Marlene raced up to the house leaving a small trail of dust behind. Vincent came up quick behind Tifa and pulled her a bit as they briskly walked to the house. Marlene was already frantically knocking on the door when they reached her and a very surprised and panic-stricken Shera opened the door. At the site of this mere child Shera's eyes showed compassion and she began to say something but was cut off as Marlene ran past her. She looked to Tifa and then to Vincent.

She whispered, "You're here just in time. His breathing is irregular and has refused to eat in the last few days. He won't tell us anything about how he came to be so sick," she stammered, "and I fear he won't make it through the night."

Tifa first thought of what she could do to help the situation. It dawned upon her that there was nothing she could do. The damage was done and she knew no matter what she attempted to do, it would be of no help.

Shera stepped out of the way to allow Tifa passage into the house. They treaded quickly but as quietly as they could through the living room passing Cid holding the hysterically crying Marlene in his arms on the couch, to the back of the house in front of a closed door. Vincent and Shera stepped aside waiting for Tifa to enter first where she could have some privacy with Barret. Marlene suddenly ran to her side and held her hand. Cid wrapped his arm around Shera and watched Tifa with anticipating eyes. Slowly she pushed open the door and closed it behind her.

The room was dark except for the single candle burning in the corner. A dark figure sat in the bed with the covers pulled almost all the way up to its chin. Barret stirred from his coma whispering softly the name of his daughter.

"Marlene?"

"Yes, Papa?" she cried back.

She took tiny steps to the bed and held her father crying bitterly. He used comforting words to soothe her as best he could until her crying subsided to soft mew. He seemed so weak and frail, not at all like the Barret they all knew. Whatever Cloud had given him was so lethal and Tifa felt her cheeks get hot.

"Marlene honey, lemme talk wif' Tifa for a lill while, ok?"

"Ok. Papa? I love you."

"I love you too, baby. I'll see you in the morning."

Marlene's face changed a million times before it decided on which emotion it would take, "Yes, Papa, in the morning." She left the room.

Tifa held herself in her arms tightly trying to feel as comfortable as she could talking to this man who saved her life and gave her the privilege of their friendship. But somehow everything had changed and she no longer felt that comfort. The man who had been there from the start would be the first to leave them and depart this world. The thought of it killed inside and made her feel sick.

"Tifa, I want to tell you something. Come closer."

She obeyed him feeling a moment of panic. She took his hand and kissed it maternally. Droplets of water fell from her eyes like rain, not subsiding, not caring.

"I want you to promise me something." Already his voice was getting weaker.

"Anything, Barret."

"I want you to watch ovr' Marlene. I don't trust her wiff anyone else but you. Maybe Cid and Shera but I dunno how she would feel about that. You ask her, I just wan'er to be happy and I know she be happiest wiff you."

Tifa nodded feeling her entire body sink lower to the ground. She felt so heavy.

Say your goodbyes now, Tifa.

"Promise me, Tifa?," his voice was trailing off, "She'll be ok?"

"I promise." She felt her lips move.

She thought he said something after that like, "Good." Or, "Goodbye". She wasn't ever sure. A cold draft blew up floating like a thin sheet brushing against her legs. It rose to her waist and arms and blew through her hair just for a moment. The hand she held suddenly lost it's warmth, and the hero Barret Wallace had left forever to become what it is destined of all those who are born, to return to the planet and once again become energy. To the Lifestream.

The world seemed shatter around her. Everything seemed wrong. The room was out of order, her body wasn't touching the ground it seemed, the outside world was nothing but blackness and one word circulated her mind over and over like an endless cycle.

Murder.

She shook Barret's body knowing she was screaming for him to come back but what she was screaming was someone else's name. The one person she loathed with all her soul for all the pain he's ever caused. She screamed for Marlene, she screamed for having Cloud Strife into this world, she vowed vengeance for Barret.

"Cloud!!!!!!!"

***

"Vincent, she's fine. She was just tired and overwhelmed. Let her sleep and stop that damn pacing! You're making me nervous!" Cid scolded.

It was sometime around 3 in the morning when they sent a disheveled Tifa and red eyed Marlene to sleep. Vincent walked back and forth nervously around the room knowing that this was the first time he had ever spoken to Cid alone. Cid had also sent Shera to bed who was sleeping in the main bedroom. A thought struck Cid suddenly.

"How did you and Tifa manage to get here? Did you meet up along the road or something? And Marlene was missing for a time looking for Yuffie."

Vincent explained everything he needed to know for the moment, making up some story how he and Tifa were crossing the same road near Nibelhiem when they spotted Marlene running around by herself.

"Where the hell was Tifa? No one saw her after the whole incident with Cloud back at the pier. Gave us all a scare but I never doubted her. She's a smart girl. But not so smart for falling all over that-"

Vincent was looking at him intently straight into his eyes. He looked much like his father and wondered if Cid ever knew anything about him. The true story of his father was so long and intertwined, it amazed him that he was the only one who knew such things.

"Cid, the world is a small place, don't you agree?"

He scratched his head and wondered what this had to do with anything. "Yea, so?" he replied.

"How old were you when your father died?"

"Ah well, I must have been in my teens. But-"

"Why did he die?"

"He was sick for a while." It was clear in Cid's voice that he was getting very aggravated, "Is if you weren't gonna ask my mom died same month my old man did.. I guess it just wasn't my luck." He reached in his shirt pocket to grab a smoke. He lit it lethargically and took a drag before letting it hang off his lip in that certain way that was a trademark for him.

"I knew your father. Great man, that Jacob was." Vincent said looking out to the bleak scenery through the front window.

"That's impossible. How could you have known my father? You're sure as hell not older than I am and even if you did meet him you probably wouldn't even remember."

"Ah you see, that is where you are wrong. I am older than you."

"Oh really? How is that, youngin?" He stressed on the last word.

Vincent laughed coldly. "While kept asleep in the Shinra Mansion in Nibelhiem my body did not change it's physical being, but at the time when I was put asleep I was nearly into my thirties. Twenty-seven to be exact making me a pretty damn good looking old guy, don‚t you think so?"

Cid smirked feeling something strange towards this man. For some reason he did not like talking with him. He had a mystery about him that could never be solved and when he did smile, it was though he had a secret that he would kill himself before telling it to you. It was aggravating to look into those eyes and see all those secrets kept locked behind a hidden barrier. The stolid look on his face obviously never hinted what he was thinking. For all you knew he was undressing you with his eyes and laughing and the pink polka-dotted underwear you accidentally slipped on this morning.

The growing ash on his cigarette was threatening to break off and fall on his shirt. Vincent found it unnerving how Cid just sat there, knowing it was about to fall and didn’t bother to flick it away. He thought maybe it was a test on Vincent's part. Cid wanted to see if Vincent would say something.

"You're father was the best pilot on this Planet. It was amazing how one man could have known so much about flying contraptions. He nearly designed all the fighting planes for Shinra."

"I know. I read some of his notes a few years after he died. Damnit!" The ash had finally caught up with gravity. Vincent tried to suppress his laugh.

"Did you ever wonder why he had such a passion for flying?"

Cid was vigorously wiping the soot off his shirt and barely paid much attention to the question. "Same reason as I do, I guess. It's beautiful up in the sky rather than being stuck down on this hellhole."

"Really? His notes never said anything else in them?"

"Vincent, what the hell are you getting at? It's been a long night. I'm tired, I'm grieving-"

Vincent cut him off, "He was in love with another women. Well, this was before he met your mother of course. But your 'old man' had a first love."

Vincent saw through the reflection in the glass Cid lye back in his seat and covered his face with his hand. That seemed to show in one quick motion what he was feeling, annoyance. Vincent continued.

"He wasn't in love with any ordinary woman. In fact, she wasn't even a woman at the time, but a mere girl. You're father worked for Shinra just as it was starting out with its Mako campaigns and as soon as he turned 18.. He was supplied everything he needed, as a chef," Vincent leaned in as he said this, "and he would be cooking for the newly enforced army."

Cid moaned out from under his hand. "That's complete crap. My father was never a chef, from the time he was freakin' 5 years old he wanted to fly."

"Do you want my to continue? Cause I could leave you to believe that lie for the rest of your life. Or I can enlighten you on the truth," he began to move from the window when Cid spoke up. "Go on."

"Very well," he whispered. "The first week was hard on your father. Being away from home and all but he needed the money. He was one in six siblings and the oldest for that matter. It was expect he get an early start on life. Being a chef wasn't as bad as sacrificing yourself into an army. He was doing quite well the first 6 months and got promoted to be the head chef at Shinra Headquarters in central Midgar. Doing that he had access to the upper kitchen as well as the lower one and was assigned to cook and deliver the meals to the office workers. Whatever they did in those laboratories didn't enable them to leave for many hours at a time.

"Research is essential." Cortain, Jacob's administrator told him. "Don't disturb them, just place it somewhere they can see it. Don‚t wait for a tip, I'll handle that."

"Jacob rode the elevator sometimes to the upper level where the President resided. The day came where he would actually meet the man so many were talking about. In no time Shinra was gaining popularity amongst those in Midgar and it's neighboring city, Kalm. When the elevator doors opened and allowed him access to the elaborate office of President Shinra, he couldn't move but only stare at the site that was only few precious steps away. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. But why was she crying?

"Murderer!" she screamed. "You killed them to get to me! Why did you kill them!?"

"A man sat behind an unnecessarily huge 'boss chair' and did not reply. A very faint tapping was heard behind the chair. His fingers patting against the thick leather arm holds made an impatient sound to them. To the right side of the girl stood 3 men all dressed in black suits. Their faces held a stubborn look to them and seemed uninterested in the situation. As she screamed murderer, none of them flinched as he did to her sharp piercing cry. What was going on?

"Jacob jumped forward before the doors closed almost catching his foot in the process and caused quite a commotion. The 3 men instantly pulled out their guns and aimed it at him and the man in the chair spin around fiercely.

"Who are you?" he bellowed.

"J-just the cook, sir. You ordered food before a-and I was sent to bring it to you, sir." He swallowed hard feeling like his hands would give out and drop the food onto the floor. Still the 3 men did unarm themselves. That was when she looked at him. Those eyes could stop an oncoming train.

"Just leave it here." The man pointed at the desk. He small fiery eyes peered out from under two bushy yellow brows. His hair was slick back in a greasy way and there was a sign of early grayness trying to hide itself somewhere in the mass of blonde. He had creases beginning to form on the sides of his eyes as old age was taking affect. Though all these things showed his aging process he couldn't have been much older than 40.

"The trays in his hands felt extremely heavy the closer her got to the desk. Finally those terrible men lowered their weapons and hide them again inside the black suits. Something was bothering him greatly about what was going on. Taking away the fact that the men were armed, the boss was fidgeting and the girl just screamed murder, he felt eyes staring at him. The girl's face was sopping wet with tears and the rims of her eyes red and raw. She mouthed the words, "Please help me.."

"Move along, stop staring at the pretty girl. We all know what we'd like to do with her, but she's a specimen. No touching allowed." He laughed as though he made some sort of great joke. Specimen? Jacob was confused.

"Just as he placed the contents of food on the table the girl made a mad dash for the door. The men were quick to follow but it was too late, the doors closed and they heard a ding signaling she was on her way down to the lobby.

"Damnit!" the President scoffed. He pressed a button located on a little machine, an intercom, "Maximum security on all levels. The girl got away. Bring her to the lab and don't hurt her." He then turned to Jacob, "What are you still doing here? Get the hell out!"

"Yes, sir!" he said running for the elevator which hadn't returned yet. As soon as it did he and the men piled in all going down. It was an unpleasant ride down, none of them speaking until the curiosity was eating him alive.

"So who are you guys?" Jacob fearfully asked trying not to sound too much like a wimp.

"They didn't answer nor did they acknowledge him until they reached their destination. Someone spoke up rather rudely as they ran out the door, "We're the Turks."

"The Turks, eh? I wonder what they do." The 3 men in black suits were gone.

"Over a year had passed since that day and Jacob had enough of being a cook for Shinra. The pay was horrible, the duty too stressful and an eerie feeling emitted from that place that no one could quite explain. Instead there was a new job he signed up for, though still with Shinra, he would get away from this building. Possibly even see a little of the world. It shipped him off to a town he'd never heard of not that it made much difference. It was an adventure. Every now and then the girl crossed his mind and wondered what ever happened to her. What did she do to make it into that awful place?

"With what pay he had he moved into his new home, a place called Rocket Town. It was very grim and dark most of the time but he had his own house and a new life abroad. He took up the profession of a mechanic to work with machines they were making in a factory towards the back of the town. These machines were strange, they looked like sleeping pods. Nevertheless, all the mechanics there had no idea what they were being made for and none really cared.

"One night after a long day of problems and malfunctions at work, Jacob finally lye down to rest. Not long after a loud crash was heard somewhere outside followed by banging and bashing. "What the hell?" he thought.

"Making his way over to the ruckus he knew it was coming from inside the factory. As he got closer he could almost see inside the factory through a window. "Why isn't anyone else coming out? Surely they must have heard this," he thought "Maybe they're afraid." Something dark and small ran past the window inside and another bang was heard.

"Jacob, taking out a spare key, opened the door to the factory and peered inside. He hesitated to switch on the light but after doing so, he deeply regretted it. Everything in front of him was smashed to pieces. Parts had flown all over the place, some pieces looked charred and the ever so powerful smell of smoke flooded their way into his nostrils. Again, a dark figure flew across the room and tried to get out.

"Hey!" he screamed and ran after it. Luckily for him whatever it was had its cloak stuck on something and it frightfully tried so hard to release itself. He caught up to it and assisted it in getting loose again. The creature stopped its rustling and allowed him to help. Though it's face could not be seen under the cloak, it was staring right at him.

"Now who are you and what are you doing here?" he said trying to look into the hood.

A very graceful hand swept up and pulled back its protective mask and two emerald eyes bore into his pleading with something he knew she was trying to tell him. She looked so familiar.

"You have to get away from here," she whispered. "Shinra is evil and I know you know it too. I had to destroy these things. You don't know their purpose and hopefully you never will." She sounded almost desperate now, "Discontinue their manufacturing!"

"He shook his head unable to fathom what she was talking about. "I'm afraid I don't understand but.. do I know you from somewhere?"

"Just as he said this he heard the voices of the villagers come nearer. He had no time to react for the girl had taken him by the arm and led him out the window she had broken earlier. They made it out just in time for the villagers were just entering."

"They ran along the edge of town hiding in the shadows, avoiding any spots of light. Successfully they made it to Jacob's house unnoticed, but a bit shaken. He offered the girl a place to rest. And that was the beginning of it."

Cid looked at him coyly and laughed. "You've got to be kidding me, where are you getting this all from?"

Vincent reached in his cape and pulled a worn leather booklet. He threw it on the table in front of Cid and smiled. "From his diary."

Cid was hesitant to pick it up but opened the front cover and read the name of the owner.

"Well I'll be damned.. Jacob Highwind." He said flipping through the pages.

Vincent stood over by the window looking out again into nothingness.

"He fell in love with the young girl, but it was short lived. She said she had to leave him, she was looking for someone who could help her understand more about herself and her people. He didn't know what to do, she was his life. She didn't tell him where she was going but that one-day she might return. It killed him inside.

"He told her as she walked off that he would find her. He would search the world until she was found, no matter the obstacles. He would scale the mountains, cross the oceans, hike the farthest distance till she can be in his arms again.

"This is when his second passion in life came to him. The thing you were also blessed with, although for different reasons, but you share that one talent that no other in this world could surpass."

Cid lit another cigarette and blew smoke in Vincent's direction. "Yea? What is it?"

"To fly. He designed an airplane to search the world for his true love, to be reunited. For this one mission of his he developed a new age in technology, for one small woman set him off on his destiny. This new course of work caused quite a commotion, Shinra gave him a raise and put him in charge of the Air/Space program. With all this going on he never did get the chance to go looking for her, only once or twice did he set across the world keeping his eyes on the world below for her.

"Eventually he fell in love with someone else, your mother, but never forgot that one girl. And when you were born he taught you all he knew, hiding his past hoping your would follow in his footsteps, in the great Highwind pride. You would learn how to fly.

Vincent slowly stepped away from the window and turned towards the guest bedroom. He was feeling weak and the sun was soon about to rise. Just as he turned the doorknob to join Tifa and Marlene sleeping soundly, Cid called for him still on the couch.

"Well aren't you gonna tell me this gal's name? My pop pines for this girl all his life, never mentions a word of this to anyone except this here leather journal, and then you come here tellin me everything like it‚s a fairy tale or something! Who was this girl?"

Vincent took a step in the room and began to shut the door after him. His lips upturned into a smile, "Her name was Ifalna." He shut the door.

Cid sat on the couch his mouth open in shock letting the cigarette fall into his lap, it burned through his pants an finally Cid showed some signs of life and hit his leg trying to put it out. He jumped up and still stood staring at the door Vincent just entered. He quickly tore open the journal and briefly read through the pages keeping his finger pointed into the page, skimming it quickly.

A mumble of words he read aloud and stopped abruptly, dropping the book. "Well I'll be damned.."

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