Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Lunatic Pandora ❯ Weak and Powerless Over You ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven: Weak and Powerless Over You

 

One-Winged Angel: The next chapter. Woot. I want to thank my reviewers for reading this and sticking with it. Thanks everyone and here's the next chapter. (Oh, and I don't own any of this, it belongs to SquarEnix and the song I used belongs to the most wonderful band, A Perfect Circle.)

 

~~~

Desperate and Ravenous
I'm so weak and powerless over you
Desperate and Ravenous
I'm so weak and powerless
Over you. - “Weak and Powerless,” by A Perfect Circle

~~~

Vincent just wanted to get as far away from that cursed mansion as he could, to put as much distance between himself and the ancient walls and basement corridors of that building as possible at the moment. Stray strands of onyx tresses fell before his crimson eyes, released from the bandana that he bound about his pale forehead in his rush, his footsteps falling along the staircase in the antechamber in a loud ring of metal on wood. I have to inform someone, anyone… There has to be a way to save him.

The ex-Turk's mind was buzzing with thoughts and questions, his gaze wandering over his shoulder in apprehension as he finally made his way off of the slightly curved stairs, his sight scanning over every shadow and ever crevice as if he expected the Crisis from the Skies to be close behind. A breath that he hadn't even realized he had been holding curled from his slightly parted lips as he slowed his pace, Vincent taking gasps in the brisk air as he tugged the front door open. He was out of breath, not just from the quick sprint from his escape - no, his enhanced endurance proved that that was a very minute problem - but from the terror that he had felt as he glanced into those empty, emotionless eyes of his once companion.

And all he could do was stand there and stare at him as he let the man be consumed by that monster. The monster that he thought he had personally shot through the head alongside that very man.

“Dammit all...” Letting a string of curses slide from his throat along with the dancing of crystalline particles in the cold air the gunman examined the area briefly, his search turning up empty-handed. The others must have taken shelter from the cold… He sighed, his face tilting slowly up toward the dark, slate gray sky of the Nibelheim air to watch the rolling clouds, deep in thought.

Breaking away from his thoughts in urgency he glanced down from the grim heavens and ran a thin hand through his now even more unruly hair, the lengthy strands falling gently to his mid-back as he released his grip from them. His first plan of action; find one of the other party members. Preferably Cid… Nodding to no one in particular Vincent continued forward, away from the door that he had slammed shut merely seconds ago and closer to the black iron-gate that surrounded the mansion like a cage. Spinning on his heel once he reached the swinging door of the metal fencing he turned toward the pathway to the mountains, his face set into a look of worry rather than the cool and calm visage he normally carried.

If Cid were to be anywhere at the time, it would be working on the Highwind. Curse the day that they had planned this gathering. Curse it to hell.

~ ~ ~

“Dammit… Piece of shit tools.” The harsh string of curses that slid from Cid's lips filled the chill mountain air as he stepped away from the airship that he had been laboring over for the past couple of hours, his ever present cigarette hanging from his lips as he paced out into the cold air from the inside of the Highwind. Frowning to himself he took another breath of the thing, his sky blue eyes turning up to face the sky warily and in frustration.

The other members - Barret, Tifa and Red XIII, to be exact - had left only a few minutes ago to head over the Nibel mountains and to the town on the other side, the day's announcement that he couldn't finish the job without the proper supplies and some aid from the other engineers in the town leading to the decision. Of course, he wasn't allowed to go. Tifa had insisted that he stay behind and do what he could to the massive airship while they were gone, despite the fact that there was nothing he could really do without a few extra hands, some supplies, and at least half-way decent metal.

Cid let a sigh slip from his lips as he reached into the back pocket of his jeans, a cloth being pulled out from the area to use as a method for cleaning the persistent grease off of his calloused hands. “What I'd give to get out of here and take a long, hot shower away from this fuckin' place…” He dismissed the wish hastily, the sight of the ship leaning against the edge of the mountains, tucked perfectly in between the range, causing him to frown even deeper. By the way things were going now, they wouldn't be out of here any time soon…

This definitely was not the heart warming gathering that they had planned on in the first place, their little `detour' leaving them stranded in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Cid mentally cursed Yuffie and Tifa for arranging the meeting, the women insisting that it had been almost two months since the end of the Meteor Crisis and they needed to `celebrate' one last time. Celebrate meant going to the Gold Saucer for a week. Which also meant that Cid had to travel around the damned Planet to pick everyone up. Thus leading to their incident.

Cid brushed off the memory with a shake of his head, the pilot plopping down on the snowy ground and raising a hand to his head, his fingers working through his short hair. “Right… Now what the hell do they want me to do?” Glancing over the expanse of the area he leaned back, his arms crossing behind his head to form a makeshift pillow in the snow, his jacket serving to keep the cold out. “Damned town… always covered in clouds, never a fuckin' day when I can see the sky…”

The sound of boots crunching through the snow from the direction of the town at his right caused Cid to pull himself up from his position and out of his musings, his eyes darting toward the dark form as the person made their way in his direction. He recognized the familiar mantle and dark hair at once, the engineer gathering himself in to a full standing position. “Hey Vin! What the hell's the rush all about…?” The ebony-haired man came to a stop before him, his garnet eyes slightly darkened with a sense of importance and what Cid swore was a hint of fear, his pallid face flushed from his obvious haste.

“Cid, there's something wrong.” Vincent's voice was different from it's normal self, Cid noticed, his tone less calculated and soft like it normally was to rub off into a tone that Cid guessed he had used as a Turk more than he did now. The panicked phrase and the way that the man shot a wary glance over his shoulder caused Cid to raise a single golden eyebrow, his hand moving to brush lightly over the other's human arm without much thought.

“What is it?” Recoiling from the touch Vincent shook his head as if he didn't know how to describe the situation, the ex-Turk taking a deep breath before shaking his head once more.

“I'm… not entirely sure, but I believe it has to do with Jenova… Cid, there's something wrong with Cloud. I just saw him, in the ShinRa mansion, but he's not… he's not himself.” A deep frown creased his smooth features as Vincent sighed deeply, more in an effort to calm his racing mind than to do anything else. This was not working the way he had planned, the ex-ShinRa employee closing his blood red eyes to let his mind sort out what he wanted to explain. Think first…

“What!?” A sigh made it's way from the slender man's throat as he ran a single hand through his lengthy midnight tresses, his face contorted into a look of concern and fear that Cid now noticed was clearly evident. Shit. “Didn't we kill that mother fucker!?”

“We did, Cid. At least I thought we did…” He paused, his hand moving to clutch at the metallic arm that he was cursed with, his gloved palm brushing over the icy metal as he ran his willowy fingers across the smooth surface in contemplation. “No, she is nearly dead. I can tell, but there is still some tie, some connection between her and what is happening to Cloud at this moment. Jenova may have been defeated, but she is not entirely gone, you know this. As long as Cloud…” The taller man trailed off, his face turning to tilt toward the ground almost as if he didn't want to voice the obvious aloud, didn't want to bring up the horrible possibility that there was no way to stop this beast without…

“As long as the kid and you are alive, that bitch's alive too, huh?” Vincent was grateful that Cid had interrupted before his thoughts could continue their path, a solemn nod being given as an answer in his direction. “But how do ya know it was her? What really happened Vin?” Gently, affectionately the blonde reached a hand out toward his companion, his grip falling on Vincent's slender shoulder almost in a manner to add some form of comfort.

“… Cloud has been missing all day, hasn't he?” Cid gave a nod, despite his surprise at the sudden question, and Vincent sighed, his breath curling into tiny crystalline particles before his collar, his dark eyes misting over for a moment. “I believe she is trying to do what she did to Sephiroth, in a sense. When I found Cloud… he was long under Jenova's control, and was in the ShinRa Mansion basement.” Vincent paused, his eyes drifting slowly over the pilot's shoulder to cast another wary glance in the direction of the snowy town. “Cid, Cloud killed Sephiroth, the strongest warrior on the Planet up until now. What does that mean to you?”

“… That the kid's stronger.” Cid let his words trail off as he ran the thought over in his mind, his hand moving away from the taller man to reach for the pack of cigarettes that he constantly had tucked away behind the strap of his goggles. If Jenova really wanted to have power, then she would go for Cloud; the man had defeated Sephiroth, had defeated Jenova even - and had even helped the Calamity from the Skies nearly destroy the Planet. His frown deepened at this thought, the hand that had been aimlessly searching for a cigarette falling to his side.

“Exactly. Cloud is her prime method of accessing the Planet from inside the Lifestream.” Vincent paused, his slightly sharp canine teeth sinking into his bottom lip in a nervous habit that he resorted back to, pearly white teeth showing over pink flesh. Cid found himself getting distracted by the simple action, his eyes focusing on the other's mouth for a mere second before he tore his eyes away, a shake of his head brushing his thoughts away to catch what the man was saying. “If she can still contact him, even after her defeat, what else can she do?” The question was obviously just a thought, Cid finding himself unable to offer any answer as he turned his back to the ebony-haired gunman, his sky-blue eyes scanning the area briefly.

“Why don't we go check on him? See if he's still there and if there's anything we can do? The kid managed to break from her control once, he can do it again.” The sound of snow crunching under Vincent's boots caused the man to glance to his side, the slender form as if trekked past him a crimson stain on the snowy earth. The pilot paused, his eyes misting over with thought. If that bitch can still get to the kid from the Lifestream, then can she affect Vin? It's never happened before-

“Are you coming, or are you going to stand there and stare the entire time Highwind?” Vincent's soft voice managed to break Cid from his daze, his feet finally gaining feeling as he offered a grin toward the other, his eyes bright with reassurance as he made his way over the opening and after his companion.

“Yeah yeah, hold on Vin.”

~ ~ ~

Vincent was surprised as he paced into the basement hallway of the ShinRa Mansion, to say the least, his garnet eyes drifting over the dark crevices of the corridor warily. There was no sign that the man had entered the hall or that he had left the library, a relieved groan making its way from his throat as he gazed closer at the back of the room. If Cloud hadn't left the room, then no damage could have been done to anyone in the area, even if the only other people apart from AVALANCHE were ShinRa employees.

Or so he hoped he hadn't.

“Well…? Can ya see anything?” Vincent glanced over at Cid, the pilot lingering back slightly further than he was, the blonde casting a nervous glare in the vicinity of the library and laboratory combination in the back. The thought of what was in the room caused Vincent to shudder, a gentle shake of his head answering the man's question without words. He didn't trust himself to speak at the time anyway. “Let's just head in there and check it out so we can get the hell outta here. This place gives me the fuckin' creeps.”

Vincent gave a nod in agreement, his steps carrying him through the hall and toward the door at the far back. A slight gap, a moment where his steps faltered just for a moment, was given as he passed the painstakingly familiar door at his left side. Desperately he shoved away his minor fear of the crypt-like room, his pace carrying him to the door at the back, Cid close behind him.

A silence that hung in the thick air almost as if both men had held their breath in surprise and apprehension as they reached the entrance to the long forgotten library, both of their gazes set on the entrance with a mixture of feelings. Vincent ran his eyes over the open door that was presented before them, the wooden frame pushed completely away from the opening to the back room of the mansion, his lips tightening into a grimace on his preternaturally pale face. He was gone. The thought shook the ex-Turk deeply as he moved closer to the doorway with forced, slowed steps, his left arm flexing at his side instinctively. “How did he get out? The door was locked Cid. Locked.”

“You sure he was even in there in the first place? Or that you even locked it?” The stern look that he received from the dark haired gunman shattered the idea like fragile glass, Cid glancing around the taller man and into the shadow filled chamber.

“I am positive, Highwind. I locked it, I made sure it was locked, and I left. I heard him behind the door when I left Cid…” Vincent let his words trail off into the nothing that surrounded them, his face set into a stone mask as he stepped completely into the cursed room.

The area was completely empty, the room entirely devoid of all signs that any person had even recently entered the room, its musty interior remaining the same as it had been when he had left it previously. Cautiously he moved forward, his feet carrying him toward the table that was erected in the center of the room - the table Hojo used for his science, the thought sending a chill down the base of his spine - and the spot that he had last seen the blonde warrior.

“…How?” He knew the question had no answer even before he asked it, the word drifting lamely through the rank air and going unnoticed by all but the man that had uttered it. A subtle shake of his head was given, the man bending over to reach for the nearly invisible handgun that he had dropped earlier that morning. Gently he ran his fingers over it, his mind wandering in an effort to search for some explanation, some reason as to why and how things were happening the way they were. Without finding an answer he tucked the small pistol away in it's holder on his right hip, his eyes moving to lock onto the sapphire blue of Cid's.

“I don't see anything Vin. Kid's probably long gone by now.” Garnet orbs flashed at the man as the words slipped from Cid's mouth, a glare shooting in his direction as if the wayward comment had been offensive in some way. Vincent paused before straightening up in his place, his hands brushing silently over the dark red mantle that hung from his shoulders to send curls of dust out in an arch. He remained silent for a moment, his feet carrying him toward the blonde pilot that stood on the opposite side of the room, his glare resting on tawny features twisted into confusion.

“Do not just brush this off as nothing Highwind. What about Cloud? What if he is in danger as well, at this moment? What about the others? He's dangerous, we can't just leave him to wander around the town on his own and endanger the lives of everyone here.” Vincent shook his head, his eyes narrowing just slightly as he took in the blank expression that crossed Cid's face, his lips turning down in the familiar sign that he was deep in thought.

“The other's ain't even in this town right now Vince. They left to head to Rocket Town, said they were tired of waiting for the storm to let up and headed off without me. The only one left here is that brat Yuffie, and she can fend for herself well enough.” Cid reached up to his goggles as he spoke, his fingers fumbling over the strap until they successfully managed to find his cigarette package, a single one pulled from the case to rest on the corner of his lip. “That narrows down your last concern. The other people in this town are just a bunch of ShinRa lackies anyway, they can tell when there's danger and hightail it outta here like they always do.”

Vincent paused still, his lips pulled tight in concentration as he gave a small nod, his anger and frustration from before giving way to the blank sheet of no emotion that it normally was. “Then all that's left is to find Cloud.”

“He couldn't have gotten far from here if you just locked it. Let's look around.” Cid turned away from the man, his stride the same powerful motion that it normally was as he made his way out of the room, his footsteps ringing in Vincent's ears as he walked down the dark hallway. A single glance, small and futile, was shot over Vincent's shoulder as he took a final glance at the room at his back, his breath escaping in a short burst as he viewed the dark nothingness.

“... You're right. I just hope that nothing bad has happened before we find him...”

~ ~ ~

 

Vincent let a gentle groan slip from his lips as he fell effortlessly on the edge of the bed, his face instantly being pressed into the palm of his human hand to block out the reality of their failure. Cloud had been nowhere to be seen, Yuffie was unable to even sense his chakra in any inch of the town - she had said that everything was so blurred together that she could hardly use her own ninjutsu - and Cid was pacing the room in an irritated pattern across the carpeted floor.

There had been no sign of the blonde, but that didn't mean that they had been unable to find any sign that he was still in the mountain town; his bags and belongings remained in the inn room that he currently sat in, the only thing missing being the blonde himself and the massive sword that he carried. A sure sign that Cloud had to be somewhere in the minuscule town. As to where, Vincent was still at a lose.

“I can't believe we couldn't even find him Vince! Where the hell could the kid be, it's not like he could just vanish into thin air and leave nothing behind!” Cid's sudden outburst after the silence that had fallen amongst to the two members of AVALANCHE caused Vincent to visibly flinch in surprise, his face turning to the man at the foot of the bed he sat on.

“I honestly don't know... There aren't too many houses here, he has to be somewhere.” A loud agreement accompanied by several curses filled the air, Vincent raising his slender hand to signal for the other to allow him to finish talking before he rained violent shouts on the entire town for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the past hour. “But I think we should get some rest first; Yuffie is cooking lunch-”

“Like we'd actually eat that food-”

“And neither of us slept much last night, so we need to rest for a bit.” The last comment slipped from Vincent's lips before he could stop himself, a faint blush creeping onto his face as the memories of what occurred between the duo last night slipped into his mind.

“Yeah...” Cid's voice was surprisingly soft, even for him, the pilot stopping in his constant movement to come rest on the bed facing the ebony-haired man, his elbows propping on his knees as he leaned forward to further examine the man. A part of Cid was happy with the man mentioning the night before, the realization that it really wasn't just some dream that he had had causing him to feel relief. Another part of Cid, however, dreaded the idea that the man remember. That meant that Vincent remembered his own stupidity.

Shaking it off Cid looked in the direction of silent form before him, the man shifting uncomfortably before turning his face away, his eyes casting down toward the ground in a manner that was normal for him. “Vince, I've been meaning to ask you about last night...” He sighed, at a loss for words, his hand moving from his leg to work through his hair in his nervous habit, his breath coming out in a sharp sigh. “Why did you do what you did last night?” Vincent's face turned at the question, crimson eyes moving to watch intently at sky blue, their gazes locked for a moment.

“Why did I kiss you?” He paused, his head shaking slightly. “You kissed me first, remember?”

“Fine. Why the hell did you kiss me back?” Vincent frowned at this, his face once more turning away from Cid's to stare at some unknown sight in the distance, his face blank as he thought over the question slowly. Why did he kiss Cid back? He didn't even know himself, let alone know enough to explain his strange actions to the man that deserved the explanation the most.

“I... I don't know.” A gentle shake of his head sent midnight tresses curling around his shoulders and face, his gaze falling once more on the man that sat across from him as he sighed. “I really don't know Cid.” Because I think I love you. The thought as it crossed his mind caused Vincent to stare awkwardly at Cid, the pilot shifting in his spot under the vibrant, ruby-red gaze as Vincent ran the phrase over and over in his mind. Did he love the man? Did he even love him back, or was it truly a result of the drinks they had both had?

“You have to know Vincent.” The blank visage of thought had crossed the man's face turned once more into a calm mask of mild frustration, the inability to answer the question himself causing him to cast an irritated glower in Cid's direction.

“Do I? What makes you think that I know?” Vincent sighed, his hand working over the bandana that he always had tied about his forehead as something to occupy his fingers with as he spoke. “Do you know why you kissed me?” At this Cid sighed, his mouthing clamping shut to hold in any protests that he may have had as he gave a short nod.

“Yeah. I kissed you because... I care about you, alright?” He shook his head, Cid frowning at how odd everything he was saying must have sounded, the idea of vocalizing his feelings foreign to him as he took in the confused glance from his companion. “I can't explain it! It just seemed like the right thing to do.”

“Would you... kiss me again?” It was Cid's turn to be surprised as the words made their way from Vincent's chest, his ebony hair falling over his shoulder as his head tilted to the side just slightly. Cid remained in his spot on the bed, his mind slowly processing what was being said, his eyes widened just barely as he watched the man intently. Unable to find words to answer the question he made his way to his feet, his legs carrying him without thought from his mind as he moved to stand before the sitting form. There was a moment of silence from both men, Cid staring down at Vincent, Vincent glancing up at Cid before he leaned forward, his lips brushing over the thin one's of his companion in a soft kiss, much unlike the forceful one they had endured the night before. Cid could hear a gentle gasp of surprise slide from the man's throat as he pressed his lips softly against the warm silk of Vincent's mouth, a small smile making itself present on his features.

“Come on guys, I made lunch! And I didn't burn down the inn in the process, you should be proud!” The sound of Yuffie's voice ringing through the building and into the room caused Cid to break away from the soft connection, his body turning away from the man and facing the doorway to the room, either to hid his embarrassment or for a need of a distraction Vincent couldn't really tell.

“I hope that answers your question.”

Vincent watched with a sense of confusion as the man vanished around the corner of the hallway and down the stairs, his heavy footsteps growing steadily more inaudible as he paced down into the first floor of the hotel to the meal that had been served for them. Vincent frowned as he left, his hand moving slowly from his side to come to rest on his own thin lips, his head shaking slowly in confusion and conflict with what had just happened and his own muddled emotions.

“Come on Vinny! You're food is gonna get cold if you don't hurry it up up there!” The sound of the ninja's voice from the base of the stairs served to break Vincent from his thoughts, the ex-Turk slowly getting to his feet and letting his hand fall once more to his side. Pushing all of the thoughts to the side he made his way out of the room, heading down the stairs and focusing on something more important than his own inner battles; finding Cloud.

~ ~ ~

One-Winged Angel: Hmmm... Is this chapter shorter than the last one, or is that just me? Maybe not... I dunno. -shrugs- Personally, I don't like this chapter all that much... It's too boring, all it really was was Cid and Vincent rambling to each other. But I suppose that's good too.

Cloud: Yeah, and I wasn't really in it.

One-Winged Angel: Stop whining. You get the next chapter to come in.

Cloud: Yeah yeah...

One-Winged Angel: Thank you all that have been reviewing, and I'm sorry if this chapter took a long time, I have a lot on my mind recently. (Which seems to be my excuse a lot, but it is true. -sighs- ) Hopefully the new changes in POV transitions works better this time... -curses loudly- Nar. Evil things. Oh, and the next chapter should come out sooner than this one did - I already have it half finished, I mean. And be looking out for a short little transaction chapter that might come after this one or the next, I haven't decided yet. ^^ Love you all, and please review some more! You're reviews and my sister are what make me write!