Chapter 3
I trudged behind Vincent as we left town. It was obvious that he liked to leave in a hurry. We were going to hike to the top of Mt. Nibel in one day and hike down the other side the next. Right before we left, Vincent and I went to buy food, ammo, a gun for me (even though I didn't know how to use one), and a change of clothes for me.
The clothes we bought consisted of a light brown short-sleeved shirt, short shorts of the same color with a belt that had a holster for my gun and a small sheath for the knife we had bought soon after the belt. I had brown boots and gloves that Vincent said I'd need. I had put my hair in one braid down to the small of my back and looked at myself in a mirror.
"I feel like the Tomb Raider," was what I'd said when I first saw myself. "If these clothes hadn't been the only ones that fit me, I would never have bought them."
"Tomb Raider?" Vincent had asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Nevermind."
After that conversation, I bought a brown backpack to keep all our supplies in.
"Vincent?" I spoke, breaking the silence as we started up the mountain pass.
"Yes?" He responded without turning to look at me.
I stared at the back of his head, feeling sheepish. "Where are we going?" I asked.
He glanced at me over his shoulder. "I've told you already. We're going up Mount Nibel."
"I know that. But I mean, what city?" I asked.
"Rocket Town, but we won't be staying there for long," Vincent said.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because Sephiroth might still be after you."
I shuddered. We walked in silence for a while after that.
As we walked, I realized that I wasn't being my usually klutzy self. I had been walking around for so long without even stumbling. But just when I thought I was doing so well, I tripped. I put my hands out just in time to catch myself on the rocks. As I stood, I looked at my hands, suddenly grateful for the gloves I was wearing.
"Careful," Vincent said. He had seen me fall.
I scowled at myself, whishing I could properly control my limbs for once in my life. I sighed, knowing that would never happen.
I tried being careful on the hike, but ended up falling behind Vincent. I readjusted the strap on my bag and looked at the path, determined. I dashed after Vincent, praying in my head that I wouldn't fall down. When I didn't, I smiled.
Then, without warning, my foot caught on a rock. I gasped in shock as I fell down. Vincent half turned to look at me. I sat up, but my left ankle exploded with pain when I tried to stand.
"Are you all right?" Vincent asked, walking toward me and kneeling in front of me.
I looked away, trying to hide my red face, and gestured toward my left foot. "My ankle…" I said, ashamed of myself.
"Let me see." He moved closer to my foot.
He looked at it and touched it a few times with his right hand. I flinched when his cold fingers pressed a tender area. Vincent continued to inspect my ankle before he sighed again.
"It's sprained," he said.
My face flushed, making it even more red than it was before. "I'm sorry."
We sat in silence before Vincent stood. "Can you walk?" he asked.
"I-I think so, if I can stand."
Vincent reached his right hand out for mine and helped me get up when I took it.
"Thank you," I said, then started to limp up the mountain.
When we reached the top, the sun was receding, and stars starting showing up in the night sky. While Vincent gathered wood, I curled up, hugging myself to keep warm.
Vincent dropped the pile he had collected and lit it, making a good-sized fire. I stretched my hands out, palms forward, to absorb the warmth. I shivered and grabbed a blanket from my bag to wrap around myself. I rubbed my arms with my hands to create friction. I soon warmed up.
I tried to go to sleep after that, but I couldn't. I didn't know what kept me up. My guess was fear and anxiety. I stood and walked around the campsite, limping from the pain in my ankle. I stopped near the edge of a cliff, staring down at the world below. I had the sudden urge to cry, but I held back the tears.
How had I gotten here? No answer I came up with really made sense. I didn't know what to do and I didn't know how to get back…or if I wanted to get back. Throughout my whole life, Mom had treated me like dirt. Why should I have to go back to that life? Then I thought about Sephiroth. Which life did I want to be a part of?
My thoughts were interrupted by Vincent's voice. "You're still up?"
I looked at the ground, embarrassed that he had caught me acting like a dork. "Yes," I said.
"You need your rest. I'm not planning on carrying you down the mountain."
An animal howled in the distance, drawing my attention back to the landscape far below. I could feel Vincent's eyes boring into the back of my head, scolding me. Not wanting to anger him, I limped back to the fire and lay down again, but my eyes refused to close longer than to blink, no matter what I tried.
"You're still awake, aren't you?"
I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes as I answered. "Yeah."
Vincent sat up and rummaged through his pack, then stood and walked over to me holding a teal orb the size of the average bouncy ball. He knelt down next to me as he had while diagnosing my foot.
"Sit up," he ordered.
I did as I was told. "What is that?"
"It's a sleeping materia. It'll help."
I shook my head, not really wanting Vincent to cast any spells on me. For some reason, the idea scared me. "No, thanks, I'll stay up."
"No, you won't." Impatient and tired, Vincent took the materia in his left hand and gently touched the orb to the skin on his right arm. The materia was absorbed into his arm, and before I realized what he was doing, he cast a sleep spell that hit me with full force. I fell backward, already asleep, but Vincent caught me before I hit the ground and lowered me down to my makeshift bed.
"Wake up. We have to go," Vincent said.
I sat up and stretched. "Already?"
"Yes."
I rubbed my eyes. Morning always came too soon. I grabbed my backpack and stood, picking my blanket up off the ground. I stuffed the blanket into the bag and followed Vincent past the already-doused fire. Besides having to limp and the occasional stumble, I was fine on the way down. I guess the sleep had done me some good. With a relentless pace and no rest, we reached the bottom by noon. From there, the ground leveled out and led us on a path through a forest.
My legs had started hurting halfway down the mountain, but now they were practically screaming in pain. Just as I thought I would collapse, Vincent turned off the path. I followed him, and we came to a clearing where we could stop to rest. I sat down and leaned against the nearest tree, wiping my sweaty forehead with the back of my hand.
I looked at Vincent once I got comfortable, watching him take out his gun and aim it at the gigantic trunk of a dead tree. I didn't have time to cover my ears before he fired, and the noise felt like an explosion in my brain. I winced at the ringing the shot created in my ears, but the noise was okay after that. I soon learned to enjoy the sound of gunshots. I watched as a gaping hole in the tree started to form.
When Vincent stopped to reload, he looked back at me. He motioned for me to come to him, so I got up and came to stand by his side. "What is it?" I asked.
"I'm going to teach you how to shoot," Vincent said. "You never know when a monster will creep up on you, and you'll be forced to attack."
I nodded and reached for my pistol, but he shook his head and told me to put it away.
"Why?" I asked.
"It isn't loaded," Vincent said.
"Then why'd you give it to me?"
"Intimidation. Put it away. You're going to learn to shoot with this." He held out his gun for me to take.
I put my pistol away and took Vincent's gun, in awe at the fact that he could hold it with one hand for how heavy it was. Vincent told me to plant my feet shoulder-width apart from each other and to aim carefully. I held the weapon up with both hands as he moved out of the way and fired. The force threw me back at least five feet, and I slammed into the tree I had been leaning against, the gun still in my hand.
Vincent laughed, surprising me more than any other reaction could have done. The laugh sounded dry because he probably hadn't used in a long time, but that didn't keep the sound from being infectious, and I nearly chuckled myself. It had been so long since I'd heard someone laugh, and now everything seemed like it could turn out all right. Well, that's what it would have seemed like if my head hadn't been surrounded by stars at the time. He came to help me up, and there was a smile on his face. It was the first smile I'd seen him wear, terrible graphics or otherwise. He walked with me back to the center of the clearing where we'd been before.
Vincent's smile vanished as he gave me new directions. "I'm going to help you this time." At this, Vincent came and stood behind me. "Brace yourself against me."
I held the gun up like before, planted my feet again, and braced myself against Vincent's chest. I blushed at the uncomfortable contact, but I lowered my head so he couldn't see it. I looked up when I felt his right hand cover mine. He tightened his grip on my hand so I could have a better grip on the gun.
"Is something wrong?" Vincent must have seen my blush. He let me go, and I turned to face him.
I shook my head in answer to his question. "No." I wasn't sure about whether or not that was the truth. All I knew was that it was embarrassing, being that close to him when I had just met him a few days before. It didn't help that he was a videogame character I never thought could exist.
"Then let's try this again." We took our positions, but I did my best to ignore the shy feeling making my heart beat faster and tucked myself farther into Vincent's chest. If the gun was fired while I wasn't secure, I wouldn't be the only one that got hurt. Vincent once again placed his hand over mine. I focused on holding the gun myself, and I was glad when I didn't blush. "You won't be using your other hand. It can be there to catch you if you fall."
I hesitated before letting my left hand drop, half expecting the gun to fall out of our hands, but Vincent held it in place. I shut my eyes and turned my face away as I felt Vincent's finger pressing mine against the trigger.
BANG!
I breathed in through clenched teeth as I heard the shot and opened my eyes. It was over. I looked up at Vincent's face, now blank as it had been before he'd laughed. I was surprised when I found I was undamaged, save for a mild pain in my shoulder. I smiled, proud of myself. I looked at the tree Vincent had made into a target and admired the damage I'd done.
Vincent's hand released mine, and I gave him the gun. "Thank you, Vincent."
That night I was happy to lie down on a real bed at an inn near the edge of Rocket Town. As comfortable as the bed was, though, I couldn't sleep. I looked around and spotted Vincent sitting on the windowsill. My guess for that was he always did that when he stayed at an inn. Part of me didn't think he slept at all. Or maybe he was just making sure I wasn't taken in my sleep. Was I depriving him of his rest?
"Vincent?" I said, feeling guilty without even knowing if the whole "not sleeping" thing was my fault.
In response, Vincent looked at me.
"Don't you ever sleep?"
Vincent looked back out the window without answering my question. Afraid that I'd offended him, I tried to change the subject.
"Uh, you, um, haven't told me anything about how you got into that coffin…." I trailed off, noticing the dark expression that came over his face as the mentioning of his past. Okay, that only made things worse. Note to self, do NOT ask about his past. "Uh, never mind. Forget I said anything. I didn't really think talking about your past would upset you, although I should have known, considering you ended up in a coffin. I guess I just asked because you must have such an interesting history. Let's just pretend I never said anything about-"
At that moment, I heard the sound of crashing glass coming from the lobby, interrupting my nervous monologue. I jumped and looked at Vincent with fear in my eyes.
Vincent stood and walked toward the door. "Stay here," he said before leaving the room.
I curled up into a ball, pressing my face to my knees. I was starting to wish I had my demon mother back. I was startled by the sound of more glass breaking, this time in the same room. When I looked up, I saw Sephiroth bursting through the window.
"Vincent!" I screamed and stood, running for the door. Sephiroth grabbed me before I got there. I screamed in rebellion as he pulled me away from the doorway. As an impulse, I turned and punched the villain in the face. The force of my hit didn't seem to do much damage, but he was in shock just long enough for me to wrench my arm away and start running down the hall. Being the clumsy person I was, though, I tripped over my feet and sprawled onto a rug in the middle of the hallway. The rug slid forward, and my head connected with the wall. My vision got blurry for a few seconds, but most of me was just glad that I hadn't been knocked out. I stood, too fast, and my head started to spin, so I leaned against the wall, hoping I would have enough time to recover. But, of course, I didn't. A second later, Sephiroth entered the hallway and ran toward me with his hand on his sheathed massamune.
I pushed against the wall and ran forward again. It just so happens that then, because of my horrendous luck, my wounded ankle started to hurt. It made me trip up and sent me sprawling onto the floor again. I was so close to the stairs, but I didn't have time to get up and run. Instead, I sat up and backed away from the villain until my shoulders met wooden stair rails.
Sephiroth was getting too close for comfort. I closed my eyes and willed myself out of this nightmare. I wanted to go home, or at least disappear for a long time from this world I had been sucked into. I heard him getting closer, and I pushed myself harder against the railing, wishing everything would just go away.
At that moment, the railing behind me broke and I was sent flying through the air toward the lobby floor, screaming as I went. Just when I thought I would disappear for good, I felt two strong arms catch me and set me on the ground. I opened my eyes and nearly smacked myself in the forehead, I was so embarrassed. There was the hero of this outfit, and I was being my usual useless self. There was no way to prove I could be on my own after this.
"Stay put," Vincent said, pushing me unceremoniously against the wall behind me and heading up the stairs where Sephiroth was still standing, probably to see whether or not I would die from the fall.
When he spotted Vincent, he dived over the railings where I had broken through and landed on his feet on the floor. Before he could make another move, though, Vincent Threw himself off the stairs at Sephiroth, both arms outstretched.
Everything seemed to go into slow-motion as I found myself staring at Vincent's left arm. It was made of pure golden metal; the fingers pointed enough to stab into someone's heart. The sight of it was almost beautiful. I felt as if I had never seen it before, at least not as a whole, like this. Once I was done staring, things sped up to a normal speed, and Vincent crashed into Sephiroth, forcing him to the ground.
They wrestled for a while, and Sephiroth threw Vincent in my direction. I backed against the wall and Vincent barely missed crushing my feet. I noticed he wasn't getting up, so I went and shook him. He was out cold.
As Sephiroth stood and started walking toward me, I tried to think of a way out of this mess. If he killed Vincent, I'd have no protection. If I died, which was almost guaranteed at this point, would I end up at home? Would I just cease to exist? I didn't want to find out.
Not knowing exactly what I was doing, I reached for the gun in Vincent's right hand and pulled it free. I didn't have time to stand and plant my feet, so I braced myself against the wall, aimed, and shot.
The bullet hit my target in the right shoulder; not exactly the heart, where I would have liked to hit, but I was getting better with the gun I was holding, and that was for sure. I expected Sephiroth to come at me, but, like the pansy I knew him as, he turned and ran. He wouldn't be back for a while.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, I was alone in our room. Vincent must have finally woken up and gone to do something. Apparently I had proved that I could be myself worthy to be by myself for five minutes after all.
I silvery glint caught my eye, and I looked over at it. There, on my bedside table, was my pistol. I could have sworn I had put it away. I picked it up, and it felt slightly heavier than I remembered. I opened the chamber and saw that it was loaded with bullets. I smiled. Yay.
In Vincent's absence, I took a shower, washing off every particle of dirt I could find. It was disgusting how brown the water was at first.
When I felt I was clean enough to pass an inspection, I got out of the shower and toweled myself dry. I longed for clean clothes, but all I had was the Tomb Raider outfit I had bought before the hike up Mt. Nibel. I made an oath as I got dressed that as soon as Vincent got back, we were going shopping before I took a step out of town.
Shaking the last few drops of water from my hair, I walked out of the bathroom. When I looked around the room, I spotted Vincent at the window (why would he be anywhere else?). He was looking at the street below through the windowpane. As the bathroom door shut behind me, he turned.
"Get your shoes and gloves. We're leaving." Vincent stood.
"But I-"
"I've arranged a truck to take us to the Costa del Sol."
My brow furrowed. "The coast? Why?"
"From there, we'll take a boat to Midgar."
"Why leave so soon? Sephiroth probably thinks we've moved on by now."
"There's no doubt in my mind that Sephiroth knows exactly where we are right now. My guess is that he'll follow us until he catches you, meaning we have to keep running, at a faster pace, if possible."
Oath unfulfilled, I went to get my shoes.
My eye twitched at the sight of the truck we were going to ride in. "We're getting a ride in that?" I asked, my voice cracking.
Vincent nodded, but said nothing. He walked over to the driver's window and started to mumble something to our chauffer. While he was doing that I was eyeing the automobile with distaste.
It was ugly, and that was the only way to say it. There was no softer blow for the red paint job that had faded to more of a dusty pink. It was obvious that no one really cared for the truck. I sighed. If it hadn't been for the fact that Sephiroth was trying to kidnap and/or kill me, I would have been pickier, but when life gives you lemons, no matter how old and ugly they are, you make lemon-aid.
I climbed into the back of the truck and sat down in a corner by the front of it. It wasn't long before Vincent came and hopped in the bed of the truck, sitting down across from me with his eyes to the scenery as the truck sputtered to life and left the small town behind. Crossing my arms, I sighed and stared at nothing in particular. It wasn't too long before I got so bored I fell asleep.