I'm very very very very very very sorry for the long wait! Finally, after TWO MONTHS of exams … And that's only my bloody TRIALS … PLUS I had writer's block … lol.
And now ... I give you ... the Nibelheim CHAPTER! WOOOT!
Note : I shall refer to Nanaki as Nanaki from now on.
This chapter was done using the FINDING VINCENT GUIDE of ffguides. think I need a beta reader. Unfortunately I don't really know how it all works. Like, how, where, what ... Someone care to enlighten me?
Lost and Found : Chapter 16
"Vinnie, don't be silly. The deliveryman isn't even here yet, how are you going to cook?" came Ellie's voice from the living room, creeping into the kitchen where Vincent currently stood, preparing to cook.
Vincent halted in his steps, before groaning inwardly. Attempted escape : failed. He walked back to the living room, keeping his face emotionless. Of course he should have known better. He resolved never to let the game get past his emotional barriers. He turned back to the matter at hand ... lunch.
"Then what would you have for lunch?"
"Order some Chinese takeaway, it's been a long time since I've had that," replied Ellie absently, as she watched the screen. Vincent glanced at the screen; AVALANCHE was gathered around the Cosmo Candle. He decided he wouldn't mind if he missed that part a little bit. Then his mind registered what Ellie had said to him.
"Chinese ... takeaway?" said Vincent uncertainly. Ellie paused, then turned to look at him.
"You don't know what that is..?" said Ellie incredulously. "Like, you know, noodles, rice ..."
"Oh, I do. I'm sorry. I did not know it was called Chinese food. What number do I call?" Wutainese (1) ... Chinese? thought Vincent.
"Okay, never mind, I'll do it," said Ellie, getting up from her seat. Vincent opened his mouth to insist that he should call, but Ellie waved him away and ordered the food herself.
"Done," said Ellie brightly. "Now let's get back to the game!"
Cloud and his party had been ready to leave Cosmo Canyon, without Nanaki of course, now that he had returned home, but he insisted on following them, saying that he "grew up a little", Ellie told Vincent as she directed Cloud's party out of Cosmo Canyon. Vincent nodded and settled back comfortably into the couch, watching Ellie get into numerous fights with monsters, as she headed up north toward the river. North toward the river ... What?! Vincent jumped up off the couch, startling Ellie and Fluffy.
"I ... feel sick. Carry on without me, I need to use the bathroom," said Vincent hurriedly, while walking quickly to the toilet. Ellie blinked, shook her head and continued on with her game.
Vincent locked himself inside the bathroom, closed his eyes and began to think. Nibelheim ... she's going to Nibelheim now. What am I going to do? Valentine, calm down ... I am not prepared for this. How will she react? How should I react? Valentine, what ...? What if she becomes a crazy fangirl? What am I going to do? VINCENT!! Shut the fuck up and think straight!
Vincent took a deep breath, gathered his emotions and marched out.
"Are you okay, Vinnie?" said Ellie, turning to look at him. "You do look a little pale, though it's hard to tell because you're so fair."
"I am fine, I just had a stomachache," lied Vincent, seating himself on the couch. "What are you doing now?"
"I'm in a town called Nibelheim," replied Ellie, and Vincent felt his stomach lurch. "But it's weird, because it burned down years ago, remember? During Cloud's flashback in ... what was that town's name, Kalm, was it ... Sephiroth burned it down but I've asked around and nobody seems to recall it being burnt down. And there are loads of these black caped men, but they've given me loads of items."
"Hmm... so where are you now?"
"I'm in this... ShinRa Mansion. I went in that room and found a safe, but I couldn't unlock it, and then I came in here and there's this note by a Professor Hojo ..." Vincent winced and groaned and cursed mentally, all at one go, "... and I think these clues are for the numbers to that safe, because I sort of accidentally found one clue, which was an empty spot below the three clues, and it said Dial (4) : Right 97."
"So all you need to do is find the other three clues," said Vincent. He did not know Hojo had set this up. Why did he not just throw the key away or something? Did he want me to be found? I cannot be of much help to Ellie now ...
"Yeah. I know you're smart, Vinnie, so you'll have to help me, because I'm not leaving until I get whatever's in the safe," said Ellie cheerfully. "Clue number 1! It says, the lid of the box with the most oxygen."
Vincent pondered over the clue. "The most oxygen ... that would mean plants, because plants give off oxygen," said Vincent finally. "Are these two the only rooms you've been to?" asked Vincent.
"Yes, I've not been to every room yet."
"You will need to find a box located near plants. I am guessing that this number is written somewhere on the box."
Ellie navigated her way through the mansion, getting into more battles and fights. Ellie was tired of it, and finally resorted to running away after what seemed like the twentieth battle she had gotten into. Vincent's memory of the mansion was far better than the graphics in the game, and it was coming back to him now.
"I think ... the room on the second floor would be my closest guess," said Vincent. Sure enough, there was a box there, and after examining it twice, Ellie found another number.
"Quick, write it down somewhere! Or memorize it, if you can! Dial (1) : Right 36." Vincent need only read it once to memorize it, and gestured for her to open the second clue.
"It says, behind the Ivory's short of tea and ray. What the hell? What kind of clue is that?"
A tiny smile played across Vincent's lips. This was fairly simple, he thought. Sure, if everyone had your IQ, muttered Chaos darkly from inside his head. Vincent blinked. Was that ... a compliment, monster? I compliment you and you call me a monster. Fuck you.
"Ellie. Piano keys are made out of ivory. It's referring to the back of the piano we saw on the first floor."
"You actually REMEMBER the piano?" said Ellie in awe. Obviously she didn't remember. Vincent coughed a bit, his throat dry. He remembered the real piano in the ShinRa Mansion, not the one in the game.
"Yes," said Vincent, trying (and failing) not to sound smug. Ellie pouted.
"Right ... It says here, Dial (2) : Left 10. Since you're so smart, you memorize it," said Ellie playfully. A ghost of a smile on his face, he nodded, commiting the second number to memory. Ellie opened the third clue, and read it out loud.
"The creek in the floor near the chair on the second floor... Then to the left five steps, up nine steps, left two steps, up six steps. Oh, my, God, how are we gonna find that?" exclaimed the girl incredulously. Vincent decided he'd better copy the clue down on a piece of paper. No need for Ellie to poke fun at him, when there was already a demon in his head doing so, shouting random numbers at the top of his voice (which, for a demon, was very loud), to distract Vincent and make him forget the first two clues. Quickly, he scribbled it down and smirked.
"Second floor," said Vincent, peering at the paper and then the screen. "It would be a bit difficult because there is more than one chair ..." he added, trailing off as Ellie groaned.
"Right, second floor .. but what did it mean by the creek? I don't see a river ... is there another meaning for creek?" Ellie began pressing the X button around each chair she saw. Then she moved on to the other rooms. Suddenly, by a dark red chair next to the bed, Cloud bent down and there was a sound like a squeak.
The ex-Turk meanwhile had kept quiet, mouthing the word silently to himself. Creek, creek ... perhaps a misspelling? Creak? Hmm .. Oh.
"It's this chair, Ellie. The game misspelled 'creek' on purpose. It actually means 'creak, c-r-e-a-k'."
"Right ... read out the steps for me."
"...Left five steps, up nine steps."
"...Done."
"...Then left two steps, up six steps."
"...Done. No clue."
"It should be around there. I doubt anyone can get it right on the first try."
There was silence, except for Ellie's continuous pressing of the buttons on the controller, searching every inch of the floor. Finally, she found it.
"It says, Dial (3) : Right 59," said Ellie, while Vincent jotted it down. He then asked Ellie for the fourth clue again, and then wrote it down neatly in order. Ellie directed Cloud to the safe, on the second floor.
"Be careful. Make sure you are properly equipped and fully healed. Have you saved your game?"
"Yeah, at the inn," she replied. On screen, a countdown showed 20 seconds and ticking, and a dial.
"Quick, Vinnie!!!" said Ellie, frantic. Flustered, Vincent fumbled with the paper, ignoring Chaos's laughter. He read out the numbers and directions to Ellie, but she didn't have enough time. Fortunately, nothing bad happened.
"Let's try again. Ready? Okay ... start!"
Again and again they tried, and even though they were just in time, their combination failed. Vincent thought hard, trying to recall if there was anything specific that must be done in order to open the safe. Then he noticed the safe and its type, and suddenly remembered. He had broken into a safe like this before, during his time with the Turks ...
"Ellie. You must not overshoot a number. If you do, the combination will fail."
"Huh? Overshoot a number?"
"Yes. If, for example, the first clue, you overshoot to 38 or 39, and then you move it back to the correct number, 36, your combination will fail. You must take care not to do so."
"Really? Wow, that's hard..."
Finally, she did it, with barely a second to spare ... and everything on the screen blended together, signalling the start of a battle. And knowing Hojo, a long, hard, battle. Ellie cursed and Vincent scolded. Her party consisted of Cloud, Yuffie and Aeris. Quickly, she directed Cloud to attack, and then the monster released Bolt2 on all of them, effectively boosting their Limit parameters, but not yet full. She made Aeris heal, and then Yuffie summon Choco/Mog, casting Stop on the enemy then quickly hacked away at it, with physical attacks from Cloud, summons from Yuffie and magic from Aeris. The monster regained its normal status, and split into another form, taking on a different appearance. It attacked with Bio2, causing poison to the three fighters.
Cloud's limit bar was flashing, quickly Ellie unleashed Cross-Slash on the enemy. Paralysed, the monster did not move, and again Ellie resumed damaging it as much as possible before it recovered. After a final attack by Shiva, the battle was over, her fighters severely hurt.
And now is the moment of truth, thought Vincent, feeling as though his stomach was doing belly flops, as Ellie picked up the Odin materia and the Basement Key inside the safe.
"Basement key? Oh, that room, right? The room beside the library ... now let's see, the entrance was over there..." said Ellie cheerfully. Vincent's throat was dry, and inside he was panicking. After watching Ellie in a few more battles with some bats, finally she arrived at the room. Vincent's room. Chaos was snickering, enjoying the show.
Ellie directed Cloud to enter the room. It looked relatively old, and there were a few coffins reminding Ellie of vampires. She went up to the one in the center and opened it. Out jumped a man, startling Ellie, and also Cloud. A man who wore very familiar clothing. A man who looked ...
She turned to Vincent, who did not look back, but questioned innocently, "What's wrong, Ellie?" She shook her head and turned back to the game.
Strange Man: Who is it!? ...Never seen you before. You must leave.
Cloud: You were having a nightmare.
Yuffie: I woke ya up. You outta be thankin' me.
Strange Man: Hmph... a nightmare...? My long sleep has given me time to atone.
Cloud: What are you saying?
Strange Man: I have nothing to say to strangers. Get out. This mansion is the beginning of your nightmare.
Cloud: ...You can say that again.
Strange Man: Hmm? What do you know?
Cloud: Talk about Sephiroth. Like you said, this mansion is the beginning of a nightmare. No, it's not a dream, it's for real. Sephiroth has lost his mind. He found the secrets hidden in this mansion...
Strange Man: Sephiroth!? You know Sephiroth? You start first.
Cloud starts talking about Sephiroth. After doing that.
Cloud: ...That's how it was.
Strange Man: So Sephiroth knows he was created five years ago? And about the Jenova Project? ...He was missing, but has just recently reappeared. He has taken many lives and is seeking the Promised Land.
Cloud: Now it's your turn.
Strange Man: Sorry... I cannot speak.
Yuffie: Hey! You lyin' white-faced...!
Strange Man: Hearing your stories has added upon me yet another sin. More nightmares shall come to me now, more than I previously had. Now... please leave.
Ellie resumed control of Cloud. She did not notice Vincent behind her, gripping the armrest of the couch, afraid of what would happen next.
"You know, Vincent, this guy really looks like you. Or you really look like him..." said Ellie, trailing off as she squinted at the screen. She directed Cloud to disturb the strange man again.
Strange Man: ...You're still here.
Vincent chose not to reply to Ellie's comment.
Cloud: Who are you? At least tell us your name.
"He ... He even has a claw too ... just like you..." said Ellie, noticing the claw on the screen, her disbelief rising at each word she said.
"I was with... the Shinra Manufacturing Department in Administrative Research, otherwise known as-- the Turks... Vincent," said Vincent, half choking, amazed that he actually remembered what he said on that fateful day, and how correct the game proved to be again. The words then came out on screen. Ellie stared back and forth at the Vincent on screen and the Vincent in her house, right behind her, for several seconds, before fainting abruptly, Vincent catching her in shock.
How was that? OMG OMG OMG OMG I hope it's okay. I decided on Ellie fainting rather than Ellie screaming and glomping Vincent. Lol.
(1) - Wutainese or Wutaian? LOL
(2) - I believe the battle with Lost Number was waaaaaay harder, but I can't write battle scenes really well.