Crimson Demons (FF7)

19) Lucrecia's Cave

"Alright Vi, we're here," Cid announces from his place beside his student.

"Land the ship," she says in a distant voice, watching the tall grass around the lake wave in the wind. Our pilot mutter something to himself and the ship slowly drops. Outside, Yuffie jumps to the ground and crouches beside the water, brushing her fingers across the untouched surface.

"It's beautiful here."

"Sure is," Tifa nods. "Hey there's the waterfall." Violet looks over at me and I join her side as we step past the falling water. Violet's boots squeak as she slips, Cid catching her arm and pulling her to her feet roughly. Something about this place isn't right... Light reflects off of beautiful mako crystals that are scattered around the room.

"We have to hurry," Cloud reminds us. "Hojo's controlling the cannon." Something like a spell seems to fall over us in the emerald green cave, the mako reacting in Violet's eyes.

That woman's here...

Who?

Then I see her. A slim figure, her long brunette hair falling down her pale back, pure white cloth covering portions of her perfect skin.

"Lucrecia!" I exclaim, half of Avalanche jumping as I rush toward her.

"Vincent?" She turns around, cheeks wet with tears that stream from under her long, dark lashes. Her brown eyes widen, innocent like a deer's.

"Lucy," Violet grits contemptuously. She's alive... After all this time.

"Violet," she smiles. "It's been so long." Perfect...

"Don't act like nothing happened. You were there." Her smile falters and her head falls. Fragile.

"I regret it all deeply." Ashamed.

"Lucrecia.." Her name passes my lips in a whisper, stepping forward. Why do I always fall so hopelessly in love with her?

"Stay back!" She cries, startling everyone as the room flashes pure white.

We're suddenly trapped in an illusion, the others looking aorund in bewilderment. I scowl when I recognize the scene. Me, thirty years ago, approaching Lucrecia. Her stuttering confuses me, and in the background, I can see Violet taking the stairs two at a time, hurrying to meet her sister's body guard. Lucrecia hurries away and the room turns white again. Next we see me and Lucrecia walking together through Nibelheim, her shoudler shly bumping mine. With a smile, I nudge her back. When the next flash comes and shows her leaving me in the snow the day she told me about her engagement to Hojo, I tear my eyes away and glare at my sabatons. I can feel some pairs of eyes on me, others on the movie-like replay of my torment. I can hear a younger voice, a less broken one echoing through the cave. That's me..?

"If she is happy, then I don't mind."

The next is a scene of Lucrecia and Violet in the library when she suddenly collapses, Violet knelt by her older sibling and calling for me desperately.

"I'm agaisnt it!" Then I appear, yelling at Hojo. "Why experiments on humans?!" Past me pushes my bangs out of my face. "Why her?!"

"We're both scientists. We know what we're doing!"

The next vision makes me glare at the ground, a gunshot echoing through the cave after I start yelling. My younger form falls to the floor at my present figure's feet, blood pouring from the hole in my chest. I watch with pure hatred as the next part shows Hojo strapping me to a table, cutting, zapping, stitching, so many grotesque scenes playing in quick flashes. The next is slower, we finally waking up in the lab three years later and standing, only to fall to my knees and clutch my head while I scream, demons ripping at me from the inside, my body twisting and popping in ways it shouldn't for the first time, more screams. Desperate, pleading, pained... Vulnerable.