INCOMPLETE.

[foreswear]

Who: Vincent, Sephiroth, and Duke.
When: today, not long after Sephiroth arrives.
Where: near the fountain.
Rating: PG-13ish.
Warnings: None, really. Language? Vincent and Duke. ):
Summary: Sephiroth arrives, and Vincent goes to find him to escort him to ShinRa (SOLDIER) headquarters, mostly because he wants to check him out. Not in that way, no.

Comments

[enhancive]

It had begun with a simple (or what should have been simple) sparring match in the VR room. Set upon the Junon canon, because it had been a good a place as any, and the battlefield made it a little more interesting. Angeal had received a spell to the face from the matter, Sephiroth had wound up with a familiar lecture and Genesis had gotten a shoulder wound.

The wound that hadn't healed as it was supposed to and thus had marked the point in time where Sephiroth's life had gone strange.

And it was still going strange, wasn't it? His blood had been rejected as a donor for Genesis for reasons he still didn't know. Then Genesis had left SOLDIER, taking several members and machines with him. Angeal had followed, Sephiroth knew that, and from there he had-

Apparently wound up in this place. Sephiroth had at first thought that it was something to do with ShinRa-an announced testing, perhaps? They hadn't really done that before, but then things had changed a lot lately, hadn't they?-but no matter how many people he spoke to, they all... said the same thing:

Purgatorium. Home for the sinners.

Which was strange enough in itself and not something Sephiroth was all that ready nor inclined to believe. Not that he wasn't attempting to say he didn't have his sins-he was SOLDIER, after all-but that such a place existed... no, it was just too odd. That notion and all those people who had claimed that they knew him, claimed that he did things he most certainly had not done, claimed that the timelines were all messed up and either he was from the past or the future and then there was-

Angeal and Genesis.

He'd not spoken to Angeal yet, but he had with Genesis. Genesis, who had been so bitter and distant with Sephiroth in the last few months. He'd wanted to talk to Sephiroth then. Wanted finally to tell him the truth of what had happened, of what was happening, and wasn't that a bit strange? Where had that willingness been before? Then again, Genesis was one of the ones claiming that much had happened that Sephiroth didn't know about, that he and Angeal had both-

But that came later. Of course he'd talk to Genesis, of course he'd hear his side; hadn't that always been what he wanted? To know and not be left out in the dark anymore, to make knowledgeable and informed decisions. So, he would do that, yes. In due time, because right then, he was supposed to meet with one Vincent Valentine (that name...?), who would take him to meet Rufus ShinRa (President, was it now?)

The sound of Valentine's voice was more than enough to snap Sephiroth from his thoughts, and of course then he turned to face the other. Most certainly a Turk, was Sephiroth's first thought. Personally, he didn't care for Turks one way or another; they did their job, just as he did his. Sometimes they were just necessary for each other and that was fine enough. Valentine didn't seem like someone that would aggravate Sephiroth. (Not that he tended to be a man easily aggravated.)

"Valentine," was all he said, motionless and watching.

[foreswear]

Vincent paused for a second too long.

It gave away the surprise written all over his face, and the fact that his mouth had opened, but nothing had come out. He knew he was going to look like her. Could tell, even over the terminal, but. He hadn't been prepared for him to look almost exactly like her, right down to the shape of his nose and the curve of his jaw. Of course, it wouldn't have been obvious to anyone who didn't know Lucrecia well, but Vincent did, and Vincent could tell, could overlook the subtle differences for the similarities beneath. He looked like her, because he was her son, and he flinched inwardly. The product of a project that he had failed to stop, and it was another part of his past that haunted him daily, that haunted him every time he turned in bed to sleep. Couldn't forget. Wasn't supposed to.

The surprise shifted immediately into a look of passive calm, and Vincent regarded him politely, allowing the tension to melt from his muscles as his fingers relaxed at his side. He took another second to tear his gaze down away from his face, to every other part of him, and yes, definitely strong. Definitely strong, and definitely a SOLDIER, and it figured.

A SOLDIER. Not a Turk. Which meant--

Another pause. Vincent smiled calmly.

"You're a SOLDIER," he stated, and took a step forward finally, letting his palm drift down onto the side of the fountain. "Normally, I'd say we'd be going that way--" He nodded to the open space directly behind Sephiroth. "--but considering who you are, we'll be going this way." His hand went up, thumb out, and then jerked to the side.

Didn't make a lot of sense, of course, and he had a feeling Sephiroth was only going to stare at him as if he were crazy. That was okay. It wasn't as if it would have been the first time, anyway, and Vincent could handle staring and gaping. He couldn't handle a sword to the gut, though, not so soon after dying, and he wasn't keen on the idea of provoking an extremely dangerous man into thinking he was a threat.

Rufus was going to kill him.

No. Fuck that.

Veld and Duke would kill him for Rufus. That was better.

As far as they were concerned, though, he was doing them a favor. It wasn't as if Sephiroth would sign onto ShinRa with the Turks, after all. Not when there was a completely different company devoted solely to SOLDIER, and. Well. Vincent was feeling particularly bitter that afternoon.

Besides, if Duke really was following him, it wasn't as if he'd get very far.

Bastard, he thought. I know, that quiet part agreed.

"We should probably get going." Red eyes flicked up toward the plate above their heads. "I take it you still don't believe me?"

[enhancive]

The look that Sephiroth gave Vincent did suggest that he thought the other man was crazy, though it was a mild expression. It wasn't like Sephiroth hadn't already heard a million things that day that sounded rather crazy or otherwise illogical, so what was one or two more added to the list? At least Valentine wasn't carrying on about how Sephiroth had supposedly stabbed him or did this and that, all things which Sephiroth knew most certainly he had not and would not.

So this? This was all right. This was fine, in comparison to everything else that was going on.

(That look, though. That initial expression Valentine had given him-what was it? Nothing like the looks Sephiroth usually received upon seeing someone for the first time; no, that was usually either complete awe or hatred, depending on if it were friend or foe. But the look Valentine had given him, so surprised and off-guard in that single second... Sephiroth just couldn't make sense of it, no matter which angle he looked at it. Did he...?)

"Very well," he answered, matter of fact. If Valentine wanted to go one way or another-what difference did that make to him? Sephiroth was used to things being different for him, or perhaps for SOLDIERs in general. So long as he got to the place that he wanted to go and it didn't take much longer, then how was it important which direction they headed in? "Lead the way."

(And perhaps he thought... there was something decidedly odd about Valentine, wasn't he? His aura, perhaps. Something that was different from an ordinary Turk, of which Sephiroth had definitely encountered plenty of in his lifetime, having been born and raised with the ShinRa. It was something different that, like with his look from earlier, the General couldn't precisely place. It seemed like Sephiroth would just wind up with more questions, at this rate.)

[foreswear]

Vincent might have been mildly surprised at the little amount of resistance he was receiving from the other. He had expected Sephiroth to be entirely wary of him, and though he was probably on his guard as usual, he didn't seem to be all that concerned. Which was good, he thought. Very good, because Vincent didn't want him thinking anything else. Didn't want someone who had the potential to rip through him and the entire city not on his side. It was bad enough that he was a Turk and that Sephiroth was a SOLDIER. They were already automatically set against each other. Already automatically at opposite ends of the entire fucking spectrum, and. Well. He wondered briefly if it had always been that way. He wondered when it changed.

After a moment of still silence, he rounded the fountain, closer to Sephiroth (but not too close, not within reaching distance), and nodded toward the direction they were heading, before setting off down the darkened streets. He walked at a leisurely pace. Not too face, and not too slow, and still extremely careful, because he couldn't shake that feeling that something was a little bit off. Duke probably was tailing him, then. Probably was following him, and the second that he noticed that Vincent was heading in the opposite direction of Turk headquarters, he'd--

Well, Vincent didn't know. Probably step in. He wasn't real fond of the idea of seeing him, either.

He shot a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure that Sephiroth was still following him. "It'll probably take about ten minutes to get there."

If Duke wasn't following him, and if everything went how it was supposed to, then he'd reach SOLDIER headquarters in due time. Lead Sephiroth to the building, and then stop at the steps, stop at the door, and then turn around before anyone saw him. It didn't have to be complicated. It was simple, and he wanted it simple, and he was making shit a lot easier for everyone, really. Showing that the Turks were trustworthy, at least. Maybe. To a point. That's how he worked it out in his head, though that didn't mean it was correct. It rarely ever was.

Still, he was rather certain that Duke was nearby. Fucking predictable. Vincent bit back an exhausted sigh, and again had to fight the urge to pull his gun from his holster. Not to use it, but just to have it there. A safety blanket, of sorts. It comforted him when every other part of him was anxious, and nervous, and panicked, and tired.

The wind shifted. It twisted circles around Vincent, brushed through dark strands of hair, and it smelled exactly like him. Like bombs, and metal, and Turks, and Turks, and Duke, and Turks.

Damnit.

He rolled one shoulder back, coughed uncomfortably, and picked up the pace.

[el_legendaire]

Of course Duke was following him. Duke did nothing else on some days but follow Vincent, since someone certainly had to. He would have today as well, even if he hadn't been given orders, just because.

The saying went that if you saved a man's life you were responsible for him. Duke wasn't sure how it had gotten turned around in his head to the same thing if you killed that man, but it was too late.

Far too late.

Good thing, anyway. Vincent might have gotten fired over this little stunt, and then Duke would no longer have the convenience of Vincent's schedule as a Turk, and that was just an irritating notion. Not to mention the general havoc it would cause when Veld up and quit with him.

He got ahead of them and was waiting, leaning nonchalantly against the side of a building and smoking like nothing was wrong. Pushed himself off when they approached, flicked the cigarette aside, and stepped in front of them.

"You took your time, Valentine," he said, sparing a nod to Sephiroth before pinning Vincent with his gaze. "I'd started to think you'd gotten lost."

[enhancive]

The Turks did nothing easily, Sephiroth knew.

To an outsider, of course, it could have seemed like they did-all smoothness and quick motions-but for one that had been born and raised within ShinRa walls? No, Sephiroth knew better than that. It might have been easy to a Turk, but for a SOLDIER, it was always that line of thought: Turks just complicated everything.

And now, it seemed, would prove no different. Things had been going smoothly and easily enough thus far, meeting with Valentine and letting him lead the way to headquarters, but the sight of another Turk proved an all-too-soon end to that little adventure.

Complications as usual, then.

(And more curious words.)

Sephiroth's steps came to an abrupt halt at the interruption, and he let his bright green gaze settle upon the latest addition to their little group. This time his gaze was more openly wary than it had been initially, but of course it was; he knew well enough to be on his guard at this point in time and especially when things went like this. Who knew what was going on? There could be any number of things he was unaware of in this situation, and it was probably so.

Not like he was going to just sit there and wonder about it, however. That wasn't how Sephiroth did things, nor did he have any interest in it. Which might have been why he replied before Valentine even had a chance to. "Is there a problem?"

[foreswear]

That was that, then.

For however much he was expecting Duke to appear, he hadn't thought he'd just come out of nowhere and that he wouldn't notice him sooner than he did. So, he spooked a little, and his hand went instantly toward Cerberus, tugging it from its holster, and for Shiva knows what reason, he shifted instinctively in front of Sephiroth. Maybe it had something to do with Lucrecia. Maybe. Just a little. It didn't make a lot of sense, though, considering Sephiroth (in all respects) was probably better prepared to defend himself than Vincent was. More calm. Vincent didn't have the capability to fight and be calm. Not anymore.

He'd hate himself for it later.

The gun steeled in place, nozzle pointing toward the offender, finger drifting carefully over the trigger, and he only paused to consider his actions when he caught a glance of bright red and smoldering black. Duke, and the mere sight of him was enough to make Vincent's stomach tighten again. He lowered his gun after a moment, swearing viciously beneath his breath. Cerberus slid easily back into its holster, and he moved forward a step, away from Sephiroth, shooting the other Turk a decidedly heated look.

"Not lost," he replied stiffly, and it took every inch of willpower in him to keep his voice steady. "Just trying to help a guy out, Duke. I appreciate your concern, though."

Vincent knew better, though. Duke wasn't going to let him go anywhere near SOLDIER headquarters with Sephiroth. Not when he was standing right there. Not when he knew his intentions. Would have probably taken a gun to his head before that moment came, and right then, Vincent was almost aggravated enough to let him. He always found the most inopportune moments to step in, didn't he. This had nothing to do with the Turks, and this had nothing to do with Rufus, and this really didn't even have much to do with ShinRa, either. Maybe it was selfish. Maybe it wasn't.

His shoulders dropped when he let out a heavy sigh, and finally, after an uncomfortable moment, he glanced away from Duke, relenting.

"Yeah. Maybe I got a little lost."

[el_legendaire]

If Duke's perpetual smirk froze a little when Vincent pulled Cerberus on him, it was only for half a second, and he tore himself out of it quick enough.

It hurt, of course. Just a little, but he could hardly blame Vincent, and he kept absolutely still until the gun had been re-holstered.

"Not a problem at all, General," he said, speaking to Sephiroth but never taking his eyes from Vincent. "Just a bit of a misunderstanding. You see there are currently two of Rufus Shinra in this city right now, one running ShinRa proper and one heading the division of SOLDIER that chose to separate. Valentine here was supposing with understandable logic that you would wish to speak with the Rufus of SOLDIER, which I'm sure you do and will assuredly have the opportunity to."

"But the Rufus of Shinra requested an audience first, and one would hate to keep him waiting over a small misunderstanding."

Don't look at Vincent. Don't think about shooting Vincent. Don't remember shooting Vincent.

His expression was probably too neutral to be completely natural, but if Vincent could keep his mouth shut, maybe Sephiroth would choose not to notice.