Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Running out of Time ❯ Hope Anew ( Chapter 10 )

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READ THE FOLLOWING NOTES OR YOU SHALL WONDER “WTF JUST HAPPENED?”

 

Important note #1:

 

Woo-hoo! Thank you all for 1,000 hits in three days! You guys rock! -happy tears-

Sadly, Running out of Time is coming to an end. I only have a few chapters left. I've tried to drag it out as long as possible, but you must keep in mind that the farthest I've ever gotten on a multichapter fic while working on my own was three chapters, including the prologue, so really only two. This will be the first multichapter I've ever actually COMPLETED, solo work or no. I just wanted to thank everyone for being there from the start, four days ago (I'm updating fast because I've been writing all day, everyday until yesterday.) This is a cornerstone of my literary accomplishment, as it is the first multichapter I have ever followed through with until the bitter end. I know it hasn't lasted long, but I've done my best, and I have no regrets. To pseudo-quote Cloud (and therefore quote myself): “Sometimes the thing we cherish most is the one thing we cannot keep.” That is the essence of Running out of Time. Yes, it has a moral, folks. Sorry to disappoint you. n . ~ This fic was destined to be short-lived. I never expected to make it last as long as it already has.

 

Important note #2 (and the answer to all of your questions):

 

No, this isn't the last chapter. It's chapter ten, the second-to-last chapter of my twelve chapter tale. Just like all the good anime series- only 12 (or 13) episodes. Yes, I know how to count. 10 plus one is 11, not 12. That's because it's 10 plus 2. As promised, I will now seal the doom of Vincent Valentine…. Drumroll, please!

 

ANNNNND…. I'm not writing a happy ending. I'm not writing a sad ending, either. I'm writing BOTH. That way, everyone can be happy!!!!!!! But you have to read the sad one first. I'm posting it first. That way, once you're all nice and choked up, you can read the happy ending to cheer yourself back up again. After all, it makes no sense to do it the other way around. Being too happy from the good ending will pull you out of the proper mood that is required to read the SAD ending. You need to already be depressed, ne? Otherwise it won't work. And besides, you'll just make yourself cry again after you've finally managed to get good and HAPPY. Where's the logic in that? Don't be silly, folks!

 

Important author note #3:

 

Don't be completely depressed, though: I have a proposal for you all. You have but only to ask, and I will write (separately) “Running out of Time: the Lost Chapter,” a Strifentine that would, if I actually write it, take place during the night that the previous chapter ended with. I am now regretting my promise to keep this fic a PLATONIC Vin/Cloud. I'm itching to write a Strifentine in this particular fic, and it could easily fit right here, without me having to change any of the existing chapter content. I just wanted to keep this fic non-yaoi so that it would be acceptable to a wider audience. The yaoi-lovers can read it as a Vin/Cloud that just doesn't get dirty, but the yaoi-haters can read it comfortably secure in the fact that Vincent and Cloud are not doing naughty things to each other offscreen. But those that are wanting this to be a Strifentine can request that I write the missing chapter, thereby satisfying their craving for BL without me offending the yaoi-haters by putting it directly in the fic. But, if no one's interested, I won't write it, because it wouldn't make much sense as a standalone oneshot. One request is all it takes, though, and if ONLY one person makes a request, I will dedicate the missing chapter to them. It's only fair, right? Put your request in the form of a review; I don't have access to email right now, so I won't receive your PMs if you try to send me one and request it THAT way. But I can read reviews on the site, so I don't need access to email to get your requests if you put them at the end of your review.

 

Note #4: If you want to guess how Vincent will still manage to make it out of this alive, take a shot at it in the review and I will PM you telling you whether or not you guessed correctly. When I post the very last chapter, I'll list the winners!!!!! Because if I were you, I'd be wondering how saving him is still possible, at this point.

 

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Disclaimer: Much as I wish it were true, I do not own FFVII. It just wasn't meant to be. But I do own a lot of plot bunnies, including this one. I named him Fluffy. Like Cerberus. I mean Fluffy- you know, from Harry Potter? So yeah, my brain works weird. Vincent-> Cerberus->Three headed dog in mythology->Three headed dog in HP ->Fluffy. So the plot bunny shall be named Fluffy. `Cause bunnies are fluffy. Yeah. Oh, never mind!

 

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Running out of Time: Chapter Ten

 

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Cloud woke with a start at the sound of footsteps echoing faintly from somewhere to his left. With a groan, he cracked an eye open to see that Vincent was no longer sleeping in the flowerbed. Only a wrinkled blanket lay in the depression left by the gunman's lanky form. Cloud glanced up through the hole in the vaulted ceiling to see that it was already well into morning. Waiting for his sleep-muddled head to clear, Cloud blearily watched the dust motes floating lazily to sparkle like glitter in the sunlight filtering down through the rafters, lighting the hallowed ground with a warm, golden glow that reminded Cloud of an old photograph. Everything seemed a little fuzzy around the edges, almost dreamlike. It also reminded him of Aerith and faintly of some happy, distant summer that he couldn't recall or maybe had only dreamed about. After all, he hadn't exactly had a very pleasant childhood.

 

Yawning, he stood with a bone-cracking stretch. Vincent watched solemnly from his seated position on the pew, waiting until the blonde had straightened with a sigh before speaking.

 

“Good morning,” he murmured gravely, drawing a slightly incredulous stare from Cloud. Since when had the silent gunman become so… chatty?

 

“Uh… mornin,'” he replied in slight confusion. He noticed that Vincent had somehow gotten a hold of a small, unmarked, black-bound book. It looked like it might be a novel. Firmly dragging his attention back to the task at hand, he noted Vincent's easy and relaxed posture. Maybe today wouldn't be one of the “bad” days. “How's your back?”

 

Vincent gave an easy shrug. “Relatively speaking, I feel fine. Tifa stopped by earlier. She brought this book with her, thinking I would appreciate having something to do. A diversion. She changed the bandages while she was here,” he added. “She's such a considerate woman… She loves you, you know,” he said softly, a smile tugging at his lips.

 

Cloud's expression became guarded. “…So did Aerith and Zack. Look where it got them. Nobody can love me…” he whispered. “Everyone who does just gets hurt. Anyone who gets too close to me.”

 

Vincent laughed; a low, rich laugh that Cloud couldn't ever recall hearing before in his life. Vincent cleared his throat hastily and schooled his expression into one of stern reproval. “You should stop talking like that, Cloud. You're starting to sound like me,” he deadpanned. “I shudder to think what might happen if you took my place as the… melancholy social recluse.”

 

Cloud gaped. “Was that… a joke?”

 

Vincent frowned, giving Cloud a “what am I, a brick?” glare. Cloud shook his head, feeling slightly dazed. Maybe he was still dreaming. A really weird dream. It wasn't even a very good dream. He'd MUCH rather be dreaming about… er, something else. Better not go there. He firmly pushed those thoughts out of his head. Maybe his subconscious was just really uninventive. Either that, or he really was awake, and Vincent Valentine had just cracked a joke. Now that was just plain silly, because it Didn't Happen. Maybe the world was ending, or something.

 

“Cloud?” Vincent's quiet inquiry snapped him out of his ridiculous speculating. He realized that he had been staring at the gunman. Cloud quickly averted his eyes.

 

“Sorry. Just… preoccupied,” Cloud muttered. Without warning, his stomach gave a deafening growl. Vincent chuckled and Cloud flushed in embarrassment.

 

“Go. You're not a machine, Cloud. I'll be all right for a little while longer.”

 

Cloud eyed the gunman dubiously. Vincent brushed off Cloud's skepticism. “You're not helping me by starving yourself.”

 

With a sigh, Cloud just shook his head and walked slowly towards the heavy doors. Glancing back once over his shoulder to give Vincent an odd look, he swept out the door with one last “Don't do anything dumb until I get back.”

 

Vincent sighed before looking with sightless eyes at the book in his hand. Tifa had tried, that was what counted. He stood and walked silently towards the flowers to stand amongst them. They were the easiest thing to find in the church; he could follow their heavenly perfume from any point in the crumbling building. Besides, there was no clutter for him to trip over amongst Aerith's flowers. He lifted his chin to catch the warmth of the sunlight. Even though he could not see it, he could still feel it.

 

Vincent sat down carefully as he felt the ReGen spell beginning to wear off. Already, his shoulders had begun to throb. Tifa had found a medical adhesive that kept the wounds closed, but it couldn't block the pain. He had already exhausted all of his mental ability on trying to think of something, anything they hadn't yet tried in an effort to cure him. But that was just the problem; there was no disease to cure. This wasn't Geostigma. The only thing that had prevented exactly this from happening the first time was the infusion of Chaos. Mako alone was insufficient, and there wasn't enough time to see if the process could be slowed, stopped, or even reversed by exposure. They were running out of time.

 

Vincent was shaken abruptly from his reflections as a wave of sickening pain washed through his body. Already resigned to it, he merely braced himself, physically and mentally. It grew worse with each second, finally building to a head that left him gasping for air, before it receded again, a dull throb in the background. Every ten minutes or so, it would come back, slightly stronger than before. Cloud had put the bag of potions somewhere in the room, but Vincent wasn't going to risk getting up to search for them.

 

Without warning, his chest suddenly burned with a white-hot pain centered squarely on his heart… the scar that Rosso had left him with was burning unbearably. Vincent couldn't hold back the scream this time. Cloud must have just arrived and heard it from the outside, because he came crashing through the door at a dead run seconds later. Vincent fell writhing to the ground, clutching the source of his pain with his hand. Cloud skidded to a halt, kneeling at the stricken gunman's side.

 

“Vincent. Vincent! What is it!?”

 

Vincent couldn't get the words out. Cloud finally pulled Vincent's hand away from the place to see something glowing through the black fabric. It wasn't the scar that was burning. His body was rejecting the Protomateria. After all, it was a foreign object. But the Protomateria was reacting, too. Cloud didn't know what to do. All he knew was that somehow, that thing needed to be OUT of Vincent, because it was hurting him.

 

“Vincent, can you hear me?” A stiff nod. “It's the Protomateria- Your body's fighting it, or something, and it's fighting back. What do you want me to do!?”

 

Vincent shuddered, trying to put two words together. “C-…. Cut… Ah! Get… out! Get it out!… I… d-don't… c-care h-h… how,” he finally gasped .

 

Trying not to be sick at the thought, Cloud quickly pulled first the cape and then the black shirt off of Vincent's body. The glow was far more apparent without the black fabric covering it. The scar was stretched, raw and angry-red. Even as Cloud watched, the old wound seemed to be… reverse-healing. With a shock, Cloud realized that the Protomateria was burning its way out. Cloud tried to tell himself that it was just like removing a bullet… that thing had to come out or it would kill Vincent. What to do?

 

Fortunately, Cloud never had to make the decision. After only a few more seconds, the scar had reopened and Cloud was looking directly at the pulsating orb. Closing his eyes, he steeled himself and reached down to wrap his fingers around it. Without hesitating, he ripped it out. Oddly enough, it was quite cool to the touch. He tossed it aside before reaching to touch the Heal materia. First he cast Cure3, then ReGen. The wound sealed up. Cloud rose and staggered off to heave up his breakfast.

 

Vincent's breathing gradually slowed. Once the pain in his chest faded, he began to laugh quietly. Finished retching, Cloud wiped his mouth and walked over to sit next to the gunman.

 

“Better?”

 

Vincent nodded. “Isn't it odd, Cloud, how the object that once saved my life nearly killed me just now?”

 

Cloud nodded, spent. “Yeah, it's funny… if you're a f---ing masochist.”

 

Vincent rolled over to spit out a mouthful of blood. They both started at the sound of loud knocking on the door. Before they could answer, the door opened.

 

“Cloud… who is it?”

 

Cloud looked at Vincent, startled. “What do you mean who? It's Tifa. You're staring right… at…” He inhaled sharply. “You can't see her.” It wasn't a question.

 

Vincent didn't answer.

 

Tifa ran over, panting. “Cloud! Vincent! I have an idea! Oh, I don't know why we didn't think of this before!”

 

Cloud sprang to his feet. “You do? What is it?”

 

Tifa grinned. “Why don't you ask Aerith?”

 

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End chapter ten. R&R. If you didn't read the notes above, shame on you! Go read them! Otherwise you won't understand the next chapter I post!!!!!!!