Advent Children

Vincent held the necklace in his hand. He had spent nearly a million Gil to get the Throw materia Yuffie gave him set into this platinum necklace. He only had to give it to her. But he couldn't face her. Not after leaving like he did.

His hand brushed over the materia he kept inside the Cerberus. Their was only four, a Master Command, a Master Summons, a Master Magic, and the offspring of the Throw materia.

He looked around, seeing the forest he had long since memorized. Penance, what a load of bull. The only way you'll find penance is if you go to Yuffie and ask her to forgive you.

Vincent ignored the demon, just as he had for the last two years.

Two screams ripped through the forest around the Forgotten City. Following the screams to their source, he found Tseng and Elena being tortured. It was by three men with silver hair. "Where is Mother?" asked the leader.

"Brother, I don't think they are going to tell us," said the other with long hair, he had this weapon in his hand, a sort of bladed gun and it was still smoking.

"Don't cry, Yazoo," said the one with short hair.

Tseng stopped screaming long enough to say something. "She's not your mother! That bastard Hojo kidnapped you! He experimented on you and turned you into monsters! And the mother you want so much is dead! She didn't even go to the lifestream! She was sent to oblivion!"

A double bladed katana bit into his stomach. Yazoo turned to the short haired one and said, "Don't cry, Loz." Which he was about to do. "Kadaj, do you think mother is him, with Big Brother?"

"Maybe. Leave them, they'll die soon anyway." Kadaj said as he got on the bike. "He probable has the stigma now."

"Geostigma…" Vincent said, considering what was being said. He had read about Geostigma in a journal of Lucrecia. He had suffered from it after he had been brought back to life. But Chaos had destroyed it along with the cells of Jenova that had caused it.

Geostigma was the body overcompensating for the presence of the cells. It would cause great pain before finally killing the host.

"Kadaj, what if someone finds them?" Loz asked as he got on his bike. They may find out what we're planning?"

"It doesn't matter now. All we need is Mother and we will destroy the planet. We will bring back Sephiroth. But it might be a hindrance if someone does find them, so…"

He waved his hand at the two on the ground and a wave of energy was sent at them. As fast as Vincent could move, he jumped over to them, grabbed them, and ran back. An explosion hit the ground behind him and through them forward. The sound of motor cycles driving off revealed that they didn't see him. Laying the two on the ground, he check them over to see how bad off they were. Even with a full heal; it would be a miracle they survive.

Casting the spell on them, he went about making them as comfortable as he could. He couldn't do anything more, he only knew first aid. Going to the lake that Aeris was laid to rest. Going around it, he gave a sigh of relief when he found it wasn't…defiled was the only word that he could think of. Those three radiated evil, almost like Sephiroth.

If they're planning to destroy the planet like they say, then they are going to have to deal with Cloud and the others. They wouldn't let it be destroyed without a fight.

What do they mean by mother?

Going to Tseng, he shook him awake. "Tseng, who are they after?"

"The head…of Jenova."

"Why did they do this to you? It should have been one of the others or me. We were the one who killed her."

"We...we went to North Crater and… found it. They ambushed us and tried to take it."

Vincent's face was full of anger; he could see it in Tseng's eyes. "Once wasn't enough for you? You want the Jenova War to start again?"

Vincent must have been pressing on a wound because he passed out from pain. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. Maybe they had a reason for doing this. He would ask him when he woke up.

"Yuffie, it's me, Reeve. I'm sorry Yuffie but I haven't found him. I don't think I will, either. Vincent was the best. If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be."

"That's okay Reeve. You can stop looking now, I'll continue by myself."

"Yuffie, I'll keep looking. I really don't think I could keep some of the WRO members from looking. All of us are heroes to them."

"There are better things you can have them do besides look for one person. Bye Reeve." Hanging up her cell phone, Yuffie hoisted her bag, and stood up. The wind from north of the Midgar region mountains grabbed the blanket she was sitting on and tried to blow it away.

Slamming a foot down on it, she grabbed it, rolled it up and put it on Sel'tur Z'har's back. Getting on herself, she kicked the gold's flanks and went in search of the next spot that a self loathing masochist would hide in.

After he had first disappeared, the first place she went to find him was the coffin in the bottom of the Shin-Ra mansion. When she found he wasn't there, she went to Lucrecia's cave. She even showed herself and told Yuffie that he hadn't been to see her.

The moonlight sonata started playing from her phone and she answered it. "Hiya!"

"Hi Yuffie, its Tifa. How've you been?"

"I'm doing fine Tiff. Still no word on where Spike went to?"

"No, it seems that both our guys don't want to be found… Denzel is getting worse. I don't think he's going… to…"

"Tiff, don't! The moment you give up, he's going to give up! Now, take a deep breath…okay, let it go. Now say it with me, a…cure…will…be…found. And I'm willing to bet that as long as he doesn't give up, it won't beat him!"

Tifa said it and took another deep breath. "You're right, there will be. But I would feel better if Cloud was here."

"Don't you let him hear that, understand?! If anyone needs anyone, he needs you!"

"Eh, and what about you and Vincent?" even over the phone, Tifa knew that made Yuffie blush. This drew the first smile since Cloud left.

"That was low," Yuffie said as darkly as she could manage.

"Where are you going next?" Tifa said between laughs.

"I'm going to check caves. I'm near the Mithril Mine right now. After that, I'm going to deserted islands; Goblin Island, the materia caves, the like."

"Try the Forgotten City as well… Yuffie, have you thought that maybe he doesn't want to be with you? That he doesn't care for you as you care for him?"

"Everyday. I have to go, I'm at the mine." Saying goodbye, Yuffie climbed down and led the chocobo through.

Vincent moved the two Turks away from the forgotten city. If he was alone, he might be able to take those three on and survive. But not if he had to protect Tseng and Elena as well. Moving them into the sleeping forest, he was sure they were safe. And he wouldn't endanger Zen'Nathas doing that. Taking them off the path, the magic of the forest would keep people from straying onto them. But as he knew where they were, he could go to them without being misled.

On the third night after finding the two, he saw a camp fire not far from where he was staying. Moving closer, he saw it was just a traveler. "I know you are there, why don't you come within the light." It was not a request.

Vincent moved within the light and got a good look at this person. His hair was had been sun bleached to almost white. He was wearing armor, chain mail made from Mithril, with two scimitars at his waist and a forest green cloak that was covering his right arm. But it was his eyes that told the story of this person. They were blue, deep and abyssal. And they were cold, colder than even winter's heart.

"Sit down, take a seat." Pouring a cup of tea, he motioned to the spot across from him. "So, what's your story?"

"What makes you think I have a story?"

"A person alone in the Sleeping Forest always has a story. It's like a bad cliché."

"…I'm here because I'm cursed, that's my story."

"You're cursed? Is that it?" asked the man.

"Listen, today anger spirits are all around us, killed from starvation, war, Mako. So you're cursed, so is the whole damn world. Take a look at this." Removing the cloak, he revealed an arm that was turning black. But it wasn't dying, it was changing. "Soon the person before you will no longer exist; something else will be in my place. I don't know what it will be; I just know that I will be dead. But I have accepted this, and have risen to meet it."

Vincent's expression told him he doubted what this person was saying. "I have heard a rumor about a man wanting eternal life, willing to pay a person who grants this a hill of gold. What he doesn't realize that if he gets it, he will spent eternity watching everyone around him die. Is that not a curse?

"A curse can even be as simple as loving someone who doesn't return it. This person can't stop loving that one even though it isn't returned."

"…Do you like giving speeches?"

"Hmm, must be my personality changing."

"…My curse is that I can't die." A look of surprise filled the man's face. "Thirty years ago, I was put to sleep. Two years ago, I woke up. And over these past two years, I haven't aged, not a day."

"And I thought I had it bad, but still, you shouldn't run away from your life. Or the girl you plan to give that to," he motioned to the necklace end that had come out of its pouch. "Move forward, maybe you will find something. If not, well there is always 'sheathing the sword'," the man made a motion of sheathing a sword inside his body.

"I guess there is that."

The man looked up into the sky and stood up. "Time for me to go, I still have to get somewhere." As he was about to leave Vincent's sight, Vincent asked his name. "Don't know yet what it will be but I was a man named Ganglere."

Author's Notes: Now we know why Vincent left. He couldn't stand the thought of seeing Yuffie grow old and him not being able to do it with her. The thought of immortality isn't bad. But it is when you can't spend it with the ones you love.

I got the idea of some of the text Ganglere says from Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. I don't own Princess Mononoke or Final Fantasy 7. I just like their ideas.