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Chapter XII – Warking On Our Way

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Many things in life were a mystery and Tifa found that she liked it that way. Perhaps it was the romantic notion to it all that she secretly coveted. Were there other planets out there just like theirs, hidden amongst the glittering stars? Or how about the unsolved and unanswered mysteries that already surrounded them with each waking day? How exactly did the Planet create WEAPONS, the gigantic creatures that acted as guardians of this world? What were the Cetra really like, the mystical race of deeply spiritual people who lived millennia ago?

While these questions encompassed the Planet they lived on as a whole, it was also the most trivial of queries that Tifa found herself ensconced with. Questions like: just how exactly did Reeve control and manipulate Cait Sith? Is Cloud's hair naturally that spiky, or does he use hair gel? And one such question of this nature she was pondering right now... does Vincent Valentine eat?

Now Tifa knew that if she asked that question to anyone else they would probably laugh and say, 'Of course! Everyone has to eat!' As if it was the most simple question they had ever been asked in their life. Yet among her comrades and herself, it was one of the great mysteries of life. Even now, as their motley group made their way to the Chocobo Farm outside of Kalm, the bagel that Denzel had given Vincent earlier seemed to mysteriously disappear bit by bit. Tifa gave her best efforts to watch him inconspicuously, but this was Vincent Valentine. She had no doubt he knew what she was up to. The second her attention was called away, even for the slightest moment, another bite-sized portion of the bagel went missing until it eventually vanished.

Logically, she knew that even Vincent Valentine had to eat. He was by no means invincible, after all. However, the significant lack of proof or evidence to support this (or his appetite) lead her to forever wonder. Nothing was simple about the man and nothing was quite as it seemed either. In the end, Vincent Valentine was a walking enigma. And Tifa found that she liked it that way.

"Ah yes, Barret," Nanaki turned his good eye to the great hulk of a man who walked by his side. "I forgot to ask about your gun; it appears to be a different model than last I saw." The ex-AVALANCHE leader grinned, raising the giant index finger on his left hand to rub under his nose while he raised his prosthetic.

"Dayum right!" Metal slid together with metallic whirs as his right arm began to shift and click into place with technological efficiency, until his hand turned into a giant silver gatling gun. "I got this baby's parts from the Midgar Ruins. Requisitioned her myself using only the best scraps of tech I could find from Shinra's Headquarters. I figured since I took em' down, I deserve a trophy, and here she is!" Barret held the gun up triumphantly to the sky, before turning it back into its original prosthetic form. He lowered it down and regarded it with pride, balling the metal hand into a fist and pounding it over his heart.

"'She'?" Tifa questioned, turning to him with an amused smirk on her lips as the party began to climb the hill leading towards the farm. "Have you done that thing that all men seem to do and named your property?"

Marlene laughed as she ran to hold her adopted father's hand, swinging it back and forth while Barret scratched the back of his neck. "I think she has a pretty name, doesn't she, daddy?" Barret smiled softly at his little girl in response, bending down to effortlessly pick up the giggling seven-year-old and settle her on his left shoulder.

"She does indeed, but I gotta say I think it ain't jes' pretty. Myrna's a beautiful name." Tifa's grin promptly fell as she regarded her old friend with sympathy. She knew that Myrna was the name of Barret's wife who died when Shinra razed his hometown of Corel. The fact that he named his new gun, a literal extension of his right arm, after his passed partner really touched her heart. She moved closer to him and laid a hand on his right shoulder, smiling as he looked back at her with a raised brow.

"Aw come on now, Tif'! You bustin' up my rhythm..." he grumbled. She could hear Red shaking his head, his coloured tassels clashing together musically.

"Just when I think I am beginning to understand you humans, you then speak of something that seems completely bizarre to me. Do all males of your species name inanimate objects out of affection?" Despite his words, the fire-dog sounded more intrigued than patronizing.

"Well," Tifa began. "It's more renowned for men to do it, but women do it too. It's also mainly for things that hold sentimental value to us, we don't tend to name all inanimate objects. For example, we normally give our weapons a name because they fight alongside us. They're something we've come to rely on." Nanaki seemed to think about this, his tail lazily waving back and forth behind him.

"... Grandpa called this headdress he gave me 'Limited Moon', but I never quite understood why. It was just a headdress to me, but since his passing and my travels I believe I am beginning to understand. It is an extension of one's self and a wish to leave something of importance behind, whether it be something as simple as a name. I will respect my grandfather's wish..." Nanaki looked up, peering into his mane as he addressed his weapon. "I shall call you Limited Moon from now on."

Cait Sith stirred from the top of Red XIII's head, pushing aside the spikes of hair to look down at the wise creature. "Whit was that? Sorry, ave bin watchin' cloods!" Tifa ignored the sharp pain in her chest at hearing the familiar sound, and also the image of the childhood friend that it was normally associated with, instead focusing her attention to the top of the grassy knoll they climbed.

"So, erm..." Denzel muttered a little before gathering enough courage to speak up, looking up at Vincent with curiosity. "Does your gun have a name?" The gunslinger looked down at the boy from over his crimson cowl, his sharp gaze causing the orphan to quickly look at his feet. A few moments passed before Vincent spoke, his rare baritone unintentionally gaining everyone's full attention.

"It does, though I am not the one who named it so." Denzel's gaze shot straight back up to Vincent, as if surprised that he'd gained a response. A pleased look flitted across the young boy's face and he straightened himself, as if trying to get a better view of Vincent's own features over the cowl.

"Oh, what's it called?"

"... Cerberus."

"Cer... ber-us," Denzel carefully tried the name for himself, a look of wonderment on his face. "That sounds really cool."

"It does," Tifa joined in, pleased she had finally learnt the name of Vincent's new firearm that she'd picked up the night before. "I noticed that it was a different gun." Nanaki's ears perked up at this and he looked over with great interest at the tall, crimson cloaked man. As Vincent strode on, his movements brushed his cape aside and occasionally revealed the black and silver firearm that rested in its holster.

Red managed to catch a glimpse of the weapon strapped to the gunslinger's upper right leg. "So it is, you certainly have a keen eye, Tifa. You mentioned that you were not responsible in naming it, Vincent. May I ask who did?"

Vincent suddenly fell silent.

Seconds passed painfully slow, like watching the great turtle-like creatures known as Adamantaimai cross a great expanse unhurried. Tifa furrowed her brow in confusion, while Red appeared to nod in acceptance at the man's lack of answer. Denzel looked up in curiosity, but seemed to understand and kept quiet rather than prying and asking questions. Barret opened his mouth to speak, but Marlene's gasp brought his attention to where she excitedly pointed from his shoulder.

"Look daddy, look! Can you see the big flower field! It's so pretty!" She scrambled down her father's arm, sliding down his bicep and leaping onto the grass in excitement. Barret laughed heartily at her enthusiasm, watching her sprint the rest of the way towards the hilltop.

"I can't see it yet, Marlene. Wait for me ta get closer first!"

"Hey, I wanna see!" Denzel called after the young girl, clumsily running after her while trying to avoid one of his now undone shoelaces.

"Aww man..." Barret stared on in amazement, his voice holding a rare note of wonder as his height finally allowed him to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond the knoll. "... You guys wanna see this baby."

The two children had stopped at the top, so enthralled at the sight that they didn't even look over when Barret moved to join them. The rest of the group hurried to see for themselves what exactly had entranced them so, and they were in no way disappointed. Cait Sith stood up on Nanaki's head as the dog reached Barret's side, the puppet raising a hand up to shield his eyes as he drank in the landscape. Red XIII smiled, lifting his head higher to gain a better view for the cat and himself. Tifa jogged up to meet them but quickly slowed to a stop, her mouth agape at the sight that met her. Vincent joined them, standing to Tifa's left and taking in the wondrous scene for himself.

A huge field lay below them with flourishing red roses, some of their petals being swept away to dance with the wind; a rich and opulent scent accompanying it. The abundant flowers swayed with the slightest breeze, as if waving to their onlookers on the hill. The Chocobo Farm was set behind the lush bloom, as if framing the perfect picture.

"... Beautiful." Tifa breathed out. It was such an amazing sight to see, especially for a recovering Planet. Three years ago, during the world crisis that was Meteorfall, there were barely any flowers to be seen. Huge plains that were once mighty grasslands were reduced to nothing more than blackened soil and dead plants. The Planet had been dying, slowly but surely. But now, as Tifa looked down upon the happy congregation of roses, she felt joy swell in her heart and a great surge of encouragement for their mission.

"Hey, Marlene! Race you to the field!" No sooner had the words left the young boy's mouth, Denzel took off in a sprint down the hill.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Marlene quickly followed suit, fleeing after the young boy. The slope helped build her momentum and in no time she had already passed Denzel, pulling a face as she flew past.

"H-hey! Now that's cheating!" The children laughed as the both shot off down the grassy incline and straight towards the Chocobo Farm, ignoring the concerned cries of Tifa as they went. Knowing the children weren't paying any attention to her, Tifa tutted, stomping the heel of her right boot into the soil.

"Denzel's going to trip over one day if he doesn't start tying that shoelace..." Tugging her right glove tighter around her fist, Tifa began to sprint after the two children as a strong breeze whipped up a storm of rose petals and sent them swirling all around her. Those remaining on the hilltop couldn't help but stare in wonder as the woman swiftly and gracefully made her way to the bottom of the knoll among a maelstrom of petals.

"She sure is a bonnie lassie. Come on, Nanaki! After 'er!" Cait Sith held tightly to the fire-dog's deep red fur, nudging his little brown boots into the side of Red's neck. Nanaki shook his great spiked mane before peering up at the crowned cat.

"If Tifa heard you speak of her that way, she would... what's that term..."

"Kick yer ass?" Barret provided helpfully. Red XIII blinked at the gun-armed man.

"... Something along those lines, yes." A hint of a grin was left on the feline's lips before he suddenly took off after Tifa and the children without warning.

Cait Sith was heard howling all the way down, his little body tossed around just as ferociously as the fire-dog's vibrantly coloured tassels; all the while making just as much noise as the jangling beads, screaming, "Slow doon ya mad hoound!" Vincent watched Nanaki shoot down the knoll with impressive speed and made to follow, but Barret's stern voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Hey, wait just'a second, Vincent." The gunslinger turned to the dark-skinned man questioningly, watching as he stomped over. Barret's eyes of burnt umber held Vincent's own, a serious expression set on his features. Vincent waited patiently while the ex-AVALANCHE leader appeared to gather his thoughts, and a few seconds passed before the man continued.

"I wanna let ya know that me, Nanaki and Tifa decided to keep yer..." Barret scratched the back of his neck here. "... 'Episode'... from last night, jes' between us." Vincent tucked his chin into his cowl, not quite a nod of appreciation but taken as one by Barret all the same. The gun-armed man nodded in response before changing demeanour, narrowing his eyes and jabbing a finger at Vincent. "But don't get me wrong when I tell ya this. I don't trust ya." Vincent simply crossed his arms in response, a stray breeze carrying rose petals drifting past his heels and sweeping his cape to join them.

"... Your hostility has not gone unnoticed." This was certainly true. Barret's previous bouts of anger directed towards him had certainly been taken note of, and it had started to wear thin on Vincent's nerves; or should he say, his demons.

"Good," Barret responded gruffly. "Cause I don't buy tha' shit you gave before 'bout Tifa's shoulder. I ain't stupid. You left summit out, an' it don't take a genius ta figure that out." Vincent kept quiet, which only seemed to make Barret's blood boil. The gun-armed man turned to descend the grassy slope, but paused and looked back over his shoulder. "You're an old comrade, an' tha' means summit. But 'til I can check things out with ya, just... stay away from ma lil' girl." And with that, Barret made his way down the hill, leaving Vincent to stand at the top alone.

Vincent tucked his chin into his cowl, a deeply pensive expression settling over his features. Another zephyr full of petals blew past, encouraging his ebony locks to dance with them. The few black strands that managed to escape his bandana wisped past his nose gently. He knew what Barret spoke of was true. Vincent intentionally left Tifa's injury unexplained when he was faced with elaborating on the incident back in Seventh Heaven. While Vincent was certainly not one for lying, he decided that 'twisting the truth' was undoubtedly worth avoiding any possible embarrassment for the fighter.

He had explained the incident to Reeve, Barret and Cait Sith as himself and Tifa being chased by a gang and that Tifa had sustained her injury during their escape. He left out details of exactly how she had received her fracture and, as a result, the brute she had encountered. He ultimately decided that to explain Tifa having been caught unawares, and also without her fighting gloves, would most likely make her embarrassed; or even perhaps, if he knew the woman remotely well enough, disappointed at herself over events beyond her control.

A grim expression fell upon Vincent's brow at that last thought; his own control was something that was falling into decay and it troubled him greatly. Especially Chaos' behaviour shortly after he came to his senses, finding that Galian Beast had tore into the King Behemoth. He had never known the malicious entity to act in such a strikingly bizarre way and he desperately wanted answers. Barret's concern was certainly not unfounded, and Vincent decided that he would heed the man's wishes to avoid any further conflict.

His claw suddenly flexed against his will and Vincent stiffened when the image of huge, sharp canines assaulted his mind; a mighty growl rumbled through his braincase.

'It wasssss a great kill.'

Vincent glared and pushed Galian Beast back into the recesses of his psyche, the demon taking hold of his claw and flexing the wicked talons once more before leaving. After his presence receded, the gunslinger checked his gauntlet for himself, experimentally moving all of his fingers to ensure that it was back within his control. Satisfied, he slowly lowered the golden appendage while a look of melancholy fell over his features. Standing atop the hill, watching Barret being greeted as he reached the others playing within the rose field...

He felt most certainly, and irrefutably, alone.

His hand moved to Cerberus's grip, resting there for a moment before he pulled the revolver from its holster. He raised it towards the sky, the long triple-barrel held steadily vertical as if saluting the sun. Sunlight danced and glimmered over the engravings, the pendant that hung from the grip especially shimmering. Vincent regarded his weapon, his companion, with respect; as well as a sense of longing.

'Father, why was your gun in the Shinra Mansion? I do not understand...' Vincent's gaze wandered to the silver-chained pendant that hung from the revolver grip. A gift from his mother, shortly before she died, and one that his father attached to his gun and held close until he met his own fate. A terrifying voice shattered his thoughts with great force and seeped into his mind like a plague, festering all cognition and motility.

'IF ONLY YOUR FATHER WAS HERE TO SEE YOU NOW. A SHELL OF A MAN AND A REPLICA OF ANOTHER.'

Vincent bristled, his crimson eyes hard with anger knowing that Chaos referred to him as being a replica of his father. He fought the hellish entity from his head, but the image of something wicked and horrific staring back at him caused him to falter. Sulphuric eyes burned into his skull, the same colour that streaked waves of molten lava; a searing yellow of malevolence. Vincent was staring into hell.

And it was staring right back.

He screwed his eyes shut and shook his head while the demon laughed, a cracked and breaking sound accompanied by a chorus of squealing leeches. The baneful being receded back into his mind and as Vincent came back to some semblance of sense, he could feel Chaos grinning at him. It was then that the gunslinger realised the demon was toying with him. Alarmed and feeling slightly rattled, especially since knowing it was only a fraction of Chaos' power, Vincent unsteadily took a few steps forward to test himself before making his way down the slope amid a flurry of rose petals.

His comrades at the bottom were blissfully unaware of his previous troubles, laughing merrily amongst themselves between the flowers. Marlene and Denzel were already running on ahead and closing the last stretch of distance towards the Chocobo Farm, Cait Sith shouting at their backs through his megaphone. This caused another bout of laughter to erupt from the team and as they began to follow the children, Vincent couldn't help but feel like a misplaced ghost; awkward and invisible, he followed the party in silence.

"Chocobos!" Marlene and Denzel cried out in unison, running up to the pen that enclosed the tall birds. The creatures raised their heads at the children's excitement, while the one closest to the fence stretched out its long neck to preen its yellow feathers. Once finished, it turned to the two younglings before making the unforgettable chirp associated with its species.

"Kweh!"

"Kweh!" Marlene mimicked, reaching out her hand to stroke just under the bird's orange beak and down its neck. The Chocobo raised its head in delight, shaking its great tail feathers and scratching the earth with both of its three-toed feet. It looked like some semblance of a dance and Marlene and Denzel laughed at the sight.

"Hey! You kids! Get away from tha' pen!" An old man wearing yellow-tinted aviator shades burst out of the nearby farmhouse and sprinted towards them, causing the two youngsters to scramble in panic. Denzel ran behind Tifa and held onto the back of her duster while Marlene bolted towards her father. Barret was about to lower himself to catch her but the little girl ran straight past him and into the safety of Vincent's cloak, causing the gunslinger to blink, stunned, while Barret fiercely glared at him. The great birds behind the fence made a series of high pitched 'warks' in quick succession, as if laughing at them.

"Oh! It's you folk!" The old man slowed down, bending over with hands on knees to catch his breath. He ran a hand over his wily grey hair, regaining his composure while pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Haven't seen y'all for a good long time! Sorry about scarin' ya kids, you can never be too careful 'round here."

"Who're you?" Denzel mustered up the courage to ask, moving out from behind Tifa's legs.

The old man grinned, tugging at his wiry beard. "Me? Why, I'm Choco Bill o'course. I own this here farm, sonny."

Cait Sith jumped off of Nanaki's head, walking over to Denzel while curling his whiskers. "Tha's right!" the puppet spoke up. "Bill here helped us cross the marshes and raise Chocobos back in tha day!"

Denzel gazed down in surprise while Bill nodded at the little booted cat, looking up to address the whole group once more. "So, I take it you folk wanna cross the marshes again. Tha's why you're here, right?"

Barret nodded, crossing his arms while grinning. Marlene peeked out from the folds of Vincent's cape, eventually creeping out to join her father now knowing that the old man wasn't a threat.

"Tha's right," Barret confirmed. "Good ta see ya again, Bill. So, think ya can hook us up?" The old man nodded, tilting his head to look over the top of his shades, the yellow-tinted lenses gleaming in the sun.

"Sure thing! But I only got two Chocobos right now that're trained ta cross the marshes. The rest 'ave been sold, it's tha season for it, ya know? I'm sure you folk will be fine, the Midgar Zoloms have been few and far in-between. If ya ask me, it's like they've been chased away by summit..." Vincent crossed his arms at this, knowing the most likely reason for the Zoloms disappearance was the King Behemoth.

"What's a Midgar Zolom?" Denzel pried, looking up at Tifa. Tifa opened her mouth, but Bill beat her to it.

"Well, sonny, it's a serpent-like creature over thirty feet tall!" Bill raised his arms up high and Denzel followed the action with wide eyes. "It picks up on footsteps that enter the marshes... and then," Bill quickly brought his hands together in a loud snap, making Denzel jump. "BAM! It attacks!" Denzel blinked at the man while discreetly moving back to hide behind Tifa's duster once more. Choco Bill began laughing heartily. "Don't worry though, there's not many about and with one'a my Chocobos, you'll be over the marshes in no time!"

Nanaki nodded at this, his tassels jingling together musically. "I passed over the marshes myself last evening, I did not encounter any trouble," he reassured.

Cait Sith looked back at the fire-dog at this. "Aye, but with how fast ya are, I ain't surprised! I was throon aroound like one of those rose petals!" Nanaki simply gave the cat his own version of a feline grin.

"But a Chocobo can only hold two people at most," Tifa voiced her concern. "Two of us are going to have to walk on foot."

"Don't ya mean three?" Barret shot a confused look back at the fighter. "There's seven of us, Tif'."

"I know, but Cait Sith is light enough to ride on one of our shoulders." Barret scratched the back of his neck at her reply while the cat puppet curled his whiskers and nodded in agreement.

"Awright then," Barret began. "Show us these Chocobos, Bill, and we'll be on our way." The old man nodded, grinning as he pointed over to the pen.

"I believe you've already met Boco." The Chocobo at the fence raised his head upon hearing his name and gave a great 'Wark!' in greeting, ruffling his feathers. "And Bobby Corwen is..." Bill looked around in confusion before shaking his head. "Must be with ma' grandson. Hold on." The old man pinched his thumb and index finger together, then raised them to his mouth before blowing hard. A loud whistle rang out through the area. After a few moments, the Chocobo called 'Bobby Corwen' came dashing from the stables at the far end of the farm.

"How did you do that?" Marlene asked in wonder as the Chocobo made its way to Bill's side. The old man simply looked over his shades at the girl and tapped his nose mysteriously.

"I want to know how he knows their names. They all look the same..." Denzel muttered to himself. Tifa walked over to the newly arrived Chocobo and reached towards its head, stroking the soft feathers sticking haphazardly out from the top. A pleased look passed over the bird's face and Bobby nudged Tifa's arm in encouragement, causing the fighter to grin. Gil exchanged hands as Barret and Choco Bill shared information, and after Bill saddled up the birds and handed the reigns to Barret, the old man wished them good luck on their journey. As they left, Bill called after them, "Don't worry, once ya get to tha Mythril Mines on the other side of the marshes, they'll just up an' run back 'ere! They're good birds, they are!" And with that, the party began to make their way once more across the fields and towards the notorious marshes; with the occasional collection of stray rose petals dancing by, seeing them off on their journey.

After much discussion amongst themselves, the travel arrangements ended with Barret and Marlene taking Boco, while Tifa and Denzel took Bobby Corwen. (Tifa was rather adamant about taking Bobby, and Barret had suspicions this was because she had taken an immediate liking to him.) Red XIII agreed he would follow on foot, having already crossed the marshes and understanding that the children's safety came first. Cait Sith surprisingly decided to stay with Nanaki, while Vincent also agreed in staying behind to offer cover for the group. (While also assuring, when asked by Tifa, that he would be able to keep up.)

As Barret and Tifa spurred the Chocobos ahead, Cait Sith sighed from the top of Nanaki as he watched them speed further into the distance. "I'm bored, noo."

Nanaki raised his head slightly to speak up at the puppet perched on his head. "That did not take very long. It is late afternoon, we have a few hours still to Fort Condor. I imagine that it will be dusk by the time we arrive." Cait Sith crossed his arms at this as they walked in silence, occasional gusts of wind blowing at their backs.

Grass slowly made way for marshland, the group's feet beginning to sink into the wet ground with each step. Red began to trot to avoid getting stuck while Vincent picked up his pace to move alongside Nanaki, the golden sabatons on his boots helping prevent his feet from subsiding. A thought suddenly occurred to Cait Sith and he reached behind his cape to pull out his megaphone. Placing the instrument between his legs, he rest his hands around the cone as began to drum on the sides. Red's ears flicked at the sudden beat.

"Ah would like tae, reach out mah hand, I mae see ya, I mae tell ya ta run~" The little cat began to sing while using his megaphone as a drum.

Nanaki seemed to immediately recognise the tune and to Vincent's incredibility, the fire-dog actually joined in. "On my way, on my way~"

Cait Sith grinned madly as Nanaki began to nod his head to the beat, making his tassels chime in time to the drum. Vincent almost grumbled, not quite believing what he was hearing let alone being subject to. A cat robot and a lion-like dog singing.

"Well pick me up with, golden hand~" Here, Cait Sith pointed over to Vincent's claw which Red caught from the corner of his eye, causing the dog to bark out a laugh. "Come oon, Vinnie! Join in!" Vincent raised an eyebrow at the cat while pulling Cerberus from its holster, deciding to concentrate on looking for enemies instead and ignoring the singing. Cait Sith shook his head before returning to drum on his megaphone. "I mae see ya, I mae tell ya ta run~"

Suddenly another voice could be heard in the distance, along with the sound of clapping, singing, "I would like to hold my little hand~ And we will run, we will, we will crawl, we will~"

To Vincent's dismay, he recognised the voice to belong to Tifa and looked ahead to find that she had slowed down with Barret to join in; the bulky man next to her whistling to the tune, no doubt having recognised the song as well. The children laughed, clapping from the backs of the Chocobos in delight while Vincent shook his head in disbelief. Even the yellow birds seemed to be joining in, bobbing their heads in time with Cait Sith's drumming. They all joined in together.

"Send me on my way~! On my way~! Send me on my way~! On my way~! Send me on my way~! On my way~! Send me on my way~! On my way~!" Everyone burst into laughter, bar Vincent.

'It's going to be one very long walk...' The gunslinger thought to himself... yet if one listened carefully, they may have just made out the chime of a silver-chained pendant joining in with the rhythm.