Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Running out of Time ❯ Drown My Sorrows ( Chapter 5 )

XD, I came up with a word game for a bus trip where you make a sentence by everyone saying one word at a time. However, each word must start with the next letter of the alphabet, I.e., a big chicken digs earthworms from grassy hills… and you have to start with `A' and go all the way to `Z.' I decided to come up with a FFVII one on my own. Here is the result.

 

Aerith beats Cloud daily, eliciting frightened gasps held in Jenova's kitchen; listening, many nervous observers patiently quell ridiculous suspicions, telling understatements via worried xenophobes yammering zealously.

 

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To all of my reviewers: Thank you!!!!! I love you all. BTW, if you don't want Vincent to die in the end, you'd better speak up. I can yet be swayed to give this a happy ending!!!

 

 

Disclaimer: all your FFVII are belong to us. Just kidding. Squenix owns it. I just own this plot bunny.

 

 

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Running out of Time: Chapter Five

 

 

 

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Vincent managed to walk through the door of the bar under his own power and maintain a dignified pace all the way to their table in the far corner. But, as soon as he sat down, he seemed to sag like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Cloud quickly uncorked a potion and passed it to Vincent. After swallowing it, Vincent straightened and seemed to regain some strength. Cloud sat down across from him and gazed at him worriedly. “Better?”

 

Vincent sighed. “Not really. All it did was remove the fatigue and knit up some of the torn tissue in my lungs,” he muttered. “Cloud, using potions extensively like this is like running for several days straight on nothing but caffeine- it works for a while, but eventually you crash. I won't be able to keep it up indefinitely,” he warned.

 

Cloud nodded. “I know, but… Vincent… what else can we do? I'm going to talk to Cait Sith tonight; maybe Reeve can come up with something. You should stay here; I can sleep in the church. I'll tell Tifa that you're exhausted from the journey here,” he said, glancing around the room. “Just… don't exert yourself, and stay inside. We can't risk something like hypothermia, and if you don't get active physically, you shouldn't go into any more coughing fits…” He trailed off with a sigh. “I wish there was more I could do right now, but until I talk to Reeve, this is it. There're some extra blankets in the closet in the hall; you should grab those before you go to bed, Vincent. If things are as bad as you think, you need to stay warm.” Cloud stood up. “I need a drink… want me to get you anything? CAN you drink?”

 

Vincent shook his head. “Actually, I can, but I don't think it's a good idea to put alcohol in my system right now. Who knows how my body would react? It's too dangerous to risk it,” he stated firmly, and Cloud agreed. “Besides…” Vincent murmured, “If there's nothing we can do… I want to spend my last days sober… fully aware of my surroundings. I don't want to miss a single moment of it,” he whispered.

 

Cloud could feel a pricking in his eyes and rubbed them irritably. He couldn't get overly emotional right now; it would be an obvious tip off to the rest of the group that something was wrong.

 

Vincent followed Cloud with his eyes as the blonde swordsman walked over to the bar and moved behind the counter, reaching down to pull out a shot glass and a bottle. Vincent read the label once Cloud returned.

 

“You sure you should be drinking this? Are you going to be all right getting to the church?”

 

Cloud gave a bitter laugh. “Vincent, my mako enhancements don't let me get drunk off my ass. Usually, the most I can manage is a mild buzz. My body burns off the alcohol faster than my bloodstream can absorb it. It takes some serious effort to get ME intoxicated. But I'm really gonna try today.” Vincent shook his head before giving that odd twisted half-smile that seemed to be reserved solely for Cloud. Vincent understood, though. One of Cloud's treasured friends was dying, and there wasn't a goddamn thing he could do about it. If Vincent were in Cloud's place, he'd be trying his damndest to get drunk, too. As it was, he was probably going to be feeling light-headed from all the potions he was downing.

 

Vincent shuddered as another spasm of pain tore briefly through him. These… attacks… were starting to occur with increasing regularity. He downed another potion. He felt a brief tingling as the magic took effect. Ah. He could feel it concentrating on the ever-present problem that was the metal prosthesis. He returned to watching the blonde swordsman across the table. Cloud looked positively morose, filling the shotglass and downing it in half a second. Finally, Vincent grew tired of the silence. “So… how have you been, Cloud?”

 

Cloud nearly dropped the glass in surprise. Vincent NEVER initiated a conversation. The man usually avoided any unnecessary talking like the plague. Cloud realized that Vincent was waiting for an answer.

 

“Oh, I've been all right, I suppose. My life isn't all that interesting. I'm a delivery boy now, remember?” Cloud filled the glass again, but this time he sipped idly at the liquor, scrutinizing Vincent as the gunman chuckled.

 

Vincent shook his head. “It's funny. I'd always figured that you'd go back to being a mercenary… what made you change your mind after Meteor?”

 

Cloud tapped a finger on the table as he thought. “You know… I'm not really sure. I suppose I was tired of the fighting. I wanted to make a living out of a vocation that didn't rely on others' suffering, I guess…” Vincent nodded in agreement and approval.

 

“It's as good a reason as any.”

 

Cloud shrugged and returned his attention to his drink. Vincent's thoughts turned inward. The thought of his most likely imminent death troubled him… he wasn't entirely sure how he felt. Wasn't it what he'd longed for during those dark and haunted nightmares of his thirty year penance? But now he wasn't quite so eager… It was a shame. One of life's little ironies, he supposed. Can't die when you want to, and now that you're dying, you want to live… He chuckled to himself before glancing over idly to watch the animated faces of the other group members, deep in the midst of some conversation.

 

Huh. He felt suddenly drowsy. Perhaps it was the comfortable heat of the room. Cloud had said that the air conditioner was malfunctioning, but the warmth felt nice; he must be chilled… A bad sign, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He reclined elegantly in the chair and let his eyes drift shut. He snapped them open again as he felt Cloud's hand on his. The swordsman was gazing at him, alarm making the mako eyes shine even brighter.

 

“Vincent, are you all right?”

 

Vincent just shrugged eloquently. “I don't know. I'm just tired, that's all.” Oddly enough, though, this didn't seem to reassure Cloud at all. He continued to watch the gunman with concern through the rest of the evening, occasionally coaxing a word or two out of the dark haired man. Vincent's drowsiness finally got the better of him, though, and he fell into a dreamless haze of darkness out of which he did not wake until late into the night at Cloud's touch.

 

There was a definite slur to the blonde's words as he gently shook Vincent's shoulder.

 

“C'mon, Vince. The others're retiring f'r th'night.

 

Vince nodded and rose slowly to his feet, then promptly staggered as his body was wracked with pain.

 

Cloud cursed and reached over to steady the trembling gunman.

 

“Shit, Vince… You don' look s'good…” Vincent just let out a painful hiss as he pulled out another potion and drank it all down quickly.

 

Cloud looked extremely reluctant to leave the gunman, but it would arouse suspicion if he walked Vincent up the stairs. Finally, he resigned himself to clasping Vincent's shoulder firmly and telling him, “Don't do anything stupid. Will you be all right through the night?”

 

Vincent shrugged. “No. But I won't be in any immediate danger. I haven't BEEN all right all day. You should get going; I can make it up the stairs just fine,” he murmured with a slight smile; the smile that Cloud had come to cherish in the course of the day. After all, it wouldn't be long before the time came when he might never see it again. He turned to go, feet perfectly steady, much to Vincent's surprise. The bottle Cloud had been nursing earlier was completely empty. Without a word, Vincent turned to go up the stairs.

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End Chapter Five. R&R!!!!!! Especially if you don't want me to kill Vincent!!!!!!!

 

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