Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Guns and Roses ❯ Goodbye ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: FF VII and all the characters herein belong to Square Enix, except Liana (I made her ^_^).

 

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Vincent collapsed as he made it to the top of the wrought iron landing. He could hear Sephiroth coming up the stairs behind him, and he grimaced. His body was in so much pain. It was blinding as sudden waves of white-hot fire shot through him.

 

“Well, well, well,” Sephiroth purred.

 

Vincent glanced up, forcing himself to his feet. His vision blurred as Sephiroth paused at the top of the stairs.

 

“There's nowhere left to go, Vinny,” Sephiroth said darkly. His Masamune flashed in the eerie light as he tilted his wrist, drawing Vincent's gaze. “This is the end.”

 

Vincent swallowed thickly. “You are correct,” he said slowly. His breathing was labored and he was leaning heavily on the railing. He glanced over his shoulder toward the crane behind him. “But not just for me.” He turned back when Sephiroth suddenly took several steps toward him. He flinched, his body wanting to run, but he forced himself to stand. The force of Sephiroth's blow was more than he expected.

 

He gasped, looking up from the ground as Sephiroth stood over him, his fist still clenched.

 

“Have you given up, gunslinger?” Sephiroth taunted. His emerald eyes sparkled maliciously at Vincent's silence. “It's about time,” he said.

 

Vincent gasped in pain when Sephiroth grabbed him, hauling him to his feet.

 

“Do you want to know why we needed you to come here, Vincent?” Sephiroth asked, dragging him toward the edge of the landing. Vincent scowled as the faint glow of mako suddenly lit Sephiroth's face, and he realized they were standing over the large vat of liquid mako.

 

He flinched when Sephiroth turned to look at him, mania having filled his eyes. “Well?” he demanded, hauling Vincent to stand on the edge. “Do you?”

 

Vincent glanced down cautiously, knowing a fall was fatal, both from the height and from the mako. “I'm sure you're going to have your monologue you always wanted and tell me,” he said slowly. His voice sounded tired, even to him, and he realized that he was ready for what was about to happen. Well…for the most part. He knew his death would be too much for Tifa, and that pained him, but his soul was ready. He had lived more lives than he cared to admit, and he was ready for whatever afterlife awaited him…

 

“You're blood is the key,” Sephiroth said, drawing his crimson gaze.

 

Vincent frowned. “What?” he breathed.

 

“With the components from your body, Hojo can make a cure,” Sephiroth said. He watched as Vincent's eyes lit slightly, before the light faded again.

 

“That's impossible,” he whispered. “And what is the point of living to die in the future?”

 

Sephiroth shrugged. He grinned evilly. “It matters not to me,” he said. He pushed Vincent closer to the edge, watching as the gunman gasped, grasping his wrist. “I have the key to immortality and the cure. I can live forever, and when it makes me ill, I can cure myself and do it all over again.” He laughed darkly, his voice quieting to a whisper. “I can rule the world.”

 

Vincent scowled darkly. “You'll never rule anything,” he said, suddenly feeling furious. He felt like a ragdoll when Sephiroth scowled, suddenly lifting him off his feet and dangling him precariously over the vat.

 

“And neither will you, you pathetic cowboy,” he said angrily. He sneered. “You can't do anything. You couldn't save the ones you loved, and now you can't save yourself.” He tilted his head, his long, silver locks falling over his shoulder. “Goodbye, Vincent.”

 

Vincent's eyes widened slightly, before he gritted his teeth. “I have one last thing for you,” he gasped. As quickly as he could, he whipped his gun from his belt and loosed a shot. He was uncertain if his bullet struck home at first, but then the sounds of breaking and bending metal filled his ears, as well as Sephiroth's curses. He closed his eyes as he felt his body falling. He didn't want to see his death.

 

The mako was cold at first, before turning white-hot against his skin. He was fortunate, he supposed, when his mind finally slipped away from his body's pain.

 

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Tifa gasped as she burst into cool night air. The first thing she registered where the sound of sirens nearing, and she ran to Vincent's car. She wasn't surprised that it was open, and there was a cell phone in the seat. It was ringing fervently, Cloud's number flashing on the screen.

 

“Cloud!” she gasped.

 

“Tifa?” Cloud sounded confused. “Where is Vincent?”

 

“He's inside,” Tifa gasped wildly. “Please, Cloud, hurry!” She felt tears slipping down her cheeks. “He might be dying!”

 

“Take it easy,” Cloud said soothingly. “Everything will be fine.”

 

Tifa shook her head, breaking down into sobs. She couldn't think as lights and voices suddenly began to surround her.

 

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“Tifa?”

 

Brown eyes glanced up as Cloud came into view.

 

“Are you ready?” Cloud asked, kneeling beside her. He watched as the soft breeze blew gentle strands of hair around her face.

 

She nodded mutely. Cloud noted that she hadn't spoken much since two weeks ago, and she was beginning to look sick and gaunt. He figured she probably hadn't eaten much.

 

“Let's go then,” he said. He stood and reached a hand down to help her up. He watched as she stood slowly, brushing grass and dirt from her blue jeans. She stood very still for a moment, staring blankly down at a marble stone. “What is it?”

 

Tifa was silent for a long moment, before she swallowed thickly. Her voice was a dry whisper from too many days of unuse. “He was my soul mate,” she breathed. Her eyes crowded with tears.

 

Cloud had seen this too many times. “It'll be alright, Tifa,” he said. He watched as she shook her head.

 

“No,” she breathed. “It will never be alright.” When she looked at him, her hazel eyes were furious. “You did this to him!” She pointed at the stone. “You said it would be alright, and it's not Cloud!” She realized she was shrieking. “It will never be alright!”

 

Cloud was frozen, unsure of what to say. He stared at her in shock, feeling dumbfounded. What more could he have done? By the time they arrived, the kooky scientist had vanished, and Vincent and Sephiroth's bodies had been floating in some kind of sparkly goo. The medics on the scene had done all they could for the men, but it was too late. And, on top of that, Cloud hadn't understood what Tifa kept saying about them being soul mates. She had known the man for a very short period of time.

 

“I think you need to see a doctor, Tifa,” he said slowly. “Your grief is affecting you.”

 

Tifa shook her head, shoving past him. “I loved him, Cloud,” she said, breaking into sobs. She shook her head. “I've always loved him.”

 

She looked away, across the graveyard. She now understood, in her heart, why she had fallen for him so easily, and why it hurt so badly at his death. She understood now, as she stared away, into the shadows of a huge oak tree, why she felt this way.

 

She shook her head, thinking of the days she had spent after his death, rummaging through all of his belongings, which he had left to her, along with his business and house. She understood perfectly, and she glanced down as she felt a gold locket brush against her fingers in her pockets. All the things he'd said, all the stories he'd told her; she knew now why they had seemed so familiar.

 

She pulled the locket from her coat, opening it slowly. “I've always loved him, Cloud,” she whispered, staring down at the picture in the locket. “And do you know why?”

 

Cloud's brow furrowed lightly. He remained silent.

 

Tifa smiled humorlessly, looking up at him. She said nothing as she handed him the picture. His gasp didn't surprise her.

 

“Who is this, Tifa?” he asked slowly, looking first at her, then at the locket.

 

Tifa held his gaze steadily. “Her name was Lucrecia,” she said softly. She watched as Cloud handed her the picture back, and she stared down at the woman, seeming as if it was her own reflection. She bit her lip as her eyes traveled over Vincent. “And the reason I know we were soul mates is because she is me.” She looked up at Cloud, feeling crazy.

 

He was staring at her dubiously.

 

“I'm her reincarnation,” she breathed. “That's why she looks like me.”

 

Cloud shook his head. “That's impossible,” he whispered.

 

Tifa shook her head, looking away as a breeze suddenly lifted her dark brown hair away from her face. She stiffened when she got the sudden feeling that they weren't alone.

 

Nothing is impossible, a voice suddenly whispered.

 

Tifa sighed deeply, letting the warmth she felt wash over her. She knew Vincent was with her. “Nothing is impossible,” she quietly told Cloud. “Nothing.”