Challenge #4: Redemption
Vincent rubbed his aching temple and turned his back towards the ninja whose constant loud chattering was starting to tempt the tall man to shoot her.
"Hey, don't ignore me when I'm talking to you." Yuffie shouted, running around the brooding man in circles.
Vincent spread his hands and shoved the girl aside. He lifted his head and glanced around the room, and found himself alone with the noisy ninja. He let out an exasperated sigh; he was a babysitter again, only that Yuffie was hardly a baby. Why had he been the last one in the room, where were the others...
"You know, Vincent... The elders in Wutai wanted me to grow up... How unnerving! I'm already grown up..." The girl raised her hands and displayed a few impressive punches and kicks. "See? Vincent... I can take care of myself... Hey, Vincent..." Realizing that the ex-Turk had drifted off into his own world, she tagged the tall man's cloak and pulled hard.
"Stop it." A man of few words, Vincent removed his cloak from the ninja's hand and walked towards the door.
"Get back here, Vincent..." Yuffie gave chase.
Thud!
The door slammed shut by Vincent, almost hitting Yuffie's nose. The ninja growled in anger and clutched her fists. "Just you wait, you stupid jerk!"
Finally alone, Vincent left The Seventh Heaven and found peace and quiet in Lucrecia's cave. He looked longingly at the encased body of Lucrecia, still beautiful and enchanting in a glass coffin that stood upright in the middle of the cave. The glass coffin emitted a greenish glow that seemed to brighten Lucrecia's features.
Vincent found a comfortable spot and settled down, he leaned back against a smooth rock, and his eyes fixed on the love of his life. "Lucrecia..." he called to her, softly and sadly, knowing that she would never answer him, again. Memories of thirty decades ago...
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"Don't do it, Lucrecia. You cannot allow Hojo to experiment on your unborn child..." Vincent grabbed the scientist's arm and turned her to face him.
Lucrecia removed his hold harshly and turned away. "I am a scientist and I lived for Science." One hand touched and rubbed her swollen belly gently. "I must do this..."
Vincent growled in frustration and approached the other scientist. He hated that man who was now Lucrecia's husband and the father of the scientist's unborn child. "Hojo, she is your wife. How can you let her do it? How can you subject your child to experiments! "
Hojo laughed sardonically. "Yes, like you said, she is my wife and I can do anything I want to her to do. Stay out of this."
Vincent recognized the taunt in Hojo's reply; he was taunting him for the turk's failure to win Lucrecia's heart. "I can't let you do this. I'm a Turk and Lucrecia is under my..." protection... He never finished the sentence as Hojo pulled out a gun from nowhere and shot the turk.
"NO! Vincent!" Lucrecia's horrified scream echoed the room. Vincent collapsed, barely alive, his blood forming a pool around him and seeping his life away from him. "Vincent! I'm..." It was too late and Vincent never heard the apologies from Lucrecia and the evil laughter from the insane Hojo.
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When he had regained consciousness again, he was different. He felt different, felt a powerful force running through his veins and body. Vincent screamed when he saw his reflection in the mirror, horrified that it had been altered significantly. His hair had grown long and reached beyond his shoulders. A thick red cloth covered his forehead, his brown eyes were now a piercing red color. His skin had turned pale and fair. He looked underneath his clothes, and found his torso covered with scars and strange symbols tattooed.
The man screamed, and landed one fist on the mirror, shattering it into thousand pieces while his fist bled. "Why... Why..."
His body started to transform into a monster, turning back to and fro. Vincent screamed till his throat became hoarse. He was a monster and there was only one person that was twisted enough to do that to him. "Hojo!" Vincent gritted his teeth, his red eyes staring deep into a shard on the ground.
Vincent stopped and willed himself to recall other memories, memories that included Lucrecia. The memory of discovering his monstrous body was deeply disturbing, even now, after thirty decades. He had not aged one bit, from the day he died. The tall man looked at himself. To the others, he was beautiful and delicate. His features were sharp and perfect, his long, silky black hair contrast sharply with his pale skin. His red eyes sent shivers down to anyone who did not know him.
But, to him, he was but a shell, with a body that was now genetically altered and beyond his own control. He wanted to die, to age like Cloud and the others, but he could not.
He had failed Lucrecia, his love. Failed to protect her and her unborn child who later turned out to be Sephiroth. He did not manage to help Sephiroth, who had turned against the Planet, believing his real mother was Jenova.
"Lucrecia..." Vincent called to the woman in the glass container. I'm sorry... The woman's eyes were closed as though asleep but her expression was sad as though she had died with regrets in her heart. Her pink lips seemed to utter the words.
"Chaos and Omega had returned to the Planet... " Vincent had saved the Planet, by defeating Omega Weapon who was awaken to take all life from the planet. He had killed Hojo who was the mastermind and all had returned to normal.
Forgiveness... "I have never try it, Cloud." He had replied to the ex-Soldier.
"Fine, I will try it and tell you if it works..." Cloud had answered solemnly before he picked up Marlene and returned home.
"You saved my life, Lucrecia... I could not have done it without you. Thank you..." Vincent murmured and stood up. He gave the woman one last look and left the cave. Thirty years of guilt and torment was enough. Perhaps, he had finally redeem himself...
Edited by Celestine, 23 August 2007 - 10:07 PM.
