Faithless Memories

Captured

Kris held her hand to her heart as she watched him try it several more times. She wasn't sure if she was more worried that he would hurt himself, or that the glass would break. After several more tries, he finally sat back and snarled at all the people watching him. Kris' shoulders sagged when the noise finally stopped. As frightened as she was, she was also relieved that he had woken up. Even if he wasn't himself yet, at least she knew he would be alright. Or at least alive. He was still injured after all.

As soon as the Soldier settled down, Vincent moved. He had waited long enough to figure out why he had been wakened. Or, more specifically, who this woman was to know that he had been down there, to begin with. She seemed far too young to have anything to do with Hojo.

Before any of the others saw him move, he reached out and grasped Kris by the arm. Not hard, but forcefully enough to turn her to face him. He froze with widened eyes as soon as he touched her. Both people ignored the sudden protests from the others at his handling of her as Vincent's eyes shot down to hers. His shock was evident when he finally got a good look at the swirling depths that stared back at him.

Several seconds later, he finally spoke. "You are the Goddess."

Kris finally took a deep breath and pulled away. Her gaze held his as she answered. "No more than you are Chaos."

They stood there silently evaluating each other until Reno and Zack came up on either side of them. Zack looked like he was ready to pull his sister away, but it was Reno that spoke. "All right. This shit just keeps getting weirder. What in the name of all the gods is goin' on, yo?"

Kris ran her hand down her face. Too much was happening all at once, but now that things were at least contained, she knew all these men deserved an explanation. She looked over at Angeal once more before she grabbed the closest chair. Zack knelt next to her and gave her a concerned look. "Do you think it would be better to head upstairs?"

She looked back over her shoulder before she shook her head. "I don't want to leave him down here alone. What if they finish off Jenova, and he wakes?"

Rude spoke up at that point. "I will stay. We can switch who is down here with him every few hours."

Kris sighed but finally nodded. She hadn't been thrilled to stay down there, and she was sure Vincent wasn't either, even if he didn't say anything. She gave Angeal one last look, and her heart clenched at the way to sat and stared into space. She sent up a prayer that the others would be quick before she turned and gave Rude a thankful look. She was grateful that Zack was by her side once they headed out. Something told her they weren't safe still.

They ran into no trouble on the way up. Both siblings were thankful for that small favor, but it was short-lived as they found a nearby room away from the destruction. Kris had barely managed to take a seat before Vincent caught her gaze. He didn't need to say anything for her to know he was done waiting. She sighed before she gave him a nod. "This is a little bit of a long story, but I can tell you why we are here. I imagine you already have an idea of why I knew you were down there, but I will try to explain that as well."

Vincent lowered his head slightly in acknowledgment. That was the only signal she needed to launch into her tale. Most of it was already known to the two men with her, but they still stayed silent through the retelling. Well, mostly silent. Reno was vocal about his disgust through parts of it. He had read the reports, but seeing what had just happened, and hearing the rest from Kris personally had him reevaluating his stance. Especially after seeing a possessed Soldier and the dead rising. It was like the world had gone crazy, and he was just trying to deal.

Once Kris had finished, Vincent stood. He stared at her for several seconds with an unreadable expression. His voice was low when he finally spoke. "I had feared that Sephiroth would have become a monster, but perhaps there is something I can do after all. The news of what Hojo has done is inexcusable, but not surprising."

He then stepped closer to the door before he spoke again. "The rest of your tale would be difficult to believe if it were not for the fact that I feel your presence resonating with the being inside me. The fact that the Goddess has taken a stand to save anyone is unusual. I feel there is more to the reason for that, but since the alien is involved, I cannot claim to not believe. Not anymore."

"Rest for now. I will ensure the Soldier downstairs does not get out." He did not allow any of them to say more before he walked out.

Kris was glad that he agreed to help them for now, but she held no delusions that he was willing to leave his coffin yet. She hoped for his sake and others that they could convince him before they all left. However, that was not her first concern. Now that they didn't have an immediate terror looming over them, she could not help but worry about those that went to the reactor. Still, it was too early to take steps. None of them would appreciate her trying to sneak away only for Genesis and the others to already be on their way back before she reached them.

She was also exhausted again. She gave her brother a hug that he gladly returned. Neither of the siblings were yet able to fully relax. However, Kris was ready to sleep again. She finally decided that was the best thing for her to do. Nothing else could be determined at least until morning. She excused herself and sent up a prayer that her sleep would once again be dreamless. She didn't need nightmares, as there were more than enough of them during her waking hours.