Beginning Author's Note:

Hey, Kuro here. I read the reviews, man, I didn't know this idea was original. Though Reiko's still poking me, mumbling that it was an original idea. Heh. Anyways, I'm here to say thanks for all the reviews. I appreciate the compliments, though there have been some rather blunt and . . . childish flames. Oh well, I did say I was going to accept them, so that's my fault. Also, I hope that my portrayal of Vincent still remains solid, and I will create some chaos (not Chaos, just regular chaos) for Vincent's role. Remember, this is Vincent-oriented, he's the main character here (though the storyline of the FFIX world will still remain solid, with sidetracking things here and there).

But yes, I thank you for your kindness, and I hope that you will continuously look forward to my work. I might actually make an SI with my friend Reiko. Her SI story is failing because she doesn't like to type about herself. So I'm going to help her, as well as planting my character into the story with her. I hope it will be sufficient. But this is irrelevant to what is to come.

Also, this concerns Vincent's character. At times, Vincent will be cold, and distant. But because of his isolation, he will be in a way a philosophical character. I don't know why, but I believe that living through time will do that. But that's a mere assumption.

Also, there have been concerns in these "materia bullets." They are powerful ammunition for the gunslinger, however, he does have bullets. But they are the precious few he has. Also, I may do something about that in the future. But I won't say when . . . lol.

On with the show.

End Author's Note.

------------------------------

Side-Chapter I.

Mysterious Sighting.

------------------------------

The day after the kidnapping, all the personnel of the castle of Alexandria could feel the anger of the queen. As Queen Brahne sat on her throne, she tapped her blue swollen fingers, her eyes glaring outward towards the destruction before her. Her beautiful kingdom now damaged by the accursed theatreship. Whatever power had stopped her from achieving her goals was going to pay. For the power she was going to acquire would be greater than any god in this world.

Now people should know this, ever since the death of the king, the woman known as Queen Brahne didn't just sit on her throne all day. Her mind was always reflecting on events, plans, and many other things people could not imagine. And right now, her mind was thinking back towards that night.

She remembered seeing the Bomb they had launched. How did it freeze like that? The prototype that had somehow escaped couldn't have possibly launched the spell, compared to the black mages being produced, its powers were small and meager . . . And Garnet couldn't possibly know of the black arts. And no one in the world had such power, besides . . . him.

So who?

------------------------------

The commander of the Alexandrian Soldiers, Beatrix stood upon the courtyard, her eyes gazing on the mirror-like lake. The stillness of the air made it reflect a perfect image of the castle. She could only smile as she gazed upon its mirrored-beauty. However, she looked at the town, and frowned.

At the moment of the kidnapping, she was taken from the attention of the Queen from patrol. It seemed that one of her soldiers was slacking off, and she took disciplinary actions. However, in those few moments, it took place. She was rushing to stop the kidnapping, but had just missed it. However, she remembered watching that scene, where the Bomb was launched.

Feelings of dread had risen in her chest as she realized of the Princess's peril. If that Bomb had exploded, her highness would have been killed. But the Queen had launched the attack, so she must have taken the Princess's safety into account.

As she ran towards the airship, preparing to jump, a flicker of light caught her eyes. It was a faint blue light, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

And instantly, the body of the Bomb was slowly overtaken by a thick barrier of ice. It was frozen in the air, making Beatrix relax. However, what occurred next made her heart pound.

The iced Bomb had crashed onto the stage, damaging the airship the Princess had been taken on. Although it escaped, no one was sure if the airship survived its descent. And it horrified her when the scouts she had sent out told her where the airship had landed.

Of all the places, it had to land in the Evil Forest. Sure, Steiner was there, but he wasn't enough to protect the Princess. She was sure of that. But she did remember one thing the 2nd scout had told her.

FLASHBACK.

"Scouts. Report." Beatrix's face was cold, but worry was floating in her mind.

The two scouts saluted, before easing themselves.

"Commander, the theatreship, the Prima Vista has escaped past the falls. It is impossible for us to follow."

"Where did it fall?"

"The Evil Forest." Beatrix's eyes widened slightly, before hardening once more.

"That is all. You are dismissed."

"Ma'am!" The first saluted and ran off. However, the other remained. This sparked Beatrix's curiosity.

"I have dismissed you. Do you wish for second shift?" She smirked.

"No ma'am! There is something else to report ma'am!"

Another report?

"An unidentified object was following the airship ma'am. It was something red." Beatrix nodded, before saluting.

"Good observational skills. You are dismissed."

"Ma'am!" The other soldier ran off. Beatrix's eyes closed.

"Something . . . red . . ."

END FLASHBACK.

Something . . . red. Something . . . red! Beatrix's eyebrows rose, images of the past events rushed through her mind. It stopped at the moment of the Bomb's launch.

She had seen red. No. It wasn't red.

It was crimson.

Crimson as blood.

Blood . . .

What was it? Or rather . . .

Who was it?

------------------------------

Chapter III.

Cold Frontier

------------------------------

The first thing that welcomed his awakening was the cold air. It was cold. No, freezing. Without the direct rays of light hitting the land beneath the mist, a blanket of cool air remained. Breathing outward caused a puff of cool mist to float in the air. And Vincent slowly opened his eyes to the dreary settings before him.

Dewy grass underneath his feet, and the mist was low, barely a few inches above the ground. It was morning, so the cool air remained from the night.

Vincent had another dreamless night. He has had a countless number of dreamless nights. The nightmares he had were gone, perished in the grinding sands of time.

The experiments. Lucrezia's pain. Hojo's corrupted happiness. His comrades faded before him, growing old, turning to dust. These nightmares always woke him, causing shivers to run down his spine. But they would fade as quickly as they came, and his body would forget those horrific sensations after each awakening. A blessing, a curse, he couldn't tell. It could be one, or the other.

And sometimes, he wished for these nightmares to return. The faces of his memories were fading away as time passed. If not for the picture in his holster, he would have only the names to look back to. And the echoes that remained in his mind.

He shifted his position, hoping to close his eyes once more. It was no use. Unlike some people, he was surprisingly a morning person. Or rather, he'd stay awake the moment his eyes opened.

Irritating, it was irritating.

He flexed his fingers, and stood up, his cloaking whipping in the soft wind. He didn't truly know, but by the dimness of the horizon, it was too early to be considered morning.

Somehow, he was here, in the company of this strange band. A thief, a rusted knight, a black mage child, and a princess. Such a crew could not be any weirder. And adding himself . . . would lead to a rather odd ball group. He couldn't understand how he got involved. After all, he would be sinning if he helped them.

'But you do.' Vincent frowned beneath the collar.

'I do? And why do you say that Chaos?' He heard a dark chuckle, one he had not heard for years.

'Simple. Every human must have contact with its kind. You need the same. And here you are.' Vincent snorted, before looking up towards the sky.

'I am not human. I hold the forms of demons mankind fear. I hold no humanity. I am only a monster . . . a demon.'

'A monster you say? Shouldn't you say that I am the monster? Or shall I remind you that you are the vessel?' Chaos' presence faded, leaving Vincent to his own private thought.

------------------------------

Vincent let his eyes' gaze drop, and he looked back towards the camp. He had realized that he had moved quite a distance away.

There was a small tent erected from the ground, a strange pom-pom of red dangled from an antenna on the top of it. It glittered. It probably had magical properties that warded monsters away. Even he felt something from it, and it was fading with each step.

And right next to the entrance of the tent stood the knight, who happened to fall asleep. Guarding the Princess, no doubt. The others were already in the tent, providing them with the best protection, along with the knight.

He took one more step away from the camp, and felt the feeling of warmth escape him. He had just stepped out of the circle of protection provided by the moogle doll.

Vincent detached the holster from his right thigh, and brought it up. Cerberus rested in its place, and the materia spheres remained lined in the orderly fashion. The designs of the compartments in the holster were amazing, storing the many materia he needed. The materia could not be mixed together like that, especially for someone like him. It would have been impossible for him to designate the right materia at the time of need.

He looked at the bangle and decided to keep the Barrier materia in place. The gun he took up in his hand, and propped the ammo section up. The Fire, Cure and Heal materia rested in place. He took the Fire orb out, and replaced it with a Lightning materia. In an open span like this, it was better to use an attack that would affect the whole of the group. He locked the ammo section.

His hand went back to place the Fire materia back in the designated slot, and closed the compartment. With all the time in the world, he had to do something in his free time.

'Yes. How long did it take you to actually realize that the materia's power was cut because of the mixture of Lifestream assortments?' Vincent scoffed at Chaos' intrusion.

'How should I know that materia is based on the souls in the Lifestream?'

'You of all people should have known it at the time. Especially because of the colors of the materia! Hmph, at least you realized it after the first few millennia.' Vincent rolled his eyes as he slipped the gun back into the holster.

-----------------------------

Upon the gun's security, he heard movement, as well as a deep feral growl. He turned.

There before him stood an above average Fang. What he meant by above average was a Fang that certainly wasn't as scrawny as the ones in the Evil Forest. This one was plump, and had muscles beneath the course fur. A small rare smirk curved on his face, and brought his golden claw up.

"Breakfast."

------------------------------

The smell of roasting meat wafted through the campsite, and light sleepers were aroused by its enticing smells. From the tent emerged a young girl, who had finally opened her eyes for the first time in a long time. Her ears picked up the crackling of fire, and her vision was met by a small flame of fiery orange, a makeshift spittle stood only a few inches above the roaring flame. However, the meat sectioned on it looked ravishing.

"Ah, so you have awakened." An unfamiliar voice, and she turned.

A man was working the skewer, making sure to not burn the venison on it. His cloak of red and dark raven locks made his pale complexion stand out. The arm and hand shifting the meat was covered in a buckle-like sleeves and a glove of black, and the other was not shown, as it was hidden in the cloak of crimson.

The silence made Vincent wonder, and he voiced for her attention.

"Princess?" So he knew. However, before she could reply, her stomach began to rumble. She heard him chuckle softly, and she looked for a smile. However, the cloak collar hid that part of the face from her. "It seems your body needs nourishment." The man took a makeshift skewer, and poked one of the pieces of meat resting on the thicker one. The meat was tender, ripping off easily as it was pulled off. He held it out for her, and she took it. She sat herself down, and tasted it. Her eyes lit up as renewed hunger roared, and she took another bite, savoring her meal.

Vincent watched the meat, taking side glances at the young girl. Her complexion wasn't as pale as his own, so that meant she was healthier now. The medicine had done wonders, as she was here now with the energy to eat. At this rate, she would be completely recovered from the seed infection in a few hours. The miracles of medicine.

He pulled his human hand back, and used the inside of his cloak to wipe off the blood of the Fang. This Fang's blood unfortunately, was thick and sticky, making it harder to simply flick off. How he killed it . . . well, it died instantly so it didn't suffer.

Moments later, the tent entrance was open, and Zidane stepped out. He stretched up, and his tail became stiff, rising in the air with his body.

'He almost looks like a cat . . .' Vincent let Chaos' random thought fade as Zidane approached the campfire.

"Hey Garnet, you okay?" She nodded as she swallowed another piece of her meal. And she smiled, making the blonde smile. "You're eating, that's good!" Zidane sat himself down next to the Princess, but he of course kept a safe distance between the two. He looked at Vincent. "What kind is it?"

"Fang." Zidane's eyes widened slightly, before taking his own piece. He looked at it.

"Really?" Vincent watched as Zidane took a bite. He chewed it here and there, letting it roll in his mouth. Vincent was suspicious of the silence. But he saw Zidane's eyes light up. "Holy crap! How the heck did you cook it right? It's good!" Zidane began to eat more of it, almost forgetting his manners. Garnet almost smiled at the sight, before feasting once more. Vincent could only stay silent, watching them eat. Remember the times he could eat. Those were precious times. Oh how he wished he could enjoy it like they did. "Hey Vince!" Vincent's thoughts were cut, and he looked at Zidane. He spotted a question coming up. "Did you eat yet?"

Vincent nodded, not caring about the lie. Zidane seemed weary, but went back to consuming the venison once more.

In time, Vivi too woke up, and the younger ones had eaten their fill. Zidane stretched up once more.

"What a great way to start! Thanks Vince! After all that crap, we needed something like this!" He sensed gratitude, and nodded his head. Zidane walked up to the sleeping knight, and slapped him on his shoulder. He saw the knight stumble, and Zidane smirked evilly. "Come on Sir Rust-a-lot! Gotta get a move on!" Vincent couldn't help but feel reminded of a ninja from long ago. He had to be a descendant of that ninja, where else would that energy come from?

The knight grumbled, cursing under his breath. Vincent couldn't help but feel pity for the poor fellow. Taking the last piece of breakfast, he placed the skewer in the open hand of the knight, and closed the man's hand around it. The knight's eyes widened, looking at the object suspiciously, before recognizing what it was. Vincent could feel the eyes of the knight on his back, but he ignored it.

"Okay! Let's go!" Zidane had so much energy. So . . . much . . . optimism.

Vincent sighed.

He definitely had to get used to this.

------------------------------

Vincent kept at the back of the group, and at times, the others would take an occasional glance behind. Perhaps they were hoping for him to disappear, or rather, afraid of that ever happening. He didn't know. But he remained quiet, watching.

They have been walking for hours; the leader of the group seemed to be the teen, and in his hands was a large parchment map.

And by the looks of it, he was confused.

"So let's see . . . the Evil Forest lies . . . there . . . and . . . um . . . eh?" Zidane threw his head back in frustration. "How the hell are you supposed to read this thing?"

Vincent turned his head to the side, and noticed a familiar forest area. It was just like the last one.

In fact . . .

Those clan of gobins were still there. And his eye involuntarily twitched.

'Oh . . . god.' He looked at the thief, who sat himself down. He was having trouble reading the map. The others had already begun to crowd around Zidane, who, if by some strange occurrence, would have a question-mark appear above his head.

"Where should we go? You guys know?"

He could picture more question-marks. Everyone seemed clueless, and Vincent couldn't help but feel his patience being spent. He walked over, joining the group once more. He peered over the shoulder of the knight, who was peering over the shoulder of the black mage, who was peering over the shoulder of the thief, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, with the Princess peering over from the side.

And when Vincent took a glance at the map, he could only shake his head. The map was probably the most easiest thing to read. Compared to digitally powered graphs and warmaps eons ago, this thing was nothing more than a primitive imitation. The name of a specific location pricked his attention however. Without thinking, he pointed his finger towards it. His human finger.

"The Ice Caverns." Eyes were on him once more. He ignored it as began walking towards the direction of the Ice Caverns.

"Wait! How would you know!" That voice . . . was getting annoying. He turned around, the cloak billowing behind him maliciously. The knight, Steiner, almost took a step back, his face faltering for a moment. Vincent could feel some sort of confidence, and yet, it was weak and cowering.

"Oh! The Ice Caverns is a set of caverns that leads to the top of the mist! If we need to get out of here, the Ice Caverns is the best place to start. That's what my grandfather told me." Vivi piped up. A smile emerged on Steiner's face, followed by praise.

"Your grandfather must have been a scholar Master Vivi!" Vincent saw those neon eyes flicker, and the stature of the child was brought down.

" . . . . My Grandfather died." Steiner's praise became stone, and his face dropped at this. The air suddenly became heavy. Vincent saw eyes of pity on the boy. He turned around.

"To the Ice Caverns." V

Vivi nodded his head, his beat up hat bending over.

"Yeah." The others seemed to catch Vivi's drift as they began walking once more. Vincent made sure to keep a distance, but saw Vivi, who also began to drift a few feet behind. He was at a safe distance, but he made sure to keep a barrier between himself and the main group. Memories of loved ones can seem so . . . saddening at times. Even now, he felt pain as great, and perhaps, even more. Unconsciously, he let his human hand rise on his chest, and kept it on the heart. A faint heartbeat still existed.

Thoughts became blank as he continued following.

------------------------------

They soon came across a giant opening, where bluish light was glittering outward. Vincent felt an icy cold breeze, and tightened his hold of the cloak. The others were begin affected by the cold wind, though Vincent could only feel some sort of pity for Zidane, who by chance only had a vest and sleeveless undershirt on his upper body. His arms were bare, not including his gloves. Maybe the cold would tone down his happiness a bit. A slight bit of hope laid at that moment.

"Let's go! The sooner we're through this place, the sooner we'll be above!"

Maybe not.

------------------------------

"Oh my goodness! It's . . . it's beautiful!" Vincent could feel the happiness and eagerness ebbing from the Princess as she bent down to look at one of the naturally manifested ice-flowers. Indeed its beauty was great.

"Please Princess! You must be careful!" Vincent ignored the knight's worry, his eyes looking at the sudden change.

It certainly lived up to its name. Everything was covered in ice. Ice, ice, and more ice; that was all he could see in this passage. However, there wasn't just a single layer of blue ice. No. There were different layers that created new colors unlike any other. Due to the constant levels of light refraction, no ice area looked the same, each held its own original qualities. The thinner layers glistened white and clear, while thicker layers drew colors of darkened sapphire. It was almost like being in a cavern of smoothened crystals. And from these walls glittering bushels of frozen flowers and plant-life hung around them. Even now the Princess had her eyes laid upon the bushel of frozen roses, waiting vainly for its time to bloom, only to remain still for all eternity.

Soon, they began to walk further upward. At one point, Zidane pointed out certain weak areas of the cavern walls. Vivi was told to obliterate those walls, and they revealed frozen chests. Upon opening them, they found supplies needed for the journey. Potions, Phoenix downs, Antidotes. Vincent remembered coming across chests like these in the past, many of them only held common items meant for emergencies, and maybe these items were left for those who in need of aid through their journey in these caverns.

Soon however Vincent smelled something unwelcoming as he took a few steps further into the caverns. It was almost like the smell of the Evil Forest, except it was faint. Almost, distant and light. But that was when he noticed it.

In the walls, there were small, and almost non-existent cracks in the ice. And from these cracks, a thin-like waft of black mist glided around the room. BLACK mist. His experiences with black-related items (such as the black cloaked clones of Sephiroth) only made Vincent weary. Vincent took a deeper breath of air, before feeling THAT feeling.

It was the feeling of an attack.

His sensitive ears heard an unfamiliar approach, and could hear inhuman breathing. Upon instinct, Vincent turned towards the direction of the attack.

The fiend that was trying to charge at them looked like a blue bull with its head nonexistent on its large body. Instead, its face was a part of the body mass, smashed onto a flattened side of its supposed face. Red orbed eyes and twisted tusks were ready, pointed towards the group. Its eyes showed madness.

Vincent pulled his left arm back, creating the tightening tension. He walked towards it soundlessly. The only thing that caused the others to look was the whipping sounds of his cloak from the provoked mist.

And at the right moment, he released the recoil. His arm acted like a whip, and slammed into the side of its flat face. It groaned heavily as it flew in the air, and soon landed on the ice floor, skidding towards the edge. It did its best to stop itself, but the ice itself ensured its death. Vincent watched as it slid over the edge, its moan breaking into an animalistic cry of desperation. However, Vincent didn't care what happened to that fiend. It attacked them without thought of the consequences.

'You do know that monsters come in pairs? And sometimes in threes?' Vincent nodded, his eyes looking towards the others.

They were now engaged in combat. Zidane was in the middle of it all, swinging his daggers here and there, all hitting the monster of mist on all sides. Some cuts were shallow, and others were deep. He kicked the monster on its side, causing it to turnover. Its large body was useless once it had no stable underground to stand on. It roared as it kicked its legs, moving its flat head from side to side to stab the thief. Zidane expertly avoided the tusks, however, he slipped, and the monster stabbed him in the thigh.

"Shit!" Zidane had quite the potty-mouth, but not like a certain blonde haired pilot. Vincent could only imagine the line of curses Cid would unleash. Zidane fell back, collapsing as the pain ruptured his movements. He hissed as he felt the ice freezing the wound.

Garnet saw Zidane's situation, and began to concentrate, her hands clamped together in prayer. Sparkling lights began to float around her as she invoked white magic. "Gods of Charity, Beauty, Beneficence and Grace . . . extinguish the pain I wish to erase . . . Cure!" Her body released the sparkles that floated around her being, and they zipped towards Zidane. The sparkles acted like flurries, surrounding Zidane's wound. The regeneration process was quickened, and torn flesh began to renew.

Meanwhile, as Zidane had fallen, Steiner took the chance to attack the downed mist walker. With a single swing, half of its body was split into two by the power of his blow. It collapsed, blood of ink black pooled and mixed with the once clear and glistening floors. That definitely marred the place up.

Vincent then noticed strange jelly-like creatures approaching, the word FLAN went through his mind. They did look like those strange cup-like deserts, except their yellow complexion resembled vomit. Zidane, now fully healed made no second thought as he ran forward, his daggers brought up. He slashed at the closest jelly thing, only to have his dagger slice through, too cleanly. The Flans still moved about, obviously alive.

"How the hell?" But as he cursed, the yellow blobs began to move their heads from side to side, invoking a new action. Familiar gathering energy caused Vincent to push Zidane to the side. A burst of flames exploded at his left side. He grunted as he felt the heat go through his cloak, causing only minor wounds. The metal arm he had burned the skin it was latched on, but he didn't care. He felt his body skidding across the slippery floor, causing him to widen his eyes as images of the mist walker falling over the edge burst. He raised his injured left arm, and angled the claw fingers down. He stabbed into the ice, and soon his body stopped abruptly. His pointed shoes were dangling over the blackness right underneath him.

"Vincent!" He saw Vivi running towards him. He glared at the mage, causing the boy to stop.

"Destroy the monsters first. Your magic will be most effective."

"But—"

"I am fine. Do not worry. I will be able to pull myself up." Reluctantly, Vivi nodded, before turning around.

As Vincent pulled himself up, he saw Vivi, whose incantation was faster than before. The boy may perhaps become used to such stressful conditions such as these. And the spell itself was of greater power than before as it had hit both of the strange yellow blobs. Under the intense heat, the blobs began to melt, their eyes melding with the disgusting yellow gunk that made their bodies, now puddles of muck. He placed a hand on the head of the mage.

"Excellent work Vivi." A simple compliment caused Vivi to tug at his hat and curl up. A reaction of a shy and quiet boy.

He accompanied Vivi as they converged to the group once more. Garnet was healing Steiner's wounds from the fire spell of the Flans, and Zidane was cleaning his blades of the thick liquid from the flesh of the mist walkers. He grumbled about annoying Flan-desserts. As the Princess finished healing Steiner's wounds, she looked towards him and somehow saw his injury.

"Vincent! Are you alright?" Her worried state made Vincent move away slightly, but he stopped himself. He shook his head.

"I am fine. Do not worry about me. Please, care for Vivi, he seems to have some injury." Or he was rather exhausted. The climb was a doozy, and Vivi himself had been using his magic relentlessly upon Zidane's command. He wondered if the monkey-tailed boy knew how taxing it was to invoke magic.

Vivi crouched down, his head looking downward. "I'm not hurt Garnet. I'm just tired . . . and thirsty."

Vincent sighed, but felt somewhat relieved. By coincidence, his right hand was laying upon the canteen. He motioned to it and took it up. He uncorked it, and placed the canteen in Vivi's hands.

"This may help."

"What is it?" Vincent rolled his eyes.

"Water." Vivi took it up, and without hesitation, took a gulp of the precious liquid. His eyes almost flashed, the water seemed to still hold the miraculous healing properties. Vivi took another gulp before giving it back to Vincent, who corked it and placed it back in its rightful place.

"Thank you!" Vincent let a smile pass.

"You are most welcome."

----------------------

Vincent looked at the others. Unlike Zidane, the others began to lag behind. He spotted an area where the wind didn't cut away at the space, and motioned to Zidane. Zidane understood and began to slowed down. "Hey guys, come on, we can rest over here!" Waving the others over, Zidane led them to the spot. "Thanks Vince!"

Vincent simply nodded his head, before walking further into the cold once more. He heard a cry of his name. "I am merely scouting the area ahead. Do not worry." He moved forward, away from the group, the winds intensifying with that extra step. He however did not stumble, or show signs of struggle as he moved forward.

-----------------------

The others kept their eyes on the vampiric-like man's red cloak, and kept them there until he finally disappeared from their sight.

"I must wonder of Mr. Valentine's . . . silent qualities." All eyes were now on the knight. Zidane shook his head, chuckling.

"Rusty, we got tons of guys like him, people like him's supposed to be the bad guys." Zidane looked back at where Vincent once stood. "But he ain't."

"But what if he is under a guise! He could be targeting her Highness! An assassin merely trying to take her down. Unlike you thief, he may want to take her life!" The Princess seemed understanding, but she stood up, shaking her head now, her long hair swaying behind her. There she stood, innocent, her unwavering confidence still there.

"Steiner, it is to my belief that he has proved to not be of that department. He has saved me before in the Evil Forest, and he has used the strange weapon in his hands well and effectively. I do not believe that Vincent has done any wrong." Steiner shook his head now. A new side came forth, a new side that no one was aware of.

"I am sorry Princess, but I feel something ominous. It is as if he is hiding a dark secret. In my years under your service, I have had enough experience to at least feel the qualities of the person, though there are SOME exceptions." He glares at Zidane, who waved back with a wide smile. "But him, I can only feel . . . pain. Self-inflicted pain."

"Rusty, I got that same feeling too, but he's a good guy. If he doesn't want to tell us, then that's fine. If he will, we're gonna have to wait."

"Um . . ." Vivi poked his fingers together. "I do not think that Vincent is doing anything wrong. He's just worried about us. He could have left our party awhile ago, right? But he didn't. He stayed with us."

"You are most correct Mr. Vivi. I feel the same way as well. Even as we speak, he risks his life before our own." Steiner showed some sign of acceptance. However, his eyes still remained unweary.

-----------------------

Vincent continued to walk forward, but his eyes found something strange. A large chunk of ice that only looked recently erected. And stuck within the layers of ice was a moogle. Without a thought, he brought out the Fire Materia. He placed it in the slot of the Lightning materia of the gun, and concentrated on it.

"Fire." He shot the bullet, which began to cause the ice to glow a soft ember. It slowly began to melt, and he could tell that the creature trapped within the iceblock was beginning to awaken. However, the color of its fur began to turn a hint of red as well as the glowing ice began to brighten.

"YOWCH!" Maybe it was a bit TOO hot. The moogle began to jump all around, holding its bum. He did afterall shot the bullet from the backside. "KUPO KUPO KUPO KUPO KUPO KUPO KUPO KUPO KUPO KUPO!" The creature began to dance in circles, causing Vincent to only groan at the comical scene. If he wanted to be in an animation show, wait, nevermind. The moogle finally stopped dancing like an idiot, and glared at him. "You idiot! Were you trying to burn me alive!"

"Should I have done that, or left you in that comfortable position?" Reminding the moogle of its previous fate made it quiet. And silent. Good.

"Oh. Sorry about that. But I'm grateful for you releasing me. How can I repay you now . . ." Vincent brought both his human hand up, stopping the moogle. However, he had forgotten to secure Cerberus back in its holster. The moogle's unusually wide eyes widened even more.

"Is—is that what I think it is?" The moogle's mouth stretched wider than the Cheshire Cat's, and without a thought, snatched the gun away from Vincent. Vincent was surprised, but showed no sign as he watched the moogle's completely changed composure. It was examining his gun with great care. "It's a gun! Right?"

"Hm, and I thought there was no one else with knowledge of this." The moogle shook its head vigorously.

"NO! I read tons of books on these back at home! They show all these schematic thingies and this was one of the legendary builds! How did you get this!"

" . . . " The moogle's hopeful look was turned down, the antenna red pom-pom drooped. The moogle returned the gun to Vincent, who secured it from the moogle's eyes.

"Oh, sorry mister. But I know what I can give you! Wait, even better!" The moogle stuck its pawed hand into its . . . stomach? No, hidden on its belly was a pouch, and it pulled out a thin box. It thrust the box into Vincent's hand. In curiosity, he shook it, and his eyes widened slightly. He looked at the box.

"Are these . . . bullets?"

"Yeah! My pappy gave me these as a gift when I left the place! He thought it was some good luck charm, but you can have it!" Despite the happy scene before him, he couldn't help but feel, worried. If this moogle knew of the use of these things, then who else knew? He had traveled all over, and yet he didn't find anyone with the knowledge of his gunslinging skills. So how could this stuffed doll know? His gaze returned to the moogle, who in turn was looking at him. He nodded to the stuff creature.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome!" It piped up. "I'll be going now. I'll be sure to tell the others of your . . . interesting use of the weapon. Don't worry though, I won't say anything to the caravan you're with!"

"What?"

The moogle clapped its paws and disappeared instantaneously. Vincent was now alone, the spot the moogle had been freed melted. It was as if it had not been there. Vincent turned around and began to move back towards the group, but his eyes were trained on the single box the moogle had given him. What was even stranger was that the moogle had given him the right ammunition for Cerberus, and Cerberus itself didn't use just any kind of bullets. So did it know?

Questions were erased from his mind as he pocketed the bullets away, and began to head back to the group.

-----------------------

"Okay then guys, let's keep on moving, the sooner we get to the top, the sooner we can get out of this freezing place!" Vincent looked at Zidane, who remained unfazed by the cold. But his voice sounded serious, lacking the energy it once held before entering the caverns. He felt slightly pleased by this, however, the boy was freezing, though he was a very actor and did not show it. And he could only imagine the freezing temperatures that the knight would feel, being within a metal suit and all.

"Y—y—y—yes! L—l—let us go forward!" Vincent secretly chuckled inwardly as Steiner did his best to continue moving, vibrating like a PHS along the way. He suddenly felt so glad to have a cloak with him, and his clothes were meant for the harsh winds that seemed to increase with each upward step. Princess Garnet and Vivi seemed alright, as both of them wore clothing warm enough to protect them.

------

Ring . . .

-----

"It's—It's so cold . . . I can't see . . ." Vivi began walking further away from the group, the strange hallway-like structure around them felt eerie. The cold winds seemed to become stronger with each step. Vincent couldn't help but tighten the grip around his cloak. But then he heard the sound of something heavy dropping.

"Vivi!" Zidane had seen it. Vivi had fallen over a ledge. Steiner now began walking over to where Vivi had fallen, or rather, tried to. He was as stiff as a board, teetering over towards Vivi's location.

-----

Ring . . .

-----

"Master Vivi! A-a-a-are you alright?" Vincent followed, but suddenly, he saw Steiner slip, and he fell, this time, the ground shook from his weight. He almost slipped from that surprising resonance.

"Yo! Rusty! You okay!" Zidane came over, and peered over. He jumped down and went to check the two.

-----

Ring . . .

-----

Vincent heard something, strange. It sounded faint, and slightly, comforting.

-----

Ring . . .

-----

Vincent felt his body losing its strengths, the cool air suddenly became . . . warm to him.

-----

Ring . . .

-----

His eyes, they felt droopy.

'NO!' Vincent widened his eyes, only wavering the feelings that were invading his thoughts. The sound, the strange sound was still draining him of his consciousness.

-----

Ring . . .

-----

"Garnet!" He heard Zidane. He looked over and saw him, who was barely moving. Instead of running to the Princess, who was now laying on the soft snow, he was creeping towards her, as if his movements had been restricted. He could only guess that the cold was finally getting to him.

Vincent stumbled, but supported his weight against the icy wall. The golden claw that was his left hand dug into the solid ice. It was the only thing keeping him from falling.

-----

Ring . . .

-----

"Aw crap . . ." He turned and saw Zidane, who also fell into the snow. He then noticed something.

-----

Ring . . .

-----

That ring. That sound. Every time he heard it, someone had fallen. And now . . .

-----

Ring . . .

-----

He was the only one.

The strength in his legs began to give away, and he felt his body slide down the wall support. His eyes could no longer fight the sleepiness that was impending. His body began to become numb.

Maybe . . . just maybe . . .

'GET UP! GET UP VINCENT!' Vincent's body suddenly shot up, energy restored. He blinked his eyes. He was awake. He looked around, the others were still asleep.

'Chaos?'

'Yes. The one and only, of course it's me!' It had been awhile since he had heard Chaos' sarcasm. However, he didn't feel like rolling his eyes today. 'You've almost fallen under that strange spell. Someone's trying to freeze you and your little comrades to death.'

'Well . . . doesn't seem like a pleasant way to die.'

'I can only imagine. But that's not the case. Unless you want these kids to become humansicles, or whatever they are, then you better take out the source. And I mean, take it out.' The strange emphasis, it seemed Chaos was serious.

'It looks like I need to use the heavy artillery.' Vincent sighed as he pulled up his gun. He flipped the gun, the materia holders now open, and the barrel was revealed. With the claw hand, he brought up the box of ammunition. He took out the cases from the box, and opened slammed a case into the hold of the gun. Cocking the gun, a familiar resounding CLICK echoed in the hallway.

-

-

He began walking towards the source of the winds, his gun at hand.

-

-

A gunslinger he was once more.

-

-

A/N: Dude and dudettes, I am SO sorry about this. I can't write anymore at the moment, as I have a giant test to go up for. My friend Reiko's one a trimester system, whereas I'm on a quarterly system. So I'm writing this at a minimum basis, and I hope to install my newest update in a few days (or weeks). But sorry about the cliffhanger, I just hope the next chapter will have enough excitement for you all.

But don't worry, I'm not dead, nor is Reiko. She's coming up with a new Naruto story, while I'm trying to create our Duo Self Insertion.

So I bid you adieu, and I hope you may continue to read good stories (clueing in on Nataku's Wrath The Gunslinger story, it's awesome, seriously holds Vincent's badass attitude!).

Sincerely,

Kuro.

PLEASE REVIEW. I WISH TO HAVE THE COMMENTS, OPINIONS AND TIPS REGARDING TO THE STRUCTURE OF MY WRITING. I AM STILL LEARNING THE BASICS.

THANK YOU.