Twisted Fate

Chapter 3

Fear

He finally made it to the rooftop. It took him less than thirty seconds to clear four stories. An amazing speed for normal people; yet it was too slow for his anxious heart. But now that he was standing in front of the door that led to the outside, he hesitated as he put his hand on the doorknob.

What am I doing? It could not be her. She’s dead. She died while giving birth to Sephiroth thirty years ago. No. It was Hojo who murdered her with Mako and Jenova injections. But, it doesn’t matter. She’s dead. But how come I saw her less than a minute ago? It was her! Her hair, her figure, her dress. She loved white dresses…

You are at the edge of your sanity, Vincent… A voice from his mind answered all his rising questions.

He frowned at the idea of being insane. As if to prove that the voice was wrong, he turned the doorknob and push the door open quietly. He did not want to announce his arrival if the person was indeed the woman he loved thirty years ago. He would not want to scare her away with his appearance. Would she reject him once more? Especially now that he looked like a demon from hell.

Fear of rejection or the fear of being hurt once more, was nothing compared to the what he witnessed with his own eyes when he reached the open area of the rooftop. An angel memorized by the view of the city was leaning against the railing, completely oblivious of the dark figure with a long and narrow sword behind her.

Vincent’s ruby eyes widened in complete fear, the fear of losing her, the fear of failing to protect her once more. He wanted to shout out a warning. Yet, he pressed his lips tight to avoid making a sound. No, it would only alert the attacker if he made any sound, and she was too far away for him to reach her, even with his abnormal speed.

He knew what to do almost immediately.

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He lifted his masamune above his shoulders and readied to deliver the deadly blow.

Suddenly, he heard a loud gun shot. His left hand lost all its sensations and dropped the masamune. His right hand immediately caught the falling sword as he angrily searched for the intruder. At the corner of his eyes, he saw a red shadow charging towards him at the speed of a bullet. He turned around and it was too late to use his weapon. He would have to use his fists. As he was ready to strike the red figure with his powerful fists, he was then distracted by a sudden piercing scream. He focused his attention back to the red attacker instantly but it was already too late. He saw a golden arm reached out and slapped him across his temple. The blow was hard enough to knock the Great Sephiroth on the ground.

Furious by the attack, he was about to jump back up as a deadly scream echoed through his mind. It caused a headache with the intensity that could crashed his skull. His eyes were shut tight as the voice of his Mother mixed with her painfully scream filled up his ears.

His eyes could only open in a narrow slit, but even in his agony he would never forget what he saw. An intense bright glow completely surrounded the girl he was about to kill. So bright that it hurt him. Yet somehow part of him wanted to get closer to the warmth of that intense glow. But his body was no longer in his control.

Once more, his head was filled with the screams of Jenova and the pain that could ripped his body apart.

Then, there was complete darkness.

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Still with his Peacemaker pointed to the direction where the black figure once was, Vincent stood in complete awe as he witnessed the attacker disappeared in thin air. Was he a human? What bothered him even more was the face of the silver haired attacker. He looked so… familiar. But Vincent was sure he had not seen this man before. That man could not be more than thirty years-old, which implied that he might've been only a baby when Vincent had been put in the coffin thirty years ago. Besides, who would ever forget those silver hair and piercing green eyes of his.

A soft moan got his attention and brought him back to reality. He turned to the source of the sound and realized the girl in white dress was collapsing as the glow around her began to fade away. He quickly rushed to her side and steadied her in his arms. Now with a much closer look, Vincent finally noticed that she was not Lucrecia, the woman he had loved and lost thirty years ago. They both had innocent faces; yet there was something special about this woman. She looked almost… unearthly.

As he gently picked her up in his arms, he recalled the strange white glow surrounded her body as she let out a piercing scream. That intense glow seemed to be some sort of power that had weakened the attacker before he disappeared. Or perhaps he disappeared because of that power. But that did not matter anymore. The girl in his arms needed medical attention right now, and somehow he had to find a doctor. She began to stir in his arms and buried her face in his chest. He frowned at the thought of being so close to a stranger. But somehow, her floral scent calmed his uneasiness. Unconsciously, he cradled her closer to him as he approached the stairway.

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Vincent tensed as he saw three SOLDIERs blocking the staircase. He could easily dispatch the SOLDIERs, but what about the girl in his arms? Was she one of the Shinras?

"Sir, we saw what happened through the security cameras. Thank you for saving Miss Gainsborough. Please come with us. President Shinra wishes to thank you in person."

He glanced at the unconscious girl. He could feel her raising temperature through the fabrics of their clothing.

"Fine. But she needs medical attention right now." Why did he care so much about a stranger? Because she reminds you of Lucrecia…

Vincent buried that thought at the back of his mind and followed the SOLDIERs. Still carrying the girl in his arms, he took a deep breath and let the floral scent calm his restless mind.

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