Lost and Found Chapter 14
Ellie had just sat down and was about to switch the Playstation on when she heard the front gate creak open. She peeked out through the window and saw Vincent locking the gate,and trying to dodge Rex at the same time. Vincent was covered in snow (and a little bit of dog drool) and he appeared to be carrying a bundle of clothes. Where did he get those from? thought Ellie in wonder, eyeing the black clothes in his arm. Vincent quickly excused himself to put away the clothes. When he came back down after a fresh change of clothes, Ellie had already started playing.
"Where did you get those clothes from, Vinnie?" asked Ellie, while navigating this weird vehicle called a buggy. Vincent thought desperately for an excuse.
"I ... went shopping," lied Vincent uneasily.
"Why didn't you say so? I could have asked you to buy some more food stuff ... we really have nothing else to eat in the kitchen," said Ellie.
"We can go tomorrow. Or you could live off pizza."
"So what are you supposed to be doing now?" asked Vincent, settling down comfortable on the sofa.
"I'm supposed to go to this place called Gongaga. The guy said south of the river, so I'm still getting there... Man, even in a buggy I have to fight monsters ..."
Finally, after quite a lot of battles and after crossing the river, Ellie spotted a building surrounded by trees, and it looked old and ruined. Gongaga ... thought Vincent. A failed reactor. The people who live there... Vincent pushed his thoughts away and concentrated on the scene. A redhead ...? Reno ... and Rude.
Cloud: (to himself) …Is someone there?
Reno: Hey, Rude. Who do you like? What are you getting so embarrassed about? Come on? Who do you like?
Rude: ………Tifa.
Reno: Hmmmm... That's a tough one. But, poor Elena. She... you...
Rude: No, she likes Tseng.
Reno: I never knew that! But Tseng likes that Ancient...
Cloud: What are they talking about?
Elena: It's so stupid! They always talk about who they like or don't like. But Tseng is different. Ah! Oh no! They're here! They're really here!
Reno: Hmm... Then it's time... Rude... Don't go easy on them even though they're girls.
Rude: ...Don't worry, I'll do my job.
Elena: Then, we're counting on you. I'll report to Tseng!
Reno: (to Cloud) It's been a while. Payback time for what you did in Sector 7.
Cloud: Out of our way.
Reno: I don't like being taken for a fool.
As the battle began, Vincent's thoughts began to jumble up as he processed the information he had read on the screen. Rude likes Tifa? What? Rude likes Tifa...? Rude likes Tifa. ... Elena likes Tseng. That one was pretty obvious. Hmm ... Tseng likes that Ancient ... Tseng likes ... Aeris! And ... Aeris likes Cloud. Did she ...? Didn't she ...? And Cloud likes ... Aeris? Or was it Tifa? Or will it always be Aeris? And Tifa likes Cloud... What about you, Valentine? boomed Chaos's voice, snickering. Who do YOU like? Was it Yuffie...? Vincent shuddered and pushed Chaos out of his mind, together with the mental picture of him and Yuffie. As Yuffie would have put it, "GROSSNESS!"
On screen, Ellie's party consisted of Cloud, Tifa and Barret. Reno was hitting them with Lightning spells, throwing Bolt Plumes and other items at them. Rude seemed to be hitting everyone except Tifa. Vincent smirked as Ellie directed Tifa to attack him.
"Haha! Sucks to have the hots for her, too bad she's gonna be kicking your ass!" said Ellie, laughing. Vincent couldn't help feeling sorry for Rude, and after awhile they were both beaten and Cloud's party in good condition. After Reno and Rude ran away, the screen changed to where Cloud was standing at a fork in the road. Ellie decided to move up, and soon Cloud's party came to a ruined reactor. A ShinRa helicopter suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and Cloud's group hid. A woman clad in red who Vincent recognised as Scarlet stepped out.
Scarlet: ...Hmph! This isn't any good either. You only get junky materia from junky reactors. This reactor's a failure. What I'm looking for is big, large, huge materia. You seen any?
Tseng: ...No I haven't seen it. I'll get on it right away.
Scarlet: With Hojo gone, the Weapon Development's been getting a bigger budget.
Tseng: I envy them.
Scarlet: But, even if we make the perfect weapon, could that stupid Heidegger even use it?
Tseng: ...
Scarlet: Oh... sorry! I forgot Heidegger was your boss! Ha ha ha!
Tseng: ...
Scarlet: Let's go!
Cloud: (to himself) Big, large, huge materia? An ultimate weapon? The perfect weapon? Just what are the Shinra up to...?
With Hojo gone? Where did Hojo go? thought Vincent, trying hard to think back. Then he remembered that he wasn't part of AVALANCHE yet. Ellie directed Cloud into the reactor after Scarelt left, and she managed to obtain a Titan materia. Vincent explained to Ellie that Titan was another summon materia, just like Shiva and Ifrit. Ellie directed Cloud back to the other side of the fork and she got a Deathblow materia. Vincent explained again, that this materia was a command that enables critical damage but sometimes doesn't work. She continued on, and soon she came to Gongaga Village. She decided to go in all the houses, and started with the one on the lower right. It was a small, cozy house, with an old man and woman inside it. Ellie directed Cloud to talk to them.
Man : That ... SOLDIER uniform. Boy, are you in SOLDIER?
Cloud : I used to be. I'm an Ex-SOLDIER, First Class.
Woman : Then do you know my son ...? My son, Zack ... he was in SOLDIER too, First Class.
The screen flashed. Cloud shook his head.
Cloud : No, I'm sorry ... I don't know anyone by the name of Zack.
Woman : Oh, my son ... I've not heard of him in five years ... if you have any news of him, please tell us... (A/N: This wasn;t in the game script, so I made it up with what little I can remember. It was something like this. Sorry.)
Ellie directed Cloud out of the house and into the other buildings, which were shops and other stuff. She did a good deal of shopping until Vincent decided to stop her, and she directed Cloud's party out of Gongaga. Vincent showed her how to use the Manipulate materia and Enemy Skill materia together as a bonus, and they spent a great deal on the beaches trying to Manipulate Beach Plugs for the Enemy Skill Big Guard.
"There, I've got it! So ... where to go now ..." said Ellie thoughtfully, glancing at the clock after saving her game. It was going to be ten soon.
"I don't think it was mentioned."
"Then how am I supposed to know where to go? I'm supposed to be chasing Sephiroth ..."
"Try looking at the World Map ..."
The closest place to Gongaga was Cosmo Canyon, but surely Sephiroth wouldn't go there ... thought Vincent. He pointed it out to Ellie anyway, and she tried to find the route to that place. Eventually, after finding a shallow spot in the river to cross, she spotted the town. But Vincent declared bedtime, and so she saved her game, grumbling all the way back up the stairs, carrying a sleeping Fluffy with her.
"Ellie, before you go ... where is the computer?"
"Oh... two rooms beside yours. Goodnight Vinnie," said Ellie, closing her room door. Vincent entered the room; switching the light on. It looked like a study room, rather small and cramped because of the shelves of books, and the desk and computer. He switched it on, silently wondering what he should do with it. Maybe I can find some information ... A small window popped out at the bottom of the screen, which said "Connected to Internet". Vincent stared silently. I do know how to use a computer, but this is really too different ...
After clicking on some stuff which Vincent had no use for, he opened something called an Internet Explorer and a window popped out. The word GOOGLE popped out, and below it a search bar. Unsure, Vincent typed in the words "Final Fantasy VII" and clicked on Search. A list of links and description of the links containing the word Final Fantasy VII came out, and Vincent clicked on the topmost one ... which led him to The game synopsis appeared and he skimmed through it quickly, glancing at the pictures of Cloud, Aeris and Barret beside it. He couldn't see himself anywhere. Then he found the link to Characters. He clicked on it ... and saw his name and a drawing of him, right at the bottom after Yuffie. What the ... am I smiling? Why am I depicted as smiling? Or maybe it's just my mouth. Leaning nearer to the screen, he clicked on his profile and began to read.
Vincent Valentine
Age : 27
Birthdate : October 13
Weapon : Gun
Vincent, once having a secret past with Shinra, joins Cloud in an effort to resolve the torture in his soul and the horror Shinra inflicted upon him. Although he is quiet and frail, a dark and frightening power hides within. Although it seems Vincent was merely a subject for experimentation, his existence is an even deeper secret. /
I'm NOT 27, thought Vincent. Oh, look, they mention me too, "the dark and frightening power ..."
Vincent closed the screen and opened a new one. This time he entered his name into the seach bar. The topmost link that came out read "Abandoned Hope (vincent valentine of final fantasy vii". Intrigued, he clicked on it ... and the screen came out with words he knew he had said to Cloud before. I was with ... ShinRa Manufacturing in Administrative Research ... also known as - The Turks. Vincent cringed when he read it. He clicked again, and this time in a blue box, he read the welcome note.
"You have stumbled upon Abandoned Hope, a fansite dedicated to Vincent Valentine."
Vincent read it again and again. Fansite? What does that mean? Does that mean I'm famous ...? I AM in a game ... a famous game too. Technically, I do not exist ... so how am I to go shopping with Ellie tomorrow?
Poor Vincent! He'll get mauled by thousands, millions of fangirls (and boys)! Btw, that website is really interesting. I hope I don't get sued though.