The world was entirely black with the exception of one woman. Light seemed to cling to her. Long, brown hair flowed down her back with long bangs framing either side of her face. Emerald eyes sparkled from behind round-rimmed glasses. She was smiling but somehow the smile seemed plastic, like it painted on. She wore a simple white dress and one could see she was visibly pregnant.
The scene changed and she was lying on a cold, metal table. Her hands locked in restraints. Sweat was running down her forehead as she screamed. Her legs were spread open and her breathing was heavy. She let out another tormented scream. Her stomach rippled, as if something was trying to punch its way out.
"What's wrong with my baby?" she screamed, though there was no one there to answer her. "Vincent! Please! Save me!"
Blood was leaking from between her legs and all the helpless woman could do was scream.
There was a flash of light and the scene switched again. There was a man standing over the woman, stroking her head hair. There was a flash of something silver protruding from the woman's stomach. She screamed, unable to move. "Please, Hojo, save my baby!"
"Your baby? I was under the impression it was our baby?"
Everything went dark and quiet, except for the echo of a person being slapped.
Light flashed and the woman was on the table again, with the man standing over her. Her face was bruised and now the silver protruding from stomach revealed itself to be a blade. It was cutting her stomach open – the demon inside her wanting out. Tears burned a path down her cheeks but she no longer screamed. No, now she bore her pain silently.
"Hojo – I just want to hold my baby."
The man continued to stroke hair gently. "Even if it's a demon?" he asked.
"Right or wrong, he's still my son."
"Our son," Hojo corrected.
The woman sliced opened now, a tiny hand was sticking out, as if testing the environment.
"Think as you wish," the woman said, "But he'll never be your son."
A second hand found its way out.
"Oh? So now you tell me that it's his son?"
"Clever man," she replied sarcastically, watching now as the thing inside her stomach pulled itself out.
Hojo's hand found his way around her neck. He squeezed, gently at first, but as he stared into those accusing emerald eyes, he squeezed harder. "I loved you, Lucrecia. God, how I loved you!"
"I couldn't tell," she replied back. "Where's Vincent? Why doesn't he save me?"
Hojo laughed and it sent shivers down Lucrecia's back. There was something malicious in his laugh.
A tiny head, covered in thick goo with silver hair matted to its head, finally emerged from the woman's stomach. It looked around with intelligence not natural of a newborn. It finally spotted the woman. It blinked its glowing, green eyes – the exact same shade of green as hers – and reached for the woman. Lucrecia wanted so desperately to reach out to her baby but her hands were still restrained.
"His name shall be Sephiroth," Lucrecia said. Hojo squeezed even tighter. "He alone shall walk the path to godhood."
Hojo squeezed with all his might. The woman did not struggle but simply died as if that had been her purpose all along – to die.
"Mama," the baby said, trying to crawl out his mother's stomach.
Hojo looked at the child. He released Lucrecia's thin and delicate neck, now marred red with his handprints, and walked down to the child. He picked it up the child; umbilical cord still attached, and began to hold the baby like a gentle father.
"Your first murder, child. Be proud," he whispered, walking with the umbilical cord still attached to the baby and its dead mother.
There was darkness again and another flash of light. Lucrecia stood underneath a spotlight. Blood stained the stomach area of her white dress. It seemed to be spreading, soaking her entire dress in blood.
"How long are you going to sleep?"
forever.
"You've always been weird and melodramatic."
that so?
"Vincent – wake up. It's starting. The Destruction."
but I am awake, Lucrecia. I've been fighting all this time and now… he quickly descends on us – on her – like an Angel of Death, knowing no mercy. Our souls are now doomed.
"No Vincent," Lucrecia whispered. "The Destruction can be stopped. But you must wake up."
what is reality and what is the illusion? i can't tell anymore. heaven help me, but i can't tell the difference anymore.
"There is a thin line between reality and illusion. It's so hard to tell them apart and sometimes they even resemble each other. But wake up, Vincent. The path of the Destruction has been set in motion – her prayers have been heard but if she can not stop the Destruction…"
what happens?
"Our souls will be lost to IT."
i failed you once. it appears that i will fail you again.
"Wake up!"
Sleepy red eyes opened slowly. As he slowly came into focus, he realized that he was inside of a box – no – a coffin. With his metallic hand, Vincent pushed the lid to the coffin off and sat up. In a scene that seemed so painfully familiar to his soul, there was a young girl standing there, looking a bit spooked and a big, red cat – or dog. Maybe it was a crossbreed.
"Who are you?" the cat-dog asked.
"Vincent Valentine. And you would be?"
"I am Nanaki but everyone calls me Red." It looked to the girl and did something resembling a nod. "That's Yuffie."
Vincent looked at the tiny wisp of a girl. She grinned. "Hi."
"Why have you two disturbed me from my eternal slumber?" he asked.
Yuffie shrugged. "It sounded as if you were having a nightmare."
Fragments of the dream drifted back to him. He shook his head, not understanding the meaning. "It is my punishment."
"For what?"
"It is none of your concern," Vincent replied coldly.
"Fine then!" Yuffie yelled, stomping her foot angrily. She stuck out her tongue in a childish fashion.
Red shook his head. "Forgive her. She is young, after all." At Vincent's nod, Red continued. "We are sorry to disturb. If you don't mind, we'll continue on our journey."
"Journey?" Vincent asked.
"To stop the Destruction."
Vincent eyes widened. "What did you say?" he shouted.
"To stop Shinra," Yuffie said, looking at him rather strangely. "Didn't you hear us the first time?"
"You journey into the heart of Midgar?"
he alone shall walk the path of godhood
"Yes," Red replied. "Do you care to join us?"
"I don't think we should trust him," Yuffie chimed in. "He's too weird."
"This house stinks of sorrow. The tragedies that occurred inside this house… Shinra needs to be held accountable them. I shall join you in your quest."
A/N: Well, it's been a long time. A REALLY long time. This chapter doesn't seem to flow with the rest of the story but it's going to take a minute for me to get back into it. Sorry for the long wait.