The Mask That I Wear

Part 1 – The Children Behind the Covers

The sun shone brightly in the sky of Nibelheim, into the clean windows of the Shinra Mansion. Vincent Valentine had lived there for the past 25 years since the day he and his companions defeated Sephiroth and he had finally learned to cope with everyday life and acted quite normally, even with the claw…especially since he had two daughters to take care of!

The two girls, twins they were, called Serena and Xetina, were quite a handful and almost needed full maintenance. Thank goodness Tifa and Cloud both decided to take residence there when they had gotten married or Vincent wouldn’t have known how to take care of the twins when they first arrived. Cloud took care of Xetina, while Tifa took care of Serena, and when the married couple was busy; Vincent took care of them both, which gave the girls different personalities from each other.

Serena and Xetina were of course identical twins with no physical difference that could set them apart when inspected properly. Both had waist long black hair and intriguing sapphire eyes. The girls were quite pale, almost snow-white and slim. They were a beautiful sight and almost none of the young men could stop staring at them when they walked by. The only things different were their personalities and fashion tastes.

Xetina liked to slick her hair back with gel, only letting a few strands in front of her face, and let it stay down. In this way she often gets mistaken for Zack or Tseng by some people that Vincent knew, but the resemblance to Serena is still there if they stand next to each other. She tends to wear only smart looking outfits like a business suit or anything having to do with a blazer. She likes to be a little wild and is quick to anger. She gets furious very quickly! Not to mention she swears a lot… Xetina is skilled in the sword arts thanks to Cloud babysitting her as well as guns since Vincent is her father.

Serena on the other hand does not get angry at all and is always in a happy mood. She doesn’t like to swear or do any profanities that her twin Xetina does. Her hair is often in a ponytail and her two bouncy bangs in front of her face give off an Aeris type air. Serena dresses almost eerily the same as the flower girl from the slums, the same dress and jacket, but in shades of blue. She was taught to use guns like Xetina, but she had Tifa for a teacher, so was taught different things. Serena is the sweeter of the two twins and often stays very close to her father or Xetina, too shy and hardly wandering away from people she knew.

Vincent could very well remember when he first stumble upon the two angels who lit the way for him to his true happy self. Though they were a bit troublesome, Xetina being the most, he loved them as if they were truly his own. It was 20 years before and it was the time that Cloud and Tifa’s first child, a little blonde haired boy named Collin, had turned three and Vincent was brooding as he walked through the mountains of Nibelheim heading towards Lucrecia’s Falls where he would talk to his lost lover. She had told him earlier in a dream that she had a surprise for him and didn’t say what it was, but told him to come quickly…

//20 years previous…//

Vincent tentatively entered the cave hidden behind the waterfall of Lucrecia’s Falls, his hair soaking wet. “Lucrecia…? Why have you asked me to come here…? What is it that you want…?”

((…Vincent…))

The dark-haired man looked around in the main room, but didn’t see his beloved standing where she usually stood in the light when he came to meet her, which admittedly wasn’t that many a time. Maybe he would see her a couple of times, but that was it. “Lucrecia…?” he called to the light.

((…Come closer…and see what I have for you…))

Vincent stepped up and saw a large bundle within the warm light. He kneeled down and opened the bundle up. He nearly gasped at what he had found inside, two babies, identical to each other, sleeping peacefully inside. He stared dumbfounded at them, not knowing what to do. All he could do was whisper Lucrecia’s names.

((Look at them Vincent…they’re my children…they’re your children…))

“Our…children…?” he whispered. He never knew to have any children, or knew of when Lucrecia and he had ever made love recently to ever have children. He back to the babes in the bundle, one of them woke up and began crying. Though not knowing what to do, though at the same time, he did, he gently picked up the crying one and rocked it with his good arm, trying to soothe it. To his other surprise, he also found out that both children were females and that they both had necklaces around their neck with a ring on it; their names engraved on the rings. The one that was crying and resting in his arms adorably was called Serena, while the other one, still sleeping, was called Xetina.

Vincent was overcomed with joy and once again, was at a loss at what to do. It seemed since Lucrecia called him to her cave, he was always lost at what to do. His common sense took over and he used his PHS to call for some assistance from Cloud and Tifa. Tifa stayed behind with Collin, while Cloud came up to the water fall with a couple of blankets to cover up the babies and to shield them from the cold water of the waterfall and an extra chocobo for Vincent to ride on. Vincent kept Serena as he rode down to Nibelheim as Cloud held onto Xetina.

When they arrived back at Nibelheim, Tifa came rushing out of her house with Collin to meet them. She was surprised to see two babies who were twins, but her maternal instinct kicked in and she played with the babies when they woke-up. Collin helped too and didn’t feel the least bit jealous when his mother paid more attention to the babies. He played with them and sang to them, which of course got different results. Xetina would start crying while Serena snuggled closely to Collin and falling asleep.

“So…they’re technically your kids, right Vince?” Cloud asked over a cup of coffee. “Any ideas on how to raise them? They’ll probably wonder where their mother is sooner or later and probably wonder about their family history. They might freak out knowing that they’re related to Sephiroth, having the same mother and all…” Cloud frowned at his own revelation. “I hope you’re not going to lie to them.”

Vincent shook his head. “No…I’ll raise them with love, care and truth. They have to know…or the past will be repeated…Lucrecia’s trying to get me to start over…that means…”

“She forgives you and thinks you should forgive yourself. It’s not really your fault. I stood by when Tifa was slashed by Sephiroth….” Cloud stopped. “Okay…that’s a bad example, but you know what I mean. Tifa and I got back together later on and we fell in love, got married and had a kid.”

Vincent sighed. “You’re right…I should really leave the past behind me…but not before I tell them…”

//Present day…//

Vincent crept quietly up the staircase towards his daughters’ bedroom. The whole mansion had been renovated on the inside so it could be deemed habitable and clean for the children to grow-up in. He carefully opened the door to the twins’ room and peered in. He chuckled and shook his head. Whenever he visited his daughters’ room, he always laughed. On one side where Xetina slept, it was messy and had many different types of weapons scattered all over her side of the room as well as close were in a different bundle waiting to be washed. There were posters of rock stars and pop stars that were Xetina’s favorites. On Serena’s side, it was neat and tidy and barely had anything decorating it. It was plain and very clean. Vincent walked up to Serena first since she would be the least moody when woken-up early in the morning when dawn just came.

“Serena…Serena…wake-up. It’s time to wake-up…it’s a beautiful morning.” He whispered, nudging Serena’s shoulder. “Serena…?”

“Hmm…? Papa…?” Serena mumbled, slowly sitting herself up and rubbing her eyes of sleep. “What time is it…?” she asked looking for her clock. “Hmm…it’s six, a good time to wake-up…” she yawned. “Excuse me. I’ll go get changed in the bathroom.” She kicked off her covers, took some clothes from her dresser and kiss Vincent on the cheek before leaving for the bathroom.

Vincent smiled as he rubbed his cheek where Serena kissed him. “Like a butterfly on a flower…” he said, still smiling. He went over to Xetina, careful not to step on any of her things and nudged her awake, though not without sporting a couple of bruises. Xetina was never really a morning person. “Come on Xetina…you’ll be late. Wake-up.” He said, sitting her up in her bed. Xetina looked at him in a daze, she was still half asleep. “Wake-up!” he said louder, shaking her with a little more force, which totally woke-up the girl.

“Dad…I was having a nice dream…thanks…” Xetina groaned, getting out of bed and trudging around to get her stuff together. She yawned in a very unladylike manner and scratched her back. “Sorry, dad. Still sleeping…I’ll get changed…” she went to the bathroom too.

Vincent stared after his daughters and chuckled to himself. They looked alike, but their personalities definitely were developed differently. Serena the sweet and Xetina the wild. “I’ll get some breakfast made! Your favorites!” he shouted down the hall.

* * * *

Serena sat poking at her food that her father had made for her, hers and Xetina’s absolute favorite, blueberry pancakes with a side of bacon and eggs. Oddly enough she didn’t feel particularly hungry today and just poked at her food. She sighed and gently shoved the food away from her. The food didn’t appetize her at all and she did not know why. It caught the attention of her ever-protective father.

“What’s the matter, Serena? You’ve barely touched your breakfast.” Vincent asked, concern in his voice.

Serena just stared at her food for a while before even deciding to answer. “It’s just that…well…I don’t feel hungry that’s all…I feel…a little weird…” she whispered. She absentmindedly took some hair and twirled it around her finger. She looked at her father. “It…feels like…something will happen…and it’s something bad, Papa.”

Xetina snorted as she ate her pancakes very quickly, not caring if she would choke on them. “Ignore her Dad. Serena’s always getting bad feelings.”

“And they’re always right, Xetina.” Serena defended herself, crossing her arms. “And the weight of this bad feeling…is so heavy…it’s going to be something very big.” She announced.

“Now, now, the both of you. It’s not the time to fight. Xetina, don’t provoke Serena and Serena…” Vincent looked at his daughter who stared back at him with the most upset look. He had seen her distressed before, but now she really looked upset. Something must be very wrong. “…Just…try to stay calm alright? We all won’t be together soon…your sister Xetina’s going to move to Midgar to work as a Turk for your uncle Reeve.”

Serena sighed and said nothing, but uncrossed her arms. That was her sign language for ‘okay’. And the rest of breakfast went on without too much trouble or bickering. The reasoned they bickered was the fact that neither wanted to leave the other, but it was the only way for things to work. Xetina wanted to become a Turk and the only way to do that was to go to Midgar. Vincent didn’t approve of it, but relented after much begging from Xetina’s part. He didn’t let her have her way without a warning though. “Never fall in love with a scientist.” Was all his advice was for her…that and not to get shot.

“Did you pack your things, Xetina?” Vincent asked, cleaning the dishes as his girls sat quietly, staring at each other from different ends of the dinner table. “If not, I’ll help you pack your things and have whatever left over that you want that can’t be pack now sent over.”

Xetina and Serena still stared at each other, but Xetina cocked her head to the side slightly to the left, which indicated to Vincent, who understood fully the twins’ sign language as also a no. Vincent sighed as he finished cleaning the dishes. “I’ll go pack your stuff, then…” he said, leaving them alone.

Silence reigned over them. They didn’t move one inch. If one didn’t know better they would have been mistaken for statues in the huge mansion. When Vincent was totally engrossed upstairs cleaning and packing things for Xetina, the twins sensed it and began talking.

“So…you’re really going, huh? I’ll miss you.” Serena said, twirling her hair around her finger again.

“Yeah…I guess…I’m gonna miss you, too though…” Xetina whispered back. “Can’t believe he let me go instead of you…or for that matter…not let both of us go. You wanted to go, too.” She added.

Serena only shrugged. “Well…you know me. I was never really one to argue with Papa. And he would be lonely without one of us home…”

“Dad still has mom to visit.” The other twin said, suggesting something else.

Serena shoo her head. “No. Mama’s gone. Papa told me so…and…I stopped feeling her, too. She’s gone.” She looked at the ceiling in wonder. Their mother was part of an experiment called the Jenova Project. It had created their deceased elder brother Sephiroth who later on went mad and tried to destroy the world. Xetina grew-up hating him, but Serena still loved him though not knowing him personally and knowing his history with the Planet. She had often read journals that told her of what had happened and it appalled her. Their entire family had been experimented besides her and Xetina. And by reading the journals Serena had guessed that the genetic code of Jenova had been embedded in their, though Xetina showed no side effects, Serena had her great share of them. She could sense things that were meant to come and it often disturbed her out of eating. She had just recently felt their mother vanish in the Lifestream.

“…………Mom’s gone…huh….?

“Yes…..I can’t feel her anymore….”

Silence.

“Xetina…?”

“Yeah, Serena…?”

Serena grinned a little. “Remember the time when we first went into the basement and Papa got really mad at us?”

Xetina made a wide grin as he remembered. “Hell yeah! He was so mad he freaked and turn into Chaos! He was chasing after us for so long in that form…”

“Remember when Chaos actually talked…?”

“What? In that dumb accent of his? Pah! I laughed so hard Mom must’ve heard me from the mountains!”

“I was so scared though…”

Xetina grinned even more. “Yeah…so scared you ran for Collin!”

Serena glared at her. “There’s nothing wrong in looking for help in a friend.”

“You sure he’s not a boyfriend..?” Xetina asked slyly, making smooching sounds.

Serena glared and walked out of the room.

“What? No good-bye hug?”

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