Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Unforgivable Sinner ❯ Showdown with Hojo ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Sulphurya 
Vincent remained silent, gazing up at the ShinRa tower. He could sense Hojo's presence
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance / Supernatural / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.28.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.0K | Visits: 208 | Status: Completed
Vincent remained silent, gazing up at the ShinRa tower. He could sense Hojo's presence
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance / Supernatural / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.28.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.0K | Visits: 208 | Status: Completed
Ø2. Showdown with Hojo
Nobody could belive their eyes when Cloud was actually back to normal, Tifa even tried explaining how they'd fallen into the life-stream and the two had sorted out the memories in Clouds confused mind,.but the ever-closing Meteor forced them to move on and not dwell at the impossible that had happened.
Arriving at Junon, they went after the third Huge Materia after picking up the second materia at Fort Condor, and they stumbled into a crazy submarine hunt! As the enemy submarine was sinking, fallen victim to torpedoes , then they heard on the intercom that the ShinRa were flying the Huge Materia to Rocket Town to launch the rocket.
"What the �$�$ are we waiting for?!" Cid raged furiously, the thought of ShinRa stealing his beloved rocket too horrible to describe.
Cloud nervously turned the submarine back to Junon; "I'm going at top-speed, Cid!"
Vincent knew Cid's anger too well. That rocket was the only thing the blonde cared about and to have ShinRa take away that too...
The pilot ranted and raged the entire trip and was the first to run to the Highwind. "C'mooon! We ain't got no #&$#$ time to loose!"
Horrible curses rained over the poor soul piloting the airship (Cid was positive he kept the speed down on purpose) and when they finally landed outside of Rocket Town, everyone drew a relived breath. Everyone; except Cid, who were running towards the town.
Vincent frowned slightly, sensing something was wrong. Sensing how danger was within the rusty walls of ShinRa nr 26...
"Hey!" Cloud called out, fastening his sword on his back as he trotted after him, followed by the others, "Cid! Wait!" Finally catching up with him, he found Cid staring at the ShinRa soldiers at the ramp of 'his' ShinRa no. 26.
"That's it!" The pilot sneered, biting down on his cigarette. "That's #$& it!"
Tifa barely had time to open her mouth to tell Cid to calm down, when he darted towards the soldiers, leaving them no choice but to follow him into battle. The Turk called Rude was no obstacle for a furious Cid and the blonde pilot flung open the door to the cockpit of the rocket, demanding an explanation of his employees. Hearing their reason, the anger flew out of Cid as he realised what this meant: ShinRa no. 26 was going into space. His blue eyes flickered for a second, then he ordered the crew out; he was taking his baby into the space himself!
Cloud instantly began arguing against it while Vincent merely walked over to glance outside. His skin was prickling with the sensation that something was wrong. Some unseen threat was close. Something bad would happen. The constantly rising voices in the background was easily blocked out as the former Turk scanned the surroundings. The soldiers were still knocked out, so was Rude, yet something was moving somewhere.
Just as Cids famous temper were about to get the better of him, the entire rocket began shaking.
"What the #&$& is going on?!" Cid fought to keep his balance when Palmers exteremly annoying voice declared over the intercom that he'd launched the rocket and there was no going back! Grasping a hold of a chair, Cid inhaled sharply as the rocket lifted from the ground and shot up in the sky, almost forcing him down on his knees; pure will-power the only thing keeping him up.
Stumbling over to the panel, Cid began checking the course with a frown. "Just as I thought..." He muttered to himself as Cloud and Barret came over to see what he saw on the screen; ShinRa no. 26 heading straight for Meteor.
-
Vincent shifted uneasily, not quite comfortable with the thought of dying up there in the middle of the dark nowhere. "Is there nothing we can do?"
Maybe this was a suitable punishment for a monster like him? The very planet he was trying to save spitting him out to die in darkness, it wouldn't surprise him.
"Of course! I always keep an escape-pod for cases like this!" Cid snorted offended and gazed back at the pale faces that looked at him.
At that point everyone were too relived to argue at the possibility of him predicting a situation just like the one they were in the middle of.
Realising they might actually survive, Cloud started worrying about was the Huge Materia.
With a resigned sigh, Cid waved towards the door on the right and decided they'd might as well take it with them. Gazing a final time at the panel, the pilot soon followed Cloud up the ladder and began the difficult task of freeing the Huge Materia.
Nerve-wrecking minutes passed, hearing how Cloud shouting for Cid to pull himself together, and how he couldn't be serious about guessing the combinations?!
Vincent absently let his hand slide over the cold surface of his shotgun, finding some comfort in it's closeness. Not that a shotgun would be any help at this stage, but something about it calmed him. It always did.
The monsters in his blood stirred restlessly, sensing their host in danger, they kept trying to break free. Only the darkest one of them all, Chaos, rarely shifted. Vincent was relived to find it coiled inside his head while the others howled frustrated, not sure how a fight over power with the demon would end in such a stressed situation... Usually it took everything in him to regain control when Chaos erupted, and Vincent had only been desperate enough to release him twice in his cursed life. He had no doubt that Chaos would turn on his allies as well as the enemies it was supposed to defeat.
More cunning and sly then the other monsters in Vincent's blood, Chaos was still a demon that only existed to kill. Indiscriminantly.
Jumping down the final steps on the ladder, Cid landed between Red XII and Barret. "We got it!" He grinned widely at their relived faces and Cloud landed beside him. "Alright. Let's go!" The pilot trotted ahed and pushed open the door; "this way!"
-
Cid barely noticed the electricity sparkling between the two tanks, when suddenly everything exploded and he felt himself getting flung backwards against the wall, then slammed to the ground. Blinking away the dizziness, he found himself on the ground with an iron plate weighing him down and sparks of electricity shooting from the torn wires inches in front of the horrified Cloud.
Groaning, the pilot placed a hand at the wreckage and pushed, only to gasp in pain and lean heavily back at the wall. "My foot's stuck in the debris." He shook his head. "You gotta go without me."
Cloud frowned at the angry wires then gazed down at the pale Cid. "We don't leave friends behind!" He motioned Barret forward as it was only room for two to lift in the narrow hall and the torn wires made it quite dangerous as well.
Vincent held out a arm as Tifa tried to step forward. "No room, and the wires would electrocute you if you try. Cloud knows what he's doing."
"You're &$" stupid!" Cid sneered and closed his eyes hard. "$& stupid!"
Cloud and Barret pulled at the iron-plate, but in vain. The narrow hall made it hard to get close enough to lift the debris, but the sparkling wires that dangled dangerously close to Cloud made things even worse.
Cid absently gazed over at the ruined tank and vaguely noticed the number. "Tank no. 8 blew up." He made another effort to pull free his leg, but swallowed a groan of pain as he sank against the wall again. "So tank no. 8... really was malfunctioning." Cid closed his eyes. "Shera... you were right." He gazed numbly over at Cloud and Barret, who stood huffing after straining themselves. "But... this is the end for me."
Vincent gazed around, refusing to even consider leaving the pilot behind. There had to be some way... something he could do...
Ruby eyes moved over to lock on the door to escape-pod, and Vincent slowly, very stealthily, moved his hand over to his shot-gun. They weren't alone...
Suddenly the door to the escape-pod opened and Shera came walking in; "don't say that, Cid."
Cid's eyes widened in disbelief and his jaw dropped. "Shera?!" He stared wide-eyed at her, while Vincent slowly let his hand sink.
"I tagged along," she explained as she approached the sparkling wires, "now I'm here to help."
Cid blinked, then anger flooded him. "&$&$!!!" He ranted as she began fixing the wires so they could pass and four could lift the debris, where two couldn't.
Gazing down at the ground, Cid swallowed hard; "...sorry."
Surprised Shera glanced up to meet his eyes, only then Barret hollered; "liiiiift!"
Cid quickly pulled his leg free when he felt the pressure lighten and grasped a hold of a pipe in the wall to pull himself up on his feet.
The sound echoed through the hall as they dropped the iron plate and Shera pointed weakly towards the door; "this way. We should hurry."
Vincent saw the look in Cid's eyes as the pilot was staring at Shera and knew he'd been right all along; there was too much feeling in that look for Cid to be as indifferent towards her as he claimed. If the former Turk wasn't entirely mistaken, he mused as he followed the others into the escape-pod and leaving Cid and Shera behind for a precious moment; the pilot was very likely in love with her.
-
The attempt to destroy Meteor failed. Instead it seemed like the Meteor was closing even faster then before, yet they decided to rest the night in Rocket Town before traveling to Cosmo Canyon in the morning.
Rain was unable to fall asleep for some reason, but she didn't dismiss the burning ball in the sky as the reason for it as she wandered out of the house. How was one supposed to sit back and do nothing when you kept seeing it approaching to kill everything and everyone? It wasn't in Rain's character to do nothing! She sighed frustrated, remembering seeing Shera disappearing into the rocket while the goon held her back and preventing her from helping at all. That seemed to be the story of her life now; always a second too late.
Lost in her thoughts, Rain wandered aimlessly through the desolated Rocket Town, hoping to tire herself enough to get any sleep. The low growl made her freeze and she slowly gazed over at the eyes flaring at her in the semi-dark. It was never dark anymore because of Meteor...
Two Nibelheim wolves stood a mere meter away from her, baring their fangs and ready to charge. Fear struck her as Rain stood completely still, staring at them. She was in the middle of a town! Monsters never wandered too close to the towns, even she knew that! Yet, here she was about to become a night-snack and she doubted it would do her any good to point out facts to two hungry beasts. One of the wolves took a step towards her and Rain wondered briefly if she would make it if she ran. No, her mind reasoned, she wouldn't stand a chance. A frightened scream escaped her lips as the monsters leaped at her.
Closing her eyes hard, Rain heard two shots cut through the silence and then the sound of bodies falling to the ground. Barely opening her eyes, Rain peered down at the two wolves by her feet. Dead. A single shot at each skull had caught them mid-air and saved her life. Who had saved her life?
Gazing around, she then spotted movement in the shadows and a figure walked over to her. A figure dressed in black and red, ruby eyes barely visible in what could be seen of a pale face.
"It is not safe to wander here," Vincent stated , silently holstering his shot-gun.
Shock slowly starting to hit her, Rain began to tremble, "I... I didn't think... Monsters never come into towns!"
She almost sounded like she was accusing Vincent, and Rain wrapped her arms around herself. They would have killed her...
The former Turk gazed indifferently down at the two wolves, noting they were big even for Nibelheim wolves. "The Meteor is affecting the monsters as well. They sense it's approach and it makes them aggressive. Careless."
He felt a twinge in his supposedly non-existent heart at the sight of Rain's fear. "Stay indoors from now on."
"No argument from me," Rain mumbled shakily, and finally managed to remove her gaze from the monsters and glanced over at the dark man beside her. "This is the second time you save my life." She smiled faintly. "Thank you."
"You'd better get inside now." Vincent appeared a little uncomfortable at her gratitude.
She nodded and let her eyes linger a few seconds longer on him before turning and retreating to Cid and Shera's house.
Darkness looked good on Vincent Valentine, Rain realised as she rubbed her arms mindlessly. Something about his eyes told her he was not an easy person to get to know... She had noticed he always kept in the back whenever there was a gathering, and rarely voiced his opinion unless it was needed. His entire body-language told everyone to keep their distance, and she wondered with a slightly impish grin what he was hiding underneath the big cloak of his. She could tell he was of slender physique, but he was far from weak. And his hand... his golden arm... Rain knew better then to ask, but couldn't help but to wonder. Vincent Valentine was a man of secrets.
A howl pierced the night and Rain shuddered as she quickened her pace. The wolves had obviously not been alone and soon she heard a shot. Vincent was clearly making sure no more monsters would invade the town that night.
Two bullets for two wolves, mid-air. She had to marvel at his aim. Obviously he'd been a sharp-shooter before joining up to save the planet. Rain decided to stop pondering what his previous occupation had been. No matter what past he had, Vincent Valentine was now on the team of the good guys and was prepared to give his life to save the world! They didn't get anymore heroic then that, did they? Rain entered the house and quickly retreated to her room, feeling safer then in years as she knew a figure in red and black were looming out in the darkness and kept them safe from all kinds of monsters.
-
The trip to Cosmo Canyon was quickly over, ending in another meeting with a WEAPON. Only this time it was more interested in destroying Midgar and they were unable to prevent it from firing against the city as the giant cannon called Sister Ray fired to protect that very city.
And as always; things had to get worse! Cait Sith revealed that Hojo planned to use the Sister Ray again, and it would do serious damage to the planet! Vincent tensed slightly as Hojo was mentioned, but said nothing. The man responsible for all his suffering and the death of the only woman Vincent had ever loved.
- HURT. PAIN. DESTROY.
Vincent tensed as Death Gigas stirred, sensing his anger and urge for violence. He forced the monster silent with the pure will of his mind, trying to ignore the surge of the Death Gigas craving for battle. Vincent knew he had to focus and unleashing a mindless creature who only existed to fight was not a wise thing at the moment.
He was going to face Hojo, and he needed to stay calm. The professor looked harmless enough with his thin frame and weaponless hands, but the former Turk knew exactly what kind of darkness that lingered behind the cold eyes. Hojo was not to be trifled with, and could possibly be their greatest challenge besides Sephiroth.
And Vincent looked forward to destroy that shell of a man into the unrecognizable!
- KILL! MAIM!
Vincent smiled, hidden behind his collar, and his red eyes flared as the Death Gigas was suppressed again.
Soon, he mentally soothed the beast, feeling the other monsters stirring as well.
Hojo might have cursed him, but it would be poetic justice for that very curse to be the end of the cruel professor, was it not?
Vincent smiled again.
-
It was decided they had to enter Midgar, and Vincent got the dubious pleasure of parachuting for the first time in his long life. Landing somewhat steadily, he glanced around to see the other members of AVALANCHE make it safely to the ground as well. Cid laughed out loud as Barret landed in a trash-can.
Cloud pulled forward his sword, giving them an irritated look; "get a grip! This is no joke!"
"Yeah, yeah, you party-pooper. Let's get goin' then!" Cid sighed as he pulled forward the Venus Gospel;
Vincent remained silent, gazing up at the ShinRa tower. He could sense Hojo's presence. Taste the foul scent of him in the air.
They made their way up, encountering Turks, then Heidegger and Scarlet, before finally they found the so-called scientist by the control panel.
Vincent kept in the back, not trusting himself to keep calm if Hojo should provoke him. It didn't take long before the former Turk realised that Hojo was in fact completely insane. Maybe that just made him even more dangerous, but Vincent found himself growing even angrier. He was to be cheated for Lucrecia's revenge as well? A mad-man could not comprehend what evils he had done, and that made it also impossible to force him to regret and finally pay for it.
A strange sense of defeat settled in Vincent's chest as he realised they had to defeat the crazed Hojo anyway to halt the energy burst, and anger faded away. The Jenova cells had completely corrupted the once so brilliant scientist mind, and Vincent wondered if Hojo even recognized him. If he remembered Lucrecia...
For so many years Vincent had only one wish; to fight Hojo. To make him pay for what he did to Lucrecia. But as the monstrous form that once had been Hojo sent Tifa slamming to the ground, the former Turk realised he was never going to experience that. The Helletic Hojo was a mere memory of the man who'd ruined so many lives, and the Jenova cells had now corrupted him completely. It was just another fight.
He sent a shot directly at the ugly excuse for a head and Helletic Hojo roared with pain while Vincent checked on Tifa. Merely dizzy she assured him, and Vincent turned back a second too late to avoid the third and final state of Hojo knocking him away. The impact with the railing knocked the air out of him, and Vincent wryly figured the monster did in fact remember him to give him such attention. He heard the creature rush towards him, but his body refused to move.
The monsters inside him screamed and fought to get free, only Chaos felt calm and cold as always, and Vincent considered briefly to unleash one of them. Bullets tore into Lifeform-Hojo's back and the creature screamed in pain before turning to lash after Barret.
The taste of blood in Vincent's mouth made the Hellmasker scream piercingly, and the former Turk shuddered. He heard the others fighting for their lives, but a tired glance from slitted ruby eyes told him they were loosing. Would Hojo win after all?
- Now... it is time, Vincent...
Chaos voice was the soft whisper of a serpents hiss, yet Vincent always feared to release the demon. It was too strong! He feared that one day he might not be able to suppress it again and Vincent Valentine would be lost forever; Chaos free to roam and unleash destruction.
- Don't be a fool, Vincent... You need me... They need me... We can end this...
Stumbling to his feet, Vincent realised the demon was right. Chaos was their last chance, but he did not like how it knew exactly that. Trembling, Vincent managed to focus on Lifeform-Hojo and he felt the cold spreading through his veins.
"Alright, Chaos... Remember; this is the man who trapped you inside me. You may have a little revenge to reap yourself if I'm not mistaken..."
Falling to his knees, convulsing as the demon roared to life, Vincent prayed the piece of information was enough to keep Chaos' killing spree directed at the enemy and not his allies. Chaos was different from the other monsters. Chaos was intelligent. Dangerously so.
And Chaos wanted revenge!
Everything went black as Vincent felt himself being torn to pieces...
-
"Vincent?" A voice called to him in the darkness and slowly he began to struggle towards the surface. Cloud's voice.
"Hey, Vince! You ok?!" Cid's voice.
Vincent felt someone shaking him not too gently. Probably Cid's hand.
"Will be if I'm not shook into a concussion..." Vincent managed to mumble, and was released abruptly. The pain as his head smacked into the ground jolted Vincent back to reality and he managed to open his eyes.
"Hey Vinnie! How many fingers am I holding up?!" Yuffie was shoving three fingers in his face, nearly poking his left eye out.
"Three," Vincent muttered, fanning her hand away and managed to sit up. "Hojo...?"
"Dead as a doormat, my friend," Cid declared, removing his flight-goggles and wiped the blonde bangs from his damp forhead, "much thanks to your funky friend in purple!"
Tifa gently touched Vincent's shoulder, "are you ok...?"
Shying away from her touch and ignoring the hurt look in her beautiful eyes, Vincent nodded. "I'll be fine. Chaos... tires me more then the others..."
It was over. Just like that. Hojo was no more...
"Rest in peace," Vincent said silently as he noticed the silent form of the creature that once had been Hojo. How could you hate an insane man?
The Hojo that Vincent had been out to take his revenge on had obviously died many years ago... It was something the former Turk had to figure out how he felt about, but that would be later when he'd rested and gathered himself a bit.
Sitting down to catch their breaths, Tifa suddenly gazed over at the ruined ShinRa Tower. "How did WEAPON know where to shoot?"
Barret shrugged. "Prolly smelt the foul ShinRa-scent! That foo Rufus shouldn't have messed with da planet!"
Cid absently tapped of the ashes of his cigarette and raised his eyebrows. "Can't be much of him left..."
Yuffie jumped up and made a face; "Eeew! Grossness!"
"I have to check." Cait Sith wobbled over to the edge, gazed silently at the tower before turning to the others;.
Barret glared over; "say what?!"
The toy cat jumped over to Cloud. "Don't you want to know for sure?"
"I guess..." Cloud hesitated, then sighed.
Barret jumped to his feet and waved his arms. "What the �$ are you sayin'?!"
Cloud shrugged as he fastened the sword on his back. "Can't hurt to check. Better safe then sorry. Right?"
Cid groaned as he got up as well. "Whatever. Let's just get going before I realise just how beat up I really am!"
Vincent had to agree with the pilot, forcing his legs to carry him as he got up. He seriously doubted anyone could survive that blast, but the ShinRa's were hard to kill. Better find out now then to get a nasty surprise later! He felt the eyes of the others on him, but wouldn't meet them. They were worried. They always were after he'd been possessed by Chaos. He wondered if they were frightened that he'd gone insane like Hojo, or if they thought Chaos might still possess him in human-form.
-
After taking the elevator up, and climbing some stairs it was clear that Cid was tired, bored and cranky. "That's �$ far enough!" He declared as they were stumbling up some more stairs and several voices agreed with him.
"Who cares anyway?" Yuffie whined and sat down with a huff, "nobody could've survived that blast! He's dead! Let's go back down!"
Just as they were about to turn around, Tifa called out. "Wait! I see someone!" She trotted up the final steps and the others quickly followed.
The former Turk glanced up at where she was going and for once felt a tinge of surprise...
"It's not possible!" Cloud exclaimed as he saw Tifa crouching down by Rufus silent figure.
He looked like a mess, bloody and covered in dust, but it was clear from the blood-trail that he'd walked out there himself.
Vincent found himself in silent awe of the young man. Maybe there was more to this youth then he'd given him credit for.
That is... if he was still breathing...
"He's... he's alive?!" Cloud asked nervously,
Tifa reached out to check for a pulse before turning to the puzzled faces; "He's alive, alright."
Barret snorted and turned to walk down again. "Come on. Leave him."
Vincent frowned, ready to disagree. Abandoning wounded were one thing he never had a knack for... Not even back when he was human. There was nothing defendable about leaving behind a wounded being that was unable to fend for itself. Not even someone like Rufus ShinRa.
Tifa shot up with a startled look; "No! We can't just leave him! He's wounded! He needs help!"
Cid snorted and leaned against the wall; "Bah! He's done this to himself! And he wouldn't hesitate to leave us wounded!" He gazed coolly at the unconscious young man that had brought so much misery with him.
Tifa knelt down beside Rufus again, "But that's where we're different! That is WHY we're different!" She insisted, "WE don't leave wounded people to die! If we go now without helping him; we've become everything we've fought against!"
Once again Vincent was struck by how intelligent the young Miss Lockhart was. He envied her belief in right and wrong, wondering when he himself had strayed off that path. To Vincent Valentine there had been no 'right and wrong', and more 'what can I get away with!' How he envied Tifa her pure soul...
"Tifa is right, " Cloud said, "come on. We taking him with us."
Cid sighed irritated and jerked Rufus up and flung him over his shoulder, "you're gonna regret this, Cloud. Mark my words!" With that, he stomped down the stairs with the heavy burden over his shoulder, and the others followed with loud complaints over having to walk down all the stairs!
-
Exiting Midgar, they found the Highwind on the ground, seriously damaged after being fired upon when they'd parachuted over the city. Cid ran around checking the damages, and had to be threatened om board so that they could spend the night in Kaln and figure out what to do with Rufus ShinRa, and discuss what to do next.
Rufus ShinRa didn't take long before he woke up and was back to his old self with a little help from Cure materia. Apparently back to his old self. Only, as they were gathered in his room for Cloud to try and persuade the former president to aid them, Vincent gazed silently at them from his dark corner, and already knew of Rufus pain and nervousness. From years and years of merely observing, Vincent quickly caught up what others failed to see. The young ex-president was tired, in pain, confused and quite lost in his way.
They retreated to their rooms, leaving Rufus to his thoughts and with Tifa as a worried nurse and tried to get some shut-eye after a hard day...
That night Vincent hardly slept at all. He couldn't remember the last night he'd slept without nightmares, but after defeating Hojo they were even worse!
Vincent realised he was breaking down...
Early the next morning it became clear that the former president ShinRa agreed to accompany them, but was very persistent in underlining how he was NOT working for them!
It was safe to say that it was a nerve-wrecking trip as the ship kept shuddering and made strange noises as she tried to go everywhere except where the pilot steered her. They actually managed to land and the company split up inside the town. Vincent was a little satisfied to see Cid in a hurry back to his house, no doubt anxious to see Shera again. How that man could be so daft as to deny what was so obvious! The former Turk then retreated to his room at the inn, trying to rest his tired body. He still felt the weariness from the fight against Hojo, and something told him sleep was not to be had that night either...
Nobody could belive their eyes when Cloud was actually back to normal, Tifa even tried explaining how they'd fallen into the life-stream and the two had sorted out the memories in Clouds confused mind,.but the ever-closing Meteor forced them to move on and not dwell at the impossible that had happened.
Arriving at Junon, they went after the third Huge Materia after picking up the second materia at Fort Condor, and they stumbled into a crazy submarine hunt! As the enemy submarine was sinking, fallen victim to torpedoes , then they heard on the intercom that the ShinRa were flying the Huge Materia to Rocket Town to launch the rocket.
"What the �$�$ are we waiting for?!" Cid raged furiously, the thought of ShinRa stealing his beloved rocket too horrible to describe.
Cloud nervously turned the submarine back to Junon; "I'm going at top-speed, Cid!"
Vincent knew Cid's anger too well. That rocket was the only thing the blonde cared about and to have ShinRa take away that too...
The pilot ranted and raged the entire trip and was the first to run to the Highwind. "C'mooon! We ain't got no #&$#$ time to loose!"
Horrible curses rained over the poor soul piloting the airship (Cid was positive he kept the speed down on purpose) and when they finally landed outside of Rocket Town, everyone drew a relived breath. Everyone; except Cid, who were running towards the town.
Vincent frowned slightly, sensing something was wrong. Sensing how danger was within the rusty walls of ShinRa nr 26...
"Hey!" Cloud called out, fastening his sword on his back as he trotted after him, followed by the others, "Cid! Wait!" Finally catching up with him, he found Cid staring at the ShinRa soldiers at the ramp of 'his' ShinRa no. 26.
"That's it!" The pilot sneered, biting down on his cigarette. "That's #$& it!"
Tifa barely had time to open her mouth to tell Cid to calm down, when he darted towards the soldiers, leaving them no choice but to follow him into battle. The Turk called Rude was no obstacle for a furious Cid and the blonde pilot flung open the door to the cockpit of the rocket, demanding an explanation of his employees. Hearing their reason, the anger flew out of Cid as he realised what this meant: ShinRa no. 26 was going into space. His blue eyes flickered for a second, then he ordered the crew out; he was taking his baby into the space himself!
Cloud instantly began arguing against it while Vincent merely walked over to glance outside. His skin was prickling with the sensation that something was wrong. Some unseen threat was close. Something bad would happen. The constantly rising voices in the background was easily blocked out as the former Turk scanned the surroundings. The soldiers were still knocked out, so was Rude, yet something was moving somewhere.
Just as Cids famous temper were about to get the better of him, the entire rocket began shaking.
"What the #&$& is going on?!" Cid fought to keep his balance when Palmers exteremly annoying voice declared over the intercom that he'd launched the rocket and there was no going back! Grasping a hold of a chair, Cid inhaled sharply as the rocket lifted from the ground and shot up in the sky, almost forcing him down on his knees; pure will-power the only thing keeping him up.
Stumbling over to the panel, Cid began checking the course with a frown. "Just as I thought..." He muttered to himself as Cloud and Barret came over to see what he saw on the screen; ShinRa no. 26 heading straight for Meteor.
-
Vincent shifted uneasily, not quite comfortable with the thought of dying up there in the middle of the dark nowhere. "Is there nothing we can do?"
Maybe this was a suitable punishment for a monster like him? The very planet he was trying to save spitting him out to die in darkness, it wouldn't surprise him.
"Of course! I always keep an escape-pod for cases like this!" Cid snorted offended and gazed back at the pale faces that looked at him.
At that point everyone were too relived to argue at the possibility of him predicting a situation just like the one they were in the middle of.
Realising they might actually survive, Cloud started worrying about was the Huge Materia.
With a resigned sigh, Cid waved towards the door on the right and decided they'd might as well take it with them. Gazing a final time at the panel, the pilot soon followed Cloud up the ladder and began the difficult task of freeing the Huge Materia.
Nerve-wrecking minutes passed, hearing how Cloud shouting for Cid to pull himself together, and how he couldn't be serious about guessing the combinations?!
Vincent absently let his hand slide over the cold surface of his shotgun, finding some comfort in it's closeness. Not that a shotgun would be any help at this stage, but something about it calmed him. It always did.
The monsters in his blood stirred restlessly, sensing their host in danger, they kept trying to break free. Only the darkest one of them all, Chaos, rarely shifted. Vincent was relived to find it coiled inside his head while the others howled frustrated, not sure how a fight over power with the demon would end in such a stressed situation... Usually it took everything in him to regain control when Chaos erupted, and Vincent had only been desperate enough to release him twice in his cursed life. He had no doubt that Chaos would turn on his allies as well as the enemies it was supposed to defeat.
More cunning and sly then the other monsters in Vincent's blood, Chaos was still a demon that only existed to kill. Indiscriminantly.
Jumping down the final steps on the ladder, Cid landed between Red XII and Barret. "We got it!" He grinned widely at their relived faces and Cloud landed beside him. "Alright. Let's go!" The pilot trotted ahed and pushed open the door; "this way!"
-
Cid barely noticed the electricity sparkling between the two tanks, when suddenly everything exploded and he felt himself getting flung backwards against the wall, then slammed to the ground. Blinking away the dizziness, he found himself on the ground with an iron plate weighing him down and sparks of electricity shooting from the torn wires inches in front of the horrified Cloud.
Groaning, the pilot placed a hand at the wreckage and pushed, only to gasp in pain and lean heavily back at the wall. "My foot's stuck in the debris." He shook his head. "You gotta go without me."
Cloud frowned at the angry wires then gazed down at the pale Cid. "We don't leave friends behind!" He motioned Barret forward as it was only room for two to lift in the narrow hall and the torn wires made it quite dangerous as well.
Vincent held out a arm as Tifa tried to step forward. "No room, and the wires would electrocute you if you try. Cloud knows what he's doing."
"You're &$" stupid!" Cid sneered and closed his eyes hard. "$& stupid!"
Cloud and Barret pulled at the iron-plate, but in vain. The narrow hall made it hard to get close enough to lift the debris, but the sparkling wires that dangled dangerously close to Cloud made things even worse.
Cid absently gazed over at the ruined tank and vaguely noticed the number. "Tank no. 8 blew up." He made another effort to pull free his leg, but swallowed a groan of pain as he sank against the wall again. "So tank no. 8... really was malfunctioning." Cid closed his eyes. "Shera... you were right." He gazed numbly over at Cloud and Barret, who stood huffing after straining themselves. "But... this is the end for me."
Vincent gazed around, refusing to even consider leaving the pilot behind. There had to be some way... something he could do...
Ruby eyes moved over to lock on the door to escape-pod, and Vincent slowly, very stealthily, moved his hand over to his shot-gun. They weren't alone...
Suddenly the door to the escape-pod opened and Shera came walking in; "don't say that, Cid."
Cid's eyes widened in disbelief and his jaw dropped. "Shera?!" He stared wide-eyed at her, while Vincent slowly let his hand sink.
"I tagged along," she explained as she approached the sparkling wires, "now I'm here to help."
Cid blinked, then anger flooded him. "&$&$!!!" He ranted as she began fixing the wires so they could pass and four could lift the debris, where two couldn't.
Gazing down at the ground, Cid swallowed hard; "...sorry."
Surprised Shera glanced up to meet his eyes, only then Barret hollered; "liiiiift!"
Cid quickly pulled his leg free when he felt the pressure lighten and grasped a hold of a pipe in the wall to pull himself up on his feet.
The sound echoed through the hall as they dropped the iron plate and Shera pointed weakly towards the door; "this way. We should hurry."
Vincent saw the look in Cid's eyes as the pilot was staring at Shera and knew he'd been right all along; there was too much feeling in that look for Cid to be as indifferent towards her as he claimed. If the former Turk wasn't entirely mistaken, he mused as he followed the others into the escape-pod and leaving Cid and Shera behind for a precious moment; the pilot was very likely in love with her.
-
The attempt to destroy Meteor failed. Instead it seemed like the Meteor was closing even faster then before, yet they decided to rest the night in Rocket Town before traveling to Cosmo Canyon in the morning.
Rain was unable to fall asleep for some reason, but she didn't dismiss the burning ball in the sky as the reason for it as she wandered out of the house. How was one supposed to sit back and do nothing when you kept seeing it approaching to kill everything and everyone? It wasn't in Rain's character to do nothing! She sighed frustrated, remembering seeing Shera disappearing into the rocket while the goon held her back and preventing her from helping at all. That seemed to be the story of her life now; always a second too late.
Lost in her thoughts, Rain wandered aimlessly through the desolated Rocket Town, hoping to tire herself enough to get any sleep. The low growl made her freeze and she slowly gazed over at the eyes flaring at her in the semi-dark. It was never dark anymore because of Meteor...
Two Nibelheim wolves stood a mere meter away from her, baring their fangs and ready to charge. Fear struck her as Rain stood completely still, staring at them. She was in the middle of a town! Monsters never wandered too close to the towns, even she knew that! Yet, here she was about to become a night-snack and she doubted it would do her any good to point out facts to two hungry beasts. One of the wolves took a step towards her and Rain wondered briefly if she would make it if she ran. No, her mind reasoned, she wouldn't stand a chance. A frightened scream escaped her lips as the monsters leaped at her.
Closing her eyes hard, Rain heard two shots cut through the silence and then the sound of bodies falling to the ground. Barely opening her eyes, Rain peered down at the two wolves by her feet. Dead. A single shot at each skull had caught them mid-air and saved her life. Who had saved her life?
Gazing around, she then spotted movement in the shadows and a figure walked over to her. A figure dressed in black and red, ruby eyes barely visible in what could be seen of a pale face.
"It is not safe to wander here," Vincent stated , silently holstering his shot-gun.
Shock slowly starting to hit her, Rain began to tremble, "I... I didn't think... Monsters never come into towns!"
She almost sounded like she was accusing Vincent, and Rain wrapped her arms around herself. They would have killed her...
The former Turk gazed indifferently down at the two wolves, noting they were big even for Nibelheim wolves. "The Meteor is affecting the monsters as well. They sense it's approach and it makes them aggressive. Careless."
He felt a twinge in his supposedly non-existent heart at the sight of Rain's fear. "Stay indoors from now on."
"No argument from me," Rain mumbled shakily, and finally managed to remove her gaze from the monsters and glanced over at the dark man beside her. "This is the second time you save my life." She smiled faintly. "Thank you."
"You'd better get inside now." Vincent appeared a little uncomfortable at her gratitude.
She nodded and let her eyes linger a few seconds longer on him before turning and retreating to Cid and Shera's house.
Darkness looked good on Vincent Valentine, Rain realised as she rubbed her arms mindlessly. Something about his eyes told her he was not an easy person to get to know... She had noticed he always kept in the back whenever there was a gathering, and rarely voiced his opinion unless it was needed. His entire body-language told everyone to keep their distance, and she wondered with a slightly impish grin what he was hiding underneath the big cloak of his. She could tell he was of slender physique, but he was far from weak. And his hand... his golden arm... Rain knew better then to ask, but couldn't help but to wonder. Vincent Valentine was a man of secrets.
A howl pierced the night and Rain shuddered as she quickened her pace. The wolves had obviously not been alone and soon she heard a shot. Vincent was clearly making sure no more monsters would invade the town that night.
Two bullets for two wolves, mid-air. She had to marvel at his aim. Obviously he'd been a sharp-shooter before joining up to save the planet. Rain decided to stop pondering what his previous occupation had been. No matter what past he had, Vincent Valentine was now on the team of the good guys and was prepared to give his life to save the world! They didn't get anymore heroic then that, did they? Rain entered the house and quickly retreated to her room, feeling safer then in years as she knew a figure in red and black were looming out in the darkness and kept them safe from all kinds of monsters.
-
The trip to Cosmo Canyon was quickly over, ending in another meeting with a WEAPON. Only this time it was more interested in destroying Midgar and they were unable to prevent it from firing against the city as the giant cannon called Sister Ray fired to protect that very city.
And as always; things had to get worse! Cait Sith revealed that Hojo planned to use the Sister Ray again, and it would do serious damage to the planet! Vincent tensed slightly as Hojo was mentioned, but said nothing. The man responsible for all his suffering and the death of the only woman Vincent had ever loved.
- HURT. PAIN. DESTROY.
Vincent tensed as Death Gigas stirred, sensing his anger and urge for violence. He forced the monster silent with the pure will of his mind, trying to ignore the surge of the Death Gigas craving for battle. Vincent knew he had to focus and unleashing a mindless creature who only existed to fight was not a wise thing at the moment.
He was going to face Hojo, and he needed to stay calm. The professor looked harmless enough with his thin frame and weaponless hands, but the former Turk knew exactly what kind of darkness that lingered behind the cold eyes. Hojo was not to be trifled with, and could possibly be their greatest challenge besides Sephiroth.
And Vincent looked forward to destroy that shell of a man into the unrecognizable!
- KILL! MAIM!
Vincent smiled, hidden behind his collar, and his red eyes flared as the Death Gigas was suppressed again.
Soon, he mentally soothed the beast, feeling the other monsters stirring as well.
Hojo might have cursed him, but it would be poetic justice for that very curse to be the end of the cruel professor, was it not?
Vincent smiled again.
-
It was decided they had to enter Midgar, and Vincent got the dubious pleasure of parachuting for the first time in his long life. Landing somewhat steadily, he glanced around to see the other members of AVALANCHE make it safely to the ground as well. Cid laughed out loud as Barret landed in a trash-can.
Cloud pulled forward his sword, giving them an irritated look; "get a grip! This is no joke!"
"Yeah, yeah, you party-pooper. Let's get goin' then!" Cid sighed as he pulled forward the Venus Gospel;
Vincent remained silent, gazing up at the ShinRa tower. He could sense Hojo's presence. Taste the foul scent of him in the air.
They made their way up, encountering Turks, then Heidegger and Scarlet, before finally they found the so-called scientist by the control panel.
Vincent kept in the back, not trusting himself to keep calm if Hojo should provoke him. It didn't take long before the former Turk realised that Hojo was in fact completely insane. Maybe that just made him even more dangerous, but Vincent found himself growing even angrier. He was to be cheated for Lucrecia's revenge as well? A mad-man could not comprehend what evils he had done, and that made it also impossible to force him to regret and finally pay for it.
A strange sense of defeat settled in Vincent's chest as he realised they had to defeat the crazed Hojo anyway to halt the energy burst, and anger faded away. The Jenova cells had completely corrupted the once so brilliant scientist mind, and Vincent wondered if Hojo even recognized him. If he remembered Lucrecia...
For so many years Vincent had only one wish; to fight Hojo. To make him pay for what he did to Lucrecia. But as the monstrous form that once had been Hojo sent Tifa slamming to the ground, the former Turk realised he was never going to experience that. The Helletic Hojo was a mere memory of the man who'd ruined so many lives, and the Jenova cells had now corrupted him completely. It was just another fight.
He sent a shot directly at the ugly excuse for a head and Helletic Hojo roared with pain while Vincent checked on Tifa. Merely dizzy she assured him, and Vincent turned back a second too late to avoid the third and final state of Hojo knocking him away. The impact with the railing knocked the air out of him, and Vincent wryly figured the monster did in fact remember him to give him such attention. He heard the creature rush towards him, but his body refused to move.
The monsters inside him screamed and fought to get free, only Chaos felt calm and cold as always, and Vincent considered briefly to unleash one of them. Bullets tore into Lifeform-Hojo's back and the creature screamed in pain before turning to lash after Barret.
The taste of blood in Vincent's mouth made the Hellmasker scream piercingly, and the former Turk shuddered. He heard the others fighting for their lives, but a tired glance from slitted ruby eyes told him they were loosing. Would Hojo win after all?
- Now... it is time, Vincent...
Chaos voice was the soft whisper of a serpents hiss, yet Vincent always feared to release the demon. It was too strong! He feared that one day he might not be able to suppress it again and Vincent Valentine would be lost forever; Chaos free to roam and unleash destruction.
- Don't be a fool, Vincent... You need me... They need me... We can end this...
Stumbling to his feet, Vincent realised the demon was right. Chaos was their last chance, but he did not like how it knew exactly that. Trembling, Vincent managed to focus on Lifeform-Hojo and he felt the cold spreading through his veins.
"Alright, Chaos... Remember; this is the man who trapped you inside me. You may have a little revenge to reap yourself if I'm not mistaken..."
Falling to his knees, convulsing as the demon roared to life, Vincent prayed the piece of information was enough to keep Chaos' killing spree directed at the enemy and not his allies. Chaos was different from the other monsters. Chaos was intelligent. Dangerously so.
And Chaos wanted revenge!
Everything went black as Vincent felt himself being torn to pieces...
-
"Vincent?" A voice called to him in the darkness and slowly he began to struggle towards the surface. Cloud's voice.
"Hey, Vince! You ok?!" Cid's voice.
Vincent felt someone shaking him not too gently. Probably Cid's hand.
"Will be if I'm not shook into a concussion..." Vincent managed to mumble, and was released abruptly. The pain as his head smacked into the ground jolted Vincent back to reality and he managed to open his eyes.
"Hey Vinnie! How many fingers am I holding up?!" Yuffie was shoving three fingers in his face, nearly poking his left eye out.
"Three," Vincent muttered, fanning her hand away and managed to sit up. "Hojo...?"
"Dead as a doormat, my friend," Cid declared, removing his flight-goggles and wiped the blonde bangs from his damp forhead, "much thanks to your funky friend in purple!"
Tifa gently touched Vincent's shoulder, "are you ok...?"
Shying away from her touch and ignoring the hurt look in her beautiful eyes, Vincent nodded. "I'll be fine. Chaos... tires me more then the others..."
It was over. Just like that. Hojo was no more...
"Rest in peace," Vincent said silently as he noticed the silent form of the creature that once had been Hojo. How could you hate an insane man?
The Hojo that Vincent had been out to take his revenge on had obviously died many years ago... It was something the former Turk had to figure out how he felt about, but that would be later when he'd rested and gathered himself a bit.
Sitting down to catch their breaths, Tifa suddenly gazed over at the ruined ShinRa Tower. "How did WEAPON know where to shoot?"
Barret shrugged. "Prolly smelt the foul ShinRa-scent! That foo Rufus shouldn't have messed with da planet!"
Cid absently tapped of the ashes of his cigarette and raised his eyebrows. "Can't be much of him left..."
Yuffie jumped up and made a face; "Eeew! Grossness!"
"I have to check." Cait Sith wobbled over to the edge, gazed silently at the tower before turning to the others;.
Barret glared over; "say what?!"
The toy cat jumped over to Cloud. "Don't you want to know for sure?"
"I guess..." Cloud hesitated, then sighed.
Barret jumped to his feet and waved his arms. "What the �$ are you sayin'?!"
Cloud shrugged as he fastened the sword on his back. "Can't hurt to check. Better safe then sorry. Right?"
Cid groaned as he got up as well. "Whatever. Let's just get going before I realise just how beat up I really am!"
Vincent had to agree with the pilot, forcing his legs to carry him as he got up. He seriously doubted anyone could survive that blast, but the ShinRa's were hard to kill. Better find out now then to get a nasty surprise later! He felt the eyes of the others on him, but wouldn't meet them. They were worried. They always were after he'd been possessed by Chaos. He wondered if they were frightened that he'd gone insane like Hojo, or if they thought Chaos might still possess him in human-form.
-
After taking the elevator up, and climbing some stairs it was clear that Cid was tired, bored and cranky. "That's �$ far enough!" He declared as they were stumbling up some more stairs and several voices agreed with him.
"Who cares anyway?" Yuffie whined and sat down with a huff, "nobody could've survived that blast! He's dead! Let's go back down!"
Just as they were about to turn around, Tifa called out. "Wait! I see someone!" She trotted up the final steps and the others quickly followed.
The former Turk glanced up at where she was going and for once felt a tinge of surprise...
"It's not possible!" Cloud exclaimed as he saw Tifa crouching down by Rufus silent figure.
He looked like a mess, bloody and covered in dust, but it was clear from the blood-trail that he'd walked out there himself.
Vincent found himself in silent awe of the young man. Maybe there was more to this youth then he'd given him credit for.
That is... if he was still breathing...
"He's... he's alive?!" Cloud asked nervously,
Tifa reached out to check for a pulse before turning to the puzzled faces; "He's alive, alright."
Barret snorted and turned to walk down again. "Come on. Leave him."
Vincent frowned, ready to disagree. Abandoning wounded were one thing he never had a knack for... Not even back when he was human. There was nothing defendable about leaving behind a wounded being that was unable to fend for itself. Not even someone like Rufus ShinRa.
Tifa shot up with a startled look; "No! We can't just leave him! He's wounded! He needs help!"
Cid snorted and leaned against the wall; "Bah! He's done this to himself! And he wouldn't hesitate to leave us wounded!" He gazed coolly at the unconscious young man that had brought so much misery with him.
Tifa knelt down beside Rufus again, "But that's where we're different! That is WHY we're different!" She insisted, "WE don't leave wounded people to die! If we go now without helping him; we've become everything we've fought against!"
Once again Vincent was struck by how intelligent the young Miss Lockhart was. He envied her belief in right and wrong, wondering when he himself had strayed off that path. To Vincent Valentine there had been no 'right and wrong', and more 'what can I get away with!' How he envied Tifa her pure soul...
"Tifa is right, " Cloud said, "come on. We taking him with us."
Cid sighed irritated and jerked Rufus up and flung him over his shoulder, "you're gonna regret this, Cloud. Mark my words!" With that, he stomped down the stairs with the heavy burden over his shoulder, and the others followed with loud complaints over having to walk down all the stairs!
-
Exiting Midgar, they found the Highwind on the ground, seriously damaged after being fired upon when they'd parachuted over the city. Cid ran around checking the damages, and had to be threatened om board so that they could spend the night in Kaln and figure out what to do with Rufus ShinRa, and discuss what to do next.
Rufus ShinRa didn't take long before he woke up and was back to his old self with a little help from Cure materia. Apparently back to his old self. Only, as they were gathered in his room for Cloud to try and persuade the former president to aid them, Vincent gazed silently at them from his dark corner, and already knew of Rufus pain and nervousness. From years and years of merely observing, Vincent quickly caught up what others failed to see. The young ex-president was tired, in pain, confused and quite lost in his way.
They retreated to their rooms, leaving Rufus to his thoughts and with Tifa as a worried nurse and tried to get some shut-eye after a hard day...
That night Vincent hardly slept at all. He couldn't remember the last night he'd slept without nightmares, but after defeating Hojo they were even worse!
Vincent realised he was breaking down...
Early the next morning it became clear that the former president ShinRa agreed to accompany them, but was very persistent in underlining how he was NOT working for them!
It was safe to say that it was a nerve-wrecking trip as the ship kept shuddering and made strange noises as she tried to go everywhere except where the pilot steered her. They actually managed to land and the company split up inside the town. Vincent was a little satisfied to see Cid in a hurry back to his house, no doubt anxious to see Shera again. How that man could be so daft as to deny what was so obvious! The former Turk then retreated to his room at the inn, trying to rest his tired body. He still felt the weariness from the fight against Hojo, and something told him sleep was not to be had that night either...