Blood & Sympathy (FFVII: Vincent x OC)

Ch68 - Help

Once the Turks left, Jocasta walked upstairs to check up on Tifa. She was sitting on the bed with her legs curled over her chest and her back resting against the wooden bed frame. Her face buried in her hands, on top of her knees. Her silky black hair fell on the sides and her body shook. A few sobs reached Jocasta's ears and she sighed as she approached her.

When Tifa felt Jocasta's weight pressing on the bed on a spot beside her, she lifted her face off her hands and buried her face back in Jocasta's shoulder. Jocasta passed a hand around her, soothingly caressing her hair while Tifa wept on her shoulder. Jocasta sighed. She hated watching her friends crying. She made herself a mental note to whoop Cloud's ass once he'd get back.

"I'm gonna lose him..." Tifa said between sobs. She lifted her head off of Jocasta's shoulder and she looked up at her "...he's gonna die... isn't he?"

Jocasta cupped her face, wiping the wet traces of tears off her cheek and she gave her a reassuring smile "No. Tifa... I figured it out,"

Tifa pulled back, looking up at her in surprise "What?!"

"A cure for Geostigma. Cloud and Denzel are gonna be okay, I promise. I just need to get back to the university's labs and make a few more of my serums," Jocasta said.

"Oh my- but how? Does it work?" Tifa asked confusedly. A faint glimpse of hope caught her eyes.

"It does. But it's complicated," Jocasta said and she checked on the watch that she had tied around her wrist. It was 4 am. She got up "I need to head back home. Can't miss another day at the university," Jocasta walked towards the exit of the room and she gave Tifa one last look "Call me if you guys find the kids,"

Tifa nodded "I will,"

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Of all the things, he wasn't expecting to find Cloud in the Forgotten City. But considering the three Remnants -they were called thus, so it seems- had abducted a couple of children, including Marlene and Denzel, it made sense that Cloud would show up sooner or later.

He was beaten down and injured when Vincent jumped in the battlefield and snatched him out of there. None of the three were fast enough to stop him. He vanished in the white glow of the trees, covered in Chaos's crimson cloak that still lingered by the claws of his left gauntleted hand. Vincent was planning to attack the three men and save as many of the kids as he could, but he wasn't planning for Cloud to be there and need assistance.

"See? I knew I'd be no help," Cloud mumbled to himself as he rubbed his left aching hand where his Geostigma spread. "Vincent..." Cloud turned his attention at the gunslinger "...what do you know about this?"

Vincent shook his hand, pushing the cloak away from the sharp claws of his gauntlet. His left hand. The hand of a monster. There was indeed a reason why he was still wearing that gauntlet, never taking it off. It wasn't something he liked to think about.

He'd taken all the information he needed from the Turks. He'd let them take his motorcycle and ride their way back to their base. It was alright. He could walk. They couldn't. They couldn't call anybody for help either. They had no phones, no weapons on them. All were scavenged by the three men that held them hostage and tortured them.

"I come here often," Vincent said as he approached Cloud "I've seen what Kadaj's group is doing," he grabbed hold of Cloud's left hand, the one infected with the Geostigma "The stigma. It's a symptom of alien matter infesting the body. The body tries to eliminate it and overcompensates," he let go of Cloud and walked forwards. His attention rested on the soil "Inside our body there's a current, like the Lifestream. That current is what fights off any malevolent intruders," Vincent explained.