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Chapter VIII – Lucky XIII
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Cobblestones slowly ebbed into grass; lush, green, and simply a sight to behold. As the party moved away from the matchstick metal sheeting and steel structures that made Edge, Edge, they could already see signs that the Planet was healing. Old scars from Shinra's long tenure finally began to fade from the land's rough and haggard surface.
"Daddy, look!" Marlene cried as she dashed ahead, throwing herself down on nature's carpet and rolling around in the soft blades. "It's so soft! And tickly! Just like your beard!"
"Marlene!" Barret almost whined, steel fingers scratching the back of his tree-trunk like neck. "We'll be in Kalm soon, you don't 'ave much longer ta go playin' in the grass."
The small town in question could already be seen as a speck in the distance, framed as it was in the purple hues of eventide. Its attempt to join one of the small stars in the heavens was still undetermined as the party headed north towards the quaint little hamlet.
"Ah! Thair she is!" Cait Sith called from Denzel's arms, pointing behind him with vigour. The messy-haired boy turned in response to see Tifa jogging up to meet them.
"Where did you go?" Denzel asked, genuinely curious. Marlene's laughter floated in from the background, as well as Barret's admonishments.
"Oh, you know. Nowhere," Tifa smiled down at him. Denzel eyed her carefully, but Tifa shrugged it off with a gentle ruffle to his hair. "Honestly," she reassured. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." There was hidden meaning to her words and it wasn't lost on the eleven-year-old. He nodded and blessed her with a small quirk of a smile, which only made her own grow in turn.
"Denzel! Tifa! Come play with me!" Marlene called to the fighter and quiet boy while Barret complained in great length about grass stains. Tifa grinned and trot over to join her in the lush field. Denzel was not so keen.
"Aaaw come on now, Marlene! Tifa ain't gonna play with yer! She's too grown-up fer–"
No sooner had the words left his mouth, Tifa dropped to her knees and began to roll along with Marlene in the grass. Barret's jaw dropped along with their laughter and, just when he thought his jaw couldn't hang any lower, Cait Sith hopped from Denzel's arms with a, "Noo that looks like fun!" and joined in. Denzel shuffled awkwardly next to the gun-armed man while Barret watched in helpless disbelief, laughter dancing high in the air.
BANG!
A shot cracked out with thunderous aplomb to rumble adrift on the wind. A wolf-like creature slumped to the ground as Vincent spun his revolver once, twice, then holstered the smoking gun. He pinned crimson eyes on the now frozen party, waiting for ringing ears to cease.
"You should not let your guard down so easily," the gunslinger glowered, words sharp and tongue razor. His eyes narrowed in annoyance as he passed over each of them in turn. Tifa appeared to have reacted instantly, poised over Marlene and Cait Sith instinctively for protection in a classic fighting stance, fists at the ready. Barret stood rooted with one hand on Denzel's shoulder, his prosthetic hand now a machine gun that was pointed straight at Vincent, the source of the noise. Vincent quietly exhaled through his nose, making a curt, 'hmph' sound.
'I suppose they haven't completely forgotten themselves,' he thought with disdain.
He then sharply turned away, striding over the now bleeding corpse of the Kalm Fang he had dispatched with deadly efficiency, crimson cloak billowing after him.
Barret lowered his gun as he watched the retreating back of the aloof Vincent Valentine.
"Jeez..." he huffed. "You awright, Denzel?" The dark-skinned man looked down at the boy expecting the sight of a shaken youth, but instead he found the boy to be watching on with great interest. Denzel looked up through his messy brown locks and locked eyes with Barret.
"He scares me." Oddly, Denzel said this in the manner of a respectful statement, as if in admiration. And this somewhat troubled Barret. He slapped a huge hand onto Denzel's shoulder, but with reassurance rather than force.
"Ya know what? 'Ere's a secret... he scares me sometimes too. An' that's saying somethin'!" Barret grinned a grin full of white-teeth at Denzel here. "Remember what I told ya? Vincent's an old friend of ours, but... jes' be careful 'round 'im. Don't annoy him, a'ight?"
Denzel nodded, but was far from completely satisfied.
'Why can't I annoy him? Will something that bad really happen?' he thought with a curious furrow to his brow. Barret turned away and walked towards the middle of the field to rejoin the others. Denzel followed, deep in thought.
"You both okay?" Tifa asked to both Marlene and Cait Sith at her feet. Marlene nodded and graced her with a rather weak smile while Cait Sith flashed a confident thumbs up. The fighter watched Vincent's retreating back with annoyance, irritated that the man had scared the others without warning. Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she spun round; Barret yelled and Marlene screamed. As if rehearsed, she swiftly brought up her left leg and swept out her foot with force. Her boot connected with the Kalm Fang's stomach in one mighty blow, its pained howl piercing as she cast the wolfish beast to the ground. Stomping her foot on its neck, she snapped her heel to the side and crushed its windpipe in one swift blow.
"Shit!" Barret spat, charging up to her as his gun-arm morphed back into a steel hand. "You awright?" He began checking her over for injuries, his arm hovering over her healing shoulder.
"Yeah," Tifa breathed out, adrenaline coursing through her veins. "I just... reacted."
Vincent only now reached her side, cloak falling around his heels at the abrupt end of his sprint, his hand resting on the rosewood grip of his silver revolver. Barret spun to face him, apoplectic.
"Where the HELL were you?! So much fer not lettin' yer guard down, huh?!" He glowered at the crimson-cloaked man and grew even more enraged when Vincent held his silence. To Vincent, there was nothing to say. He may have had his gun drawn from a distance, but he knew he could have been a few crucial seconds too late in saving her. Ironically, after his own warning about not allowing guards to falter, it was he himself who had fallen prey to it. Barret was about to descend upon him in unbridled rage when a small voice stilled his bristled jaw.
"He was about to shoot it." Barret blinked down at Denzel with brows high, the boy now standing next to Marlene. The little girl reached out to squeeze the boy's hand. Bolstered by Marlene's support, he continued. "I was watching."
Barret grit his teeth so hard they could almost hear them grinding. "That don't matta ta me," the ex-AVALANCHE leader began, voice strained with audible restraint. "He should'a been here ta begin wit'!"
"Calm doon. He's here noo, and the bairns are fine," Cait Sith chimed in, hopping over to stand in front of Denzel. The cat toy tugged and curled at his whiskers as he watched Barret try to rein in his anger.
If venom had a sound, it hissed through a mighty jaw in Vincent's head and bore teeth like razor shards; a dangerous, guttural growl.
'Put him in hissss placcccce.'
Vincent closed his eyes and turned away, physically and mentally as he turned his back on Galian Beast. Instead he redirected his focus towards the horizon to find the sky a most wondrous shade of amethyst. Stars began to reunite after a long day of sleep, sparkling merrily from their perches in the sky.
A surge of primal rage seized Vincent's body and made his claw flex on a will that was not his own. He glanced down in alarm as golden talons began to dig painfully into the leather of his left leg. He did not fight, he knew this was meant to be a message. A warning.
'Do not turn fffrom me.'
"Forget it, Barret," Tifa spoke up. "We're all fine. Let's go, we want to reach Kalm before dark, remember? You two," here, she gestured to the two children. "Stay close, okay?" She graced them both with a smile then strode past Vincent with purpose, completely unaware that mere seconds ago he'd been seized to the spot against his will. Cait Sith led Denzel and Marlene away with vigour, dancing about their feet as he followed after Tifa. Barret brought up the rear, the thundering of his huge boots heard even against soil. He glowered hard at Vincent as he passed, but said nothing more on the matter.
Vincent remained to watch them leave before peering down at his gauntlet. He turned the appendage over, inspecting each segment carefully. They shimmered and gleamed in golden strobes even in the rapidly declining light. He gave his fingers a few experimental twitches, then flexed his entire claw. A troubled shadow settled over his handsome features.
'I may hold control for now, but for how much longer? When did it escape my notice that these demons can take control of my very body? They grow in power, and I fear that I, in return, lack it...'
"E-Errm..."
His eyes snapped up from his arm only to find Denzel peering up at him rather awkwardly. Unlike previous times however, the boy did his best to hold his gaze despite his evident fear. Vincent slowly lowered his claw and discreetly tucked it behind his cape and out of sight. "You're not leaving, are you?" Denzel asked in earnest. Vincent glanced over the orphan's head and further across the fields to see that the group had stopped, no doubt having realised he'd strayed behind. He took note of Tifa now walking back towards him. "Is there something wrong with your... ? Err..." Denzel suddenly found interest in shuffling his own feet, trying to find the right word for Vincent's gauntlet, when Tifa made it to his side.
"Vincent? Is something wrong?" She cocked her head to the side, concern evident on her face if not in her body language.
The gunslinger regarded Denzel in quiescent before eventually answering, "No... nothing is wrong."
Tifa didn't appear to believe this given she watched his face for a little longer than necessary. "Denzel hasn't bothered you, has he? He came running over before we could stop him." She placed a gentle hand on the messy-haired child's shoulder as he stared adamantly at his scruffy sneakers.
"No, he did not," Vincent paused for a brief moment. "And no, I am not leaving, Denzel."
On hearing this, the young boy looked up sharply to meet Vincent's gaze. Then, a small smile broke out across his face like a flower in bloom. It remained there when he turned and dashed back towards Barret, Marlene, and Cait Sith in the distance. Unbeknownst to the two adults present, not only was Denzel thrilled that Vincent was going to stay, but that the tall and 'scary' man had remembered his name.
Tifa chuckled quietly to herself; a pleasant bubble to Vincent's ears.
"You've made his day now," she said with a smile, fully facing the taciturn man. "Thank you. You honestly don't realise what that means to him."
"I believe I am beginning to." They met each others gaze, Vincent's crimson eyes on Tifa's own russet hues. An understanding passed between them, unspoken, but heard all the same. For right now, or at least for the rest of this journey, Vincent and Tifa didn't plan on going anywhere.
"Hey! Move yo asses!" Barret roared to them both, signalling for them to hurry up with a wave of his mighty arm. The fighter shook her head with a grin while Vincent crossed his arms at the sight. About to cater to the man's wishes and rejoin the party, the gunslinger made to move when Tifa suddenly hissed through grit teeth and took a tight grip of her right shoulder.
"Are you well?" Vincent asked, an alarmed undercurrent to his tone as he unfolded his arms. Tifa nodded and fumbled around the front pouch of her duster.
"Yeah, just still a bit painful now and then. This should do the trick." She fished out her Cure Materia and held it up to her right shoulder, where a light but rather large bruise still remained. The small bauble glittered rather hauntingly in the gloom and Tifa, on further thought, couldn't help but compare it to Vincent's eyes. She glanced at him from the peripheral of her vision and noted the crimson aura appearing to leak into the twilight from his gaze.
It was a glow she'd never before seen from the gunslinger, not even during their travels three years ago, and Tifa had trouble recalling if this was a new trait or simply one she'd never noticed before.
"... Do you need assistance?" Vincent offered as he observed her carefully, watching her brow furrow in light concentration.
"I can manage." Tifa began to walk, motioning for him to follow with a slight nudge of her head. He complied, falling into step with her. "Best not keep Barret waiting, he doesn't have the best of patience."
A gentle peal rang out into the night from the Materia before an emerald glow began to pulsate from its centre. Ribbons resonated alongside glittering flecks of light as they spilled from the shiny marble to curl themselves around Tifa's injured shoulder. Vincent watched the magic take hold, entranced as it danced around the wound in green hues: as if embracing the injury itself. After a few long seconds, the glow faded shortly after the chime. All that was left in its place was a fully recovered shoulder.
Tifa gave a few experimental shrugs and breathed her relief. Pocketing the Cure Materia once more into the front pouch of her duster, she stretched her arm that once carried heavy injury. As Vincent watched her, he suddenly grew aware of another glow in the distance. It came from the east, and with it, the sound akin to many heavy footsteps met his ears. He tensed, stopping dead in his tracks as he rose to his full height. Tifa immediately stopped with him and balled her fists at the sight, arms raised and at the ready.
"Vincent? What is it?"
Vincent ignored her in favour of resting his right hand on the grip of his revolver and listening intently. Barret, along with Cait Sith and the children, ran up to meet them.
"Whit's thae matter?" Cait Sith called from the arms of Marlene. Tifa shook her head, motioning to Vincent who stared intently into the distance.
Barret, impatient as ever, rubbed a giant finger under his nose. "Yeah? And? I don't see anything," he sniffed.
Vincent summarily ignored the man. He knew his comrades could not yet see the red ember in the distance, given his eyes were just as sensitive as his ears. Most of his abilities were enhanced as a result of the demons that dwelled within him: one of the few and rare gifts he bore along with the innumerable curses of his 'condition'.
The sound grew as its origin gained ground at a rapid rate, the glow intensifying; the distance between them was closing fast.
It was heading this way.
Vincent whipped his gun from its holster and pointed it eastward, stepping in front of the group with golden claw outstretched all in one fluid movement. No more words were needed. Tifa skipped in front of Denzel and Marlene with fists held at the ready, while Cait Sith yelped and scrambled from Marlene's arms to hide behind Barret's enormous boots. Mechanical whirring purred from Barret's arm as, in all of its complexity, metal components shift and clicked into place to create one very large and very imposing gatling gun.
The glow appeared to slow down, the odd, thunderous-like sound growing more modest in volume and softer in tone.
"What's that?" Marlene asked, excitement mixed into her apprehension like a heady cocktail. Only now could the others finally make out the fiery red glow that was the cause of alarm. However, due to Vincent's enhanced eyesight, he could now clearly see what approached them in finer detail.
He smoothly holstered his ornate revolver, much to the palpable bewilderment of the party, then peered over his shoulder to answer Marlene's question.
"An old comrade."
Puzzlement marred Tifa's brow before realisation dawned on her like the rising sun. She swiftly dropped her combat stance and broke out into a run towards the glowing fire. Startled, Barret, Cait Sith, and the children could only watch on with wide eyes. Vincent, blinking away his surprise, tucked the shadow of a smile on his lips into his cowl along with his sharp chin.
Red XIII finally padded into sight, his red fur taking on an orange shimmer in the light shed from the bright, burning flame on his tail. A toothy, cat-like grin broke out over his muzzle when he caught sight of Tifa sprinting up to meet him.
"RED!" The huge smile on her face could be heard more than seen. She almost dived on him, sliding to her knees to ruffle the spiked auburn mane lining his neck enthusiastically. The quadruped barked out in laughter, dropping back to sit on his haunches and enjoy the lavish attention. His tail almost seemed to burn brighter as it swayed back and forth in delight. The fire-dog fought the urge to thump his left leg at the fighter's scratches.
"It's nice to see you too, Tifa," Red XIII grinned in earnest. "Despite our past travels, I see you still haven't grown accustomed to using my real name." The fighter grinned back at him, guilty as charged, while the others caught up behind her.
"Sorry, Nanaki. Old habits die hard, right?"
The lion-like beast nodded, causing the beads and tassels that framed his face to jingle from the action. His left ochre coloured eye appeared to glimmer with mirth.
"Indeed they do." He spoke with a wisdom that betrayed his animalistic appearance. He reached up with his rear pastern, the appendage beautifully adorned in golden bracelets, to scratch his ring-pierced ear and effectively remind Tifa that he was still very much a beast in mannerism. Nanaki stopped scratching as suddenly as his nose started twitching, a look of great intrigue crossing his features.
"That smell...? The scent is... different... but unmistakable. It can't be..."
Tifa looked on, puzzled, as Nanaki stood and manoeuvred in such a way that he could peer over her shoulder with his left eye: his right bearing a heavy scar from something still unknown to his old teammates. Barret strode up behind Tifa with Marlene and a gleaming, white-toothed smile in tow, unknowingly blocking the quadruped's attempted view. Upon seeing Nanaki, or Red XIII as the tattooed brands on his legs would indicate, the girl immediately let go of her father's hand and dashed over to the big, lion-like dog.
"Red!" she cried, grasping his fur and delivering a great, big cuddle into the side of his neck. "I missed you!"
As she buried her face deeper into his fur, Nanaki smiled and almost purred at the girl. "And I missed you. You've gotten bigger, Marlene. I take it your father has been looking after you."
On hearing this, Barret pounded his chest with a mighty fist. "You dayum right!" he bellowed, grinning madly. "It's real good ta see ya, Nanaki. How the heck did ya make it here so fast from Cosmo Canyon? Reeve told us you'd be headin' over ta Edge in a few days!"
Denzel shuffled on over with Cait Sith dancing at his heels and Nanaki watched with interest, nose twitching.
"Yes, well, that's because I didn't depart from Cosmo Canyon..." Nanaki trailed off in what seemed to be a mysterious manner but was actually, in fact, distraction. His nose twitched in greater frequency as Cait Sith drew closer and Nanaki moved to meet the cat robot. Cait Sith warily adjusted the small crown on his head as he watched Red XIII pad up to him. Suddenly, Nanaki stuck his nose into the puppet's white chest fur and inhaled deep.
"Hey noo!" The robot cried out, slapping Nanaki's muzzle away. The fire-dog shook his head and rubbed his nose with a hefty paw while Cait Sith admonished him. "Tha's rude!" the cat cried, pointing at him as if scolding a child.
"You're a different model, aren't you?" Nanaki enquired, sitting once more on his haunches and eyeing the small feline with keen interest. Cait Sith's ears flicked in surprise before he began to curl his whiskers, a very cattish grin set on his face.
"Aye, that I am! Ah'm impressed! Model numba three, at yer service!" The puppet bowed to Red XIII with a dramatic flourish, grabbing the corner of his little red cape and sweeping it out in front of him for good measure. Nanaki nodded, but didn't appear completely appeased judging by the wrinkles remaining around his muzzle.
Denzel, surprisingly, was the first one to pick up on this. "What's the matter? You look confused," the orphan piped up from beside the small cat. Nanaki turned his single amber eye to the young boy.
"It is a look that does not befit you."
Nanaki's ears pricked up instantly at the deep baritone. He immediately rose to his paws to meet the sight of Vincent striding towards the group. His cape rose on the breeze during his approach, teased by light currents of wind coasting across the field.
"That scent, so it was you!" Red said, mainly addressing himself. "It is great to see you well, Vincent. It has been a long time indeed!" He padded over to the tall man, his tail almost wagging as it swept behind him to send warm and passionate sparks into the violet evening sky. Vincent nodded to Nanaki, remaining still even as the fire-dog's nose snuffled now more than ever.
"You mentioned you did not depart from Cosmo Canyon," Vincent stated, observing the four-legged beast carefully as the lion-like dog was still preoccupied on a lingering scent in the air. Red nodded, albeit distractedly, the shadow of something heavy settling over his features.
He regarded Vincent carefully with a shrewd eye, then continued, offering him his full attention. "That's right. I've been in Fort Condor for the past few weeks."
"Fort Condor?" It was Tifa's turn to fall preoccupied and she spoke up to voice her thoughts. "That means you would have passed through the Mythril Mines and across the marshes to reach here."
Nanaki turned his good eye to the fighter and nodded to confirm this, the colourful feathers in his mane jostling slightly from the action.
"Fort Condor? Why 'ave ya been there of all places?" Barret used the knuckles of his metal hand to scratch the whiskers of his black beard in thought.
"I'll explain later, for now it would be wise of us to seek shelter. It's getting dark." Nanaki was about to continue onwards but paused, turning to peer back at the group over a slim, furred shoulder blade. "I must say, it's quite lucky that I bumped into all of you out here." He smiled a rather toothy grin.
The party agreed to hurry on as the light began to rapidly fade, soft violet giving way to a deep and endless navy blue. Explaining to Nanaki that they were heading to Kalm for the night before continuing on their journey, they all prepared to move on. After Cait Sith hopped onto Red's head, (claiming that his feet hurt) and Marlene climbed onto the fire-dog's back with his blessing, the party covered the last stretch of their journey to Kalm, making merry conversation under a sea of waking stars.
