Chapter Twelve: Interviewing an Ancient
The team managed to make a good distance away from the ancient city by noon that day. They had just made it out of the rock grounded areas and were now situated in a cave, pausing for lunch before continuing. None seemed to happy about continuing on, except Cloud who was constantly trying to push them on, since ahead of them was a large snowfield.
"Does anyone know what's beyond there?" Yuffie asked. "Is there even anymore cities this far up north?"
"There is or… was a city," Vincent told the young ninja. "Icicle Inn… it's where I first found Ifalna."
"Wait, I thought you said that ya found her in tha ancient city," Barret mentioned as he ate a few of the chips they still had.
"No…" Vincent shook his head. "I never said that… however, I did journey through the ancient city in search of her… in fact I took this very path…"
"Really?" Tifa asked, always curious about the gunman.
"How long does it take to get to Icicle Inn?" Cloud asked.
"It took my team roughly… five hours…"
"Your team?" Cid blurted. "Were you the leader of the turks or somethin?"
"As a matter of fact I was…" mumbled Vincent, clearly not wanting to speak about it.
"Mmm…" Yuffie murmured, rubbing her stomach as she finished off the sandwich she had eaten. "It'll feel good to eat real cooked food again…"
"Your tellin' me," Barret replied as he put away the chips.
"Everyone ready to go?" Cloud asked, having been looking across the snowy lands ever since they had stopped, as though he were looking for Sephiroth out there.
The team all nodded, knowing that the sooner they left, the sooner they would get back to the warmth. Tifa wasn't looking forward to this, for she was wearing a tank top and a skirt, for her it would be freezing. Everyone had left the cave and she was the last, going out right after Vincent. She was hesitant at first but knew that she would have to go, so she grudgingly left the cave out into the freezing wind.
Vincent looked back to make sure that Tifa was still coming, as his hearing had alerted him that she was a ways behind the rest. He turned and saw her holding her elbows and looking down, careful to try and follow tracks that were already made in the snow. She looked up, noticing Vincent watching her, and flashed her familiar fake smile towards him as she slowly walked closer.
Vincent knew how cold it was going to get and that she probably wouldn't be able to stand it for much longer. The gunslinger unhooked his cape and handed it to Tifa as she walked up to him. "Won't you be cold?" Tifa asked.
"I'll be fine," Vincent nonchalantly replied.
As soon as Tifa took the cape, Vincent turned and continued to walk, knowing that he wasn't one to welcome thanks. Tifa let it go as she really was freezing, and she buttoned the clasps and then the cape wrapped it around her. It was much warmer than she had expected it to be, which she more than welcomed. Warm once more, she walked up and hurried, to make sure she wouldn't be left behind from the group.
It was a long, cold journey for the team. Fortunately, there weren't too many foes out on the frozen terrains, and any that did show up were quickly eliminated by Cloud, Vincent, or Barret. It didn't take long for Yuffie to start complaining about the cold either, so Tifa had allowed the young ninja to get under the cape with her, it was easily large enough to fit around the two women. It made Tifa wonder why Vincent would need such a large cape, but she figured she could ask him that some other time, maybe a good conversation starter.
It took their team about five and a half hours to make it all the way across the frozen plains and they were all very thankful for it. The instant they stepped in, Yuffie instantly started walking towards the inn towards the back of the town. "I'm gonna go get us a room!" Yuffie declared as she started walking off.
"Wait…" Vincent told the ninja, walking into the familiar town, towards a home directly in front of the town entrance. Without explanation, he walked up to the door and slammed his fist against it three times without any response.
"What are ya doin, Vince?" Cid asked, walking up besides Vincent. "Do you know someone who lived here?"
"Yes," Vincent responded, then tried opening the door, only to find it locked.
"I don't think anyone lives here anymore, Vincent," Tifa said as she walked up, looking at all the windows, which were boarded up. "Looks like this place is condemned."
"I realize that," Vincent told the woman as he then took out his glock and shot off the door handle, allowing him to enter the abandoned home.
"Vincent, I don't think we should do that…" Cait Sith said as the gunslinger went in. The group all looked amongst each other then each walked inside, despite the fact that they all thought that it was a bad thing to do.
"What is this place, Vincent?" Cloud asked as he stepped in. He glanced over the small home, there was a staircase to the right leading to a basement, a small bed up against the far wall next to a fireplace, and large out of place computers up against the left hand wall.
"This…" Vincent turned to the group. "Is Ifalna's home… I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we spent the night here."
"Good thinking, Vinnie!" Yuffie exclaimed as she ran inside and sat on the small bed and quickly sparked a fire with her materia in the fireplace.
All the team huddled around the fire except for Vincent and Cloud, who both were focused on the computers. "Why are all these computers here?" Cloud asked the gunman.
"…" Vincent was silent as he looked over it. "I don't know…"
"They ain't just computers," Cid said with a cigarette in his mouth, eying the equipment with a smirk. "They're also some old Shinra video recorders, by the looks of it," Cid told them, pointing up to a video camera above most of the equipment.
"They must have recorded Ifalna while they interviewed her…" Vincent muttered.
"It might hold some important information then," Cloud said as he turned to Vincent, who nodded in agreement, then turned to Cid. "Do you think you could get it working again?"
Cid took a deep drag from his cigarette then nodded. "Yeah, no problem," Cid answered as he walked over to it, glancing over the old equipment.
"Hey, what should we do for dinner?" Yuffie whined. "I'm starved!"
"Just be patient," Cloud told the ninja. "Let's wait until Cid gets this thing up and running before we go out to eat."
"Oh fine…" Yuffie grumbled, huddling closer to the fire and rubbing her hands.
Cloud headed down the steps to look around for places where the rest of the team could sleep. Once he reached downstairs he saw two more beds and a crib, as well as a number of pictures across the wall. They were pictures of a woman who looked incredibly like Aeris, expect perhaps a little taller, and a shorter man with black mustache and in a white scientist's coat. There were a number of pictures to the left most of the room of just them, towards the center of the pictures there were pictures of the two again, except this time the woman was much larger, Cloud realized that she was pregnant.
The rightmost of the pictures were of the two people and a small child, Cloud looked closer at the picture, realizing that it was baby Aeris and her mother, Ifalna, though he didn't know who the man was. Cloud then stepped over towards the crib, knowing that this must have been the crib that Aeris had slept in as a baby. Cloud rested his hands on the crib and felt a tear make its way down his cheek, though he quickly wiped it away.
Aeris had never gotten the chance to speak much with her mother and never knew her father, this she had told him a long time ago. If only she had made it a little further, she would have been able to discover all these things, even find out who her father was. Cloud held in his pain, deciding that it would be best to save it until he met up with Sephiroth to let it out. Vincent stepped down to find the former SOLDIER, who quickly turned as he heard the gunslinger make his way down the steps.
"Cid got the computers working," Vincent told him, then turned to go back up the stairs.
"Thanks, Vincent…" Cloud mumbled and was about to follow him, then quickly glanced over at the pictures. "Oh, Vincent," Cloud said, causing the gunman to turn back around towards Cloud. "Do you know the man in the pictures?"
Vincent glanced towards the pictures and took a step closer, a look of interest crossing his face. "Interesting…" Vincent murmured, glancing over all the pictures.
"What?" Cloud curiously asked. "Who is he?"
"Professor Gast… I'm… surprised to discover that he's Aeris's father…"
"Who's Professor Gast?"
"Hojo's predecessor," Vincent answered immediately. "He was a good, respectable man…"
"Doesn't sound like it," Cloud said as he folded his arms over his chest. "He put his own wife and child into a lab."
"…" Vincent was silent, then he turned and walked up the steps. Cloud followed him and barely heard the gunslinger say, "I have a feeling it wasn't him…"
Cloud looked questioningly towards Vincent, who ignored him and continued to walk up the steps. Confused, Cloud followed, to find Vincent and Cid around the computers. "Got 'er runnin for ya," Cid said, pressing buttons on the screen of the television. He pressed a few more buttons then stepped back, presenting the screen to Cloud. "These are all the files they have on this big ol' computer…"
Cloud glanced at it and saw the titles for each of the files: 'The Original Crisis', 'What Is "Weapon"', and 'Confidential'.
"So these are… videos?" Cloud asked the pilot.
"Yeah…" Cid nodded.
"Well, now that it's up and working, let's go get something to eat!" Yuffie exclaimed.
"You guys go," Cloud told the rest of his team, though his eyes stayed on the computer. "I'll stay here and watch these videos."
"Cloud…" Tifa muttered, worried about her friend. "You need to get something to eat…"
"I know that," Cloud nodded in agreement. "But I'm not really that hungry anyways. I'll just eat after I watch these videos, you guys go ahead though, alright?"
"I'll stay as well," Vincent told the team.
"Aight, fine," Barret told the two, heading towards the door. "Whatevah. I'm gonna grab somethin' ta eat."
"All of you can go," Cloud told them. "Vince and I'll fill you in on what's on the computer."
"Sounds good," Yuffie said as she rushed out of the home.
Tifa was the last to leave then realized that she was still wearing Vincent's cape, she'd gotten used to the familiar weight after the cape in the five hours of wearing it. "Oh, I'll bring you back your cape after dinner, alright, Vincent?" Tifa asked.
Vincent nodded, then turned to the video as it clicked on.
The team, with the exception of Cloud and Vincent, had gone out to the diner that was inside of the inn. The food was pretty good, and Cid and Barret got to talking to some of the people at the bar. They learned of a hiker who had traveled north, and the people were even generous enough to give them a map of the northern lands, which would prove to be very useful.
The team all headed back before long, since they were all curious about what was on the video files back at Ifalna's house. The team returned to discover that the two men had just finished watching the tapes, both seeming deep in thought.
"Did you find anything out?" Red XIII asked as soon as he entered the room.
"Yeah," Cid asked as he tossed a cigarette into the flames. "What was on the tapes?"
"Basically…" Cloud began his rather long explanation. "Jenova appeared a long time ago, which they called a calamity from the skies, and its arrival caused a large wound in the planet. Several of the Cetra gathered together to heal the wound, but it took many years to do so. Meanwhile, Jenova traveled from clan to clan, infecting them with a virus, which made them go mad and become monsters. Eventually, the last of the Cetra managed to defeat Jenova."
"What about the other files?" Cid asked, glancing over at the computers. "What is 'Weapon'?"
"Weapon was a creature that the planet had made," answered Cloud. "It was originally made because it knew that it would have to destroy Jenova, but they were never used because it was the Cetra that defeated Jenova. The Weapons also can't vanish and they remain somewhere on the planet even now, Ifalna said that the Planet was closely watching Jenova, ready to use the Weapons if it needs to."
"Weren't there more?" Tifa asked, looking over Cid's shoulder at the monitor.
"Yeah," Cid asked. "I'm guessin' you watched these personal files."
"The other ones…" Cloud quietly mumbled, the other videos clearly affecting the former SOLDIER. "They were records of Professor Gast and Ifalna's child… Aeris… Then at the end…"
"Hojo came…" Vincent continued for his leader, glaring into the flames inside of the fireplace. "Hojo murdered Gast… and captured Ifalna and Aeris."
Tifa was taken back by this, as both men before her were probably devastated by the information. Cloud would be crushed because he found out that the woman he had loved was taken from her home as a baby by gunpoint. Vincent would be overwhelmed by this because she knew that, whatever had happened to Vincent so long ago, was Hojo's fault and the scientist is undoubtedly the gunman's greatest nemesis.
Cloud sighed then said, "If it's alright with you guys, I'm going for a walk."
"Oh wait," Cid said, taking out the map he had gotten at the inn from his coat pocket. "This is a map of the plains north of here," Cid handed the map to his leader as he left.
"Good work," Cloud told the pilot, putting the map into his back pocket, then left without another word.
The rest of the group went off to their own things, Cid and Barret headed over to the bar, the others, Yuffie, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Tifa, and Vincent all huddled close to the fire. Yuffie, never seeming to be running out of energy, was digging through a small nightstand that was right next to the bed. "Here we go!" Yuffie exclaimed, raising up a deck of cards as though it were something holy.
"Cards!" Cait Sith cried. "What are we playin'? Poker? Blackjack? Who cares, I'm in!"
"Five card poker!" Yuffie giddily proclaimed.
"I'm in," Red XIII told the other two.
"Tifa, Vinny, you guys in?" Yuffie asked.
"No," Vincent replied, standing then walking downstairs.
"O… kay…" Yuffie murmured as she watched the gunman walk downstairs. "What about you, Tif?"
"Umm," Tifa thought, then decided to go down and try to talk with Vincent. "Count me out this hand," Tifa told the ninja then followed Vincent down the steps.
Vincent was looking at the pictures on the wall and turned as Tifa came down the steps. "Hey, Vincent," Tifa warmly smiled.
Vincent nodded, Tifa taking that as a hint that he didn't really want to talk about anything. Tifa was right on the nose, after learning that Hojo, Vincent's most hated foe, had done even more things to deserve punishment. The more he heard about the scientist the more he wanted to be the one to deliver that punishment. However, he often wondered if he was one who was worthy to distribute the penalty, as what he had done wasn't much better, if better at all.
Tifa slightly frowned, knowing that Vincent had already been lost in thought, and decided maybe it would be good to get all those thoughts off his mind, for a change. And, since they were going to stay in the town for at least the night, it would be the perfect opportunity to do so. "Hey, Vincent," Tifa said, trying to think of something that they could do together. "Do you want to come get a coat with me?"
Vincent didn't want to do anything right now, he wanted to concentrate on Hojo and Lucrecia and Sephiroth and Jenova. All this new information on their enemy was quite a bit to process for the gunslinger, although he knew that he would be able to get through it his own way. Vincent shrugged, which Tifa knew meant he would rather not, but at that time didn't really care.
"Great!" Tifa exclaimed, grabbing him by the arm and instantly leading him up the steps before he could fight back.
Vincent knew that if he really wanted he could stop this immediately, yet, always a gentleman, wouldn't refuse with her being so forceful. However, as soon as they left the condemned home, he did take his arm back, instead walking along next to her. Vincent decided that he would play along with her for a short while, and then return to his thoughts as soon as he could.
Tifa was disappointed at the only clothes store in the entire town, it was extremely small and didn't have many options. However, fortunately for her, since this was a year round snowy town, the largest selection they had was in winter gear. Tifa giddily stepped inside and Vincent hesitantly followed a few paces away, as he wasn't as hyped for this as Tifa clearly was. The last decent place Tifa had shopped for clothes was years ago, when she first came to Midgar. The shops below the plate were horrible but she would occasionally go up to the plate to shop, but, ever since she met Barret, she had stopped doing that, since all the shops up above had profits that went directly to Shinra, while the shops below were usually family owned.
Tifa first went to look for pants, which had a great selection for cold weather, and she managed to find some great black jeans, at a good price too. Tifa asked Vincent about it, who seemed pretty indifferent about the jeans, which wasn't all that surprising. Vincent wouldn't have been the best person to go clothes shopping with. However, Tifa did try them on and thought they fit and looked well, though she decided that she should still show Vincent, at least trying to start as much conversation with him as she could.
"What do you think?" Tifa asked the gunman, spinning around to show him the back of the pants.
Vincent glanced over her, looking pretty much indifferent, and she was expecting an indifferent response. Naturally, she was surprised. "Looks great …" Vincent told her with a nearly undetectable smile.
"Thanks," Tifa replied with a wide smile, though she was surprised that Vincent had even replied.
Tifa quickly shopped. Despite the fact that Vincent was constantly indifferent, she could tell that he disliked shopping. It wasn't very surprising that he disliked shopping, seeing as how he hated being in public and plus, being a guy, he probably naturally didn't like it. Eventually, Tifa had found an expensive black leather jacket and a long-sleeved white shirt, along with the black jeans.
Once she had finished, the two left she shop and began to walk back to Ifalna's home. Tifa decided to take this as an opportunity to try to talk to Vincent and get him to open up, maybe even smile.
"So, Vincent, thanks for the cape," she told him, handing it to him as she replaced it with her new jacket.
Vincent nodded, draping it around his shoulders and fastening the clasps. Tifa glanced up at his face and nearly forgot how much of his face was covered by the cape. She was dismayed and realized just how handsome Vincent's face really was, and his lower jaw seemed to draw it all together.
Vincent noticed this, then glanced down at the woman. "Is there something wrong?"
"Oh!" Tifa exclaimed, quickly looking away, blushing like mad. "Uh, no, nothing!"
"Very well…" Vincent murmured. In another time, Vincent would have encouraged this behavior and do something about it, but that was a lifetime ago for Vincent. "We should return to Ifalna's home now."
"Oh…" Tifa murmured. "Can we go for a walk first?"
Tifa looked up at Vincent with a wide, hopeful smile on her face. Vincent should have said no, he was certain of it. He didn't want to encourage her behavior. It would be best for her to focus her attention towards Cloud than him, now more than ever since Aeris had died. However, he was sure that she needed it as well. He had noticed that she was always trying her hardest to cheer everyone up, she was undoubtedly trying to do it now with him, however, even she needed a break.
"Very well," Vincent nodded as the two turned and began to walk around the town.
"This town is so beautiful…" Tifa softly spoke.
"It is," Vincent nodded, glancing around at the ground.
"It's so much different than Midgar…" Tifa thoughtfully remarked, then looked up at the sky. "It's so nice to be able to see the stars… and all this beautiful snow… It's been a long time since I've seen snow…"
"How bad is Midgar, Tifa?" Vincent asked. The gunslinger had lived in Midgar almost his whole life before the incident thirty years ago, although from what he heard, it had changed quite a bit.
Tifa sighed, looking down. "Its... gotten so terrible. Everyone living below the plate has to live through a poor life, without any vegetation at all, except for the ones Aeris could grow, and no stars or moon or sun… It's… it's horrible… I wish everyone could live in a place like this…"
"I see…" Vincent murmured. "How was this done?"
"It was Shinra," Tifa told him. "After the war, Shinra took complete control over the government in Midgar, although no one cared. It was thanks to Shinra that we were actually able to win the war, so everyone only cheered when Shinra took control. But… they were wrong… so wrong. At first, Shinra seemed great until they realized just how much damage they were doing to the planet. The ground around Midgar is completely ruined since they suck so much mako from that area.
"That's why they built the upper plate. There, the rich could live without having to look at the ruined ground, and they left all the poor to live down there…"
"And you joined Avalanche to stop all this…"
Tifa nodded, clearly proud of her decision, "It had to be done, someone had to stand up to Shinra, but no one ever would. Then I met Barret and he was so… right. I know he comes off as an ignorant jerk sometimes but… but he really has a heart of gold."
Vincent nodded but continued walking. She wasn't sure if he expected her to go on, but she really didn't have much more to say. It was only about a year after joining Avalanche that she had run into Cloud, and during that year they hadn't done much, only a few sabotages to their delivery trucks and other minor things. It was really once they got Cloud's strength on their side that they decided they were strong enough to take down one of their reactors.
Tifa sighed. She was hoping that she would learn more about Vincent but instead she tells him more about herself. Then, she realized how she could turn this around on him. "Yeah, that's pretty much my story," Tifa concluded. "So what about you, Vincent?"
Vincent sighed and looked down. He wasn't about to talk to her about his past, so he would do what he usually did, which was not saying a word. Tifa, however, was used to this, but she had a plan.
"Oh come on, Vince!" Tifa exclaimed. "I told you about me, you should tell me a little about you! I mean, it doesn't really have to be important but just… something! Like… why did you join the Turks?"
"…" Vincent was silent for a moment, still debating whether he should speak or not. She did tell him quite a bit of information about herself, but that still didn't mean he had to tell her anything if he chose not to. However, he really did like Tifa, at least more than anyone else in the group, so he decided he could part that small bit of information. "My father was a scientist for Shinra, although I don't really remember him, since he died when I was very young. My mother raised me in Midgar until I was about twelve, and then she died from a brain embolism.
"I was going to be sent to my aunt and uncle, who I had never met, in Junon. However, I knew that isn't what I wanted, and so I ran off to the slums of Midgar and hid there for several years. When I was sixteen, I joined the Shinra Military because I had little options, at the time. There, I had quickly rose through the ranks and was offered the job of a Turk."
Tifa blinked, letting all the information in. She hadn't really expected Vincent to reply at all and then he suddenly speaks practically more than he had since she met him. However, the martial artist was glad that he was beginning to open up to her and hoped that, eventually, he would go further.
"Wow…" Tifa muttered. "I… I wasn't expecting all that…"
Vincent nodded, but continued walking. He surprised himself with sharing all that information, especially since it seemed to all just flow out of him. Really, he hadn't thought about any of those times in a long time, he was always thinking of his last days of his humanity, before he became a monster.
Tifa looked up at him, smiling her first true smile since Aeris had died, and said, "Thanks for telling me all that, Vincent."
Vincent nodded once more then the two continued on until they had reached a good distance away from the town, far enough so that almost the only light was the stars and not just the few city lights in the small town. Once there, Tifa looked up at the sky once more, then fell backward.
Vincent instantly spun and caught Tifa before she hit the ground, tore out his revolver, and quickly looked around for any foes. Tifa instantly started giggling as she looked up at Vincent's deep red eyes that majestically glowed in the night. However, they glowed with a fierce determination against any enemies which may have been in the area.
Tifa couldn't explain how she felt just then, but it instantly reminded her of Gold Saucer. She hadn't thought of that in a long time, she realized. She also remembered that Vincent suggested that they just forget about it, and she figured that it meant he wanted nothing to do with her, but, judging by his reaction, she thinking that she may have been wrong. She felt so safe in his arms and how quickly he had reacted made her feel safe, just like in Rocket Town when he had stayed behind to help her.
"Oh…" Vincent murmured, then got Tifa back on her feet. "What were you doing?"
"I was going to make a snow angel!" Tifa exclaimed, still giggling.
"A… snow angel…" Vincent murmured, then he looked off in the distance.
Tifa instantly looked dismayed, sensing that she had brought him back to some memory of his past. "What are you thinking about, Vincent?" Tifa asked, hoping to get him out of his little flashback or have him open up about it. Tifa preferred the second option, but would settle for either, so long as they would stay out here together.
"Nothing…" Vincent softly muttered, looking down at the snow. "Let's return to Ifalna's home."
Vincent turned to leave, but Tifa quickly grabbed his human arm, to which he turned and looked back at her. She didn't see the determination in his eyes any longer, instead she just saw a horribly broken soul. She saw a soul that had been through far too much in its years, a soul that had been pushed to the limit and may never really return.
"Vincent, please…" Tifa begged. "What is it? Let me help you."
"Tifa please…" Vincent softly but sternly spoke. "Just let me go."
"Vincent please," Tifa begged with her widest puppy eyes. "I can help you, you just need to open up. Please Vincent."
"Tifa… I apologize…" Vincent shook his head, took his arm back, then started walking back to the town.
Tifa sighed, but quickly ran back up to him. She had made a lot of improvement with him today and she wasn't about to throw all that away after this little incident. But she would be sure to learn from this, if he even forgave her for this, she would be sure not to push Vincent too far too quickly ever again.
Once she reached his side, she looked up at him, but he continued to look forward. "I'm sorry, Vincent…" Tifa muttered, feeling bad for bringing him back into his bad mood, if he ever came out of it, that is.
"It is I who should be apologizing," Vincent told her. "I…"
"Vincent, you don't need to apologize!" Tifa exclaimed. "If you want to keep it to yourself… well… I guess it's ok with me. I just want to be your friend, Vincent, and help you as much as I can. You know that, right?"
Vincent closed his eyes and inwardly sighed. He never really thought he would have someone to be a friend for him ever since he had been dehumanized by Hojo. But really, he supposed he was getting close to making friends with everyone in the group, especially Tifa. And if she wanted his friendship, he supposed he wouldn't deny her from it, although he still would keep whatever he wanted to himself. "Yes, Tifa."
"Then that's all you need to know," Tifa widely smiled, giving his human hand a quick squeeze, then returning her hand to her side, realizing he disliked contact.
"Are you ready to return to Ifalna's?" Vincent asked patiently.
"Yeah," Tifa smiled brightly back at him.
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