Disclaimer: I do not own! Square Enix ((or is it Enox? I can't remember)) owns the rights! Not me! sobs

I'm back and with a shorter chapter than planned. So sorry!!!!! I'm really sorry about the long update as well! Really I am! Please forgive me!!!!

Pain, blood, and hurt. I knew those feelings. But what worried me was that I couldn't feel my legs. I tried to move them and that's when pain shot up through from my feet to my hips. Well at least I could still move them. A hand shook my shoulder.

"Cloud." That voice seemed familiar but still it sounded weird to me. "Cloud…" they tried again.

I cracked open my eyes and came face to face with Sephiroth. I groaned and tried to sit up. He helped me balance and soon I was sitting and he was kneeling beside me. My head was killing me.

"How you fairing?" He asked. I blinked and looked over at him, answering slowly for fear of my head splitting open.

"I feel like shit…" I croaked out, my throat dry. He grunted and nodded.

"Thought so. Here." He shoved a water canteen in my hand and I swallowed a few gulps of water gratefully.

"Thanks." He took it back and ignored my words.

"So far we're the only two alive." He muttered, looking around.

"What do you mean?" My voice still sounded distant and strange but it was closer to normal. He looked over at me and frowned.

"Every one else is dead, Cloud. They slaughtered us." I felt sick.

……………………….

After returning the Chocobo I decided I would just take her there. We were stuck walking. Tifa, she had called herself, was quiet for the most part. I didn't mind, I preferred the quiet.

I noticed she kept glancing at me somewhat nervously or curious. She seemed frightened, unsure of me. I didn't blame her.

"Um… Vincent..?" I glanced over at her. Her voice had wavered, and remained nearly a whisper.

"Yes?"

"H-how so you know Cloud?" So she was trying to rid the awkward silence.

"I've known him ever since SOILDER."
"SOILDER?" She asked, her head tilting to the side. I nodded.

"President Shinra was the last supporter of the program to make a super army. When he died the program was terminated and those in it were left without anything." She looked pale so I left the rest for another time.

…………………….

"So where are we going to go… I mean… this was all we had left." Cloud whispered. We stood a hill, leading out of the valley we'd once called home. Looking down at the ruins woke me up to reality. We had been fooling ourselves. We were hated and now there was nowhere for us.

"We can go to Nibelheim…" I suggested. He glanced over at me and then nodded.

"Alright. Nibelheim." He slung the blade of his sword over his shoulder. I nodded my silent agreement.

………………….

I glanced up at the early morning sun. It was beautiful as it glowed a brilliant red. Blood had been spilled. Looking behind me I found nothing but dry expanse. Ahead of me, however, was a far away land of green. (1) Junon would be waiting. I could rest there and continue running after I had healed.

Picking up my pace, I bounded across the sand towards the grass that greeted me. The wind blew up from in the valley and I slowed as the sting of metallic blood filled my nose. With my only good eye, I scanned the ground in front of me. Blood and lots of it.

Wincing as memories of my family and village came rushing back, I hurried into the valley. Maybe some one would be alive. Every body I found or looked over was beyond healing or already cold with death. I found footprints from what seemed to be large blood pools. Survivors had already left.

Moving on further I stopped. In front of me was a camp. A fire was lit and laughter could be heard. How these humans could laugh and be happy around bodies was beyond me. But then again, people didn't like the people in SOILDER. I restrained a growl. They wanted to wipe them out and they almost have, save for two by the looks of it.

Sneaking around their camp and following the footprints, I bounded out of the valley as fast as my paws would carry me. Again the large, black brand of the number XIII hurt as I ran, my red pelt rippling as every muscle worked to keep me on my feet and safe. If I hurried I could catch them by nightfall.

……………….

After lighting a fire we made a small make shift camp. Though Sephiroth and I hated one another we put that aside for the time being. We were the only ones left. No one else had made it, not even Zack. At this thought I rolled over onto my side, facing away from the fire, and sighed.

The night air was chilled and crisp. Spring was new and snow still coated the ground here and there. I wasn't sure how far we had traveled, but we had made it into the mountain foothills. Sephiroth had fallen asleep long ago and I was left to my thoughts. A twig snapping jolted me back from my own musings and into the real world. I sat up; Seph had woken up as well.

Looking down the path we had come, we could see a faint light, almost as if a creature's tail were on fire. It came closer and I reached for the hilt of my sword, not trusting it to be friendly.

The creature finally emerged and I stopped. There in front of me was wither a red cat or dog… or was it a bear? One amber eye stared out at both of us while the other was closed and scared white. What looked to be a red mane fell into the useless eye as it moved its massive head to look between the two of us. Golden bracelets rested around the ankles and black brands marked the legs. A large XIII had been branded onto on of the shoulders.

"Are you the two surviving SOILDERS?" He asked. I just blinked. He sighed.

"I take that as a yes…my name is Nanaki… I found Junon in ruin and came looking for the two that made it. May I ask your names?"

………………………

He called himself Nanaki. I wasn't sure exactly what was going through Cloud's mind at the moment, but he seemed to have deemed the sleeping creature safe. After we had given our names, he had explained how his own home had been ripped apart. With out even knowing it, we'd picked up a new member of the group.

I glanced over at Cloud and he caught my gaze.

"What do you think?" He was silent for a while before answering.

"I think we can trust him." I sighed and nodded.

"Then he'll come with us."

………………………

"How much farther is it?" I asked. Vincent had been quiet for a good few hours now and I was getting bored. This was just perfect.

"Two days…" I tripped over my foot at that.

"WHAT!?!" He shrugged.

"Should have taken the Chocobo…" That was it.

"I didn't even ask to be here! Right now, if I hadn't fallen through that… that…. Portal! I would be at home, most likely having a good home cooked meal with my husband!" I growled. Vincent stopped and looked over at me in silent amusement. I sighed.

"Just… can we at least stop for a bit?" I asked, a little calmer now. He nodded. "Thank you…"

…………………………..

Sorry it's so short guys! This was just kind of one of those things where you decide to throw in another character and you run out of ideas… sad I know.

(1) I kind of changed the map and geography of Cloud's world. The cities and landmarks have the same names and same things, however, where they are placed relative to another landmark or city is different. Sorry…