Past and Present
There was a scuff of dirt as Zell kicked off a stone from his path. His head was lowered and his mind was filled with thoughts. There was absolutely nothing to do. The past six months after Ultimecia's defeat was filled with long boring intervals of escorting officials, which he thought were just scared of their own shadows. He sighed some more as he reached the hill overlooking a plain that now hosted the Garden. Zell sat down with a thud and sent grass flying into the air.
He looked out into the open meadows of endless grass, stretching forever in different sides. Then slowly closed his eyes and laid back his head on the soft grass in preparation of a nap when a sudden rustle of nearby leaves stirred him from his resting-place.
"Woah!" he slammed down to the ground as something whizzed past his head. The thing was some sort of monster that he had never seen before which was surprising with his experience the last year chasing after the sorceresses.
It landed a few feet from him then turned it's head to regard him with the scariest looking set of eyes Zell had ever seen. It flared red and narrowed as its eyes scanned him. Its eyes looking up and down speculatively. It tilted it's big black and violet wings on it's broad back. Something so surprising happened after that Zell's eyes were just about ready to jump out of his head.
It smiled at him! The thing smiled and what really bothered him was that it felt very human and he'd had this urge to go and make friends or something. Zell shuddered at the thought but he smiled back.
It was walking towards him and Zell could feel his knees weaken and his throat drying out. The huge bat like creature cocked it's head side ways as it extended a hand to help Zell up, with a forced smile Zell extended his hand, although a bit shakily to the thing. Surprising as it was, the thing's hand was firm and gentle as it pulled Zell up. Zell stood albeit shakily as he dusted his clothes.
The thing shook the huge wings on its back and sat down on the hill. It then spoke to Zell almost making him jump right out of his shorts. Its voice was very deep and husky almost like half a growl.
"You must be one of those SeeDs huh?" It asked him.
"How did you know that?" Zell asked, genuinely shocked that he was actually talking to a monster.
The thing laughed, its laugh sounded something T-rexaur would do if it knew how to laugh.
" Surprised, kid? You should be. I've lived on this world for more than my fair share of years. We even used to have mercenaries like you before but not a whole school of 'em." It laughed some more and tears started falling out of its eyes. Zell pitied the creature and wished he could help but all he could do was to goad the creature to unburden its problems to him. Somebody once said to him that a stranger is more comfortable to talk to than to somebody who knows you.
"This is getting pretty funny. I don't talk this much but after all these years with nobody to talk to must have finally gotten to me..."
Zell could see the monster's tears as it landed on his outstretched fingers. Zell could be pretty serious if the situation demands it. He looked the monster in the eyes and saw genuine loneliness and a bit of hysteria behind the tears.
"I-I guess I'd be very lonely if I spent that many years alone." Zell stuttered. The monster must have forgotten he was there because it looked surprised at Zell's words.
" What are you doing here anyway?" Zell asked, curious.
Its eyes narrowed as it smile to him and then all of a sudden laughed out loud at the sudden turn in the conversation. "You must be pretty brave or pretty stupid to be talking to me. Most people just run away screaming when they see me."
"Not really brave more like bored to death..." Zell smiled to himself.
"The name's Vincent Valentine..." it extended an arm out to him.
Zell took an arm and smiled more widely at the fact that he was actually talking to a monster sank in his brain. "Zell, Zell Dincht..." it smiled to him.
An aura of light suddenly seemed to encompass the creature and then it flared out blindingly so that Zell had to cover his eyes. What Zell found out next almost sent him falling off the hill.
"Hi..." the thing calling itself Vincent transformed itself into a human in front of is eyes.
"What happened to you?" Zell's eyes bulged out of his sockets yet again.
"I'm actually human...until I got experimented on..." He had long black hair which trailed down his back. Covering his shoulders was a cloak of blood red crimson. It covered the lower part of his face but those red eyes still shined brightly underneath.
"Oh..." Zell nodded understanding.
"Zell... wanna go with me for a while? I got something to give you..."
"Really?" he asked somewhat surprised to find out that he was quite excited.
They were walking on a very uncertain path in the forests near the train station. Zell could see that the trees here were bigger than he remembered the last time he was here. The sounds of the forest was also making him a bit jumpy since the last time he was here he had encountered one of those huge plantlike creatures that almost killed him. Zell then turned his eyes away from the forest scenery to contemplate the back of the man in front of him. Zell noticed that Vincent seemed to walk through the forest as if the trees and the occasional underbrush were not there at all. He stared almost fearfully at how the shadows stuck to Vincent like that. It seemed that merged with his form and it sent shivers down Zell's spine.
When they finally reached their destination, sounds of a thundering waterfall could be heard as Vincent parted the vegetation under his hands.
"You live behind that?" Zell asked incredulously
"It's comfortable..." Vincent shrugged his shoulders. He then walked behind the curtains of falling water. He motioned Zell to come with him inside. Zell cautiously walked inside, the spray of the waterfalls making him a bit wet. He looked around and was surprised to see a well furnished and quite cozy living quarters. He was rather impressed.
"Where'd ya get all this stuff anyway?" Zell looked around and could see old technology lying around and in still pristine condition.
"When it was still our time, I was a very successful man. But of course everyone passed away sooner or later and that left me... I didn't feel like facing the world so I went off to live here alone. I've seen you quite often when I fly around. Its only today that I had the courage to approach you..." The red cloaked man plopped down to a nearby chair. He looked at Zell who was currently sliding his hands over a barrel of a gun and moving slowly towards a pair of gloves that looked similar to his own.
"Vincent... Who did this belong to...?" he asked as he carefully caressed the glove in his hands.
Vincent raised his eyebrow and started to laugh. " What's so funny?" Zell asked getting angry.
"So that was what was so familiar about you..." Vincent started laughing again.
"What do you mean familiar?" Zell asked still flushed with anger.
"I bet you're the great-great and a couple more hundred greats, grand son of Cloud Strife!" Vincent eyed a sputtering Zell.
"Cloud Strife of the Apocalyptic Era?" Zell asked, his knees starting to buckle under him.
"What?" Vincent asked.
"You know the time when a meteor almost crashed to the planet and we were saved by Cloud Strife and the other Apocalyptic Era heroes. Wait a minute... you're Vincent Valentine...
"The Vincent Valentine?!?" Zell promptly fell to his knees as the words sank in.
"Heroes huh?" Vincent mused. "Funny how I never put it that way... Heroes! Ha!" he then started chuckling again.
"You mean I'm a descendant of 'The Great Cloud Strife?'" Zell asked quickly sitting on a nearby plush couch.
"I wouldn't call him that great, Zell... he was after all pretty messed up..."
"Huh?"
"His mind was quite confused and was messed up pretty bad by Sephiroth but he was still a pretty good leader." Vincent looked up seeing a very engrossed Zell.
Vincent laughed and lightly punched a startled Zell on the arm.
"You wouldn't imagine how much you resemble him Zell. I mean with a mixture of some of Tifa here and there of course."
"Tifa?"
"You're great grand mom... I think?"
"This is all a bit hard to swallow..." Zell gulped.
"I have a gift for you and in exchange you come here to see me okay?" Vincent asked, solemnly.
"Sure, I guess." Zell shrugged.
"Don't tell anyone about me..." Zell nodded. "Then I'll give this to you." He took out a huge bundle of wrapped cloth and gave it to Zell who took it with care.
"It's Cloud's sword, you should learn how to use it... he said that I'd give it to a descendant of his... just didn't know how many years passed until I saw you seeing on that hill there."
"Cloud's sword?" Zell carefully unwrapped the cloth from around the object. It slowly revealed the edge of a glowing violet and blue sword. Zell gasped.
"It's the Ultima sword. The sword itself was forged deep within the planet's core. It was given to Cloud to help him by one of the weapons."
"Ultima?"
" Take care of it...It's very powerful and it never needs cleaning."
Zell looked up, his eyes sparkling with emotion. He clutched the precious gift to his chest.
"Thanks..."
"Take it and go. It's dusk already. You better start heading back." Vincent turned around to vanish in a flash of darkness but not with a smile on his face.
Zell was out of the cave still hugging the precious cloth wrapped bundle tightly to his chest. He couldn't know how lucky he was. He was able to meet someone like that. It couldn't have been a dream since the sword was still clutched to his chest. He looked at Balamb Garden in the center of the valley. A breeze whizzed by, ruffling his hair. Thank you, he whispered to the wind as he headed down to the Garden.
~owari~