Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy VII : Atonement ❯ Chapter 9 - Unhappy Reunion ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: Bah, I don't own these characters.

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. Cheer competition in Texas….very far away from me. Did decent, but haven't kept up with my typing. My bad. Thanks for waiting patiently!!! Reviews!

Chapter Nine - Unhappy Reunion

The first thing Vincent did was the only logical thing he could think of.

He called all the members of Avalanche.

Cid agreed to pick everyone up in the Highwind II, which had just been completed. He assured Vincent that he would arrive by sundown. However, because of the rocky conditions of Cosmo Canyon, Vincent told Cid that he would get Red XIII himself.

Vincent had claimed the sand buggy after the destruction of Meteor, and always had it parked just outside the small town. He headed there, and quickly drove off towards the southeastern mountains.

Cosmo Canyon was only about a two-hour drive from Nibelheim, but to Vincent it seemed like an eternity. The events that were unfolding were incredibly unsettling. His own actions confused him. After all that he and his friends had gone through because of Sephiroth, he was so quick to trust the silver-haired man. He suspected the cause was his deeply rooted love for Sephiroth's mother, Lucrecia. But Vincent was the last person to trust anyone, and he himself knew it. He tried to dismiss these self-incriminations and not focus on the past, but he couldn't seem to shake them away. It also didn't help that, as he neared Cosmo Canyon, Vincent could see the huge crater that the Diamond WEAPON had left behind after plummeting to it's death because of himself and the other members of Avalanche.

Vincent's eyes wandered off the immediate road and he spotted the familiar plateau along the mountain chain's southern end. The flat land was raised, but tilted downward, meeting the green grass like a ramp. Vincent drove along the natural path onto the plateau and around a rocky crag. Then, build within the side of a small, flat-topped peak, Vincent saw Cosmo Canyon in clear view, the large green canopy roofs contrasting the deep brown of the mountain that the many homes had been built into.

The buggy raced easily along the rough, dry terrain, leaving a trail of dust blowing up behind it. The cloud of dirt blew softly away with the wind as Vincent parked next to a rocky staircase that led up into the village and he went up to find his old friend.

When Vincent laid eyes on Red XIII for the first time since his journey began, he almost didn't recognize him. Red XIII had grown a great deal larger and had a more defined and muscular body. The flame on his tail glowed brightly, even during midday beneath the burning sun, and the giant blue-feathered headdress decorated his head like a formal crown. Vincent felt almost compelled to bow to him, like a peasant kneels to a king. A fang-filled grin spread across Red XIII's face as he saw Vincent.

"Well hello, old friend!" he purred excitedly. Vincent nodded hello, noticing that Red XIII's voice had deepened significantly. His voice was that of a full bass, and it carried like thunder in a rainstorm. "I have not seen you in quite some time," Red XIII continued. "Sadly, I have little news to tell you."

Vincent chuckled shakily. "I'm sure none of your most horrible new would be able to compare to why I am here now and what happened just last night."

"Really? You must tell me. I could use a little excitement."

Vincent swallowed hard, doubting that this was the kind of excitement his friends was looking for.

* * * * * *

Vincent sneaked a glance at Red XIII, who sat tall on his hind legs in the passenger's seat. He had hung his headdress in his room and had put on his traditional war feathers. He looked straight ahead at the horizon, his body rigid and his cold stare directed towards Nibelheim. He would have looked like a perfect statue had it not been for the wind that shipped through his deep red mane or the endless flickering from the fire at the end of his tail.

Vincent was not surprised by Red XIII's reaction. The new had, of course, been quite a shock, and the idea that not only Jenova, but also Sephiroth and Aeris were back was bound to cause a deep reaction. Vincent could only hope that everyone else took the news as well as Red XIII.

Not long after arriving back in Nibelheim, Vincent saw the Highwind II preparing to land on the plains near the town. He suspected everyone expected bad news, and that the charred buildings and the grave look on Red XIII's face would confirm their thoughts.

The first person Vincent saw was Tifa, and her first reaction was terror.

"Vincent! I thought they rebuilt this place!" she exclaimed, running to him. "Where is Cloud? He must be a wreck if he saw his hometown like this again."

Vincent opened his mouth to speak as Barret approached them, followed closely by Cid and Yuffie. Because of his outstanding responsibilities, Reeve had been unable to come.

"We have much to discuss," Red XIII growled from behind Vincent.

"What happened here?" Tifa asked.

"Not here," Vincent replied. "We'll talk at the Inn."

Everyone nodded, with grim and nervous faces, and headed toward the inn where they gathered in the largest room available. They took seats on the bed, in the chairs, and on the floor.

Before Vincent could begin, Tifa spoke again.

"Vincent, where is Cloud?" she asked, her big brown eyes pleading for an answer. "He didn't come here to help you find Lucrecia, did he?"

Vincent swallowed hard and shook his head. "No, he came here because I told him that someone need to speak with him."

"Who?!" Yuffie shouted, obviously impatient.

"Sephiroth."

"What?!" the whole group exclaimed together.

Vincent only nodded.

"But we killed that son-of-a-bitch!" Barret swore.

"You let him kill Cloud!?" Tifa screamed.

"No!!" Vincent exclaimed. "No!! Sephiroth didn't kill Cloud! Just wait a second! Listen to me!"

The room was instantly quiet. They stared at Vincent with almost accusing eyes. Taking a deep breath, Vincent spoke.

"I first saw Sephiroth when I was returning here after another long day in Hojo's library. After following him a few days, I finally confronted him in the ShinRa Mansion. He told me some startling news that he said Cloud needed to know about. He did not threaten me. He wanted to help Cloud-"

"How do you know!?" Cid shouted.

Vincent held up his palm. "Please, let me finish. After hearing Sephiroth's voice on the telephone, Cloud immediately agreed to meet me here. He didn't tell Tifa because he didn't was to put her into any danger, and he traveled here on Stratus. That same day, he met with Sephiroth in Hojo's laboratory.

"At first, what Sephiroth said made us skeptical. Unfortunately, it also made too much sense. He told us that the Ancients of the past brought him back to life and freed him from Jenova's power to help us save the world from her."

"But we killed her too," Yuffie said.

Vincent shook his head. "No, we didn't. She knew she would lose if she, herself, continued to fight us, so she summoned Sephiroth to fight us while she escaped.

"She almost died anyway. But somehow she survived and lost control of all her clones while she was recovering, including Cloud. However, as Jenova began to awaken again, she reached out to her clones; specifically Cloud. She sent him nightmares."

"Yes," Tifa said softly. "He had them very often, just before you called him."

Vincent nodded. "We believed Sephiroth. We didn't have a choice. Sephiroth was right, but he'd miscalculated. While in the basement, we heard screaming, and then Cloud fell to the ground. Jenova had arrived before expected. Cloud immediately blamed Sephiroth, but we ran outside to see Nibelheim already in flames, and Jenova was hovering above us. She brought Cloud screaming to his knees and she tried to bend him to her will. We were about to attack her, but Jenova had another surprise for us."

As Vincent paused and looked up, he saw everyone's eyes fixed on him, staring in disbelief. Then, he dropped the anvil.

"She brought Aeris with her. Aeris is alive. She helped Jenova attack us. She is with Sephiroth now. When we proved too much for her and Aeris to handle, she betrayed Aeris, leaving her near death in Sephiroth's arms, and proceeded to kidnap Cloud. Sephiroth cured Aeris. Then stole Stratus and took Aeris with him. Jenova has Cloud who knows where, and I don't know where Sephiroth took Aeris either."

All hell seemed to break loose.

Author's Note: Okay, okay. Before you all go insane…YES I KNOW VINCENT IS OOC. But since this is my fan fic, he isn't out of character because this is how is character is going to be in my story. Besides if you think about it, this is logical behavior for him. During the game, he had been away from civilization from so long sleeping in that coffin that when he finally left it, his social skills and personality were severely hampered. Now that he had been up and about for several years….it's only natural that he be more outspoken………good enough excuse? If not, oh well. R&R!!!