even move on it, but there was no time to worry about that.

A lot of the guards looked stunned to see Vincent was able to move after that fall, but Terry gave it no thought. He'd seen what Vincent had done before, and wouldn't put it past him to be able to survive. "Don't just stand there, you idiots, shoot him!" He cried, taking aim on Vincent himself.

"NO!" Eryn cried, running out in front. Unfortunately, some of them had already fired. "You could hit Sephiroth!"

Terry growled, lowering his smoking gun. "How the hell do you expect us to catch him?"

Eryn stepped up to him, jabbing a finger into his chest. "Professor Hojo doesn't want the child harmed. We can't risk shooting Vincent, if he's in such close vicinity. You're a Turk, dammit. Be creative."

She could hear Terry's teeth grinding behind his glare. "Fine." He finally spat into her face, then turned sharply to the rest of the troops. "Everyone, to the garage."

"Yes, sir." The large group of men took off back through ShinRa, heading to the garage where they kept their vehicles.

Eryn cast a quick glance back in Vincent's direction. Fortunately, he was already out of sight. She hadn't quite expected Terry to be able to think of using vehicles, but there were numerous places he could still go on foot, that something with wheels wouldn't be able to. "Come on, Vincent." She sighed, "There's only so much I can do."

xXx

Numerous bullets tore through Vincent's torso, as he ran, causing him to stumble against the pain. It was a good thing Sephiroth was able to keep up with him, like this, because he was in no shape to carry him. There was barely enough strength in him to keep running, but screw it – he couldn't stop now.

Sephiroth was more concerned with the blood peeking through the fingers against Vincent's chest. He had even coughed, when he was hit, and now had blood seeping from his mouth. That indicated some kind of internal injury, right?

They finally made it to the train station, but the train was no longer there. However, Vincent could still make out the caboose, somewhere down the tracks. He let out a deep exhausted sigh, briefly closing his eyes. "Come on." He started off towards the stairs, but felt a pull on his arm. Sephiroth had grabbed his arm tightly in both hands, and was refusing to move. "Vincent... maybe you should rest."

That definitely sounded like a good idea; unfortunately, he couldn't afford that luxury. Vincent could see the panic etched all over Sephiroth's face, but he didn't have time to worry about that now. He shook his head. "Not yet." It took a bigger pull to get Sephiroth to go along with him, but the commotion coming from the street they had just come from made him pick up and run. They ran down the stairs, and could hear the engines of motorbikes heading into the train station. Vincent slid into the area under the railing, and pulled Sephiroth close to him as he pressed himself into the wall.

Several engines whirled to a stop in the station above them. "So, where to now?" Vincent heard a deep set voice ask. It took him a minute to place the voice as Omid, Terry's partner. There was silence, briefly interrupted with inquisitive muttering. Finally, Terry spoke. "Split up. Eryn, lead them down the tracks. Verdot, take these men and check the alleyways. Omid, come with me, this way. He can't have gotten far." Any other commands were masked by the revving engines. Since when did Terry rank high enough to be giving orders like that?

Vincent ducked lower, as he heard two engines rev in the direction of the stairs. Two bikes whipped around the stairs, and drove off, away from them. Vincent let out his held breath as the engines faded off into the distance. "Hurry." He gasped, and started off, running along the wall.

"Hold on." Sephiroth whimpered, pulling back on Vincent's arm. "Why don't we just stay here, and you can rest?"

Vincent almost growled as he dropped to his knees, shaking Sephiroth's shoulders. "We can't stay here. There's still troops around, and they could find us at any second."

Sephiroth still wasn't convinced. He reached a hand up and brushed the blood from under Vincent's bottom lip. With these kind of injuries, he shouldn't even be conscious, let alone running like this.

Vincent sighed, trying to think of some way to convince him. "Tell ya what-" He fished a hand, inside his pocket, and held the small green orb in front of Sephiroth's eyes. There was no telling how strong Sephiroth's spiritual strength was, but he should be able to handle a Materia at this level. He certainly was in no shape to try and use it, and keep running. "This is a Restore Materia. All you have to do is hold this and concentrate on what you want it to do, and you can heal me, while I'm running. Think you can handle that?"

Sephiroth definitely knew what Materia was, but he'd never held one before, let alone actually know how to use it. However, Vincent's explanation made sense, and he certainly wanted nothing more than to heal him, right now. "Ok." He reached out and grabbed the glowing green orb. Vincent had before realized the scrape against Sephiroth's head, (as well as his burned shoulder) but just now took notice of the blood covering the small child's hands. As strange as it may sound he really hoped that blood was his own. Vincent smiled, touching a hand to the red tainting the soft silver hairs. He failed to mention that it was actually very difficult to use cure magic on other people, so maybe it would take care of this for him. "Good boy."

xXx

The train was one of the quickest points between the upper Midgar and the slums. However, it circled around the central support, and could be accessed by five separate points, along the tracks. There were plenty of places he could hide, in the slums, then from there he could get out of Midgar. If only he could manage to catch that train.

"Why not just break through one of the plates? You could get through easily, with the power in our left arm."

"(I don't have nearly enough strength to do something like that.)"

"Don't be a little bitch. Of course you do."

"(Shut up. Besides, they would notice a giant hole, in one of the plates. I can't risk that.)"

"I think he already suspects you'll be on the train."

"(I can manage it.)" Vincent growled outwardly at his head, before he realized something... why was he arguing with himself? Sephiroth had been trying his best to get the Materia to work, while still keeping up with Vincent. It was a lot harder than he'd initially thought. Vincent had let go, of his hand, and started inspecting a wall down one of the alleyways. He closed the tiny orb, in his hands, closing his eyes. Why wasn't this stupid thing working? A slight warmth cloaked his body, but vanished just as soon, along with a vague green mist.

Vincent managed to wrench an access panel open. He turned back to Sephiroth, snagging his arm. They slipped through, into the central support. It was very dark inside, but neither of them had any trouble seeing. Guess Mako was good for something. They were standing on a platform, raised high over the tracks below. A light started filling in from the end of the tunnel, to their right. Vincent heaved a deep sigh of relief. The train had to go a long, round about way to get to the central support, but he was still slightly worried they had missed it.

Sephiroth was still trying to get the Materia to work, when Vincent scooped him up into his arms. "Hold on tight." He looked up to see the train, and looped his arms around Vincent's neck; hand still gripping tightly to the Restore. Vincent ran along the platform, with the train, and jumped over, snagging one of the bars along the side of the train, between the cars. His foot slipped off, putting all of the weight sharply onto his left arm, which protested greatly with this new development. It felt like it was going to give out.

Just then, a small hand shot out and grasped the bar as well. Sephiroth let go of Vincent, pulling himself onto the small platform, in between the coupled cars. He grasped Vincent's arm, helping to pull him in as well. Vincent collapsed against the railing, sinking down to the ground, as he struggled to catch his breath. Sephiroth plopped to the ground as well, smacking the Materia. "Come on, work!"

Vincent smiled. Sephiroth certainly was a lot stronger than he'd given him credit for. "Here." He reached out, wrapping his fingers around the tiny hand holding the small green orb. Sephiroth sat on his feet, feeling Vincent's energy flowing through his hand, almost as if showing him how to use it properly. A light green mist surrounded them both, bringing with it a comforting warming sensation. Sephiroth could feel his shoulder itching, and looked to see the burn mending itself, leaving a pink shine in its wake. He touched a finger to the bullet holes on Vincent's chest as they closed. His breathing didn't even sound strained anymore. "Good work, Seph."

Sephiroth glanced up at Vincent. He was smiling and brushed the blood from his lips. Vincent held his arms out. "Come here." Sephiroth jumped into his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around Vincent. It even felt like the burn, and those large cuts on his back had healed. "Who'd have thought you'd save me?"

"I figured it was about time I did something useful."

"You're plenty useful, Sweetheart. I just keep forgetting how strong you really are." Vincent heaved a deep sigh, holding tightly to Sephiroth as he kept the cure going. "You're gonna be a real hero one day."

##

AN:I lied. Here's this because it's here. Enjoy.