Sorry for the delay, folks! Had a visitor last week and have been very busy with a bunch of crap! Anyways, I'm sure a few of you are tired of waiting so I'll just get this new chapter started! Thanks for reading and reviewing! -Annubis
The Decision Between Life or Death:
A Second Chance
Chapter 10
'Aeris...' Zack rested the back of his head against the wall. He sat in the wheeled chair of the lab. The man slowly closed his eyes. The group awaited the monsters to come out to feed. It had been close to two hours since Aeris was taken. He hated just sitting there, not making an effort to find her.
'I'll get you back, Aeris. Don't you worry.' The man let out a deep breath.
"Are you alright?" a soft voice interrupted the man's sleep. He opened his eyes slowly, his vision a haze.
"An...angel?" Zack whispered.
"Angel!?" there was a gasp as the the sweet voice exclaimed. "No." the voice giggled. A woman came into clear view. She wore her hair in a braid, it flowed down her back. Her dress was white and blue and showed off her slender shoulders. She had to have been no more than a year or two younger than the man.
"My name is Aeris." She gave him a bright smile. "You fell through the roof. Gave me quite a scare!" She helped the man up.
"My name is Zack." He said as he brushed the dirt from his uniform. "Erm...sorry about the flowers." he frowned at the squished buds. He took a look at his surroundings, glancing at the wooden pews and stained glass windows. He was inside a church.
'Interesting place for a garden.'
"Don't worry about it! The important thing is that you're alright." the young woman named Aeris said.
"At least let me make up for it." Zack grinned.
"What?" her laugh was innocent. Something Zack hadn't seen in a long time.
"How about one date?" he held up a finger.
"Why? That's silly!" She held onto her cheeks, covering her blush.
"No?" he rubbed the back of his head.
"That's not what I meant!" she gasped and turned away from him, giggling again.
'She's cute...' Zack smirked.
He watched the woman sway from side to side, her arms held behind her back. The pink bow in her hair bobbed with each twist of her tiny frame.
'She's really cute.' the man stared.
Zack awoke with a start. He heard rushed footsteps and someone call out his name.
"They're here!" an alert voice sounded.
Zack jumped to his feet and drew his sword. The underground facility was vibrating from the shrill cries of the 'wandering' clones. The man ran out of the lab and out onto the metal catwalk. He stopped and stared at the creatures, just as all the others had done. The clones were scrambling across the pipes and catwalks, leaping to catch the hundreds of bats that fluttered through the air.
"Zack!" a scream sounded from above. The dark haired man turned his attention to the far rock wall across the platform before him. There was a gaping hole in the wall about ten feet above the walkway. Aeris was leaning over the side waving her arms.
"Aeris!" Zack hollered. The man rushed down the platform.
"Zack! Watch out!" Cloud shouted just as one of the clones dropped down on top of the hurrying man.
"We've got to help him!" Tifa shouted. She ran out onto the platform, swinging her fist at each monster that skittered by.
"Ahh!" Aeris' scream echoed throughout the underground.
Zack's eyes lifted to the woman. A pasty, slick hand was wrapped around her waist holding her above the gap between the wall and the platform. Aeris would drop at least a hundred feet if the creature let her go. The man struggled as the creature on top of him clawed at his back and shoulders. He winced in pain as one of the monster's claws dug deep and was caught beneath his shoulder blade.
"Get off!" Zack rolled to his side, the claw dug deeper.
"Zack!" Cloud shouted as he drove his sword into the monster that clung onto his friend. The monster screeched and tore out its claws from Zack's flesh. He quickly got to his feet and started towards the captive woman.
"Damn!" Cloud dropped to the floor as three of the beasts clawed into him. Alarmed, Zack faced the downed man. "Go!" Cloud waved his hand. His materia glowed with the brilliance of Mako.
"AHH!" Aeris shrieked as she was released. Her body dropped quickly.
'Shit!' Zack cursed. It was either stay and help Cloud and lose Aeris, or go after Aeris and risk Cloud being hurt. 'I think Cloud agrees with me on this one. Gotta get the girl!'
The dark haired man dashed across the platform. With each step he took, the girl dropped another foot. He grit his teeth as he felt a time spell rush over him. He felt himself quicken with each heartbeat. Zack jumped, reaching out as far as he could to the falling woman.
"Reach!" He shouted as he felt his fingertips brush hers.
Time seemed to stop. Everyone's eyes turned to the man and the woman. Zack's fingers grabbed Aeris'. There was an awful 'snap' as her body pulled downward. He grimaced at the woman's yelp in pain. His body slid across the edge of the platform, as she pulled him down with her. Zack yanked one arm upward, his hand gripped her wrist. Then he slid over the edge face first.
The group gasped simultaneously. Cloud fought the beasts he was tangled with. Tifa hung over the railing, trying to find the two falling bodies. One of the clones dug into her side. The woman growled as she pounded her fist into its face.
"I can't see them!" She hollered.
"Damn it!" Cloud crawled across the platform as more of the creatures leapt onto him. He felt the warmth of his own blood drip down his arms and back. A loud cracking sounded in the air, Vincent's rifle no doubt. One by one the clones fell to the floor, dead. The man clawed at the metal platform as he tried to get to his feet. His feet thumped as he reached the side by the rock wall. He dropped to his knees. His chest heaved.
"Thank god for haste..." Zack's voice called up to the blond.
"Zack..." Cloud sighed. "You-"
"Got her." Zack's voice grunted.
The man had an arm wrapped around one of the support beams directly underneath the platform. His other arm was at his side holding onto a frightened Aeris.
"Help us, Cloud!" the woman shouted. Her eyes were wide and stared at the dark abyss below her.
"Yeah." Cloud took a deep breath. He was hoping Jenova's cells would kick in and give him an extra boost of energy. His entire back was soaked with his own red fluid. Dizziness was taking over.
'Damn it...Keep it together, Cloud.' the blond mentally slapped himself. He couldn't get rid of the creeping voice in the back of his mind.
'You should just let them die. Wasn't things better before they were around? You were living with Tifa, running your little delivery service. You were living 'the life.'
'What is this?' Cloud shook his head.
"Cloud?" Zack gave a nervous laugh.
'Then they show up and now look at you. Covered in your own blood, your own weakness!'
"Hey, buddy? We can use your help right now." the dark haired man felt his blood covered hand slip slightly from the metal beam.
'Stop it!' Cloud grabbed the sides of his head.
'Actually. When she came back, you were happier than ever. It's just him. He's the cause of your pain, your trouble. You should just save the girl and leave him to die!'
'There's something wrong...' Aeris whimpered.
'No. I'm not weak! I can beat this.' Cloud grit his teeth.
"Cloud!" Aeris screamed.
"Ugh?" the man shook his head. Zack grunted as his hand slipped further. "I'm coming!" Cloud leapt down onto the beam. It shook violently beneath him. The hanging two screamed.
"Grab her first!" Zack shouted. "Careful, though. I think her fingers are dislocated."
'Damn it. I hurt her.' Zack frowned.
"Aeris." Cloud reached down to her. The woman lifted her free hand. Cloud latched onto her wrist and pulled her up quickly. Zack sighed with relief as the extra weight was lifted from him.
'Now she's safe. Leave him to die.' the voice echoed in Cloud's mind.
'No. I can't do that.' Cloud stared at the other man's hands on the metal beam. Zack began to pull himself up.
'No! Don't let him. He'll ruin your life all over again! Throw him down! Kill him!' the voice snarled.
Cloud grabbed Zack's hand. The dark haired man gave him a questioning look.
"What's wrong?" Zack asked as he struggled to get up. Cloud pushed on his shoulder.
"Cloud? What are you doing?" Aeris tugged on the man's arm.
"..." Zack stared at Cloud's blank, icy stare. His eyes were glazed, like the clones.
"Cloud!" Aeris pulled harder. The blond shoved the woman off of him. She fell backwards onto the beam. She shrieked as she slid halfway over the side. Her arms wrapped around the beam. She swung a leg over to regain her balance.
"Sorry, Cloud." Zack groaned as he fought with the blond pushing down upon him. "I like ya and all, but this shit's gotta stop." the man pushed off the beam with one arm, his fist connecting with the blond's face. Zack dropped back down, his chest hitting the top of the beam. He lifted his legs and crawled back onto the beam.
'You're so weak! Weak, weak, weak...' the voice chanted in Cloud's brain.
Zack got to his feet. He raised his fists, ready to fight the younger man. Cloud wiped the blood from his lip. He got into his fighting position.
'No...they'll kill each other!' Aeris got to her feet. She wobbled as she made her way to a vertical beam a few feet away.
'Why does he fall under so easily?' Zack growled.
'Because he's weak. But you're not. You're stronger than him, you always have been. Why don't you just put him out of his misery? You'd work so much better with him out of the way.' a lingering voice whispered in Zack's head.
'He does get in the way. He falls for Sephiroth's tricks so easily. He always gets in the way...between...' Zack shook his head. What was he thinking?
'Gets in the way between you and Aeris.' the voice laughed.
'Aeris...he always tries to take her from me.' Zack glared at the blond before him.
"Stop it!" Aeris stomped her foot. The two men stared at each other. "No! Stop it! Leave them alone! Leave them alone!" she screamed at the hole in the wall. Above she could hear the continuing battle on the platform.
"Zack! Cloud! Stop it! Both of you!" Aeris darted across the beam. She wrapped her arms around the man closest to her, Cloud. "You've got to stop! This isn't you! You and Zack are friends! You always have been!"
Zack gaped at the sight before him. Aeris with her arms around the man he hated more than anything in the world, Cloud. He clenched his fists.
"Is that what you want!? " Zack yelled.
"What?" Aeris lifted her head. 'Oh, no!'
"This make you jealous?" Cloud smirked. "Her touching me?"
"Cloud stop it!" Aeris backed away from the man. "Zack! Listen to me! You are not yourself! Just stop it, don't listen to the voice!"
"Her holding onto me?" Cloud continued.
"Why? Does it make you jealous when she calls out my name? When she sleeps next to me at night?" Zack replied. He smiled at the snarl Cloud gave.
'Why is this happening? Why do they have to do this?' Aeris held onto her fingers. They were beginning to hurt very badly. She stared at the platform ahead.
"Help! Vincent! Tifa!" Aeris yelled. "They'll kill each other!"
"No. There's no way, this puppet could beat me!" Zack laughed.
"I'm not a puppet!" Cloud growled.
"Oh? Then why are you acting like this? Why are you so weak? Maybe you're nothin' special. Just a typical, weak, human boy. You can't handle the pressure. Can't handle the power!" Zack stepped toward the blond man. His blue eyes glowed with malice.
"Oh, Zack..." Aeris whispered. "Don't say those things..."
"How many times have you died? The last time I remember, this is my first life!" Cloud retorted. This hit a nerve in his companion.
"I died protecting your weak, sorry ass!" Zack lunged toward the other man. Aeris screamed as the two men fell onto the beam. It groaned in protest.
"Stop! You'll kill us all!" Aeris held onto the beam standing next to her. She pulled on her fingers, trying to put them back in place. Tears stung her eyes.
The two men got back to their feet. They swung at each other, dodging blows and darting forward and backward. They fought evenly for a moment before Zack hit the younger man onto his side. Cloud slid across the beam, inches away from the woman.
"Ya know what? Why the hell do I even bother?" Zack shrugged. "This is such a waste of time. I can easily end this." the man grinned as he unsheathed his massive weapon from his back. He took a step toward the now crouching man.
"One blow, that's all it would take to finish you. I won't toy with you like the silver haired freak!" Zack wrung his hands over the blade's handle. He raised the blade over his head. His eyes stared into his victim's. A wide grin covered his features.
Aeris stared at the man's position. It was identical to the time Cloud had tried to kill her. She felt her fingers snap back into place with a sickening pop. She cried out in pain. She shook her hand quickly and whispered a cure spell over it.
"Watch this, Aeris." Zack chuckled. He brought his arms downwards toward the blond.
"STOP!" a voice called out.
There was a blur of darkness in front of Aeris. It swooped down and around Cloud. In a split second it had Zack pinned to the ground.
"I'm getting sick of these episodes!" Vincent spat. He held the man down, staring at Zack's glaring eyes.
"Cloud!" Tifa's voice called from above. Cloud shook on the beam. His eyes darted from side to side.
"What the & happened?" he muttered.
"Are you calm, yet?" Vincent had the barrel of his weapon pressed against the underside of Zack's chin.
Zack's eyes fluttered. He groaned as his blurred vision settled.
"Vincent? What the hell are you doing?" Zack's eyes widened.
"The next time either of you go off like that, I'm shooting you in the kneecap." Vincent replied simply before getting off the man. "We've got plenty of things to worry about without you two trying to kill each other."
"We tried to kill each other?" Zack sat up, rubbing the back of his head. It was throbbing worse than any headache he ever had before.
"Yeah..." Aeris nodded. "Tried to stop you, but you wouldn't listen."
"The voices are back..." Cloud stuttered.
"Why the hell am I getting them too?" Zack frowned. "I used to be able to hold them back, what's going on?"
"It would appear that the two of you had been weakened by blood loss, pain, and your emotional state." Shelke leaned over the side of the railing, looking down at the men below. "Read something about it in Hojo's files. Turns out Jenova is more capable of taking over its host when the carrier is in a weakened state of mind or body."
"But...I've always been easy to over-run." Cloud mumbled.
"No offense, but that's cause you're always in a weakened state of mind." Vincent informed.
"That's not true!" Cloud shook his head. He looked up at Tifa. She was frowning. "Is it?"
"I would probably agree with that, Cloud." She answered quietly.
"..." the blond lowered his head.
"It's because you take the weight of everything. Blame yourself for everything. You're continuously a target because you dwell on things too much." Aeris looked down at the man.
"I...do?" Cloud tilted his head.
"Yes!" a simultaneous answer came from the group.
"But...what mental state am I in?" Zack sighed. He rubbed his temples.
"It's because of me." Aeris answered softly. The men stared at her. "You two were fighting because of me."
"We were?" Zack scratched his head.
"It seems that when you are worried about her, you become more unstable mentally. It seems your very emotional." Shelke tapped her cheek.
"I'm not that emotional!" Zack scoffed. He folded his arms.
"You're very emotional." Aeris cleared her throat, trying to choose the best words to say the next thing. "It's why you were...killed."
"Why I was killed? You mean by Sephiroth?" Zack raised an eyebrow.
"You get concerned about everyone else's safety." Aeris nodded.
"I was worried about you!" he defended himself.
"And it made you emotionally unstable." Shelke added. "If you are worried about someone it distracts you."
"That's why Sephiroth is so heartless. Why he can kill and never weaken." Cloud glared at his boots.
"He never had anyone to care about, never needed anything to distract him in battle." Shelke said. "So maybe..."
"If we can find a way to distract him emotionally in battle..." Red XIII smiled.
"We should be able to defeat him!" Tifa cheered.
"But, how?" Yuffie asked.
"That's the other problem." Shelke lowered her head.
'...He needs someone to worry about. Someone to cause him pain, to hurt him, to make him vulnerable.' Aeris thought a moment.
A high pitched shriek sounded in the distance.
"Looks like there are reinforcements. I think we should leave the area immediately." Shelke headed down the walkway.
"I'll take you up first." Vincent wrapped an arm around the woman's waist. He leapt upwards, landing softly on the railing before hopping onto the platform. He turned to the men on the beam below. "Better hurry."
"Coming!" Zack false saluted the dark man above. Vincent sure had an attitude problem.
Aeris and the others ran down the platform. Red trotted next to her, his nostrils flared at an odd scent. He looked up at the woman and snorted. They made their way back into the lab they had previously been. As the group settled into chairs the animal made his way next to the woman.
"Hm?" She looked down at him as he sniffed her. "What?" she turned a little red in the face. The animal brought his gaze to her, alarmed.
"You...you smell like-" the animal was hushed as Aeris leaned in close to his face.
"Shh! Red..." She whispered. "You can't mention a thing to anyone!"
"But, Aeris..." Red started.
"Promise me, Red. It's very important you don't say a thing." Aeris frowned.
"...Ok. But you're explaining things to me later." the animal sat next to her. Aeris ran her fingers through his fiery mane.
"According to my records, Jenova is now deceased. Her final remains were disposed of over two years ago. Which means, the only traces of her are that of which are inside your bodies." Shelke tapped on the keyboard.
"Who's that?" Aeris whispered to Red XIII.
"She's a girl whom helped Vincent during the invasion by the Tsviets. She has lived down here most of her life and was once an experiment of Hojo's."
"An experiment!? But, she's so young!" Aeris gasped.
"She's actually around twenty now."
"Oh..." the woman tilted her head. "And she's stuck in that body?"
"It appears so."
"Poor thing."
"So, Jenova must be fighting incredibly hard in order to take control of your bodies. It appears that as time goes by, she will weaken as the cells die."
"They die?" Zack asked.
"Well...as the host dies."
"Oh." Zack swallowed hard.
"It's why the clones have such short life spans. The cells become unstable." Cloud and Zack gave her a worried look. "I wouldn't worry about it. You two are different."the girl shrugged.
"She may have been given a boost of power, now that the clones are roaming around. It seems their failed efforts were not forgiven." Shelke sighed.
"But it doesn't completely add up." Red added. "We know they failed at reunion and that is why they are roaming around again, to continue their efforts until they get it right, but the question is, are they the same clones from before or are they new clones."
"But if they were new clones, how are they being created?" Tifa asked as she healed a wound on her arm.
"Ya don't think that creepy guy is still around do ya?" Cid picked at his teeth.
"But wasn't he confirmed dead two years ago?" Shelke glanced at Vincent.
"I was sure I had killed him." Vincent shook his head. "But he has been able to place himself within a specimen. Who knows if he'll ever stay dead."
"If they were coming back from the Lifestream, then how?" Yuffie asked.
"I think that's what we need to figure out. They all sacrificed themselves for reunion, but reunion never happened. It doesn't explain Zack and Aeris either. Why were they able to come back and why would Sephiroth as well?" the young girl pulled up a file.
"You know, on a side note. I found out something rather interesting about Sephiroth." the girl keyed in a code to unlock the top secret file. "He hasn't always been under Jenova's control. It seems he didn't begin showing results until he made contact with her. It seems he was emotionally unstable then."
"He sure was." Zack shook his head. "I never saw the man so...crazy. I mean he was usually a bland guy anyways, but once he began reading those files and books in the library he totally locked himself up. He wouldn't talk to anybody, wouldn't even crack a smile at any jokes! No food, no water, nothing! I don't think the guy even slept."
"Then he went on the rampage." Cloud murmured. "Killed everyone, burned everything."
"..." Tifa hung her head.
"Found her body in the damn test tube. And finally cracked." Zack rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's obvious that 'mother' sent him over the edge. The emotional trauma of it all was so great that she had been able to take full control over the man...and has been able to ever since." Shelke clicked her nails on the computer desk.
"He also developed an emotional attachment to her, which still leaves him unstable and willing to be under her control." Red XIII flicked his tail as he thought.
"So, you mean he hasn't been himself at all since he made contact with her?" Barret gawked.
"It would seem so."
"So underneath all that hurt, torture, kill is a nice normal human being?" Cid scoffed.
"Possibly. But he also may be too far gone and there's nothing left of the man known as Sephiroth." Shelke sighed.
'No...I've seen him.' Aeris thought. 'The night in Nibelheim. He had an episode, like Cloud.'
He flinched at her words. There was something different about him.
'His eyes…they don't seem so cold.' Aeris was breathing heavily.
"I…I am…" He let go of Aeris quickly, holding the sides of his head. He stumbled to the floor. "…Sephiroth…I work for Shinra…" He mumbled.
"Jenova…" Aeris whispered. She finally realized something. Sephiroth looked at her, fear in his eyes.
"Jenova?" He questioned.
'Mother?' He scanned his brain. 'Where did she go?' He stood up. He turned to Aeris and grabbed a hold of her shoulders.
"What have I done?" He asked in a panic. Aeris felt tears in her eyes. His green eyes were so frightened and lost. Aeris lifted a hand to his face.
'This poor man. He has no idea there's a battle inside of him.' She shook her head. Sephiroth screamed.
"What are you doing to me?" He backed away from her, hands on his head again. A loud screeching noise sounded within his skull. He shuddered a moment and then turned slowly to Aeris. "What did you do?" He asked her, his eyes cold.
"Me?" She started.
"Are you manipulating me?" He shoved her against the wall.
"No! I, I have no idea what's going on!" She groaned as his grip tightened around her shoulders. He leaned in close.
"No…mother. Not that." He whispered. "No…not yet! Let me have my fun!" He looked to the side. Aeris shook. He then rolled his gaze back to meet Aeris' shining green eyes. He had an evil grin across his face. Sephiroth was gone, taken by selfish desires.
Aeris shivered at the thought. She had tried to keep those memories in the back of her mind, but after today she just couldn't get them out of her head.
The room shook violently.
"What was that!?" Yuffie struggled to keep her balance.
"Oh no!" Shelke ran to the window of the lab that overlooked the platforms to the lower floors.
"What!? What is it, Shelke?" Vincent loaded his weapon.
"It's not possible! That creature was destroyed years ago!" She gasped.
"What is it, Shelke?" Vincent grabbed the girl's shoulders.
"It's one of Hojo's final experiments. It was made up mostly of Jenova's cells. He planned on using it against Shinra to overrun the company. It failed, however, due to Mako poisoning. The normal cells created from human organs could not withstand the radiation." She shuddered as she lifted her weapon. "This thing will be stronger than Tseviets."
"How can it be alive now!?" Vincent cursed. The group scrambled to the window to get a good view.
"Holy cow! Look at the size of that thang!" Cid fogged the glass when he squished his face against it.
"I, I have no clue! The only possible solution would be reactivating Jenova's cells within it! That means, something that has an abundance of cells is near it, controlling it."She opened the door of the lab. She made her way out onto the platform. The others followed.
"You think it's possible it is the clones?" Red XIII sniffed the air. His eyes widened. "That smell!" he turned to Aeris. She frowned.
"No, the clones do not have a sufficient supply of cells. Whatever it is, it is made up mostly of Jenova cells as well." Shelke turned on her weapon. The saber beams hummed with power.
"Well, the more things with Jenova's cells we kill, the more freedom we get from her damn brain games, right?" Zack drew his weapon. He frowned at the pain in his shoulder from the earlier inflicted wound.
"I say we pulverize it!" Barret aimed his gun-arm down a few floors.
"Just don't pulverize the structure like before!" Yuffie rolled her eyes.
"Aeris stand to the side, make sure everyone is safe!" Zack hollered over his shoulder.
"But I can fight!"
"Just do as he says! We can't afford for you to get taken away by this thing as well!" Cloud shouted.
"...Fine." She said in defeat.
'But it's not coming after me...' She lowered her head, cursing herself, Jenova, Hojo, and Sephiroth for causing so much trouble in this world.
The monster neared the group, tearing up the sides of the walls towards the floor they were on. It had multiple legs like a spider and rippling, bubbling flesh. It appeared to be made up of many animals and human body parts. Its had three faces, one cat-like, another human, and the last appeared to be alien, like Jenova.
"Oh grossness!" Yuffie gagged.
"That thing doesn't look very friendly." Tifa laughed nervously as the beast roared in fury. She watched in disgust at the foam and drool that hung from it's fangs.
"This...is going to get worse." Zack pointed to the far wall with the hole. Clones flowed from the location by the dozen. They dashed to the elevator that brought them underground and snapped the cords.
"Is there another way out of here?" Red asked Shelke.
"Yes, one way, but...I'm afraid it's not very efficient."
"Where is it!?" Yuffie asked impatiently.
Barret opened fire on the monsters. Vincent joined his side hitting the clones in the head to even things out.
"Shoot at the monster, I'll get the clones." He simply stated.
"Shit...Yeah, leave me the big guy!" Barret eyed the giant arachnid-mammal-alien thing.
"Don'cha worry 'bout a thang! I'll be right 'ere by yer side!" Cid put his hands on his hips watching Barret blast at the monster.
"It's through the lab, down the hall and we'll have to take the stairs!" Shelke stabbed a skittering creature next to her.
"Show us the way!" Red XIII backed away from the nearing creatures. It was already a lost battle. They had to retreat.
"Look out!" Tifa screamed as the spider-monster leapt onto the platform.
"Oh no." Shelke gasped.
"Now what?" Zack asked. He brought his boot to the face of one of the clones.
"This is the main supporting platform of this entire structure!" she yelped as the beams began to give out underneath the weight.
"You've got to be kidding me." Cloud said dryly.
"Nope. All the other giant platforms were destroyed in the battle with the Tsviets! This is the last one of its size! If this goes down, so does Shinra!" She swayed as the monster cleared the distance between it and the group.
"It's coming!" Yuffie yelled nervously.
"Retreat!" Vincent shouted. "Go, Shelke! Show them the way out! I'll follow!" the man turned back towards the monster.
It was going too fast. If he didn't slow it down, it would crash through the wall and take out their only way out. Vincent wasn't about to let that happen.
"But, Vincent-!" Shelke started.
"Go! Now!" he growled over his shoulder.
"Come! This way!" Shelke lead the group through the doors.
"You'd better make it out!" Zack shouted.
"Don't worry about a thing..." a low guttural growl sounded from within Vincent.
"Alrighty!" Zack dashed away from the platform.
"Hurry, hurry! Go! This way!" Yuffie waved the group in. She was going to make sure Vincent made it out.
"Come on, Yuffie!" Zack grabbed her hand.
"No! I'm waiting for Vincent!" She shouted.
"Yuffie." Zack stared at her. He leapt off of the stairs and grabbed her. "I'm taking your scrawny ass with me even if I hafta carry you myself!" he lifted her off the ground and dashed up the stairs.
"Vincent!" Yuffie screeched. The last thing she saw was the giant beast's leg impaling the man.
"He'll be fine, Yuffie!" Zack reassured her.
"No...no he won't." She hung her head. Tears stung her eyes.
"When you say things like that, you only make it worse." Zack muttered.
"Let me go...I want to go back. He needs our help." Yuffie sniffled.
"Yuffie..." Zack began. "You know you'll just get in the way."
"Yeah...I know. I always do."
"I didn't mean it like that!" He turned the corner up another flight of stairs. He could hear the rumbling of the platform collapsing.
"..." She ignored the man.
Vincent was expecting something like this to happen. It was necessary, however. He felt the spiny leg lodge itself into his chest. Crimson covered his stare and splashed onto his enemy. He hoped everyone else had made it out safely and that he had bought them all enough time. Vincent's gaze began to glaze. His gun suddenly felt extremely heavy. He felt it drop from his fingertips and thud onto the floor. He couldn't breath anymore, his lung was ruptured. His blood quickly went from warm to cool. Somewhere far in his mind he heard amused laughter. Was this his curse? Vincent felt the spiny leg twist and turn in his wound. It wasn't painful, just a strange grinding sensation. Like a serrated knife on bone. Vincent smiled. The lights got brighter around him. Vincent thought they should have been getting darker, but maybe he was going to a better place. Maybe he wouldn't make it up those stairs, but at least everyone was safe.
Vincent Valentine's eyes closed softly. He listened to the maniacal laughter invading his brain, then everything exploded into silence.
Zack had caught up with the others rather quickly. Yuffie flopped in his arms as he darted up the last flight of stairs.
"What the hell happened to the brat?" Cid grumbled as he reached in his pockets. "Too damn lazy to even go up the stairs herself?"
"Shut up, Cid!" Yuffie leapt from Zack's arms and pounced on the pilot.
"Ah! She's gone crazy! She's mad! Get 'er offa me!" Cid flailed his arms.
"Where's Vincent?" Shelke asked.
"He..." Zack took a deep breath. He wanted to avoid everyone's gaze. Vincent never did make it to the stairwell. Zack had seen what happened to him as well and as far as he was concerned, Vincent wasn't alright. "He didn't make it." he breathed out quickly.
"Oh!" Tifa covered her mouth. She turned away from the group.
"Vincent!" Yuffie moaned. She made her way to the now collapsing staircase. She stared down the numerous floors until her sight was ruined by the cloud of dust. The young woman dropped to her knees. "Vincent! Vincent!" she screamed out his name.
"Vincent...Valentine." Shelke let out a shaky breath.
"No. He...couldn't..." Tifa shook her head. Zack walked up to the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Zack?" she looked up at him.
"He...I saw it." He whispered.
"Oh...god! What happened?" Tifa choked.
"He was..." Zack looked to the side. "Tifa, he was impaled."
"Why did we leave him!?" She grabbed Zack's shirt. "Why the hell did we leave him!? What the hell were we thinking!? He's not invincible! He's human! He's not some monster! He can die just as easily as any of us!"
"Tifa. I'm sorry. I should've stayed behind." Zack lowered his head. Even though he saw it happen, he still thought Vincent would make it out alive. Maybe he overestimated the man and his unusual powers.
"I told you! I told you, I told you!" Yuffie went up to the man and hit him in the chest. "You wouldn't let me stay! You had to make me go with you!"
"Yuffie, if he had let you stay you know very well that you would have just ended up the same way." Barret folded his arms. "There I said it."
"I...how can you be so cold!?" She clenched her fists. She made her way to the stairwell. "Vincent!"
"...Are you sure?" Cloud asked.
"I saw it with my own eyes, Yuffie too. Even then, I thought he'd still make it out." Zack lowered his head.
"Red?" Aeris turned her head downward at the animal.
"Do you hear that?" the animal asked.
"..." Everyone listened.
"Back away from the building!" Red pounced to the side. Everyone complied frantically. A low rumble began to sound as the ground vibrated.
"What is that?" Aeris asked.
"I'm not sure. But I can smell something..." Red XIII gave them all worried looks. "Something not human."
"Get ready!" Cloud shouted.
The ground before them burst upwards, exploding into millions of pieces. A flash of fire followed. The flame scorched the sky.
"What the hell is that?" Cid sputtered.
The flame extinguished and was replaced by a giant winged figure. It spiraled downward at an intense speed.
"It's Vincent!" Yuffie jumped up and down. "And...he's gonna crash!"
The demon fell towards the planet. Slowly, it's wings descended back into the man's back.
"Vincent! Wake up!" Yuffie and Tifa ran towards where the man would land.
'Where am I?' Vincent's thoughts exploded in his mind. He opened his eyes to find a quickly approaching ground. 'Not...good...'
"He's gonna die!" Cid cursed.
"What can we do!?" Aeris followed the sprinting women.
'Ok...you helped me out to get this far, don't give up on me now.' Vincent breathed heavily.
"Oh no!" Yuffie covered her eyes as Vincent fell behind a nearby building. There was an explosion of sound from the impact. The town was dead silent. Everyone hurried to the other side of the building.
'Please be alright, please be alright.' Yuffie chanted in her mind.
"Vincent!?" Tifa called out as she turned the corner of the building. She stopped dead in her tracks.
Before her was a fiery demon, his wings spread. The creature turned its attention towards the woman. Its eyes held a sadness to them that Tifa would never imagine something like it to have.
"Thank you." Tifa's voice cracked.
The demon turned a corner of its lip upward before vanishing in a flare of flame. Yuffie joined her side.
"Did...you see that?" She asked.
Giant wings disappeared into Vincent's back . The man groaned in pain as he fell to the ground. The two women ran to his side. Yuffie wrapped her arms around the man. The rest of the group turned the corner.
"Are you alright!? I saw you...you got stabbed." Yuffie sobbed.
She stopped talking once she noticed Vincent's shaking.
"Vincent?" Yuffie looked down at the man in her arms. His dark hair hid his face. He had his hands on his head as he shook.
"..." Tifa bit her lip as she stared at the disturbed man.
"Everytime...a lifetime in hell." Vincent said in a low whisper. He sobbed quietly to himself.
"Vincent..." Yuffie ran a hand over his back. What could you do in this situation? She didn't exactly know what it was like to be overrun by the devil. The man rested his claw on the woman's arm.
"Is he alright?" Aeris held her hands against her chest.
"Would you be?" Cid raised an eyebrow.
"..." Aeris watched the trembling man in Yuffie's arms.
'Vincent. I want to keep you from returning to that hell...' Tifa lowered her head. She figured Yuffie was thinking the same thing.
A shadow lurked on top of a nearby rooftop. It stared at the group below.
"Remember our deal, Aeris..." a chuckle ran through the air.
Sparkling emerald eyes stared amusingly at the woman with the golden bracelets.
End of this chapter. Little more excitement in this one. Hope I made some of you nervous! Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing. Telling me what you like, what you'd like to see more of! Like to hear from you all! -annubis